[[" \n### Martial Arts \u2013 The Mind / Body Link\n\nBy Lor Mun Mak\n\nSmashwords Edition\n\nCopyright 2018 Lor Mun Mak\n\nSmashwords Edition, License Notes\n\nThank you for downloading this free e-book. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form.\n\nWarning: It is strongly recommended that children and adults who are not experienced in martial arts should not attempt application of the principles of this book unless under the supervision of a currently certified instructor/coach in the fighting arts.\n\n****\n\n### Table of Contents\n\nIntroduction\n\nThe Mind / Body Link\n\nAffecting the Opponent\n\nForward Pressure\n\nAccelerated behaviour\n\nOutcomes\n\nThe System\n\nMindset for Battle\n\nFreedom\n\nMultiple Attackers\n\nSharpening Your Weapons\n\nEnergy\n\nDefences are built into what you are doing\n\nIntent\n\nDesign, Build, and Test your Art\n\nTraining the Body\n\nLongarm Footwork\n\nSingle opponent verses group battle\n\nLearning / Training model\n\n****\n\nIntroduction\n\nOne of the key aspects of the martial arts is the link between the mind and body.\n\nIt works in both directions; the mind affects the body and the body affects the mind.\n\nThe implications for battle are two-fold:\n\nYou can stop an opponent's attack by wrecking their mental focus on you, which dismantles their physical actions.\n\nThe other part is not allowing your own mind to be trapped by the situation and decreasing your physical ability.\n\nYour chances of safely exiting a situation are dramatically improved when both parts are working in your favour.\n\n****\n\nThe Mind / Body Link\n\nThe link between the mind and body is at the core of every martial art. There is a compelling reason for this; if you can disrupt the mind, then you can disrupt the body.\n\nThe opponent's physical system is powered and driven by their mind. If you can affect their mind sufficiently, then you can reduce their physical effectiveness. This is a double-edged sword as the same applies to you.\n\nIf you base everything on the logic that an opponent is generally only dangerous if they can focus their intentions on you, then you have a clear path forward to develop your art.\n\nYour goal is simplified i.e. to dismantle the opponent's intentions towards you. This will open up your thinking to a whole range of self-defence strategies, as well as an approach to fighting that will have a similar foundation for both single and multiple opponents.\n\nIf you break the opponent's intentions towards you and send their mind internal, then it is likely they will start to turn away from you, as this is a natural defensive action i.e. we turn to protect our sensory equipment such as our eyes, and to see if the way is clear to get away from the danger.\n\nIf you don't break them and they retreat or back away from you, then you have two options. You can stop and leave, or you can go in again. Part of your mind being free is you are not worried about having to damage or destroy your opponent. You only need to break their mind until they give up, at which point you leave, as it may only be temporary or they may have friends in the vicinity. If they are too resilient and don't break down, then getting out is a good option.\n\n****\n\nAffecting the Opponent\n\nAffecting the opponent is about affecting their intentions towards you. The more rapidly you can achieve this, the less potential for you to be injured by their weaponry, be it strikes, kicks, knees, elbows, head butts, takedowns, etc.\n\nYou ultimately don't want to be hit or grabbed. Remember that for self-defence, you only have to create the conditions where you can exit the situation safely.\n\nShock and Pressure\n\nHow can you affect your opponent's mind such that their physical ability is momentarily affected?\n\nThe right combination of shock and pressure is one such method and it can send the opponent's mind internal very quickly. This switches them from their calculating brain that is planning and reacting with an attack / defence mindset, into their primitive brain where the survival response lies.\n\nUltimately, you want to trigger the flight response for a moment so that the opponent will turn. The objective then is to ramp up the pressure on them so that they turn and present their back to you.\n\nTurning (to run or bunker down) is the first step in a survival response to get away from a threat, or to present the back as the least worst target.\n\nYou can switch people into this response with the right amount of shock and it's not something that people can easily train to stop from happening. Note however that everyone has a different threshold of pressure that they can withstand, and people with fighting experience can recover very quickly.\n\nA heavy combination of shock and pressure will get you the desired results even in a group of opponents. Multiple attackers are at their most dangerous when they act as a concerted group. Break the 'group mind' into a bunch of disarrayed individuals and your odds of safely exiting the situation will improve dramatically.\n\nHow to create shock\n\nTo create shock, your actions have to temporarily overwhelm the person and send their mind internal, where their focus is on saving themselves rather than on attacking you.\n\nThis should inform you that even if your actions are not actually doing much physical damage to your opponent, they need to think that you are.\n\nFor shock to be effective, it has to be cumulative i.e. you need a series of shocks that sends their cognitive mind into a downward spiral so that their primitive mind takes over. You are after a defensive reaction and the best result is to get them to turn away from you. This is a natural defensive reaction i.e. the first step to get out of a situation.\n\nOf course, people will return to the battle if their cognitive mind can recover. This is why you also need pressure, to stop the person returning on you.\n\nCreating shock is not an easy task. Everyone has a different mental resilience depending on their training, their exposure to violence, etc. In order to give yourself the best chance of creating both shock and pressure you need to work with the biggest weapon at your disposal. This is your accelerated mass.\n\nThe Body is the Weapon\n\nVery few exponents use their whole body / system to its full potential in battle. The body becomes the weapon when you use your accelerated mass to create effective strategies regardless of whether you are facing a single opponent or multiple attackers.\n\nHow do you create an effect on your opponent using your accelerated mass?\n\nYou have to shock the person if you are to break their mind for a moment. You need to throw your mass (explosively and violently) at the person if you are to do this. It is the explosion of your whole system onto the opponent that creates the moment of shock. To give yourself the best chance of having an effect on your opponent, you have to give everything of yourself. It's all or nothing when your strategy is full energisation.\n\nYou have to use your body to create a series of shocks for the opponent that sends their focus inwards, while maintaining a pressure that doesn't allow their mind to recover. It is the combination of pressure and shock that affects their mind and sends them internal for a few moments so that they give a defensive reaction i.e. turn or bunker.\n\nIt's only once they turn that you can put more emphasis into delivering strikes to increase their desire to get away. You then have a good opportunity to break from the situation and exit the situation safely.\n\nThere is a balance between shock and forward pressure. Too much forward pressure and you will be caught up in resistance, which stops you enacting a series of explosive accelerations of your mass. Body bumps have to have this balance as for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and your balance will be affected by the force being transmitted back into you from the contact with the opponent.\n\nAccelerating your mass at an opponent is not a technique. You have to work out how to load your system and then explode it onto the opponent, with the minimum gap possible to the next explosive action.\n\nNeutralisation\n\nWhen two people come together in battle, they both have this moment of shock and the result is a moment of neutralisation. Think of this moment of time as a gap. The first person to recover or transition can get an advantage and the opportunity to create an effect.\n\nIf you can transition immediately and create gap after gap that the opponent cannot handle then you will effectively create a series of cascading effects that doesn't allow the opponent to recover. This will mean they are always 'behind time' where their thoughts and actions are behind compared to your actions. If they panic and lose focus then they cannot apply their power and strength.\n\nYou want the opponent's mind to be lagging behind the timing of your actions. Transitions are meant to disrupt their flow of sensory information and put them further behind time in a cascading process of disorientation with their mind hopefully 'going under'. If you mess up, then you will allow their mind to catch up to the timing of your actions and they recover.\n\nNote that if you try to throw a strike after the initial neutralisation, you will recover at the same time as the opponent. It's then mostly luck as to whether your strike has a greater effect on them, than their strike has on you. But you don't want to have to rely on this; you want to create a large advantage, rather than an equal chance. Neutralisation gives you a moment of safety i.e. strikes are effectively neutralised and you want to continue that safety by creating another effect for their mind to deal with. This is where transitioning with minimal gaps becomes important.\n\nTwo people will not always neutralise. For instance, two boxers will not neutralise if they stay at the distance where they use jabs. You only get neutralisation where two people come together with reasonable speed and get up close. Accelerate your mass at someone and you can experience this moment of neutralisation. As discussed above, the issue you then have to solve is, 'how you can take advantage of the situation of neutralisation?'\n\nTransitions\n\nIn order for your body to be the weapon, you need to 'give' your accelerated mass to your opponent, with minimal gaps in time between each acceleration of your system. This means the reloading and transitioning of your actions has to enable you to somehow keep accelerating at the opponent. One way of achieving this is with 'flight', which is discussed later.\n\nYou can save time by reloading your system as you land, which then enables the triggering of the next acceleration of your mass at the opponent.\n\nYou don't wind up your body to strike the person as that takes too much time and increases the time of the gap. The body needs to land loaded at the end of the flight. A loaded system is one where you have torque and spring energy available to immediately transition and accelerate you mass again at the opponent. Landing in a lowered position helps in the goal of landing loaded, as it lands the body with potential spring energy.\n\nThe whole system moves as a unit to the new positioning. Everything moves at the same time i.e. the feet, torso, arms all get to the new positioning in one explosive movement in order to create a moment of shock. It's important that the feet move explosively when you transition to the new position. You cannot just turn your feet or only move them a fraction.\n\nThe accelerated mass then provides the energy for delivering a short strike to the opponent as part of the momentum of the whole system. As you transition, no part of your body gets left behind or stops being 'live'. For example, the non-striking hand generally follows the torque of the body and becomes an important part of the loading process.\n\nYou cannot get caught up on the resistance or you won't be able to explode again to a new positioning a fraction of a second later. In essence, you go where the resistance isn't when you transition. The opponent is likely to be mentally stuck on the previous bridge if you are transitioning quickly enough; their mind starts to go 'behind time' in respect to your actions. This is part of why their mind begins to go internal.\n\nBridge Replacement\n\nA bridge is essentially a contact point with your opponent. You cannot get locked onto resistance if you are to create a series of shocks on your opponent, which means that you have to continually make and break bridges.\n\nThere is a gap every time you break a bridge and remake a new one. This gap is important because it is a break in the communication via touch with the opponent, and it acts to disrupt their measurement of your actions.\n\nEvery bridge is an opportunity to affect the opponent but it is also a point of resistance that can prevent you from fully energising if you lock onto it.\n\nOne of the barriers to full energisation is that we naturally fight resistance, which will likely be at the bridge point i.e. the point of contact. That is where our mind will go. We lock our minds and our physical selves to the point of contact of the bridge. People fight at the point where their mind's focus is at, and that is important, as with the right strategy you can take advantage of this fact in the opponent.\n\nWhen you contact the person you form a bridge i.e. even the lightest contact means a bridge is formed. If your bridge is too solid then it is more difficult to transition as you physically lock onto that bridge point and mentally lock onto that point. Throw yourself at the person and give them your accelerated mass but work out how to quickly make the bridge point light so that you can transition. Transitioning ensures that the opponent doesn't have a stable contact point to measure you through the sense of touch. You don't have a strong bridge because you don't want to over-commit and get stuck on resistance.\n\nWe use the fact that people fight resistance. When we suddenly release the bridge point, the resistance disappears and the opponent has nothing to fight until the next bridge/resistance point is made. The opponent's mind gets stuck on the bridge point, but you immediately transition to the next bridge. That is how you get ahead of their time and this creates a cumulative mental effect. You get them further and further behind in time relative to your actions, and it turns their attack / defence mindset into a defence mindset.\n\nGetting in fast in the first instance of the battle creates a looming effect and this helps lock the opponent onto the bridge point for a moment. You cannot be technical with the first 'give' of your accelerated system or you will lose your balance and you won't be loaded and able to transition immediately.\n\nYou have to land loaded and balanced and ready to transition. You cannot start to transition by winding up your body and that includes taking time to sink down. You have to be ready to 'go' from where you land and that is why you don't have two contact points using both arms i.e. two bridges. You don't intentionally disengage the bridge; the transition breaks the bridge. _You have to break a bridge using your whole system._\n\nYou should also try to keep your hands free, as they register too much information and can get stuck on a bridge i.e. on the opponent's resistance. Our instinct is to grab onto something when we are under stress, which is why a lot of battles end in wrestling.\n\nEvery bridge is an opportunity to affect the opponent but it is also a point of resistance potentially preventing you from fully energising if you lock onto it.\n\nGaps are important\n\nYou need a gap between your actions/transitions i.e. the reloading, but it cannot be too large or you will become involved in the opponent's resistance and lose the energy and pressure build-up on the opponent. If you get too involved in their resistance then your body will be locked down to an extent. This stops you from being able to transition in an explosive manner to the next positioning.\n\nThe goal is to break the opponent's intentions towards you and keep it broken so they cannot easily recover. This means you can only have minimal gaps to your actions. It is a series of explosive transitions that create a series of moments of shock, and the shorter the gap between the moments of shock, the greater the cumulative effect on the opponent's mind.\n\nThe gaps also have another purpose. As you accelerate your mass at the opponent, you create a blank moment in your mind and in the opponent's mind. The gap that occurs just after this action is a moment where the opponent's mind starts to recover. The next acceleration of your mass cuts this mental recovery short and this accelerates the internalisation of their mind.\n\nCompression\n\nThe compression of your body as you load and unload through transitioning is required to ensure the effective transmission of energy. Your body has to hold together strongly as one unit and compression allows your accelerated mass to drive energy into the target through a small impact zone, generally from using a 'short arm strike'.\n\nConsider again the medieval knight with a lance / spear, on a horse. At full gallop the knight and his horse has lots of momentum, and he will line up the lance and transmit the energy of the accelerated mass through the tip of the lance. Without stirrups and using their knees, they could not lock themselves onto the horse and a lot of the energy would likely be dissipated. Not having compression is a bit like the knight not having stirrups or not being able to grip the horse with his knees i.e. the impact is as likely to affect him just as much as it affects the opponent.\n\nThe lance is not an example of a 'short arm strike' but consider what happens to the force if the spear bends in the above example? In Kung Fu demonstrations where someone places the point of a spear on their neck and then proceeds to bend the spear, they use a trick. They put a bend in the spear to start with, so that the force is then directed downwards at the middle of the spear, rather than into the tip of the spear which is against their neck or chest. You never see them attempting the demonstration with a spear that has no bend in it. See figure 3.\n\n_Tip: you need to maintain energy in both hands (double power lines) to avoid_ _one side of the body dominating, and therefore_ _losing compression and with it the ability to transition and energise._\n\nDon't try to strike the opponent\n\nWhen you try to hit the opponent, the conscious thought process required will hinder your ability to effectively use your accelerated mass. Your actions cannot be limited by the speed of your mental attack / defence calculations if you are to use your body as a weapon and create enough shock to dismantle your opponent's actions.\n\nIf you try to strike the opponent you will be too slow and you will lose the effect of the forward pressure you were creating through giving your accelerated system. This leaves a gap in the pressure and lets the opponent recover. Remember that the body is the principal weapon. 'Giving yourself' to the opponent has no particular target in mind. This saves time as your mind has less processing to do and this allows you to transition faster, accelerating the whole mass at the opponent again and again.\n\nIf you create pressure and the opponent starts to turn away and appear vulnerable for a moment then don't be tempted to strike them. You should throw your body harder at them and transition even faster. You give everything of yourself with minimal gaps, so that you can attack their mind. Their mind is the weak point, and if it breaks then their body is disrupted for a moment. If you attempt a big strike and it misses or they block it then you have just ruined the cascading effect you were creating and have allowed them to recover mentally and therefore physically.\n\nYou have to go away from the technical solutions and allow yourself to operate in the moment, free of preconceived plans and techniques.\n\nSo, if you are not trying to strike your opponent, then what can you do? One strategy is to transfer the energy of your accelerated mass through a smaller surface area that goes straight into the opponent. An example of this is a 'short arm' strike. The short arm stops the problem of the spear bending as in Figure 1 above.\n\nIf the energy from your accelerated mass is transmitted via a short strike through your palm for instance, then your arm cannot be moving all over the place; the force line has to be stable and direct so that energy can be transmitted effectively.\n\nTip: One of the mistakes you can make is to not consider your own structure and how short-arm palm strikes on entry into the battle can result in your arms getting caught on the opponent's defensive posture and getting your hands bent back. When this happens you will lose compression as your arms get separated.\n\nExplosive Violence\n\nShock breaks the mind / body link. There is a certain level of violence to the use of your accelerated mass that creates the shock on the opponent.\n\nThe body is only a weapon if it can affect the opponent, particularly their mind. It is principally the violence of the energisation through giving your accelerated mass that puts the opponent behind your timing.\n\nYou have to dismantle the opponent/s intentions towards you so that you keep your freedom. That can mean many things. It doesn't mean you have to take out everyone in a group of attackers for instance. The very act of attempting that is likely to result in the group taking you down because you will end up spending too much time on one person.\n\nYou need to affect the opponent/s. They need to experience a level of shock and awe in that moment that you spend with them that makes them hesitate to chase you, so that the group mind is broken and their intentions are dismantled to an extent. They are not so keen to go after a target that is potentially dangerous to the group and the individuals that comprise it.\n\nGiving has violence to it that you wouldn't expect. The strange part is that you are not entering the battle with the intention to knock the person out, as that takes away your freedom. Yet the seriousness, the sharpness, the explosiveness, and the violence have to be a part of the giving of your accelerated mass to your opponent/s.\n\n'Let go' and let the violence out. Violence can only flow when you let go your desires to damage the opponent. Anger or a desire to strike them impedes your ability to fully energise and make your accelerated mass the weapon. Without freedom of the mind you cannot let go. Transitions are a continuous flow and you need to understand the violence aspect of letting go.\n\nMinimising the gaps in your actions is important for the violence to flow. For the next transition to be ripped out quickly, you need to land loaded in a downwards and a sideways dimension i.e. torque is loaded in order to save time for the next transition. There is not time to land from the flight and then try to load the body. Landing in a lowered position helps in the goal of landing loaded as it lands the body with potential spring energy\n\nNote that there is a tendency to fight at a taller level when your transitioning is rapid and this can reduce the energy you are able to generate as well as the effect on the opponent's mind.\n\nThe more we can move our whole compressed system with explosive violence, the more energy we can transmit without being taken off balance by the impact (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). The better we can do this the greater the probability we can stand where the opponent wants to stand.\n\nFlight\n\nWhen you fight a single opponent, the best way you can keep accelerating your whole system is if you use flight. You can define flight as both feet leaving the ground. If you don't use flight then you will start either pushing and grappling, or attempt to stabilise your base as much as possible in order to focus on striking, or a combination of both.\n\nHow do you accelerate using flight, and then accelerate again, all without getting stuck on the opponent's resistance? Any answer we attempt to give for this question will result in a dojo, technical shape. Suffice to say, people have to work it out themselves and the answer comes from 'giving' your accelerated mass to your opponent.\n\nTip: a very simple version of flight is to put your feet at the corners of a square (diagonal from each other) and then swap the front foot to the back and the back foot to the front (i.e. to the opposite diagonal).\n\nInternalising the Opponent/s Mind\n\nIn order to stop your opponent in a fight you have to affect them. The best way to achieve this is to attack their mind. Break the opponent's mind and their body ceases to have a driver.\n\nA bigger person has a strength and power advantage over a smaller opponent. If you break their mind / focus / determination / spirit, even for a few moments, then they will not be able to apply their strength and power advantage. You need to create a moment of advantage and then build on it. Think of it as making the opponent cope with a cascading series of effects that overloads their mind.\n\nThe opponent has an intention towards you otherwise there would be no battle. You have to internalise their mind to dismantle that intention. You have to break their focus on you. The opponent can only have intentions if they can focus.\n\nTip: Don't allow the opponent's focus to crystallize, especially in a group situation. Act early and exit the situation before the group can properly lock their focus on you. Use distraction where possible, without sacrificing time.\n\nWe focus better on an object when we maintain our vision on it and can predict its movement i.e. measure what its actions are and predict what it will do next. If you can affect the opponent's vision, then you can affect their focus and their intentions.\n\nYou disrupt the opponent's measurement of you by disrupting their focus on you. In order for their mind to go internal and lose focus, they need to experience shock. Break their mind and you break their focus off you.\n\nYou want the opponent's mind to be lagging behind your actions, so you cannot hesitate and allow their mind to get in sync with your actions. Put them 'behind time' and keep them there. They can recover if you slow down and get locked onto resistance.\n\nYour physical actions need to be applied such that they attack the opponent's mind to create an effect. There are six main ways of attacking the mind:\n\n1. affect their senses e.g. vision\n\n2. internalise their thought process\n\n3. affect their emotions\n\n4. deny them time\n\n5. deny them the ability to measure you\n\n6. access their primitive defence response\n\nAffecting the senses\n\nYou attack the opponent's mind, more specifically their thoughts, through their senses. The senses are sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. The first two senses are probably the ones we want to concentrate on affecting i.e. sight and touch.\n\nSight can be affected in a number of ways. For instance, if you can get the opponent to turn away, they will lose vision of you and won't know what to expect next. This can be the start of creating panic in their mind.\n\nBreaking their vision downwards, by fighting at a lowered position, is one way to start the process of breaking their focus on you. As they turn away from you, they lose more sight of you and correspondingly more focus. There is a higher probability the opponent will go defensive, if they lose focus on you and also experience pressure at the same time.\n\nYou can affect the opponent's thoughts using touch e.g. you can cause them pain. You can also not allow the opponent to orientate on you using touch i.e. you don't grab them or allow yourself to be grabbed by them.\n\nHearing, smell, and taste are not as easy to use to affect someone in battle. Yes, Karate has their concept of the kiai, but it probably has as much potential to lock up their own body as it does in distracting an opponent. Interestingly there is a part of the brain that kicks into gear when it hears either the human scream or the crying of babies \u2013 probably a survival trait.\n\nInternalise their thought process\n\nWe live our lives switching rapidly between the internal and external minds focus. In typical battle we switch between assessing how our body, breathing etc. is going and our opponents actions, where we want to go, counter them etc.\n\nWhen our mind goes internal, we lose our focus on the external world. When people 'bunker' from too much pressure on their mind, they panic and go internal with their minds focus. They will however build towards going external again, as our survival instincts tell us we need to assess the danger.\n\nThere are multiple ways to internalise an opponent' mind, for instance: pain, distraction, pressure, panic and questioning are all ways of internalising their mind.\n\nOur minds have a range of internalisation ranging from slight to full internalisation. The effect you have on an opponent is in direct proportion to their state of internalisation. The following diagram (figure 2) illustrates the progress of internalisation.\n\nAffect their emotions\n\nFear is an emotion that has a range of effects. Low level fear can cause anxiety whereas high level fear causes panic. The general rule of thumb is \u2013 the greater the effect on the opponent, the greater the potential advantage that you can create.\n\nDeny the opponent time\n\nYou can effectively dismantle the opponent's intentions by denying them the time to recover from your actions, or the time to implement their plans and desires. This is important for attacking the opponent's mind. You cannot give them time to recover, or breathing space to enable them to implement a new attack.\n\nYou can avoid the usual issue of timing by denying the opponent time to implement their plans, favourite weapons, responses, etc. They can have no time to come up with solutions.\n\nIf the opponent cannot keep up with the changing attack stimuli; they cannot predict what will happen next, which is an attack on the mind. If they cannot time your actions, then they cannot measure you adequately. That is the start of the internalisation of their thinking.\n\nDisrupt their the ability to measure your actions\n\nKeeping yourself safe is simple in theory. Don't let yourself be hit, and don't let yourself be grabbed. Unfortunately when people hear this, they immediately start making up technical answers on how to stop or deflect strikes, etc.\n\nA better way to state the concept is, do not be measured such that the opponent can strike or grab you. This is best achieved by internalising the opponent's mind and not letting them recover. Do this and the probability is high that you will dismantle your opponent's intentions.\n\nYour attack stimuli should not be easily measured by the opponent. You don't want a constant or consistency of movement that they can start to recognise and allow their mind to recover. If you allow the person to measure you then they can return their focus on you. If you are constant in your approach then they can measure what is happening and return their focus on you. If they cannot measure and predict your actions then it adds to the attack on their mind.\n\nYou actually need a gap (minimal) to your actions if you are to keep the stimuli changing e.g. if you try to push the opponent around the floor then they can quickly measure what you are doing and recover.\n\nThe opponent will find it much more difficult to keep up with the changing action of a rapidly transitioning accelerating mass, which is why you need a combination of rapid transitions plus a change in position, or height, or preferably both at the same time.\n\nWith every transition of giving your accelerated mass to your opponent, you need to rob the opponent of time i.e. put their mental measurement of your actions further behind the actual timing of your actions.\n\nWhen you first go in on the opponent, they are at their most ready for you as they have the best measurement of you. As you break their mind (get them to give up mentally) their measurement of you gets worse.\n\nYou can also affect measurement in the first instance through distraction or through behaviour that is not what the opponent expected in the plan they had when they approached you.\n\nOffenders have a plan in their head, a script of how they think the assault / attack will go. If you use a distraction strategy then you internalise them. They will have to make adjustments to their plan i.e. you affect their measurement of you as your expected actions differ from their prediction. Offenders pick the victim based on their assessment of people and they are practiced at this and expect the scenario to play out as it usually does. You give a response that doesn't track with their script / expectations and they will be affected.\n\nTip: from the first hint of a possible altercation, you need to disrupt the opponent's measurement of you.\n\nPrimitive defence response\n\nThe primitive defence responses are freeze and then fight or flight. We always freeze even if for a split second to decide how we will best survive the threat. Obviously you would prefer to provoke the freeze or flight response in the opponent rather than the fight response. Overwhelming pressure can cause people to assume a purely defensive posture. In a sense this happens once their conscious mind has been broken by the pressure you give them.\n\nWhen you internalise the opponent's mind i.e. you send their thought processes inward, then you begin the processing of degrading their fight capability. Create enough pressure and you can trigger an emotional response such as fear, and create the conditions for flipping their mind into flight or freeze.\n\nIn summary\n\nA simplified model which summarises this chapter can be seen below.\n\n****\n\nForward Pressure\n\nForward pressure is about always being there, denying the opponent space and time, so that you are attacking the opponent's mind first and foremost. By giving your accelerated mass to your opponent/s as explosively as you can, you end up 'standing where they want to stand' which creates forward pressure.\n\nThe greater the forward pressure and the greater the impact of any short-arm strikes, the greater the impact of your actions, and the more the opponent has to deal with, which hopefully reduces their options of attack. Enough pressure and they will start to turn away from the attack.\n\nIf you try to strike the opponent then you leave too big a gap in time and lose forward pressure, which allows their mind and their body to recover.\n\nWithout a minimal gap to the transitioning of the continual giving of your accelerated mass to your opponent, you will not be able to generate continuous forward pressure. If you were to push someone around the room then they would be able to resist you and you would lose the forward pressure.\n\nBy throwing your body and having a minimal gap the opponent has a much harder time locking onto you with their resistance - they cannot adapt fast enough to your changing position.\n\nA lot of exponents, who are focused on the idea of bridging, get stuck on pushing forward against their opponent when it comes to forward pressure. I suspect they will need lots of luck against someone with a grappling system.\n\nTip: you will need the ability to create forward pressure when you are close to the person in battle, or if they are backing away from the pressure. If you chase after them throwing strikes then you will be too slow and probably not catch them. If you leave too much of a gap in pressure then you will reduce the effect you are having on them.\n\nAffecting the opponent's balance\n\nIf you attempt to affect an opponent's balance under battle conditions by trying to either push them or pull them off balance then you are unlikely to achieve much of an effect on them. The dojo techniques of this nature work best on unresisting students.\n\nIt is through giving your accelerated mass that the opponent is affected. The more you try to give your mass through the opponent, the more they have to deal with all of your momentum and energy.\n\nStand where they want to stand\n\nYou end up standing where they want to stand because of the transitioning of your accelerated mass at the opponent. They move in response to the overwhelming pressure you give them.\n\nStanding where they want to stand stops you from always attempting to stay on the outside of the battle, but don't force it. Just as the opponent has to turn away themselves, they need to move from the space we want to occupy i.e. we affect them and they move defensively away.\n\nOnce the opponent gets within striking range, you have to be there where they are, wrecking their plans and measurement of you, and putting their mind under pressure. The faster your entry, the more they only have time for a defensive reaction.\n\nGetting in close has a disruptive effect on the opponent and it helps you in getting the person to turn away from you. It creates an effect, whereas being further out from the person doesn't influence their vision and reactions to the same extent. Remember that we are aiming to attack the opponent's mind.\n\nYou will notice however that it is harder to make your body stay together and not get out of shape when you are up close to the opponent. The solution to this is to train the body to work in compression and make the body solid and able to act as one unit.\n\nVision of the opponent\n\nYou need the transitions to have an element of violence and that requires you to have at least some peripheral vision on the opponent. You need some vitality; when you look at the person they should see how alive and electric you are. When you look at them you should have an overwhelming need to be there, where they are, giving all of yourself.\n\nYour peripheral vision has to be on the opponent as you need something that is alive to spark you. If you are looking at the floor then you are looking at something dead and your mental driver is going to be heavily affected.\n\n_Tip: try maintaining peripheral vision on the person's head in order to spark the violence in your actions when you are using your accelerated mass as the weapon_.\n\n****\n\nAccelerated behaviour\n\nAccelerated behaviour is about the acceleration of your whole system, not just one part of it.\n\nIt turns off the thinking / analytical brain which frees the mind because accelerated action doesn't give the analytical mind time to assess, plan, worry, feel anxiety etc. It doesn't allow the mind to go internal. Accelerated action forces your mind into the 'now' where you won't react as the opponent wants you to.\n\nEvery aspect of your self-defence strategy should be built around the mind being free and accelerated behaviour is the best tool to achieve this.\n\nIn a group encounter you accelerate to an exit or safety zone. Against a single opponent you use 'giving' and transitioning to achieve an accelerated behaviour that switches off the analytical mind. If you concern yourself with trying to put a shape to your giving, then you are stuck in a thinking mind.\n\nIf your mind is free then your body can switch on much more easily. A trapped mind locks your body up. Just take the example of what fear does to your body \u2013 it creates a freeze response.\n\nEach transition, in a single opponent battle, is in effect a 'switching on' of the body. If your mind is free then you will switch more effectively. You don't focus on striking the opponent as the mind has to be in 'thinking mode' if you are trying to do such things.\n\nAs simple as it sounds, you just need to accelerate your whole system at the opponent and see what comes out. You still train the elements of compression, transitioning, short-arm strikes driven by the accelerated system, etc. but when you bring it to the battle field it just comes out as part of giving yourself. The body is just trained so that it will come out as it needs to.\n\nYou build your art around accelerated behaviour to make it more effective e.g. in a group encounter you go through the mid-region of the opponent if possible. Going through the mid-region bends their vision downward and the force from your accelerated mass goes through their mid-region. This disrupts their system for a few moments i.e. it breaks the join between their torso and their legs, reducing their ability to resist you, or chase you.\n\n****\n\nOutcomes\n\nWhat outcomes should you be aiming to achieve with your strategies for battle? An obvious answer is that you want your opponent to give up, to submit or surrender even if only for a few moments.\n\nDuring battle, most people continually switch between a defensive mindset and an attacking mindset. You need their mindset to be switched into defence for long enough such that they stop attacking you and just cover up, bunker down, try to get away, or go to a foetal position.\n\nUltimately you need to exit the situation safely. That is the primary goal.\n\nGetting the opponent to turn away from you\n\nTurning away from something that you find overwhelming (too much for your brain to handle) is a natural reaction. In battle, you have a few seconds to get the opponent's eyes off you and turning away. People give up and turn away when their mind says 'no' because they don't want to face the pressure.\n\nThey turn because of the shock from your violent actions combined with forward pressure affecting their mind and overwhelming it for a few moments. They turn due to a defensive reaction and once you see their back you don't let them turn back towards you; keep the pressure on.\n\nWe want the opponent's back because it sends people further along the scale of internalisation. If they cannot see you then they cannot measure you and they don't know what is coming. The unknown is scary. People need to think (have the perception) they are being hurt in order to be affected by your actions. The strange part is that you may not be hurting or damaging them to any great degree in reality. It all comes down to what their mind believes is happening.\n\nNote that you cannot wrench people around (except in dojo situations where you have compliant students); they have to turn away themselves because of the intensity of your actions.\n\nUltimately you want to put the opponent under pressure and see their vision / focus go off you. If it doesn't then you are not affecting them and you need to get out fast. You don't want to see their face; you want to see their back.\n\nForward pressure is one part of the equation. You need to pressure the opponent, to be in their space and give them the feeling that you are continually coming at them, giving them no room to operate and no chance to rest. It is a part of attacking their brain, and it is their brain that you have to overwhelm, if only for a moment.\n\nYou need to create a large cascading effect on the opponent. If you don't, then they are not going to be overly bothered by what you are doing, which means they won't react / behave as you want them to. They need to be affected by your physical actions.\n\nNot every transition of giving the opponent your accelerated mass is about impacting energy through a short-arm strike. Some of the transitions may be more about stopping them from turning back towards you, and allowing you to load more fully for the following transition so that it can have a greater effect.\n\nAs they start to turn from you, then you can use larger impacts from your forearm to help keep their balance affected and stop them turning back easily. You can eventually use closed fist strikes on their back.\n\nKeep your peripheral vision on the person so you can see the effect and take advantage of when they turn. This helps you to keep going through the person.\n\nFlinch response\n\nIf the opponent doesn't have a lot of mental toughness, then it's possible that you can use a flinch response to get them to start turning away.\n\nA flinch response helps people turn because they are protecting their face i.e. their vision. It's a defensive reaction, but you only get flinch effect if you make them deal with something.\n\nTip: experiment in your training to see what affect you can have on an opponent.\n\nControl\n\nThe objective is to send the opponent out of control rather than trying to control them. You should not be trying to control people, as that is a trap which will ensnare you in their resistance.\n\nEnergy is better used to send people out of control, to create instability and disruption. You have to learn to thrive in the chaos. Everyone else is trying to lock everything down so that they can establish order and dominance. You have to aim for freedom, especially where there are multiple attackers.\n\nCreating constants in behaviour\n\nIt is normally an opponent's unpredictability that causes your plans to fail \u2013 particularly techniques. Plans fail because the opponents are not dummies like the ones you practiced on in the dojo. You need to make the opponent somewhat predictable again as if they were a dummy.\n\nYou have to put them under so much stress that you make their actions more predictable e.g. their physical actions are reduced to defensive actions when their brain is heavily stressed.\n\nAffecting the opponent quickly\n\nYou need to affect the opponent quickly or get out. You don't want to spend time in a battle getting injured if you don't have to. Don't let your ego rule your thinking. If, after a few seconds, the opponent is not affected, it may be a good time to leave.\n\n****\n\nThe System\n\nThe system described in this book gives you the opportunity to develop a universal approach to single and multiple attackers. The following model (Figure 5) is a basic summary of this.\n\nThe goal is to get the right outcome and you should be developing your art to produce the right outcome, which is to affect the opponent mentally such that you keep yourself safe. Note that you want outcomes, not outputs like a technique that will rarely create an effect.\n\nRegardless of whether you face a single opponent or multiple opponents, the outcomes you want are:\n\n  * Don't allow your opponent/s to measure you\n\n  * Send the opponent/s mind internal and don't let them recover\n\n  * Never be grabbed\n\n  * Never go to ground\n\n  * Get to the exit (particularly for multiple attackers)\n\nThe effect you create on your opponent is a product of giving them your fully energised system, without being measured by them.\n\nFully Energise\n\nMartial arts exponents are always talking about energy in many different forms. Here we are primarily interested in the four energies generated by the acceleration of your whole system moving as ONE unit. These are energies generated from: gravity, torque, spring energy, and linear acceleration. A useful mnemonic in understanding how these work in unison is UDINOS, which stands for up/down, in/out, and side/side.\n\nUp/down movement allows gravity to accelerate your body mass down on the opponent as well as enabling spring energy. Side/side gives you torque energy, and in combination with linear acceleration, they create enough energy to affect the opponent. If you only have one energy source then the effect you create will be vastly reduced, as will the pressure on the opponent.\n\nWhat do we mean by fully energise? This is not an easy term to define such that a student of the arts could envision it. In a way it is the ability to give everything you have to your opponent, but martial artists rarely know how to do that. The traditional arts prevent you from fully energising because you get locked onto your opponent's resistance. In order to fully energise you need to continually give your accelerated mass to your opponent with minimal gaps.\n\nGive all of yourself to the opponent\n\nOne of the realities in martial arts is that the faster you move your hands, the slower you move your feet. The reasons for this revolve around stability and balance.\n\nYou can also think about this in another way i.e. you cannot do two complex activities at the same time. People talk about multi-tasking as if they can do two complex things at once, but they are merely rapidly switching from one task to another and back again.\n\nIn practical terms you cannot do complex movements with your arms and complex movements with your feet at the same time. One is dominant at any one time and energy generation is limited by this. It's another reason why complex techniques fail to work in battle. To overcome this problem you need a system of battle where you move your body as a whole, as ONE unit.\n\nOne of the main benefits of using the whole of your accelerated mass, is your body becomes the weapon and your energy can be transmitted into your opponent through a point. An example of this type of the energy transmission is a knight on their horse charging at a target while holding a lance / spear. The tip of the spear transmits the energy generated by the accelerated mass of the horse and rider.\n\nDo not get stuck on resistance\n\nThis system depends on your freedom from the opponent's resistance. If you get stuck on your opponent's resistance then you will not be able to use your accelerated mass to affect your opponent and your energy will decrease dramatically.\n\nDo not get stuck on resistance, either mentally or physically. This cannot be emphasised strongly enough!\n\n****\n\nMindset for Battle\n\nIn battle your mindset is typically focused on attack and defence, between weapons and targets. You have to train out this natural focus on attack and defence, and replace it with another mindset.\n\nGroup encounters give us an indication that another mindset is not only possible but desirable. The biggest difference in a group encounter, as compared to a single opponent, is that time is denied to you when there are many opponents. You can think of this as being a natural condition of group encounters.\n\nThis lack of time does not allow your mind to focus on attack and defence and therefore become trapped by the resistance being offered by the opponent's.\n\nThe problem with taking this idea of the mind not being trapped, back into a single person encounter, is that you now have a lot of time again and the natural instincts of protection (defence) and attack can occur again. You need to train your mind to remain free of the trap of attack and defence in a single opponent situation.\n\nNote that weapons lock your focus into the attack / defence mindset unlike anything else.\n\nGiving as a mental driver\n\nGiving is the most effective mental driver when using an accelerated mass strategy. Under pressure, a mental driver will fail if it's too complex, as there is no time to adjust to the opponent's actions. Pressure is the great destroyer of the technical solutions created in the dojo.\n\nOne of the main advantages of giving is that it cuts out hesitation, which is a fighter's main weakness. Hesitation comes from trying to implement a plan, or to intercept and counteract your opponent's actions \u2013 the attack/defence mindset.\n\nGiving creates blank moments (of conscious thought) and this reduces your ability to get caught up in the opponent's resistance.\n\nGiving also has the added bonus of affecting the opponent's balance. You affect their balance through impacting because of a body bump, or of a more focused impact (e.g. short-arm strike), or your leg impacting their knee because you are now standing where they want to stand. You don't try to do any of this deliberately; it is a product of giving.\n\nOne of the challenges to this system is that as a mindset, 'giving' is not natural. You have to make it that way. You reprogram your mind, which then allows your body to act as it needs to. Once you have your mind programmed then it becomes easy to switch into the giving mindset when the pressure is on.\n\nIt becomes a simple matter then of switching into battle and giving yourself. You don't consider winning or losing and therefore your anxiety is less and your mind remains free.\n\nAttack / defence mindset\n\nWhen you aim to strike a particular target e.g. the opponent's head, then your mind has to do a continuing set of calculations to get your fist onto their head. Their head is somewhat of a moving target making the job much harder. During this time your mind also has to deal with defensive issues such as strikes from your opponent. This all slows you down. The attack / defence mindset makes your body slower and your transitions slower as you need a relatively stable base in order to generate power for your strikes. If you lock your focus onto attempting to strike the opponent then your mind is no longer free.\n\nWith freedom you are not subject to anxiety that your plan has not worked. You don't go internal. You give your accelerated mass to the opponent (the body is a weapon) with minimal gaps until they give up or you get away.\n\nEveryone has their chink in the armour i.e. the point of weakness in the mind where their focus / determination / spirit will break. Pressure levels delivered by giving yourself to the opponent with minimal gaps can bring this about, and everyone has a different breaking point. Bigger people sometimes have not experienced their breaking point and the shock of reaching it can disrupt them greatly.\n\nYou just have to dismantle the opponent's intentions for a short period of the battle. You are not really breaking their spirit because if you leave a big enough gap then people can recover. So you are not breaking their spirit but merely opening up a few temporary cracks.\n\nIn the traditional arts your mind is continually switching between an attack mindset and a defence mindset.\n\nIn the attack mindset you are continually looking for opportunities to get a strike on the opponent, or take them to the ground, etc.\n\nWhen the opponent is looking to do the same, then your mind switches into defence and you protect yourself, waiting for the opportunity to attack again.\n\nThe timing of your actions and that of your opponent are generally in sync. No one is really behind time more than a moment and then they catch up again. This affects the amount of pressure that you can subject your opponent to, and limits the amount of energy your system can generate.\n\nThere is no doubt that fighters can balance these mindsets and produce good results against a single opponent. The problem arises however when you have more than one opponent. This is where these mindsets get you into trouble. If you want a universal art then an attack / defence mindset won't enable you to handle all situations.\n\nGiving yourself to your opponent, i.e. giving them your accelerated mass to deal with, has one distinct advantage over the mind-set that comes with an attack / defence strategy. This advantage relates to hesitation.\n\nAn attack / defence mindset has lots of hesitation built into it. You are always assessing targets and threats. In contrast, giving yourself to the opponent is much easier on your mind. It allows you to 'do' without too much thinking.\n\nThe mind and body as one\n\nA survival situation where you are running away from the danger as quickly as possible is commonly described as flight (not the flight we refer to in order to make your body the weapon). Your whole body is engaged but your legwork dominates the situation and the mind is focused on such things as keeping your balance, staying on your feet, maintaining the ability to move as quickly as possible, looking for safe exits, etc. You get a sense of it when you run down a steep hill.\n\nThe 'mind and body as one' indicates a single purpose and mental and physical actions that are consistent with that purpose. It indicates a constant. How then does this fit in with the typical approach to battle?\n\nIn a typical fight your mind generally switches between attack and defence. When you are in attack mode, your mind is on your weapons e.g. your hands, feet, elbows, knees etc. as well as the targets on your opponent e.g. their head, legs, etc. When you are in defence mode, your mind is focused on your opponent's weapons and on protecting the obvious targets on your own body.\n\nThe problem with the typical fight is that the mind is always switching back and forth. Can the mind and body truly work as one when this is happening? Our survival response doesn't indicate that this is the case.\n\nWhat lesson can we draw from this? We can experience the mind and body working as one when our mind is focused on our freedom and our actions are dominated by our whole system. This is a constant that can be developed, modified, and applied to battle.\n\nTo do this you need to approach your training differently for battle. If your mind is focused on weapons then they will dominate your actions, splitting your mind, body and energy in the process. Unfortunately most fights are social encounters which lend themselves to a focus on weapons and typical training regimes reinforce these habits.\n\nTo access the possibilities that flow from the mind and body acting as one, you have to use your whole body in battle, and ensure your mind and coordination does not revert to a focus on your strikes, kicks, etc. when you encounter resistance from an opponent.\n\nBlank moments\n\nAs the pressure increases, the mind experiences blank moments i.e. moments where the conscious recognition of the processing of sensory information is reduced.\n\nYour vision is a prime example. You experience blank moments in your vision if you accelerate yourself towards any object e.g. a person or a wall. As you get closer you begin to enter a blank moment. Possibly the brain cannot handle it and that is why the mind blanks.\n\nNot only does your mind experience a blank moment but your opponent's mind does as well. You however are prepared for that blank moment and they are not. Typically a fighter wants to see the fight at all times, especially as their mindset is one of attack / defence.\n\nWhen you close rapidly with an opponent, there is usually a level of panic, people grapple i.e. grab and hang on for safety, and the fight ends up on the ground.\n\nBy transitioning however you avoid the grappling scenario and can take advantage of the opponent's blank moment so that it is a useful attack on their mind. Cascading blank moments can lead to rising panic in the opponent.\n\nGiving yourself to the opponent is not affected by blank moments and is in fact enhanced by them as you have fewer distractions to deal with and therefore you experience less hesitation to your actions. You should aim to increase the pressure, wreck the opponent's mindset, and create the conditions where your own strategy / actions will thrive and get an advantage.\n\nThe harder you transition, the more violent and explosive your giving is, then the more blank moments you and your opponent will have. What you want to happen is that you have a series of blank moments inter-dispersed with a vision / snapshot of what is happening so that you can see where you have to go.\n\nYour mindset will be important if you are to avoid trying to turn everything into a technique. Focus on freedom and giving your accelerated system to your opponent.\n\nThe right mental driver\n\nThe following diagram (figure 7) is a representation of two different ways of thinking about battle.\n\nSurvival thinking is a much safer approach in terms of dealing with the risk of a situation, but not everyone is looking for that. People talk about self-defence but when you look at the language being used, there is a lot of risk being ignored.\n\nA lot of the thinking around fighting in the traditional arts is actually dominated by the idea of winning. Our ego drives us to win and this promotes an attack / defence mindset.\n\nSurvival includes, freeze, and fight or flight. It is too broad and open-ended a concept to be the right mental driver for your action in battle. Freedom is the ultimate goal that sits in the background, but in itself it will not drive you to fully energise. Anger will lock your body up and burn you out mentally.\n\nYou want your opponents to experience a level of violence that will affect their mind, but it is not the violence that comes from anger as that affects you too much. You want their mind to \"go under\" as that is what dismantles their intentions. The transitions have to have a cumulative effect, but if you break the chain of effective transitions then they have a chance to recover their focus on you. The opponent's mind has to lag behind your actions further and further.\n\nSo what is the one thing to mentally drive the body to fully energise as well as keep all the other rules? The only solution we have come up with is \"giving\". You have to give all of yourself as explosively as you can, so that it has an element of violence to it. You empty yourself of all other plans, any desire to hit the opponent or do something to them, any anger, etc. and you GO!\n\nThat first GO is the entry into the battle to the first bridge. The subsequent transitions are basically an explosion of giving each time of your whole system. When you do this, you then start going through people and standing where they stand. Of course you still need to sort out the issues such as not getting too close and crunched up against the opponent such that you cannot transition, but this is something you sort out with practice.\n\nYou will generally fail when you try to attain the outcome i.e. you plan to try and stand where they want the stand.\n\nThe correct mental driver is the most important thing for you as that is how you will progress. You have to train yourself to switch on and energise up. It is giving yourself that drives each transition and that is how you follow the person if they back away.\n\nIt is hard to definitively say what the thinking is after the first transition, because if you energise fully, then the mind will experience blank moments. Perhaps the mind recognises when the opponent is in trouble and goes in 'for the kill' to keep the pressure up. It doesn't matter how you do it \u2013 as long as you maintain full energisation and ensure the opponent does not recover their focus.\n\nTime and Timing\n\nIn terms of time, you want to minimise any hesitation, otherwise you will get behind the opponent's timing. Certainly, if you hesitate, you won't be able to put their actions behind the timing of your actions.\n\nYou want the opponent's mind to be lagging behind the timing of your actions. Transitions are meant to disrupt their flow of sensory information and put them further behind time in a cascading process of disorientation with their mind hopefully 'going under'. If you mess up then you allow their mind to catch up to the timing of your actions and they recover.\n\nIt is the violence of the energisation through giving yourself that puts them behind the timing of your actions. There is an emptiness of the mind except for the violence of giving i.e. no anger, no desire to hit the person, etc. This means you cannot lock onto resistance. You have to keep the body together and accelerate the mass for energy, and keep moving.\n\nBefore the battle\n\nThe first part of any encounter tends to be the social interaction. You need to avoid this in order to keep your freedom, both physical and mental. Using a 'busy mind' strategy can help you avoid getting trapped by the opponent's attempts to lock your mind, which then locks your body. Speed your thinking up; you just need to go get something or you need to see someone and you will be back in a minute. Start moving!\n\nOur natural instinct is to freeze when initially confronted with a threat, and strategies like the busy mind are aimed at avoiding this mental lockdown. In a group situation you can take advantage of people expecting this reaction and move towards an exit immediately instead of freezing and assessing. That puts you ahead of time relative to the group i.e. they expected you to hesitate and be vulnerable to further hesitation once they engage you in verbal threats etc. Instead, because you moved, they are now a few seconds behind your actions.\n\nThe first rule is to try to always be at the right distance. If you aren't sure of the situation then stay at a safe distance i.e. just outside of kicking / striking range but not so far away that the opponent feels the need to move closer. You can feel your mind start to worry about weapons and scenarios as soon as they close the distance into weapon range, at which point you have lost some of your freedom.\n\nAccelerated movement of your whole system will free your mind instantly. You are either going to an exit, or you are giving them your accelerated mass. You only want the second option to occur if you have exhausted all other options, or it is actually the safest option, which is never going to be an easy call.\n\nMaintaining your freedom is at the heart of your strategies. It is safest to develop a range of strategies for ensuring the fight never has to go physical.\n\nFreedom on the mental side of the equation enables you to switch faster into the physical, if it becomes necessary. You cannot be hyper-alert all the time or you will become paranoid. Unless you live in a war zone or gang territory, you can live and think normally with reasonable safety. Being friendly in the face of adversity and antagonism as you make your exit will let you avoid most situations and leaving quickly will get you out of almost all the rest. Make your decision early before what many people would consider to be a socially acceptable time frame. Walk fast in another direction and most people will not bother to chase you. Acting crazy won't hurt either, we tend to avoid crazy people as we don't like unpredictability.\n\nYour awareness\n\nIf you are using your accelerated mass for battle then you experience moments of awareness as your system is loading, in-between the blank moments created by accelerating at the opponent. In a group attack you use these moments to make decisions about moving towards the exit, or the next person on the path of progression to safety.\n\nFor a single opponent you have to round them up, look for effect, and exit the situation if there is no effect being created, or if you can disengage and exit safely.\n\nShutting off the conscious mind\n\nWhen you give yourself with enough seriousness / violence / purpose then you shut the conscious mind down for a moment every time you accelerate at the opponent i.e. transition. It is the conscious mind that gets people trapped in what they are doing, or what their opponent is doing. People want to see what is happening, they want to watch themselves execute a fancy manoeuvre, or see the effect on the opponent, etc.\n\nAs a consequence they start reacting to the opponent and this leads to hesitation. They are never 'in the moment' but instead are always in past time as their mind takes time to process what they are seeing. The problem you face is that this is perfectly natural. The whole point of Buddhism is for your awareness to exist in the present moment and it takes people decades to achieve the state of mind that allows this \u2013 they have to free their mind of all the desires, needs, fears, delusions, etc.\n\nOf course we want to shut down our conscious mind for most of the encounter whereas the Buddhists are interested in a heightened awareness all the time. The similarity lies in removing the mental garbage that holds you back.\n\nGiving, while simple, is not natural but it might be easier to get to it in a survival situation, where you have no time and no choice, and you just have to 'go'. You ultimately have to trick your brain into allowing you to achieve it. The good part is that it is simple. Once you get it then you never lose it.\n\nBarriers to achieving giving are almost always likely to be mental. Give up your expectations of battle, your fears of losing, your dreams of winning and being a hero, your desire to please a teacher, and your anxiety about whether you are doing it 'right'. These are all mental blocks to giving. You have to let go!\n\nWe use the acceleration of our body to help shut down our conscious mind. Being your own teacher means that you don't constantly seek approval that you are doing it right, which means your mind has more freedom.\n\nNever allow your mind to be locked into the battle or into an attack / defence mindset. Giving yourself should be your only commitment otherwise your mind should be free.\n\nNever split your focus\n\nThe mind and body have to work as ONE if you are to fully energise. Your body and mind need to have the same focus and work together in order to maintain the giving of your accelerated mass to your opponent.\n\nSplitting your focus will prevent you from fully energising. A split of focus can take multiple forms e.g. thinking about striking your opponent while you are attempting to give your whole system, or focusing on another opponent while you are physically dealing with someone else.\n\nA simple rule to physically help you avoid splitting your focus is your head, hands, torso and legs should all move as one unit in one direction i.e. giving your accelerated mass.\n\nGetting rid of the mental blocks to giving\n\nGiving forces us into a quasi-survival response. It shuts down the thinking brain and launches us into battle with no thought of techniques or solutions. Giving allows us to not see the opponent's weapons, size, style etc. What you don't see, you don't have to solve or worry about.\n\nWhen you attempt to move through a group of attackers, it is much easier to shut down the conscious mind once you start accelerating. When your confidence builds then you cease to worry about the group taking you down. You plough through them with scant regard for their size and weapons.\n\nThe biggest problem comes from when you first see the group in front of you and your fear levels rise rapidly. To get rid of that mental block, you just have to go, and give everything you have. The acceleration through the group dissolves the mental blocks.\n\nWhen you face a single opponent the mental blocks to giving are a much bigger problem because you are choosing to stick around and do battle.\n\nWhat are these mental blocks? The biggest components are our desires, our fears / anxieties, and our delusions.\n\nWhen we face our opponent, what are our potential desires? Some are probably: to win, to strike them, to create an effect on them, to be a hero in front of our peers (ego), to not be hit i.e. stop them from hitting you, to execute a technique to prove it works, etc.\n\nWhat are our potential fears / anxieties? There is a long list: the fear of being attacked. fear of losing in front of others \u2013 injured pride, fear of being hurt / physically injured, fear of being hit, fear of being bullied, fear of our technique not working, fear of how big the opponent is, fear of their tough appearance e.g. tattoos and the assumption of added danger, and fear of potential weapons, etc.\n\nAll these things add to the mental blocks that will stop you from giving. Kids that leap off objects and make adults catch them demonstrate a level of giving that most adults cannot emulate. You have to rethink what giving means. You cannot stand in front of the opponent and think about the technique / strike you will use, or focus on what they may do.\n\nYou have to let go of your fears, desires etc. What drives you then? This is not an easy one to answer. Giving has a determination about it that comes from convincing your brain that you have no other option but to give everything you have to the opponent. There is a 'shock and awe' or explosive violence to it that helps in a large part to create the effect. You look at the opponent and you don't care who they are or what they can do.\n\nOf course your defences have to be built into your giving, however you cannot for instance plan to come in low when you are facing the opponent, as that is a plan. You don't think about standing where they stand but that is how you will end up. Think about the kid launching themselves at the adult; they have no plan other than to fly and make the adult catch them.\n\nThe mind is not in the hands\n\nIf your mind is in your hands i.e. your focus is striking the opponent, and you will unload your system as you deliver the strike. This means you have to reload your system, which takes time, and you will lose a degree of energy in your accelerated mass. It gives the opponent the opportunity to get back in sync with your timing.\n\nYou want the opponent to be behind time so that their defensive reactions are more pronounced because their mind is under attack, forcing their body to react naturally to the stressors by giving a defensive reaction. When you are in time sync with the opponent then they can see what is coming and it therefore has less effect on their mind.\n\nA fundamental change is required to take the mind out of your hands and put it into a different focus e.g. positional, exits, etc.\n\nIf you try to strike your opponent you have to lock up your arm to a degree which locks up your feet, and the rotation of your torso. For instance, when you throw your mass at the opponent, you can rotate your torso 120 degrees in the flight. Try to punch someone and you can rotate your torso 45 degrees at most. If you don't move your whole system then you split your senses.\n\nThe accelerated mass must keep moving. All striking arts require the feet to be grounded in order to strike. If you try and strike the opponent, you will stop and ground yourself. This goes against the principle of giving and using your system under acceleration.\n\nA high percentage of strikes either miss the target, graze the target, or only partially impact the target because it is not easy to hit a moving target e.g. getting a fist onto someone's head when they are ducking and weaving.\n\nWhen you explode your whole system at a target, which is effectively the whole of the opponent, you are not concerned where the 'tip of the spear' strikes, so you are unlikely to miss.\n\nWhen you 'give', you cannot decide what they will get e.g. an impact via a short-arm strike, or a body bump where the energy is transferred through a larger impact area such as your forearm. What the opponent receives just comes out as part of the action of giving and there is no time to plan. You are transitioning your system to the next bridge too quickly for your mind to plan what you are going to give the opponent. When you compress as you land, you will load your system automatically because you build the potential for spring and torque energy.\n\nIf you don't give yourself effectively then you won't move the opponent, which means that you won't have enough room for the next transition and you end up getting stuck to their resistance.\n\nThere is no set shape to giving, but a few things will tell you if you are on the right track. Your feet will never feel like they are locked down and cannot move, and you will transition naturally i.e. it will happen before you could think of doing it.\n\nGetting the mind in the right place generally fixes all the other problems. People tend to try to fix all the problems e.g. transitioning, footwork, etc. as if they are mere technical issues and it doesn't work because their mind is still the problem.\n\n****\n\nFreedom\n\nIf you are good at self-defence then things should rarely get to the battle stage. In fact you could start thinking of battle as a failure of your Martial Art.\n\nYou only give yourself if there is no choice but battle i.e. all of your self-defence strategies such as using distractions, tricks, busy mind, keeping moving and not getting locked down, etc. haven't worked and you are forced by a protagonist into a physical encounter.\n\nHow do you know that point has been reached? Essentially you decide that there has been an unacceptable loss of freedom. When they are involved in a fight, students go back to their club and their instructor tells them to train harder but they rarely get coached in improving the skills that allow them to maintain their freedom. If you don't practice those then you cannot access them when you are under pressure and experiencing panic.\n\nIf you want a character to switch into, when you are getting pressure from someone, then aim for a busy character who has to do something or be somewhere e.g. late for meeting the wife. Slightly crazy is always a good vibe to give off as we are socially programmed to avoid such people - they are too unpredictable.\n\nBusy mind is a strategy for stopping the person from measuring you. As soon as you come back they will start measuring you again so you go off to do something else. It is used to stops persons being able to distract you through fear when they posture or make threats and it acts to dismantle their intentions.\n\nYou want your behaviour to be difficult for a potential attacker to assess and measure \u2013 sound familiar!\n\nSo you use all your strategies e.g. busy mind, etc. to help maintain your freedom to the point where you decide there has been an unacceptable loss of freedom and you then switch on and give yourself. Note that you could cut the battle short by giving yourself and using the initial neutralisation and hesitation you create in the opponent, to make your exit.\n\nThe big mistake people make is they allow themselves to get locked down. They get trapped by the social norms of how people should interact.\n\nTake the example of someone who approaches you. They may want to ask you the time. If they stop at an acceptable distance and make no threatening movements then your assessment of your freedom is that everything is okay. If they were to close the distance to where you are uncomfortable and feeling threatened then don't wait for them, instead get busy and get moving. It doesn't matter if they only wanted to ask for directions. They can just learn how to approach people properly in future if they want something.\n\nIf you stop and assume a defensive posture, even if it is only putting your arm out, then you will be forced into a physical encounter if their intentions are hostile. Your mistake was to get locked down and lose your freedom.\n\nWhen people are dominated by their ego (sense of self), which is pretty well everyone, then they actually give up their freedom voluntarily so that they get the event to happen and therefore have the opportunity to win.\n\nWhen they do a martial art, they are unfortunately being programmed into giving up their freedom at the earliest opportunity e.g. I'm being threatened in this fashion and the answer is to do this technique to the attacker.\n\nThe idea of 'freedom' is useful to stop you getting mentally trapped between being sensible and being a hero\n\nRespect verses Value\n\nBeing respectful is about being polite. You don't have to value what people are saying or doing i.e. you don't have to believe in it, but being polite will generally keep you out of battle.\n\nStop being mentally grabbed. If you aren't forming counter-arguments in your mind or taking offense to what is being said to you, then your mind is not getting locked into the situation. If you don't value what they say then why should you care; if you don't care, then why get upset and mentally trapped by it.\n\nPressure\n\nWhen you are under pressure e.g. in serious battle with an opponent or multiple opponents, then anything complicated is not going to be of use to you; there simply isn't time for an intricate series of movements. This is why most techniques only operate in the dojo environment.\n\nBoxing for example works great up to a medium pressure level because of its relative simplicity and economy of movement. The brain doesn't have to over think for the body to perform, and can manage to compensate for changes in the opponent. When the pressure is increased, or grappling occurs, then the brain cannot compensate anymore and the boxing breaks down.\n\nThe fancier the technique, the less the brain is able to compensate for changes from the opponent and it fails. The body has to be able to perform the action under stress.\n\nTake the example of a technique that takes two seconds to perform. Your focus is locked into trying to get that movement to occur and affect the opponent and you fall behind time as they react and wreck your movements.\n\nThis tells you that you cannot get stuck on shape. The more free you keep the brain, the better your body can compensate for changes in the opponent. Conversely if you increase the pressure to high levels on the opponent, then their brain cannot compensate for your actions and their fighting strategy breaks down.\n\nGiving allows you to increase the pressure levels but not get locked down yourself, as long as you are transitioning from one bridge to another using flight.\n\nFear verses danger\n\nFear is something we create in our mind. It stems from our imagination of a future event and outcomes that may never happen. Danger can exist but we generate fear ourselves. It is important to recognise this as fear internalises our mind and when that happens we lose our freedom. You still respond to the perceived danger by acting to keep the level of freedom you are comfortable with, but you don't start focusing on 'what if' scenarios.\n\nCourage is something we generate to overcome the fear we shouldn't have in the first place. It can lead us to ego based decisions whereas freedom leads us to danger minimisation decisions.\n\nShock creates internalisation because it creates a fear response which shuts down the reasoning brain and the emotional brain is then dominant.\n\nManipulation\n\nThe purpose of manipulation is to distract and dismantle the opponents mind's focus such that you can gain an advantage over them.\n\nSome people use bullying tactics such as 'personal' attacks in order to achieve this. Yelling at a person, making claims that they are in the wrong or acting irrationally are all examples of this. The idea of this type of attack is to get the victim to internalise their thinking so that their mental resolve is weakened. This enables the adversary to gain an advantage such as an increased chance of (temporarily) winning an argument because the other person gave up due to their emotional response from the personal attack. In order to not be caught by this 'low level' manipulation you need to be aware of what they are trying to do.\n\nYou process things in either: the logical/reasoning/thinking part of your brain, the emotional part of your brain, or the primitive/survival response part of the brain.\n\nWhen you recognise a manipulative statement, you need to reject it out of hand on the surface of your logical brain, as an attempt at manipulation. You don't process it more deeply and you don't consider if it is true or not, as that leads to further processing in the emotional part of the brain.\n\nYou can only use one part of the brain at a time and this is important as they operate in a priority.\n\nThe logical part of your brain is dismantled when you come under pressure and that is why you don't process manipulative statements or actions. To win, the opponent has to dismantle your ability to fight effectively. He does this by attempting to get you bogged down in the rational part of your brain and to then switch you into the emotional part. You then lose focus and resort/degenerate to emotional responses.\n\nYou need to keep your mind's focus on freedom. Recognise any personal attacks / bullying as an attempt at manipulation in order to shut you down and reduce your effectiveness.\n\nYou reject immediately any attempts to distract, disrupt, or dismantle your mind's focus. Think of it as a game and eventually their attempts becomes humorous because they are so blatantly obvious.\n\nIn battle, you have to use acceleration to create blank moments which will minimise the use of your conscious brain. Fear needs the conscious brain as we need to imagine the possible consequence stemming from the danger, which then switches us into the emotional brain.\n\nIt's your choice\n\nFreedom is about choice \u2013 your choice. You don't have to help people get what they want; you don't have to oblige them. You don't have to play people's games. Think however about your strategies before such a possible event occurs.\n\nAvoiding the Battle\n\nThere are a whole range of tricks and tactics that enable you to stop the battle from developing. Distraction is one such tool.\n\nRunning away is just another tactic to avoid battle. People usually end up running because they were too slow to recognise the danger and react. If you see the danger early then you can usually remove yourself from the potential danger at walking pace.\n\nRemember that your martial art has to keep you safe. If you think of it in terms of defending yourself then you will tend to battle far more often than is wise.\n\nIf you cannot avoid the battle then you need to give everything you have to the battle to give yourself the best chance of staying safe.\n\nIn addition, you don't wait for your mind to be internalised. We call this a mental grab. In a defence or challenge situation, you not only break the contract (social expectation surrounding the fight), you try not to enter into it to begin with. It takes two people to make a fight. The goal is to either leave, or get the aggressor to leave, without a battle taking place. Who says you have to oblige people \u2013 it is merely a social expectation.\n\nDon't respond to people's challenges as they would expect. Be random, change the topic. Try saying 'sorry, can't help you' and walk away. You really only ever have to worry about the situation where someone is not going to take 'no' for an answer.\n\n****\n\nMultiple Attackers\n\nIf you want a more comprehensive read of how to deal with Multiple Attackers then I suggest you read my free e-book on the subject.\n\nThe basics of dealing with multiple opponents are: don't allow an opponent to measure you, and don't let people grab you from the side or from behind.\n\nWhether you can avoid the battle or are forced into it, you have to dismantle the opponent's intentions. If you face multiple attackers then you have to dismantle the group's intentions.\n\nMoving through people\n\nYou need to realise that people are not solid. A brick wall may be solid, but people are not. The problem is that if you treat people like they are a brick wall then you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy and not get past them.\n\nIn a group encounter you run at people. If you try to run around them then they will move to stop you. Run at them and they have no need to move (other than backwards to absorb you). Look at the centre of their chest and move through one side of their torso.\n\nIf your body can compress at the right time such that you can impact and drive your momentum through a person with minimal loss of energy and if you have enough acceleration to begin with, then you can essentially cut through people.\n\nYour body has to be able to compress properly if you are going to be able to move through people. If you wedge your feet then you will be trying to push your way through their resistance.\n\nIdeas to experiment with\n\nGo through people at a lower height (through their waist level if possible). Think about the lines of force being generated. A taller person will have to apply their force at an angle downwards to try and stop you. They will be losing some of their force downwards so being smaller can have an advantage that makes up for the difference in size and strength.\n\nAccelerate your system at the opponent and transmit your momentum into them and through them with minimum dissipation of that energy. We know that the triangle bridge, where you transfer energy through a contact point on you forearm just above the elbow, is a strong bridge that enables you to transfer the energy you need to affect the opponent. It also allows you to compress and do all the other things your body needs to while you are accelerating.\n\nBring your hands up at the last moment before impacting the opponent because you can accelerate faster that way. Bringing your hands up late also means they don't have time to measure your actions.\n\nThis is also why you run at their centre and only deviate through one side of their torso at the last moment. You make them set up to stop you and then you change at the last moment, not allowing them time to recover.\n\nAs you feel them breaking to one side, then the simple act of thrusting your arms forward and out will shift them off to the side faster, without slowing your momentum.\n\nIf you see them start to take a step backward to try and absorb you, then you have to get there as fast as you can.\n\nIf you see them begin to crouch in order to tackle you, then you just accelerate through in a lower position i.e. you still do essentially the same thing but your defences are built into your actions.\n\nDon't get stuck on being technical as the above are just examples of how to get the body working more efficiently. In simple terms you have to smash through the opponent using your momentum (with minimum dissipation of energy and momentum) and maintain your path to safety. You can only spend one moment on any single person in the group.\n\nHopefully when you have built up enough momentum, you start to find that people will get out of your way. If people get out of the way you can choose to still accelerate through that path to the exit.\n\nMindset for dealing with groups\n\nA group is only a functioning group while they collectively believe they are more powerful than the individual. Break this belief and the group dynamics will begin to unravel. A great group will act like a wolf pack. They will help each other to bring down the victim / individual. To break the group mindset you have to make them act as individuals again. That is how you dismantle the group. Most groups aren't great however.\n\nWhen you run through a group, you aim at the group members. Your brain is then prepared for the one second encounter with them. You give all of yourself (your accelerated mass) to them as you proceed along your path. You really don't care about them one way or another; if you did then you would be mentally grabbed. They get one second of your consideration \u2013 no more.\n\nIf you try to go through the gap between people, then as the opponent goes to cut you off they 'loom' into your vision and your brain snaps into the attack/defence mindset. You then get caught on their resistance, giving the rest of the group a better chance of taking you down.\n\nIf you start trying to pick targets such as their head then you are mentally grabbed and it will slow your progress. You are then almost certain to then become uncompressed and lose the benefit of your accelerated mass. Once that happens it all comes back to your striking ability and in a group situation that is not a good fall-back position.\n\nA universal art\n\nWhat is the real purpose of group encounters? Does it somehow make you a better fighter with skills that translate back into a single opponent battle?\n\nIf you accept the notion that you are better off having a single set of tooling, which should suffice for any self-defence situation, then group encounters must have the same tooling as a single opponent battle. People fail to recognise this universal set of tooling because they get focused on shape and technique.\n\nCompression, penetrating energy, acceleration of your mass, minimal gaps, etc. is the set of tooling, all coming under the umbrella of giving. These same qualities are just applied slightly differently depending on a single opponent or multiple opponents.\n\nRemember that it is all about 'giving'. In training you can hang around in the group and experiment and develop other skills, as long as you continue to use the right set of tooling. It relies however on coming to grips with the skill of giving, without getting caught up in the opponent's resistance.\n\n****\n\nSharpening Your Weapons\n\nYou need to sharpen your weapons, particularly the impact of the mass-driven short-arm strike. The more it affects people the better the result you will get.\n\nYou need to be able to generate sufficient energy to create a reasonable impact. It must be generated by your accelerated mass, which is why you need to be explosive. Your body is the weapon.\n\nIt is important to distinguish between training and battle. Traditionally exponents have focused on the loss of power experienced when under pressure. In battle, your strikes have approximately 50% or less of the power they have in training. Traditionally you compensate for this by training your strikes to be as powerful and effective as possible, however it is generally not enough.\n\nBattle needs are best served by the accelerated body providing the energy for any strikes on the opponent.\n\nClosed fist strikes should be used once the opponent is displaying overt signs of being overwhelmed e.g. turning away from you. These strikes then need to be able to do enough damage to convince the opponent not to return on you, so train at least one strike so that it works when you are under the pressure of battle conditions.\n\nOpen hands verses closed hands\n\nThe open hand helps to accelerate the compression of the body.\n\nA closed fist prevents your torso and core compressing properly. Closing the hand and making a fist either slows the compression of the body or it offers no assistance. Closing your fist also locks your arm which can separate it from your system. This is why you use closed fist after you have created enough effect on the opponent.\n\nElimination Strategies\n\nCould a good Judo or Jiu Jitsu exponent take out any modern Kung Fu or Karate exponent? If they were willingly to close the distance, grapple and take the person to ground then the answer is probably yes.\n\nThe answer that some Kung Fu exponents have for the above scenario is the power of their strikes, attacking a vulnerable point such as the neck, knee or groin, or some sort of elimination strategy such as a finger in the opponent's eye or striking a nerve point, etc. If you think you can rely on this sort of stuff in battle then disappointment is likely to be the least of your problems.\n\nElimination strategies have been around for a long time and their proponents don't do Kung Fu any favours in terms of brand. Where this stuff is concerned, movies and reality seem to get mixed up badly for more than a few exponents of Kung Fu.\n\nDoing the job\n\nWho hasn't had an instructor tell them that you have to 'get the job done', but what does that even mean? In some ways it is a statement that sends people off on the wrong track. The obvious interpretation is that you have to take your opponent/s out. However this sort of thinking takes away your mental freedom as you will approach the battle with this intention.\n\nWhat you need to determine is: what does getting the job done really mean in the context of giving and freedom?\n\nGetting the job done will mean different things to different people but it implies a seriousness to what you are doing. It implies a level of sharpness, of violence that might be needed in dangerous environments. Do you have to take the opponent/s out (which is wishful thinking anyway for most people). The answer is no! Not if you want to maintain the strategy of giving and freedom.\n\nWhen you are not fighting, then you are really not fighting i.e. you aren't doing anything to bring the battle on. In fact you are implementing strategies to ensure it doesn't happen or happens as a last resort i.e. no choice. When that point is reached, and it is different for everyone and even for different encounters, then your approach to battle is as serious as your approach was to not getting into the battle i.e. no half-hearted attempt. \"Do or do not\" might make more sense to you in this context.\n\nYou actually don't aim to hurt the opponent but you need the level of violence to create the effect on them or it is just technical tiddlywinks. Think about a large training partner that you know \u2013 what level of violence would they need to experience from you in order to affect them? You might think you are not capable of it but it is possible.\n\nYou have to give everything you have got, but it is not about trying to strike the opponent into the ground.\n\nIn a survival situation you might fight for your life with everything you have, but you are not aiming in that moment to kill or destroy the thing attacking you. You are just trying to survive. The violence you are outputting however is considerable. In a way you have to tap into this.\n\n*****\n\nEnergy\n\nOne of the reputational problems that Martial Arts has is that there is a gulf between what exponents can produce in a static situation as opposed to what they can do in battle.\n\nInstructors can demonstrate a technique that looks good in the air, or when hitting a pad, or when they demonstrate on an unresisting student. When the opponent is resisting and moving and trying to strike them in return, then the techniques fall apart. Look at video of martial artists in battle, including some masters of particular styles, and you cannot help thinking that it is somewhat embarrassing. They can barely affect their opponents in battle.\n\nHow do you make your martial arts more effective in battle? The first step is to affect your opponent by delivering lots of energy for your opponent to deal with. To achieve this you have to generate enough energy for the whole of the battle.\n\nWhy do exponents rarely generate sufficient energy? The main reason for the lack is because they are always splitting their energy, always fracturing it. Exponents will split their energy just about every time they attempt to use a technique in the manner it was traditionally taught.\n\nAvoiding resistance\n\nIn order to maintain the maximum energy possible of your system, you need to keep an accelerated state. This means you cannot get caught up fighting your opponent's resistance. You cannot grapple with your opponent or otherwise slow your accelerated system. If you do that then you cause a break in the series of accelerations and the chain of energy is lost.\n\nYou have to impart the energy of your accelerated system onto the opponent without locking onto their resistance. This means you can never grab your opponent or allow yourself to be grabbed by them \u2013 physical or mental.\n\nYou cannot get involved in their resistance at any level. It's why you cannot get stuck on the opponent.\n\nGiving and energy\n\nGiving is the key to vitality where you feel fully energised. This is because the physical body usually gets locked by the mind and the attachment to the opponent's resistance. Free your mind and the rest will follow.\n\nGiving also gives you better access to heavy energy for your whole body rather than say an arm that you are striking with. In battle, people can rarely use heavy energy in their strikes because there is too much pressure from the battle and they cannot relax their system enough.\n\nYour accelerated mass can make use of three energies i.e. torque combined with flight, linear / accelerated energy of your mass, and gravity.\n\n****\n\nDefences are built into what you are doing\n\nYou have to give your accelerated mass in a way that can account for anything the opponent might do. Look at the opponent's body and determine where you need to be in order to be safe for a moment.\n\nTheir hands and elbows can strike best when your head is at a certain height and distance so obviously you will try to avoid putting your head in that space. Their knees and kicks need to extend to a certain distance in order to be effective.\n\nThe rule is \u2013 you are either outside the range of their weapons or you are continually accelerating your whole system when you are up close and inside the range of their weapons.\n\nYou have to get in safely to the danger zone (where you are in range of their strikes) and be able to transition. Long arm footwork (described in a later chapter) has much to teach you about doing this effectively.\n\nTip: by going low to their waist for entry into to battle, you force their vision down and their hands will follow their head. You have to be able to move fast however.\n\nYou want their back! Defence is built into this concept i.e. as a product of this strategy your head is kept out of the way of the striking ability of the opponent. The impact power of your strikes will come in time, so focus on making the body the weapon.\n\nThe ground is not your friend\n\nYou cannot ever go to the ground. Even people with little skill are copying the 'ground and pound' strategy from MMA. Those with any sort of decent ground game e.g. wrestling, BJJ, etc. will likely submit you quickly. This means you cannot give them your legs, and you cannot grapple with them or allow yourself to be grabbed, and you cannot give them time. Your strategy has to account for everything and this includes multiple attackers.\n\nIn a way you have three options. You can keep to your art and pretend the problem doesn't exist, or you can join MMA and learn ground fighting skills, or you can learn to give them nothing and affect them at the same time.\n\n****\n\nIntent\n\nFocus your training on achieving the outcomes you need to make your martial art work. 'Do or do not'. There is no prize for getting halfway to an outcome. You either achieve it or you end up either trading blows with the opponent or grappling.\n\nThe opponent's intention is to do you some physical harm and you need to dismantle this intention. Ultimately you don't want to be physically damaged. The old saying \"treat your body like bean curd and the opponent like a superman\", was trying to tell you something about the outcome you needed and the time you had to achieve it.\n\nTwo students can get the same information but one person will make it work and give them skills that others won't get. For instance, one person will learn how to get there to the opponent before they can react. Others will travel too slowly and be measured. One student trained with the intent to get the outcome they needed and they ended up with a flat, fast, low trajectory that got them into the battle safely.\n\nYou have to train with the right intent in order to develop the skills that need to be developed. It is not about harder, faster. It is about achieving the outcome that needs to be achieved by that particular concept, footwork, etc. The 'hobby martial arts exponents' never get the skill set they need even though they get given the same information.\n\nSometimes we take the impressions we are told by our teachers and we try to adjust the shape of our actions to incorporate this. This impression however was just that, a memory of a snapshot in battle. These impressions can be gold but the information needs to be applied with the intent to get to our outcome.\n\nWhere we tend to go wrong is we formularise things and then apply intent. That is same as learning a shape and then going harder, faster.\n\nThe system described in this book was essentially created because it was driven by three intents i.e. you have to get there, you have to give the opponent everything and not let them recover, and you have to do the job.\n\nIntent shaped the creation of this martial art, rather than technique. There was no shape to teach, intent gave rise to a shape of sorts. There was an outcome and impact to achieve and shape was a by-product of that, and everything that was trained was done with the intent needed to make it work.\n\nLong-arm footwork (described in a later chapter) is a good example of this. When you train it with the right intent i.e. you have to get there before the opponent can measure you, then it begins to function very differently. Getting in you have to beat their timing. You cannot be slow and travel in an arc like everyone else does. You need a flat trajectory and for that you have to start in a lower position so your legs have spring energy. You then land in a lowered position creating a 'small target' which further affects their measurement of your actions.\n\nLongarm can be made to function as your best defence when you come in on someone. It can be trained to the degree where it will take care of their strikes, kicks, running into their knees, the person being able to back off, etc. It is your backup when you cannot use trickery to get in close.\n\nHaving a reason to do the art and make the system work, helps maintain the right level of intent. Without that environment you will probably just be a dabbler in the arts. That is the also the problem we face in trying to get people to duplicate the system. People can train hard but without that intent, they will still be a dabbler \u2013 just a much fitter one.\n\nThe traditional way\n\nThe traditional way of teaching martial arts is to teach a shape e.g. a technique, and then tell the student to apply it to battle with lots of intent. The equation is:\n\nShape + Intent = Result\n\nWe all have a tendency in everyday life to formularise things and then apply intent. That is same as learning a shape and then going harder, faster.\n\nWhat if this traditional approach is wrong and at odds with the old sayings? Students in the traditional martial arts have been making the serious error of focusing on the structure put before them and ignoring the sayings that are the actual guideposts that should be shaping your martial arts journey.\n\nWhat if shape is a by-product of your intent combined with guiding concepts i.e. shape is an outcome of the system you build and the equation is:\n\nIntent + system of concepts = result (with associated shape seen in the battle)\n\nHow intent is defined is important. Your intent is about doing whatever it takes to get the outcome you want to achieve. Everything you train has to be done with the intent needed to make it work. This is however about the bigger goals. It is not about a particular strike or technique as those are shapes.\n\nThe following, for example, are statements of intent:\n\n  * You have to get to the opponent before they can measure you\n\n  * You have to make the opponent's mind go internal and not let them recover\n\nIt helps you maintain the right level of intent in your training if you have a reason to do the art and make the system work. You have to train with the right intent in order to develop the skills that need to be developed. It is not about harder, faster. It is about achieving the outcome that needs to be achieved.\n\nTake the example where the opponent measures you on entry and hits you with a strike. Your instructor tells you how to avoid that particular strike, but this leaves you vulnerable to something else. You will not solve the multiple problems that arise through this approach. The real problem is that you are being measured. You have to get in and affect the opponent so they cannot measure you properly or set themselves up in time for a strike. To do this you need to train with the right intent to get the outcome you need to achieve.\n\nWhen you are teaching, you have no intent, so your mind is in a very different space. This is where instructors make the mistake of creating what they think the shape is, because they have to give the student something. The student expects the instructor to have the answers and the instructor feels obliged to provide them with something. What is created here usually fails in battle.\n\nYou are your own Teacher\n\nIf you make everything work to your purpose e.g. keep yourself safe by not getting hit or grabbed then if you get given something like Longarm footwork you will turn it into something other than a kick defence. If you coach someone and think you can give it to them, you actually hinder their progress because they are no longer self-driven. You do the arts for yourself. You are your own teacher. You need to be driven with single minded purpose to develop the system so that it does the job no matter what.\n\nInstruction is ultimately a trap as people don't take responsibility for their art.\n\nYou have to experiment using the framework of concepts and teach your body how to act as one unit. You are the only one who can reprogram your coordination.\n\nDon't get caught in the trap of being a follower; you are your own teacher. Ultimately, your art has to be your own.\n\nYou have to balance respect for an instructor against blind acceptance of everything they tell you, as a percentage of what they say won't be accurate.\n\nYou have to take responsibility for developing your art and this means analysing everything against your framework. If it doesn't fit then put it to one side and you may come back to it later on and modify it as you develop your framework.\n\nIf an instructor tries to be too prescriptive with the answers, then the student will end up copying the shape instead of trying to work out what their body is doing and the effect they should be having.\n\nWhen you are teaching someone, you never have a 'live' body, so odds are you will be making stuff up that doesn't represent reality. Students have to discover more and copy less.\n\n****\n\nDesign, Build, and Test your Art\n\nThe martial arts world is focused on the single opponent battle, and MMA is at the forefront of this focus. The focus on the single opponent takes every martial art on a similar path, some just do it better. Various martial arts talk about multiple attackers but when you look at what they propose, it's obvious that any half decent group will take them down.\n\nMMA exponents are, in their own way, following a time honoured approach that has been used to improve just about anything your care to name. You design a system, build it, and then test it to see if it works. You then keep repeating the process to improve the outcome. If you don't test the system, then you never really know how it works under different conditions.\n\nStudents in some of the traditional martial arts are trapped; instead of design/build it has become copy. The testing phase is non-existent. The system has already been designed and built by the style or school, and the student simply has to copy. The stories of past conquests and a strong loyalty culture work to ensure the student believes in the capability of the art.\n\nThe hardest part for the students of the traditional martial arts is that you need to be responsible for your own design / build / test process. When you merely copy something, you don't take responsibility for the design and build elements. Ultimately you need to reach the stage in the journey where 'you are your own teacher and create your own art'.\n\nThe Hidden Path\n\nYou can think of the martial arts as having two paths in the arts. One is a technical path where you focus on perfecting the movements and shapes of your art.\n\nThe other is a hidden path where you every piece of information is developed and tested for the purpose of achieving the outcome of keeping yourself safe.\n\nThe same information is received by the students in the training hall, regardless of the path they are following. The difference is in what they do with that information.\n\nThe mistake most students make in their approach to the arts is that they think they can get to the answer by copying what they see. When they do this, they arrive at the same answer as everyone else. Exponents sometimes struggle with techniques and technical answers for decades and in reality get no closer to making their art practical for battle. You can be hypnotised in the technical path; you are primed for believing just about anything you are told by your instructor.\n\nThe arts were meant to be discovered by the student. Nowadays the arts are scripted for students, right up into their higher grades, with yet another technique or another drill. If you want to create a universal system and discover how to deal effectively with either single or multiple opponents then you will need to take responsibility for that journey yourself.\n\nIn pursuing the hidden path you are driven by outcomes and you take a holistic view of how to keep yourself safe. Design, build and test will develop systems unique to the individual. One of the key factors in developing a useful system will be the intent with which you approach the task.\n\nTesting - why practical work is important\n\nIn order to forge a sword, the steel has to go into the fire. You also don't want any weaknesses in the metal, which is why we train the whole body to act as one unit.\n\nIn reality you are operating in the dark when you are not testing your assumptions. It is a weakness in any system if you are not occasionally jumping into the fire to see what effect you can actually have on an opponent. You could be training at a level that is not actually progressing your art. This has become a major weakness in traditional systems.\n\nPractical experience will show you where your weaknesses are. It will highlight if you are too slow on entry and are getting punched or kicked etc. It will show you if you are going internal, or if you are leaving yourself open to a particular type of attack or defence. When you work out that you have a weakness then you adapt your training program to fix it.\n\nPractical work will also help you to start putting the pieces together or it will show up any delusions you have. You are your own teacher and your failures can teach you a lot if you approach it right. Your successes can also teach you how to put the pieces together better so that you can again adapt and improve your training program.\n\nThere is a feedback loop required to develop any martial art, and practical work is an important part of that feedback loop.\n\nDon't have the attitude of \"I need to train first until I am good enough to succeed\". You are on a journey and you need the practical experience to test that you are on the right path. You have to put it together from all of the pieces. The insights when pieces click together during practical work can be invaluable.\n\nYou need practical experience in order to properly join the mind to the body. This makes a lot of sense. Your mind is under a lot of stress when in battle. Just as you want resilience with your body so that it remains solid, together and doesn't break under pressure, the same applies to your mind. People talk about 'spirit' but in reality it is just a facet of the mind.\n\nYou need a range of training partners from those having weaker mental resilience to those with strong mental resilience. You essentially work your way up through the 'food chain' from weakest to strongest, trying to create a sufficient mental effect on each as your skill level improves.\n\nYou can test yourself in battle but you cannot gain technical skills in that environment. Technical skills are developed in your training (design / build parts) and without the right intent you will not develop the right skills. The 'test' part of the design / build / test model is designed to help you judge the effect you can have on various opponents and gives you an indication of whether your intent is sufficient. You also get impressions of what may have happened when you have a success.\n\nWe get it wrong when we take the impressions we are told by the instructor and we then try to adjust the shape to incorporate this. Impressions are things that an exponent felt they did in battle. They are likely distorted due to real time effects on the mind. Think of them more as signposts that you are likely to be on the right path if you are also experiencing them.\n\nMental resilience\n\nDesign, build, test is about being your own teacher and working towards developing the pillars as an integrated and cohesive system. Trying to define the movements and then teaching them to students will take people down a path that leads nowhere. The movements of this system and their shape will be a product of giving, transitioning, energisation, etc.\n\nA shape will be a product of this. If you try to describe a shape then the student will spend their time trying to work that shape out. This is what stymies students for years in their development. The goal should be to get a desired effect consistently. You should be looking to produce the right outcome, which is to affect the opponent mentally. Outputs like a technique will rarely create an effect. The effect you create is a product of giving your fully energised system.\n\nThe Dojo Trap\n\nIf you see the Buddha on the road, kill him. This means that if you have an idealised vision of what the battle should be, then it is a false image that you need to 'kill'. You then need to move on and keep training and working on the solutions. Everyone however wants solutions that are all nicely presented and most instructors are happy to oblige as they are also caught in the trap. Hence the plethora of technical answers, which by the way will ultimately not work.\n\nStudents are easily hypnotised because they really want to believe in the art they are doing and will ignore any evidence that doesn't comply with their image of the art and themselves. They are open to suggestion and being mesmerised. It is a trap that you need to avoid.\n\nThe more you try to define something the greater the dojo risk. Theory of battle is not immune to this.\n\nDon't try to turn things into a technique!\n\nA technique requires a perfect sequence of events to occur i.e. a perfect timeline where every action of the opponent fits in with the right distance, timing and measurement of your action / technique. If they don't follow the script then the technique will fail. That is why the student dummy is so necessary in the training hall.\n\nGiving on the other hand doesn't care about changes to the script as you weren't working to one in the first place. You are just giving them a problem to deal with i.e. your accelerated mass and robbing them of time at every transition.\n\nIt is so easy to turn a concept into a technique and lose the essence of what was being conveyed. To avoid this, you should try to always think about whether you are achieving the following in your actions:\n\n  * your accelerated mass being projected at the opponent and the different ways this can occur.\n\n  * transferring energy into the target through a small surface area.\n\n  * minimising the loss or dissipation of energy\n\n  * minimising the gap in time as you transition\n\n  * always creating an effect on the opponent (physically and mentally)\n\nBreathing\n\nBreathing is another thing that is usually made technical but in battle it is whatever occurs \u2013 don't force it. Under pressure it will be natural anyway. Forcing it will likely interfere with the transitioning of your accelerated mass.\n\n****\n\nTraining the Body\n\nYou need to train and connect three key areas of the body i.e. the legs, the core, and the major muscle groups in the torso. They all need to work together.\n\nAll your training should be focused on joining and incorporating these three areas. Each exercise will not train all areas equally; however, the focus should be on incorporating the three areas as best as possible.\n\nA live body is always able to transition quickly and effectively i.e. it cannot get locked down such as when you over-balance forward. You only want minimal gaps in your energy (and no splitting or dissipating of energy).\n\nThe body is a weapon and you have to pressure the opponent. However, until you have a live body you will not be able to attempt to develop tools for battle that meet these requirements. You won't understand what they really are until you can maintain a live body when you encounter resistance.\n\nLegs\n\nFor most exponents, their legwork is not really part of their battle. The result is that their body mass is not effectively utilised in the battle. Most people have no idea of what they are potentially missing out on. Their vision of the arts is centred on their strikes, kicks, grappling, and this dominates their thinking.\n\nYour legwork can potentially give you a large advantage. When you and your opponent would typically be neutralising each other at the beginning of the battle, an effective legwork can mean that you can keep the pressure high. This will help you neutralise the opponent and then use your body as a weapon to dismantle their intentions.\n\nIn order to use your whole body, you have to reprogram your system so that your legwork works in unison with your core, and torso, to drive your actions.\n\nMost people interpret this concept of legwork driving their actions incorrectly; they think in terms that are too static, such as 'I move my feet towards the target and this generates the power for the strike', hence the focus on techniques.\n\nThere are two main types of footwork to focus on. These relate to the distance from the opponent. When you are outside striking range then you need a footwork that enables you to pressure the opponent, to round them up, and also deny them the ability to easily measure and therefore predict your actions, especially your entry. The other footwork relates to how you can continually accelerate your system at the opponent when you are in close.\n\nCore and Torso\n\nIn order for the body work as a solid single unit you have to train compression of your core. A working core is the compression of the whole core (think of it as a band running around your mid-section).\n\nWhile your legwork dominates and drives your actions, your core provides the link between your legwork and the major muscle groups in your torso. You need this link to be solid to ensure the lower half and top half of the body can keep working effectively together when you encounter an opponent's resistance.\n\nIf you are going to be able to focus the energy generated by your legwork, then you have to be able to keep the body together and acting as one unit. When you are in contact with an opponent you cannot split your energy, which typically occurs when you attempt to fight their resistance.\n\nWe need to make the body 'solid' by ensuring the large muscles groups i.e. the back, the lats and the pectorals, work in conjunction with the core and the legs. That solidness means that energy doesn't disperse and split when it meets the opposing forces from an opponent.\n\nIt's simple; the ability to use your whole body in battle will give you a better outcome. The problem is that people don't have the tools to make the tools they need for battle, i.e. their body cannot operate as it needs to in order to create strategies for using their whole body in battle.\n\nYou can see this in the first part of every battle where two people come together and effectively neutralise due to the pressure created. It is typically only when they break apart again that their strikes become useful. If you watch their footwork at this point of coming together, you will notice that it almost always contributes very little to their battle. You see a lot of shuffling and wedging.\n\nThe result is that people are using probably less than fifty per cent of their total capability because their feet are not really part of their battle. They are however locked into that loss of capability by their strategy for battle.\n\nThe problem to be overcome is the natural reaction to meeting resistance forces from an opponent. The typical reaction is to meet resistance with resistance, to fight an opposing resistance. Typically when the battle is serious, people end up grappling and going to ground or they blindly strike out at each other.\n\nThe ability to use your whole body should enable you to dismantle your opponent's intentions at the crucial period in the beginning of the battle and a minimal gaps strategy of transitions and pressure will drastically reduce their chance to recover.\n\nBridging Exercises\n\nThe contact between two opponents is the point of transfer of forces from one person to the next, which is a bridge between your feet and the opponent's feet. This creates a human energy bridge referred to as a _bridge force_ where energy travels from one person through to another utilizing the ground. Even the slightest touch creates resistance and the sense of a _bridge force_.\n\nTraining bridging forces is a significant part of some traditional systems and heavily intertwined with a lot of techniques and drills.\n\nKeep in mind however that these static exercises never translate directly to battle, so do not be trapped by them. It is useful training if you focus on building the coordination in your body to keep it acting as a whole and functioning automatically as needed when your whole system is under acceleration and meeting resistance.\n\n****\n\nLongarm Footwork\n\nOne of the reasons longarm footwork is so important is that it teaches you about the effective delivery of your mass. If you are too slow then you are an easy target on entry into the zone where the opponent's strikes are most effective.\n\nAs an exercise, this footwork is designed to keep you outside of your opponent's striking range until you decide to get to the centre of their torso, which is the slowest moving part of their body and is therefore the easiest for you to track.\n\nThe lowered position of this footwork allows you to scan the opponent's weapons in one visual field, covering both legs and hands at the same time. This means you don't have to split your attention to cover both the upper and lower body of the opponent. If you split your attention then you split your energy.\n\nLongarm has to be able to do three things. These are:\n\n  1. Disrupt the opponents measuring ability so you have moments where you are being measured poorly by the opponent. You create moments where their measurement and balance is disrupted.\n\n  2. Split the opponent's vision between your head and your worrying arm\n\n  3. Make them worried that you can come in at any time e.g. if they lift their foot (and you have to be able to do just that).\n\nThere is an angular form of this footwork and also a linear form and you have to be able to constantly switch between the two. This footwork enables you to 'work' the opponent, to round them up, which acts as an attack on their mind.\n\nThe back leg acts like a tail that throws your mass around quickly. It acts like a counter balance that can be thrown around to gain distance and speed. The back leg can also swing forward quickly and cover a lot of ground to reach your opponent in a blink of an eye using flight.\n\nThe back leg can act as a whip to propel you quickly forwards or whip you around to the side. It is another reason to always be balanced properly on that front leg and not be overbalanced forward. When you are overbalanced forward you are looking at their feet and the part of your core at the back of the mid region is now stretched. When that happens, you lose compression. If you were to rush a person, then you have to decelerate as you get to them. Flight solves that problem\n\nLongarm and Intent\n\nThe tooling / skills, that have to be properly developed through the right intent, are used for both single and multiple opponents e.g. non grab, busy mind, acceleration, flight, compression, etc. The tooling is just applied differently for a group.\n\nLongarm develops the tooling in a particular way when you train it with the correct intent and the right focus on outcomes e.g. to get to the opponent before they can measure you. Treat it like a technical answer to handle kicks and you don't get the tooling advantage.\n\nThe person training Longarm with the right intent will learn how to get to the opponent before they can be properly measured and cut short the opponent's reaction. When you go in, you have to beat the opponent's timing. The person with the right intent will get the outcome they needed and almost certainly they will use a flat, fast, low trajectory. For a flat trajectory you have to start in a lower position so that your legs have spring energy. You then are likely to land in a lowered position creating a 'small target' which further affects the opponent's measurement of your actions. Your shape has been created by the intent you gave to your training.\n\nWith the right intent you can make longarm function as your defence when you come in on an opponent. You train it to the degree where it inherently takes care of the risks from opponent's strikes, kicks, the person being able to back off, etc.\n\nThe student who treats Longarm as a technique and dabbles with the shape, will come in too slowly and be measured by the opponent. They will travel in a nice easily measured arc. They will then go to their instructor with the problem and the instructor will make the classic mistake of trying to fix the shape rather than the intent.\n\nThings to experiment with\n\nLike everything in this system, you cannot copy the shape and get a result. There is no technical answer that you can copy, which is why people fail to realise the benefits of this footwork. You need to discover how to transition direction and momentum smoothly and rapidly.\n\nYou need to put a lot of time and effort into training this footwork in order to see the benefits and they are substantial. We thought we should include some helpful hints for you to experiment with. A description of how to do something is always technical and prone to error, so don't expect the following to be exact. You have to build and test everything yourself.\n\nThe rest of this section describes elements for you to experiment with. None of it is a technical description that can be relied upon. You have to try it, modify it and make it your own, such that it works.\n\nIn order to come forward effectively you have to transform your backwards momentum. You can do this by sinking into a lowered position, which spring loads your energy as you load the back leg. If your back foot is perpendicular to front foot once you sink, then you can push forward more effectively. Your weight at the transition point is more on back leg. The positioning of your arms e.g. elbows inside the knees, or perhaps having your elbow resting on front knee when you are lowered ready to transition, can assist with loading and keeping the body together.\n\nThe Tai Chi 'heel to toe' footwork position should be taken note of as it aligns the body like an arrow to come in. If your feet are spread apart then you lose the loading that can otherwise be achieved and you will be slower to get in. It is not unlike fencing but they do not go low enough on transition and they also over-stretch when they go forward as they are trying to extend the weapon to its maximum reach.\n\nSinking in order to transition gets the person's vision to bend down to you. With this footwork you are not maintaining a really low position all the time, and you get the added benefit of the looming effect when you come in with an upward trajectory (like a plane taking off).\n\nTry having your palms facing up to help keep your elbows in, which helps keep you compact as you come in. This provides extra protection against front kicks.\n\nYou have to get in quickly in order to beat the kicks and punches i.e. shut them down before they get going. That's why you have to get to the person with your body. You don't have to run the person over when you come in; you can stop once you get to them and start accelerating at them using a switching footwork.\n\nHaving your hands in front of your face as you land (when you go in) allows you to be balanced while you are lower. Your structure will be more compressed and loaded on landing and you will also be better protected as your head will not be straight up the centre of their body. You will be lower, and your forearm and hand will be providing more protection from their strikes. Experiment with landing in a squat position to avoid the front foot being locked down by the resistance of the opponent.\n\nThe angular form of longarm footwork helps you to avoid getting trapped in corners. You go low when a strike e.g. a kick is coming into range so that you bend their vision and mess up their targeting, and then you keep going around and past the opponent.\n\nYou don't worry about getting cornered or rounded up as there is always a gap (people are the gap). If you get cornered you just go in and past them if you want \u2013 you don't have to engage them.\n\nThis means you need to focus on being able to move anywhere at any time. You need to be smoother, faster, and more seamless with your changes of direction. Going lower helps you to change direction, as does using half steps to change the direction of your momentum. Use the balls of the feet, and work out how to whip the back leg around (dragon tail). Bring the front foot to the back foot so that it can drive the tail.\n\nGoing in becomes easier as your footwork improves. A gap is created every time their measuring has to catch up and you can go in on that moment. Eventually your mind will know the gaps before you can consciously recognise them e.g. if the person lifts their foot to step, there will be a gap that enables you to safely go in (at high speed).\n\nThe mindset will be important. You have to think of putting the pressure on them and affecting them rather than the other way around. You round them up and put their brain into the attack / defence mindset as you know that when you come in they will have a moment of shock that gives you a gap.\n\nTo wreck their measuring ability, you have to create an effect on them and this is always about messing with their mind. This whole art is about how to mess with their mind like nothing they have experienced before.\n\nIf you create a technical approach to getting in or past an opponent then it will fail under battle conditions when the opponent does something random to thwart it. You will then be left with a gap as you try to recover.\n\nWorry the opponent\n\nWhen a boxer is dancing around, ready for you and waiting to use their jab or their big punch, they are constantly measuring you. It allows them to create an effect on you and it is perhaps part of the reason why people from other styles imitate boxers when they come up against them.\n\nYou can still \"give yourself\" and get in to the danger zone where their weapons are most dangerous regardless of being measured if you can change the height and move fast enough. You can however add an extra element of safety by wrecking their measurement of you before you go in, and longarm (dragontail) footwork is a great tool for doing this.\n\nThe arm is a balancing arm out in front. It is the worrying arm as it is measuring distance from the opponent but it is also distracting them. It is a live hand that somehow communicates intent to the opponent. They have to keep switching their vision down to your lowered arm and back to your face and this in itself starts to wreck their measuring ability.\n\nYour body moving from side to side with the angular footwork and the sweeping tail of the back leg, along with the sinking and rising of the body and the in and out as you move closer to them and back out again as you sweep around, all affects their ability to measure you. It starts creating moments where they haven't got you measured and this starts the worrying of their brain.\n\nThe arm is lowered because that is how you can best balance yourself and move around the floor more quickly. It also means that you can keep your body compressed, which allows you to go forward faster as you have expansion as well as forward acceleration, almost like a spring. It also means they have to keep switching their vision back and forth from your lowered arm to you face.\n\nYou have to worry the person and to practice this footwork you need to start to get a feel of the gaps in their ability to respond to when you go in. There is a gap every other moment, e.g. if they lift a foot even a tiny amount off the ground. If you miss one gap then don't worry as in another moment there will be another one.\n\nIf you get good at the footwork then the opponent's measurement focus has to chase your movement and there is a gap every time it has to catch up to you i.e. you are putting their measurement of you behind the timing of your actions. The better you can move, the bigger and better the gaps to go in on.\n\nThe more rapidly and more fluidly that you can move, the more you increase the gap in time from where they have you currently measured at, and where you actually are. You rob them of time in a sense. The faster you move, the more they have to predict where you are going to be. If you can change direction and come in rapidly then their prediction will be totally wrong and their measurement of you completely disrupted for a moment. This creates a significant effect on their mind and gives you a moment of advantage.\n\nYou need to get used to moving quickly around the floor, and working on the opponent, rounding them up, messing with their brain. You look at the person to see the effect you are creating so you can learn what strategies are working and this gives you the information you need to train those elements and make the effect larger. Don't go technical as you will miss the whole point i.e. it is the worrying footwork and you have to work out how best to worry them. Once you can do that then you cut down heavily on the danger as you go in.\n\nIt is the intent that makes Longarm meaningful. Without it you are just dancing around, copying the shape of the footwork. Once you have intent the hand becomes live and that is what disrupts their measuring of you, because they start to split their focus between your face and the worrying hand. If you close your fist then you cannot have a live hand.\n\nDisrupting the opponents measurement however also relies on the sweeping movement of longarm from side to side and the up down and the transition between the angular and the linear footwork. You have to round the person up in order to affect them. If you just move backwards with little sideways movement then it is easier for the opponent to pressure you instead.\n\nYou need to train this with a person in order to get the feedback loop needed to develop the lure and to practice projecting intent and to start seeing the gaps. By yourself you can only really train the muscle memory of the footwork and also start to think about how you might be able to more easily go in i.e. look for moments where you have the ability to give.\n\nMost important of all, you are still using the same theory i.e. how to affect their measurement and create a moment of advantage that you can use to your benefit.\n\nYou don't want to ever feel that you are being rounded up by the opponent as you are then mentally grabbed.\n\nIt's not about defending the kick\n\nLongarm is not a kick reduction footwork but that is an outcome of learning it. If you train it as a kick defence strategy then you are training a very bad habit i.e. to split your attention between your opponent's face and dealing with their kick. You are training yourself to focus on their weapons, which keep your thinking mind working. We want to shut the thinking mind down, not keep it going.\n\nYou need to get rid of doubt because it leads to hesitation. Getting rid of doubt is about shutting the thinking brain down. Giving helps you do this because you are not forming plans and intentions towards the opponent e.g. not planning on how to strike them. 'I see their weapons but I don't care'.\n\nLongarm helps to get rid of doubt if you approach it with the right mind set.\n\nYour mind set can either be tuned to giving or to receiving. If you are not giving then you are receiving. The brain being split between attack and defence happens when the mind is tuned to receiving. Your intent in Longarm is outward focused rather than inward focused as for kick defence.\n\nHow does Longarm help to shut the thinking mind down? In a way it acts as a 'busy mind' strategy. As you are moving around efficiently you will eventually notice a gap that you could potentially take advantage of in just about every moment. This recognition of gaps can only occur if you are projecting your mind outward along with your intent that at any point you will initiate giving. It is the recognition of these gaps that occupies your thinking mind and acts as a busy mind strategy.\n\nYou cannot think about the gap and then act on it as you will be too slow. Through training you need to be able to switch and go without thinking i.e. recognise the gap is coming, anticipate it, and go. There is probably a subconscious element to this where you lure people into following you and can anticipate their reaction and act in future time to take advantage of it. Certainly it is not a thinking process at the time of the event as you would be too slow. The skill takes a lot of practice and experience to develop it properly.\n\nThe intent associated with Longarm is not to hit the opponent. The intent is to worry them, to make them believe that you can get in past their defences at any point and they cannot stop you. You need to put them under mental pressure so that gaps are created and recognised and giving can begin.\n\nWhy is Longarm generally a lower footwork? There are several reasons. Being lower helps to affect their measurement and it gives you a particular balance that enables you to come in faster. It lets you move around the floor more rapidly i.e. the dragon tail can sweep faster and further in a lowered position. The worrying hand only really worries them when it is part of a rapid sweeping footwork. How else do you expect you will disrupt their measurement?\n\n****\n\nSingle opponent verses group battle\n\n****\n\nLearning / Training model\n\n"], [" \nI would quote John Bunyan as an instance of what I mean. Read anything of [John Bunyan's] and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. He had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim's Progress \u2014 that sweetest of all prose poems \u2014 without continually making us feel and say, 'Why, this man is a living Bible!' Prick him anywhere; his blood is Bibline; the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God. I commend his example to you, beloved.\n\nCharles Spurgeon\n\nIt was during this second detention that he wrote the work which has set him finally among the English immortals, The Pilgrim's Progress. Many controversies have raged as to whether he owed the allegorical type of narrative to anything before him, but all the allegories mentioned in this connection are almost as unlike The Pilgrim's Progress as they are unlike Vanity Fair. The Elstow tinker produced an original thing, if an original thing was ever produced. Nothing stronger can be said of it than that it dwarfs altogether into insignificance Grace Abounding published before it, and The Holy War published afterwards.\n\nG. K. Chesterton\n\nAnyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence sharpened; one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself. That is why an uneducated believer like Bunyan was able to write a book that has astonished the whole world.\n\nC. S. Lewis\n\nJohn Owen, probably the most prominent and respected academic leader of Bunyan's own era, once went to hear Bunyan preach. Charles II, hearing of it, asked the learned doctor of divinity why someone as thoroughly educated as he would want to hear a mere tinker preach. Owen replied, \"May it please your Majesty, if I could possess the tinker's abilities to grip men's hearts, I would gladly give in exchange all my learning.\"\n\nCharles II, king of Great Britain\n\nBattle Between the Mansoulians and Diabolonians\n\nThe Holy War\n\nMade by Shaddai upon Diabolus for the   \nRegaining of the Metropolis of the World\n\nJohn Bunyan\n\nContents\n\nPreface\n\nTo the Reader\n\nCh. 1: Mansoul: Its Origin\n\nCh. 2: The Fall of Mansoul\n\nCh. 3: The Enslavement of Mansoul\n\nCh. 4: The King's Message of Mercy\n\nCh. 5: Shaddai Sends His Army\n\nCh. 6: The King's Offer\n\nCh. 7: Winter in Mansoul\n\nCh. 8: Diabolus Offers Compromise\n\nCh. 9: The Coming of Emmanuel\n\nCh. 10: Emmanuel Remains Firm\n\nCh. 11: Emmanuel Confronts Diabolus\n\nCh. 12: Emmanuel's Victory\n\nCh. 13: Petitions from Prison\n\nCh. 14: Prisoners Set Free\n\nCh. 15: Emmanuel Enters Mansoul\n\nCh. 16: Mansoul Made New\n\nCh. 17: Trials of the Diabolians\n\nCh. 18: Mansoul Is Brought to Order\n\nCh. 19: Deceived by Carnal-Security\n\nCh. 20: Godly-Fear Speaks Out\n\nCh. 21: Diabolus's Plan\n\nCh. 22: Diabolians Prepare for War\n\nCh. 23: Mansoul Prepares\n\nCh. 24: Drummings and Deceit\n\nCh. 25: Attack on Mansoul\n\nCh. 26: Petition to the Prince\n\nCh. 27: Plans to Take the Castle\n\nCh. 28: Battle on the Plains\n\nCh. 29: Emmanuel Restored to Mansoul\n\nCh. 30: Final Attack\n\nCh. 31: Judgment Day\n\nCh. 32: Emmanuel's Message\n\nBonus Section: The Life of John Bunyan\n\nGlossary of Names Used in The Holy War\n\nAbout the Author\n\n\"I have used similitudes.\" I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the hand of the prophets. (Hosea 12:10)\n\nPreface\n\nIn the year 1682, Dorman Newman published a volume at the King's Arms in the Poultry, and Benjamin Alsop published the same manuscript at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry. This book was entitled The Holy War Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, to Regain the Metropolis of the World, or The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul. It was the work of John Bunyan, who had published the story of his own spiritual struggle sixteen years before, under the title of Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, and had produced The Pilgrim's Progress (Part 1) four years before. Bunyan quickly followed The Pilgrim's Progress with the Life and Death of Mr. Badman, a grimly factual picture of English life and character as seen through his eyes.\n\nIn The Holy War, Bunyan returned to allegory, and as a piece of literature, the book is in no way inferior to The Pilgrim's Progress. If Bunyan had written nothing else, The Holy War would have established his place among the masters of English prose. In its appeal to the conscience, it is no less effective than The Pilgrim's Progress; however, it is not as successful at holding the reader's attention. Nevertheless, Macaulay suggests that if there had been no Pilgrim's Progress, then The Holy War would have been the first of religious allegories.\n\nIn working out the details of The Holy War, Bunyan seems to have kept in mind his own experience. The fortifications of the city, the movements of opposing forces, and the changes in the municipal offices of Mansoul were reproductions of scenes and events he had recently witnessed. He adapted these real-life experiences with extraordinary success and used them to present the doctrine of grace and the temptations present in the Christian life.\n\nThe characters and the incidents are, in effect, the characters and incidents of every age. This element gives the story of Mansoul an undying freshness, which suits the needs of men throughout the world. The Holy War has been translated into many languages, including some with very little literature. (As the 1907 edition was being prepared for the press, the Religious Tract Society helped with the printing of The Holy War in Kongo.)\n\n\u2013 A. R. Buckland\n\nTo the Reader\n\n'Tis strange to me, that they who love to tell\n\nThings done of old, yes, and who do excel\n\nTheir equals in the knowledge of history,\n\nDo not speak of Mansoul's wars, but let them lie\n\nDead, like old fables, like such worthless things,\n\nKnowledge of which no advantage brings.\n\nLet men make what they will their own,\n\nBut till they know this, to themselves are unknown.\n\nOf stories, I well know there are various sorts,\n\nSome foreign, some domestic, and some reports\n\nCreated and written as thought leads the writers:\n\n(By books a man may speculate about the composers)\n\nSome will repeat that which never was,\n\nNor will be, to tear it down (and that without a cause)\n\nSuch subjects raise mountains from things small, tell such things\n\nOf men, of laws, of countries, and kings.\n\nWhile their story seems to be quite sage,\n\nSuch gravity clothes every page,\n\nThough their front illustration says all is vain,\n\nYet, in this way, disciples they obtain.\n\nBut, readers, I have other important things to do,\n\nThan to write worthless stories to thus trouble you.\n\nWhat I say here, some men know so well,\n\nThey can with tears of joy the story tell.\n\nThe town of Mansoul is well known to many,\n\nHer troubles are not doubted by any\n\nBe familiar with those histories and reflect\n\nThat Mansoul and her wars dissect.\n\nThen lend your ear to hear what I relate,\n\nRegarding the town of Mansoul and her state.\n\nHow she was lost, took captive, made a slave,\n\nAnd set against Him who would her save;\n\nHow by hostile ways she did oppose\n\nHer Lord, and with his enemy arose.\n\nFor it is true: he that will them deny\n\nMust then the best of records vilify.\n\nFor my part, I myself was in the town,\n\nBoth when 'twas set up, and falling down.\n\nI saw Diabolus take Mansoul into his possession,\n\nAnd cause her to live under his oppression.\n\nYes, I was there when she avowed him as Lord,\n\nAnd to him did submit with one accord.\n\nWhen Mansoul trampled upon things divine,\n\nAnd wallowed in filth as does a swine;\n\nThen she actually resorted to arms,\n\nFought Emmanuel; abhorred His charms.\n\nI admit I was there, and rejoiced to see\n\nDiabolus and Mansoul so agree.\n\nLet no men, then, deem me a fable-maker,\n\nNor mark my name or credit me a partaker.\n\nOf their derision: what is here in view,\n\nFrom my own knowledge, I dare say is true.\n\nI saw the Prince's armed men come down\n\nBy troops, by thousands, to besiege the town;\n\nI saw the captains, heard the trumpets sound,\n\nAnd how his forces covered all the ground.\n\nYes, how they set themselves in battle array,\n\nI shall remember it to my dying day.\n\nI saw the colored flags waving in the wind,\n\nAnd the intent on harm from those within\n\nTo ruin Mansoul and to take away\n\nHer very soul without delay.\n\nI saw the mounts cast up against the town,\n\nAnd how the slings were placed to beat it down.\n\nI heard the stones whizz by my ears,\n\nA sound I won't forget; filled me with fears.\n\nI heard them fall, and saw what work they made\n\nAnd how old Mors did cover with his shade\n\nThe face of Mansoul; and I heard her cry,\n\n\"Woe be the day, in dying I shall die!\"\n\nI saw the battering rams in the great raid\n\nBeat open Ear-gate; and I was much afraid.\n\nNot only Ear-gate, but the very town\n\nWould by those battering rams be beaten down.\n\nI saw the fights, heard the captains shout,\n\nAnd in each battle saw who faced about.\n\nI saw those wounded and who were slain;\n\nAnd who, when dead, would come to life again.\n\nI heard the cries of those wounded call out,\n\nWhile others like men deprived of fear, fought about.\n\nAnd while the cry, 'Kill, kill,' was in my ears,\n\nThe gutters ran, not so much with blood as tears.\n\nIndeed, the captains did not always fight,\n\nBut then they still troubled us day and night;\n\nTheir cry, \"Up, fall on, let us take the town,\"\n\nKept us from sleeping or from lying down.\n\nI was there when the gates were broken ope,\n\nAnd saw how Mansoul was stripped of hope;\n\nI saw the captains march into the town,\n\nHow they fought and their foes cut down.\n\nI heard the Prince bid Boanerges go\n\nUp to the castle and there seize his foe;\n\nAnd saw him and his fellows bring him down,\n\nIn chains of great contempt through the town.\n\nI saw Emmanuel, when He possessed\n\nHis town of Mansoul; and how greatly blest.\n\nOh, how splendid His town of Mansoul was,\n\nWhen she received His pardon and loved His laws.\n\nWhen the Diabolians were caught,\n\nWhen tried, and when to execution brought,\n\nThen I was there; yes, I was standing by\n\nWhen Mansoul the rebels did crucify.\n\nI also saw Mansoul clad all in white,\n\nI heard her Prince call her His heart's delight.\n\nI saw Him put upon her chains of gold,\n\nRings, and bracelets, pleasant to behold.\n\nWhat shall I say? I heard the people's cries,\n\nSaw the Prince wipe tears from Mansoul's eyes.\n\nI heard the groans but saw the joy of many,\n\nTell you about it all, neither will nor can I.\n\nBut by what I say here, you well may see\n\nThat Mansoul's matchless wars no fables be.\n\nWith Mansoul, the desire of both princes was:\n\nOne would keep his gain, t'other gain his loss.\n\nDiabolus would cry, \"The town is mine!\"\n\nEmmanuel would plead a right divine\n\nUnto His Mansoul then to blows they go,\n\nAnd Mansoul cries, \"These wars will me undo.\"\n\nMansoul, her wars seemed endless in her eyes,\n\nShe's lost by one, becomes another's prize.\n\nAnd he again who lost her last would swear,\n\n\"Have her I will or into pieces I'll tear.\"\n\nMansoul, it was the very seat of war;\n\nTherefore, her troubles greater were by far\n\nThan only where the noise of war is heard,\n\nOr where the shaking of a sword is feared;\n\nOr only where small skirmishes are fought,\n\nOr where the false notion fights with a thought.\n\nShe saw the swords of fighting men made red,\n\nAnd heard cries of those wounded and bled.\n\nMust not her frights, then, be much more by far\n\nThan theirs who to such doings strangers are?\n\nOr theirs who hear the beating of a drum,\n\nBut, for fear, do not flee from house and home?\n\nMansoul not only heard the trumpet's sound,\n\nBut saw her brave gasping on the ground.\n\nTherefore, we must not think that she could rest,\n\nWith them, whose greatest longing is but jest.\n\nOr where the blustering threatening of great fights,\n\nEnd in discussions of mutual concern or debates.\n\nMansoul, her mighty wars, they did portend\n\nHer strength or grief and that world without end.\n\nTherefore, she must be more concerned than they\n\nWhose fears begin and end the selfsame day.\n\nOr where no other harm comes to him\n\nWho is engaged but loss of life or limb.\n\nAs all need to confess who now do dwell\n\nIn heaven and earth and can this story tell.\n\nDo not count me with them who to amaze\n\nSet the people's eyes on the stars to gaze,\n\nInsinuating with much confidence,\n\nThat each of them is now the residence\n\nOf some brave creatures as if for a world they will\n\nHave in each a star, though it be past their skill.\n\nTo make it clearly visible to man in any case,\n\nEither by reason or that his fingers can embrace.\n\nBut I have too long held you in the porch,\n\nAnd kept you from the sunshine with a torch.\n\nWell, go forward now; step within the door,\n\nAnd there behold five hundred times much more.\n\nOf all such rarities seated in the mind and soul\n\nThat will both please the mind and feed the eyes.\n\nWith those, which, if a Christian, you will see\n\nNot small but things of greatest value be.\n\nNor should you go to work without my key;\n\nFor in mysteries men soon lose their way;\n\nFor it can help turn it right if you would know\n\nMy riddle, and would with my heifer plough;\n\nIt lies there in the window. Fare thee well,\n\nMy next may be to ring thy passing bell.\n\n\u2013 John Bunyan\n\nChapter 1\n\nMansoul: Its Origin\n\nIn my travels, as I walked through many regions and countries, I happened upon that famous continent of Universe. This very large and spacious country lies between the two poles, amid the four points of the heavens, and is well watered, richly adorned with hills and valleys, and splendidly located. For the most part, at least where I was, this country was fruitful, well populated, and blessed with clean, sweet air.\n\nThe people are diverse with different skin colors, languages, customs, and ways of religion. They differ as much as the planets differ one from another. Some are right and some are wrong, even as it happens to be in lesser regions.\n\nI had the fortune to travel in this country, for my Master sent me there to do business for Him and oversee business done. I spent enough time there that I learned much of the people's mother tongue and their customs and manners. And, to tell the truth, it delighted me very much to see and hear many things among them. I even lived and died a native among them, for I was so enamored with them and their ways.\n\nNow in this fine and noble country of Universe, an honest town is regulated by the close observance of a proprietor, a united people called Mansoul. This town is known for its buildings, which are artfully crafted with care, and its location, which is convenient and easily adapted to meet the wants and needs of those who live there. Mansoul is also recognized for its privileges and profitable origin. Just like the continent on which it is placed, this town has no equal under the whole heaven.\n\nThe location of this town is between the two worlds and, according to the best and most authentic records, its founder and builder was one Shaddai. He built it for His own delight, and the pattern and splendor were beyond anything else He did in that country. (Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and virtue; for thou hast created all things, and by thy will they have their being and were created. \u2013 Revelation 4:11) Mansoul was such a pleasant town that when He first built it, some said the gods came down to see it and sang for joy. As much as He made it enjoyable to look at, He also made it mighty \u2013 to have dominion over all the country around it. All were commanded to acknowledge Mansoul as their capital and were commanded to do homage to it. Yes, the town itself had a direct mandate and power from her King to demand service of all and subdue any who in any way denied the command.\n\nIn the midst of this town stood a most famous and stately palace. For its strength, it might be called a castle; for its pleasantness, a paradise; for largeness, a place so copious as to contain all the world. King Shaddai intended this place for Himself alone, partly because of His own delights and partly because He didn't want the terror of strangers to fall upon the town. Shaddai also made a stronghold of this place but gave charge of its keeping to the men of the town.\n\nThe walls of the town were well built, fixed and solid and compactly knit together. Had it not been for the townsmen themselves, these walls would have remained forever and could not have been shaken or broken. For He who built Mansoul, in His excellent wisdom, fashioned the walls so they could never be broken down or damaged by even the mightiest adversarial potentate, unless the townsmen gave consent. (Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ? shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Nevertheless, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Therefore I am certain that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any creature shall be able to separate us from the charity of God, which is in Christ, Jesus our Lord. \u2013 Romans 8:35, 37-39)\n\nThis famous town of Mansoul had five gates used to enter and exit. These were built in conformity with the walls; that is to say, they were impregnable. They could not be opened or forced by any outsider but only by the will and permission of those within. The names of the gates were Ear-gate, Eye-gate, Mouth-gate, Nose-gate, and Feel-gate.\n\nOther things found in the town of Mansoul will give you an even clearer picture of the glory and strength of the place. The town always had sufficient means of provision within its walls. It had the best, most wholesome, and excellent Law that existed in the whole world. Not a mean fellow, dishonest rogue, or faithless person could be found within its walls. All were honest, faithful men and tightly united; and this is an important matter. (Blessed are those who walk in the perfect way, who walk in the law of the LORD. \u2013 Psalm 119:1) As long as Mansoul had the goodness to keep true to Shaddai the King, these men enjoyed His favor, His protection, and they were His delight.\n\nAfter a time, a mighty giant by the name of Diabolus made an assault upon this famous town of Mansoul to overtake it and make it his own. This giant was king of the dark world and a raving, mad prince. Before we talk of his taking of this famous town of Mansoul, if you please, we will first discuss the origin of this Diabolus.\n\nWhile Diabolus was a great and mighty prince, he was also both poor and beggarly. As to his origin, he was once one of the servants of King Shaddai, created and placed by Him in a high and mighty position. Yes, Diabolus was granted superiority and power such as belonged to the best of Shaddai's territories and dominions. This Diabolus was made \"son of the morning,\" and granted a dignified place, which brought him much glory and gave him much brightness. (Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering: the sardius, topaz, diamond, turquoise, onyx, and beryl, the sapphire, ruby, and emerald, and gold; the works of the tambourines and of thy pipes were prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. \u2013 Ezekiel 28:13)\n\nHis position also presented him with an income that might have contented his Luciferian heart had it not been insatiable and as enlarged as hell itself. He saw himself exalted to this degree of greatness and honor, and he desired more.\n\nHis mind raged for a higher rank of honor and distinction. He began to think about how he might gain the position of lord over all and have sole power under Shaddai. (Thou who said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven; upon high next to the stars of God I will exalt my throne: and I will sit upon the mount of the testimony and in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. \u2013 Isaiah 14:13-14)\n\nHowever, the King reserved that position for His Son and had already bestowed it upon Him. (Therefore, God also has highly exalted him [His Son] and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is Lord in the glory of God the Father. \u2013 Philippians 2:9-11)\n\nBefore Diabolus made a move, he considered how best to accomplish his goal and then shared his thoughts with some of his companions. They agreed with him, and together they discussed this issue with cunning. They planned how they could attempt to destroy the King's Son, so the inheritance might become theirs. (But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us take his inheritance. \u2013 Matthew 21:38)\n\nTo keep it short, they determined to commit treason and decided on the appointed time. Then together they vowed to accomplish it. The rebels assembled in a predetermined place and attempted the assault.\n\nNow the King and His Son, being all-seeing, could not help but perceive every incident that occurred in their dominions. The King always loved His Son and was greatly provoked and offended by what He saw. Therefore, He took out the rebels at the very time they made their first trip to carry out their plan. He convicted them of the treason, horrid rebellion, and conspiracy they had devised and were attempting to put into practice. As a group, He cast them out of all places of trust, benefit, honor, and higher office. With this done, He banished them from the King's residence, turned them upside down, and dropped them into the horrible pit where He bound them firmly in chains, never again to expect the least favor from His hands. There they would abide the judgment He had appointed forever. (And the angels who did not keep their first estate but left their own habitation, he has reserved in eternal chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. \u2013 Jude 1:6)\n\nDiabolus Cast Out of Heaven\n\nAfter they had been cast out and banished from His residence and thrown into the horrible pit, they knew they had lost their Prince's favor forever, being removed from all places of trust, profit, and honor. You can rest assured they now added malice and rage against Shaddai and against His Son to their former pride. Therefore, they walked about in much fury from place to place, methodically looking for something belonging to the King and, to retaliate against Him, render it useless.\n\nAt last, without knowing where they were going, the rebels came into this spacious country of Universe and directed their course towards the town of Mansoul. They knew that town to be one of the significant works and delights of King Shaddai, so they devised a plan and made an assault against it.\n\nThe reason they knew Mansoul belonged to Shaddai was that they were there when He built it and adorned it for Himself. So when they found the place, they shouted horribly for joy and roared like a lion upon its prey: \"Now we have found the prize, the way to attain revenge on King Shaddai for what He has done to us!\" (Be temperate and vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. \u2013 1 Peter 5:8) They called a council of war and sat down to discuss what ways and methods were best to engage Mansoul in order to win this famous town for themselves. These four ideas were offered for consideration:\n\nFirst, they questioned whether all of them should show themselves in this scheme to take the town of Mansoul.\n\nSecondly, they talked about whether they should go and sit down before Mansoul, dressed in the ragged and beggarly guise they now wore.\n\nThirdly, they discussed whether it would be prudent to reveal their intentions to Mansoul and the plan they had designed or whether they should attack it with words and deceitful means.\n\nFourthly, they deliberated over whether it would be better if some among them were given secret orders to shoot the principal townsmen, if they saw them. For in this way, they decided their cause and plan would advance more effectively.\n\nThe first of these proposals they decided against, for they determined it would not be best if they all revealed themselves before the town, because the appearance of so many might alarm and frighten the town. They determined a few or perhaps only one of them should show themselves so as not to frighten or alarm Mansoul in this way. However, Diabolus said, \"It is impossible for us to take the town, for no one can enter it without its owner's consent. Therefore, let there be but a few \u2013 or only one \u2013 who assaults Mansoul.\" Diabolus gauged his companions' reactions and said, \"And in my opinion, it should be me.\" They all offered hearty nods and agreed to this plan.\n\nTo the second proposal, they discussed whether they should sit down before Mansoul in their ragged and beggarly appearance. \"Certainly not,\" the fierce Alecto said. For though Mansoul knew about them and had even dealt with things invisible, they had never been seen in such a sad and vile condition as theirs.\n\nThen Apollyon said, \"The advice is pertinent.\" He smeared his bony fingers across the chest of his beggarly rags. \"For even one of us appearing to them as we are now would generate and multiply anxious thoughts within them, which will make them worry and cause them to be cautious and watchful on all sides. And if that happens, then, as my Lord Diabolus said just now, there is no reason for us to think of taking the town.\"\n\nThe Advice of Apollyon\n\nThen the mighty giant Beelzebub ignored the flies attracted to his stench as they crawled along his neck and head. \"The advice already given is safe, for though the men of Mansoul have seen such things as we once were, until now they've never beheld such things as we have become. It is best, in my opinion, to come upon them in such a guise as is common and more familiar among them.\"\n\nWhen they had all consented to this, the next thing to be determined was what shape, color, or guise Diabolus should take to show himself when he went about to make Mansoul his own. One said one thing and another suggested something else. At last, Lucifer answered that he thought it was best that his lordship, Diabolus, assume the body of a creature that the town had dominion over. (For every nature of beasts and of birds and of serpents and of beings in the sea may be tamed and is tamed by mankind. \u2013 James 3:7)\n\n\"These aren't just familiar to people of the town of Mansoul, but being under their authority, they will never suspect an attempt upon the town would be made by such creatures. To dim their understanding, let him assume the body of one of those beasts Mansoul deems wiser than any of the rest.\"\n\nEvery one of the ghoulish rebels applauded this advice. So it was determined the giant Diabolus should assume the form of a dragon, for dragons in those days were as familiar to the town of Mansoul as a bird is to a boy now. (Behold now Behemoth, which I made with thee; he eats grass as an ox. Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He is the beginning of the ways of God; he that made him shall make his sword draw near unto him. \u2013 Job 40:15-16, 19)\n\nWhen they came to the third proposal of whether they should make their intentions known or adhere to the method Diabolus intended to use, the rebels quickly decided to do neither. For the previous discussion reminded them that the inhabitants of Mansoul were a strong people in a strong town, whose wall and gates were impregnable (to say nothing of their castle). It also reminded them of the fact that these people could not be won by any means other than their own consent.\n\n\"Besides,\" Legion said, \"if they discover our intentions, they may send to their King for aid. If they do that, I know very well what it will mean for us. For this reason, let us assault them with the false appearance of fairness, covering our true intentions with all manner of lies, flatteries, and deceptive words; feigning things that never will be, and promising that which they shall never find. This is the way to win Mansoul and make them open their gates to us and even make them desire us to come in to them.\n\n\"The reason I think this approach will be best is that the people of Mansoul are all simple and innocent. Every one of them is honest and true, and they don't even know what it is to be assaulted with deception, cunning, and hypocrisy. They are strangers to lying and misleading lips. Therefore, we won't be detected by them at all, if disguised in this way. Our lies shall be accepted as true sayings, and our counterfeit transactions as upright dealings. What we promise them, they will believe, especially if we pretend to have great love for them and that our intention is only for their benefit and honor, as we deliver all our lies and contrived words.\" (For these false apostles are deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And it is no marvel, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. \u2013 2 Corinthians 11:13-14)\n\nFor a moment, the rebels sat in silence. Not one offered a reply against this advice, and its acceptance moved things along like a current of water flowing down a steep descent. They went on to consider the last proposal, which was whether it was best to give orders to various members of their company to shoot some of the principal townsmen, if they judged that it would promote their cause.\n\nThis proposal carried with unanimous agreement, and the townsman designated to be destroyed by this stratagem was Captain Resistance. He was a great man in Mansoul and one whom the giant Diabolus and his band feared more than they feared the whole town.\n\nThat brought them to the next question: Who should perform the murder? They appointed one Tisiphone, a fury of the lake, to do the deed. Thus, they ended their council of war, rose up, and attempted to do as they had determined. They all marched towards Mansoul in an invisible form \u2013 except for one and only one. And that one did not approach the town in his own likeness but rather under the guise and in the body of the dragon.\n\nThey drew up and sat before Ear-gate, the place of hearing from all outside the town, as Eye-gate was the place for viewing objects outside the gate. So, as I said, he came up to the gate to trick the people of Mansoul and to put in place his secret attack on Captain Resistance. With all in place, the giant in dragon form ascended close to the gate and called to the town of Mansoul for an audience in order to lure Captain Resistance within bowshot of the town. The only one he took with him was one Ill-Pause, who was his orator in all difficult matters.\n\nDiabolus and His Companions Seek Mansoul\n\nChapter 2\n\nThe Fall of Mansoul\n\nNow, as I said, Diabolus, in dragon form, arrived at the gate in the manner of those times and sounded his trumpet for an audience. This brought the leaders of the town of Mansoul, including Lord Innocent, Lord Willbewill, Lord Mayor Understanding, Mr. Recorder, and Captain Resistance, down to the wall to see who was there and what they wanted. Lord Willbewill, when he looked and saw who stood at the gate, demanded to know what he was, for what reason he had come, and why he aroused the town of Mansoul with such an unusual sound.\n\nDiabolus, as if a lamb, began his speech and said, \"Gentlemen of the famous town of Mansoul, as you can see, I am not one who lives far from you but near. I am one who is bound by the King to do homage and what service I can for you. In order that I may be faithful to myself and to you, I have somewhat of a concern to report to you. I'm asking you to grant me the opportunity to appear before you and to hear me patiently. And before I say anything, let me assure you, it is not for myself but for you \u2013 not for my benefit but yours \u2013 that I seek to speak with you. This will be made very clear once I share what's on my mind. For, gentlemen, to tell you the truth, I have come to show you how you may obtain great deliverance from a bondage which holds you captive and which you are enslaved under, and yet you are unaware of.\"\n\nAt this, the town of Mansoul began to prick up their ears. And what is it? Pray what is it? they thought.\n\nAnd Diabolus said, \"I have something to say to you concerning your King, concerning His Law, and also relating to yourselves. Regarding your King, I know He is great and powerful; yet all He has said to you is neither true nor to your advantage.\n\n\"First of all, what He has said is not true. For He has struck you with fear, saying certain consequences shall happen if you do such a thing as He has forbidden, but in fact, it shall not come to pass nor be fulfilled. However, if there is a danger, it is the living in constant slavery of the fear of the greatest of punishments just for doing so small and trivial a thing as eating a little fruit. (And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou dost eat of it thou shalt surely die. \u2013 Genesis 2:16-17)\n\n\"Secondly, regarding His Laws, I say they are unreasonable, complicated, and intolerable. Unreasonable, as was hinted before, for the punishment does not fit the offense. A great difference and disproportion exists between life and a piece of fruit, yet an individual must apply oneself or face punishment by the Law of your Shaddai.\n\n\"Plus, it is also complicated. First, He says you may eat from all trees, and yet concludes by forbidding the eating from one.\n\n\"And finally, it must also be considered intolerable in view of the fact that the fruit which you are forbidden to eat, if you are truly forbidden, is just that \u2013 fruit and nothing else. When you eat it, it is able to supply a benefit to you, which until now is unknown by you. This is obvious by the very name of the tree, which is called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Ask yourself, do you have that knowledge as yet? No, you do not, nor can you even imagine how good, how pleasant, and how much it is desired to make one wise, as long as you adhere to your King's commandment. Why should you be bound in ignorance and blindness? Why shouldn't you expand your knowledge and understanding?\n\n\"And now, you inhabitants of the famous town of Mansoul, to speak in a manner principally to you \u2013 you are not a free people! You are kept in bondage and slavery by an oppressive threat with no reason connected to it other than, 'So I will have it; so it shall be.'\n\n\"And isn't it burdensome to think that the very thing you are forbidden to do, if you did do it, might yield both wisdom and honor to you? For then your eyes will be opened, and you shall be as gods. (For God knows that in the day ye eat of it then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. \u2013 Genesis 3:5)\n\n\"Now, since this is the case,\" he tilted his dragon head to the side and asked, \"is it possible for you to be enslaved more or to be in greater bondage by any prince than you are this day? As I have clearly shown you, He has made you nothing more than underlings who are wrapped up in inconveniences, which make things difficult and create disadvantages. For what bondage is greater than to be kept blind to the truth? Doesn't reason itself tell you it is better to have eyes than to be without them, and better to be free than to be shut up in a dark and stinking cave?\"\n\nWhile Diabolus spoke these words to Mansoul, Tisiphone shot at Captain Resistance who stood on the gate and mortally wounded him in the head. To the amazement of the townsmen and with the encouragement of Diabolus, the captain fell quite dead over the wall. Now, Captain Resistance had been the only man of war in the town, and once he was dead, poor Mansoul lacked courage. His death left her without the heart to resist, which was exactly what the Devil had planned all along.\n\nThen Mr. Ill-Pause, whom Diabolus brought along as his orator, stepped forth and addressed the town of Mansoul. The substance of his speech went like this:\n\n\"Gentlemen, my master is happy that today he has enjoyed a quiet and enlightening hearing with you. We hope we shall prevail and you won't cast off good advice. For my master has a very great love for you, and though he clearly knows he runs the hazard of King Shaddai's anger, because of his love for you, he is willing to do even more than that.\n\n\"Nothing else needs to be said to confirm the truth of what he has said, for there is no stronger evidence than the very name of the tree which can put an end to the controversy. At this time, under the authority and with the permission of my lord, I add only this advice to you.\" He bowed very low to Diabolus and said, \"Consider his words; look at the tree and the promising fruit hanging from its branches. Remember also that you only know a little, and the fruit of this tree is the way to know more. And if you still have doubts regarding such good counsel, then you are not the men I took you to be.\"\n\nDiabolus's trick worked. The townsfolk saw the tree was good for food and pleasant to look at, and they desired it. They wanted it to make them wise. And so they did what old Ill-Pause advised. They plucked the fruit from the tree and ate it. (And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes, and a tree of covetousness to understand, she took of its fruit and ate and gave also unto her husband with her; and he ate. \u2013 Genesis 3:6)\n\nNow I should have mentioned this earlier, but when Ill-Pause was making his speech to the townsmen, Lord Innocency fell down dead right there in the place where he stood and could not be brought to life again. It's unknown whether he was shot from the camp of the giant, suffered from some sinking feeling that suddenly overtook him, or whether it was the stinking breath of that treacherous villain, old Ill-Pause; but I tend to think it was most likely the latter.\n\nThus, these two brave men died, Resistance and Innocency \u2013 brave men, I say, for they were the beauty and glory of Mansoul while they lived there. Now, there no longer remained a noble spirit in Mansoul, for all the townsmen fell down and yielded obedience to Diabolus, and just as you might expect, they became his slaves and vassals as you shall hear. (No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. \u2013 Matthew 6:24)\n\nNow with these brave men dead, what did the rest of the townsfolk do? They acted like men who had found a fool's paradise. As I hinted at earlier, in a short time they fell because they failed to establish the truth of the giant's words. First, they did as Ill-Pause taught them and directed their eyes toward the forbidden fruit. It captivated their thoughts, until they plucked it from the tree and ate it. Once they ate from the tree, they immediately became drunk by it, and as a result, they opened the gates, both Ear-gate and Eye-gate. In this way, they let Diabolus with all his bands into Mansoul, and they quite forgot their good Shaddai, His Law, and the judgment and solemn threat He had connected to any who broke it. (I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, for there is not another; but there are some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of the Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, were to preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be anathema. \u2013 Galatians 1:6-8)\n\nChapter 3\n\nThe Enslavement of Mansoul\n\nAfter Diabolus gained entry at the gates of the town, he marched up to the middle of Mansoul to make his conquest as certain as he could. As he did, he found the affections of the people warmly inclined toward him and figured it was best to take advantage of the situation, so he made another deceptive speech to them.\n\n\"Alas, my poor Mansoul,\" he said. \"I have done this service to raise you to a position of honor and increase your freedom, but now you'll want someone to defend you. For I'm sure when Shaddai hears what has happened, He will come. He will be sorry you have broken His bonds and have flung His cords away. So what will you do? After expanding your knowledge, will you allow your privileges to be infringed upon and taken away? If not, what will you resolve to do?\"\n\nThen all in one accord they said to him, \"Please, we want you to reign over us.\" (But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. ... And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them. \u2013 1 Samuel 8:6-7)\n\nSo he accepted the proposal and became the king of the town of Mansoul. After this was accomplished, the next thing was to give him possession of the castle and with it all of the town's strength. Therefore, he entered the castle which Shaddai had built in Mansoul for His own delight and pleasure, and it became a den and hold for the giant Diabolus.\n\nOnce he had possession of this grand palace, he turned it into a military base for himself, and made preparations to strengthen and fortify it with all sorts of provisions against the King Shaddai and any others who would endeavor to regain it for Him and restore obedience to His Law again.\n\nDiabolus still didn't think his position secure enough, however. He thought about how he might refashion the town by installing one influential person and deposing another as he pleased. Therefore, he stripped the Lord Mayor, whose name was Understanding, and Mr. Recorder, whose name was Mr. Conscience, of their positions and power.\n\nAs for the Lord Mayor, though he was an understanding man and had complied with the rest of the town of Mansoul in admitting the giant into the town, Diabolus didn't think it best for him to stay in his position of distinction and honor, because he was a seeing man. Therefore, he deprived the Lord Mayor of seeing what he was doing, not only by taking his office and power from him but also by building a high, strong tower. It stood between the sun's light and the windows of Understanding's palace and so darkened his entire house. It blocked the sun so thoroughly that his entire residence was made as black as darkness itself. And Diabolus confined him to his house like a prisoner. Even if he was allowed to leave with an agreed time to return, limitations restricted him from going any farther than the bounds of his property. Due to his alienation from the light, he became like one born blind. And now, even if he had the heart to do something for Mansoul, what could he do? How can I do anything profitable for her? he wondered. As long as Mansoul is under the power and government of Diabolus, the town remains obedient to him. As long as this is the case, it will be impossible for me to help. So Lord Mayor Understanding became a weakness rather than an advantage to the famous town of Mansoul, until the town could be rescued out of Diabolus's hand by a war.\n\nAs for Mr. Recorder, or Mr. Conscience, as he was known, before the town was taken, he was a man well versed in the Law of his King. He was courageous and faithful to speak truth at every opportunity, for he was equipped with a brave tongue and a head filled with sound judgment. Now, Diabolus could not allow such a man as this to continue as he had, for though he had given consent to his coming into the town, Diabolus knew Mr. Recorder would not agree to all the tricks, trials, schemes, and devices he had planned to make him wholly his own.\n\nSo even though Mr. Recorder had fallen from his original standing with his former King, and was pleased with many of the giant's laws and his service, this arrangement would not do, because Recorder was not wholly his. Diabolus knew he would think upon Shaddai now and then and experience dread of His Law; then he would speak against Diabolus with a voice as great as a roaring lion. He would also, at certain times, experience terrible fits that made the whole town of Mansoul shake with his voice. For these reasons the now king of Mansoul could not tolerate him; he feared the Recorder more than any others left alive in the town of Mansoul.\n\nAs I said, Recorder's words shook the whole town like rattling thunder mixed with thunderclaps. Since the giant could not make him wholly his own, what he did was look for any way to corrupt the old gentleman and seduce him from duty and allegiance, and blunt his mind and harden his heart to steer him in the ways of fruitless, empty labor that does no good. And he accomplished his plan. He corrupted the man's morals and purity of character, and little by little drew him into sin and wickedness. (Be not deceived: evil companions corrupt good character. \u2013 1 Corinthians 15:33) Recorder became so defiled he was almost past all consciousness of sin, but this was as far as Diabolus could go. With this accomplished, he started to think of another project.\n\nHe focused on persuading the men of the town that Mr. Conscience was mad and could not be respected or paid attention to. He pointed to his fits and said, \"If he is himself and in his right mind, then why isn't he always this way? But, as all mad folks have fits filled with their raving language, so has this old and foolish gentleman.\"\n\nSo by one means or another, he influenced Mansoul to slight, neglect, and despise whatever Mr. Conscience said; for in addition to what you have already heard, Diabolus had a way to make the old gentleman, when he was merry with drink, contradict and deny what he had affirmed in his fits. This made him appear ridiculous, and it caused the people to disregard him.\n\nAfter all this, Mr. Conscience no longer spoke freely for King Shaddai but rather by force and constraint. At one time he would be hot against something that at another time he would say nothing about. He became so unbalanced in his actions that sometimes he acted as if he were fast asleep and other times like one dead, while the whole town of Mansoul raced after vain, empty endeavors and danced to the tune played by the giant's pipe. (That we no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive. \u2013 Ephesians 4:14)\n\nAs a result, sometimes the message delivered by the thundering voice of the Recorder frightened Mansoul, and people reported it to Diabolus. He told them that what the old gentleman said was not because of love or pity for them. He explained it as a \"foolish fondness he has for prattling about trivial matters\" and that the old man would eventually be quiet again. But in fact, every outcry Mr. Recorder made against the sin of Mansoul was the voice of God in him to them. But Diabolus, the liar and deceiver, twisted the people's perception and forced every argument he could think of to make his position in Mansoul secure.\n\nHe often said, \"Oh Mansoul! Consider that in spite of the old gentleman's rage and the rattle of his high and thundering words, you hear nothing from Shaddai Himself. You see, He doesn't value the loss or rebellion of the town of Mansoul. Neither will He trouble himself with calling His town to a reckoning for their giving themselves to me. He knows that though you were His, now you are lawfully mine. So He now has shaken His hands at us, leaving us one to another.\"\n\nThen he said, \"Consider how I have served you to the greatest extent of my power and with the best I have, could get, or obtain for you in the entire world. Likewise, the laws and customs you are under now and by which you show me reverence yield more comfort and peace for you than the paradise you first possessed. Your freedom, as you very well know, has been expanded by me. I found you a bridled people and freed you. I have laid no restraints on you. I have placed no law, statute, or judgment on you to frighten you. And I call none of you into account for your actions, except the madman \u2013 you know who I mean. I have granted each of you the opportunity to live like princes with as little control from me as I myself have from you.\"\n\nIn such a manner, Diabolus quieted the town of Mansoul at the times when the Recorder battered the people with his cursed speeches. For the old gentleman's lectures set the whole town in a rage against him. The crew of scoundrels of Mansoul often called for the Recorder's destruction and, in my hearing, often wished he lived a thousand miles away from them \u2013 he and his company, his words, and yes, even the sight of him \u2013 especially when they remembered how he threatened, condemned, and severely terrified and afflicted them. But now when they looked at him, all they saw was a man of corrupted character.\n\nHowever, all their ill wishes were fruitless. I don't know how his life was preserved among them, except that it was the power of Shaddai and His wisdom. Besides, his house was as strong as a castle and stood firm as a stronghold in the town. Furthermore, if any of the crew or mob attempted to make the Recorder go away, he could pull open the floodgates and let in such floods as would drown all those around him. (The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. \u2013 Psalm 27:1-2)\n\nBut I want to leave the subject of Mr. Recorder for now and talk about Lord Willbewill, who had good breeding and was another of those educated elite of the famous town of Mansoul. This Willbewill was as highborn as any man in Mansoul and, if I remember right, owned more land than many of the others. In fact, he had privileges unique to himself in the famous town.\n\nHe was also a man of great strength, determination, and courage, and no one could ignore his influence. But whether he was proud of his estate, privileges, strength, or what, I cannot say, but it was through pride of something that he was as despised as a slave in Mansoul. As a result, he decided to acquire an office under Diabolus, even if it might be as an insignificant ruler or governor.\n\nBeing such a determined individual, he wasted no time. He placed himself to be considered for such a position. When Diabolus made his speech at Ear-gate, Willbewill stepped forward as one of the first to consent to and accept Diabolus's counsel as wholesome. He was also one of the first who was willing to open the gate to let the enemy of Shaddai into the town. As a result, Diabolus felt good will toward him and planned a place for him among his great ones to act in matters of the highest concern, for Diabolus perceived the valor and strength of the man.\n\nHe sent for Willbewill and talked with him about this secret matter in order to set it in his heart; but in this case, it took very little persuasion. For from the beginning, he was willing for Diabolus to be allowed into the town and now proved to be just as willing to serve him. When the tyrant recognized the willingness of Willbewill to serve him and that his mind was inclined to stand with him, Diabolus made him the captain of the castle, governor of the wall, and keeper of the gates of Mansoul.\n\nHis commission included a clause which said nothing could be done in all the town of Mansoul without him. He was second only to Diabolus himself, and nothing could be done except by his will and pleasure.\n\nLord Willbewill Receives His Commission\n\nDiabolus also had Mr. Mind for his clerk. This man spoke on every matter like his master, for he and his lord were unified in principle and not far apart in practice. As a result, Mansoul was brought under the influence of the plan and made to fulfill the lusts of the will and of the mind.\n\nBut I cannot stop thinking about what an eager one this Willbewill was when power was put into his hand. First, he flatly denied he owed any obedience or service to his former Prince and faithful Lord. Once he did this, he also took an oath and swore loyalty and faithfulness to his great master Diabolus. With this done, he was advanced and settled in to his new rank and higher position, and you wouldn't believe the strange work this workman accomplished in the town of Mansoul, unless you witnessed it with your own eyes.\n\nFirst, Willbewill slandered Mr. Recorder (Conscience) to death, and he wouldn't even look at him or listen to the words of his mouth. Willbewill would shut his eyes when he saw him and cover his ears when he heard him speak. He couldn't tolerate even a fragment of the Law of Shaddai to be seen anywhere in the town. For example, his clerk, Mr. Mind, had some old, torn parchments of the Law of Shaddai in his house, but when Willbewill saw them, Mr. Mind flung them behind his back. Mr. Recorder had some of the laws in his study, but Willbewill had no way to get at them.\n\nHe also said, \"The windows of old Lord Mayor's house are always too light for the benefit of the town of Mansoul.\" He couldn't endure the light of a candle at this time, and nothing pleased Willbewill at all except for what pleased Diabolus his lord. (For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. \u2013 John 3:20)\n\nNo one else proclaimed the superior nature, shrewd conduct, and great pride of the king Diabolus like him. (Those that forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. \u2013 Proverbs 28:4) Willbewill traveled throughout the streets of Mansoul and shouted out in a loud voice for all to hear about his illustrious lord. He even disguised himself to appear like one cast out as worthless among the immoral and disreputable crowd for an opportunity to speak out about his powerful prince. And I tell you that whenever he found these mindless wards, he made himself like one of them and participated in every evil way without needing an invitation or command. (When thou didst see a thief, then thou didst consent with him and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou didst give thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frames deceit. Thou didst sit and speak against thy brother; thou didst slander thine own mother's son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; ... but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes. \u2013 Psalm 50:18-21)\n\nLord Willbewill also had a deputy under him, and his name was Mr. Affection. He too was greatly corrupted in his principles and lived his life accordingly. He wholly gave himself over to the flesh, so they called him Vile-Affection.\n\nNow he and Carnal-Lust, the daughter of Mr. Mind, were the same sort. With the two so well matched, they fell in love and married. As I understand it, they had several children, including Impudent, Darkmouth, and Hate-Reproof. These three were atrociously wicked boys. And besides these, they had three daughters, Scorn-Truth and Slight-God, and the name of the youngest was Revenge. These grew up and were all married in the town and yielded vile offspring, too many to list here.\n\nWhen the giant had established and protected himself with the garrison in the town of Mansoul, and had removed some from office and set up others whom he thought had the qualities he desired, he took it upon himself to deface any representation of the blessed King Shaddai. For example, in the marketplace in Mansoul and upon the gates of the castle, an image of the blessed King was so accurately engraved in gold that it closely resembled Shaddai Himself more than anything else in the world. With despicable meanness, Diabolus commanded this image to be defaced, and No-Truth shamelessly accomplished the deed.\n\nIn the same manner in which Diabolus commanded the image of Shaddai be defaced by the hand of Mr. No-Truth, he likewise ordered him to set up in its place the horrid and dreadful image of Diabolus as a way to show great contempt for the former King and degrade His town of Mansoul.\n\nThe Image of Diabolus Is Set Up\n\nDiabolus also laid waste to all that remained of the Laws and statutes of Shaddai in the town of Mansoul. This included anything that contained the teaching of morals within all the civil documents, and even laws which governed events and natural things like feelings. He even sought to eliminate any punishments related to these. In brief, nothing good remained in Mansoul that he and Willbewill didn't seek to destroy, for their plan was to turn Mansoul into a brute savage at heart and to make it like a carnal swine by the hand of No-Truth.\n\nAfter Diabolus destroyed what he could of the Law and the good condition of the town, he pushed the influence of his plan even further. His goal was to alienate Mansoul from Shaddai, her King. To accomplish this, he commanded worthless edicts, statutes, and commandments be set in all places of active power or assembly in Mansoul. These changes provided freedom to practice the lusts of the flesh, including the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life, which are not of Shaddai but are of the world. (For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. \u2013 1 John 2:16) He encouraged, approved, and promoted all ungodliness and the abandonment of lustful restraint. (Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like. \u2013 Galatians 5:19-21)\n\nDiabolus did this and more to encourage wickedness in the town of Mansoul. He promised them peace, contentment, joy, and pleasure by following his commands. (And that which fell among thorns are those who when they have heard go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection. \u2013 Luke 8:14) \"You will never have to answer to anyone for not doing the opposite,\" he promised. \"Instead, this will serve as a sample for those who love to hear about things done far off in other countries \u2013 things they know nothing about.\"\n\nNow Mansoul became entirely subservient to Diabolus, coming when he called with the nod of his head, bowing, and even kneeling before him. Nothing was heard or seen any longer within the town unless it exalted him. But Diabolus saw that the town was the most ancient of establishments in the world, and he feared if he didn't maintain its greatness, the people might oppose him because he'd done Mansoul harm. He needed to show the people he didn't intend to lessen their grandeur or take away any of their beneficial things. And since he had disabled Mayor Understanding and Mr. Conscience the Recorder by removing them from office in Mansoul, he decided to choose a Lord Mayor and a Recorder himself. Only this time, he made sure to select replacements who gladdened the hearts of the people and pleased him as well.\n\nDiabolus named the Lord Lustings as Mayor of Mansoul. He had neither eyes nor ears. All he did, whether as a man or as the Mayor, he did like a beast \u2013 by sheer natural impulse. And the thing that made him most shameful to those who saw and grieved for the ruin of Mansoul was that he never favored good but only chose evil.\n\nUnder Diabolus, the Recorder was known by the name Forget-Good, and he too was a very sorry fellow. He delighted in disobedience and remembered nothing of submission. He was naturally prone to do hurtful things to the town of Mansoul and all who lived there. (He shall die because he did not submit to chastening; and due to the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. \u2013 Proverbs 5:23)\n\nThese two, by their power and practice and examples and preferences toward evil, did much speaking and writing in order to establish the common people in ways hurtful to them. However, the people didn't perceive that when those who sit in positions of authority are evil and corrupt, they in turn corrupt the whole region and country. (And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin with which he caused Israel to sin. \u2013 1 Kings 15:34)\n\nAfter filling these two positions, Diabolus made several appointments of people over boroughs as aldermen in Mansoul. From these, the people of the town could choose officers, governors, and magistrates when needed. These are the names of the leading men among them: Mr. Incredulity, Mr. Haughty, Mr. Swearing, Mr. Whoring, Mr. Hard-Heart, Mr. Pitiless, Mr. Fury, Mr. No-Truth, Mr. Stand-to-Lies, Mr. False-Peace, Mr. Drunkenness, Mr. Cheating, and Mr. Atheism. They numbered thirteen in all. Among the group, Mr. Incredulity was the oldest and Mr. Atheism the youngest. An election of common councilmen and some like bailiffs, sergeants, constables, and others was also held, but all of them were related to those already mentioned, being either fathers, brothers, cousins, or nephews to them.\n\nAs the giant proceeded with his plan, he decided his next step would be to build some strongholds within the town. So he built three holds that seemed impregnable. The first he called the Hold of Defiance, because it was constructed as a command center to the whole town to keep it from the knowledge of its ancient King. The second he called Midnight Hold, because it was built purposely to keep Mansoul from the true knowledge of itself. The third was called Sweet-Sin Hold, because by it he protected Mansoul against all good desires.\n\nThe first of these holds stood strategically close enough to Eye-gate to darken the light there as much as possible. The second was built solidly by the old castle with the goal of making it more blind, if possible. And the third stood in the marketplace.\n\nDiabolus made Spite-God governor over the first of these, for he was a most blasphemous wretch. He came with the whole disorderly, vulgar crowd which came against Mansoul in the beginning, for he was one of them.\n\nThe one made governor of Midnight Hold was Love-no-Light. He too belonged to the mob that first came against the town. And the man who was made governor of the Sweet-Sin Hold was Love-Flesh, one given over to the unlawful indulgence of lust. He was addicted to fornication and had no limit to his desires. This fellow found more sweetness when he stood drinking of a lust than he did in all the paradise of God.\n\nWith all these safeguards in place, Diabolus thought himself safe. He had overtaken Mansoul, had it garrisoned with troops, removed the former officers and set up new ones. He'd also damaged the image of Shaddai and set up his own image in its place. In an effort to promote his own vain lies, he stripped the town of the old law books, put his own new judge in place, and set up new aldermen. Plus, he built new defenses and manned them. All this he did to make himself secure, in case the good Shaddai or His Son decided to intrude with hostile intentions toward him. (But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to those that are lost, In whom the god of this age has blinded the understanding of those who do not believe, that the light of the gospel of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine in them. \u2013 2 Corinthians 4:3-4)\n\nChapter 4\n\nThe King's Message of Mercy\n\nWith all this going on, you might think someone would have carried word to the good King Shaddai long before this to report about the condition of His Mansoul in the continent of Universe. Someone could have told Him Mansoul was lost and the apostate giant Diabolus, who once served as one of His Majesty's servants, had turned against the King in rebellion and taken over the town for himself. Yes, messages were carried and delivered to the King, telling Him of Mansoul's state. They reported how Diabolus first came against the simple and innocent people of Mansoul with cunning, subtlety, lies, and deceit. How he treacherously slew the just, noble, and valiant Captain Resistance as he stood upon the gate with the rest of the townsmen.\n\nThey described how the brave Lord Innocent fell dead when he heard his Lord and rightful King, Shaddai, so verbally abused by the filthy Diabolian scoundrel Ill-Pause. Some said his death was due to grief, while others suggested it was caused by the poisoned stinking breath of Ill-Pause. The messenger further reported that Ill-Pause made a short speech to the townsmen on behalf of his master, Diabolus. The simple town believed what he said as true, and they all agreed to open Ear-gate, the chief gate of the famous town of Mansoul, and let him and his crew take possession.\n\nReports included information about how Diabolus treated the Lord Mayor and Mr. Recorder, and how they were no longer in a place of power and trust. The messenger pointed out how Lord Willbewill rebelled and became a traitor with Mr. Mind, his clerk; he told how the two of them traveled all over town, carousing with loose and noisy merriment, and how they taught the wicked ones their ways. The messenger went on to explain, \"Willbewill was placed in a position of trust by Diabolus. He stationed him over the fortified places in Mansoul, and Mr. Affection, whom some call Vile-Affection, serves as his deputy in his most rebellious affairs. This monster, Lord Willbewill, has openly rejected his King Shaddai and has put his faith in and pledged his fidelity to Diabolus.\n\n\"And the new king, or should I say the rebellious tyrant over the once-famous but now-perishing town of Mansoul, has set up a Lord Mayor and a Recorder of his own.\" The messenger's face grew serious. \"For Mayor, he has set up Mr. Lustings, and for Recorder, Mr. Forget-Good. These are two of the vilest men found in all the town of Mansoul.\"\n\nThis faithful messenger went on with his report, detailing the sort of magistrates Diabolus had chosen and that he had built several strong forts, towers, and strongholds in Mansoul. He also explained how Diabolus equipped the town with weapons and armor for his own benefit to resist Shaddai their King, in case He tried to bring them back to their former obedience.\n\nNow this harbinger did not deliver his message in private, but rather in open court before the King and His Son, high lords, chief captains, and nobles. Those who heard the whole story experienced great sorrow of spirit at the thought that the famous Mansoul had been taken, for they did not understand that the King and His Son had foreseen this would take place far in advance and had sufficiently planned a way of escape for Mansoul. (Knowing that ye have been ransomed from your vain conversation ... with the precious blood of the Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without contamination, already ordained from before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for love of you. \u2013 1 Peter 1:18-20)\n\nTidings Brought of the Loss of Mansoul\n\nThose who heard the message grieved for the loss and misery of Mansoul with loud wailing and moaning. The King admitted plainly that it grieved His heart also, and His Son joined Him in that sorrow, but because of their plan, they proved their love and compassion for the famous town of Mansoul to all around them.\n\nWhen the King and His Son retired into the private chamber, they discussed further what they had planned from the beginning, namely, that Mansoul would be permitted to be lost for a time, and that it would certainly be recovered again and recovered in such a way that both the King and His Son would gain eternal fame and glory. (For God enclosed everyone in disobedience, that he might have mercy upon everyone. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments and his ways past finding out! \u2013 Romans 11:32-33)\n\nEmmanuel, the Son of Shaddai, was mild and righteous and one who always had great affection for those in affliction. His heart was set against Diabolus; Emmanuel was intended for this purpose, and He promised He would fulfill His mission to recover Mansoul. And so the Son stood firm in His purpose and wouldn't change His mind, all while the evil Diabolus sought Emmanuel's crown and dignity.\n\nTherefore, the King and His Son determined beforehand that at a certain time, Emmanuel would journey into the country of Universe and, once there, make amends for the sinful acts of Mansoul with justice and impartiality, by laying a foundation of perfect deliverance from Diabolus and from his tyranny. (For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. \u2013 John 3:16-17)\n\nEmmanuel determined to make war against the giant Diabolus at the proper time, while he was in possession of the town of Mansoul. So Emmanuel agreed that by the strength of His hand He would justly drive Diabolus out of his hold, and He would take Mansoul for Himself to be His dwelling place. (And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. \u2013 Genesis 17:7)\n\nWith all this agreed upon, an order was given to the Lord Chief Secretary to draw up a trustworthy record of all that had been determined and to make it known in all the corners of the kingdom of Universe. This is a short summary of the contents:\n\n\"Let all who are concerned about the condition of Mansoul know that the Son of Shaddai, the great King, is appointed by covenant with His Father to return Mansoul to Him again. Through the power of His matchless love, He will put Mansoul in a far better and happier condition than she was in before being taken by Diabolus.\"\n\nThese papers were published in several places, which greatly annoyed the tyrant Diabolus. He thought, Now I shall be ill-treated and my dwelling taken from me.\n\nWhen the purpose of the King and His Son was first announced at court, the high lords, chief captains, and noble princes repeated it to one another in whispers. From there it began to ring out throughout the King's palace and everyone marveled at the glorious plan the King and His Son Emmanuel designed for the miserable town of Mansoul. Those who frequented the court could do little for the King or kingdom, but they joined in making known the love the King and His Son had for the town of Mansoul. For none of these lords, high captains, and princes could keep this good news to themselves. Before the records were even perfected, they journeyed and delivered the glad tidings in Universe. (But the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you a gospel of great joy, which shall be to all the people. ... And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will in man. \u2013 Luke 2:10, 13-14)\n\nFinally, the news made it to Diabolus. You can imagine his dissatisfaction when he heard such a plan was conceived against him. But after he thought about it for a time, he concluded four things.\n\nFirst, he decided this good news should be kept from the ears of the town of Mansoul. He said, \"If Mansoul learns that Shaddai, their former King, and Emmanuel, His Son, are planning good for the town, all I can expect is that Mansoul will revolt from being under my control and the government will turn and follow Him again.\"\n\nSo Diabolus made a plan of his own. Again, he flattered Lord Willbewill, and with strict orders delegated the responsibility for him to keep watch day and night at all the gates of the town, especially Ear-gate and Eye-gate. (Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see and not perceive; for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed. \u2013 Acts 28:26-27a) \"For I hear of a plan,\" he said to Willbewill, \"a plan that makes us all traitors and requires Mansoul to be brought back into bondage to Him. I hope they are only rumors. However, to be safe, don't let any such news into Mansoul because the people will become depressed if they hear it.\n\n\"I'm sure such news is no more welcome by you than it is to me. For this reason,\" Diabolus arched one ridged brow, \"I think it best if we use our wisdom to nip such rumors in the bud, before they trouble our people. I desire you to do as I say in this matter. Set up strong guards daily at every gate of the town. Stop and examine everyone entering the gates and learn where they are coming from so you know their true purpose for coming here to trade. Unless you see clearly that they favor our excellent government, by no means admit them into Mansoul.\n\n\"I also command spies be set in place to continually walk throughout the town of Mansoul. Give them the power to suppress and destroy anyone they perceive to be plotting against us or who prattle about what Shaddai and Emmanuel intend to do.\"\n\nLord Willbewill bowed and willingly did as his lord and master commanded with all the diligence he could muster. He kept anyone he could from going out beyond the walls of Mansoul and prevented any who sought to bring Shaddai's news into the town from entering.\n\nSecondly, once this was accomplished, Diabolus secured Mansoul further by composing and imposing a new oath and horrible covenant upon the townsfolk. In it, they agreed they would never desert him or his government. They said they would not betray him or seek in any way to alter his laws. Instead, they were expected to own, confess, stand by, and acknowledge him as their rightful king, in defiance of any who might by some trick, law, or title lay claim to the town of Mansoul. For he thought that perhaps Shaddai didn't have the power to absolve them from this covenant with death and agreement with hell. And silly Mansoul didn't stop or even hesitate to agree to this most monstrous obligation. They swallowed it without even chewing, as if it were nothing more than a small fish in the mouth of a whale.\n\nIn fact, not only were they not troubled at all by this, they also even bragged and boasted about their brave loyalty to the tyrant, their pretended king, swearing they would never change from following him or forsake him as their lord for someone new. (But now ye boast in your arrogance; all such glory is evil. \u2013 James 4:16) In this way, Diabolus bound poor Mansoul tightly.\n\nThirdly, his jealousy propelled him to another great act of wickedness, which would corrupt this town of Mansoul even more. He accomplished this by the hand of Mr. Filth, who drew up an odious, nasty, lustful piece of beastliness in writing and posted it on the castle gates. In it, he granted permission to all his true and trusted sons in Mansoul to do whatever their lustful appetites prompted them to do. No man was to let anything hinder or control them, or they would incur the displeasure of their prince. He had reasons for doing this.\n\nThe town of Mansoul might be made weaker and weaker and thus more unable to believe, hope, or consent to the truth of Shaddai's news of redemption, if it should happen to reach the town. Plus, it reinforced the reasoning which says, the bigger the sinner, the less hope of mercy.\n\nIf Emmanuel, the Son of Shaddai their King, saw the horrible and irreverent deeds of the town of Mansoul, He might change His mind regarding the covenant of their redemption, for Diabolus knew Shaddai was holy and His Son Emmanuel was holy. He knew this for certain, based on his own unhappy experience; for remember, Diabolus was cast from the highest orbs as the result of his iniquity and sin. (How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst claim the Gentiles as an inheritance! \u2013 Isaiah 14:12)\n\nAs a result of his own fate, Diabolus concluded Mansoul might fare the same for sin. But fearing his bond with Mansoul could break, he thought of another way to thwart Shaddai's plan.\n\nFourthly, he decided to attempt to possess all hearts in the town of Mansoul in a very crafty way \u2013 by saying Shaddai was raising an army to come overthrow and utterly destroy this town of Mansoul. He did this to pre-empt any news they might hear of their deliverance. For, he thought, if I suggest this lie first, the news they hear later will all be swallowed up as if it is the lie. For what else will Mansoul say when they hear that they must be delivered, but that the true meaning is that Shaddai intends to destroy them?\n\nTherefore, he called the entire town into the marketplace and with a deceitful tongue addressed the town of Mansoul. \"My very good friends, you are all my legal subjects and men of the famous town of Mansoul. You know how from the first day of my arrival, until now, I have behaved myself among you. You are also aware of the freedom and great privileges you have enjoyed under my government \u2013 I hope to your good name and mine and to your satisfaction and delight. Now, my famous Mansoul, I am here to report the sound of trouble ringing from beyond your walls, and I am grieved for your sakes. For I just received a letter from Lord Lucifer, who is quite intelligent, that says your old King Shaddai is raising an army to come against you to destroy you totally. This is why I have called you together \u2013 to offer my opinion as to what I see is the best course of action at this time.\n\n\"For my part, I am just one person and could easily change where I live, if I were to seek my own interest and to leave my Mansoul in all the danger. But I could never do that! My heart is firmly united to you, and I am unwilling to leave you. In fact, I am willing to stand and fall with you, even if the greatest risk or danger were to befall me. What do you say, my Mansoul? Will you desert your old friend now or will you stand with me?\"\n\nThey cried out in one accord, \"Let him who does not stand with you die!\" (And it was given unto him to endue the image of the beast with spirit, so that the image of the beast should speak, and he shall cause those that do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. \u2013 Revelation 13:15)\n\nA smile of satisfaction tugged at the corner of Diabolus's thin lips for a brief moment. \"It is worthless for us to hope for sympathy, for this King doesn't know how to show it. True, when He first sits down to talk before us, He may talk of and pretend to show mercy, but only to put you at ease so you cause less trouble. He will only do this to make Himself the master of Mansoul again.\n\n\"Therefore, don't believe a single word of anything He says, for His words will be designed to overcome us and to make us the trophies of His merciless victory, while we wallow in our blood. In my mind, I have determined we should agree to resist Him to the last man and not to believe Him on any terms. For our danger will come through that door in the guise of merciful words, but shall we be flattered out of our lives? I hope you understand the basics of politics enough not to permit yourselves to be served so pitifully.\n\n\"Suppose He gets us to surrender or even saves some of our lives or the lives of some minions in Mansoul. What help will that be to you \u2013 you who are the most important people of the town? Especially you whom I have set up \u2013 you who have attained greatness by your faithful support to me? And suppose He should spare the life of every one of you; you can be sure He will bring you under that same bondage with which you were made a prisoner before or worse. Then what good will your lives do you?\n\nDiabolus Incites Mansoul to Arms\n\n\"Do you think you will live in pleasure with Him as you do now under me? The answer to that is no. With Him, you must be bound by laws that will oppress you with want, and you'll be made to do the very things you loathe now. I am ready to stand with you, if you are ready to stand with me, for it is better to die valiantly than to live like pitiful slaves. But, I say, the life of a slave will be counted a life too good for Mansoul now.\"\n\nDiabolus shook his head sadly. \"Blood, blood, nothing but blood is in every blast of Shaddai's trumpet against poor Mansoul. I entreat you! Be concerned! I hear He is coming! Stand up and grab your weapons now, so I can teach you some feats of war while we have time. I have armor fit for Mansoul to cover you from the top of your head to your toes. If you wear this, you cannot be hurt by what His forces do, as long as you keep it well secured and fastened about you. For this purpose, I welcome you to my castle. Come and equip yourselves for the war. There is a helmet, breastplate, sword, shield, and whatnot that will prepare you to fight like men.\n\n\"My helmet is worn in the hope of doing well for the rest of your lives. Those who have worn this reported having peace, even though they walked in the wickedness of their heart in order to add drunkenness to thirst. Whoever can keep possession of this piece of approved armor cannot be hurt by any arrow, dart, sword, or shield. For this reason, keep it on and you will thwart many a blow, my Mansoul.\n\n\"My breastplate is a breastplate of iron. I had it forged in my own country and all my soldiers there are armed with one. In plain language, it is a hard heart \u2013 a heart as hard as iron and as much past feeling as a stone. If you get it and keep it, mercy shall not win you, and judgment will not frighten you. For this reason, this is a most necessary piece of armor for all to put on who hate Shaddai and are willing to fight against Him under my banner. (And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. \u2013 Revelation 9:9)\n\n\"My sword is a tongue set on fire of hell that can bend itself to speak evil of Shaddai, His Son, His ways, and His people. Use this. It is well known that it has been tried a thousand times. Whoever possesses it keeps it, and makes use of it, as I desire him to do, and can never be conquered by my enemy. (Thy tongue devises wickedness like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou dost love evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. \u2013 Psalm 52:2-3)\n\n\"My shield is unbelief. It calls into question the truth of the Word and all the sayings, which speak of the judgment Shaddai has appointed for wicked men. Use this shield. He has made many attempts upon it. Sometimes it has been broken, but those who have written of the wars of Emmanuel against my servants have testified He could do no mighty work there because of their unbelief. (And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. \u2013 Matthew 13:58) To handle this weapon of mine correctly, you must not believe things because they are asserted to be true. If He speaks of judgment, care nothing about it. If He speaks of mercy, don't pay attention to Him, even when He promises to extend that mercy to Mansoul if she turns back to Him. If He promises no harm but only good, don't believe what is said. Instead, question the truth and wield the shield of unbelief correctly, as my servants ought. Anyone who does otherwise doesn't love me, and I count him as an enemy.\n\n\"Another piece or part of my excellent armor is a dumb and prayerless spirit \u2013 a spirit that distains the very thought of crying for mercy. Be sure you make use of this, my Mansoul. Never beg for mercy if you want to be mine. I know you are strong men, and I am confident I have clad you with proven armor. Therefore, don't even consider crying to Shaddai for mercy. Cast such thoughts far from yourself. Besides all this armor, I have useful hand weapons all ready to perform. These include a heavy wooden hammer, firebrands, arrows, and death.\"\n\nAfter he finished speaking to his men about armor and arms, he went on to say, \"Remember, I am your rightful king. You have taken an oath and entered into a covenant to be true to me and my cause. With this in mind, men of Mansoul, show yourselves strong and valiant. Don't forget the kindness I have always shown you without your asking. I have granted you things \u2013 external visible things. However, these privileges, grants, protections, profits, and honors I've bestowed on you call for returns of loyalty, my lion-like men of Mansoul, as when another seeks to take my dominion over you into His own hands.\n\n\"One word more and I am done. Can we stand together and overcome this one offense or violent blow? I don't doubt it. In a short time all the world will be ours, and when that day comes, I will make you kings, princes, and captains, and what grand days we shall have then!\" (And a valiant king shall stand up, that shall rule over a great dominion and do according to his will. \u2013 Daniel 11:3)\n\nOnce Diabolus prepared and armed his subjects and servants in Mansoul against their good and lawful King Shaddai, he doubled his guards at the gates of the town. Then he departed to his castle stronghold. To show their determination and supposed (but worthless) bravery, his subjects practiced with their weapons every day. They taught one another feats of war, defied their enemies, and sang the praises of their tyrant. They also talked about what type of men they would be if it ever came to war between Shaddai and their king.\n\nChapter 5\n\nShaddai Sends His Army\n\nNow all this time the good King, the King Shaddai, prepared to send an army to recover the town of Mansoul from under the tyranny of their false king Diabolus. He thought it best not to send them by the hand and leadership of brave Emmanuel, His Son. Instead, He placed His army in the control of some of His servants to see if He could reduce the violence and excess of Mansoul and determine whether Mansoul would be won to the obedience of their King. The army consisted of about forty thousand, all true men, for the King chose them from His own court by His own hand.\n\nThey came up to Mansoul under the command of four brave generals, each man being a captain of ten thousand men. The name of the first was Boanerges (And James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed them Boanerges, which is The sons of thunder. \u2013 Mark 3:17); the name of the second was Captain Conviction (And those who heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one. \u2013 John 8:9a); the third was Captain Judgment (And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me. \u2013 John 16:8-9), and the fourth was Captain Execution (But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil. \u2013 Romans 13:4). These were the captains Shaddai sent to regain Mansoul.\n\nThe King thought these four were qualified to be sent to Mansoul first, because He generally sent them to the front line in all His wars, and they were very brave and often able to shape the course of the war. They were trained to initiate conversations in order to get something started, as well as to make their way by the power of the sword. Plus, their men were like them.\n\nKing Shaddai gave each of these captains a banner to display because of the goodness of His cause and the right He had to Mansoul. (Thou hast given a banner to those that fear thee that they raise up for the truth. \u2013 Psalm 60:4) Ten thousand men were given to Captain Boanerges, for he was the chief, and his banner's name was Mr. Thunder. He wore black colors, and the emblem on his shield was the three burning thunderbolts.\n\nThe second captain, Captain Conviction, also had charge of ten thousand men. On his banner was the name Mr. Sorrow. He wore the pale colors and on his shield was the book of the Law, wide open with a fiery flame issuing from it.\n\nThe third captain, Captain Judgment, also had ten thousand men in his charge; on his banner was written the name Mr. Terror. He wore red colors and his shield burned like a fiery furnace.\n\nThe fourth captain was Captain Execution, and he too was given ten thousand men. The name upon his banner was Mr. Justice. He also wore red colors and on his shield was a fruitless tree with an axe lying at the root. (And now the axe is also laid unto the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. \u2013 Matthew 3:10)\n\nThe ten thousand men under the command of each of these four captains were all of good faith to the King and brave military men. Once the captains, their men, and under-officers had gathered to Shaddai and were in the field, they were called by name to come and put on armor needed for the level of service they were about to perform for their King.\n\nThe Captains of Emmanuel\n\nNow, when the King mustered His forces (for it was He who rallied the army to the battle), He gave several orders to the captains and entrusted them with their duties and issued commands in the presence of all the soldiers. He said they must listen to His commands faithfully, and courageously execute them in the same way. (Today the LORD thy God has commanded thee to comply with these statutes and rights; take care, therefore, to keep and do them with all thine heart and with all thy soul. \u2013 Deuteronomy 26:16) The essence of these orders was the same for each of the captains except for the name, title, place, and specific tasks with small variations. Here is a summary of what He sent them to accomplish:\n\nA Commission from the great Shaddai, King of Mansoul, to His trusted and noble captain, the Captain Boanerges, for his making war upon the town of Mansoul.\n\n\"Boanerges, one of My brave and thundering captains whom I have placed over ten thousand of My valiant and faithful servants, go forward in My name with this force to the miserable town of Mansoul. When you come to it, offer them conditions of peace and command them to cast off the yoke and tyranny of the wicked Diabolus and return to Me, their rightful Prince and Lord. Also, command them to cleanse themselves from all that is his in the town of Mansoul and pay attention to the satisfaction perceived from the truth of their obedience.\n\n\"So when you have commanded them, if they in truth submit to the commands, then do all within your power to set up for Me a garrison in Mansoul. Don't hurt the least of those who were born and live there, if they willingly submit themselves to Me. Instead, treat those who respond in this way as your friend or brother, for I love them and hold them dear. Tell them I will set a time to come to them and be sure to let them know I am merciful.\n\n\"But if they resist your summons and the show of your authority \u2013 if they oppose, stand up against you, and rebel \u2013 then I command you to make use of all your cunning, power, might, and force to bring them into subjection by the strength of your hand. Farewell.\"\n\nThis review of His commission offers insight into the sum of all their directives, for as I said, the substance of the commands issued for all the captains was the same.\n\nTherefore, each commander received his authority at the hand of their King. (Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases. \u2013 Luke 9:1) The day was appointed and the place of their rendezvous determined beforehand. Each commander appeared in splendor appropriate to his cause and calling. After a commissioning from Shaddai, they set out with flying colors to march towards the famous town of Mansoul. Captain Boanerges led the army; Captain Conviction and Captain Judgment made up the main body, and Captain Execution brought up the rear. The town of Mansoul was far off from the court of Shaddai, so they marched through the regions and countries of many people, not hurting or abusing any, but rather blessing the people wherever they traveled. They also lived at the King's expense for the entire journey.\n\nHaving traveled in this manner for many days, they came within sight of Mansoul. When they saw it, the captains' hearts mourned over the condition of the town, for they quickly saw how it bowed to the will of Diabolus and to his ways and plans.\n\nThe captains marched up to Ear-gate and sat down there before the town, for it was the place of hearing. (So then faith comes by hearing, and the ear to hear by the word of God. \u2013 Romans 10:17) When they had pitched their tents and entrenched themselves, they discussed their assault strategy.\n\nNow when the townsfolk first laid eyes on such a magnificent company, so splendidly dressed and equipped, and so excellently disciplined, displaying flying colors and wearing glittering armor, they couldn't help but come out of their houses and gaze upon it all. But the cunning fox Diabolus, fearing the people might open the gates to the captains after this sight, hurried from the castle and made them withdraw into the center of the town. Once he corralled them there, he made this lying, deceitful speech to them:\n\n\"Gentlemen,\" he said, \"although you are my loyal and well-beloved friends, I cannot help but scold you a little for your recent careless action. I am talking about how you went out to gaze upon that great and mighty force, which sat down before our Ear-gate just yesterday. Do you not see they have entrenched themselves in order to sustain a siege against the famous town of Mansoul? Do you know who they are or where they come from? Do you know their purpose in sitting down before the town of Mansoul?\n\n\"They are the very ones whom I warned you about long ago. They come to destroy this town. In fact, I have gone to great expense to arm you from head to toe to protect your body against them and have made great fortifications for your mind. When you first caught sight of them, why didn't you cry out, 'Sound the alarm!' If you had warned the whole town concerning them, we might have been in a position to defend against them and meet them with the highest level of defiance. If you had acted in this way, you would have proved yourselves to be men to my liking. Now, with what you have done, you make me half-afraid that when we meet with them in hand-to-hand combat, I shall find you lack courage to stand against them.\n\n\"Didn't I command you to double your guards at the gates? Haven't I endeavored to make you as hard as iron and your hearts as inflexible as a piece of a lower millstone? What did you think? That you might show yourselves to be like women, untrained for war so you could go out like a band of innocents to gaze on your mortal foes? Aargh! Get ready! Put yourselves into a state of defensive readiness. Beat the drum! Gather together in a warlike manner so our foes know there are valiant men in the town of Mansoul, before they decide to conquer this town and its citizens.\n\n\"I will stop scolding now and will not reprimand you further. But it is your duty from now on to make certain that I see no more of such actions. From this point forward, don't allow a man of you to so much as show his head over the wall of the town of Mansoul without first obtaining the order from me. You have heard me; now do as I have commanded. You and I shall dwell securely with me as your superior, and I will take care to keep you safe and to protect your honor. Farewell.\"\n\nThe townsmen were strangely altered by this speech. They acted like panicked men stricken with fear. They ran to and fro through the streets of the town of Mansoul, and as they ran, they cried out, \"Help! Help! The men who turn the world upside down have come here also!\" (But the disobedient Jews, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company and set all the city on an uproar ... crying, These that have turned the world upside down have come here also. \u2013 Acts 17:5-6)\n\nNot one of them remained quiet but rather they acted like men deprived of any sense. They cried out again saying, \"The destroyers of our peace and our people have come!\"\n\nThis message rang through the air, and when Diabolus heard it, he said, \"Ah, this I like very much. Now you behave as I would have it, for now you show your obedience to your prince. Stay just like this and then let them take the town if they can.\" (In time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the will of the prince of the power of this air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. \u2013 Ephesians 2:2)\n\nChapter 6\n\nThe King's Offer\n\nThree days before the King's forces reached Mansoul, Captain Boanerges commanded his trumpeter to go down to Ear-gate. There, in the name of the great Shaddai, he was to summon Mansoul to listen to the message he was commanded to deliver to them in his Master's name. So the trumpeter, whose name was Take-Heed-What-You-Hear, went up to Ear-gate and sounded his trumpet for a hearing, but no one appeared or responded in any way. Remember, this is how Diabolus had commanded the people of Mansoul to behave. So the trumpeter hurried back to deliver the news to his captain. The report grieved the captain, and he told the trumpeter to go to his tent.\n\nThe next day Captain Boanerges sent his trumpeter to Ear-gate a second time to sound his trumpet again for a hearing, but again the gate remained closed. No one came. In fact, they didn't even give him an answer, because they obediently observed the command of Diabolus their king.\n\nThen the captains and other field officers called a council of war to consider what more could be done to gain the town of Mansoul. After they came together and debated the specifics thoroughly regarding their commissions, they decided to send another summons to the town by the hand of the same trumpeter. But this time, if the town of Mansoul decided to refuse to hear the message, the trumpeter was to tell them the captains, their officers, and the troops would endeavor by whatever means they could to compel them by force to obey their King.\n\nSo Captain Boanerges commanded his trumpeter to go up to Ear-gate again and in the name of the great King Shaddai, to deliver a very loud summons to come down without delay to Ear-gate to give a public reception to hear what the King's most noble captains had to say. So the trumpeter went and did as he was commanded.\n\nHe stepped up to Ear-gate, sounded his trumpet, and gave a third summons to Mansoul. (Blessed is the man that hears me, keeping vigil at my gates, waiting at the threshold of my doors. \u2013 Proverbs 8:34) This time he warned them that if they still refused to give audience to the captains of his Prince, they would come down upon them with might and endeavor to bring them to repentance by force.\n\nThen Lord Willbewill (the apostate I mentioned before), who was the governor of the town and the keeper of the gates of Mansoul, stood up. He responded with considerable and disturbing words, as he demanded to know who the trumpeter was, where he came from, and asked him, \"For what reason are you making such a dreadful noise at the gate by speaking such intolerable words against the town of Mansoul?\"\n\nThe trumpeter stood straight and called out with a loud voice. \"I am a servant to the most noble Captain Boanerges, general of the forces of the great King Shaddai, against whom you and the whole town of Mansoul have rebelled and whom you continue to oppose. My master, the captain, has a special message to deliver to this town and to you, if you will peaceably hear it. If not, you must suffer the consequences.\"\n\nWillbewill said, \"I will deliver your message to my lord, and we shall see what he will say.\"\n\nBut the trumpeter quickly replied, \"Our message is not to the giant Diabolus but to the miserable town of Mansoul. We shall not regard any answer from Diabolus at all or any who speak for him. We are sent to this town to recover it from under his cruel tyranny and persuade it to submit, as it did in former times to the most excellent King Shaddai.\" (Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. \u2013 Psalm 66:3)\n\nWillbewill said, \"I will deliver your message to the town.\"\n\nThe trumpeter replied, \"Sir, do not deceive us, for if you do, you'll only be deceiving yourself much more.\" He paused and then added, \"If you don't submit in a peaceable manner, we are determined to make war with you and bring you under His hand by force. And to show what I'm saying is the truth, this shall be a sign unto you \u2013 you shall see the black flag with its hot, burning thunderbolts set upon the mountain tomorrow as a token of defiance against your prince and our resolution to bring you back to your Lord and rightful King.\"\n\nSo Lord Willbewill left the wall and the trumpeter marched back into the camp. When he arrived, the captains and officers of the mighty King Shaddai met with him to find out if he had success in obtaining a hearing, and if so, how it went. So the trumpeter made his report: \"When I sounded my trumpet and called aloud to the town for a hearing, Lord Willbewill, the governor of the town who also has charge of the gates, responded to my trumpet sound. He looked over the wall and asked what I was doing there, where I had come from, and the reason I was making so much noise. I told him the purpose of my errand and by whose authority I brought the message. He said he would deliver the message to the governor and to Mansoul, and then I returned to my lords.\"\n\nThe brave Boanerges said, \"Let us wait a little longer here in our trenches and see what these rebels decide to do.\"\n\nWhen the time drew near for the public reception of the brave Boanerges and his companions to deliver the King's message to Mansoul, all the men of war throughout the whole camp of Shaddai were commanded to stand fully armed as one. They were to be prepared, if the town of Mansoul accepted the message of mercy, and if it did not, they were to bring it under the dominion of the King with force.\n\nWhen the day arrived, the trumpeters sounded the signal through the whole camp for the men of war to make themselves ready for the work of the day. Within the town of Mansoul, the inhabitants heard the sound of the trumpets within Shaddai's camp. All they could think when they heard the sound was that it must be a signal to storm the town. At first they were horrified at the thought and didn't know what to do, but after a little time they settled down and started to make what preparations they could for war. At the very least, they took steps to keep themselves safe in the event that the troops stormed the town of Mansoul.\n\nWhen the maximum amount of time allotted had come and gone, Boanerges sent out his trumpeter again to call upon Mansoul for a public reception to hear their response to the message they had brought from Shaddai.\n\nThe trumpeter went and announced his presence with the shrill call of his trumpet. The townsmen came up, but it wasn't to give an audience to the trumpeter. Instead, they made Ear-gate as safe and permanent as they could. When they came to the top of the wall, Captain Boanerges wished to obtain an audience with the Lord Mayor, but at that time, Lord Incredulity showed up as Lord Mayor in the place of Lord Lustings.\n\nIncredulity's Speech from the Walls\n\nSo Incredulity showed himself at the top of the wall and introduced himself as the Lord Mayor. However, as soon as Captain Boanerges set his eyes upon him, he cried out, \"This is not the Lord Mayor! Where is Lord Understanding, the ancient Lord Mayor of the town of Mansoul? It is to him I will deliver my message!\"\n\nThe giant Diabolus had also come down to the gate, and he was the one to answer the captain this time. \"Mr. Captain, you have boldly given Mansoul at least four summonses to subject herself to your King, whose authority I neither recognize nor dispute at this moment. However, I do ask for what reason all this commotion has been stirred up, or do you even know yourselves why you approach?\"\n\nCaptain Boanerges, whose colors were black and whose coat of arms upon his shield was the three burning thunderbolts, paid no attention to the giant or what he said. Instead, he addressed the town of Mansoul. \"I am here to make certain you know, O wretched and rebellious Mansoul, that the most gracious King, the great King Shaddai, my Master, has sent me to you with this authority.\" He showed them his broad seal, which indicated Shaddai's sovereignty. \"I am here to bring you back to obedience to Him. He has commanded me, in case you surrender to His will upon my summons, to carry His message to you as if you were my friends or brothers. However, He also has ordered that if you refuse to submit and choose rather to rebel, then we should endeavor to take you by force.\" (And the LORD hastened upon the chastisement and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is just in all his works which he has done, for we did not listen to his voice. \u2013 Daniel 9:14)\n\nThen Captain Conviction stepped forward dressed in his pale colors. Upon his shield was the book of the Law standing wide open. He said, \"Hear, O Mansoul! You were once famous for your innocence, but now you have degenerated into telling lies and practicing deceit. You have heard what my brother Captain Boanerges has said. It would be wise to accept the conditions of peace and mercy offered, and especially when presented by One whom you have rebelled against, One powerful enough to tear you in pieces, for so is Shaddai, our King. When He is angry, nothing can stand before Him.\n\n\"Even if you say you have not sinned or acted in rebellion against our King, all of your actions since the day you cast aside His service (this was the beginning of your sin) sufficiently testify against you. (If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. \u2013 1 John 1:10)\n\n\"What else do you think it means when you listen to the tyrant and even accept him as your king? What else can it mean when you reject the Laws of Shaddai and obey Diabolus? For that matter, what else can it mean when you shut your gates and take up arms against us, the faithful servants of your King? (And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by the hand of his messengers, rising up early, and sending because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, and there was no remedy. \u2013 2 Chronicles 36:15-16)\n\n\"Be governed by the King then and accept my brother's invitation. Don't think the price too high. Accept His mercy and agree with your adversary quickly. Ah, Mansoul! Don't forbid or hinder yourself from accepting His mercy, for if you do, you will run into a thousand miseries by the flattering tricks of Diabolus. Perhaps he has even deceived you into thinking we seek our own reward in what we do here today. Let me tell you clearly, that is not the case. We are here in obedience to our King and His love for you. We desire your happiness. That is the reason for this undertaking.\n\n\"Again I say to you, Mansoul, think about it. Is it anything but amazing grace that Shaddai should humble Himself in this way now? That through us He attempts to earnestly petition and reason with you by agreeable persuasions, so you will subject yourselves to Him? Does He need anything from you? No. But we are sure you have need of Him. He is merciful, and it is His will that Mansoul turn to Him to live and not die.\" (The Lord is not late concerning his promise, as some count lateness, but is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. \u2013 2 Peter 3:9)\n\nCaptain Judgment stepped forth dressed in red. The symbol on his shield was the burning fiery furnace. He said, \"Inhabitants of the town of Mansoul, you who have lived so long in rebellion and committed acts of treason against King Shaddai. Know that we came here today, in this manner, not to carry our own message or to inflict pain or injury because of our own quarrel with you. It is the King, my Master, who has sent us to bring you back to obedience to Him. If you refuse to surrender in a peaceable way, we have authority to use force to urge you to do so.\n\n\"And never think to yourselves or allow the tyrant Diabolus to persuade you to think our King is not able, for by His power He is able to bring you down to lay you beneath His feet. For He is so powerful that if He even touches the mountains, they smoke. (Let the glory of the LORD endure for ever; let the LORD rejoice in his works. He looks on the earth, and it trembles: he touches the mountains, and they smoke. \u2013 Psalm 104:31-32)\n\n\"Know this too, that the King's disposition to forgive or spare will not always remain before you like an open gate, for the day is before Him that burns like an oven. It comes quickly and does not slumber. (Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. \u2013 Isaiah 55:6-7)\n\n\"O Mansoul, is it trivial in your eyes that our King offers you mercy, even after so many provocations? He still holds out His golden scepter of grace to you and will not allow His gate to be shut against you yet. (For he saith, I have heard thee in an acceptable time, and in the day of saving health I have succoured thee; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of saving health. \u2013 2 Corinthians 6:2) Will you then provoke Him to do it? If so, consider what I'm telling you now; the way will not be opened to you forever.\n\n\"Even if you say you will not see or stand before Him, judgment is still His. Therefore, trust in Him, for I tell you plainly, wrath is to come. (But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to everyone according to his deeds. \u2013 Romans 2:5-6) Be aware of this and fear, for He may take you away with one blow, and once this happens, even a great ransom cannot deliver you.\n\n\"Will He judge the merit of your riches? No, not when it comes to things like gold or forces of strength. He has prepared His throne for judgment, for He will come with fire and with His chariots like a whirlwind to render His anger with fury and His rebukes with flames of fire. (For, behold, the LORD will come with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. \u2013 Isaiah 66:15) For this reason, Mansoul, pay attention to our message. After you have fulfilled the judgment of the wicked, justice and judgment will take hold of you.\"\n\nNow while Captain Judgment delivered his speech to the town of Mansoul, some noticed Diabolus trembling at the captain's words while he continued building his case. \"O you woeful town, Mansoul, do you still refuse to open your gate to receive us? We are the deputies of your King and would rejoice to see you live. Can your heart continue on in this condition without perishing? Or can you remain strong on the day He pronounces your judgment? I ask \u2013 can you bear to be forced to drink from the sea of wrath that our King has prepared for Diabolus and his angels? Think about this briefly and decide what you must do.\"\n\nThen the fourth captain, the noble Captain Execution, stepped forward. \"Town of Mansoul, you were once famous but now are like a fruitless branch. You were once delightful and praised for excellence, but now you are nothing but a den for Diabolus. Listen and pay attention to the words I speak in the name of the great Shaddai. Be aware that the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. (And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree therefore which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. \u2013 Luke 3:9) O town of Mansoul, until this time, you have been this fruitless tree. You bear nothing but thorns and briars. Your evil fruit shows you are not a good tree; your grape clusters are extremely bitter. You have rebelled against your King, and look!\" Captain Execution made a wide, sweeping gesture toward the troops standing with him. \"The power and force of Shaddai stands before you. We are the axe laid to your root. What do you say? Will you change sides?\"\n\nNo one answered. After a pause, the captain said, \"I ask one more time. Tell me before the first blow is struck: Will you turn to follow your King? Our axe must first be laid to your root as a clear threat \u2013 one you should not disregard. If you do, it will be laid at your root, and judgment will be carried out. Between the positioning of the axe and judgment, your repentance is required.\" (But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed and keep all my statutes and live according to judgment and righteousness, he shall surely live, he shall not die. \u2013 Ezekiel 18:21)\n\n\"Your time is up. What will you do? Will you turn or shall I strike? If I bring my blow against you, Mansoul, down you'll go, for I have authority to lay my axe at and to your roots. Nothing but surrendering to our King will prevent the execution of His plan. If mercy does not prevent it, you are only fit to be hewn down and cast into the fire and burned.\n\n\"Be aware that the King's patience and restraint won't prevent the consequences of your actions forever. In His loving-kindness He may delay a year, or two, or three, but if you provoke Him by rebelling for three years, and you've already done this and more, then what can you expect but the order to 'Cut it down'? And after that, you shall be cut down. (Then he said unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none; cut it down; why does it cumber the ground? \u2013 Luke 13:7)\n\n\"Do you think what I'm telling you is nothing more than idle threats? Or that our King isn't powerful enough to bring what He has said to pass? Mansoul, you will find that when sinners make light of the words of our King, they soon learn the threats are real. His words are filled not only with impending wrath but also with burning coals of fire.\n\n\"You have been totally worthless for a long while already. Do you plan to continue to live this way? It is because of your sin that this army stands at your walls. We remain here ready to bring judgment and, with it, punishment to your town. Is this what you really want? You have heard what the captains have said, but still your gates are shut to us. Speak out, Mansoul, and give us your answer. Will you accept conditions of peace or do you plan to continue on in your sin?\"\n\nMansoul refused to hear these bold speeches from the four noble captains, and even though the sound of the words beat against Ear-gate, the force wasn't enough to break it open. (We are of God; he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God does not hear us. \u2013 1 John 4:6) The town said, \"We desire time to prepare our answer to the demands laid down by the captains.\"\n\nThe captains, in turn, agreed to more time, but only if Mansoul was willing to turn over to them Ill-Pause, so they could repay him according to his works. If Mansoul refused to cast him out over the wall, however, the captains would not consider allotting more time. They said, \"We know that as long as Ill-Pause draws breath in Mansoul, all good, serious deliberation will be put to shame and silenced, and nothing but harm will result.\"\n\nNow remember, while all this was going on, Diabolus was present. Being unwilling to lose Ill-Pause because he was his orator, Diabolus decided rashly to answer them on his own at that very instant. However, before he opened his mouth, he changed his mind and commanded the current Mayor, the Lord Incredulity, to do it. He said, \"Give these vagabonds an answer and be sure to speak out loud enough that Mansoul can hear and understand you.\"\n\nSo at Diabolus's command, Incredulity spoke to the townsfolk of Mansoul and said, \"Gentlemen, you can see what we have here are interlopers trying to take from our prince the lawful and peaceable enjoyment of his right as our prince.\"\n\nThen he turned his attention to the captains and armies and said, \"You are disturbing the town of Mansoul. You have camped against it, but we don't know where you've come from, and we will never know where you come from or what you are. We will not believe! You come here delivering terrible threats in your speeches and claim you have authority from Shaddai to do so. (I say unto you, He that hears my word and believes him that sent me has eternal life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death unto life. \u2013 John 5:24) But what right does He have to command you to do it? That is what we don't understand.\n\n\"By this same authority, you have also called this town to desert her lord and, for protection, to surrender to the great Shaddai your King. In the same breath, you tell her if she will do it, He will not charge her with her past sins. Further, you have terrorized the town of Mansoul and threatened her with great and violent destruction as punishment if she doesn't consent to do as you command.\n\n\"Now, captains, from wherever it is you come, and even if your plans and purpose are right, know this \u2013 neither my Lord Diabolus, nor I, his servant, Incredulity, nor our brave Mansoul have any regard for either you, your message, or the King you say sent you. We do not fear His power, His greatness, or His vengeance. Nor will we surrender at all to your commands.\n\n\"As for the war you threaten to make against us, when that happens, we will defend ourselves as well as we can. So know we are not without the ability to attempt to defy you. And I won't drag this out, so let me make it clear. We think you are nothing more than some vagabond rebel troop, which has shaken off obedience to your King. Now you have gathered in a riotous manner and are roving from place to place to see if you can convince some silly town, city, or country to desert their place and leave it to you, based on the flatteries you are so skilled at making on the one hand. Then on the other hand, you deliver threats in the hope of frightening us. I tell you now, Mansoul is not one of them.\n\n\"I conclude with this. We do not dread you. We do not fear you, nor will we obey your missive. Our gates will remain closed to you, for we intend to keep you out. (The wise man fears and departs from evil, but the fool rages and is confident. \u2013 Proverbs 14:16) Nor will we put up with you sitting before our gate for long, for our people must live in quiet. Your very appearance prevents that because the sight of you disturbs them. Therefore arise, gather your belongings, and be gone, or we will unleash an attack against you from the walls.\"\n\nThis proclamation made by old Incredulity was seconded by desperate Willbewill. \"Gentlemen,\" he said, \"we have heard your demands and the clamor of your threats. We've heard your summons, but we do not fear your force, nor do we regard your threats. We have no intention to change and will continue to live in the same manner in which you found us.\" (I have seen this people, and for certain it is a stiffnecked people. \u2013 Exodus 32:9) He raised his voice a bit more forcefully. \"Now we command you to leave these parts within three days' time, or you shall learn firsthand what it means to rouse the lion Diabolus when asleep in his town of Mansoul.\"\n\nThe Recorder, whose name was Forget-Good, also added his outlook. He said, \"As you can see, my lords have answered your rough and angry speeches with mild and gentle words. In my own hearing, they have asked you to depart quietly and to return to wherever it is you came from. Understand that we could come out against you with force and strike a blow with our swords, but we love to live free of any unrest or annoyance and so desire to love and not to hurt or trouble others. Therefore, accept their kind offering and be gone.\"\n\nIn response to this, the town of Mansoul rang the bells, celebrated, danced upon the walls, and shouted for joy as if Diabolus and his crew had gotten the upper hand over the captains.\n\nSatisfied with this response, Diabolus returned to the castle, and the Mayor and Recorder also went home. However, Willbewill stayed and took special care to be sure the gates were secured. He doubled the guards, put in place twice as many bolts, and doubled the locks and bars. He especially paid attention to securing the Ear-gate because the King's forces sought most to enter that gate.\n\nWillbewill promoted old Mr. Prejudice, an angry, ill-tempered fellow, to captain the area at that gate. Then he placed sixty deaf men under his authority, for they were strategically beneficial for that particular service, because anything the captains or soldiers had to say would not matter, because they could not hear it. (Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again unto the LORD, and they testified against them, but they would not give ear. \u2013 2 Chronicles 24:19)\n\nChapter 7\n\nWinter in Mansoul\n\nNow when the captains heard the answer of those over Mansoul and saw they couldn't get a hearing from the old natives of the town, it was clear Mansoul was determined to battle the King's army. They prepared to pursue them in battle and win them by the power and influence of the army.\n\nFirst, they fortified their troops against Ear-gate, because they knew that unless they could penetrate that gate, no good could be done for the town. After they finished positioning troops at Ear-gate, they put the rest of their men in strategic places. Then they passed this message on with a shout, \"You must be born again!\" (Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a person be born again from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. \u2013 John 3:3) They followed this with the sounding of the trumpet. Those in the town answered them with shout for shout, order against order, and so the battle began. (And when ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets. \u2013 Numbers 10:9a)\n\nNow those in the town had installed two great guns upon the tower over Ear-gate. The one gun was called High-Mind and the other Heady. They put much trust in these two weapons, which were cast in the castle by Diabolus's founder, Puff-Up. He was one skilled in casting metals in various forms; he crafted these guns to do much harm, with which the townsfolk meant to annoy the camp of Shaddai and secure the gate. However, the captains' vigilant and watchful eyes spotted the guns straightaway, and they were prepared. As a result, the shots whizzed by their ears without doing them harm. The townsmen also had other small fragments which they made use of against the camp of Shaddai, but other than that, they didn't accomplish much to boast about.\n\nThe King's captains had brought with them several slings used to throw stones and two or three battering rams. With these instruments of war, those from the camp returned fire upon the town and targeted Ear-gate. They performed their duty with such strength of purpose that, in truth, it could only be described as valor. They battered the houses and people of the town, and with their rams they sought to break Ear-gate open, for they knew that unless they broke open Ear-gate, battering the wall would be futile.\n\nThe First Attack on Ear Gate\n\nThe camp and the town had several skirmishes and brisk encounters. The captains made numerous brave attempts to break open or beat down the tower over Ear-gate with their instruments of war. But Mansoul stood her ground, as they drew energy from the rage of Diabolus, the bravery of Willbewill, and the actions of old Incredulity. Plus, the Mayor and Mr. Forget-Good, the Recorder, encouraged them by saying Mansoul had \"regained the advantage\" and that the \"King's side seems to be losing this summer's wars.\"\n\nWhen the captains saw how it was going, they made a clean retreat and entrenched themselves in their winter quarters. While you might think there was much loss on both sides of the battle in this war, this is what happened.\n\nThe King's captains, when they marched from the court to come up against Mansoul, had crossed through the country. On the way, they happened upon three young fellows who desired to become soldiers. They were polite men, who looked to be men of courage and skill. Their names were Tradition (Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. \u2013 Mark 7:9), Human-Wisdom (There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. \u2013 Proverbs 16:25), and Man's-Invention (And now they sin more and more, and of their silver they have made molten images according to their own intelligence, idols, all of it the work of the craftsmen. \u2013 Hosea 13:2a). These three approached the captains and offered their services to Shaddai. The captains explained their plans and suggested the young men not be too hasty with their offers.\n\nBut the three said, \"We have considered our decision for some time, for we have heard about your plans. We purposely came to meet you with the hope that we might be enlisted under your charge.\"\n\nCaptain Boanerges studied them, as he considered their offer, and because they seemed to be men of courage, he enlisted them into his company, and away they went to the war. Now, when the war began, during one of the briskest skirmishes, a company of the Lord Willbewill's men rushed out from a back gate and attacked Captain Boanerges's men from the rear. These three fellows happened to be at the back of the ranks; during this heated skirmish, they were taken as prisoners and carried away into the town.\n\nThey hadn't been there long when talk of their capture spread through the streets with people saying, \"Lord Willbewill's men have taken three notable prisoners out of the camp of Shaddai.\" This news about the prisoners finally reached the ears of Diabolus in his castle, and Diabolus called for Willbewill to learn the details of this matter.\n\nWillbewill gave his account of the battle and the capture of the three men, and when he'd finished, the giant sent for the prisoners. When they appeared before him, Diabolus demanded, \"Who are you? Where did you come from? And what did you do in the camp of Shaddai?\"\n\nThe three prisoners didn't hesitate to answer. When they finished, he sent them back to prison under guard. Not many days later, he sent for them again. This time he asked if they would be willing to serve him against their former captains. The three looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded. This offer seemed agreeable to them. They said, \"We don't so much live by religion as by the fates of fortune. Since his lordship is willing to treat us with hospitality, we are willing to serve him.\" (And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after greed, receiving bribes and perverting that which is right. \u2013 1 Samuel 8:3)\n\nDiabolus then sent these men to one Captain Anything with a note to receive them into his company. This captain, known for performing whatever needed to be done in the town of Mansoul, read the note, which said:\n\nMy Dearest Anything,\n\nThe three men carrying this letter desire to serve me in the war. I know no better command to entrust them to than yours. Receive them in my name and make use of them against Shaddai and His men as needed.\n\nFarewell\n\nSo Anything received the young men and made two of them sergeants. However, the third, Man's-Invention, he made his flag bearer.\n\nWhile all this was going on, the camp of Shaddai continued their assault upon the town of Mansoul. They beat down the roof of the Lord Mayor's house, and with a sling they almost slew Willbewill, but he made a turn for the better and recovered. However, not everyone was so fortunate, for the captains had made a notable slaughter among the aldermen. With just one shot they cut off six of them, including Mr. Swearing, Mr. Whoring, Mr. Fury, Mr. Stand-to-Lies, Mr. Drunkenness, and Mr. Cheating. They also took out the two guns upon the tower over Ear-gate and laid them flat in the dirt.\n\nAs I mentioned earlier, the King's noble captains had pulled back to their winter quarters. They entrenched themselves with all their supplies and situated their troops to bring the best advantage to their King. The greatest annoyance to the enemy, while they were embedded in this way, was the captains' passionate outcries to the town of Mansoul about the impending wrath to come and the mercy offered by the King. (The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion, but his favour is as dew upon the grass. \u2013 Proverbs 19:12) This plan hit the mark, as they did all they could to trouble the town.\n\nMansoul could no longer sleep without fear, and they were unable to enjoy excess pleasures of the table like gluttony and overindulgence. The war also prevented them from participating in habitual lewdness and the excessive pleasures of lust, as they had in the past.\n\nThe fervent messages from the camp of Shaddai came frequently with terrifying warnings upon warnings. First they were heard at one gate and then delivered at another and then again at all the gates at once. With such frequent threats of things to come when the nights were at their longest and the weather the coldest, the townsfolk no longer enjoyed peace as they once did. Consequently, that winter was most unseasonable for the town of Mansoul.\n\nSometimes the trumpets sounded, and from time to time, the slings whirled stones into the town. At times, ten thousand of the King's soldiers ran round the walls of Mansoul at midnight, shouting a battle cry. Occasionally, some in the town were wounded, and their mournful cries multiplied, to the great annoyance of the now-languishing town of Mansoul. Yes, those in Mansoul were very distressed with those who laid siege against them. I dare say even Diabolus, their king, lost much sleep.\n\nIn these days, new opinions began to run counter one to another in the minds of the men of the town of Mansoul. Some would say, \"There's no living like this.\"\n\nOthers would reply, \"This will be over shortly.\"\n\nThen a third would pipe up and say, \"Let us turn to King Shaddai and put an end to these troubles.\"\n\nBut a fourth came in with fear and said, \"I doubt He will receive us.\"\n\nThe old gentleman, Mr. Conscience, who served as the Recorder before Diabolus took Mansoul, also began to talk aloud. His words were like great claps of thunder to the town of Mansoul. No other outcry heard in the town was as dreadful as his, especially when combined with the noise of the soldiers and the shouting of the captains. (To whom shall I speak, and give warning that they may hear? behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken, behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. \u2013 Jeremiah 6:10)\n\nWithin the town, things began to grow scarce. The things her soul lusted after were vanishing and pleasant things were being damaged and burned. Instead of beauty, wrinkles with signs of the shadow of death etched the faces of the inhabitants of Mansoul. How Mansoul longed to enjoy quietness and satisfaction of mind once again while joined with the most contemptible condition in the world!\n\nDuring the deep winter, the captains sent a message by the mouth of Boanerges's trumpeter. It was a missive to Mansoul to surrender to the great King Shaddai. They not only sent him once, but three times in hopes there might be some willingness to submit in Mansoul \u2013 that they might see things differently in response to the invitation. (And the LORD has sent unto you all his slaves the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. \u2013 Jeremiah 25:4)\n\nAs far as I could gather, the town would have surrendered before this time if it hadn't been for the resistance of old Incredulity and the fickle thoughts of Willbewill. Diabolus also began to talk in a manner contrary to reason, and therefore Mansoul didn't come together in agreement regarding surrender. They remained distressed under a host of perplexing fears.\n\nAs I told you, over the winter, the King's army sent three times to Mansoul to submit herself to Shaddai. The first time the trumpeter went, he carried words of peace, telling them the noble captains of Shaddai felt pity for the perishing town. He expressed deep sorrow at Mansoul's misery and was troubled to see them so strongly resist their own deliverance. The trumpeter told them, \"The captains told me to tell you that if poor Mansoul will humble herself and turn to Shaddai, her former rebellions and most notorious treasons will be forgiven and forgotten by your merciful King.\" (If my people, upon whom my name is invoked, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from the heavens and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. \u2013 2 Chronicles 7:14)\n\nHe went on to tell them not to act against their own best interest but to guard against standing in their own way, for it would only make them losers. Once the message was delivered, he returned to the camp.\n\nThe second time the trumpeter went to Mansoul, he treated them a little more harshly. After he sounded the trumpet, he told them their continuing rebellion provoked and inflamed the spirit of the captains who were committed to victoriously acquiring Mansoul or to give their lives in the effort. (Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD, that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. \u2013 Jeremiah 25:7)\n\nWhen he went the third time, he dealt with them even more directly, telling them that because they had been so entirely irreverent and impure, he didn't know whether the captains would be inclined to show mercy or judgment. \"They only commanded me to give you an order to open the gates to them.\" With his message delivered, he returned to the camp once again.\n\nThe Third Summons\n\nThese three summonses, especially the last two, distressed the town so much that they decided to gather to deliberate and share their opinions as to what to do. The result was this: Lord Willbewill would go up to Ear-gate and sound the trumpet to call the captains of the camp to come and engage in a mutual conversation.\n\nSo Willbewill sounded the trumpet from the wall, and the captains arrived, dressed in their armor with their ten thousands. Everything appeared favorable. The townsmen told the captains, \"We have heard and considered your summons and are willing to come to an agreement with you and your King Shaddai. However, we will only do so based on certain terms, articles, and propositions. By the order of our prince, we have been appointed to offer the following terms for consideration. We will agree to be one people with you upon these grounds:\n\n\"First, that Lord Mayor, Mr. Forget-Good, and the brave Willbewill might be the governors of the town, castle, and gates of Mansoul under Shaddai.\n\n\"Second, that no men who now serve under our great giant Diabolus will be thrown out of their homes or shelters by Shaddai, and that they be allowed to enjoy the freedom they have experienced until now in the famous town of Mansoul.\n\n\"Third, that the town of Mansoul will enjoy the same rights and privileges we've had formerly under the reign of King Diabolus, who is now and long has been our only lord and great defender.\n\n\"Fourth, that no new law, officer, or executioner of law or office will have any power over us, unless by our choice and with our consent.\n\n\"These are our propositions \u2013 our conditions of peace. Upon these terms, we will submit to your King.\" Willbewill finished with his head held high.\n\nWhen the captains heard this weak and feeble offer of the town of Mansoul with their abstruse and bold demands, once again the noble Captain Boanerges addressed them. \"O inhabitants of the town of Mansoul, when I heard your trumpet signaling us to come and discuss terms, I can truly say I was glad. And when you said you were willing to submit yourselves to our King and Lord, it pleased my heart even more. However, by your silly conditions and foolish, frivolous objections, you have laid the stumbling block of your iniquity before your own faces. (Son of man, these men have caused their uncleanness to come up over their heart and have established the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? \u2013 Ezekiel 14:3) My gladness turned to sorrow, and my rising hope of your return faded into a dreaded expectation of evil.\n\n\"I think old Ill-Pause, the ancient enemy of Mansoul, is the one who drew up such proposals, as you now present to us as terms of an agreement, but they don't deserve to be heard by any man who claims to serve Shaddai. Therefore, we jointly and with the highest disdain, refuse and reject such things as the greatest of iniquities. (For he flatters himself in his own eyes until his iniquity is found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he has left off to be wise and to do good. \u2013 Psalm 36:2-3)\n\n\"But, Mansoul, if you give yourselves into our hands, or rather into the hands of our King and trust Him and agree to His terms, I dare say you will find them to be most profitable for you. For when you come on His terms, we will receive you and be at peace with you. However, if you do not place yourselves in the arms of Shaddai our King and rely on Him, then nothing has changed. Things are as they were before, and as a result, we know what we must do.\"\n\nOld Incredulity, the Lord Mayor, grew red in the face and cried out to Mansoul, \"And who, being free of their enemies, as we are now, would be so foolish as to relinquish the staff of authority out of their own hands into the hands of they know not whom? I, for my part, will never surrender to such unlimited terms. After all, we don't know how their King executes law or justice, nor do we know the nature of His mind, particularly with regard to cravings and affections.\n\n\"It is said by some that He will be angry with His subjects if, by chance, they step away from His ways or plan for how to live regarding one's behavior in even the smallest way. Others say He requires much more from them than they can do. Therefore, it seems, Mansoul, it is wise for you to regard with care what you do in this matter, because once you surrender, you give up yourselves to another, and you are no longer your own. And to give yourselves up to an unlimited power goes against all reason. Think about it. You may indeed repent now, but once you do, you can never utter expressions of criticism or resentment. There can be no complaining or finding fault. Do you know that once you are His, which of you He will kill or which He will let live? You don't even know whether He might strike every one of us dead and send for new people to come and repopulate in order to establish His own country and have them come live in this town.\"\n\nThis speech of the Lord Mayor brought the people low and dashed their hopes of an agreement. Because of this, the captains returned to their trenches, to their tents, and to their men, and the Mayor went back to the castle and to his king.\n\nNow Diabolus had waited for his return, because he had heard that each side had reiterated their points. So when the Lord Mayor walked into the chamber of state, Diabolus greeted him. \"Welcome, my lord. How did matters go between you and them today?\"\n\nLord Incredulity presented himself to his king with a low, ceremonious bow and gave him an account of the whole matter, saying this is what the captains of Shaddai said, and this is what he said.\n\nUpon hearing what had transpired, Diabolus became very pleased. He commended Incredulity by saying, \"Lord Mayor, my faithful Incredulity, you have made your loyalty evident more than ten times already, and I have never found you untrue. I promise you, if we collide with Shaddai's army over this contention, I will place you in a position far better than Lord Mayor of Mansoul. I will make you my universal deputy, and next to me, you will have all nations under your supervision. You shall restrain them with chains so they cannot resist you. None of our subjects shall walk at liberty any longer, except for those who are content to walk in your shackles.\"\n\nNow the Lord Mayor left Diabolus's chamber with a smile on his face, for he had obtained the king's high regard. He returned to his house feeling dignified and exalted, and anticipated the time when his greatness would be expanded. (Pride comes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. \u2013 Proverbs 16:18)\n\nNow it turned out that even though the Lord Mayor and Diabolus agreed on this plan, this rejection of the brave captains put Mansoul into an uprising. So while old Incredulity went into the castle to congratulate his lord regarding all that took place, something else they were quite unaware of was happening.\n\nChapter 8\n\nDiabolus Offers Compromise\n\nNews of all that occurred at Ear-gate had reached the ears of Lord Understanding, the old mayor who held that position before Diabolus came to the town, and the old Recorder, Mr. Conscience. They were not permitted to attend that debate, because Diabolus feared they would refuse to obey his orders in favor of the captains. But even though they were not there, they received word about all that was said and done. Understanding and Conscience were concerned about what had transpired. They gathered some of the town, helped them see the reasonableness of the noble captains' demands, and helped them grasp the bad consequences that would result from the speech old Incredulity had delivered. They pointed out how little reverence he showed to either the captains or their King in what he said and how he indirectly charged them with unfaithfulness and treachery.\n\n\"What else could they think He meant when He said He would not concede to their proposition?\" the two reasoned. \"Likewise, he concluded King Shaddai would destroy us when, in fact, He sent word He would show us mercy!\" (He shall have mercy on the poor and destitute and shall save the souls of the poor in spirit. \u2013 Psalm 72:13)\n\nThe multitude listened to the evidence presented by Understanding and Conscience and were convinced that what old Incredulity had done was evil. They began to meet in groups on every street corner and throughout Mansoul. First, they talked quietly among themselves, but then started to talk openly. Finally, they went back and forth throughout the town crying out, \"Oh, the brave captains of Shaddai! We wish we were under the authority of the captains and of Shaddai their King!\"\n\nWhen Lord Mayor Incredulity received news that Mansoul was in an uproar, he hurried down to calm the people. He thought he could pacify their enthusiasm by his importance and the look on his face, but when they saw him, they were not impressed by any such thing. They approached to attack him, and without a doubt they would have done him harm if he hadn't hurried to his house. The people followed him there and battered the house, trying to pull it down around him. However, their efforts failed because the house was solid and strong. So Incredulity took courage and spoke to the people from one of the windows. \"Gentlemen,\" he said, \"what is the reason for this violent uproar today?\"\n\nOld Incredulity Assailed by Understanding\n\nLord Understanding answered, \"It is because you and your master have not led according to truth and fact, as you should in regard to the captains of Shaddai. (No one calls for righteousness, nor do any judge by the truth; they trust in vanity, and speak vanities; they conceive trouble and bring forth iniquity. \u2013 Isaiah 59:4) You are guilty of three things.\n\n\"First, you did not allow Mr. Conscience or me to attend the hearing of your speech. Secondly, you offered terms of peace to the captains that by no means could be granted, unless they intended Shaddai should be a prince in title only, and that Mansoul should live on in the unlawful indulgence of lust, lewdness, and adultery, and in the empty pursuit of things to satisfy their desires. (The way of peace they did not know; nor is there anything straight about their ways; they have willfully made themselves crooked paths; whosoever goes therein shall not know peace. \u2013 Isaiah 59:8) It is easy to see that would result in Diabolus still being in power here while Shaddai would only be king in name. Thirdly, after the captains revealed the conditions by which they would mercifully receive us, you ruined it with your disgusting and ungodly speech which was not suited to the time or occasion.\"\n\nWhen old Incredulity heard this response, he cried out, \"Treason! Treason! To arms! To arms! O you who are trusted friends of Diabolus in Mansoul!\"\n\nUnderstanding said, \"Sir, you can try to twist my words to mean what you please, but I am sure the captains of such a high lord as theirs deserves better treatment than what you are giving.\"\n\nOld Incredulity frowned. \"That's a little better, sir.\" He held his chin a little higher and said, \"What I said, I said for my prince, for his government, and to quiet the people, whom you have caused to rebel against us by your unlawful actions.\"\n\nThe old Recorder, Mr. Conscience, said, \"Sir, you must not answer Lord Understanding in such a way. It is evident enough that he speaks the truth and you are an enemy to Mansoul. Be assured that your rude, disrespectful language is evil, and you have caused the captains grief. You have caused Mansoul harm because, if you had accepted the conditions they offered, the warning of the trumpet and the terror of war would have already ceased around Mansoul. But that dreadful sound continues because of the lack of wisdom in your speech.\" (My people were cut off because they lacked wisdom; because thou hast rejected wisdom, I will cast thee out of the priesthood. \u2013 Hosea 4:6a)\n\nOld Incredulity answered with a snarl. \"Sir, if I live through this, I will deliver your message to Diabolus, and then you shall have an answer. Until then, we will seek the good of the town and will not be asking advice from you.\" He jabbed his finger at the Lord Mayor.\n\nUnderstanding was not thwarted by Incredulity's response. He said, \"Sir, your prince and you are foreigners to Mansoul. By your actions you have brought us into greater difficulties. Be aware the only way you can be safe is to flee. Leave us and manage the best you can on your own or set us on fire and disappear in the smoke or leave by the light of our burning. Either way, just leave us in our ruins.\"\n\nUnderstanding's words soured the expression of Incredulity's face further. \"Sir, you forget you are under a governor. Me!\" He slapped his palm against his chest. \"You ought to behave like a subject. You can be sure when my lord the king hears about what you've done here today, he will be displeased.\"\n\nNow while these gentlemen engaged in scolding reprimands, Lord Willbewill, Mr. Prejudice, old Ill-Pause, and several of the newly appointed magistrates came down from the town's walls and gates. They asked, \"What is the reason for all this chaos and great uproar?\"\n\nEveryone began to answer at once. In the riotous confusion, nothing could be heard distinctly. After they ordered silence, sly old Incredulity spoke first. He said, \"My lord, here are a couple of irritable, cranky gentlemen, who by their bad dispositions and complaining, and I fear through the advice of one Mr. Discontent, have gathered this crowd against me. They have attempted to drive the town into acts of rebellion against our prince.\"\n\nAll the Diabolians who were present stood up and confirmed these things to be true.\n\nWhen it became apparent to those who supported Lord Understanding and Mr. Conscience that things were turning for the worse, they stepped forward to help them. The crowd split with a multitude gathered on each side.\n\nThose on Incredulity's side shouted for the two old gentlemen to be taken away to prison, while those who supported them bellowed that they should not. The two sides proclaimed loudly whom they favored. The Diabolians shouted out support for old Incredulity, Forget-Good, the new magistrates, and the great one Diabolus. The other side yelled, \"We support Shaddai, His Laws, the captains and their mercifulness, and commend their conditions and ways!\"\n\nThis bickering went on for a while until their heated words turned to blows with fists flying on both sides. Good old Mr. Conscience was knocked down twice by one of the Diabolians, whose name was Benumbing. And Lord Understanding had a close call with a handgun, but thankfully, the one who shot it was a poor aim.\n\nThe other side didn't escape unscathed, for Mr. Rashhead, a Diabolian, had his brains beaten out by Mr. Mind, Lord Willbewill's servant. And I laughed to see old Mr. Prejudice kicked and tumbled about in the dirt, because he had done nothing but hurt and damage to the town since he'd been made captain of a company of Diabolians. As they tumbled about, he fell beneath their feet, and some of Lord Understanding's party cracked the top of his head.\n\nMr. Anything proved lively in the noisy conflict, but both sides were against him because he never remained true to either side. For his bold friendship with both sides, he had one of his legs broken, and the one who did it wished it had been his neck.\n\nThe skirmish went on and more harm befell both sides. It was a wonder to see Lord Willbewill act so indifferently. He didn't seem to favor one side more than another, though one could see a smile play across his lips when old Prejudice took a tumble in the dirt. And when Captain Anything came limping up before him, he took little notice of him.\n\nThe uproar finally died down, and Diabolus sent for Lord Understanding and Mr. Conscience. He treated them harshly and threw them in prison, charging them as the ringleaders of this violent, unlawful riot in Mansoul. (And that which is right has departed, and righteousness withdrew afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity could not enter. And the truth was taken captive; and he that departed from evil was imprisoned. \u2013 Isaiah 59:14-15a) With these two men out of the way, Diabolus hoped the town would settle down again, but this situation did not serve that purpose, for war was in all the gates.\n\nUnderstanding and Conscience Sent to Prison\n\nLet us return to the captains in our story. When they retreated from the gate and arrived back at the camp, they called a council of war to discuss what more they could do. Some said, \"Don't waste time. Let's rush upon the town.\" The majority of them, however, thought it better to go to the town again and ask them to surrender, because it appeared Mansoul was leaning more in that direction than before. They reasoned, \"If we offend them by acting rashly in a fit of temper, we may push even those who are inclined to follow us from agreeing with our call to follow the King.\"\n\nThey all agreed with this advice and called a trumpeter. They gave him the message to deliver, bid him Godspeed, and sent him on his way. Not many hours later, the trumpeter neared the wall of the town and headed to Ear-gate where he sounded his trumpet as he was commanded.\n\nThose within Mansoul came out to see what was the matter, and the trumpeter delivered his speech. \"O hard-hearted and wretched town of Mansoul, how long will you love the ease of your sinful, sinful life? And how long will you delight in your ignorance? (How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and the fools hate knowledge? \u2013 Proverbs 1:22) Do you still despise offers of peace and deliverance? Do you still refuse the precious offers of Shaddai and trust the lies of Diabolus? Do you think when Shaddai conquers you, and you remember the way you acted towards Him, that such memories will bring you peace and comfort? Or do you think by your disturbing language you can make Him bound away like a grasshopper? Why do you think He pleads to you? Do you think it is because of fear that you are stronger than He?\" (Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of the hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause that he may give rest to the land. \u2013 Jeremiah 50:34)\n\nHe gestured with an outstretched arm to the sky. \"Look to the heavens. See the stars and consider how high they are. Can you stop the sun from running its course, or hinder the moon from giving light? Can you count the number of the stars or stop the rains of heaven? Can you call for the waters of the sea to cover the face of the ground? Can you see every person who is proud and blindfold their faces in secret? (Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Cause me to know, if thou hast understanding. Who ordered its dimensions, if thou knowest? Or who has stretched the line upon it? Upon what are its foundations founded? Or who laid its corner stone; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked searching out the deep? \u2013 Job 38:4-8, 16)\n\n\"Yet these very things are just some of the works of our King, in whose name we call upon you this day, so you may be brought under His authority. In His name, therefore, I summon you again to surrender to His captains.\"\n\nWhen he finished delivering his speech, the Mansoulians seemed unsure of how to answer. Diabolus didn't want to give them time to think about it, so he took it upon himself to answer. First, he addressed his speech to the Mansoulians.\n\n\"Gentlemen,\" he offered them a toothy smile, \"and my faithful subjects, think about it. If what this summoner has said concerning the greatness of their King is true, by His awful majesty, which is calculated to strike fear in the hearts of man, you will always be kept in bondage. As a result, you will be forced to sneak about to do what you want to do. Even now, while He is at a distance, how can you bear to think of such a mighty One? And if you can't bear to think of Him while He is at a distance, how will you ever tolerate being in His presence?\" He rubbed his palms together eagerly. \"Instead, think about what is advantageous for you.\" He gestured toward them with an inclusive sweep of his hand. \"Remember the freedoms from obligations I have granted you \u2013 all of you.\n\n\"If all this man has said is true, how come the subjects of Shaddai are enslaved wherever they go? No one else in the universe is as unhappy or trampled upon as them.\n\n\"My dear Mansoul,\" he reached toward them with outstretched arms, \"wouldn't you hate to leave me as much as I would hate to leave you? Think about it, for the choice is now yours. It's your play. You have the freedom to do what you want. If you know how to use that wisdom, then you'll discover how to love and obey your king.\"\n\nWhen they heard this speech, the town of Mansoul hardened their hearts again even more against the captains of Shaddai, because thoughts of Shaddai's greatness overwhelmed them. Thinking about His holiness sunk them into despair. (And all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us lest we die. \u2013 Exodus 20:18-19)\n\nAfter consulting together, those of the Diabolian party sent the trumpeter back to the captains with this message: As far as they were concerned, they planned to stick with their king and never surrender to Shaddai. They went on to say that from their way of thinking, it was pointless for the captains to deliver any further summons, for they would rather die where they were than surrender. (O sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, generation of evildoers, corrupt sons! They have forsaken the Lord; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger; they have turned back. \u2013 Isaiah 1:4)\n\nNow, based on this report, Mansoul seemed out of reach once again, but the captains knew what their Lord could do and did not lose hope. They sent another summons to Mansoul, sterner than the last, but the more they tried to reconcile Mansoul to Shaddai, the more the people responded by going further from them, even though they called them to the Most High. (But now, having known God, or rather being known of God, how do ye turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, in which ye desire again to be in slavery? \u2013 Galatians 4:9)\n\nSo they ceased dealing with them in this manner, and going forward they searched for another way to reach Mansoul. The captains gathered and talked freely among themselves to determine what they could do to gain the town and deliver it from the tyranny of Diabolus. They tossed about possible plans with one saying one thing and another something else.\n\nThen the noble Captain Conviction stood up and said, \"My brothers, this is what I think we should do. First, we must continue to employ our slings against the town to generate a sense of urgent alarm \u2013 to trouble them day and night. In this way, we shall curb their enthusiastic spirit, for even a lion can be tamed by continual provocation.\n\n\"Secondly, I suggest we come together and draw up a petition to our Lord Shaddai to make clear to our King the matters taking place here and the condition of Mansoul. We should beg His pardon for our lack of success, implore His Majesty's help, and ask that He please send more forces and power. To be sure His Majesty doesn't lose the ground He has gained and may complete His conquest of the town of Mansoul, we should ask Him to send a courageous, well-spoken commander to head them.\"\n\nThe others agreed with everything the noble Captain Conviction said and arranged for a petition to be drawn up and sent by a runner to Shaddai with speed. This is what the petition said:\n\n\"Most gracious and glorious King, Lord of the world and builder of the town of Mansoul, we live in awe of You, our Sovereign King. At Your command, we willingly placed our lives in jeopardy. At Your bidding, we made war upon the famous town of Mansoul. When we went up against it, we followed our orders. First, we offered conditions of peace, but they did not accept our admonition. They shut their gates to keep us out of the town and chose to continue to live according to their own standards. They mounted guns, which they used to attack us and have done what they can to bring us harm. Even so, we warned them again and again and gave them notice that suitable retribution would fall upon them as a result. We have even executed some in the town.\n\n\"Diabolus, Incredulity, and Willbewill are, in large part, those who act against us. We are currently held up in our winter quarters, so at this time we can only badger and distress the town.\n\n\"As we think further about this situation, we realize if we'd had even one solid friend in the town, such a friend would have stepped up and supported the truth of our summons. Then the people might have surrendered themselves, but the town housed only enemies. No one spoke on behalf of our Lord. Even though we have done what we could, Mansoul still lives in a state of rebellion against You.\n\n\"Now, King of kings, please forgive us. For we, Your servants, have been unsuccessful and of no use to You in the desirable work of conquering Mansoul. For this reason, Lord, we ask that You send more forces and a man to lead them to Mansoul, so the town will both love and fear You and be subdued.\n\n\"We don't speak this way because we want to abandon our post, for we are willing to lay down our lives for this war. We say these things because we desire the town of Mansoul to be won for You. With this in mind, we pray forces will be dispatched quickly in this matter, and after their conquest, we may have the opportunity to take part in some of Your other merciful plans. Amen.\"\n\nOnce the petition was drawn up, they sent it away to the King by the hand of that good man, Mr. Love-to-Mansoul.\n\nWhen this petition arrived at the King's palace, it was delivered into the hand of the King's Son. He opened the message and read it and thought it proper to carry the petition to the King Himself. After He bowed before His Father and delivered the petition, He stepped into His position of authority and spoke about His support of the petition.\n\nNow when the King saw the petition, it gladdened His heart, and even more so when His Son supported it. It pleased Him to hear that His servants who camped against Mansoul were so zealous and sincere in the work He sent them to do, not to mention they were so unwavering in their determination and had already gained some ground near to the famous town. And when He finished reading the petition, the King called Emmanuel, His Son.\n\n\"I am here, My Father.\"\n\nThe King said, \"You know as well as I do the condition of Mansoul, what we have planned, and what You have done to purchase it back. (So also the Christ is offered once to take away the sins of many; and unto those that wait for him without sin he shall appear the second time unto saving health. \u2013 Hebrews 9:28) Come now, My Son, and prepare Yourself for the war, for I am sending You to My camp at Mansoul. You shall prosper and prevail and conquer the town of Mansoul.\"\n\nEmmanuel bowed His head in respect. \"Your Law is within My heart. I delight to do Your will. (And this is the Father's will who has sent me, that of all whom he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again in the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, That every one who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day. \u2013 John 6:39-40) This is the day I have waited for all this while. (For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward everyone according to their works. \u2013 Matthew 16:27) Please, grant me whatever force You in Your wisdom think proper, and I will go and deliver Your perishing Mansoul from Diabolus and from his power. (When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he shall sit upon the throne of his glory. \u2013 Matthew 25:31) My heart has often hurt for the miserable town of Mansoul, but now it rejoices and is glad.\" (The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good tidings unto those who are cast down; to bind up the wounds of the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those that are bound. \u2013 Isaiah 61:1)\n\nChapter 9\n\nThe Coming of Emmanuel\n\nEmmanuel leaped over the mountains for joy and said, \"Until now, I have held Mansoul very dear in My heart, but this day the need for vengeance is also in My heart for Mansoul, and I am very glad, Father, that You have made Me the captain of their salvation. (And it shall be said in that day, Behold, this is our God, whom we have waited for, and he has saved us: this is the LORD, whom we have waited for, we will be glad and rejoice in his saving health. \u2013 Isaiah 25:9) I will begin to afflict all those who have afflicted My town of Mansoul and will deliver it from their hand.\"\n\nAfter the King's Son spoke to His Father in this way, news of what He said spread like lightning throughout the court. Soon, Emmanuel's plan to go to the famous town of Mansoul and what He was going to do there was the only thing anyone talked about. Even the companions and advisors to the King were taken with the Prince's plan and with the justness of the war. Everyone longed to serve under Emmanuel, even the highest lord and greatest noble of the kingdom. All wanted to go and help recover the miserable town of Mansoul again for Shaddai.\n\nIt was decided. News would be sent ahead to the camp to let the captains know Emmanuel was coming to claim Mansoul. (Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant, whom ye desire: behold, he comes, said the LORD of the hosts. \u2013 Malachi 3:1) Oh, you should have seen how eager the high ones at court were to run like a servile footboy to carry this news to the camp at Mansoul.\n\nWhen news arrived that the great King Shaddai was sending Emmanuel, His Son, and that Emmanuel was delighted at being sent on this errand, the captains showed their pleasure with a great shout loud enough to split the earth. The mountains echoed the sound, and even Diabolus tottered and shook. But as for the town of Mansoul, they were an unwise lot with minds bent on foolishness, dwelling chiefly on their pleasure and lust. For this reason, they weren't concerned with this development. (The foolishness of man perverts his way, and his heart is wroth against the LORD. \u2013 Proverbs 19:3)\n\nHowever, Diabolus, their governor, was disturbed. He had spies outside of Mansoul who brought him intelligence about everything. He had heard about the plans formulated against him and knew Emmanuel would arrive soon with power to invade him. Diabolus feared no other man \u2013 whether at court or a noble of the kingdom \u2013 the way he feared this Prince. For, if you remember, I showed you earlier that Diabolus had already felt the weight of His hand, and the memory of this made him even more afraid.\n\nThe time drew near for the King's Son to depart from the court and set out to save Mansoul. His Father had made Him the captain of the forces, and His preparations were complete. He focused on marching out with five noble captains and their forces, whom He planned to take with Him.\n\nThe first captain, the famous Captain Credence, wore red colors, and Mr. Promise carried his standard. (O LORD, according unto thy word, which teaches me discernment and knowledge, for I have believed thy commandments. \u2013 Psalm 119:65b-66) The holy lamb was the symbol on his golden shield, and under his command he had ten thousand men.\n\nThe second captain of renown was Captain Good-Hope. (My soul, rest thou only in God, for my hope is from him. \u2013 Psalm 62:5) He wore the blue colors and his standard-bearer was Mr. Expectation. The three golden anchors marked his shield, and he too had ten thousand men under his command.\n\nThe third was the valiant Captain Charity. (Charity works no evil to a neighbor; therefore, charity is the fulfillment of the law. \u2013 Romans 13:10) His standard-bearer was Mr. Pitiful and he wore the green colors. On his shield was the symbol of three naked orphans embraced against a bosom. He too brought with him ten thousand men.\n\nThe fourth was the gallant commander Captain Innocency. (Do all things without murmurings and doubts, that ye may be blameless and innocent. \u2013 Philippians 2:14-15a) His standard-bearer was Mr. Harmless. Captain Innocency wore white and on his shield were three golden doves.\n\nThe fifth was the truly loyal and well-loved Captain Patience. (For patience is necessary, so that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. \u2013 Hebrews 10:36) He dressed in black and his standard-bearer was Suffer-Long. On his shield were three arrows run through the golden heart.\n\nCaptain Patience and His Standard-Bearer, Mr. Sufferlong\n\nThese were Emmanuel's captains and their standard-bearers, their colors, and the markings on their shields. With them were the thousands under their command. So the brave Prince marched to the town of Mansoul with Captain Credence leading the foremost division and Captain Patience bringing up the rear. The other three captains and their men made up the main body of the army.\n\nThey set out with much fanfare. Trumpets sounded, armor glittered in the sunshine, and the standards of various colors waved in the wind. The Prince wore armor crafted of gold, and it shone like the sun in the sky as He rode in His chariot at the head of the march. The captains' armor had been proven to withstand shots discharged from firearms or cannons, and looked like glittering stars as they advanced. Some from the court also rode along because of their love for King Shaddai and their desire for the successful deliverance of the town of Mansoul.\n\nAs Emmanuel set out to recover the town of Mansoul, His Father commanded Him to take along fifty-four battering rams and twelve slings to whirl stones all at once. Every one of these was made of pure gold, and they were carried at the heart of the army as they traveled to Mansoul.\n\nThey marched until they came to within three miles of the town. They waited there until the first four captains who had been entrenched at Mansoul met with them to become familiar with the plan. Then they headed toward the town. When they arrived at Mansoul, the old soldiers who'd been camped there for some time brightened when they saw the new forces arriving to join them in the battle. They shouted a mighty shout outside the walls of the town, and the powerful noise frightened Diabolus again.\n\nThe army accompanying the first four captains settled outside the town, while the other four captains focused their forces at the gates of Mansoul. Altogether, the army encompassed the town on every side and hemmed it in on all sides, so no matter which way the Mansoulians looked, they saw the force and power-laying siege against the town.\n\nBulwarks created by great mounds of earth protected the massive troops from cannon fire. Mount Gracious stood on the one side with Mount Justice on the other. Several small banks were then created to help the army advance, including Plain-Truth Hill and No-Sin Banks. This is where they set up many of the slings against the town, with four set on Mount Gracious and another four on Mount Justice. The rest were placed in several places around the town. Five of the best and biggest battering rams were placed upon Mount Hearken, a mount firmly situated against Ear-gate with intent to break it open.\n\nNow when the men of the town saw the great multitude of soldiers advancing in their glittering armor, the colorful standards waving in the breeze with the rams, slings, and bulwarks that provided additional offensive protection \u2013 all coming against Mansoul \u2013 they were forced to change position. The circumstances forced them to change their thinking. At first, they grew more obstinate, thinking they were sufficiently protected, but now with the large army approaching, they grew disheartened and said, \"No one can tell what might happen.\"\n\nWhen good Prince Emmanuel surrounded Mansoul in this way, He hung out the white flag among the golden slings on Mount Gracious. He did this for two reasons: first, to make it clear to Mansoul that He could and would still be gracious, if they turned to Him. (Unto him all prophets give witness, that whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins through his name. \u2013 Acts 10:43) And secondly, He wanted to leave them without excuse and to know if they continued in their rebellion, He would destroy them. (If I had not come and spoken unto them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. \u2013 John 15:22)\n\nSo the white flag bearing three golden doves hung in plain sight for two days to give the Mansoulians time and space to consider His offer; but even though the whole town could see the Prince's favorable signal, they acted unconcerned and ignored it.\n\nThen He commanded, \"Set the red flag upon Mount Justice.\" This was the red flag of Captain Judgment, whose shield bore the emblem of the burning fiery furnace. It represented the Prince's right and power to pass sentence. (For we are sure that the judgment of God is according to the truth against those who do such things. \u2013 Romans 2:2) This red flag stood waving in the wind in the view of all for several days, but above it waved the white flag. Yet He didn't advance on them.\n\nWhen they did not respond, He sent out another command. \"Hang the black flag of defiance against them.\" This flag bore the emblem of three burning thunderbolts and represented a challenge to fight. But again, it didn't matter to Mansoul, for they remained as unconcerned as before.\n\nWhen the Prince witnessed Mansoul's lack of response to mercy, judgment, and even execution of judgment, His heart filled with sorrow. (Because of my strong sorrow, my heart is faint in me. \u2013 Jeremiah 8:18) When He considered the fact that none came close to touching the heart of Mansoul, He said, \"Surely Mansoul's strange behavior must come from ignorance of the traditions and exploits of war rather than from a hidden rebelliousness toward us and an abhorrence of their own lives. (Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. \u2013 Ephesians 4:18) Or perhaps they only know their own customs and don't know the meaning of the practices used when I go to war against My enemy Diabolus.\"\n\nTherefore, He sent a messenger to the town of Mansoul to make clear to them the meaning of the flags and ask them which of the things they would choose: grace and mercy, or judgment and the execution of judgment.\n\nAll this time, Mansoul kept their gates shut, locked, bolted, and barred to make it as secure as they knew how, and increased their vigilance by doubling their guards and watchmen. Diabolus mustered what influence he could to encourage the town to resist with all their might.\n\nWhen Prince Emmanuel's messenger delivered His communication, the townsmen sent back this answer:\n\n\"Great sir, regarding the message sent to us in which You asked whether we will accept Your mercy or fall by Your justice, we cannot answer. We are bound by the law and custom of this place and aren't allowed to give You a favorable or any other answer. It is against the law of the government put in place by our king. It is his privileged royal power to make either peace or war. Without him we can do nothing in this regard. However, this is what we will do: we will petition our prince to come to the wall and treat You in whatever way he thinks best for us.\"\n\nWhen the good Prince Emmanuel heard this answer and witnessed the slavery and bondage of the people and how content they were to live in the chains of the tyrant Diabolus, it grieved His heart. (Forty years long I was grieved with this generation and said, It is a people that err from the heart, who have not known my ways. \u2013 Psalm 95:10) And when He realized without a doubt that they were content to live enslaved under the hand of the giant, it influenced His decision. But for now, let's get back to the story.\n\nThe town carried this news to Diabolus. They told him about the Prince, the forces He amassed outside the wall, and His petition regarding mercy or judgment. Then they waited for an answer.\n\nDiabolus refused the Prince's mercy and huffed about in an angry fit, but inwardly his heart filled with fear. He pounded his chest and said, \"I will go down to the gates myself and give Him my answer as I see fit.\" So Diabolus stomped down to Mouth-gate and directed his speech to Emmanuel, but he spoke in a language the town didn't understand and stayed out of the line of sight of the people.\n\n\"O the great Emmanuel, Lord of all the world, I know who You are.\" Diabolus cowered as he spoke. \"I know You are the Son of the great Shaddai! (Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well; the demons also believe and tremble. \u2013 James 2:19) Have You come to torment me and to cast me out of my possession?\" (And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come here to torment us before the time? \u2013 Matthew 8:29) He flinched as if expecting Emmanuel to strike. \"As You very well know, this town of Mansoul is mine, for my ownership rights are twofold.\n\nDiabolus's Appeal to Emmanuel\n\n\"First of all, it is mine by right of conquest. I won it. Shall the booty be taken from the mighty or the lawful captive be delivered?\" (Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? \u2013 Isaiah 49:24) Again, he recoiled from the greatness of the Prince.\n\n\"Secondly, this town of Mansoul is mine because they have been brought under my dominion. They opened the gates of their town to me, swore loyalty to me, and openly chose me to be their king. They even placed their castle under my control.\" His top lip curled in a smile that stretched into a sneer, but he continued to cower, for he could not stand in His greatness. \"Yes, they have put all the strength of Mansoul under my authority.\n\n\"Not only that, but Mansoul has renounced You.\" Diabolus crouched, expecting the Prince to respond. \"They have thrown away everything related to You \u2013 Your Law, Your name, Your image \u2013 and in Your place they have accepted me. They have embraced my law, my name, my image, and all that is mine.\" He flinched and for a moment closed his eyes. When Emmanuel said nothing, Diabolus opened one eye and then the other. \"If You don't believe me, talk to Your captains. They will tell You how Mansoul has shown love and loyalty to me every time they answered Your captains' warnings.\" Again, he cowered in fear. When Emmanuel didn't respond, he pushed to finish his point. \"But they always showed disdain, violent hatred, contempt, and scorn for You,\" he jabbed his crooked finger toward the Prince, \"and anything to do with You.\" He pulled his finger back and looked at the ground and then back at the Prince. \"You are the Just One, the Holy One who should do no injustice or unrighteousness. (Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth, who, when he was cursed, did not return the curse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him that judges righteously. \u2013 1 Peter 2:22-23) So I ask You to leave, for this is my rightful inheritance.\"\n\nEven though he could speak to the men in their own language, Diabolus made this judicial plea to stay in Mansoul in his own language \u2013 the language of the lower regions from the black pit of hell. And because the town of Mansoul couldn't understand a word he said and couldn't see how he crouched and cringed while he stood before Emmanuel, their true Prince, they thought of Diabolus as a powerful force that couldn't be resisted.\n\nThe inhabitants boasted about his valor: \"Who is able to make war with him?\" while in reality they didn't realize Diabolus pleaded his case so Emmanuel wouldn't take Mansoul from him by force but would allow him to continue his residence there.\n\nWhen this counterfeit king finished speaking, Emmanuel, the golden Prince, stood up and spoke. \"You deceiving one,\" He began. \"In My Father's name, in My name, and for the good of this wretched town of Mansoul, I have something to say to you.\n\n\"You pretend to have a right, a lawful right, to the deplorable town of Mansoul, but it is clear to all My Father's court that you gained entrance at the gates of Mansoul through your lies and untrue assertions. (The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of those that seek death. \u2013 Proverbs 21:6) You falsely represented My Father and His Law and deceived the people of Mansoul. You pretend the people have accepted you for their king, their captain, and are bound to serve you as lord, but this too was brought about by deceit and cunning.\n\n\"Now, if lying, deviousness, sinful tricks, and all types of horrible hypocrisy are allowed in My Father's court where you must be tried to claim the right to Mansoul, then I agree you have made a lawful conquest. But oh, what a thief you are. What tyrant or Devil is there that can't conquer by following such tactics as these? You see I can make a case that shines light on you in all your false and hypocritical pretenses to a conquest of Mansoul, for you speak no truth.\n\n\"Do you think it was right that you made it look like My Father was the one lying and made Him appear to Mansoul like the greatest deluder in the world? And what do you have to say about the way you knowingly perverted the true purpose and intent of the Law? (Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. \u2013 Galatians 3:24) Was it good that you plundered the innocence and simplicity of the now-miserable town of Mansoul?\n\n\"Yes, you overcame Mansoul by promising them happiness while they violated My Father's Law. If you had referred to anything but your own experience, you couldn't help but know that was the way to bring them to everlasting destruction and misery. (And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence upon them until they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. \u2013 Jeremiah 24:10)\n\n\"O you master of malevolence and spite, you have defaced My Father's image in Mansoul and set up your own in its place to the great disrespect of My Father, thus exalting your own sin and doing intolerable damage to the perishing town of Mansoul.\n\n\"As if all these were but trivial matters to you, you've not only deluded and ruined this place, but by your lies and fraudulent acquisition of Mansoul, you have also turned them against their own deliverance. How is it that you have galvanized them against My Father's captains and made them fight against those who were sent to deliver them from bondage?\n\n\"You have done all these things and more in contempt of My Father and of His Law, and it will all be held against you, for you've done all this to stir My Father's anger against the miserable town of Mansoul forever.\n\n\"For this reason, I've come to avenge the wrong you have done to My Father and to deal with you for the contemptuous and irreverent words you have spoken against Him and which you have used to cause poor Mansoul to blaspheme His name. (And shall not God avenge his own elect who cry day and night unto him though he bears long regarding them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. \u2013 Luke 18:7-8a) You prince of the lower regions of hell, I will repay you for this.\n\n\"As for Myself, Diabolus, I have come against you to take this town of Mansoul by force out of your burning fingers, for it is Mine. That's an indisputable claim as all who search the most ancient and authentic records shall see. And to your shame, I argue this in defense of My right to it.\n\n\"First, my Father fashioned the town of Mansoul. With His hand He built every part of it, including the palace at the center of town. He built it for His delight. Therefore, this town of Mansoul is My Father's by rights of highest power, and he who denies the truth of this is a liar.\n\n\"Secondly, O you master of the lie, this town of Mansoul is Mine. I am My Father's heir, His firstborn, and the only delight of His heart. Therefore, I come against you in My own right to recover My inheritance from out of your hand.\n\n\"By being My Father's heir, I have a right and claim to Mansoul. I have My Father's contract, which wills it to Me as a gift. It was His, and He gave it to Me. I have never, at any time, offended My Father so that He would take it from Me and give it to you. Nor have I ever been forced to sell My beloved town of Mansoul to you or even put it up for sale. It is My heart's desire and joy to possess Mansoul.\n\n\"Mansoul is also Mine by right of purchase, for I have bought it for Myself, Diabolus. Now, since it was My Father's and Mine, as I was His heir, I have also made it Mine because I have purchased it. (Ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of the promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. \u2013 Ephesians 1:13b-14) It follows that by all lawful claims, the town of Mansoul is Mine and you are a usurper, a tyrant, and a traitor who seized and occupied My property and are holding possession of it without any right.\n\n\"Now, the reason I purchased Mansoul was this: It voluntarily violated My Father's divine Law and commands. On the day they broke His Law, My Father said they would die. (For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived in the rebellion. \u2013 1 Timothy 2:13-14) And My Father's Word is true, for it is more possible for heaven and earth to pass away than for My Father to break His Word. (The grass withers, the open flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand for ever. \u2013 Isaiah 40:8)\n\n\"Therefore, when Mansoul sinned by listening to your lie, I became a surety to My Father on their behalf and put in body for body and soul for soul. (By so much better testament is Jesus made surety \u2013 Hebrews 7:22). In this way, I made amends for Mansoul's transgressions, and My Father accepted My sacrifice. When the appointed time came, I gave body for body, soul for soul, life for life, blood for blood, and so redeemed My beloved Mansoul. (For the Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in spirit. \u2013 1 Peter 3:18)\n\n\"I didn't do this half-heartedly or incompletely but with all My heart. As far as My Father's Law and justice were concerned, regarding the impending consequences, both are now satisfied and agree Mansoul should be delivered.\n\n\"Nor have I come here today against you, but rather by the command of My Father who sent Me as He said, 'Go down and deliver Mansoul.'\n\n\"Therefore, know this, you fountain of deceit and you too, foolish town of Mansoul, that I haven't come against you this day without My Father.\"\n\nThe golden-haired Prince then addressed the town of Mansoul directly. \"I also want to speak to you, town of Mansoul.\" But as the words fell from His lips, the gates were double-guarded, and all men were commanded not to listen to a word He said. However, the Prince was not thwarted. He said, \"O unhappy town of Mansoul, I can't help but feel pity and compassion for you. You have accepted Diabolus as your king and have been nurtured and served as Diabolians against your sovereign Lord.\n\n\"You have opened your gates to him but have shut them fast against Me. You listen to him, but you have stopped your ears to anything I have to say. He brought to you your destruction, and you received both him and it.\n\n\"I come to you bringing salvation, but you won't listen or pay attention to Me. (For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live temperately, righteously, and godly in this present world. \u2013 Titus 2:11-12)\n\n\"With polluted hands that have violated and profaned sacred things, you've taken yourself and all that was Mine and given it to My enemy \u2013 the greatest enemy My Father has. You have bowed and subjected yourselves to him; you have vowed and sworn yourselves to be his. Poor Mansoul! What shall I do to you? Shall I save you? Shall I destroy you? What, oh what, shall I do to you? Should I fiercely attack you and grind you to powder or make you a monument and reminder of the richest grace? Listen to Me, Mansoul; pay attention to what I'm saying to you and you shall live. I am merciful and you shall find Me, so don't shut Me out of your gates. (I have sent also unto you all my slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Turn ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and ye shall live in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. \u2013 Jeremiah 35:15)\n\n\"Mansoul, I haven't been ordered, neither am I inclined, to harm you. Why do you flee from your friend and yet cling to your enemy? Don't feel all is hopeless,\" He encouraged. \"This great force assembled isn't here to hurt you. It is sent to deliver you from your bondage and to bring you back to obedience. It is to your advantage to be sorry for your sin and to receive Me within your gates. (Behold, I stand at the door and call; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will sup with him, and he with me. \u2013 Revelation 3:20)\n\n\"My assignment is to make war upon Diabolus, your king, and upon all Diabolians who stand with him. He is the armed strong man who possesses the house, and I will evict him. I must take his spoils and divide his weapons. I must take his castle from him and occupy the house myself. And when all this comes to pass, Diabolus shall be made to follow Me in chains, and Mansoul will rejoice to see it. (No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods except he will first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house. \u2013 Mark 3:27)\n\n\"If I wanted to, I could enforce My might right now and cause him to leave you and go away. But in My heart, I desire to deal with him, so the justice delivered through the war upon him may be seen and acknowledged by all. He has taken Mansoul by deception, and he keeps it by violence and duplicity. I will make him bare and naked in the eyes of every observer, so they may see him as he truly is.\n\n\"All my words are true. I am powerful and strong enough to save and will deliver My Mansoul out of his hand.\"\n\nThis speech was intended chiefly for Mansoul, but they wouldn't listen to a word of it. They shut Ear-gate tight and barricaded it. (But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear. \u2013 Zechariah 7:11) They kept it locked and bolted, set up a guard, and commanded that no Mansoulian should go out to Him. They forbade any from the camp to be admitted into the town. They acted like this because Diabolus had dreadfully bewitched them to do and seek what he desired and to go against their rightful Lord and Prince. (O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that ye should not trust in the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you? \u2013 Galatians 3:1) For this reason, no thing or person representing the Prince or what He had to say was allowed to come into the town.\n\nChapter 10\n\nDiabolus Offers Compromise\n\nWhen Emmanuel saw the extent of Mansoul's sin and that even His words were despised, He called His army together and ordered them to ready themselves for the appointed time. (Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has made void his commandment, that person shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. \u2013 Numbers 15:31)\n\nNow Ear-gate was the gate with the most influence; so in view of this and the fact that there wasn't another lawful way to take the town of Mansoul except to enter by the gates, Emmanuel commanded His captains and commanders to position their battering rams, their slings, and their men at Eye-gate and Ear-gate to take the town.\n\nWith His troops in place and ready for battle against Diabolus, Emmanuel sent one more message to the town of Mansoul to ask if there had been any change of heart and a willingness to surrender in a peaceable manner, or if they were still determined to force Him to exert the power of His fury.\n\nIn response to His message, the townsfolk of Mansoul and Diabolus their king called a council of war. First, they voted on whether or not counterpropositions should be offered to Emmanuel. They agreed it was a good idea to bargain with the Prince, but they had to decide which Diabolian to send on this errand. They chose an old man, a Diabolian in the town of Mansoul by the name of Loth-to-Stoop. He was a stubborn man set in his ways and one who did much for Diabolus. So they told him exactly what to say to Emmanuel.\n\nMr. Loth-to-Stoop Sent to the Camp of Emmanuel\n\nLoth-to-Stoop traveled into Emmanuel's camp at the appointed time, and they gave him a public reception. After a Diabolian rite of politeness or two, he delivered his message. \"Great sir, in order that it may be known to everyone how good-natured a prince my master is, he has sent me to tell Your Lordship that he is willing to deliver into your hands one-half of the town of Mansoul rather than go to war. I am here to find out whether or not Your Mightiness will accept this proposition.\"\n\nEmmanuel studied the stubborn little man for a moment and said, \"The entire town of Mansoul belongs to Me. My Father gave it to Me as a gift, and it is also Mine because I purchased it; therefore, I will not agree to lose one-half.\" (My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. \u2013 John 10:27-29)\n\nLoth-to-Stoop didn't allow Emmanuel's words to sway him from his task. He countered, \"Sir, my master has said he will be happy to give You the nominal title 'Lord of all,' if he may possess but a part of Mansoul.\"\n\nEmmanuel shook His head. \"In reality, the whole town is Mine, not just in name and word. Therefore, I will be the sole Lord and possessor of all or of none at all.\"\n\nThe muscles in Loth-to-Stoop's jaw twitched. \"Sir, consider my master's voluntary relinquishment of his rank! He says he will be content just to be assigned some place in Mansoul to live privately, and you shall be Lord of all the rest.\"\n\nThe golden Prince said, \"All the Father has given Me shall come to Me, and of all He has given Me I will lose nothing \u2013 not even a hair. (All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. \u2013 John 6:37) So I will not grant him even a little corner of Mansoul to live in, for I will have it all to myself.\"\n\nLoth-to-Stoop didn't give up. He persisted in his master's plan. \"But sir, suppose my lord should resign the whole town to you with just this provision \u2013 that sometimes, when he comes into this country for old acquaintance's sake, he might be allowed to be entertained as a traveler for two days, or ten days, or maybe a month or so. Would you grant this one small matter?\"\n\n\"No.\" Emmanuel answered with a tone of finality. \"He came as a traveling man to David and didn't stay long with him, and yet it almost cost David his soul. I will not consent for Diabolus to take up lodging in Mansoul anymore.\"\n\nLoth-to-Stoop's brow knit into a scowl. \"Sir, you've become very difficult. Suppose my master surrenders all your Lordship has said, provided his friends and family in Mansoul can still have the freedom to do business in the town and enjoy living in their current homes. Can't you at least grant that, sir?\"\n\nOnce again, the golden Prince Emmanuel did not agree to the man's terms. \"No, that cannot be allowed, for it goes against My Father's will. Any Diabolians who now inhabit or who are found at any time in Mansoul shall not only lose their lands and freedoms but also their lives.\"\n\nLoth-to-Stoop's eyes grew round with astonishment. \"But sir, won't you at least let my master and great lord communicate by letter through travelers by chance opportunities and things like that, so he doesn't lose his friendship with Mansoul, if he delivers up everything to you?\"\n\n\"By no means!\" Emmanuel said. \"If any such fellowship, friendship, intimacy, or relationship is maintained in any way whatsoever, it would tend to corrupt Mansoul. (Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord. \u2013 2 Corinthians 6:17a) Instead of the love or friendship they once showed Me, it would cause them to grow indifferent or antagonistic \u2013 alienating them from Me. And it would endanger their peace with My Father.\"\n\nLoth-to-Stoop did his best not to take no for an answer. He addressed the issue with Emmanuel from another direction. \"But, great sir, if my master departs from them, since he has many friends and dear ones in Mansoul, would you permit him to give them tokens of his love from his bountifulness and good nature? I'm talking about keepsakes of kindness from their old friend. Things to remember him by as the one who was once their king and the happy times they sometimes enjoyed with one another while they lived in peace.\"\n\n\"No.\" Emmanuel shook His head. \"If Mansoul becomes Mine, I won't admit or consent to the least scrap, shred, or particle of dust left behind by Diabolus as tokens or gifts given to anyone in Mansoul. What purpose would they serve except to function as a reminder of the horrible relationship they had?\"\n\n\"Well, sir,\" Loth-to-Stoop paused and pursed his lips, \"I have one more thing to propose, and then I will have completed the task for which I was sent.\n\n\"Suppose, after my master has left Mansoul, someone still living in the town has important business to conduct, and if they neglect to handle this business, they will be ruined. And suppose that nobody else can help them as well as my master and lord. Could my master be sent for on such an urgent occasion? Or, if he isn't allowed admittance into the town, would he and the person concerned be allowed to meet in some of the villages near Mansoul, so they could put their heads together and discuss these matters?\"\n\nThis was the last proposition with which Loth-to-Stoop hoped to ensnare Emmanuel on behalf of his master Diabolus, but Emmanuel did not fall for it. He said, \"Once your master is gone, there will be no case, disagreement, or anything else in Mansoul that cannot be solved by My Father. Allowing anyone from Mansoul to go to Diabolus for advice would be a great disparagement to My Father's wisdom and skill, when they are all invited to make every one of their requests known to My Father by prayer and petition. (Be anxious for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. \u2013 Philippians 4:6-7) If I were to grant such a request, it would open the door for Diabolus and the Diabolians in Mansoul to scheme, plot, and come up with seditious plans, which would bring grief to My Father and Myself, as well as the utter destruction of Mansoul.\"\n\nWhen Mr. Loth-to-Stoop heard this, he said, \"I will carry Your answer concerning this whole affair to my master.\" With that, he turned his back to Emmanuel and departed. When he came to Mansoul, he headed directly to Diabolus and told him everything that had transpired. \"Once you leave Mansoul, Emmanuel will not allow you to enter again by any means. You will never have anything more to do in Mansoul or with anyone from the town.\"\n\nWhen Mansoul and Diabolus heard this news, they, in one accord, decided it best to try to keep Emmanuel out of Mansoul, so they sent old Ill-Pause to tell the Prince and His captains that they were rejecting His offer.\n\nThe old gentleman walked to the top of Ear-gate and called out to Emmanuel's camp for an audience, and when they granted it, this is the message he delivered: \"I have been commanded by my high lord to deliver this answer to you for your Prince Emmanuel.\n\n\"Mansoul and their king have determined to stand and fall together. You and your Prince will be unsuccessful if you think Mansoul will ever be in His hand, unless He can take it by force.\"\n\nAt hearing this rejection, some from the camp went in haste to Emmanuel and told Him what the old Diabolian, Ill-Pause, had said. When the Prince heard the sad news, he said, \"I must try the power of My sword. For even though they have rebelled and rejected My message until now, I will not raise My siege and just walk away. I will most assuredly deliver Mansoul from the hand of her enemy and take it as My own.\" (The high praises of God shall be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the Gentiles and punishments upon the peoples. \u2013 Psalm 149:6-7)\n\nChapter 11\n\nEmmanuel Confronts Diabolus\n\nEmmanuel ordered Captain Boanerges, Captain Conviction, Captain Judgment, and Captain Execution to immediately march up to Ear-gate while sounding their trumpets and flying their colors. He then ordered Captain Credence to join them. And to emphasize this show of strength, He told them to approach with a battle shout.\n\nAfter adding Captain Credence to the attacking force, Emmanuel ordered Captain Good-Hope and Captain Charity to draw up their troops before Eye-gate. He strategically placed the remaining captains and their men around the town for the best advantage against the enemy. All those under His authority did everything they were commanded. Then He ordered that the Word should go before them, and the Word at that time was Emmanuel. (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and the Word was God. \u2013 John 1:1) An alarm sounded and the battering rams were put into motion along with the slings, which whirled huge stones into the main part of town. And so this is how the battle began.\n\nDiabolus himself controlled and directed the townsmen who were positioned at every gate. Their resistance was stronger and more wicked and aggressive toward Emmanuel. Diabolus and Mansoul kept the good Prince busy by for several days, and it was a sight to behold how the captains of Shaddai handled themselves in this war.\n\nCaptain Boanerges started the fight by making three fierce assaults upon Ear-gate, one after another, causing the posts of the gate to shake. Captain Conviction caught up with Boanerges, and both men perceived the gate was beginning to yield. Armed with this knowledge, they commanded the battering rams to continue the surge against the gate.\n\nNow Captain Conviction rode up near the gate, but he was driven back with great force. He received three wounds in the mouth, but some of the military, who had been driven back in this fashion, still went about to encourage the captains.\n\nWhen the Prince heard about the valor shown by these two captains, He sent for them to come to His pavilion and commanded them to rest awhile to refresh themselves. Care was also shown for Captain Conviction to heal his wounds, and the Prince gave each of them a chain of gold and told them to take courage. (Wait for the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, for the LORD. \u2013 Psalm 27:14)\n\nCaptain Good-Hope and Captain Charity fought well in this desperate fight, as they came against Eye-gate and almost broke it open. These captains also received a reward from their Prince because they fought valiantly.\n\nThe Captains Rewarded\n\nIn this engagement, several of Diabolus's officers were slain and some of the townsmen wounded. Among the slain officers was Captain Boasting who thought nobody could shake the posts of Ear-gate or raise doubt in the heart of Diabolus. Captain Secure was killed. He was the captain who said even the blind and lame in Mansoul could protect against Emmanuel's army and keep the gates from falling. Captain Conviction cut off the head of this Captain Secure with a two-handed sword, but he received the three wounds in his mouth at that time.\n\nAt Eye-gate, Captain Good-Hope inflicted a mortal wound in the breast of Captain Bragman, a popular fellow who was captain over a company of soldiers that threw firebrands and arrows.\n\nBeyond that, Mr. Feeling, who wasn't a captain, was wounded in the eye by one of Boanerges's soldiers. Mr. Feeling was a great one for standing on the sidelines to encourage Mansoul to rebellion and would have been killed by the captain himself if he hadn't made a hasty retreat.\n\nAnd I'd never seen Willbewill so intimidated in all my life. He wasn't able to do as he customarily did, and some of the men in the Prince's army saw him limp after he'd walked upon the wall and said he had received a leg wound.\n\nI won't go on with all the details and names of the soldiers who were slain in the town, for many were maimed, wounded, and slain. Projectiles flung by the golden slings hit their mark, and the force of the strike knocked the Diabolians from their feet and sent them tumbling through the air into the midst of the town of Mansoul. They lay scattered on the ground watching as the posts of Ear-gate shook and Eye-gate splintered. With the gate close to being broken open and some of their captains slain, the courage of many of them melted away.\n\nLove-no-Good, who was a townsman but also a Diabolian, was mortally wounded, but his life lingered for a time. And remember Mr. Ill-Pause? He's the one who came with Diabolus when he first attempted to take Mansoul. He received a serious head wound. Some reported that he suffered from a cracked skull. One thing I can tell you for sure is that since this incident, he's never been able to harm Mansoul as he'd done in the past. Plus, old Prejudice and Mr. Anything fled.\n\nNow, when the battle was over, the Prince commanded the white flag be set upon Mount Gracious once more in sight of the town of Mansoul. He did this to show the wretched town of Mansoul that Emmanuel still offered the gift of grace. (For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest any man should boast. \u2013 Ephesians 2:8-9)\n\nDiabolus saw the white flag hung out again and knew it wasn't for him but for Mansoul. So he figured out another trick to play to see if he could get Emmanuel to remove His besieging army and relinquish His attempt to take Mansoul: Maybe if Diabolus promised reformation of Mansoul. With this plan in mind, he came down to the gate one evening a good while after the sun had set and called to speak with Emmanuel.\n\nEmmanuel responded and came down to the gate. Diabolus addressed Him: \"Seeing that Your white flag makes it appear You are devoted to peace and quiet, I thought it a good idea to let You know we are ready to accept this, if You permit these terms.\n\n\"I know You are dedicated to devotion and that holiness pleases You.\" The corner of Diabolus's mouth lifted in a half-smile. \"Yes, I understand Your purpose in making war upon Mansoul so it may be a holy habitation. (Now therefore ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are being built together for the habitation of God in the Spirit. \u2013 Ephesians 2:19-22) I am here to say that if You withdraw Your forces from the town, I will make Mansoul submissive and cause them to bow to You.\n\n\"First, I will put hostility against You to rest and shall willingly become Your deputy. Putting forth the same effort I formerly used to work against You, I will now serve You in the town of Mansoul. I will persuade Mansoul to receive You as their Lord. Once they see I am Your deputy, I know they will do it sooner.\n\n\"I will also show them where they have erred and how sin stands in the way to life. I'll share the Holy Law with them, show them how they have broken it, and explain they must conform to it.\n\n\"I will impress upon them the necessity of a life reformed according to Your Law. I can put things in place so none of these things fail. I will even pay for the cost of setting up and maintaining a competent ministry with lectures in Mansoul. And as a token of our coming under Your control, You will receive whatever You see fit to levy upon us.\"\n\nEmmanuel listened patiently but wasn't fooled by Diabolus's ploy. He said, \"O you who are full of deceit, your ways are ever changing! (His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity \u2013 Psalm 10:7). How often you have changed what you say and do and then changed again \u2013 all to pretend you are mighty enough to keep possession of My Mansoul. The fact is, I have been declared the rightful heir of Mansoul!\n\n\"You often make proposals, and these you've most recently fabricated are no better than the ones that came before. The point is, you fail to deceive when you show your true colors, but now you transformed yourself into an angel of light and are trying to deceive Me into thinking you are now as a minister of righteousness. (And it is no marvel, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers transform themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. \u2013 2 Corinthians 11:14-15)\n\n\"But Diabolus, you know nothing can be respected that you propose, for your only motive is to deceive. You have no conscience toward God, nor do you love the town of Mansoul. For this reason, is it not obvious that the things you have said arise from sinful purposes and deceit? And to that point, if righteousness is such a beautiful thing in your eyes now, how is it you have stuck so closely to wickedness in the past?\n\n\"He who proposes whatever he pleases with the intent to destroy those who believe him should be abandoned, and everything he has said should be discounted. You talk about reformation in Mansoul and even say you will head that reformation. You say this, knowing the best that man can accomplish through the righteousness of the Law will amount to nothing in regard to taking away the curse from Mansoul. For Mansoul cannot be delivered from a curse pronounced by God for breaking a law by obeying the law \u2013 to say nothing of a reformation set up in Mansoul in which the Devil is to become the corrector of evil.\n\n\"You know all you have said in this matter is nothing but craftily disguised deceit. It is the first and last card you have to play. For now, only a few see through the disguise you wear, and while you may be dressed in white light, soon many will discern what you really are when you show them your cloven feet. For you will not deceive My Mansoul in this way, Diabolus, for I still love My Mansoul.\n\n\"I didn't come to push Mansoul to live by works. If I did, I would be like you. I've come so that by Me \u2013 and by what I have done and will do for Mansoul \u2013 they may be reconciled to My Father even though they have provoked Him to anger by their sin and can't obtain mercy by the law. (And all this by God, who reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; for certainly God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and having placed in us the word of reconciliation. \u2013 2 Corinthians 5:18-19)\n\n\"You talk about placing Mansoul under the power of good, when no one desires it at your hands. My Father sent Me to possess the town and guide it to be pleasing in His sight by bringing it into conformity to His will. (And be not conformed to this age, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your soul that ye may experience what is that good and well pleasing and perfect will of God. \u2013 Romans 12:2)\n\n\"Consequently, I will possess Mansoul and will strip you of your position and cast you out. I will pull this town down and rebuild it. I'll set up sovereign power for Myself in the heart of them and will govern them by new laws, new officers, new motives, and in a new way. (Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new. \u2013 2 Corinthians 5:17) It will be as though the old never existed, for it will become the glory of the whole universe.\"\n\nWhen Diabolus heard this, it became clear to him that Prince Emmanuel had discovered his deceptions. He was put to shame and so embarrassed that at first he couldn't decide what to do, but then he tapped into the fountain of iniquity, rage, and malice which sprung up within him. In his heart churned all he held against Shaddai and His Son and the beloved town of Mansoul. Deliberating on this renewed his strength and readied him for a fresh battle against the noble Prince Emmanuel, and with his renewed determination, he demanded another fight take place before the town of Mansoul could be taken.\n\nFor those of you who love to see military action, come up to the mountains and watch both sides of the battle and you'll witness how the fatal blow is delivered. You'll see how one seeks to hold, while the other seeks to make Himself Master of the famous town of Mansoul.\n\nDiabolus withdrew from the wall and returned to his strength and power at the heart of the town of Mansoul. Emmanuel also returned to His camp. With their differences and intentions clear, both drew into a battle posture ready to fight.\n\nFilled with despair about losing control of the famous town of Mansoul, Diabolus decided to do what harm he could to the army of the Prince and to the famous town of Mansoul. Unfortunately for Mansoul, he wasn't concerned about the happiness of the silly town. His plan was to bring it to utter ruin and to destroy everything within sight. With this plan in mind, he commanded his officers to render what harm and damage they could by drawing men, women, and children apart. And when the time should come that they saw the town could no longer be held, he said, \"Be sure to demolish the place and leave it a ruinous heap. Better that, than to leave it for Emmanuel to move in and make it His home.\"\n\nChapter 12\n\nEmmanuel's Victory\n\nEmmanuel knew the outcome of the next battle would result in His being made master of the place. He issued a royal command to all His officers, high captains, and men of war: \"Against Diabolus and all Diabolians, be sure to show yourselves men of war; but to the old inhabitants of Mansoul \u2013 the natives \u2013 show yourselves favorable, merciful, and meek. With this in mind, direct the fury of the frontline of battle against Diabolus and his men.\"\n\nWhen the day of battle arrived, the command was given. The Prince's men bravely put on their armor and weapons and headed into battle. (Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand firm against the wiles of the devil. \u2013 Ephesians 6:11) They followed the Prince's command and focused most of their strength and energy against Ear-gate and Eye-gate. Word spread, \"Mansoul is won!\" and so they made their assault upon the town.\n\nDiabolus responded to the Prince's arm as quickly as possible, placing the main power of his high lords and chief captains to resist from within Mansoul. For a time, they fought cruelly against the Prince's army.\n\nBut after three or four remarkable charges by the Prince and His noble captains, Ear-gate was broken open. The bars and bolts, which had once worked to secure the town against the Prince, broke into a thousand pieces. The Prince's trumpets sounded, the captains shouted, and the town shook. Diabolus retreated to his hold.\n\nBut when the Prince's forces broke the gate open, He made His way to the castle and set His throne up in it. Then He set His standard on a nearby mountain where His men had set up the mighty slings. The mountain was close to Ear-gate and was called Mount Hear-Well. The Prince stayed there because it was close to the gate. The Prince commanded the golden slings be put in motion against the town, especially against the castle, because Diabolus had retreated there for shelter.\n\nNow, from Ear-gate, the street stretched straight to the house of Mr. Recorder who spoke out with the voice of God against the sin of Mansoul before Diabolus took the town. Near his house stood the castle, which Diabolus had turned into his troublesome den for a long time. For this reason, the captains used their slings to empty that street and clear the way to the heart of the town.\n\nWith this accomplished, the Prince commanded Captain Boanerges, Captain Conviction, and Captain Judgment to march into Mansoul and up that street to the old gentleman's gate. They marched forward into the town of Mansoul in a most warlike advancement with flying colors. They came to the Recorder's house, which was almost as strong as the castle, and they brought battering rams to plant against the castle gates.\n\nWhen they came to the house of Mr. Conscience, they knocked and demanded entrance. Now, the old gentleman didn't understand their plan at this point, so he kept his gates shut during the entire fight.\n\nBoanerges once again demanded to be let in at his gates, and when no one answered, he struck the gates with the head of a battering ram. It hit with such force that the house trembled and tottered and the old gentleman shook. All this commotion brought Mr. Recorder down to the gates, where he asked with quivering lips, \"Who's there?\"\n\nBoanerges answered, \"We are captains and commanders of the great Shaddai and of the blessed Emmanuel, His Son. We require possession of your house for the use of our noble Prince.\" With that, the battering ram struck the gate a second time, which made the old gentleman tremble even more. He didn't dare ignore the order but quickly opened the gate.\n\nThe King's three brave captains marched through the gates and into the Recorder's house. It turned out to be a suitable place for Emmanuel, not only because it was near to the castle and strong, but also because it was large and it faced the den where Diabolus hid, and he was too afraid to come out of his fortress.\n\nWith such a thunderous start, Mr. Recorder was unsure how all this would end, because he didn't know or understand enough to make a sound judgment. For this reason, the captains carefully explained Emmanuel's great plans. (For he is our peace, who of both has made one, breaking down the middle wall of separation, abolishing in his flesh the enmity, which was the law of commandments in the order of rites, to edify in himself the two in one new man, making peace, and to reconcile both with God by the cross in one body, having slain the enmity thereby. \u2013 Ephesians 2:14-16)\n\nWord spread throughout the town about how the Recorder's house had been taken over and his rooms seized. His house became the command post of the war, and as soon as it was spoken of openly, the Recorder shared the news with his friends. The frustration of these affairs was that the Recorder was afraid. He trembled with fear, even though the captains explained the plan to him. So, like a snowball rolling in the snow a little at a time, it didn't take long for his jitters to spread. Soon the whole town understood the Prince held Mansoul by lawful title, and they must expect nothing from the Prince but destruction.\n\nMany came to see for themselves what was going on. But when they saw the captains in the house with their own eyes, and the commotion caused by their battering rams pounding at the castle gates, they too were riveted with fear and stood amazed and perplexed by it all. Unfortunately, Mr. Recorder added to all this because whenever someone talked with him about what was happening, all he could talk about was the death and destruction ready to be served to Mansoul.\n\nThe old gentleman said, \"You're all sensible and discerning. It's clear that we all once despised the now-victorious and glorious Prince Emmanuel, and we betrayed Him. We're all traitors! But now, as you can see, He not only endeavors to gain possession of Mansoul but has also forced His way in at our gates. Diabolus flees before Him! The Prince has made my house a fortification against the castle where Diabolus hides.\"\n\nMr. Recorder wrung his hands. \"I, for my part, have transgressed greatly.\" (We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly, and we have been rebels, and we have departed from thy commandments and from thy judgments. \u2013 Daniel 9:5) He let out a deep sigh. \"For the one who is innocent, it is fine for him. But I confess I have sinned greatly by keeping silent when I should have spoken, and by perverting justice when I should have put it into effect.\n\n\"True, I suffered somewhat at the hand of Diabolus for taking part in the laws of King Shaddai.\" He glanced at the ground and shook his head. \"Unfortunately, what good will that do now? Can that make up for my disloyalties and the rebellions I've committed and the way I've permitted the town of Mansoul to follow the ways of Diabolus without opposition?\"\n\nThe loud sound of the battering rams almost drowned out his voice. He placed his hands over his ears and said, \"With such a dreadful and angry beginning as this, I shudder to think how all this will end.\"\n\nNow, while these brave captains were busy in the house of the old Recorder, Captain Execution was just as busy elsewhere in the town. His task was to secure the back streets and walls surrounding the town. He also hunted the Lord Willbewill and didn't permit him a moment's rest. He pursued him hard and even killed three of his officers, slaughtered many who were brave and strong among his soldiers, and wounded numerous others who vigorously pursued business for Diabolus. This caused Willbewill's remaining followers to be driven from him. In fact, even Willbewill himself was ready to thrust his head into a hole to hide.\n\nThe three officers cut down by this mighty warrior included old Mr. Prejudice who had his head cracked during the mutiny. Lord Willbewill had placed him as keeper of Ear-gate, and this is where he fell by the hand of Captain Execution. The second officer to fall by the hand of the captain was one Mr. Backward-to-all-but-naught who was the captain of the two guns that once were mounted on the top of Ear-gate. Besides these two, a vile man by the name of Captain Treacherous was the third. Willbewill placed a great deal of confidence in this man, but Captain Execution cut him down just the same as the rest. All these who were slain were Diabolians, but among the natives of Mansoul, not a single soul was hurt.\n\nOther feats of war were performed by Captain Good-Hope and Captain Charity, as they executed the charge at the Eye-gate. With his own hands, Captain Good-Hope slew Captain Blindfold, the keeper of that gate. This Blindfold was captain of a thousand who fought with claws. Captain Good-Hope not only killed this Blindfold but also pursued and slew countless numbers of his men and wounded even more. The rest of them hid their heads blindly in corners.\n\nMr. Ill-Pause stood at that gate. I mentioned him before \u2013 an old man with a beard that reached to his belt. This is the same man who served as orator to Diabolus and bore much responsibility for a great amount of the trouble in the town of Mansoul. But after the charge on Eye-gate, he would no longer trouble Mansoul, for he fell by the hand of Captain Good-Hope.\n\nIt's hard to describe the scene. Diabolians lay dead everywhere at this time, but too many still remained alive in Mansoul.\n\nNow, the old Recorder, the Lord Understanding, and others who knew they must stand and fall with the famous town of Mansoul came together and deliberated as to how to proceed. They agreed to draw up a petition to send to Emmanuel, while He sat in the gate of Mansoul.\n\nConscience and Understanding Draw up a Petition\n\nSo they drew up their petition to Emmanuel, and in it, the old inhabitants of the now-deplorable town of Mansoul confessed their sin, expressed their sorrow for offending His princely Majesty, and prayed He would spare their lives. (For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. Therefore I will declare my iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. \u2013 Psalm 38:17-18) Once finished, they sent it off to the Prince, but to their dismay He returned no answer, and that troubled them even more.\n\nAll the while, the captains in the Recorder's house were employing the battering rams at the gates of the castle to beat them down. After much time, hard work, and effort, the castle's gate Impregnable was beaten open. It splintered and broke into several pieces, making a way into the hold where Diabolus hid himself.\n\nNews of this accomplishment was sent to Emmanuel at Ear-gate to let Him know they'd made a way in at the gates of the castle of Mansoul. After receiving this news, trumpets sounded throughout the Prince's camp, because the war was near an end, and Mansoul itself was about to be set free.\n\nThe Prince arose and gathered some of His fittest men of war for this mission. He marched up the street of Mansoul, dressed in His armor of gold with His standard displayed before Him. As He marched to the old Recorder's house, the townsfolk came out at every door to see Him. While they couldn't help but be taken with the glory of His person, His countenance remained reserved as He went. By the look on His face, the people couldn't determine if it meant love or hatred, and they wondered at the reserved nature of His countenance, for up to this point He spoke more by His actions and deeds than by words or smiles.\n\nBut poor Mansoul interpreted the way Emmanuel carried Himself much the same way Joseph's brothers had interpreted his behavior toward them \u2013 in quite a contrary way (which is apt to happen in such cases). (And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. \u2013 Genesis 50:15) For they thought, If Emmanuel loved us, He would show it by what He says and how He behaves toward us, but He does none of these. As a result, they determined Emmanuel hated them. With this mistaken notion, they thought, If Emmanuel hates us, then Mansoul shall be slain and become nothing but a heap of rubbish.\n\nThey knew they had transgressed His Father's Law and had been against Him with Diabolus, His enemy. They also were aware that Prince Emmanuel knew all this, for they were convinced He was an angel of God who knew all things done on the earth. (But my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know that which is done in the earth. \u2013 2 Samuel 14:20) And being aware of all this made them think their condition was miserable and that the good Prince would make them destitute and uninhabited. They thought, There isn't a more suitable time to do this than now, when He has the bridle of Mansoul in His hand.\n\nAnd as I watched this take place, the inhabitants cringed, bowed, bent, and were ready to lick the dust off His feet when they saw Him march through the town. They couldn't help themselves, for they wished a thousand times over that He would become their Prince and Captain \u2013 their protection.\n\nThey turned to one another, talking about how He looked and how His glory and valor was far above other great ones in the world. (God, ... has in these last times spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the ages; who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his substance and upholding all things by the word of his power. \u2013 Hebrews 1:1a, 2-3) But even as the words fell from their lips, the thoughts of these poor hearts vacillated from one extreme to another until Mansoul became like a tossed ball rolling before the whirlwind. (For he that doubts is like the wave of the sea which is driven of the wind and is tossed from one side to another. \u2013 James 1:6)\n\nNow, when He arrived at the castle gates, He commanded Diabolus to appear and to surrender himself into His hands. But oh, how unwilling the beast was to appear! He fell and cringed! But he was forced to come out to the Prince. Emmanuel issued the command, and they grasped Diabolus and bound him in chains to hold him for the judgment He had predetermined for him. But Diabolus stood to make an earnest appeal for himself, asking Emmanuel not to send him into the deep but to allow him to depart out of Mansoul in peace.\n\nDiabolus Overthrown\n\nEmmanuel took him bound in chains and led him into the marketplace. There, before Mansoul, He stripped the giant of his armor in which he had boasted so much. This was one act of triumph of Emmanuel over His enemy. While Diabolus was being stripped of his armor, the trumpets of the golden Prince sounded, the captains shouted, and the soldiers sang for joy.\n\nMansoul was called to witness the beginning of Emmanuel's triumph over the one in whom they'd trusted so much \u2013 the very one in which they'd boasted in the days when he flattered them.\n\nAfter stripping Diabolus of his garments in sight of Mansoul and before the commanders of the Prince, Emmanuel commanded that he be bound with chains to his chariot; then He rode through the entire town of Mansoul in triumph and out the gate called Eye-gate to the plain where His camp was set up.\n\nEmmanuel left behind some of His forces, including Captain Boanerges and Captain Conviction, to guard the castle gates in case any resistance might be made on the giant's behalf, or in case any who had followed Diabolus should attempt to possess Mansoul again.\n\nUnless you had been there, you can't imagine the celebratory noise that sprang forth in Emmanuel's camp. For a great shout went out when they saw the tyrant bound by the hand of their noble Prince and tied to his chariot!\n\nThey said, \"He has led His captive into captivity and rendered his power useless. Diabolus is subjected to the power of His sword and made the object of all derision.\" (But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contends with thee, and I will save thy sons. \u2013 Isaiah 49:25)\n\nAmong those gathered to see the battle stood those Diabolus had deprived of their command. When they saw the giant in chains, they shouted with a great voice and joined the others in song. They sang with such melodious notes that they caused those who lived in the celestial orbs to open their windows and look to see the cause of that glory.\n\nMany of the townsmen also saw this sight. For them, it felt surreal, like they were between earth and the heavens. They had no idea what the ultimate result would be for them, but all things were done in such an excellent manner, it seemed like a smile was cast towards the town. As a result, their eyes, heads, hearts, minds, and all they had were captivated while they observed Emmanuel's order. (O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he has done marvellous things; his right hand has gotten him the victory, even the arm of his holiness. The LORD has made known his saving health; he has openly showed his righteousness. \u2013 Psalm 98:1-2)\n\nSo the brave Prince finished this part of His triumph over His foe Diabolus, and in the midst of all those watching, He informed the giant of his contempt and shame and issued an order that he no longer be a possessor of Mansoul. Then Diabolus went out from Emmanuel and out of the midst of His camp to inherit the parched places in a salt land, seeking rest, but finding none. (When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return unto my house from which I came out. \u2013 Luke 11:24)\n\nNow, Captain Boanerges and Captain Conviction were men of great dignity. Their faces were like the faces of lions, their words like the roaring of the sea, and they continued to stay in Mr. Conscience's house.\n\nWhen the exalted, mighty Prince finished His triumph over Diabolus to this point, the townsmen had the freedom to pay attention to what these noble captains were doing. But in all they did, the captains conveyed an awful majesty calculated to impress with terror and dread, and you can be sure they received private instructions to carry out. As a result, they held the town under continual heartache, and with the Mansoulians' uneasiness of mind, this all worked to cause the future well-being of Mansoul to hang in doubt, for they didn't know what rest, ease, peace, or hope meant for a considerable time. (Let us therefore make hast to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. \u2013 Hebrews 4:11)\n\nThe Prince Himself didn't dwell in the town of Mansoul. He stayed in His royal pavilion within the camp in the midst of His Father's forces. At a suitable time, He sent orders to Captain Boanerges to call all of the townsmen of Mansoul into the castle yard. Then, right before their faces, He ordered Lord Understanding, Mr. Conscience, and the notable Lord Willbewill to be taken into custody and placed under strong guard, until His intentions concerning them were made known.\n\nWhen the captains acted upon these orders, the town of Mansoul grew more fearful, for to their way of thinking, all of this confirmed their former fears of the ruin of Mansoul. They thought about the three men placed under guard and wondered by what manner of death they would die and how much they would suffer in the process. What most bewildered their minds and hearts was the fear that Emmanuel would command them all into the deep, the place the prince Diabolus was afraid of. They knew they deserved it.\n\nIt troubled and grieved them to think they could die by the sword in the sight of the town and they could be disgraced by the hand of such a good and holy Prince. The town also worried for the men placed under guard, for they were their support and guides. They believed, if those men were put to death, their execution would be only the beginning of the ruin of the town of Mansoul.\n\nChapter 13\n\nPetitions from Prison\n\nTherefore, they met with the men in prison, drew up a petition to the Prince, and sent it to Emmanuel by the hand of Mr. Would-Live. This is the sum of what it said:\n\n\"Great and wonderful Prince, victor over Diabolus and conqueror of the town of Mansoul, we, the miserable inhabitants of that most wretched town, humbly beg compassion in Your sight and ask that You forget our former transgressions. Please don't hold them against us. We ask that You forget the sins of the leading men of our town. Spare us according to the greatness of Your mercy. (Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we are exceedingly weary of being held in contempt. \u2013 Psalm 123:3) Don't let us die but rather let us live in Your sight, for we are willing to be Your servants, and if You think suitable, to gather our food under Your table. Amen.\"\n\nSo the petitioner carried this petition to the Prince, and the Prince took it from his hand but sent him away without an answer. This troubled Mansoul with further grief and distress as they considered what else they could do. It left them with two choices: They could either petition or die. They talked it over again and decided to send a second petition, which, when written, was similar in form and approach to the first. But when they finished drawing up this petition they asked, \"By whom should we send it?\"\n\nThey decided they wouldn't send it by the hand of Would-Live who carried the first petition, because they thought perhaps the Prince had taken some offense at the manner in which he had conducted himself. So they asked Captain Conviction to be their messenger, but to their dismay he declined.\n\n\"I wouldn't dare petition Emmanuel for traitors,\" he said, \"for I refuse to be an advocate for rebels to the Prince. Yet, our Prince is good, and you may venture to send it by the hand of one from your town, provided he goes humbly with a rope about his head and pleads nothing but mercy.\" (Then his slaves said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings; let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins and ropes upon our heads and go out to the king of Israel; peradventure he will give thee thy life. \u2013 1 Kings 20:31)\n\nBecause the Mansoulians were afraid, they delayed sending the petition for as long as they could. They tried to convince themselves that longer delays were good. Finally, fearing the danger procrastination presented, many lost strength and courage and thought it best to send their petition by Mr. Desires-Awake. He lived in a humble cottage in Mansoul, and he came at his neighbor's request. They explained to him what they had done, what they planned to do about petitioning the Prince, and concluded by telling him they desired him to carry their petition to Emmanuel.\n\nDesires-Awake nodded. \"Why shouldn't I do the best I can to save so famous a town as Mansoul from deserved destruction?\"\n\nUpon hearing of his willingness, they eagerly handed him the petition and instructed him regarding how to deliver it, what to say to the Prince, and wished him safe journey and farewell.\n\nDesires-Awake carried the petition to Emmanuel, and upon his arrival, the Prince came out to the man. When Desires-Awake saw the Prince, he fell flat with his face to the ground and cried out, \"Oh, that Mansoul might live before You!\" He lay at His feet, crying, and stretched out his hand to present the petition. The Prince accepted it from his hand and read it. Then He turned away and wept. After He gathered Himself, He turned toward the man, who lay crying at His feet, and said to him, \"Go to your place, and I will consider your requests.\"\n\nWhile this transpired, the Mansoulians who sent him struggled with guilt mingled with fear that their petition would be rejected. (O God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my guiltiness is not hid from thee. \u2013 Psalm 69:5) They kept watching for Desires-Awake's return, and as they waited, unfamiliar workings of the heart took place within them; they wondered what would become of their petition. At last they saw their messenger returning. When he came into their midst, they gathered around and asked him how he fared. \"What did Emmanuel say?\" one asked, while another said, \"What became of the petition?\"\n\nHe raised his hands and said, \"I will not talk about it until I go to the prison to see Lord Mayor, Lord Willbewill, and Mr. Recorder.\" Then he headed straight towards the prison house where these men of Mansoul lay bound. But he didn't go alone! A multitude flocked after him to hear what he would say.\n\nWhen he showed himself at the gate of the prison, Lord Mayor Understanding turned as pale as a piece of white linen. The Recorder, Mr. Conscience, trembled, but they asked, \"Good sir, tell us what the great Prince said to you.\"\n\nDesires-Awake approached and said, \"When I came to my Lord's pavilion, I called and He came out to meet me. I fell prostrate at His feet and delivered the petition to Him. The greatness of His person and the glory of His countenance wouldn't allow me to stand. (And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. \u2013 1 Kings 8:11) As He received the petition from my hand, I cried out, 'Oh, that Mansoul might live before You!'\n\n\"He read the petition for a time and turned away from me. Finally, He said, 'Go to your place, and I will consider your requests.'\n\n\"Let me say, the Prince to whom you sent me is beautiful and glorious, and whoever sees Him must both love and fear Him. (And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. \u2013 John 1:14) For my part, I can do no less, but I don't know what the end of these things will be.\"\n\nWhen they heard this answer, all those in the prison and those who followed the messenger to the prison stood wondering how to interpret what the Prince had said.\n\nWhen most of the crowd cleared from the prison, the prisoners talked among themselves about Emmanuel's words. Lord Mayor Understanding said, \"The answer does not appear to be harsh.\"\n\nWillbewill shook his head slowly and said, \"It foreshadows evil.\"\n\nThe Recorder looked from one to the other and said, \"It is a messenger of death.\"\n\nNow, a remnant of those who lingered behind at the prison couldn't entirely hear what the prisoners said, but they caught a piece of a sentence here and there. They took hold of what they thought the messenger said and some of the prisoners' judgments regarding the message. No one had the right understanding of the message, and it caused quite a stir. You can't begin to imagine the agitated thinking it brought about or the confusion which arose in Mansoul. They didn't know what to think, as they were tossed from one side to another.\n\nThose who overheard what was said rushed about the town, repeating mixed messages regarding what they thought they'd heard. One announced one thing and another quite the opposite. Yet both were sure they spoke the truth. \"I heard it with my own ears,\" they all said and therefore thought they could not be mistaken. One said, \"We must all be killed,\" while another said, \"We must all be saved.\" A third said the Prince wasn't concerned with Mansoul in the least, and a fourth said that the prisoners must be put to death.\n\nEvery one of these stood firm, believing he declared the account of what was spoken in its truest form, and all others were in error. With such conflicting information being disseminated throughout the town, annoyances and disturbances grew more common within Mansoul. It reached the point that if someone heard his neighbor tell his tale as he was walking by, he'd stop and tell a conflicting view. To make it more confusing, both stood firm that what was said was the truth, so no man knew where to stand on the matter or what to think. Some said the Prince intended to put Mansoul to the sword. With poor Mansoul shrouded in confusion, daylight faded, and as it began to grow dark, it left the town bewildered all that night until the morning.\n\nAs far as I could gather from the best information I could get, all this hubbub came when the Recorder, Mr. Conscience, told them that in his judgment the Prince's answer was a messenger of death. It was this statement that fired up the town and instilled fear in Mansoul. In former times, Mansoul considered the Recorder a seer and thought his pronouncements equal to the best orators. It was for this reason Mansoul became a terror to itself. And at this time they began to feel the effects of stubborn rebellion and unlawful resistance against their Prince. (Woe to the sons that leave, saith the LORD, to make counsel, but not of me; to cover themselves with a covering, and not by my spirit, adding sin unto sin! \u2013 Isaiah 30:1)\n\nWhat I mean by this is they began to feel guilt and fear, so much that it swallowed them up. Some were more immersed in the guilt than the fear, but among those who were most fearful were the important heads of the town of Mansoul.\n\nIn brief, when a public report said sudden, violent fear was outside the town, the prisoners recovered a little and took heart. They decided to petition the Prince for life again and drew up a third petition. This is what it said:\n\n\"Prince Emmanuel the Great, Lord of all worlds and Master of mercy, we, Your poor, wretched, miserable, dying town of Mansoul confess to Your great and glorious Majesty that we have sinned against Your Father and You. We are not worthy to be called Your Mansoul but rather deserve to be cast into the pit. If You slay us, it is because we have deserved it. If You condemn us to the deep, we can only say, You are righteous. We cannot complain about whatever You do or however You choose to display Your judgment towards us. But oh, let mercy reign and let it be extended to us! Let mercy take hold of us and free us from our transgressions, and we will sing of Your mercy and of Your judgment. Amen.\" (For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations. I will sing of mercy and judgment; unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. \u2013 Psalm 100:5; 101:1)\n\nThis petition was drawn up to be sent to the Prince just like the first, but once again they had to decide who should carry it. This question generated a good deal of discussion. Some said, \"Let Would-Live deliver it, because he carried the first petition.\" However, others didn't think him a good choice.\n\nNow, there was an old man in the town, and his name was Mr. Good-Deed. While he bore this name, it had nothing to do with the nature of who he was. While some were in favor of sending him, the Recorder was against the idea. He said, \"At this time we stand in need of and are pleading for mercy. To send our petition by a man of this name seems to stand in opposition to the petition itself. Do you really think we should make Good-Deed our messenger, when our petition cries for mercy?\"\n\nThe old gentleman paused to let his words sink in. \"If the Prince receives the petition and asks him, 'What is your name?' and he answers, 'Old Good-Deed,' what do you think Emmanuel would say but, 'Truly is old Good-Deed still alive in Mansoul? Then let old Good-Deed save you from your distresses.' And if that is what He says, I am sure we are lost, for not a thousand old Good-Deeds can save Mansoul.\" (Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. \u2013 Titus 3:5)\n\nAfter the Recorder presented his reasons for why old Good-Deed shouldn't carry this petition to Emmanuel, the rest of the prisoners and important heads of Mansoul opposed the idea as well. So old Good-Deed was removed from consideration, and they agreed to send Desires-Awake again. Therefore, they sent for him and asked if he would be willing to carry their petition to the Prince a second time, and he accepted the task. Once he did, they cautioned him to be careful not to offend the Prince in any manner by word or deed. \"Because for all we know, by doing so, you may bring Mansoul to total destruction.\"\n\nNow when Desires-Awake accepted this errand, he requested that his nearby neighbor Mr. Wet-Eyes might go with him. He was a poor man with a broken spirit but one who could speak well to a petition, so they granted that he could go with him. (The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. \u2013 Psalm 51:17) Therefore, as the two men tackled the business before them, Mr. Desires-Awake put a rope upon his head to show his life was at Emmanuel's disposal, and Mr. Wet-Eyes wrung his hands as he went. So in this way they arrived at the Prince's pavilion carrying a petition this third time. As they approached, they couldn't help but think they might be a burden to the Prince coming so often, so when they arrived at the door of His pavilion, the first thing they did was to make an apology for troubling Emmanuel so often.\n\n\"We come here today not to be troublesome or to hear ourselves talk, but necessity brings us before His Majesty, for we can find no rest day or night because of our transgressions against Shaddai and against Emmanuel, His Son.\"\n\nThey also thought perhaps some improper conduct on the part of Mr. Desires-Awake on his last visit might have displeased His Highness in some way that caused him to return empty-handed and without good will from so merciful a Prince. After they made their apology, Mr. Desires-Awake cast himself prostrate on the ground at the feet of the mighty Prince, just as he had on his first visit. He said, \"Oh, that Mansoul might live before You!\" Then he stretched out his hand and delivered his petition.\n\nThe Prince read the petition, and filled with emotion, turned aside for a time. When He collected Himself, He returned to the petitioner who lay upon the ground. \"What is your name?\" He asked. \"And why have you been chosen for this errand above all the multitude in Mansoul?\"\n\nThe man kept his face toward the ground as he pleaded with the Prince. \"Oh, my Lord, please don't be angry. Why do You ask my name? I am nothing but a dead one. I implore You to take no notice of me. You know there is a great disparity between me and You. Why the townsmen chose to send me on this errand to my Lord only they know, but it can't be because they thought I had favor in your sight.\n\n\"As for me, I cannot judge myself favorably, so who can love me then? Yet I wish to live and desire that my townsmen live, because we are all guilty of great transgressions. (For all have sinned and are made destitute of the glory of God. \u2013 Romans 3:23) Therefore, they have sent me, and I have come in their names to beg my Lord for mercy. May it please You to lean toward mercy but not to ask what Your servants are.\" (Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellions; according to thy mercy remember me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD. \u2013 Psalm 25:7)\n\nThen the Prince asked, \"And who is this companion who has accompanied you in this important matter?\"\n\n\"He is a poor neighbor and one of my closest friends. His name, may it please Your most excellent Majesty, is Wet-Eyes of the town of Mansoul. I know many who bear that name who are of no use, but I hope it will not offend You, Lord, that I have brought my poor neighbor with me.\"\n\nAt this exchange, Wet-Eyes fell with his face to the ground and apologized for coming with his neighbor to his Lord. \"O my Lord,\" he said. \"What I am myself I don't know, nor whether my name is a pretense or true, especially when I begin to think what some have said, such as that this name was given to me because Mr. Repentance was my father.\n\n\"Good men can have bad children, and the sincere oftentimes produce hypocrites. My mother also called me by this name from the cradle, but whether because of the tears of my affections or because of the softness of my heart, I can't say. (Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. \u2013 James 4:10)\n\n\"Even in my tears I see dirt,\" he sobbed, \"and filthiness in the foundation of my prayers.\" The old gentleman's voice shuddered as he wept and wept. \"But,\" he said, \"I pray You won't remember our transgressions and hold them against us nor take offense at our lack of qualifications. Rather, I pray You will mercifully pass by the sin of Mansoul and no longer hold back from the glorifying of Your grace.\" (Who is a God like unto thee that pardons iniquity, and passes over the rebellion with the remnant of his heritage? He did not retain his anger for ever because he delights in mercy. \u2013 Micah 7:18)\n\nThe Prince bid the two men to stand. As they did, their knees shook, and they trembled before Him. He said, \"The town of Mansoul has rebelled against My Father. They rejected Him from being their King and chose instead a liar, a murderer, and a rebel slave for their captain. This false prince Diabolus, though once esteemed by you, rebelled against My Father and Me, even in Our palace and highest court there. He thought to become a prince and king. But after being there for a sufficient time, he was discovered and apprehended. For his wickedness he was bound in chains and thrown into the pit with his companions.\" (And he laid hold on the dragon, the serpent of old, which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon it. \u2013 Revelation 20:2-3a)\n\nSadness filled the Prince's face. \"He offered himself to you, and you received him.\" Righteous anger flashed in His eyes. \"This openly defiant action against My Father has gone on for a long time. Therefore, My Father sent a powerful army to lead you to obedience. But you did not value these men, their captains, or their instructions. You know how you responded to them. You rebelled. You shut your gates to them. (For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted, and I should heal them. \u2013 Matthew 13:15) In fact, you challenged them in battle. You fought for Diabolus against those sent by My Father. So they sent a request to My Father asking for more power, and My men and I have come to subdue you. But as you treated the servants, so you have treated their Lord. (And the husbandmen took his slaves and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other slaves more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. \u2013 Matthew 21:35-37)\n\n\"You stood against Me with hostility, shut your gates against Me, and turned a deaf ear to Me. You resisted for as long as you could, but now I have made a conquest of you. As long as you had hope that you might prevail against Me, did you cry for mercy from Me? No. But now that I have taken the town, you cry out. Why didn't you ask for mercy when I flew the white flag of My mercy, the red flag of justice, and the black flag that threatened execution? They were set in place to officially call you to My mercy. Now I have conquered Diabolus, and you come to Me for favor, but why didn't you help Me against the mighty? Yet I will consider your petition and will answer it for My glory.\" (It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed because his mercies never diminish. They are new every morning. \u2013 Lamentations 3:22-23a)\n\nChapter 14\n\nPrisoners Set Free\n\nGo, tell Captain Boanerges and Captain Conviction to bring the prisoners to Me tomorrow, and tell Captain Judgment and Captain Execution to stay in the castle and keep things quiet in Mansoul until they hear further from Me.\"\n\nAfter He said these things, He turned and walked into His royal pavilion. So the petitioners turned to go back to their companions in Mansoul with the answer they had received from the Prince. They hadn't gone far when they began to worry that the Prince wasn't ready to show mercy to Mansoul yet. When they finally arrived at the gates of the town, they were met by townsmen awaiting their return. Many surrounded them, asking, \"What news from the Prince? What did Emmanuel say regarding our petition?\"\n\nOnce again, they said, \"We must first go up to the prison to deliver our message.\" The crowd followed at their heels as they went to the prison, and on the way, their worrisome thoughts gained such strong power over them that by the time they arrived to where the prisoners lay bound, they were so concerned about what would become of Mansoul they were hardly able to deliver their message.\n\nAt the gates of the prison, they delivered the first part of Emmanuel's speech to the prisoners. They told how He reflected upon their disloyalty to His Father and Himself. \"He talked about how you chose to side with Diabolus and ended up fighting for him. He said you despised Him and His men, while you obeyed Diabolus and were ruled by him.\"\n\nUpon hearing this, the prisoners grew pale, but the messengers pressed on. \"The Prince said that in spite of all this, He will still consider your petition and give an answer in keeping with His glory.\" As these words were spoken, Wet-Eyes heaved a great sigh, and the spirits of all who were listening fell. Fear controlled them in an incredible way, and death seemed to stare them in the face. They all stood there mute, for not one of them knew what to say.\n\nNow, within the crowd was a notable, clever fellow who lived in impoverished circumstances. His name was old Inquisitive, and he asked the petitioners, \"Have you told us every bit of what Emmanuel said?\"\n\n\"Truthfully, no,\" they admitted.\n\nInquisitive nodded. \"I thought so. Please tell us what else He said unto you.\"\n\nDesires-Awake and Wet-eyes paused and considered how to answer. At last, they decided to share the entire message, which was, \"The Prince told us to request that Captain Boanerges and Captain Conviction bring the prisoners down to Him tomorrow. He also said Captain Judgment and Captain Execution should take charge of the castle and town until they hear further from Him.\"\n\nThe crowd listened while the two finished telling how once the Prince had commanded them what to do, He turned His back to them and went into His royal pavilion. The return of these two men and the last part of the message that the prisoners be brought to the Prince's camp shattered the people's vigor. They cried out with one voice that reached up to the heavens.\n\nAfter this, the Recorder said, \"This was the thing I feared,\" and each of the three prisoners prepared himself to die, for they thought by the time the sun went down the next day, they would be dead. The whole town looked on and felt much the same way, thinking that in due time they would all be forced to face the same fate.\n\nTherefore, the town of Mansoul spent that night in mourning, wearing sackcloth and ashes. (And I turned my face unto the Lord God, seeking him in prayer and supplication, in fasting and sackcloth, and ashes. \u2013 Daniel 9:3) When the time came for the prisoners to go before the Prince, they too dressed in mourning attire with ropes upon their heads to signify that they humbly placed themselves at the Prince's disposal. When the three prisoners exited the gates, the whole town of Mansoul, except for the busybodies, stood upon the wall, all dressed in mourning garments, thinking perhaps the Prince might see them and be moved with compassion.\n\nThe Repentance of Mansoul\n\nHowever, the busybodies in the town of Mansoul didn't concern themselves with any of this. They ran in a disorderly manner through the streets, scuttling here and there through the town in groups, crying out as they ran. Some would say one thing, while others blathered on about things quite contrary, and all this drivel nearly led Mansoul to complete distraction.\n\nThe time arrived for the prisoners to go down to the camp and appear before the Prince. Captain Boanerges accompanied them with a guard walking before them, while Captain Conviction walked behind them. The guard marched with colors flying in front of and behind the prisoners who walked bound in chains between them.\n\nThe prisoners strode down toward the camp in mourning and with drooping spirits. As they walked, they humbly struck their breasts, beating at the gates of their inner world and not daring to lift their eyes to heaven. (The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honour is humility. \u2013 Proverbs 15:33) In this manner, they strode out the gate of Mansoul, until they reached the Prince's camp. They soon found themselves standing in the midst of the Prince's army, the sight and glory of which heightened their grief and distress. They could no longer hold back, but cried out for all to hear, \"O wretched men of Mansoul!\" The clinking and clanking of their chains mixed doleful notes with the cries of the prisoners and created an even more mournful cacophony.\n\nWhen the prisoners were delivered to the door of the Prince's pavilion, they fell prostrate upon the ground. One of the men went in and told his Lord the prisoners had arrived; when He heard it, the Prince ascended a throne of state and ordered the prisoners be brought in.\n\nThe three bound prisoners were escorted to stand before the Prince. Once before Him, they trembled and covered their faces with shame, as they drew near to the throne. They threw themselves down before Him. (My flesh trembles for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments. \u2013 Psalm 119:120)\n\nThe Prisoners Before Emmanuel\n\nThe Prince said to Captain Boanerges, \"Tell the prisoners to stand.\"\n\nAnd so they stood quivering before Him, and He said, \"Are you the men who were formerly the servants of Shaddai?\"\n\n\"Y-y-yes, Lord, yes,\" they said.\n\n\"Are you the men who permitted yourselves to be corrupted and defiled by that abominable one, Diabolus?\"\n\nThey nodded and stared at the ground. \"We did more than permit it, Lord. We chose it with our own free will.\"\n\nThe Prince asked, \"Could you have been content in your slavery if you continued under his tyranny for as long as you lived?\"\n\nThe prisoners cast sideward glances at each other and admitted they could have. \"Yes, Lord, for his ways were pleasing to our human nature, and we grew separated from the better condition.\"\n\n\"And when I came up against this town of Mansoul,\" the Prince asked, \"did you eagerly wish that I might not have the victory over you?\"\n\n\"Yes, Lord.\"\n\nThe Prince gave them a moment to consider the gravity of their actions and asked, \"What punishment do you think you deserve at My hand for these and other high and mighty sins of yours?\"\n\n\"We deserve both death and the grave, Lord.\"\n\nHe asked again if they had anything to say for themselves as to why the sentence they confessed they deserved shouldn't be passed upon them.\n\n\"We can say nothing, Lord. You are just, and we have sinned.\"\n\nThen the golden-haired Prince asked, \"What is the purpose of those ropes on your heads?\"\n\nThe prisoners answered, \"These ropes signify that we put ourselves at the Prince's disposal. If it does not please You to extend mercy to us in Your sight, these ropes bind us so we may face the place of execution together.\"\n\n\"Do all the men in the town of Mansoul join you in this confession?\" (For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto saving health. \u2013 Romans 10:10)\n\n\"All the native Mansoulians do, Lord, but as for the Diabolians who came into our town when the tyrant gained possession of us, we can say nothing for them.\"\n\nThe Prince commanded a herald be called and ordered him to sound the trumpet and proclaim throughout the camp of Emmanuel that the Prince, the Son of Shaddai, had acquired a perfect conquest and victory over Mansoul in His Father's name and for His Father's glory. Then He instructed the prisoners to follow Him and say \"amen.\"\n\nThey did as He commanded, and music flowed from the heights above, filling the camp with a melodious harmony. The captains who were in the camp shouted, and the soldiers sang songs of triumph to the Prince. The colorful standards waved in the wind, and great joy filled the camp. The only thing lacking at this point was that the hearts of the men of Mansoul still needed to be reached.\n\nThe Prince called for the prisoners to come into His presence once more. Again, they stood before Him trembling, and He said, \"The sins, trespasses, and iniquities that you and the whole town of Mansoul have committed against my Father and Me over time, I have power and authority from my Father to forgive. And I do forgive you accordingly.\" (And you, being dead in sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. \u2013 Colossians 2:13)\n\nAnd having said this, He gave them a written parchment sealed with seven seals. It contained a broad, general pardon which He commanded the Lord Mayor, Lord Willbewill, and Mr. Recorder to proclaim, so that by sun-up the following day, the whole town of Mansoul would have heard it.\n\nFurthermore, the Prince stripped the prisoners of their mourning garments and dressed them in beauty instead of ashes; the oil of joy replaced mourning, and the garment of praise displaced the spirit of heaviness. (Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; to the end that I may sing glory unto thee and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. \u2013 Psalm 30:11-12)\n\nHe gave each of the three men jewels of gold and precious stones and took away their ropes. In their place, He put chains of gold about their necks and earrings in their ears. When the prisoners heard the gracious words of Prince Emmanuel and saw all that was done to them, they grew quite faint. For the grace, the benefit, and the sudden and glorious pardon felt so enormous they couldn't take it all in without staggering.\n\nIn fact, Lord Willbewill immediately swooned, but the Prince stepped over to him and placed His everlasting arms under him. He embraced him, kissed him, and said, \"Take courage and be bold, for all shall be performed according to My Word.\" He also kissed and embraced Willbewill's other two companions with a smile and said, \"Accept these as further tokens of My love, favor, and compassion toward you. And Mr. Recorder, I charge you to tell the town of Mansoul what you have heard and seen here today.\" (That which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, that ye also may have communion with us; and truly our communion is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. \u2013 1 John 1:3)\n\nThen their shackles broke to pieces and were thrown into the air, and their steps were enlarged under them. (Thou shall enlarge my steps under me, and my knees shall not tremble. \u2013 Psalm 18:36)\n\nThey fell before the Prince, kissed His feet, and wet them with their tears. As they did, they cried out in a strong voice, \"Blessed be the glory of the Lord!\"\n\n\"Rise, go to the town,\" the Prince said. \"Tell Mansoul what I have done.\" He commanded a flute and small drum play before them all the way into the town. Then what they had never looked for was accomplished for them. They now possessed something greater than they ever dreamed of. (Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ; according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in charity; having marked out beforehand the way for us to be adopted as sons by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he has made us accepted in the beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, which has over abounded in us in all wisdom and prudence. \u2013 Ephesians 1:3-8)\n\nThe Prince called for the noble Captain Credence and commanded that he and some of his officers should march before these noble men of Mansoul into the town with flying colors marking this victory. He charged Captain Credence to have the Recorder, Mr. Conscience, read the general pardon in the town of Mansoul at the very time he marched in at the Eye-gate with his ten thousands and flying colors.\n\nThe captain followed orders to continue through the town in this way, until he came to the high street of the town and reached the castle gates. Once there he was to take possession until his Lord arrived. He commanded Captain Judgment and Captain Execution to withdraw from Mansoul and return to the Prince in the camp, and leave the stronghold to him. In this way, the town of Mansoul was delivered from the terror of the first four captains and their men.\n\nRemember how I told you the prisoners enjoyed hospitality at the hand of the noble Prince Emmanuel and how they behaved before Him? And remember how He sent them home accompanied by flute and drum? After hearing all this, you might think those waiting in the town for news about the death of the prisoners would have been consumed by sad thoughts that pricked like thorns, but their thoughts actually became so distracted, they couldn't focus on any one thing. However, all this time great uncertainties buffeted them like a strong wind until their hearts became like a balance disturbed by a shaking hand.\n\nAfter many long looks over the wall of Mansoul, they thought they saw people returning to the town. They wondered who they could be, but as those approaching drew closer, the people of the town recognized the prisoners, but they looked changed. The sight surprised them and filled them with wonder \u2013 not just because the prisoners were being sent home, but even more because of the body of troops accompanying the prisoners with honor. They had gone down to the camp dressed in black but returned dressed in white. (He that overcomes shall likewise be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. \u2013 Revelation 3:5) They had worn ropes and came back wearing gold chains. When they left for the camp, their feet were shackled, but now they came back with their feet released and their steps unrestricted. They had gone to the camp, expecting death, but came back with the assurance of life. (Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts purified from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. \u2013 Hebrews 10:22) And they had gone to the camp with heavy hearts, but came back with the flute and drum playing before them.\n\nAs soon as they arrived at the Eye-gate, the depressed, unsteady town of Mansoul ventured to give a shout. In fact, they shouted loud enough it made the captains in the Prince's army jump at the sound. And who could blame the town for such a reaction? Their dead friends had come to life again, for to them it was like life from the dead to see the ancients of the town of Mansoul shine in such splendor. (I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. \u2013 Galatians 2:20) They had gone to the camp, expecting nothing but the axe and chopping block, but returned with joy and gladness, comfort and consolation, and accompanied by music able to make a sick man well.\n\nChapter 15\n\nEmmanuel Enters Mansoul\n\nWhen they came to the gate, the people greeted them with \"Welcome, welcome! Blessed be He who spared you!\" They gathered around wanting to know more. \"We see it is well with you, but what is to become of the town of Mansoul?\" And with hope mingled with uncertainty, they asked, \"Will it go well with the town of Mansoul?\"\n\nThe Recorder and Lord Mayor answered. \"Oh! We have news! Happy news! Good news of great joy to deliver to poor Mansoul!\" (Sing with joy unto the LORD, all the earth; lift up thy voice and rejoice and sing praises. \u2013 Psalm 98:4)\n\nThe townsfolk gave another resounding shout and inquired more about how things went in the camp. \"What message do you have from Emmanuel to the town?\" they asked.\n\nSo they told them all that had occurred while at the camp and everything the Prince said. At hearing the good news, Mansoul marveled at the wisdom and grace of Prince Emmanuel. (And all bore him witness and marvelled at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth. \u2013 Luke 4:22) Then the Recorder, Mr. Conscience, delivered the message he was to carry from the Prince for the whole town of Mansoul. \"Pardon, pardon, pardon for Mansoul! All Mansoul shall know pardon tomorrow!\" He went on to command them to summon Mansoul to meet the following day in the marketplace to hear the reading of their general pardon.\n\nYou can imagine how this changed things. This hint of promising things encouraged the Mansoulians and made a difference in their attitude. They were so filled with joy that no one could even sleep that night. Music streamed from every house, accompanied by sounds of singing, feasting, and laughter. Mansoul's happiness was all everyone talked about, and this was repeated in all their songs. \"Oh! More of this at the rising of the sun! More of this tomorrow!\" (Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning, for in thee do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee. \u2013 Psalm 143:8)\n\nConversations included statements like \"Yesterday, who thought this day would have turned out like this for us?\" and \"Who, after seeing our prisoners go down in irons to the camp, could have thought they would return wearing chains of gold?\" and \"They who reckoned themselves to be judged by their Judge were acquitted by His mouth, not because they were innocent but because of the Prince's mercy. He even sent them home, accompanied by flute and drum. Is this normally the custom of princes? No. They don't show such kind favor to traitors. Such actions are only attributed to Shaddai and Emmanuel, His Son!\"\n\nTime passed quickly and the sun dawned on the new day. The Lord Mayor Understanding, Willbewill, and Mr. Conscience the Recorder went to the marketplace at the time the Prince had appointed. They wore the robes the Prince had clothed them in the day before, and the street lit up with their glory. When they arrived at the marketplace, the townsfolk were waiting for them. The Mayor, Recorder, and Lord Willbewill moved to Mouth-gate at the lower end of the marketplace, because in times past, this was the place where public matters were read. So they came to that gate, dressed in their robes, with their drums beating before them. The people eagerly anticipated what they had to say, for they wanted to know the full sequence of things.\n\nThe Recorder stood up and motioned with his hand for silence. After the townsfolk quieted, Mr. Conscience read the pardon with a loud voice for all to hear. \"The Lord, the Lord God \u2013 Who is merciful and gracious, pardoning iniquity, transgressions, and sins \u2013 declares all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven.\" (Thou has forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all their sin. \u2013 Psalm 85:2)\n\nThe people couldn't hold back their gladness and jumped for joy. For you must know, every man's name in Mansoul was associated with the seals of the pardon, and it created a magnificent spectacle.\n\nWhen the Recorder finished reading the pardon, the townsmen ran upon the walls of the town and leaped and skipped for joy, before bowing seven times with their faces toward Emmanuel's pavilion. Then with one voice they shouted out, \"Let Emmanuel live forever!\" Following this, an order was given to the young men in Mansoul to ring the bells for joy, so the bells rang and the people sang. Music could be heard in every house in Mansoul.\n\nWhen the Prince had sent the three prisoners of Mansoul home with joy, accompanied by flute and drum, He had commanded His captains, field officers, and soldiers to be ready to promote His will after the Recorder read the pardon. (And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, with which they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their sins, with which they have sinned against me and with which they rebelled against me. \u2013 Jeremiah 33:8) So that morning, just as the Recorder finished reading the pardon, Emmanuel commanded all the trumpets in the camp to sound and the colors of victory to be flown. \"Display half of the flags upon Mount Gracious and the other half upon Mount Justice,\" He commanded.\n\nHe ordered all the captains to dress in their full armor and the soldiers to shout for joy. Even Captain Credence, who was in the castle, sounded the trumpet to Mansoul and the Prince's camp from the top of the fortified castle.\n\nIn this manner, Emmanuel recovered the town of Mansoul from the hand and power of the tyrant Diabolus. When He completed these outward ceremonies commemorating His joy, He commanded His captains and soldiers to exhibit to Mansoul feats of war. They directed their efforts to this task with great agility, nimbleness, dexterity, and bravery as these military men revealed their skill in feats of war before the gazing town of Mansoul.\n\nJoy in the Camp of Emmanuel\n\nThey marched, countermarched, performed maneuvers to the right and left, divided, subdivided, and closed ranks. Then they changed direction as they wheeled about and strengthened their front and rear positions with their right and left wings. They showcased many more tactics, and the hearts of Mansoul were overcome as they witnessed it. Plus, the skill with which they handled their arms and managed their weapons of war captivated Mansoul and me.\n\nWhen they finished performing these feats of war, the whole town of Mansoul came out as one man to the Prince in the camp. They thanked and praised Him for His abundant favor and begged Him to come into Mansoul with His men and take up residence forever. They did this in a most humble manner, bowing to the ground before Him seven times.\n\nThe Prince answered, \"All peace be to you.\" (Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. \u2013 John 14:27)\n\nSo the town came near, touched the top of His golden sceptre, and said, \"Oh, that Prince Emmanuel and His captains and men of war would live within Mansoul forever, and His battering rams and slings might remain within her for the use and service of the Prince to strengthen Mansoul. For we have room for You, Your men, Your weapons of war, and a place to store arms for Your conquest of the enemy.\n\n\"Do this, Emmanuel, and You shall be King and Captain in Mansoul forever. Govern us according to the desires of Your soul. Make governors and princes of Your captains and men of war under You. We will become Your servants and Your laws shall guide us.\"\n\nThen they asked the Prince to consider this: \"Now that You have bestowed all this grace upon us, Your miserable town of Mansoul, if You and Your captains should happen to withdraw, the town will die. For if You depart from us now, blessed Emmanuel, after You have done so much good for us and showed so much mercy to us, what will happen to us? It will be as if this joy we have now never happened, and our enemies will come upon us a second time with more rage than the first time.\n\n\"Therefore, we urgently ask You to accept this request. Come and live within our midst, and let us be Your people. You are the desire of our eyes and the strength and life of our poor town. (Whom have I in heaven but thee? And apart from thee there is nothing upon the earth that I desire. My flesh and my heart fail; the strength of my heart is that God is my portion for ever. \u2013 Psalm 73:25-26) Lord, we cannot be certain many Diabolians aren't still lurking within the town of Mansoul to this day and that they won't betray us. When You leave us, we'll fall into the hand of Diabolus again, and who knows what plans, plots, or devices they have shared since these things came about. We would hate to fall into his horrible hands again. Please, please accept our palace for Your place of residence and the houses of the best men in our town to receive Your soldiers and their equipment.\"\n\nThe Prince said, \"If I come to your town, will you allow Me to continue further endeavors to complete that which is in My heart against My enemies and yours? Will you help Me in such undertakings?\"\n\nThey answered, \"We don't know what we shall do! We never thought we would have been such traitors to Shaddai as we proved to be. Knowing this, what shall we say to our Lord? Let Him put no trust in His saints, but let the Prince dwell in our castle and make our town a fortress manned with His troops. Let Him set His noble captains and His warlike soldiers over us. Let Him conquer us with His love and overcome us with His grace. Surely, He shall be with us and help us just as He did that morning our pardon was read to us. We shall comply with this our Lord and with His ways and agree with His word against the mighty.\n\n\"Let us say just one more thing, and Your servants will be done and will trouble our Lord no more. We cannot know the depth of Your wisdom. Who could have thought the pleasing satisfaction we now enjoy could have come out of those bitter trials we experienced! But Lord, let light go before us and let love follow us. Take us by the hand and lead us by Your instruction. (For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake thou shalt lead me and guide me. Thou shalt pull me out of the net that they have laid in secret for me; for thou art my strength. Into thy hand shall I commit my spirit. \u2013 Psalm 31:3-5a) Continue forever with us so all things shall be brought to their greatest perfection for Your servants. Come to our Mansoul and do what pleases You. Or, Lord, come to our Mansoul, do what You will to keep us from sinning and make us serviceable to Your Majesty.\"\n\nThe Prince responded to the town of Mansoul. \"Go, return to your houses in peace. I will comply with your desires. Tomorrow I will move My royal pavilion and draw up My forces before Eye-gate. From there I will march into the town of Mansoul and take possession of your castle. I will set My soldiers over you and do things in Mansoul that cannot be paralleled in any nation, country, or kingdom under heaven.\" (And I will set my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. \u2013 Leviticus 26:11-12)\n\nThe men of Mansoul received the news with a great joyful shout and returned to their houses in peace. They told family and friends the good news that Emmanuel promised to Mansoul. \"And tomorrow He will march into our town and take up residence in Mansoul \u2013 He and His men.\"\n\nThen the inhabitants of the town of Mansoul hurried out and gathered boughs and flowers from the meadows and forests and spread them in the streets in preparation for receiving their Prince, the Son of Shaddai. They crafted garlands and other fine tokens to signify how joyful they were to receive Emmanuel into Mansoul.\n\nThey covered the street with flowers and boughs from Eye-gate to the castle gate where the Prince would enter. They prepared for His coming by practicing on their instruments, so they might play before Him on His way to the palace.\n\nThe appointed time finally arrived for the Prince to make His approach to Mansoul. The gates were opened to Him, and the ancients and elders of Mansoul greeted Him with a thousand welcomes. (Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. \u2013 Isaiah 35:5)\n\nEmmanuel arose and entered Mansoul with all His servants. The elders of Mansoul danced before Him until He came to the castle gates. He traveled up to the palace, riding in His royal chariot and dressed in His golden armor. Trumpets sounded all around Him, and the colors of victory flew in the breeze. His ten thousands went up at His feet, and the inhabitants of Mansoul lined the walls in order to view the approach of the blessed Prince and His royal army. They watched from large and small windows and crowded onto balconies and housetops, filling them with people of all sorts. Everyone gathered to see how their town was to be filled with good.\n\nThe Triumph of Emmanuel\n\nWhen the Prince came into the town, He rode as far as the Recorder's house. From there He sent a messenger to Captain Credence to learn whether the castle of Mansoul was ready to accommodate His royal presence. The messenger returned and reported the palace ready to receive the Prince, so Captain Credence was ordered to come meet the Prince.\n\nIn obedience, Captain Credence responded and conducted the Prince into the castle, and to the joy of Mansoul, the Prince stayed in the castle that night with His mighty captains and men of war.\n\nIn the meantime, the townsfolk concerned themselves with how the captains and soldiers of the Prince's army would be stationed among them. This nervousness wasn't related to denying them admission but rather how to accommodate them. Every man in Mansoul now held Emmanuel and His men in high esteem, and nothing grieved them more than the fact they weren't numerous enough to receive the whole army of the Prince. (Serve the LORD with gladness; come before his presence with joy. Know ye that the LORD he is God; it is he that has made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. \u2013 Psalm 100:2-3) They counted it an honor to wait upon them and in those days ran to do their bidding like servants.\n\nFinally, they came to this conclusion:\n\n  1. Captain Innocency would live at Mr. Reason's house.\n  2. Captain Patience would lodge at Mr. Mind's. This Mr. Mind was formerly Lord Willbewill's clerk at the time of the rebellion.\n  3. Captain Charity should be quartered at Mr. Affection's house.\n  4. Captain Good-Hope would stay at Lord Mayor's. Now, as for the house of the Recorder, because his house was next to the castle and he was ordered by the Prince to sound the alarm to Mansoul, if needed, he desired Captain Boanerges and Captain Conviction and all their men board with him.\n  5. As for Captain Judgment and Captain Execution, Lord Willbewill took them and their men in, because he was to rule under the Prince for the good of the town of Mansoul, as he had under the tyrant Diabolus, to the detriment of the town.\n  6. Emmanuel's forces were accommodated throughout the rest of the town, but Captain Credence and his men still lived in the castle. So the Prince, His captains, and His soldiers were all boarded within the town of Mansoul.\n\nChapter 16\n\nMansoul Made New\n\nThe ancients and elders of the town of Mansoul thought they couldn't have enough of Prince Emmanuel; His person, His actions, and His words were so pleasing and desirable to them. Even though the castle of Mansoul was His place of residence, they asked Him to reside there forever. As He visited the streets, houses, and people of Mansoul, they said, \"We look to You with fear united with respect, Sovereign. Your presence, looks, smiles, and Your words are the life, strength, and muscle of the town of Mansoul.\" (The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. \u2013 Psalm 12:6)\n\nThey craved continual access to Him, so they might experience right of entry without difficulty or interruption. Therefore, He commanded the gates stand open, so they could see all He did, the fortifications of the place, and the royal mansion house of the Prince.\n\nWhen He spoke, everyone stopped talking and listened to His words, and when He walked, they delighted in imitating everything He did.\n\nOn one occasion, Emmanuel scheduled a feast for the town of Mansoul. The townsfolk came to the castle to partake of His banquet. He entertained them sumptuously with all kinds of foreign food \u2013 food not grown in the fields of Mansoul. In fact, it wasn't from anywhere within the whole kingdom of Universe. It was food from His Father's court, and they were commanded to freely eat dish after dish set before them.\n\nHowever, when each fresh dish was set before them, they would whisper to one another, \"What is it?\" for they didn't know what to call it. (And when the sons of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna (What is it?): for they did not know what it was. Then Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. \u2013 Exodus 16:15) Music played all the while as they ate angels' food with honey given out of the rock. (And God would have fed them also the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock I would have satisfied thee. \u2013 Psalm 81:16) They drank water turned to wine and were merry with Him. So Mansoul ate their full of this peculiar food.\n\nI must not forget to tell you that the musicians at this table were not from the town of Mansoul or even of the country either. Instead, they were masters of the songs sung at the court of Shaddai.\n\nAfter the feast was over, Emmanuel entertained the town of Mansoul with riddles dealing with secrets drawn up by His Father's skill and wisdom. These riddles were related to King Shaddai Himself, Emmanuel, His Son, and His wars and actions with Mansoul.\n\nEmmanuel explained some of those riddles to them, and oh, they were enlightened! With His help, they saw what they never saw before. They never imagined such finds could be couched in so few ordinary words. And as I told you, these riddles concerned Shaddai, Emmanuel, and His dealings with Mansoul. As the meanings of the riddles were unlocked, the people agreed they were true. As their eyes were opened to these truths, they understood the things they learned were an illustration of Emmanuel Himself. For when they read how the riddles were written and how things connected and looked in the face of the Prince, the two very much resembled one another.\n\nMansoul couldn't help but say, \"This is the Lamb! This is the sacrifice! This is the rock! This is the red heifer! This is the door! And this is the way!\" and a great many other similar statements. (The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world \u2013 John 1:29; Jesus said unto him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes unto the Father, but by me. \u2013 John 14:6)\n\nEmmanuel dismissed the town of Mansoul, and you can imagine how the people were captivated with what they learned from their discussion! They were carried away with joy and overwhelmed with wonder. They saw, understood, and considered all Emmanuel had talked about with them, and the mysteries He opened to their understanding. And when they were back home in their houses and in their most secluded places, they couldn't help but sing about Him and all He'd done. The townsmen were now so taken with their Prince that they even sang of Him in their sleep.\n\nNow within His heart, Prince Emmanuel desired to remodel the town of Mansoul, make it most pleasing to Himself, and protect the now-flourishing town, so it might best move forward. He had such love for Mansoul that He made it ready against insurrections at home and invasions from outside the walls.\n\nHe commanded the great slings brought from His Father's court to be mounted \u2013 some on the castle's battlements and some on the new towers Emmanuel had built since His arrival. Emmanuel also invented a machine designed to throw stones from the castle of Mansoul out toward Mouth-gate. This effective machine didn't miss its mark. Even though it was so impressive, it went without a name but was committed to the care and management of the brave Captain Credence \u2013 to be used in the event of war.\n\nEmmanuel then called Lord Willbewill and commanded him to take care of the gates, the wall, and the towers in Mansoul. The Prince gave him control of the militia and a special order to \"resist all rebellion, disorder, or disturbances that might brew within Mansoul against the peace of our Lord the King and the peace and tranquility of the town of Mansoul.\" He was told that if he found any Diabolian lurking in any corner of Mansoul, he should apprehend them. \"You are to restrain them or consign them to safe custody, so they can be dealt with according to Law.\"\n\nThen he called the Lord Understanding to come to Him. If you remember, Lord Understanding was the old Lord Mayor before he was removed from office when Diabolus took the town. The Prince returned him to his former office, and it became a lifetime position. He told him to build himself a palace near Eye-gate. \"It should be built in a manner similar to a tower for defense.\" He also told him he should read in the Revelation of mysteries all the days of his life, that he might know how to perform his office correctly. (Let us reckon men as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. \u2013 1 Corinthians 4:1)\n\nEmmanuel then made Mr. Knowledge the Recorder, not due to contempt of old Mr. Conscience who had been Recorder, but because in His princely mind He planned to award another position to Mr. Conscience. He told the old gentleman, \"You shall learn more about your new position in the future.\"\n\nThen He issued this command: \"The image of Diabolus should be taken down. Destroy it, beat it into powder, and cast the remains into the wind outside the town wall.\" (And he [Moses] took the calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire and ground it to powder and scattered it upon the waters and made the sons of Israel drink it. \u2013 Exodus 32:20) He went on to say, \"The image of Shaddai, My Father, should be set up again with My own likeness upon the castle gates.\" As part of this commission, He said the images should be more beautifully drawn than ever, because with all things considered, both His Father and He had come to Mansoul with more grace and mercy than ever before. His name was to be engraved on the front of the town, using the best gold, for the honor of the town of Mansoul.\n\nThe Image of Diabolus Is Thrown Down\n\nChapter 17\n\nTrials of the Diabolians\n\nAfter this was done, Emmanuel commanded that three Diabolians, namely, the two former Lord Mayors, Incredulity and Lustings, and Mr. Forget-Good, the Recorder, be apprehended. In addition to these, the now-valiant, right, noble, and brave Lord Willbewill arrested more of Diabolus's representatives and aldermen. These included Alderman Atheism, Alderman Hard-Heart, and Alderman False-Peace, and representatives No-Truth, Pitiless, Haughty, and others like them. They were taken into custody by the jailer, Mr. True-Man. This True-Man was one of those whom Emmanuel brought from His Father's court when He first made war upon Diabolus in the town of Mansoul.\n\nAfter this, the Prince ordered the three strongholds Diabolus commanded be built by the Diabolians in Mansoul to be pulled down and demolished, and their captains and governors destroyed, which you read about earlier. However, this took a long time to accomplish, because the places were large, and the stones, timber, iron, and all the remaining rubbish had to be carried outside the town.\n\nWhen this was done, the Prince ordered the Lord Mayor and the aldermen of Mansoul to call a court of justice for the trial and execution of the Diabolians within the town who were now under the charge of Mr. True-Man, the jailer.\n\nWhen the time for court was set, the Prince sent a command to the jailer to bring the prisoners down to the bar of the court. This was done with the prisoners shackled and chained together, which was the custom of the town of Mansoul. When they were presented before the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, and the rest of the honorable judges seated on the bench, the names of the jurors were written down and the witnesses sworn in. The names of those on the jury included: Mr. Belief, Mr. True-Heart, Mr. Upright, Mr. Hate-Bad, Mr. Love-God, Mr. See-Truth, Mr. Heavenly-Mind, Mr. Moderate, Mr. Thankful, Mr. Good-Work, Mr. Zeal-for-God, and Mr. Humble.\n\nThe names of the witnesses were Mr. Know-All, Mr. Tell-True, Mr. Hate-Lies, with Lord Willbewill and his servant, if needed.\n\nSo the prisoners were led to the bar where the town clerk Do-Right said, \"Have Atheism stand up to the bar, jailer.\"\n\nOnce he was positioned at the bar, the clerk said, \"Atheism, raise your hand. You are here accused under the name of Atheism to be an intruder within the town of Mansoul. For you have destructively and stupidly taught and maintained that there is no God and therefore you have no need to believe in the reality and perfections of God. (The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. \u2013 Psalm 14:1a) You have done this against the existence, honor, and glory of the King and against the peace and safety of the town of Mansoul. What do you have to say? Are you guilty of this accusation or not?\"\n\nAtheism held his chin high and said, \"Not guilty.\"\n\nThe town crier called out, \"Call Mr. Know-All, Mr. Tell-True, and Mr. Hate-Lies into the courtroom.\" So the three were called to appear.\n\nThen the clerk said, \"You, the witnesses for the King, look at the prisoner standing at the bar. Do you know him?\"\n\nMr. Know-All nodded and said, \"Yes, my lord, we know him. His name is Atheism. He has been a noxious fellow for many years in the miserable town of Mansoul.\"\n\n\"You are sure you know him?\" the clerk asked.\n\n\"Know him! Yes, my lord. Absolutely! I have been in his company too often to not know who he is. He is a Diabolian, the son of a Diabolian. I knew his grandfather and his father.\"\n\n\"Well said,\" the clerk said. \"He stands here accused under the name of Atheism and is charged with maintaining and teaching there is no God and no need to be engaged in any religion. As the King's witnesses, what do you say? Is he guilty of this or not?\"\n\nKnow-All looked at the clerk and said, \"My lord, there was a time when the two of us hung out together in Villain's Lane. At that time, he vigorously talked of different opinions, and I heard him say, for his part, he believed there was no God. But he also said he could profess to be religious too, if the company and the circumstances he was in should put him up to it.\"\n\nThe clerk's eyes narrowed. \"You are sure you heard him say this?\"\n\nMr. Know-All bobbed his head once with determination. \"Upon my oath, I heard him say this.\"\n\nThen the clerk turned to Mr. Tell-True and asked, \"What do you say to the King's judges concerning the prisoner at the bar?\"\n\nMr. Tell-True looked at the prisoner and then back at the clerk. \"My lord, I was a companion of his for a great while, for which I have now repented. During that time, I often heard him say with perverse obstinacy that he believed there was neither God, angel, nor spirit.\"\n\n\"Where did you hear him say this?\"\n\n\"In Darkmouth Lane and in Blasphemer's Row and many other places.\"\n\n\"Do you know much about him?\"\n\nMr. Tell-True avoided looking at the prisoner. \"I know him to be a Diabolian, the son of a Diabolian, and a horrible man who denies the existence of a God. His father's name was Never-be-good, and he had more children in addition to this Atheism.\" He let out a deep breath. \"I have no more to say.\"\n\nThe clerk turned his attention to Mr. Hate-Lies. (The righteous man hates lying: but the wicked man makes himself loathsome, and abominable. \u2013 Proverbs 13:5) \"Look upon the prisoner at the bar. Do you know him?\"\n\nMr. Hate-Lies glanced at the prisoner with hooded eyes and turned his attention back to the clerk. \"My lord, this is Atheism \u2013 one of the vilest miserable wretches I ever came into contact with in all my life. I have heard him say there is no God. I have also heard him say there is no world to come, no sin, nor punishment hereafter, and I even heard him say it was as good to go to a whorehouse as to go hear a sermon.\"\n\n\"Where did you hear him say these things?\" the clerk asked.\n\nHate-Lies glanced toward the prisoner and said, \"In Drunkard's Row at the end of Rascal-Lane at a house in which Mr. Impiety lived.\"\n\nThe clerk ordered Atheism to sit beside the jailer and asked Mr. Lustings to step up to the bar. When he did, the clerk said, \"Mr. Lustings, you are indicted by the name Lustings as an intruder in the town of Mansoul, for you have diabolically and traitorously taught by practice and filthy words that it is lawful and profitable for a man to give in to his carnal desires. (Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. \u2013 James 1:15) You never have and never will deny yourself of any sinful pleasure or satisfaction of mind as long as your name is Lustings. How do you plead? Are you guilty of this indictment or not?\"\n\nMr. Lustings stood straight and proud. He said, \"My lord, I am a man of high birth and have enjoyed a multitude of pleasures and pastimes. I am not accustomed to being reprimanded for my actions but have been left to follow my own will as if it were law. It seems strange to me that today I am being called into question for my behavior, because I am not alone in this. Almost all men, either secretly or openly, love and approve of living in this way.\"\n\nThe clerk was not thwarted by Mr. Lustings' airs. He said, \"Sir, we are not concerned with your greatness, although the higher your standing, the better your behavior should have been. (But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom much was committed, more will be asked of him. \u2013 Luke 12:48) What we are concerned with is this indictment against you. Are you guilty of it or not? What do you say?\"\n\n\"Not guilty.\"\n\nThe clerk ordered the crier to call the witnesses to come forth and give their evidence.\n\nThe crier called out, \"Witnesses for the King come in and give your evidence for our Lord the King against the prisoner at the bar!\"\n\nOnce again, the clerk addressed Know-All as a witness for the King. He said, \"Look at the prisoner at the bar. Do you know him?\"\n\nMr. Know-All nodded. \"Yes, my lord, I know him.\"\n\n\"What is his name?\"\n\n\"His name is Lustings. He was the son of Beastly, and his mother left him naked on Flesh Street. She's the daughter of Evil-Concupiscence [evil desire or lust]. I knew all these generations of his family.\"\n\nThe clerk turned toward Mr. Lustings but spoke to Mr. Know-All. \"You have heard his indictment; what do you say? Is he guilty of the things charged against him or not?\"\n\n\"My lord, as he said, he's indeed been a distinguished man, but he is a thousandfold greater in wickedness than in pedigree.\"\n\nThe clerk folded his hands in front of himself and asked, \"What do you know of his particular actions, especially in reference to his indictment?\"\n\n\"I know him to be a swearer, a liar, and a Sabbath-breaker. I know him to be a lewd person, an idolater, and he fornicates with those he is not married to. He is an unclean person. I know him to be guilty of an abundance of evils. To my knowledge, he has been a very filthy man.\" (Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil lust, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things' sake the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. \u2013 Colossians 3:5-6)\n\nThe clerk raised his brows at such allegations. \"Where did he commit his wickedness? Did he do such things in private corners or more open and shamelessly?\"\n\n\"All over the town, my lord.\"\n\nThe clerk dismissed Know-All and called the next witness. \"Come, Mr. Tell-True, what do you have to say for our Lord the King against the prisoner at the bar?\"\n\nTell-True said, \"My lord, all the first witness has said I know to be true and a great deal more besides.\"\n\nThe clerk turned back to the prisoner. \"Mr. Lustings, do you hear what these gentlemen have said?\"\n\nThe prisoner said, \"I was always of the opinion that the happiest life a man could live on earth was to allow himself all he desired in the world. I've never expressed anything contrary to this opinion at any time but have lived by and loved such sentiments all my life. I was never so selfish or narrow-minded as to not recommend the same for others after having found such sweetness in them myself.\" (But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. \u2013 2 Timothy 3:13)\n\nThe court stopped him there and said, \"Enough evidence has proceeded from his own mouth to declare him guilty. Therefore, place him by the jailer and bring Mr. Incredulity to the bar.\"\n\nIncredulity stepped up to the bar, glanced over his shoulder at the other prisoners, and then focused on the clerk when he began to speak.\n\n\"Mr. Incredulity,\" the clerk began. \"You are here indicted by the name of Incredulity as an intruder in the town of Mansoul. You acted with deliberate and wicked intentions when you were an officer in the town of Mansoul and resisted the captains of the great King Shaddai, when they came and demanded possession of Mansoul. In fact, you attempted defiance to the name, forces, and cause of the King because you followed Diabolus as your captain and stirred up and encouraged the town of Mansoul to resist the King's forces. What do you say regarding this indictment? Are you guilty or not?\"\n\nIncredulity's lip curled in distain. \"I don't know Shaddai, and I love my old prince Diabolus. I thought it my duty to be true to the one in which I placed my confidence and to do what I could to possess the minds of the men of Mansoul to do all they could to resist strangers and foreigners and to fight against them with all their might. I have not and do not plan to change my opinion about this for fear of trouble, even though you hold the power now.\" (And chiefly those that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise dominion; presumptuous, arrogant, they are not afraid to speak evil of the higher powers. \u2013 2 Peter 2:10)\n\nThe court had heard enough and the clerk said, \"It is clear this man is too depraved to be corrected. He upholds and defends his wickedness by bold, obstinate words and his rebellion with shameless confidence. Sit him by the jailer and have Mr. Forget-Good come to the bar.\"\n\nForget-Good walked up to the bar, rolled his eyes, and let out a sigh.\n\nThe clerk addressed the prisoner. \"Mr. Forget-Good, you are indicted by the name of Forget-Good as an intruder to the town of Mansoul. When the affairs of the town of Mansoul were under your control, you neglected to serve them in what was good. You fell in with the tyrant Diabolus and worked against Shaddai the King, against His captains, and against all who stood with Him. You broke His Law and endangered Mansoul with destruction. What do you say regarding these charges? Are you guilty or not guilty?\"\n\nForget-Good motioned with his hand as he spoke. \"My dear gentlemen and judges, in regard to the charges for which I stand here accused before you, please attribute my forgetfulness to my age and not to willfulness, craziness, or careless thinking. I hope by your benevolence you will excuse me from great punishment, even though I am guilty.\"\n\nThe court did not fall prey to his excuses, and the clerk responded, \"Forget-Good, your forgetfulness to do good wasn't due simply to frailty of mind. Rather, it was a purposeful choice. You hate to ponder or consider virtuous things, and for this reason you retained what was bad. But what was good you couldn't stand to think about. You are trying to use your age and your pretended craziness to blind the court like a cloak to cover your fraud. We shall see what the King's witnesses have to say against you.\"\n\nHe asked the witnesses, \"Is he guilty of this indictment or not?\"\n\nHate-Lies was the first witness to speak. \"My lord, I have heard this Forget-Good say he could never continue to think of goodness for even a quarter of an hour.\"\n\n\"Where did you hear him say this?\" the clerk asked.\n\n\"While in All-base Lane at a house next door to the sign of the Conscience-seared-with-a-hot-iron.\" (Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, listening to spirits of error and doctrines of demons; that in hypocrisy shall speak lies; having their conscience seared as with a hot iron. \u2013 1 Timothy 4:1-2)\n\nThe clerk asked Know-all for his testimony. \"Mr. Know-All, what can you say for our Lord the King against the prisoner standing at the bar?\"\n\n\"My lord, I know this man well,\" Know-All said. \"He is a Diabolian, the son of a Diabolian. His father's name was Love-Naught, and as for the prisoner, I have often heard him say he counted the very thoughts of goodness to be the most burdensome thing in the world.\"\n\n\"Where have you heard him say these things?\"\n\nKnow-All glanced at the prisoner. \"In Flesh Lane, right across from the church.\"\n\nThen the clerk called the third witness. \"Come, Mr. Tell-True, and give your evidence concerning the prisoner regarding the charges for which he stands here indicted by this honorable court.\"\n\n\"My lord, I have heard him often say he'd rather think of the vilest thing than the Holy Scriptures.\"\n\n\"Where did you hear him say such grievous words?\" the clerk asked.\n\nTell-True rubbed his chin as he considered his answer. \"Where? That is harder to answer than you would think, because I heard him say such things in a great many places, but particularly on Nauseous Street in the house of one by the name of Shameless, and in Filth Lane at the sign of the Reprobate next door to the Descent-into-the-Pit.\"\n\nBased on this testimony, the court said, \"Gentlemen, you have heard the indictment, his plea, and the testimony of the witnesses. Sit him by the jailer and bring Mr. Hard-Heart to the bar.\"\n\nHard-Heart stepped up to the bar with a disinterested air.\n\nThe clerk addressed him. \"Mr. Hard-Heart, you are indicted by the name of Hard-Heart as an intruder within the town of Mansoul. For you most desperately and wickedly possessed the town of Mansoul without showing even a hint of contrition or sorrow, but instead you displayed an inflexible persistence in sin. All that time while they departed from their faith and walked in rebellion against the blessed King Shaddai, your actions kept the town of Mansoul from showing any remorse or sorrow for their natural and moral evils. What do you say to this indictment? Are you guilty or not guilty?\"\n\nHard-Heart waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. \"My lord, I've never known what remorse or sorrow means. The admonitions of the gospel cannot reach me. (For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them, but it did not profit those that heard the word without mixing it with faith. \u2013 Hebrews 4:2) I care about no one, and I can't be bothered with men's grief. When I harm or wrong someone, to me their mourning is music to my ears, for their groans won't enter into my heart.\"\n\nThe Trial of Hard-Heart\n\nThe court decided his case and the clerk said, \"You are surely a Diabolian and have convicted yourself. Have him sit by the jailer and bring Mr. False-Peace to the bar.\"\n\nFalse-Peace stepped up to the bar looking like a man without a care in the world.\n\n\"Mr. False-Peace,\" the clerk said, \"you are indicted by the name False-Peace as an intruder upon the town of Mansoul, for you acted most wickedly. You satanically brought, held, and kept the town of Mansoul in her apostasy and hellish rebellion, steeped in a false, groundless, and dangerous peace and damnable security. All of this was to the dishonor of the King and the transgression of His Law, and you brought great damage to the town of Mansoul. What do you say regarding these charges? Are you guilty or not?\"\n\nFalse-Peace answered quietly but firmly. \"Gentlemen, and those of you who are now appointed to be my judges, I acknowledge my name is Mr. Peace \u2013 but that my name is False-Peace I utterly deny.\" (They treat also the destruction of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. \u2013 Jeremiah 6:14) He looked directly at his judges. \"Your honors, if you will please send for any who intimately know me, the midwife who assisted in my birth or the gossips who attended my christening, they will all prove my name isn't False-Peace but Peace. For this reason, I can't plead to this indictment, because the charges are not filed against my true name and so are not properly attributed.\"\n\nFalse-Peace crossed his arms in front of his chest. \"I was always a man who loved to live quietly doing what I loved that others might enjoy doing the same. Therefore, when I saw any of my neighbors burdened with an uneasy or troubled mind, I endeavored to help them. I did what I could. In the case of this good disposition of mine, I tried to help many in a number of ways.\n\n\"First, in the beginning, when our town of Mansoul declined to follow the ways of Shaddai, some of the people were troubled afterwards. As they reflected on what they had done, they began to have distressing thoughts. Seeing them like this troubled me, and I sought to find a way to free them from their alarming thoughts again.\n\n\"Second, when the ways of the old world and Sodom were popular, if anything happened to disturb the customs of that lifestyle, I worked to quiet the trouble, so everyone could live doing as they pleased without being bothered in this way.\n\n\"Third, and even closer to home, when the wars broke out between Shaddai and Diabolus, if I saw anyone from the town of Mansoul feeling worried or afraid of destruction, I often found some way to help them stop worrying and to bring them a sense of peace again. (Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own counsel. \u2013 Proverbs 1:31) Since I have always been a man of virtuous temperament, some have called me a peacemaker. As a peacemaker, gentlemen, should I be deemed by you who stand for justice and fairness in Mansoul as a man who deserves this inhuman treatment? No! Instead I deserve not only my freedom, but also that I should be granted the authority to seek damages from those accusing me in this way.\"\n\nThe clerk did not reply to the prisoner but announced, \"Officer of the court, make a proclamation.\"\n\nThe officer of the court called for silence. Then he said, \"At this point the prisoner claims to be free from guilt. Seeing the prisoner has denied his name to be the one mentioned in the indictment, if there is anyone here who can provide pertinent information regarding his correct name to the court, we ask that they come forward and give their evidence.\"\n\nThe two witnesses came into the court to tell what they knew concerning the prisoner. The name of the first was Search-Truth and the name of the other Vouch-Truth. (And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. \u2013 John 8:32) The court questioned these men, asking if they knew the prisoner. \"What can you say concerning him?\" they asked, \"for he denies the accusations.\"\n\nSearch-Truth began to answer first. He said, \"My lord, I...\"\n\nBut the court interrupted him. \"Stop. Refrain from answering. First you must take the oath.\"\n\nThey swore him in, and once he took the oath to tell the truth, Search-Truth began again. \"My lord, I know this man and have known him since he was a child. I can attest that his name is False-Peace. I know his father whose name was Mr. Flatter. His mother, before she was married, went by the name of Ms. Sooth-Up. The two of them didn't live together for very long before they had this son. When he was born, they called him False-Peace. I was his playmate, even though I was somewhat older than him. When the time came for his mother to call him home, she used to call out, 'False-Peace! False-Peace! Come home now or I shall come fetch you!'\n\n\"Yes, I knew him back when he suckled at his mother's breast, and even though I was little, I remember when his mother used to sit and play with him in her arms; she would coo and sweetly call him 'My little False-Peace! My pretty False-Peace!' and 'Oh! My sweet little rogue, False-Peace!' Again and again she used that name, saying things like, 'My little bird, False-Peace! How much I love my child!' And even though he has had the audacity to deny it in open court, the gossips also know this to be fact.\"\n\nOnce Search-Truth finished giving his testimony, the second witness, Vouch-Truth, was called upon to speak. They swore him in and asked him, \"What do you know of the prisoner standing at the bar?\"\n\nVouch-Truth said, \"My lord, all that the former witness said is true. His name is False-Peace, the son of Mr. Flatter and of Ms. Sooth-Up. In times past, I have seen him angry with those who have called him anything other than False-Peace. His anger was toward any who mocked or nicknamed him, but this was during the time when False-Peace was considered an important man and when the Diabolians were the noble men in Mansoul.\"\n\nBased on the testimony of these two witnesses, the clerk said, \"Gentlemen, you have heard what these two men have sworn against the prisoner at the bar.\" (At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. \u2013 Deuteronomy 17:6)\n\nHe turned and looked at the prisoner. \"Mr. False-Peace, you have denied your name is False-Peace, yet these honest men have sworn it is indeed your name. As to your plea, you aren't being charged for evildoing because you are a man of peace or a peacemaker among your neighbors. In fact, you are being charged because you acted wickedly. You satanically held the town of Mansoul in the bondage of apostasy and rebellion against its King. You lulled them into a false and damnable peace that was disobedient to the Law of Shaddai, and you put the miserable town of Mansoul at risk of destruction.\n\n\"Until now, all you have pleaded is the denial of your name and claim you are a peacemaker. But here we have witnesses who prove you are the man False-Peace, and the peace you boast about creating among your neighbors is not the peace that accompanies truth and holiness. Rather, it is built upon a lie and is both deceitful and worthy of eternal punishment. (Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye desire to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. \u2013 John 8:44) The great Shaddai has said as much.\"\n\nThen he turned from the prisoner and addressed the court. \"The prisoner's plea does not acquit him from the charges. The indictment against him remains. However, in fairness, we shall call the witnesses who are to testify to the facts of the matter and see what they have to say for our Lord the King against the prisoner.\"\n\nKnow-All was the first of the witnesses to be sworn in. The clerk asked him, \"What do you have to say for our Lord the King against the prisoner at the bar?\"\n\nKnow-All's lips thinned into a straight line. \"My lord,\" he said, \"to my knowledge this man has made it his business for a long time to keep the town of Mansoul in a sinful quietness. This he did in the midst of all her unlawful indulgence of lust, filthiness, and disorder. I heard him say, 'Come, let's flee from all trouble no matter the grounds or extent of it. Let's stand for a quiet and peaceable life even though it lacks a good foundation.'\"\n\nThe clerk dismissed Know-All and called the next witness. \"Come, Mr. Hate-Lies, and tell us what have you to say in this matter.\"\n\n\"My lord,\" Hate-Lies said, \"I have heard the prisoner say that peace reached by way of unrighteousness is better than trouble with truth.\"\n\nThe clerk's brow furrowed as he looked from the witness to the prisoner and back. \"Where did you hear him say this?\"\n\n\"I heard him say those exact words in Folly-yard at the house of Mr. Simple next door to the sign of the Self-Deceiver. In fact, to my knowledge he has said this at least twenty times in that very place.\"\n\nThe clerk looked to the judges and shrugged. \"We may spare further witnesses. This evidence is clear and expresses the guilt in the whole matter.\" He said to the officer, \"Have him sit by the jailer and bring Mr. No-Truth to the bar.\"\n\nWhen the next prisoner stepped up to the bar, the clerk read the charges. \"Mr. No-Truth, you are here indicted by the name of No-Truth as an intruder in the town of Mansoul. To the dishonor of Shaddai, you have always endangered the town of Mansoul with utter ruin. After Mansoul's total desertion from her King \u2013 when she turned to the envious tyrant Diabolus \u2013 you defaced and spoiled all that remained of the Law and the image of Shaddai found in the town. (Who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice to do evil and delight in wicked perversion. \u2013 Proverbs 2:13-14) What do you say? Are you guilty of this indictment or not?\"\n\nNo-Truth shook his head. \"Not guilty, my lord.\"\n\nAgain, the witnesses were called, and Know-All was the first to present his evidence against the prisoner.\n\n\"My lord,\" Know-All said, \"this man pulled down the image of Shaddai with his own hands, and he did it at Diabolus's command. I saw him do that and more, for he set up the horned image of the beast Diabolus where Shaddai's image had been \u2013 again at the bidding of Diabolus. He also tore away every last shred he could find of the Law of the King in Mansoul and had it destroyed.\"\n\n\"Were there any others who saw him do this?\" the clerk asked.\n\nHate-Lies raised his hand. \"I did, my lord, and so did many others, for this wasn't done in secret or hidden in some corner. It took place in open view of all.\" Hate-Lies glanced toward the prisoner. The two locked eyes as Hate-Lies said, \"He chose to do it publicly, and he delighted in doing it.\"\n\nThe clerk stood before the prisoner and asked, \"Mr. No-Truth, how could you have the confidence and boldness to plead not guilty, when you were so clearly the perpetrator of all this wickedness?\"\n\nNo-Truth spoke matter-of-factly. \"Sir, I figured I must say something, and as my name is, so I speak. Until now, it has served as an advantage. I didn't realize that by speaking no truth, I would reap the same result as if I'd told the truth.\"\n\nThe clerk dismissed him with a wave. \"Have him sit by the jailer and bring Mr. Pitiless to the bar.\"\n\nMr. Pitiless was brought to the bar and the clerk addressed him with his charges. \"Mr. Pitiless, you are indicted by the name of Pitiless as an intruder within the town of Mansoul where you most traitorously and wickedly shut up all kindness, tenderness, and compassion. You wouldn't allow Mansoul to grieve or feel the pain of her own misery resulting from the abandonment of the faith and principles which she had professed from her rightful King. Instead, you eluded such consequences and turned her mind from the truth and any thoughts that would have led her to repentance. What do you say to this indictment? Are you guilty or not guilty?\"\n\n\"I am not guilty of being pitiless. In fact, I did all I could to cheer Mansoul up, according to my name, which is not Pitiless but Cheer-Up. I couldn't bear to see Mansoul in such a gloomy state of mind.\"\n\nThe clerk raised his brows in surprise. \"You deny your name? You mean to say your name is Cheer-Up rather than Pitiless?\" He turned to the officer of the court and told him to call for the witnesses. When they gathered before him, he asked, \"Witnesses, what do you have to say regarding this plea?\"\n\nKnow-All spoke first. \"My lord, his name is Pitiless. He himself has signed it as such on all the important papers he has filed or recorded. But these Diabolians love to counterfeit their names: Mr. Covetousness covers himself with the name of Good-Husbandry or some similar name. Mr. Pride can, when needed, call himself Mr. Neat, Mr. Handsome, and other such names. The Diabolians are known for this.\"\n\nThe clerk nodded his understanding and turned to Mr. Tell-True. \"And what do you say regarding the prisoner's claim?\"\n\nTell-True spoke without hesitation. \"His name is Pitiless, my lord. I have known him from a child, and he has done all the wickedness for which he stands charged in the indictment. But he isn't alone. A multitude of them aren't familiar with the danger of being doomed to eternal punishment. For this reason, they tell all those who are depressed or dejected that they should avoid such thoughts because they seriously think about the damning of their souls.\"\n\nAfter Pitiless took his seat, the clerk ordered Mr. Haughty to be brought to the bar by the jailer. When the prisoner stood at the rail, the clerk said, \"Mr. Haughty, you are indicted under the name of Haughty as an intruder within the town of Mansoul. You are accused of traitorously and devilishly teaching the town of Mansoul to move loftily and boldly against the summons delivered by the captains of King Shaddai. (Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who deals in proud wrath. \u2013 Proverbs 21:24)\n\n\"You also taught the town of Mansoul to speak contemptuously against the great King Shaddai and encouraged them to vilify their King by word and example. In fact, you urged Mansoul to take up arms against the King and His Son Emmanuel. So how do you plead? Are you guilty of this indictment or not?\"\n\nHaughty looked at the clerk and witnesses with an over-confident stare. \"Gentlemen, I have always been a man of courage and valor. I've never snuck about with my head hanging like the head of a bulrush. Nor has it ever pleased me to see men disguise permanent minor defenses outside of a principal fortification. For even though their adversaries seemed to have ten times the advantage, these outer defenses are designed to limit those who oppose them. I didn't consider who my enemy was or even the reason or motive behind my actions. It was enough to me if I bore it bravely, fought like a man, and came out as a victor.\"\n\nAfter hearing this, the court read the charges. \"Mr. Haughty, you aren't being indicted for being a valiant man, nor for your courage and bravery in times of distress. You are being charged because you made use of this pretended valor to draw the town of Mansoul into acts of rebellion against the great King and His Son Emmanuel. This is the crime you are charged with by this indictment.\"\n\nBut the prisoner didn't answer a word. (He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall attain mercy. \u2013 Proverbs 28:13)\n\nOnce the court addressed all the charges against the prisoners, then they handed them over to the jury for the official verdict. They were given these instructions: \"Gentlemen of the jury, you have witnessed all that has happened here. You have heard the indictments, the prisoners' pleas, and what the witnesses have testified against them. Now it is up to you. Withdraw to the private chambers and consider a just verdict in the ways of truth and righteousness, and suitably include what the King has against them.\"\n\nThen the jury, which was made up of Mr. Belief, Mr. True-Heart, Mr. Upright, Mr. Hate-bad, Mr. Love-God, Mr. See-Truth, Mr. Heavenly-Mind, Mr. Moderate, Mr. Thankful, Mr. Humble, Mr. Good-Work, and Mr. Zeal-for-God, withdrew, and while sequestered, they fell into deliberation to decide on a verdict.\n\nMr. Belief, the foreman of the jury, spoke first to the others seated around the table. \"Gentlemen, as far as I am concerned, I believe they all deserve death.\"\n\n\"Spot on,\" True-Heart agreed. \"I am in complete agreement.\"\n\n\"Oh, what a blessing it is that such criminals as these have been apprehended!\" Hate-Bad added.\n\n\"Agreed!\" Love-God said. \"This is one of the most joy-filled days I've ever experienced.\"\n\nMr. See-Truth nodded. \"And I know if we judge them worthy of a sentence of death, our verdict shall be upheld by Shaddai Himself.\"\n\n\"Without question,\" said Heavenly-Mind. \"When all manner of beasts such as these are cast out of Mansoul, what a desirable town it will be!\"\n\nMr. Moderate leaned his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. \"I don't usually pass judgment rashly, but these crimes are so notorious, and the witnesses so substantial, that a man who says the prisoners ought not to die must be willfully blind.\"\n\n\"Blessed be God,\" said Thankful, \"that the traitors are safely in custody.\"\n\nMr. Humble knelt on his bare knees and said, \"I agree with you in this.\"\n\n\"I am also glad of this,\" Good-Work added.\n\nThen the ardent, truehearted Mr. Zeal-for-God stood and loudly said, \"Cut them off! They have been like the plague and have sought the destruction of Mansoul!\"\n\nIn this manner, they were all in agreement regarding their verdict, so they entered into the court to deliver their decision.\n\nThe clerk checked to be sure all were present with a roll call. \"Gentlemen of the jury, answer all to your names: Mr. Belief, one; Mr. True-Heart, two; Mr. Upright, three; Mr. Hate-Bad, four; Mr. Love-God, five; Mr. See-Truth, six; Mr. Heavenly-Mind, seven; Mr. Moderate, eight; Mr. Thankful, nine; Mr. Humble, ten; Mr. Good-Work, eleven; and Mr. Zeal-for-God, twelve. Good men and true, do you stand together in your verdict? Are you all in agreement?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"Who shall speak for you?\" the clerk asked.\n\n\"Our foreman, Mr. Belief.\"\n\nThe clerk nodded. \"You, the gentlemen of the jury being listed as jurors for our Lord the King to serve here in a matter of life and death, have heard the trials of each of these prisoners at the bar. What do you say? Are they guilty of the crimes for which they stand here indicted or are they not guilty?\"\n\nThe foreman, Mr. Belief, answered, \"Guilty, my lord.\"\n\nThe court accepted the verdict and said to the jailer, \"Look after your prisoners until sentencing.\"\n\nThis all happened in the morning, and in the afternoon they received the sentence of death according to the Law. After receiving his orders, the jailer put all the prisoners in the most secure cell at the heart of the prison to hold them until the next morning when they were to be executed.\n\nAll seemed to be going as it should; however, in the interval between the sentencing and the time of execution, one of the prisoners by the name of Incredulity broke out of prison and escaped. He found his way out of the town of Mansoul, traveled quite a distance, and lay lurking in holes and crevices until he found an opportunity to go back to Mansoul to cause harm for the way they had treated him.\n\nOld Incredulity Escapes from Prison\n\nWhen Mr. True-Man, the jailer, realized he'd lost his prisoner, he took it very hard, because that prisoner was the worst of all the gang. First, the jailer went to the Lord Mayor Understanding, Mr. Recorder, and Lord Willbewill and told them about what had happened, in order to make a thorough search for the escapee throughout the town of Mansoul. He received an order to make the search for the prisoner, but he could not find him.\n\nFrom the evidence gathered, they determined he had lurked outside of the town for a while. Some had caught a glimpse of him here and there, as he made his escape out of Mansoul, and one or two also affirmed they saw him outside the town, scrambling over the plain. After he'd been gone for quite some time, it was affirmed by Mr. Did-See that the prisoner was spotted cutting across dry places until he met with Diabolus, his friend, upon Hell-gate Hill.\n\nIncredulity and Diabolus Meet at Hellgate-Hill\n\nAnd what a pitiful story the old gentleman delivered to Diabolus, concerning what he called \"depressing corrections\" Emmanuel had brought about in Mansoul. He said, \"First, after some delays, Mansoul received a general pardon at the hands of Emmanuel. (For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great. \u2013 Psalm 25:11) And Mansoul invited Him into the town and gave Him possession of the castle.\" Incredulity then added, \"They called His soldiers into the town, and the townsfolk were eager for the opportunity to offer lodging to most of them. They entertained Him with the timbrel, song, and dance. However, the thing that bothers me most is that He has pulled down your image and set up His own. He also removed your officers and set up His own.\n\n\"On top of all this, Willbewill, that rebel whom I never thought would have turned from us, is now standing in great favor with Emmanuel, just as he once did with you! But Willbewill has received a special commission from his Master to search for, apprehend, and put to death all the Diabolians he finds in Mansoul.\" Incredulity motioned with his hands as his tone grew more severe. \"Willbewill has already captured and imprisoned eight of my lord's most trusted friends in Mansoul.\" Incredulity turned, unable to look at Diabolus. \"It is with grief I tell you this, my lord, for they have all been arraigned and condemned to death. In fact, they have probably already been executed.\" He glanced back at his lord. \"I told my lord of eight, but I myself was the ninth. I would have drunk of the same cup, if I hadn't made my escape as you can see.\"\n\nWhen Diabolus heard this rather ludicrous story, he yelled and drew in a deep breath like a dragon and let out a great roar, making the sky dark. He swore he would get revenge on Mansoul for this. So he and his old friend, Incredulity, put their heads together and consulted about how they might take possession of the town of Mansoul again.\n\nHowever, the day arrived when the prisoners in Mansoul were to be executed. They were brought to the cross in a most solemn manner by the town, for the Prince said this task should be accomplished by the town of Mansoul. He said, \"In this way I will see the cheerful readiness of my now-redeemed Mansoul to keep My Word and follow My commandments, that I may bless Mansoul in doing this deed. Proof of freedom of hypocrisy pleases Me very much. Therefore, let Mansoul lay their hands upon these Diabolians to destroy them.\"\n\nSo the town of Mansoul slew them, according to the word of their Prince, but when they were brought to the cross to die, the Diabolians made it troublesome work for the men. Every one of them harbored irreconcilable enmity and anger in their hearts toward Mansoul, and because they knew they must die, they grew bold at the cross and resisted the men of the town of Mansoul. (Because the prudence of the flesh is enmity against God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, neither indeed can it. \u2013 Romans 8:7) In fact, they struggled so much that the men of Mansoul cried out for help to the captains and men of war.\n\nNow the great Shaddai had an officer who managed His affairs in the town. This officer loved the men of Mansoul and was present at the place of execution. When he heard the sounds of struggling and the unruliness of the prisoners against the men of Mansoul as they cried out for help, he joined the men of Mansoul to help them finish the job. Together they crucified the Diabolians who had been a plague, a grief, and an offense to the town of Mansoul.\n\nChapter 18\n\nMansoul Is Brought to Order\n\nWhen this good work was done, the Prince came down to visit the men of Mansoul, speak to them in a comforting manner, and strengthen their hands in such work. He said to them, \"By this act, I have tried you and found you love Me. For you observe and respect My Laws and in this way honor Me.\"\n\nThen to show them the town would not lose or be weakened in any way by the loss of the prisoners, He said, \"I will make another captain from among you, and this captain will be the ruler of a thousand for the good and benefit of the town of Mansoul, which is now flourishing.\" He called a man by the name of Waiting to come to Him and said, \"Go quickly up to the castle gate and inquire there for a young man by the name of Mr. Experience who waits upon Captain Credence. Ask him to come here to Me.\"\n\nThe good Prince Emmanuel's messenger hurried and delivered the message as commanded. He found the young gentleman, Mr. Experience, lingering in the castle yard as he watched the captain train and muster his men. Mr. Waiting said to him, \"Sir, the Prince asks that you come down to His Highness straightaway.\" So he brought the young man to Emmanuel, and when he arrived before the Prince, the young man bowed respectfully.\n\nNow the men of the town knew Mr. Experience well, for he was born and bred in Mansoul. He was known to be a man of admirable conduct and valor, and he was a person sensible and wise in matters. He was a handsome person, well-spoken, and very successful in his undertakings.\n\nWhen the people saw the Prince was so taken with Mr. Experience, they were filled with joy that He would make him a captain over a band of men. With one mind, they bowed the knee before Emmanuel and shouted, \"Let Emmanuel live forever!\"\n\nThen the Prince said to the young gentleman, \"Mr. Experience, I have deemed it good to bestow upon you a position of trust and honor within My town of Mansoul.\" (For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also abounds in much thanksgiving unto God; that by the experience of this ministration, they glorify God for the obedience of your consent unto the gospel of the Christ and in your liberal distribution unto them and unto everyone. \u2013 2 Corinthians 9:12-13)\n\nUpon hearing this, the young man bowed his head and worshipped.\n\nEmmanuel said, \"The position of which I speak is that of a captain over a thousand men in My beloved town of Mansoul.\"\n\nThen the newly appointed captain said, \"Let the King live!\"\n\nThe Prince gave orders to the King's officer over such matters to draw up a commission for Mr. Experience to make him a captain over a thousand men. \"And when you have written it, bring it to me, so I may set My seal to it.\"\n\nAll was accomplished as He commanded. The commission was drawn up, brought to Emmanuel, and He set His seal to it. Then He sent the commission to the captain by the hand of Mr. Waiting.\n\nAs soon as the captain received his commission, he sounded his trumpet calling for volunteers. Young men quickly answered the call and joined him where he stood. Among them were sons of the greatest and most important men in the town who sent their sons to be enlisted under his command. Therefore, Captain Experience came under Emmanuel's command for the good of the town of Mansoul. For his lieutenant, he selected Mr. Skillful, and for command of his company of cavalry, Mr. Memory. I don't need to name his under-officers, but I will say his colors were white and the symbol on his shield was the dead lion and dead bear.\n\nWhen the Prince returned to His royal palace, the elders of the town of Mansoul, namely, the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, and Lord Willbewill, went to congratulate Him. They wanted to thank Him in a special way for His love, care, and tender compassion which He showed to His ever-indebted town of Mansoul. After a time of sweet communion, the townsmen solemnly ended their celebration and returned to their residences.\n\nAt this time, Emmanuel appointed a day on which He would renew their charter. He planned to renew it but also enlarge it to fix several defects in it, so Mansoul's yoke might be made easier. (Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. \u2013 Matthew 11:28-30)\n\nHe did this on His own, freely, with open communication and honorable intentions, without any requests or petitions on the part of Mansoul. So when He sent for the old charter and saw it, He laid it aside.\n\nThe Prince said, \"Now that which decays and grows old is ready to vanish. And the town of Mansoul shall have another charter, a new and better one which is perpetual and by far more certain.\" (For this is the testament that I will ordain to the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my laws into their soul and write them upon their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and no one shall teach his neighbour nor anyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will reconcile their iniquities and their sins, and their iniquities I will remember no more. In that he says, New, he has made the first old. Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away. \u2013 Hebrews 8:10-13)\n\nThe essence of this new charter is as follows: \"I am Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, and a great lover of the town of Mansoul. In the name of My Father and in My own merciful disposition, I do treat My beloved town of Mansoul with tenderness and mercy; I forgive, spare, grant, and bestow the following:\n\n\"First: free, full, and everlasting forgiveness of all wrongs, injuries, and offenses done by them against My Father, Me, their neighbor, or themselves. (He will turn again, he will have mercy on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. \u2013 Micah 7:19)\n\n\"Second: I give them the Holy Law and My testament. All that is contained within it is for their everlasting comfort and consolation.\n\n\"Third: I give them a portion of the self-same grace and goodness that dwells in My Father's heart and Mine. (I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you in Christ Jesus, that in every thing ye are enriched in him in all word and in all knowledge. \u2013 1 Corinthians 1:4-5)\n\n\"Fourth: I grant and bestow upon them freely the world and what is in it for their good. (Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning. \u2013 James 1:17) They shall have power over them and will stand with the honor of My Father, My glory, and their comfort. Yes, I grant them the benefits of life and death, things present, and things to come. No other city, town, or company shall have this privilege, but only my Mansoul.\n\n\"Fifth: I grant them permission and free access to come to Me in My palace at all times \u2013 to My palace above or below, so they can make known their wants to Me. I promise them I will hear and make right all their grievances. (Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of his grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. \u2013 Hebrews 4:16)\n\n\"Sixth: I grant the town of Mansoul full power and authority to seek out, take, enslave, and destroy all manner of Diabolians at any time from wherever they are found in or about the town of Mansoul.\n\n\"Seventh: I grant to my beloved town of Mansoul authority to not allow any foreigner or stranger or their offspring to be free within the blessed town of Mansoul. Nor shall they share in Mansoul's valuable privileges. All the grants, privileges, and immunities I bestow upon Mansoul shall be for those who are native born and thus true inhabitants. All I give is to them and to their offspring after them.\n\n\"But all Diabolians of every sort born in another country or kingdom shall be hindered from sharing in these privileges.\" (Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness? and what communion does light have with darkness? And what concord does Christ have with Belial? or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful? And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. \u2013 2 Corinthians 6:14-16)\n\nWhen the town of Mansoul received their gracious charter from the hand of Emmanuel, it embodied even more than I've explained to you here, but what I've offered provides the essence of it. They carried it to the public in the marketplace, and there Mr. Recorder read it in the presence of all the people. After this, they carried it to the castle gates and engraved it upon the doors in letters of gold, so the town of Mansoul might always view it and be reminded of what a blessed freedom their Prince had bestowed upon them. This was done so their joy might be increased and their love renewed for their great and good Emmanuel. (These things I have spoken unto you that my joy may abide in you and that your joy might be fulfilled. \u2013 John 15:11)\n\nThe Charter Is Read in the Market Place\n\nAt this point, you can't imagine what joy, comfort, and relief possessed the hearts of the men of Mansoul! A great celebration followed. The bells rang, the minstrels played, and people danced. The captains shouted with joy, the silk flags waved in the wind displaying the colors, and the silver trumpets sounded. While all this was going on, the Diabolians hid their heads like those long dead.\n\nAnd when it was over, the Prince sent for the elders of the town of Mansoul and talked with them about a ministry He intended to establish among them \u2013 a ministry that might open them to instruction in things that concerned both their present and future state. (Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did exhort you by us; we beseech you in Christ's name, be ye reconciled to God. \u2013 2 Corinthians 5:20)\n\nWhen the elders of Mansoul brought this news to the people, the whole town came running, united in purpose, for whatever the Prince did pleased the people very much. With one accord, they implored His Majesty to establish such a ministry among them that might teach them both Law and judgment, statute and commandment, so they might be familiar in all things good and wholesome. (Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that has nothing to be ashamed of, rightly dividing the word of truth. \u2013 2 Timothy 2:15) So He said, \"I will grant your requests and will establish two among you \u2013 one from My Father's court and one who is a native of Mansoul.\n\n\"He who is from the court is a person of the same quality and dignity as my Father and Me. He is the Lord Chief Secretary of My Father's house. For He is and always has been the chief dictator of all My Father's laws \u2013 a person altogether well skilled in all mysteries and knowledge of mysteries as is My Father or Myself. He is one with Us in nature and as loving and faithful in the eternal concerns of the town of Mansoul.\n\n\"And this is He,\" said the Prince, \"who must be your chief teacher; for it is He and He only who can teach you clearly in all exalted and supernatural things. (But the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and ye do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you of all things and is truth, and is no lie; and even as it has taught you, abide ye in him. \u2013 1 John 2:27) Only He knows the ways and methods of My Father at court. None other can show the inclination of My Father's heart at all times, in all things, upon all occasions towards Mansoul. For no man knows the things of a man but the spirit of a man in him, and in the same way, no man knows the things of my Father but His high and mighty Secretary. (For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one has known the things of God, but the Spirit of God \u2013 1 Corinthians 2:11) Nor can any other tell Mansoul how and what they shall do to keep themselves in the love of My Father like the Secretary.\n\n\"He is the One who can bring forgotten things to your remembrance, and who can tell you things to come. For this reason, this Teacher must have pre-eminence in your desires, inclinations, and judgment, before any other teacher. (But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all the things that I have said unto you. \u2013 John 14:26)\n\n\"His personal dignity, the excellency of His teaching, and the great skill He has to help you make and draw up requests, supplications, and prayer to My Father to ask for help in a manner pleasing to Him requires that you love the Teacher, fear Him, and pay attention that you don't grieve Him. (And likewise also the Spirit helps our weakness; for we know not how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes entreaty for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. \u2013 Romans 8:26)\n\n\"This Person can put life, power, and strength into all He says, and He can put it into your heart. This Person can make a prophet of you and can make you tell about future events. Through this Person, you must compose all your petitions to my Father and Me, always obtaining His advice and counsel first, before you let anything enter the town or castle of Mansoul. If you don't do this, it may very well disgust and grieve this noble Person. (And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with which ye are sealed for the day of redemption. \u2013 Ephesians 4:30)\n\n\"Listen to what I'm telling you \u2013 do not grieve this Minister, for if you do, He may fight against you. If He is once forced to set Himself against you in battle array because of your actions, it will distress you more than twelve legions sent from my Father's court to make war upon you.\n\n\"But, as I said, if you listen to Him and love Him; if you devote yourselves to His teaching and seek to be turned from your way and go His way to seek communion with Him, you shall find Him ten times better than anything in the whole world. For He will shed the love of My Father in your hearts and beyond the walls of Mansoul. And native Mansoulians will be the wisest, most blessed of all people.\"\n\nThen the Prince called the old gentleman to come to Him who had previously been the Recorder of Mansoul, Mr. Conscience. He said to him, \"In view of the fact you are well skilled in the Law and government of the town of Mansoul and because you are well-spoken, you are qualified to deliver My Master's will to people in all the earth and in domestic matters.\" He went on to say He would make him a minister for, in, and to the town of Mansoul, regarding all the laws, statutes, and judgments of the town.\n\n\"And,\" the Prince said, \"you must limit yourself to teaching moral virtues and how they apply to civil duties in the natural course of things. However, you must not attempt to presume to be a revealer of those high and supernatural mysteries kept close in the bosom of Shaddai, My Father. For those things no man knows, and they can only be revealed by My Father's Secretary. (Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will cause you to know the things which are to come. He shall clarify me, for he shall take of that which is mine and shall cause you to know it. \u2013 John 16:13-14)\n\n\"You are a native of the town of Mansoul, but the Lord Secretary is a native of My Father. Therefore, as you have knowledge of the laws and customs of the town, so He has knowledge of deep things and the will of My Father.\n\n\"Therefore, Mr. Conscience, although I have made you a minister and a preacher to the town of Mansoul, you and the rest of Mansoul shall be students taught by the Lord Secretary, as He teaches this people.\n\n\"For this reason, you must go to Him for information and knowledge about all exalted and supernatural things, for though there is a spirit in man, this Person's inspiration must give him understanding.\n\n\"Therefore, Mr. Recorder, keep yourself humble and remember that the Diabolians, who didn't hold true to their first responsibility but left their own assignment, are the same who are now prisoners in the pit. With this in mind, be content with your situation in life.\n\n\"I have made you my Father's proxy on earth in things which I mentioned to you earlier. Now use this power to teach Mansoul these things and, yes, even force them with whips and rebukes, if they don't listen to do your instruction.\n\n\"And, Mr. Recorder, because you are old and have become feeble due to many abuses, I'm giving you permission to go to My fountain whenever you wish. From here, you may drink freely of the blood of My grape, for My conduit always runs with wine. Doing so shall drive out foul, gross, and hurtful thoughts, moods, or fixed evil from your heart. It will brighten your eyes and strengthen your memory to help you retain and recall all that the King's most noble Secretary teaches you.\"\n\nEmmanuel's Fountain\n\nWhen the Prince returned Mr. Recorder into the place and office of a minister to Mansoul, the man thankfully accepted. Emmanuel then turned to address the townsmen.\n\n\"Fix your eyes and attention on My love and care towards you,\" He said. \"To all that is in the past, I have added this mercy with the most noble Secretary. He will teach you in all exalted and heavenly mysteries.\" He glanced at all those standing before Him. \"I now appoint you preachers.\"\n\nHe gestured toward the Recorder, Mr. Conscience, and said, \"This gentleman is to teach you all things human and domestic, for this is his work, and he is not prohibited from telling Mansoul anything he has heard and received from the mouth of the Lord High Secretary. However, he should not attempt to pretend to be one who makes known those exalted mysteries himself, for the revealing and the discovery of them to and by Mansoul lies only in the power, authority, and skill of the Lord High Secretary Himself.\n\n\"However, Mr. Conscience may talk of them and so may the rest of Mansoul, and you may impress these truths upon each other for the benefit of the whole body. Therefore, observe and do these things throughout your life, and you will enjoy a long life blessed with peace. (My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments: For they shall add length of days and long life and peace unto thee. \u2013 Proverbs 3:1-2)\n\n\"And now one more thing,\" Emmanuel said to His beloved Mr. Recorder and to all the town of Mansoul. \"Regarding things in which High Secretary has authority to teach, you must not dwell upon such things using your own reasoning. In regard to your trust and what you expect in the next world, which I intend to give to Mansoul when they and this world are worn out, you must hold to His doctrine. He is your Teacher after the first order.\n\n\"And Mr. Conscience mustn't look for direction on how to live based on that which he discovers himself. His dependence must be founded in the doctrine of the other Teacher. For even the Recorder must pay close attention, so he doesn't receive any doctrine based on the confines of his own formal knowledge. The only acceptable doctrine or point of doctrine is that communicated by his Superior Teacher.\"\n\nAfter the Prince settled things within the town of Mansoul, He proceeded to give the elders of the town a necessary caution about how they should carry this message to the high and noble captains whom He had brought with Him from His Father's court to the town of Mansoul. These captains loved the town of Mansoul. They were handpicked men chosen from an abundance of the best-suited men who would faithfully serve in the wars of Shaddai against the Diabolians for the salvation of the town of Mansoul.\n\nEmmanuel said, \"I now charge you, the inhabitants of the currently flourishing town of Mansoul, not to bring this message in a rough or reluctant manner to My captains or their men, since they are handpicked and choice men \u2013 men chosen from many of the best for the good of the town of Mansoul. I command you, therefore, to deliver it willingly to them. For though they have the hearts and faces of lions, a little discouragement flung in their direction from the town of Mansoul will depress their spirits and diminish their courage. This will affect their ability when called to engage and fight with the King's foes and the enemies of the town of Mansoul, which can happen at any time.\n\n\"For this reason, My beloved, do not bring My message in an unkind manner to My valiant captains and courageous men of war. Instead, love and nourish them, run to support them, and place them next to your heart. (Let every soul submit itself to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God. \u2013 Romans 13:1) They will not only fight for you but will also cause all those Diabolians who seek your utter destruction to flee from you.\n\n\"If any of them should fall sick or weak at any time and not be able to perform that office of love which they are willing to carry out with all their hearts, don't slight them or despise them. Instead, strengthen and encourage them, because though they may feel weak and ready to die, they are your fence, your guard, your wall, your gates, your locks, and your bars of defense. When they are weak, they can do little. They need to be helped by you, and when you do help, you can expect great things from them. (For this cause ye also pay them tribute, for they are God's ministers, attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues. \u2013 Romans 13:6-7a) And when they are well, you know what heroic acts and feats of war they are able to achieve and will perform for you.\n\n\"If they are weak, the town of Mansoul cannot be strong. If they are strong, Mansoul cannot be weak. For this reason, your safety depends on their health and in your encouraging them. Remember, if they are sick, they will catch that disease of the town of Mansoul itself.\n\n\"These things I have said to you because I care about your welfare and honor. Therefore, Mansoul, observe these principles. Be punctual in all things I charge you to do. I'm not only talking about what you do as a town corporately, in which you depend on your officers, guards, and guides. I'm also speaking to you as individuals whose well-being depends on following the orders and commandments of your Lord.\n\n\"Next, My dear Mansoul, in spite of the present reformation taking place among you, I warn you to listen to Me. I am now sure, and you will know for yourselves after this, that Diabolians are still within the town of Mansoul \u2013 Diabolians who are foolishly obstinate and harbor irreconcilable enmity and anger. While I am with you, and even more when I am no longer with you, the Diabolians will study, plot, contrive, invent, and attempt to bring you to ruin and to a state far worse than the Egyptian bondage.\n\n\"They are declared friends of Diabolus; therefore, be aware of who is around you. When Incredulity was the Lord Mayor of this town, they lived with their prince in the castle. Since My arrival here, they stay more to the outskirts and along the walls where they've made dens, caves, holes, and strongholds for themselves. Because of their presence, Mansoul, your work will be much more difficult. When you find them, take hold of them, subdue them, and put them to death according to the will of My Father. You will not be able to rid yourselves of them completely, unless you tear down the walls of your town, but I by no means want you to do this. Do you ask, 'What shall we do then?' I tell you: Be diligent and carry through to the end. (See that I command thee to be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for I, the LORD thy God, am with thee wherever thou goest. \u2013 Joshua 1:9) Observe their holes and search out any place where they hang about, lurk, or live. Overtake them and make no peace with them; and whatever terms of peace they try to offer you, detest and reject it. If you do this, all will be well between you and Me.\n\n\"To help you identify them from those who are natives of Mansoul, I will give you this brief list, which includes names of the topmost Diabolians: Lord Fornication, Lord Adultery, Lord Murder, Lord Anger, Lord Lasciviousness, Lord Deceit, Lord Evil-Eye, Mr. Drunkenness, Mr. Reveling, Mr. Idolatry, Mr. Witchcraft, Mr. Variance, Mr. Emulation, Mr. Wrath, Mr. Strife, Mr. Sedition, and Mr. Heresy. These are some of the primary Diabolians who will seek to overthrow you forever. They lurk within Mansoul. The solution is found within the Law of your King. Look into and study it. You'll learn about the character of their minds and other specific explanations regarding them by which you will be able to recognize them.\n\n\"These Diabolians, My dear Mansoul, if allowed to run free and roam about the town unhindered wherever they like, will eat out your bowels like vipers. Yes, they shall poison your captains, cut the sinews of your soldiers, break the bars and bolts of your gates, and turn your now-flourishing Mansoul into a barren and desolate wilderness and a ruinous heap.\n\n\"For this reason, I give to you Lord Mayor, Lord Willbewill, Mr. Recorder, and all the inhabitants of the town of Mansoul. They will have full power and command to seek out, take hold of all manner of Diabolians, and cause them to be put to death by the cross when and wherever you find them lurking inside or outside the town of Mansoul. So take courage and apprehend these villains wherever you find them. (For they intended evil against thee; they imagined a wicked device, but they did not prevail. Therefore shalt thou separate them; thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. \u2013 Psalm 21:11-12)\n\n\"I told you before that I had placed an established ministry among you. You don't only have these with you,\" as He motioned toward the captains and troops, \"but you also have My first four captains who came against the master and lord of the Diabolians when he was in Mansoul. If they are needed, they can carry the message and preach the good and wholesome doctrine to the entire town both privately and publicly. They will help lead you in the way you should go and will set up a weekly, and if need be, a daily lecture in Mansoul. They will instruct you in useful lessons that, if followed, will do you good in the end. Just be sure you don't release the men whom you have ordered to be crucified.\n\nA Daily Lecture Is Set up in Mansoul\n\n\"Now, I have listed the names of these vagrants and apostates to warn you. Some of them shall creep in among you to deceive you. They may even give the appearance of someone predominant and passionate for religion, but if you don't watch out, they will do you unthinkable harm.\n\n\"As I said, these Diabolians will show themselves in another light than what I have described. (For these false apostles are deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. \u2013 2 Corinthians 11:13) Therefore, Mansoul, watch and be sober minded. Don't permit yourself to be betrayed.\"\n\nWhen the Prince fashioned the town of Mansoul to this point and instructed them in these useful matters, He scheduled another day for the townsfolk to come together. He desired to bestow upon the town of Mansoul an additional badge of honor \u2013 a badge that would distinguish them from all people and languages that dwell in the kingdom of Universe.\n\nNot long before the appointed day arrived, the Prince and His people met in the King's palace where Emmanuel first made a short speech to them. Here He did for them as He had promised. \"My Mansoul,\" He said, \"I am about to let the world know you are Mine and grant you the ability to distinguish those who are Mine from all false traitors who may creep in among you.\"\n\nHe then commanded those who waited upon Him to go and bring white, glistening robes from out of His treasury. \"Bring the white garments I have provided and laid up in store for My Mansoul.\" The garments were carried from His treasury and laid out for all the people to see. He told them to put them on \"according to your size and stature.\" So the people dressed in fine white linen, which was bright and clean.\n\n\"This, My Mansoul, is My attire given to you as the badge by which those who belong to Me can be recognized from the servants of others. I grant this to all who are Mine. Without wearing it, no one is permitted to see My face. Therefore, wear them for My sake, for I am the One who gave them to you, so the world would know you are Mine.\"\n\nCan you imagine how Mansoul shone? She was as bright as the sun, as clear as the moon, and as impressive as an army flying banners. (And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in her, for the clarity of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp. \u2013 Revelation 21:23) The Prince said, \"No prince, monarch, or mighty one of Universe gives this form of dress except Me, and you shall be acknowledged as Mine by this attire.\n\n\"And now that I have dressed you in My fine linens, white and clean, let Me command you concerning them. First, wear them daily so you won't at times appear to others as if you are not Mine.\n\n\"Second, always keep them white; for if they become soiled, it dishonors Me.\n\n\"Third, gird them up and don't let them drag in the dust and dirt of the ground.\n\n\"Fourth, take care you don't misplace them, lest you walk about naked, and they see your shame.\n\n\"Fifth, if you soil or defile them, which I am unwilling for you to do because it will make the prince Diabolus glad, then follow what is written in My Law to restore your standing before Me and My throne. For I will never leave or forsake you but will dwell in this town of Mansoul forever.\" (If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. \u2013 1 John 1:9)\n\nMansoul and its inhabitants became like the signet ring upon Emmanuel's right hand. Nowhere was there a town, city, or other establishment that could compare with Mansoul \u2013 a town redeemed from the hand and power of Diabolus! A town which King Shaddai loved and to which He sent Emmanuel to regain from the prince of the infernal cave. Yes, a town which Emmanuel loved to dwell in and which He chose for His royal residence \u2013 a town which He fortified for Himself and made strong by the force of His army.\n\nWhat shall I say except that Mansoul now has an excellent Prince, golden captains, men of war, proven weapons, and garments as white as snow. These benefits should not be considered insignificant but great, for the town of Mansoul can consider them valuable and work to improve them for the very purpose for which they are freely given to them.\n\nWhen the Prince completed fashioning the town to show He delighted in the work of His hands, and took pleasure in the good which He had stirred into action for the famous and flourishing Mansoul, He commanded that they set His flag upon the battlements of the castle. And they did so.\n\nTheir obedience garnered benefits \u2013 first of which was that He frequently visited. Not a day passed that the elders of Mansoul didn't come to Him in His palace or He to them. They walked and talked together about all the great things He had done and the things He promised to do in the future for the town of Mansoul. These talks were often held with the Lord Mayor, Lord Willbewill, and the honest secondary preacher Mr. Conscience, the Recorder.\n\nOh, how graciously, lovingly, courteously, and tenderly this blessed Prince conveyed His love towards the town of Mansoul! He visited all the streets, gardens, orchards, and other places to be sure the poor received His blessing and approval. He kissed them, and if they were ill, He laid hands on them and made them well. (And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every weakness among the people. \u2013 Matthew 9:35) He spent time with the captains daily, and sometimes hourly, to encourage them with His presence and graceful words. For you must know that a smile from Him filled them with more vigor, life, and bravery than anything else under heaven did.\n\nThe Prince also feasted with them. Hardly a week passed without a banquet shared between Him and them. If you remember, I mentioned some pages back that they had feasted together; but now it was a more common event. Every day with Mansoul was a feast day now. And the Prince didn't send them away empty, for when they returned to their residences, they had a ring, a gold chain, a bracelet, a white stone, or something else that He had given them. Mansoul was dear to Him now and lovely in His eyes.\n\nSecondly, if the elders and townsmen didn't come to Him, He sent plenty of provisions to them, including meat from Shaddai's court, wine and bread prepared for His Father's table, and such delicacies as to cover their table. Whoever saw this bounty confessed that nothing like it had ever been seen in any kingdom.\n\nThirdly, if Mansoul didn't visit Him as often as He desired, He walked out to them, knocked at their doors, and asked to come in so a friendship of goodwill could be maintained between them and Him. They commonly opened the door and invited Him in, if they were home, and with the time spent together, He renewed His love and confirmed it with new tokens and signs of continued favor.\n\nIt was truly an amazing sight to see; in the very place where Diabolus had once made his home and entertained his Diabolians, almost to the total destruction of Mansoul, the Prince of princes was now sitting, eating, and drinking with them. And while He did so, His mighty captains, men of war, trumpeters, and the singing men and singing women of His Father all stood round to wait upon them. Mansoul's cup was filled to overflowing with conduits of sweet wine. She ate the finest wheat and drank milk and honey out of the rock. (Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup is running over. \u2013 Psalm 23:5) And now Mansoul said, \"How great is His goodness, for since I found favor in His eyes, how honorable have I been!\"\n\nThe blessed Prince also ordained a new officer in the town, a pleasant person by the name of Mr. God's-Peace. He set this man over Lord Willbewill, Lord Mayor, Mr. Recorder, the secondary preacher, Mr. Mind, and over all the native Mansoulians. But Mr. God's-Peace wasn't a native of Mansoul, for he came with Prince Emmanuel from Shaddai's court and was a well-known acquaintance of Captain Credence and Captain Good-Hope. Some said they were related, and I admit I hold this opinion too.\n\nThis man was made governor of the town in general, especially over the castle, and Captain Credence was to help him. I couldn't help but notice that as long as all things in Mansoul went as this sweet-natured gentleman directed, the town remained most prosperous and had a secure possession of good. They had no quarrels, no angry scolding, no meddling, or unfaithful goings-on in all the town of Mansoul. Every man in Mansoul paid close attention to his own service. The nobility, officers, and soldiers all observed their order. And the women and children of the town followed their duties joyfully and sang as they worked from morning until night. Throughout the town of Mansoul, nothing was found but harmony, quietness, joy, and health. And this lasted all that summer.\n\nChapter 19\n\nDeceived by Carnal-Security\n\nBut after the Prince bestowed all this mercy, a man in the town of Mansoul by the name of Mr. Carnal-Security brought Mansoul into great and severe slavery and bondage. Let me offer you a brief account about him and his doings to give you a better understanding of what happened.\n\nWhen Diabolus first took possession of the town of Mansoul, he brought with him a great number of Diabolians. These men all shared in his sinful condition, and among them was a man by the name of Mr. Self-Conceit. (He that trusts in his own heart is a fool. \u2013 Proverbs 28:26a) He was a notable man with as bold an attitude as any who possessed the town of Mansoul in those days. Diabolus recognized that this man was active and bold and used him in many wretched plans, which he happened to manage better than most who came with him from the dens.\n\nThis pleased Diabolus, his lord, very much. Therefore, since he found him suited for his purposes, he preferred him over the others and ranked him next to the great Lord Willbewill. Now Lord Willbewill was pleased with him and his achievements in those days, so he gave him his daughter, the Lady Fear-Nothing, as his wife. (God shall hear and bring them down, even he that abides from of old. Because they do not change, nor do they fear God. \u2013 Psalm 55:19) Together, Lady Fear-Nothing and Mr. Self-Conceit conceived a child who grew to be this gentleman, Mr. Carnal-Security. (Behold, this is the man that did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness. \u2013 Psalm 52:7)\n\nWith these kinds of relationships, it was hard in cases like this to determine who were natives of Mansoul and who were not. For Mr. Carnal-Security sprang from Lord Willbewill on his mother's side, but his father was a Diabolian by nature.\n\nWell, Carnal-Security tended to take after his father and mother. He proved to be conceited, feared nothing, and was a very busy man. No news or doctrine, no changes or even talk of changes circulated about in Mansoul unless Carnal-Security was at the beginning or end of it. To be sure he controlled things, he shunned those whom he deemed the weakest, and always stood with those moving in his direction whom he supposed to be the strongest.\n\nNow when the mighty Shaddai and Emmanuel, His Son, made war upon Mansoul to take it, this Carnal-Security was in town at that time. As a great doer among the people, he encouraged them in their rebellion. He took advantage of their good nature and encouraged them to harden themselves in resisting the King's forces. When he saw the town of Mansoul was taken and converted to the purposes of the glorious Prince Emmanuel, and then saw what became of Diabolus when he was uprooted and forced to leave the castle amid much contempt and scorn, he slyly made a turnabout. He pretended he would serve the Prince against His foes in the same way that he had served Diabolus.\n\nAfter acquiring a smattering of Emmanuel's things, being the bold sort, he ventured amid the townsmen and attempted to strike up a chat among them. He knew the power and strength of the town of Mansoul was great, and he knew it would please the people if he talked up their might and glory. Therefore, he began his tale by talking about the power and strength of Mansoul. He declared it to be impregnable and talked about the greatness of their captains, their slings, and their rams, and boasted about their fortifications and strongholds. Lastly, he mentioned the assurances they had from their Prince that Mansoul would be happy forever. (Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will rest in the house of the LORD for ever. \u2013 Psalm 23:6) When he saw that some of the men of the town were entertained and interested in his discourse, he made it his business to walk from street to street, house to house, and man to man to talk. Finally, he led Mansoul while playing the flute as they danced. It felt good and right, and as they danced, they grew almost as carnally secure as he was. And this was only the beginning, for they moved on from talking to feasting and from feasting to amusing themselves and making merry; so they followed their appetites in these and other matters.\n\nEmmanuel was still in the town of Mansoul, and He observed their behavior. Lord Mayor, Lord Willbewill, and Mr. Recorder were also captivated with the words of this idle-talking Diabolian gentleman. (For there are many insubordinate and vain talkers and deceivers of souls. \u2013 Titus 1:10) But they forgot their Prince had warned them to take care not to be misled or deluded with any Diabolian sly trick.\n\nHe had told them the security of the now-flourishing town of Mansoul didn't lie so much in her present fortifications and strength, but in how she used what she had, that might oblige her Emmanuel to abide within her castle. For the true doctrine of Emmanuel was that the town of Mansoul should take care not to forget His Father's love and His love and that they should humbly continue in that love.\n\nWhat they were doing now was not the way to do it. They had fallen in love with one of the Diabolians and were being led by the nose by such a one as Mr. Carnal-Security. They should have listened to their Prince and responded in fear and love. They should have stoned this naughty pack of Diabolian followers to death and taken care to walk in the ways of their Prince. For if they had done so, they would be enjoying peace like a river, and their righteousness would be like the waves of the sea. (O that thou would look unto my commandments! Then thy peace would be as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. \u2013 Isaiah 48:18)\n\nNow it was apparent to Emmanuel that the policy of Carnal-Security chilled the hearts of the men of Mansoul and diminished their practical love for Him. He mourned for them and grieved their condition with the Secretary, as He said, \"Oh, that My people had listened to me and Mansoul had walked in My ways! I would have sustained them with the finest of wheat and with honey out of the rock.\" With this done, He said in his heart, \"I will return to the court \u2013 to My place, until Mansoul considers what they have done and acknowledges their offense.\"\n\nAnd He returned to his Father's court, because Mansoul's relationship with Him reflected that it had waned in a number of ways:\n\n  1. They broke fellowship with Him and no longer visited Him or came to His royal palace.\n  2. They didn't regard or take notice that He no longer came to visit them.\n  3. Though He continued to hold love feasts between their Prince and them as was the custom, they neglected to come to them or be delighted with them.\n  4. They no longer waited for His guidance but became headstrong. They considered themselves strong and invincible and thought Mansoul secure. They thought Mansoul was beyond all reach of the enemy and her state would be unalterable forever.\n\nNow, as was said, Emmanuel noticed that through Mr. Carnal-Security's craftiness, the town of Mansoul no longer depended upon Him or His Father, and so He put in place what was bestowed upon it. First, He mourned their state, then He implemented measures to make them understand the way they were following was dangerous.\n\nHe sent the Lord High Secretary to forbid them to follow such ways, but twice when the Secretary came to them, He found them at dinner in Carnal-Security's parlor satiating their appetites with his delights. He recognized they weren't willing to reason about matters concerning their good. It grieved Him and He went His way. When He told Prince Emmanuel what had transpired, He took offense and was grieved too. So He made prearrangements to return to his Father's court. (And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for certainly he is flesh. \u2013 Genesis 6:3)\n\nEven while He was still with them in Mansoul, He stayed secluded and more withdrawn than before. Mansoul no longer perceived His speech to be as pleasant and familiar when He came into their company. Plus, He no longer sent dainty bits from His table, as He had been accustomed to doing in the past. If they came to His gate, they might knock once or twice, but He didn't seem to regard them, whereas in the past, He would run to meet them halfway at the sound of their approach, invite them in, and hold them close. Now when they came to visit Him, they found He wasn't so easily spoken with as in the past.\n\nFor now, Emmanuel tolerated it and sought to make them reflect on all that had transpired in hopes they would return to Him with their hearts. But, alas! They didn't consider or regard His ways, because the changes in their relationship with Him didn't bother them. They didn't really think about the Prince's former favors. As a result, He withdrew, first from His palace, then He moved to the gate of the town, and finally He moved away from Mansoul, waiting for them to acknowledge their offense and earnestly seek His face. Mr. God's-Peace also laid down his commission and for the time being no longer exerted His influence in the town of Mansoul.\n\nThus, Mansoul walked contrary to His ways and He, by way of reprisal, walked in an opposite direction from them. (Can two walk together except they be agreed? \u2013 Amos 3:3) But unfortunately, by this time they were hardened, obstinate, and set in their ways, because they had swallowed so much of Carnal-Security's doctrine. So when their Prince departed, it didn't bother them in the least. They didn't even think of Him once He was gone, so His absence didn't grieve them in even a little.\n\nEmmanuel Departs Mansoul\n\nPart 2\n\nChapter 20\n\nGodly-Fear Speaks Out\n\nNow, a day arrived when this old gentleman, Carnal-Security, prepared a feast for the town of Mansoul. At that time Mr. Godly-Fear was in the town. (The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. \u2013 Psalm 111:10a) In times past, his presence was requested, but now he was asked to participate very little. Old Carnal-Security had a plan in mind. If possible, his idea was to mislead this man and deceive him as he had all the rest, so he invited Godly-Fear to the feast with his neighbors. When all the preparations had been made, Godly-Fear arrived with the rest of the guests. All were seated at the table and served food and drink. They feasted and made merry, all except for this one man. Godly-Fear sat like a stranger among the crowd. He didn't eat or make merry. When Carnal-Security saw this, he went over to talk with the man.\n\nHe said, \"Mr. Godly-Fear, are you not well? You seem to be mentally or physically ill, or perhaps both. I have a medicine crafted by Mr. Forget-Good, which gives life and cheerfulness to a person. It raises the spirits of one who is weak and depressed. Try a sip, for I hope it will make you merry and carefree and more fit as a feasting companion to us.\"\n\nGodly-Fear discreetly replied, \"Sir, I thank you for all things courteous and civil, but for your cordial I have no desire to imbibe. However, I do have a word for the natives of Mansoul: you, the elders and important citizens of Mansoul, it is strange to see you so lively and merry, when the town of Mansoul is in such a miserable situation.\"\n\nCarnal-Security tried to dismiss Godly-Fear's statement. \"I believe you need sleep. I offer you a comfortable room. Please, go lie down and take a nap, and in the meantime, we will be merry.\"\n\nGodly-Fear looked directly at Carnal-Security and said, \"Sir, if you had an honest heart, you couldn't do what you have done and continue to do.\"\n\n\"Why not?\" Carnal-Security shrugged.\n\n\"Don't interrupt me,\" Godly-Fear scolded. \"It's true the town of Mansoul was strong, and with a conditional stipulation that affects the agreement with Shaddai, it was impregnable. But you townsmen have weakened our famous town. Mansoul now lies accountable to its enemies. It's not the time to either flatter or be silent.\" Godly-Fear gestured toward Carnal-Security. \"You have stripped Mansoul and driven her glory from her. You've pulled down her towers, broken down her gates, and rendered the security of her locks and bars useless.\n\n\"To make it clear what I mean, from the time you, sir, and your lords of Mansoul have grown so great, the Strength of Mansoul has been offended. He has risen and is gone. If anyone wants to question the truth of my words, I ask this: Where is the Prince Emmanuel? When's the last time a man or woman in Mansoul saw Him? When did you last hear from Him or taste any of His dainty bits? You now feast with this Diabolian monster, but he is not your Prince. (But these, ... shall utterly perish in their own corruption, ... These are spots and blemishes, who eat together with you, while at the same time they revel in their deceit, ... who forsaking the right way have erred. \u2013 2 Peter 2:12-15a)\n\n\"If you had paid attention to enemies outside your walls to make sure they did not breach our walls, they could not have made a prey of you. But since you have sinned against your Prince, your enemies are now within and have been too hard for you.\"\n\nCarnal-Security waved a dismissive hand toward Godly-Fear. \"Bah! Godly-Fear, will you never shake off your fearfulness and lack of courage? Are you afraid of being dumfounded? Who has hurt you?\" He tipped his head to the side, feigning sincerity. \"Look, I'm on your side, but you doubt, while I am confident.\" He shrugged with his palms toward the ceiling. \"Besides, is this a time to be sad? A feast is made for laughter. So why, to your shame and our trouble, do you break into such depressing language, when you should be eating, drinking, and being merry?\"\n\nGodly-Fear at Carnal Security's Feast\n\nGodly-Fear let out a long sigh. \"I am sad because Emmanuel has gone from Mansoul. Do you hear me? I said He is gone, and you, sir, are the man who drove Him away. He is gone without so much as giving notice to the nobles of Mansoul that He was leaving. If that's not a sign of His anger, then I'm not familiar with godly nature.\n\n\"And now, my lords and gentlemen, for I'm still speaking to you, your gradual dropping away from fellowship with Him provoked Him to slowly depart from you. He's been doing so for some time. Perhaps if you had noticed, had come to your senses, and had renewed your standing with Him by humbling yourselves ....\" Sadness glistened in Godly-Fear's eyes. \"When He saw no one noticed these dreadful early stages of His anger and judgment, nor took them to heart, He went away from this place. I saw this with my own eyes.\n\n\"Therefore, now, while you boast, your Strength is gone. You're like the man who lost his shoulder-length locks while he slept, and with them his strength. (And she caused him to sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. \u2013 Judges 16:19) You may, with this lord of your feast, shake yourselves awake and think you can do everything as you did before. However, He has departed from you, and without Him you can do nothing, so turn your feast into moaning and your laughter into weeping.\"\n\nThese words startled the secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience, who was the old Recorder of Mansoul. He said, \"My brothers, I'm afraid what Godly-Fear tells us is true. I, for my part, haven't seen my Prince for a long time. I can't even remember the last time. I can't answer Godly-Fear's question. I'm afraid all is dire with Mansoul.\"\n\nGodly-Fear agreed. \"I know you won't find Him in Mansoul, for He has gone because of the elders' inattention and lack of wisdom in their actions, for they rewarded His grace with intolerable unkindness.\"\n\nMr. Conscience grew pale and looked ready to fall down dead at the table \u2013 and he wasn't the only one. All those at the feast, except for Carnal-Security, began to turn an ashen hue. Now Carnal-Security disliked such depressing goings-on and withdrew into a room behind the feasting hall. Those who had heard Godly-Fear speak recovered a little and together agreed to believe what he had said. They consulted as to how best to act, both in regard to the man of the house for drawing them into evil and also to regain Emmanuel's love.\n\nAs they said this, they recalled what their Prince had told them to do when such false prophets arose among them to delude the town of Mansoul. Under the conviction of those words burning within them, they concluded Carnal-Security was a false prophet and thus burned his house down upon him with fire, for he was a Diabolian by nature. (But the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. \u2013 Deuteronomy 18:20)\n\nThen they decided to look for Emmanuel their Prince. They sought Him but did not find Him. This confirmed the truth of what Godly-Fear had said, and it caused them to judge themselves and reflect upon the vile and ungodly things they had done. They realized that it was because of them that their Prince had left.\n\nThey agreed to go see the Lord Secretary, whom they had refused to hear from and whom they had grieved with their actions. He was a seer, and they wanted to ask Him if He could tell them where Emmanuel was and how they might send a petition to Him. But the Lord Secretary wouldn't admit them to discuss this matter, nor would He allow them to enter His royal abode. He didn't even show His face to them, inform them, or instruct them.\n\nGloomy clouds hung like a thick blanket of darkness upon Mansoul, and they saw they had been foolish. For the first time, they perceived the wretched damage Carnal-Security's companionship, swaggering words, and continual idle chatter had brought upon poor Mansoul. They thought about what further cost they would have to pay. With these thoughts milling about in their minds, the men of the town once again looked at Godly-Fear as one of good reputation; they were ready to consider him a prophet.\n\nWhen the Sabbath day came, they went to hear their secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience. His sermon was fearsomely filled with thunder and lightning! His text was found in the book of the prophet Jonah: Those that observe lying vanities forsake his mercy (Jonah 2:8). He preached with such power and authority that the countenance of the people fell that day. The message was unlike what they usually heard or saw. By the time the sermon concluded, the people were scarcely able to go to their homes or to work the following week. The sermon made such an impact on them that they didn't know what to do.\n\nIn the sermon, Mr. Conscience didn't only show Mansoul their sin, but he also trembled before them because of the sense of his own sin. So he cried out for himself, as he preached to them, \"Unhappy man that I am, that I should do so wicked a thing! That I, a preacher whom the Prince set up to teach Mansoul His Law, should myself live senselessly and without reason and be one of the first found in transgression! This transgression occurred within my precincts. I should have cried out against the wickedness, but I let Mansoul wallow in it, until it drove Emmanuel from its borders!\" He also charged all the lords and nobility of Mansoul with these same things.\n\nAbout this time, a great sickness fell upon the town of Mansoul and most of the inhabitants were afflicted. This included the captains and men of war too. They languished in this condition for a long time. It was serious enough that if an invasion took place, nothing of consequence could be done by either the townsmen or the field officers. The faces of people everywhere were pale and their hands weak. With shaky knees, men staggered on the streets of Mansoul amid groans and pants. And in the distance, more were ready to faint. (Therefore I have also made thee weak in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied. \u2013 Micah 6:13-14a)\n\nThey still wore the garments Emmanuel had given them, but they were in a sorry state. Some had holes, and others were torn, but all were in a nasty condition. Some no longer fit and hung so loosely on them that if they got snagged upon a bush, they would be plucked from them and leave them naked.\n\nAfter they spent some time in this sad, bleak condition, the secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience, called for a day of fasting and prompted the people to humble themselves for being so wicked against the great Shaddai and His Son. And he desired that Captain Boanerges would preach, and he agreed to do it.\n\nWhen the day arrived, his message was based upon this text: \"Cut it down; why should it even waste the soil?\" (And He spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit upon it and found none. Then he said unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none; cut it down; why does it cumber the ground? \u2013 Luke 13:6-7)\n\nHe delivered a vivacious sermon, which first showed his reason for choosing this text, namely, that the fig tree was barren. Then he followed this by showing what else was contained in the text \u2013 specifically, a choice between repentance or utter desolation. He showed them it was by Shaddai's authority that this sentence was pronounced. Lastly, he presented reasons that supported his point, and then he concluded his sermon.\n\nWhat he had to say to Mansoul was relevant in the application so much that poor Mansoul trembled. For this sermon, as well as the former sermon, worked upon the hearts of the men of Mansoul. It helped to keep those awake who were roused by the prior preaching, and as a result, sorrow, mourning, and woe could be heard throughout the whole town.\n\nAfter the sermon, the town gathered to talk about the best thing they could do. Mr. Conscience spoke up and said, \"I will do nothing based on my own decisions without talking it over with my neighbor Godly-Fear. For he provided more understanding of the mind of our Prince than we did, and I don't know for sure, but I think he may have the same insight now, as we are turning again to moral goodness.\"\n\nSo they sent for Godly-Fear and he appeared immediately. Upon his arrival, they made known their desire for him to reveal his feelings about what was best for them to do.\n\nThe old gentleman answered directly. \"It is my opinion that this town of Mansoul should, in this day of her distress, draw up and send a humble petition to their offended Prince Emmanuel, so that He, in His favor and grace, will turn again to you and not stay angry forever.\" (For the humble shall not always be forgotten: the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever. \u2013 Psalm 9:18)\n\nWhen the townsmen heard this, they agreed as one to his advice and drew up their request. Then they had to decide who should carry it to the Prince; they agreed to send it by the hand of the Lord Mayor Understanding, and he accepted the opportunity to serve in this way. He committed himself to his journey, departed, and arrived at the gate of the court of Shaddai, where Emmanuel the Prince of Mansoul had gone. But the gate was shut, and a vigilant guard kept watch there, so the petitioner was forced to stand outside the gate for a great while. He made it known to some that he desired the Prince be told who stood at the gate and what his business was. Finally, someone agreed to do so and went in and told Shaddai and Emmanuel, His Son, that the Lord Mayor of the town of Mansoul stood outside the gate of the King's court, desiring to be admitted into the presence of the Prince, the King's Son.\n\nThe Lord Mayor Waiting at the Gate\n\nThe messenger explained the reason for the Lord Mayor's errand, both to the King and to His Son Emmanuel. However, the Prince would not come to the gate or agree that the gate should be opened to him. Instead, He sent this answer: \"They have turned their back to Me and not their face, and now in the time of their trouble, they say to Me, 'Arise and save us.' Why don't they go to Mr. Carnal-Security, as they did when they turned from Me, and make him their leader, their lord, and their protection now in their trouble? In their prosperity, they went astray. Why is it that in their trouble they visit Me?\"\n\nWith this answer the Lord Mayor's face turned a dark purple, for it not only troubled and perplexed him but also caused him to grieve. He saw again the consequences of being familiar with Diabolians, such as Mr. Carnal-Security.\n\nWhen he looked toward the court, he understood little help could be expected for himself or his friends in Mansoul. He humbly struck his breast and returned, weeping and grieving over the deplorable state of Mansoul the entire way.\n\nWhen he came within sight of the town, the elders and leading people of Mansoul went out at the gate to greet him and learn how he fared at court.\n\nWith a downcast countenance, he told them his tale, and they all cried out, mourned, and wept at the news. They responded with humility by throwing ashes and dust upon their heads and dressing their loins in sackcloth. In this manner, they went crying throughout the town of Mansoul. (For this, gird yourselves with sackcloth; lament and howl; for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. \u2013 Jeremiah 4:8) When the rest of the townsfolk saw this, they too mourned and wept. And thus it was a day of rebuke, trouble, and anguish for the town of Mansoul, a day of great distress.\n\nAfter some time, when they had somewhat renounced their ways, they came together to consult again about the best thing for them to do. They asked advice, as they did before, from the reverend Godly-Fear, who told them, \"There is no way better than to do as you did before.\" He went on to tell them they should not be discouraged at all by the treatment they met with at court previously, even if several of their petitions should be answered with nothing but silence or a reprimand. \"For it is the way of the wise Shaddai to make men wait and exercise patience. And it should be the way of those who fall short to be willing to wait for His timing.\" (Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those that fear him, upon those that wait for his mercy. \u2013 Psalm 33:18)\n\nThey took courage from his words and sent petitions again and again, and again, and again. Not a day or hour went by in Mansoul in which a man didn't meet another upon the road who was sounding the horn from Mansoul to the court of the King Shaddai and delivering letters petitioning the Prince's return to Mansoul. Yes, the road filled with messengers meeting in their comings and goings. Some traveled from the court and some from Mansoul. All this was the work of the miserable town of Mansoul during that long, harsh, cold, and tedious winter.\n\nMessengers Going to and from Mansoul\n\nChapter 21\n\nDiabolus's Plan\n\nNow, you may remember I told you that after Emmanuel had taken Mansoul and rebuilt the town, many of the old Diabolians remained lurking about in several places. Some of them had arrived with the tyrant when he invaded and took over the town; others were the result of illegal relationships resulting in unlawful breeding and births. And the holes and dens where they lurked were in, under, and around the wall of the town. Some of the names of these Diabolians are Lord Fornication, Lord Adultery, Lord Murder, Lord Anger, Lord Lasciviousness, Lord Deceit, Lord Evil-Eye, Lord Blasphemy, and that horrible villain, the old and dangerous Lord Covetousness. (Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; which I denounce, as I have also told you in time past that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. \u2013 Galatians 5:19-21) These, as I told you, still resided in the town of Mansoul, even after Emmanuel had driven their prince Diabolus out of the castle.\n\nThe good Prince had given Lord Willbewill and the whole town of Mansoul an order to seek, take, secure, and destroy these and all other Diabolians they could lay hands on, because by nature they were enemies of the Prince. In fact, they were among the very ones who sought to ruin the blessed town of Mansoul.\n\nHowever, the town didn't pursue this warrant. They neglected to follow the order and didn't work at apprehending, securing, or destroying these Diabolians. Therefore, these villains took courage and, little by little, poked their heads out from their hiding places. They gradually showed themselves to the inhabitants of the town. And as I was told, some of the men of Mansoul grew too familiar with some of them \u2013 to the detriment of the town.\n\nWhen these Diabolian lords who were left in the town realized Mansoul's sinning had offended Emmanuel their Prince, and He had withdrawn from them and was gone, they plotted the ruin of Mansoul. So at a set time, they met at the den of Mr. Mischief, who was also a Diabolian. (These are the men that devise mischief and give wicked counsel in this city. \u2013 Ezekiel 11:2b) They talked about how they might deliver Mansoul into the hands of Diabolus again.\n\nAs the discussion progressed, some advised one way and some another, with every man offering an opinion according to his own liking. Lord Lasciviousness proposed an idea suggesting it might be best for some of the Diabolians in Mansoul to offer themselves as servants to some of the natives of the town. He said, \"For if they do this and Mansoul accepts them, they may make the taking of the town easier than it would be otherwise for us and for Diabolus our lord.\"\n\nBut Lord Murder stood to present his own thoughts on the subject. \"This might not work at this time, because Mansoul is currently eager to reconcile herself to her Lord again, because of what happened with our friend, Carnal-Security. The town was seduced by deceit once already and made to offend her Prince. How shall she reconcile herself except by the heads of these men? We know they have an order to capture and slay us wherever they find us. Therefore, let's be wise as foxes. If we are dead, we can't hurt them, but while we live, we may bring them harm.\"\n\nSo once they had tossed the matter back and forth for a time, they agreed a letter should be sent to Diabolus in their name. They would explain the current state of the town of Mansoul and how it had fallen under the displeasure of their Prince. \"We can also let him know our intentions and ask his advice as to how we should proceed.\"\n\nSo a letter was drafted and this is what it said:\n\n\"To our great lord, the prince Diabolus, who dwells below in the infernal cave:\n\n\"O great father and mighty prince Diabolus, we, the true Diabolians who still remain in the rebellious town of Mansoul, having received our existence from you and our nourishment from your hands, cannot sit back and endure watching without doing anything as you are blamed, disgraced, and criticized by the inhabitants of this town, and your long absence is to our disadvantage.\n\n\"The reason we are writing to our lord is that we have hope this town may be inhabited by you once again. Mansoul has waned from its relationship with Prince Emmanuel so much that He has departed from them. And even though they have sent petitions over and over again, asking Him to return, until now their petitions have accomplished nothing. At this point, they haven't received a single good word from Him. (They cried out, but there was no one to save them: even unto the LORD, but he did not answer them. \u2013 Psalm 18:41)\n\n\"Recently, a great sickness and fainting has spread among them and continues even now. This sickness isn't limited to the poor of the town but has even befallen the lords, captains, and important nobility. We who are Diabolians by nature remain well, lively, and strong, so we are writing to let you know Mansoul lies vulnerable to your power as a result of their transgression against Shaddai's Law. We believe now is the time for you to act. Your cunning, combined with the sly craftiness of the rest of the princes with you, makes it the perfect opportunity to attempt to take Mansoul again. We await your word in this matter; in the meantime, we shall do all within our power to be ready to deliver it into your hand.\n\n\"If you don't think what we have said meets with what you believe is the best course of action, send us your thoughts in a few words. We are all ready to follow your counsel, even if it puts our lives in peril or costs us whatever else we possess.\n\n\"This petition is imparted by our hands on the day and date written above. It was drawn up after close consultation at the house of Mr. Mischief, who is still alive and keeps his residence in our desirable town of Mansoul.\"\n\nThe Diabolians chose Mr. Profane to carry their message. When he arrived with the letter at Hell-gate Hill, he knocked at the brass gates and awaited entrance. Cerberus, the monstrous hound of Hades that served as the porter and keeper of that gate, opened to him. Profane stepped through the gate with the letter from the Diabolians who lived in Mansoul and presented it to Diabolus his lord.\n\n\"Greetings, my lord, from Mansoul,\" Profane said as he delivered the letter into Diabolus's hand. \"This letter is from our trusted friends in Mansoul.\"\n\nProfane at the Gate of the Pit\n\nA rowdy crowd made up of scoundrels gathered from the dens of Beelzebub, Lucifer, and Apollyon to hear the news from Mansoul. The letter was opened and read while Cerberus stood by. When the letter had been read in the hearing of those present, news of what it said spread into all the corners of the den, and a command was given that the dead man's bell should be rung in celebration. So the bell rang out, and the princes rejoiced that Mansoul was likely to come to ruin. Now, the clapper of the bell rang this out: \"The town of Mansoul is coming to dwell with us! Make room for the town of Mansoul!\" This bell rang out this message nonstop, and they all hoped to have Mansoul again.\n\nWhen they completed this horrible celebration, they came together to figure out how to answer their friends in Mansoul. Some advised one thing and some another. Finally, because the business required a swift response and they judged Diabolus the lord most particularly suited for making this choice, they left the whole decision to their prince. So he drew up a letter as he thought fit and sent his response by the hand of the same Mr. Profane to the Diabolians who lived in Mansoul.\n\nThis is what it said:\n\n\"To our offspring, the high and mighty Diabolians who still live in the town of Mansoul, Diabolus, the great prince of Mansoul, wishes a prosperous outcome to the many brave enterprises, conspiracies, and plans you have in your hearts to perform against Mansoul because of your love and respect for our honor.\n\n\"Beloved children and disciples, my Lord Fornication, Lord Adultery, and the rest, we received and welcomed your letter delivered by the hand of our trusted Mr. Profane here in our desolate den. It is with utmost joy and satisfaction that we read your message and in response rang our bell with gladness. In fact, we rejoiced as much as we could, when we realized we still had friends in Mansoul who sought our honor and revenge in the ruin of the town of Mansoul. We rejoiced to hear Mansoul is in a fallen condition, and they have offended their Prince; He is gone. Their sickness pleases us, and we are delighted to hear of your health, might, and strength. We cannot put into words how glad we would be to get this town into our clutches again, and we shall not spare our cleverness, cunning, craft, or hellish ingenuity in order to bring about our desired conclusion.\n\n\"And consider these comforting words, dear offspring. We shall again surprise Mansoul and take it. We will attempt to put all your enemies to the sword and will promote you to be the great lords and captains of the place. If we take Mansoul again, you will no longer need to fear being cast out ever again, for this time we will come with more strength and hold fast and control more than we did the first time. It is the Law of that Prince Emmanuel to whom they claim to belong that if we conquer them a second time, then they shall be ours forever.\n\n\"We ask that you, our trusted Diabolians, attempt to weaken Mansoul more and more. Pry into their everyday dealings. Endeavour to spy out their weakness. Then send us word about what you find and how you think we have the best chance to recover the town \u2013 whether by persuasion to live a vain and loose life, by tempting them to doubt and despair, or by blowing up the town with the gunpowder of pride and self-conceit.\n\n\"My brave Diabolians and true sons of the pit, be ready to make a hideous assault from within Mansoul at the time when we are ready to storm Mansoul from outside the walls. Make haste in your preparations. In our interests to possess Mansoul, we will tap into the maximum power of the gates of Hades. Your great Diabolus, Mansoul's enemy, and he who trembles when he thinks of judgment to come closes this letter, wishing all the blessings of the pit be upon you.\n\n\"This letter is given by the mutual consent of all the princes of darkness at the pit's mouth to be sent by the hand of Mr. Profane to the remaining force and power still in Mansoul from me, Diabolus.\"\n\nThis letter was sent from the dark dungeon of Diabolus to the Diabolians who still lived in Mansoul and inhabited the wall. It was delivered by the hand of Profane, and when he returned to Mansoul, he went straight to the house of Mr. Mischief, as this was the place where the schemers met. It was here the conclave awaited his arrival.\n\nWhen they saw their messenger approach the house safe and sound, they were filled with gladness. Then he presented them with the letter he carried from Diabolus. They opened it eagerly and read it. The contents boosted their morale and filled them with delight. They asked about the welfare of their Lord Diabolus, Lucifer, and Beelzebub; they asked how the rest of their friends from the den fared.\n\nMr. Profane stood tall and proud, quite enjoying all the attention his role in the plan provided. He said, \"Well, my lords. They are well \u2013 at least as well as can be expected in that place.\" His thin lips stretched into a smile that looked more like a sneer. \"They rang the bell for joy after the reading of your letter,\" Profane pointed to the open letter in their hands, \"as you can see by this letter.\"\n\nAnd it was true. When they read their letter, it encouraged them in their work, and they plotted a Diabolian strategy for how they might complete their plan against Mansoul. \"Don't let it be known,\" one said.\n\nThe others agreed. \"Yes, we need to be sure Mansoul is not informed regarding the plans we have against it.\" So the first thing they agreed upon was to keep all their plans as hidden as possible from Mansoul.\n\nThen they discussed what tactics they should use to bring about the ruin and overthrow of Mansoul. Again, each had his own opinion, but Mr. Deceit stood up and said, \"My just Diabolian friends, if we look to the letter we have received, our lords and the high ones of the deep dungeon have proposed three ways by which we may accomplish this task.\n\n\"First we need to decide if it is best for us to seek its ruin by making Mansoul careless and vain. The second option they offered was to drive Mansoul to doubt and despair, and the third was to endeavor to blow it up by the gunpowder of pride and self-conceit.\"\n\nDeceit hooked his thumbs around the straps holding up his trousers and rocked back and forth from heel to toe. \"Now if we tempt them to pride, that may accomplish something.\" (Pride shall certainly give birth to contention. \u2013 Proverbs 13:10a) A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. \"And if we tempt them to excessive indulgence because of their freedom and instill contempt against the restraints of the Law regarding morality and good behavior, that may help. (But each one is tempted, when they are drawn away of their own lust and enticed. \u2013 James 1:14) But, in my mind,\" he stopped rocking and placed his long fingers flat on the table around which they sat. He look at each of the Diabolians and said, \"If we could drive them into desperation, that would hit the nail on the head. For that would cause them to question the truth of the love of the heart of their Prince towards them.\" His thin lips stretched into a toothy smile. \"And that will disgust Him. If it works as well as I think it will, it shall put a stop to those petitions they are sending to Him. Say good-bye to their earnest requests for help and supplies.\" Deceit straightened and hooked his thumbs about the straps again. \"The natural conclusion will be to do nothing, for in their eyes it shall serve no purpose.\" All the Diabolians nodded and gave their unanimous consent to Deceit's plan.\n\nAs excited as they were with this plan, it still raised the question of how they could bring it to pass. Deceit rubbed his hands together and said, \"This might be the best way to do it.\" He leaned in close and everyone drew near to listen carefully. \"Let all of our friends who are willing to risk their lives for promoting this cause, disguise themselves. Let them alter how they dress, change their names, and visit the market, pretending to be from a far-off country. While in the marketplace, let them offer themselves as servants to the famous town of Mansoul.\n\n\"Once they are accepted in this role, let them pretend to help and support their masters, but once Mansoul hires them, they can corrupt and defile the entire town a little at a time. And this will further offend her Prince and He shall spew them out of His mouth. (But I fear that as the serpent deceived Eve through his craftiness, so your senses should be corrupted in some way, and ye should fall from the simplicity that is in the Christ. \u2013 2 Corinthians 11:3)\n\n\"And when this is done, they'll become easy prey for our prince Diabolus.\" Deceit nodded with glee and the others agreed. \"Yes, they shall fall into the mouth of the buyer.\" The specifics of this plan were no sooner proposed than they became accepted by all the Diabolians who were ready to engage in this subtle venture. However, they decided it wasn't a task fit for all to take part in. Therefore, they chose three: Lord Covetousness, Lord Lasciviousness, and Lord Anger. Lord Covetousness called himself by the name of Prudent-Thrifty. Lord Lasciviousness called himself Harmless-Mirth, and Lord Anger called himself Good-Zeal.\n\nOn market day, these three impudent fellows came into the marketplace, dressed in sheep's clothing, which was as white as the white robes of the men of Mansoul. (Keep yourselves also from the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. \u2013 Matthew 7:15) These men could speak the language of Mansoul well, and when they arrived in the marketplace, they offered to lease their services to the townsmen. In a short time, their offers were accepted, because they asked for low wages and promised to do their masters great service.\n\nMr. Mind hired Prudent-Thrifty (Covetousness), and Mr. Godly-Fear hired Good-Zeal (Anger), while Harmless-Mirth (Lasciviousness) had a little more trouble being hired, because the town of Mansoul was observing Lent. However, when Lent was almost over, the Lord Willbewill hired Harmless-Mirth to wait on him as his personal servant and lackey.\n\nSo all three villains now had masters. The plan progressed when they were invited into the houses of the men of Mansoul. They wasted no time to execute great harm within their homes, for they were morally impure, cunning, and artfully resourceful in performing things secretly. As a result, they quickly corrupted the families and their masters as well, especially Prudent-Thrifty and the one they called Harmless-Mirth. (Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Be not ye, therefore, partakers with them. \u2013 Ephesians 5:6-7)\n\nHowever, the Lord Anger, who went under the mask of Good-Zeal, wasn't as well liked by his master, for Godly-Fear recognized he was nothing but a counterfeit rogue. When Lord Anger realized he was found out, he escaped from the house. If he hadn't, I don't doubt his master would have hanged him.\n\nUp to this point, these vagabonds carried on with their scheme and corrupted the town as much as they could on their own, and wondered when their prince Diabolus would attempt to seize Mansoul. They all agreed a market day would be best for that effort, because the townsfolk would be distracted with their business. You see, the rule of thumb says when people are most busy in the world, they least fear the unexpected.\n\nThey reasoned, \"If we take action on a market day such as this, we'll be able to meet to lay the groundwork for our friends and lords with less suspicion. And if they do happen to notice what we're doing, and we are forced to retreat, it will be easier to hide in the crowd and make our escape.\"\n\nOnce they agreed on these things, they wrote another letter to Diabolus and sent it by the hand of Mr. Profane. This is what it said:\n\n\"From the lords of Looseness to the great and high Diabolus from our dens, caves, holes, and strongholds in and about the wall of the town of Mansoul, greetings.\n\n\"Our great lord and the nourisher of our lives, Diabolus \u2013 how glad we were when we heard that you, our father, are ready to carry our plan forward with us in our attempt to ruin Mansoul. No one can tell, except those who set themselves against all appearances of good, as we do, when and wherever we find it.\n\n\"Concerning the encouragement your greatness was pleased to give us to devise, contrive, and fix our minds upon the complete desolation of Mansoul, let us say we are not anxious about it. We know it can be nothing but pleasing and advantageous for us to see our enemies and those who seek our lives die at our feet or flee before us. We continue to scheme and deceive our enemy to the best of our ability to make this work easy and accomplish it for your lordships and for us.\n\n\"First, we considered that hellishly cunning, threefold project you proposed to us in your last communication. We decided that blowing them up with the gunpowder of pride would do well, and tempting them to be loose and vain would work quite effectively. However, we think the best approach is to bring them into the gulf of hopelessness.\n\n\"Now we who wait for your direction have thought of two ways to do this. First, we will make these Mansoulians as vile as we can. Then when you join us at the appointed time, you'll be able to fall upon them with the greatest force. And of all the nations awaiting your call, we think an army of Doubters would most likely be able to attack and overcome the town of Mansoul with success.\n\n\"With this plan we shall overcome these enemies; otherwise the pit shall open and desperation shall thrust them into it. We've already embedded three of our trusted Diabolians among them. Covetousness, Lasciviousness, and Anger are wearing disguises and have changed their names, and they are now accepted by the Mansoulians.\n\n\"The name of Covetousness has been changed to Prudent-Thrifty, and he has been hired by Mr. Mind who has become almost as bad as our friend. Lasciviousness has changed his name to Harmless-Mirth, and he now serves as Lord Willbewill's lackey. He has made his master very self-indulgent. Anger changed his name to Good-Zeal and was invited to live with Godly-Fear, but that irritable old gentleman was suspicious and kicked our companion out of his house. Since that time, Anger informed us that if he hadn't run away from the old man, his master would have hanged him for what he had done.\n\n\"These three have helped move our work forward in Mansoul, for even with the spite and quarrelsome temper of the old gentleman, the other two Diabolians have applied their efforts and are likely to have their work bring results.\n\n\"As we see it, the next step in this project is for you to come against the town on a market day while the town is caught up in the heat of business. For when they are consumed with such affairs, they will feel most secure and least expect an assault will be made upon them. They will also be less able to defend themselves or to displease you as you put our plan into action.\n\n\"When you make your furious assault outside the gates, we, your trusted and beloved ones, shall be ready to help from within. So in all likelihood, we will be able to put Mansoul into total confusion and swallow them up before they realize what's going on. (For where there is envy and contention, there is confusion and every perverse work. \u2013 James 3:16) Our highly esteemed lords and most elusive dragons, if your serpentine heads can find a better way than this, let us know what is on your minds.\n\n\"We send this to the monsters of the infernal cave from the house of Mr. Mischief in Mansoul by the hand of Mr. Profane.\"\n\nWhile the raging rebels and hellish Diabolians planned the ruin of the town of Mansoul, the town fell into a sad and miserable state. This was partly because they had offended Shaddai and His Son and partly because their enemies had renewed their strength within. The many unanswered petitions sent to Prince Emmanuel and His Father Shaddai asking for their pardon and favor added to their despondency. Through the craft and slyness of the domestic Diabolians, the cloud hanging over Mansoul grew blacker and blacker, and their Emmanuel seemed to stand even farther away.\n\nThe sickness still raged in Mansoul, both among the captains and the inhabitants of the town, but their enemies remained lively and strong. If things continued in this way, the Diabolians were likely to become the head, while Mansoul became the tail.\n\nThe Sickness of Mansoul\n\nThe letter written by the Diabolians who still lurked in the town of Mansoul was on its way to be delivered to Diabolus by the hand of Mr. Profane. (He sits in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places he murders the innocent: his eyes are secretly set against the poor. \u2013 Psalm 10:8) He planned to carry the letter past Hell-gate Hill and deliver it to Cerberus to place into the hand of his lord. But when Cerberus and Profane met, since both were about as distinguished as beggars, they fell into a conversation about Mansoul and the plans against her.\n\n\"Old friend!\" Cerberus said in greeting. \"You've come to Hell-gate Hill again! I'm glad to see you!\"\n\nThe wicked Profane, feeling important, returned the greeting and said, \"Yes, I've come again about the concerns of the town of Mansoul.\" He showed the letter to Cerberus who took it from his hand.\n\nThe two stood at the gate talking. \"Please, do tell me about that town of Mansoul and what condition it is in,\" Cerberus said.\n\n\"For us and the lords of this place, it is in magnificent condition,\" Profane began. \"As to godliness, I believe they have deteriorated. That's about the best we can wish for. And their Lord is out of sorts with them, and that pleases us as well. We have access to some of their homes, for our Diabolian friends have gained their acceptance. What more do we need to become masters of the place! Our trusted friends plot daily to betray the lords of this town. The sickness continues to rage bitterly among them. When you add it all up, we hope to prevail in the end.\"\n\nThe dog of Hell-gate agreed. He said, \"There's no better time than this to assault them. I wish the plan would be put into practice, and the desired success achieved soon. I wish it for the sake of the poor Diabolians who live in continual fear of their lives in that traitorous Mansoul.\"\n\n\"Devising of the plan is almost finished,\" Profane said. \"The lords in Mansoul who are Diabolians are working at it day and night, while the Mansoulians are like silly doves. (He lies in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lies in wait to catch the poor: he catches the poor when he draws him into his net. He crouches and hides himself, and many are those who fall under his power. \u2013 Psalm 10:9-10) They cannot see what is going on around them. They'd need understanding to be concerned with their state and recognize ruin is at hand. You can't help but conclude Diabolus will prevail if he moves quickly.\"\n\nCerberus agreed. \"You can say that again. I am glad things are at this point.\" He gestured with his head toward the den beyond Hell-gate. \"I have sent your letter in already. Go in to my lords, my brave Profane; they will welcome you as a bearer of good news, which the whole kingdom will send forth.\"\n\nProfane walked into the den. His Lord Diabolus stepped from the shadows and greeted him. \"Welcome, my trusty servant. Your letter has made me very happy.\"\n\nThe rest of the lords of the pit greeted him in a similar manner, and after Profane bowed low and paid homage to them all, he said, \"Let Mansoul be given to my Lord Diabolus, and let him be her king forever.\" In response, the hollow belly and yawning gorge of hell issued a loud, hideous groan, for that was the music of that place. The mountains trembled as if they would crumble and fall into pieces.\n\nProfane's Interview with Diabolus\n\nAfter the monsters of the infernal cave read and reflected on what the letter said, they talked about how to reply. The first to speak his opinion was Lucifer. He said, \"The initial project of the Diabolians in Mansoul is likely to meet with good success, as they can make Mansoul even more vile and filthy. There is no better way to destroy a soul than this. Our old friend Balaam did this and prospered many years ago. (Who forsaking the right way have erred, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. \u2013 2 Peter 2:15)\n\n\"As a general rule for Diabolians in all ages, let this bolster our confidence to attain the greatest number of souls possible. For nothing can make this approach fail except grace, of which I hope this town has no share. (To the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he has made us accepted in the beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. \u2013 Ephesians 1:6-7)\n\n\"However, whether or not to attack them on a market day because they would be hindered while doing business \u2013 that, I think, should be under debate. This approach should be debated because it is essential to the success of our plan. If we don't time it well, our whole plan may fail.\n\n\"Our friends, the Diabolians, say a market day is best because Mansoul will be busiest then and won't be thinking of a surprise attack. But what if they happen to double their guards on those days? Nature and reason would teach them such steps should be taken on market day. And what if they keep watch on those days as their current circumstances require? Think about it. What if their men are always armed on those days? If such is the case, you, my lords, may be disappointed in your attempts and may even place our friends in the town in danger of unavoidable ruin.\"\n\nThe great Beelzebub stood. Flickering firelight danced across his hideous reptilian features. \"My lord has made a good point, but his speculation may or may not come about. Nor has he explained what must not be surrendered again. I know he said what he did to provoke a heated debate about the topic. With that in mind, we must learn whether the town of Mansoul has a sense or knowledge of her decayed state or not. Does she know anything of the plan we have? Does she realize we already have admission to her? If she has such knowledge, it would rouse her to set a watchguard at her gates and to double this security on market days. But, if after we look into it we find they are asleep and unaware regarding our actions, then in my judgment any day will do, but a market day would be best.\"\n\nDiabolus tapped his clawed finger against his pointed chin as he pondered what had been said. \"How would we know this?\"\n\nA voice among the group called out, \"Ask Mr. Profane. He lives there and will know of such goings on.\" So Profane was called in and asked the question.\n\nProfane felt quite important as his lords looked to him for vital information. \"My lords,\" he said, \"so far as I can gather at this time, the condition of the town of Mansoul is that their faith and love has dwindled. (Nevertheless I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love. \u2013 Revelation 2:4) They haven't made much of an attempt to correct or amend their lives, and Emmanuel, their Prince, has turned His back on them. They send petitions asking Him to come to them again and again, but He has not responded to their requests in a timely manner.\"\n\nDiabolus smiled broadly, showing his nasty, jagged teeth. \"I am glad to hear they have backslidden in this way, but I'm still troubled by their petitioning of Emmanuel. However, their loose living is a sign that there isn't much heart in these efforts, and if the heart isn't involved, such things are of little value. But go on with what you have to say. I won't distract you further.\"\n\nBeelzebub closed his ideas in the matter. \"If Mansoul's condition is as Profane has described it to us, it won't matter what day we assault it, because their prayers and even their power will do them little good.\" (But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. \u2013 Isaiah 59:2)\n\nWhen Beelzebub finished presenting his opinion, Apollyon followed with his insights. He said, \"My opinion concerning this matter is that we move forward, but without force, not doing things in a hurry. Let our friends in Mansoul go on with their work, polluting and defiling her by seeking to draw her further into sin. There is nothing like sin to devour Mansoul.\n\n\"If this is done and it takes effect, Mansoul will forget about sending further petitions. In fact, she won't do anything to increase her security and safety, for she will forget her Emmanuel and will not desire His company. If she can be drawn into living this way, her Prince won't hurry to her aid. Our trusted friend, Carnal-Security, drove Him out of the town with one of his tricks. Remembering this, I ask, why wouldn't Lord Covetousness and Lord Lasciviousness keep Him out of the town by what they do?\n\n\"I tell you this, not that you don't already know it, but two or three Diabolians working from the inside, if retained and supported by the town of Mansoul, will do more toward keeping Emmanuel from them and toward making the town of Mansoul your own than a legion sent out from us to oppose Him could accomplish.\n\n\"Therefore, let this first segment of the project our friends in Mansoul have begun be carried on. With all cunning and craft imaginable, let them send more of their men to practice deception among the people of Mansoul while living under one disguise or another. If we follow this method, we won't need to rush upon them to make war. If it does become a necessity, the more sinful they are, the more unable they will be to resist us, and the easier it will be for us to overcome them.\n\n\"If you look at it from the worst-case scenario \u2013 that Emmanuel actually comes to them again \u2013 wouldn't this same approach likely drive Him away from them once more? When He sees how they have slipped into sin again, why wouldn't their actions drive Him from them forever, for the same reason which He was driven from them in the first place? And if this happens, He'll go away with His battering rams, slings, and His captains and soldiers. This would leave Mansoul naked and bare. When the town sees she's utterly forsaken by her Prince, don't you think she'll open her gates to you again of her own accord? (For my enemies speak against me, and those that lay in wait for my soul take counsel together, saying, God has forsaken him; persecute and take him for there is no one to deliver him. \u2013 Psalm 71:10-11) Don't you think she will restore you to the place you held in the days of old? But this will be accomplished over time. It's going to take more than a few days to cause such a great work as this to take place.\"\n\nAs soon as Apollyon finished speaking, Diabolus spewed his own malice and pleaded his cause. He said, \"My lords and powers of the cave, my true and trusted friends, I have listened to your long and tedious orations with much impatience. Now I ask that you listen to me. My hunger and thirst are unquenchable, and I lust after a repossession of my famous town of Mansoul. Whatever the outcome, I can't wait any longer to see how things turn out as we drag out our plans. Without further delay, I must seek by all the means at my disposal to fill my insatiable chasm with the soul and body of the town of Mansoul. Therefore, I ask that you lend me your heads, hearts, and your help. For I am going to recover my town of Mansoul \u2013 now!\" He pounded his clenched claw to emphasize his point.\n\nWhen the lords and princes of the pit saw the flaming desire within Diabolus to devour the miserable town of Mansoul, they decided not to raise any more objections even though they knew that if they had followed Apollyon's advice, they would have distressed the town of Mansoul far more fearfully. Instead, they consented to lend him what strength they could, just in case they might need him in the future for one of their own schemes. So they moved on to the next subject to be discussed, namely, how many soldiers they had that could join with Diabolus when he went up against the town of Mansoul to take it.\n\nChapter 22\n\nDiabolians Prepare for War\n\nAfter some debate, the fiends who had assembled from the dens, caves, holes, and strongholds agreed to follow the suggestion put forth by the Diabolians in the letter. For this march against Mansoul, none would be better than an army of terrible Doubters, so they decided to send an army of hardy Doubters numbering between twenty and thirty thousand against Mansoul.\n\nThe great council of those high and mighty lords decided Diabolus should speak to the men in the land of Doubting, which lies near the borders of Hell-gate Hill. He was to persuade them to join his ranks against the miserable town of Mansoul.\n\nIt was decided these lords should help Diabolus in this war effort by serving as commanders who would manage his men. So they drew up a letter and sent it back to the Diabolians who lurked in Mansoul and were awaiting Profane's return. In the letter, they made known the method by which the plan was to move forward. This is what it said:\n\n\"From the dark and horrible dungeon of hell, Diabolus, with all the princes of darkness, send this to our trusted ones who dwell in and about the walls of the town of Mansoul. We know how impatiently you are waiting for our most devilish answer to your venomous and most poisonous plan against the town of Mansoul.\n\n\"You are our offspring in whom we boast every day and in whose actions we delight all year long. We received your valuable letter at the hand of our trusted and beloved Mr. Profane, and to your amazing credit, we want you to know when we opened and read the contents, our yawning, hollow-bellied abyss made a hideous, bellowing noise for joy. The great sound shook the mountains around Hell-gate Hill to pieces.\n\n\"We admire your faithfulness and the slyness of your plan and how it has shown us that you stand ready to serve us against the town of Mansoul. In fact, you have invented such an excellent approach for our proceeding against that rebellious people that we don't believe a more effectual approach could be thought of by all the wits of hell. Therefore, since we saw the proposals you have sent us, we have admired and approved them.\n\n\"We want to encourage you with insights regarding your cunning and let you know that at a full assembly and conclave of our princes and principalities, we discussed your proposal at length and agreed a better or more fit way to proceed could not be devised to surprise, take, and make the rebellious town of Mansoul our own.\n\n\"As the plan was discussed, anything which varied from what you laid out in your letter fell aside, and only your ideas stuck as the way to move forward for Diabolus, the prince. His heart burns hot to put your plan into action.\n\n\"We therefore wanted you to understand our brave, furious, and unmerciful Diabolus is raising more than twenty thousand Doubters to come against Mansoul, for your relief and the ruin of that rebellious town. These men are all valiant, strong, and accustomed to war. He is doing this work with all possible speed, for his heart and spirit are dominated by it. We desire you to join with us, as you have in the past, and we ask that you continue to give us both advice and encouragement. If you continue to pursue our plan, you will not lose out but shall be rewarded, for we intend to make you the lords of Mansoul.\n\n\"Those of us here desire every one of you who are in Mansoul to use all your power, cunning, and skill with deceptive persuasion to draw the town of Mansoul into more sin and wickedness with the goal of drawing them into that sin that brings forth death. (But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. \u2013 Hebrews 3:13)\n\n\"With this in mind, we've decided the more vile, sinful, and corrupt the town of Mansoul is, the more unwilling Emmanuel will be to come to her aid, either by His actual presence or in some other form of relief. The more sinful she becomes, the weaker and the more unable the Mansoulians will be to resist when we make our assault to overtake them. (When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. \u2013 Matthew 13:19) Their mighty Shaddai Himself will cast them out of His protection. If this were to happen, He would also send for His captains and soldiers to return home with His slings and rams and leave them vulnerable. Then the town of Mansoul would open to us and fall as a ripe fig into the mouth of the eater. Yes, this would make it a great deal easier to come against her and overcome her.\n\n\"As to the timing of our plan to come against Mansoul, we haven't resolved that point as yet. Some of us agree with your thinking that a market day or even the night of a market day would be best. However, be ready at all times. When you hear the loud, continual roar of our drum outside the wall, do your best to create the most horrible confusion within the walls of the town. In this way, Mansoul will be distressed inside and outside, and they won't know which way to turn for help.\n\n\"Lord Lucifer, Lord Beelzebub, Lord Apollyon, Lord Legion, and all the others greet you, as does the Lord Diabolus. We wish everything you do or possess to produce the very same fruit and success as we enjoy for our efforts.\n\n\"From our dreadful boarders in the most fearful pit, we greet you, and so do the many legions here with us. We all wish that you may be as hellishly prosperous as we desire to be ourselves. By the letter carrier, Mr. Profane.\"\n\nMr. Profane then concentrated on getting ready for his return to Mansoul and his errand to deliver the letter from the horrible pit to the Diabolians who lived in that town. When he walked up the stairs from the deep pit and reached the mouth of the cave, Cerberus saw him and asked, \"How did matters go below regarding the town of Mansoul?\"\n\nProfane shrugged. \"Things went as well as we can expect. The letter I carried here from Mansoul was well liked by all my lords and highly approved. I'm returning to tell our Diabolians this news, and I carry an answer to it here.\" He patted the pocket over his heart where he'd placed the letter for safekeeping. \"I'm sure it will make our masters who sent me glad, because the contents of the letter are written to encourage them to pursue their plan to the fullest. It instructs them to be ready at any time to attack from within, when they see Lord Diabolus surrounding the town of Mansoul.\"\n\nCerberus's canine brow wrinkled with surprise. \"You mean he intends to go against them himself?\"\n\nProfane's thin lips pulled into a half-smirk. \"Does he? Yes! And he plans to take more than twenty thousand men of war with him \u2013 all strong Doubters, handpicked men from the land of Doubting who will serve him in the mission.\"\n\nProfane Returns from the Pit\n\nCerberus was glad to hear this news. He said, \"Are such bold preparations being made to go against the miserable town of Mansoul? I hope I might be put in charge of a thousand of them in order to show my own valor.\"\n\n\"Your wish may come to pass,\" Profane said. \"You look like one who has courage enough, and my lord will bring with him those who are valiant and brave.\" He patted Cerberus on the back. \"I must be on my way. My business requires haste.\"\n\nCerberus nodded. \"So it does. Hurry and be on your way to Mansoul with all its troublemakers. And when you arrive at the house of Mr. Mischief, tell the Diabolians who meet there that Cerberus wishes to serve them. And tell them I hope to come with the army against the famous town of Mansoul.\" (They gather themselves together as an army against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood. \u2013 Psalm 94:21)\n\n\"I will pass along your message,\" Profane said. \"And I know my lords will be glad to hear it and to see you also.\"\n\nAfter they passed a few more compliments back and forth like this, Mr. Profane said good-bye to his friend Cerberus who sent him off with a thousand pit-wishes and told him to hurry on his way to his masters. Profane bowed with respect one last time and turned on his heels to run to Mansoul.\n\nHe returned to Mansoul in this way and went straight to the house of Mr. Mischief, as he did following the delivery of the first letter. There he found the Diabolians assembled and waiting for his return. He delivered the letter to them with the compliments to go with it. He started reading the message to them. \"My lords, from the confines of the pit, the high and mighty principalities and powers of the den greet you, the true Diabolians of the town of Mansoul. (For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the lords of this age, rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the heavens. \u2013 Ephesians 6:12) We are thankful for the great service, vigorous efforts, and valiant achievements you've taken upon yourselves for the restoring of this to our prince Diabolus.\"\n\nThis was the state of the miserable town of Mansoul: she had offended her Prince; He was gone; and she had encouraged the powers of hell to come against her to seek her complete destruction.\n\nTrue, the town of Mansoul could still perceive moral good from evil and was aware of her sin, but the Diabolians had affected her at the core, at the seat of her pity and kindness and, therefore, affected her tenderness, compassion, and scriptural sense.\n\nShe cried, but Emmanuel was gone, and her cries didn't bring Him back. She didn't know whether He would ever return to His Mansoul again. Plus they were ignorant of the power and diligence of the enemy \u2013 how they were moving forward with the scheme of hell they had devised against her.\n\nThey sent petition after petition to the Prince, but He answered all of them with silence. They still neglected to correct or amend their lives from transgressing the moral law. They continued in corrupt conduct, which is exactly how Diabolus wanted it. He knew if they regarded iniquity in their heart, their King would not hear their prayer. (If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. \u2013 Psalm 66:18) They therefore grew weaker and weaker, being driven like a tumbleweed in the whirlwind.\n\nThey cried to their King for help, while maintaining a friendship with the Diabolians. What could a King do? For now, a mixture of Diabolians and Mansoulians walked the streets together. The Diabolians began to seek peace with the Mansoulians, because the sickness had become so life threatening in Mansoul that fighting in such close quarters with them would be in vain. Mansoul's weakness had become her enemies' strength, and the sins of Mansoul were to the Diabolians' advantage. (For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he weighs all his goings. His own iniquities shall take hold of the wicked, and he shall be imprisoned with the cords of his sins. He shall die because he did not submit to chastening; and due to the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. \u2013 Proverbs 5:21-23)\n\nThe foes of Mansoul began to promise themselves possession of the town, because there wasn't much difference now between Mansoulians and Diabolians. In fact, both seemed to be masters of Mansoul. It was a sad sight to see the Diabolians increase and grow while the town of Mansoul diminished, with more than eleven thousand men, women, and children dying from the sickness.\n\nChapter 23\n\nMansoul Prepares\n\nBut now, Shaddai provided one who loved the people of Mansoul. His name was Mr. Prywell. He walked the streets of Mansoul and paid close attention to everything, trying to see or hear any plans against it. He was vigilant and always feared some harm would befall Mansoul, either from the Diabolians within the town or from some power outside the walls.\n\nOne time as Prywell walked about with his ears perked to listen, he came to a place called Vile-hill in Mansoul. A house stood there, and Diabolians used it for meeting. One night Prywell heard some muttering from this house, and he tiptoed closer to hear. He stood at the corner of the house where he could listen for quite a long time. Someone inside affirmed, \"It won't be long before Diabolus possesses Mansoul again.\" This person also said that when this happened, the Diabolians intended to put all Mansoulians to the sword! They even planned to kill and destroy the King's captain and drive all His soldiers out of the town. Prywell stood still with a sinking heart. He forced himself to stay long enough to hear the one talking say, \"Diabolus has prepared more than twenty thousand fighting men to accomplish this plan, and it will be accomplished soon.\"\n\nWhen Prywell heard this, he didn't doubt it was true. He hurried to the Lord Mayor Understanding's house and recounted all he'd heard. Understanding sent for Mr. Conscience and broke the news to him. Mr. Conscience sounded the alarm to the town, for he was now the chief preacher in Mansoul, because the Lord Secretary was the secondary preacher. He alerted the town that same hour by ringing the lecture bell, so the people came together in one place. He offered them short but encouraging advice, telling them to be watchful. (Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. \u2013 Matthew 26:41) Then he shared Mr. Prywell's news.\n\nHe said, \"A horrible plot has been contrived against Mansoul to massacre all of us in a day. This information cannot be ignored because Prywell is the source, and he loves Mansoul and always has. He's a serious man of sound judgment and is no idle talker or one to raise false reports. However, he is one who loves to get to the bottom of things and doesn't just talk about the latest news but bases what he tells on very solid arguments. I will call him, so you can hear what he has to say with your own ears.\"\n\nSo he called Mr. Prywell who came and told his tale. All he said was affirmed as truth with an abundance of facts, and as a result, Mansoul fell under conviction of the truth.\n\nThe preacher also backed him by saying, \"It isn't irrational for us to believe this, for we have provoked Shaddai to anger. We have sinned Emmanuel out of the town, and we've had too much communication and dealings with Diabolians. We have forsaken our former mercies. It's no surprise then that the enemy should have a scheme in place, both within and without, to plot our ruin. What better time to do it? The sickness of sin is now in the town, and we have been weakened by it. (I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and I have not hid my iniquity. I said, I will confess (against myself) my rebellions unto the LORD, and thou shalt forgive the iniquity of my sin. \u2013 Psalm 32:5) Many a good-meaning man is dead, and the Diabolians grow stronger and stronger.\"\n\nMr. Conscience continued, \"I've received from this good truth-teller, Mr. Prywell, even more insight as to the harm planned against us. He overheard that several letters have passed between the furies and the Diabolians to plan our destruction.\"\n\nWhen Mansoul heard all this, they were unable to deny it. They lifted their voices as one and wept. Prywell stepped forward in the presence of the townsmen and confirmed the truth of all their preacher had said. They again expressed deep sorrow for their depravity of mind and doubled the number of requests sent to Shaddai and His Son. They broke the news to the captains, high commanders, and men of war in the town of Mansoul and asked them to use the intervening time to be strong and to take courage. (Be of good courage and strengthen your hearts, all ye that wait in the LORD. \u2013 Psalm 31:24)\n\nThey told them to look after their armor and other equipment and make themselves ready to face Diabolus in battle night or day, so they'd be ready whenever he chose to beleaguer the town of Mansoul.\n\nNow the captains loved the town of Mansoul, and when they heard this, they gathered like many Samsons and shook themselves awake. They put their heads together and plotted how to defeat the bold and hellish plans put in place by Diabolus and his friends against the now sick, weak, and impoverished town of Mansoul. They agreed upon these steps:\n\nFirst, the gates of Mansoul were to be kept shut and made secure with bars and locks. Security measures were to be put in place that required everyone who went out or came in to be inspected by the captains of the guards, who said, \"In order that those who live deceptively among us and are leaders in this plot for our ruin may be taken into custody.\"\n\nSecond, a strict search was to be made for every Diabolian throughout the whole town of Mansoul. Every house was to be searched from top to bottom for these Diabolian leaders and others who might have a hand in these plans.\n\nThird, Mansoul decided that even those of the town of Mansoul, who had provided a house and lodging to the Diabolians, should repent in a public place as a warning to others.\n\nFourth, the town of Mansoul determined that the entire town should hold a public fast \u2013 a day to show they accepted their Prince as just and to humble themselves before Him for their violations against Him and against Shaddai, His Father. (But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer rose up in my bosom. \u2013 Psalm 35:13) It was decided that anyone in Mansoul who didn't keep the fast or humble themselves for their faults, but who continued to devote their minds to worldly works or wandering about doing as they pleased, should suffer as Diabolians for their wicked actions.\n\nFifth, they decided to waste no time in renewing their humiliation for their sin, and with enthusiasm and zeal they sent off petitions to Shaddai asking for help. They also decided to let the court know about what Mr. Prywell had told them.\n\nSixth, the town of Mansoul determined that thanks should be given to Prywell for his diligence in seeking after the welfare of their town and for his natural inclination to seek their good and undermine the intentions of their enemies. They commissioned him as Scoutmaster-General for the good of the town of Mansoul.\n\nThe Council of the Captains of Mansoul\n\nWhen the entire assembly and their captains had finished planning this course of action, they followed through with every item. First, they shut up their gates, then they began a strict search for all the Diabolians. Those with whom Diabolians were found were expected to repent in the open, and the town kept their fast and renewed their appeals to their Prince. Mr. Prywell managed the task Mansoul had put into his hands with great integrity and dependability. (Moreover, it is required in stewards that each one be found faithful. \u2013 1 Corinthians 4:2) He devoted his attention and effort both in the town and outside the walls to pry, see, and hear.\n\nAfter a few days, he made provision for his journey and went towards Hell-gate Hill into the country where the Doubters lived. Here he heard about all that he had overheard in Mansoul, and he sensed that Diabolus was almost ready for his march against them. So he returned to Mansoul and called the captains and elders together. He told them where he had been and what he'd heard and seen. Particularly, he told them, \"Diabolus is almost ready for his march against Mansoul, and he has made old Mr. Incredulity \u2013 the very same man who once broke out of prison in Mansoul \u2013 the general of his army.\"\n\nPrywell spoke urgently about these matters. \"Diabolus's army consists of Doubters; every one of them is a Doubter. They number more than twenty thousand. With these forces, he intends to bring the chief princes of the infernal pit. He plans to make them his chief captains over his Doubters.\" He also told them it was true that several of those from the dark den who had been driven back with Diabolus planned to reduce the town of Mansoul in obedience to Diabolus, their prince.\n\nHe said, \"I understand the Doubters, for I was once one myself.\" He went on to explain that old Incredulity was made general over the whole army because \"there's no one truer to the tyrant. He is motivated by merciless spite against the well-being of Mansoul. He remembers the poor treatment Mansoul showed him, and he intends to spitefully punish them in return. So while the dark princes will be made high commanders, only Incredulity will be in charge, because he can easily and more adeptly surround the town with an army in a way to preclude escape better than any of the princes can.\"\n\nWhen the captains of Mansoul and the elders of the town heard this news delivered by Prywell, they thought it beneficial to enact the laws that were already in place against the Diabolians \u2013 the very laws their Prince had made for them in order to restrain the Diabolians. Now they enforced them without further delay. They were so diligent and impartial that a search was made in every house in Mansoul for all manner of Diabolian.\n\nIn the house of Mr. Mind and in the house of the great Lord Willbewill, two Diabolians were found. In Mr. Mind's house, they discovered Lord Covetousness, even though he had changed his name to Prudent-Thrifty. In Lord Willbewill's house, Lasciviousness was found, but he'd changed his name to Harmless-Mirth. The captains and elders of the town of Mansoul took these two Diabolians and committed them to the custody of Mr. True-Man, the jailer. He handled them quite harshly and placed them in irons, so after a short time they both wasted away and died in the prison house. In accordance with the agreement of the captains and elders, their masters were brought out to publicly do penance to their shame as a warning to the rest of the town of Mansoul. (And this is the condemnation, that the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness more than the light because their deeds were evil. \u2013 John 3:19)\n\nThe method of penance in those days was to make the offending persons aware of the evil they had done, so they were ordered to confess their faults and correct their lives going forward.\n\nAfter this, the captains and elders of Mansoul continued the search for more Diabolians. They sought them out in all the places where they lurked, whether it be in dens, caves, holes, vaults, or anywhere else in or about the wall or town of Mansoul. (For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. \u2013 John 3:20) But even though they plainly followed the Diabolians' scents and tracked them to the mouths of their caves and dens, they were unable to take them into custody to bring them to justice, because their ways were so crooked and their holds so strong that they quickly took sanctuary there. (Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. \u2013 1 Corinthians 4:5)\n\nEven with the stiff rules in place, Mansoul wasn't able to eradicate the Diabolians. Any remaining Diabolians gladly shrank into corners and stayed out of sight rather than dare to walk out in the open during the day, as they had been doing. But now they were forced to live in seclusion, and at night, the Mansoulians, who were once their companions, now counted them as deadly enemies. This good change resulted from the intelligence Prywell delivered to the famous town of Mansoul.\n\nChapter 24\n\nDrummings and Deceit\n\nBy this time, Diabolus had finished building his army. He had his captains and other field officers in place, and all of them admired his intense anger. He considered himself lord supreme with Incredulity as the general of his army; I'll name the chief captains later. For now, the officers, colors, symbols, and standards had all been put in place to ruin Mansoul. These officers included:\n\nCaptain Rage, who was first captain, was placed over the Election-doubters. (Therefore, brethren, give all the more diligence to make your calling and election sure. \u2013 2 Peter 1:10) His colors were red and his standard-bearer was Mr. Destructive; the coat of arms on his shield was the great red dragon.\n\nThe second captain was Captain Fury, who was placed over the Vocation-doubters. (There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. \u2013 Ephesians 4:4) Mr. Darkness served as his standard-bearer, and the silk flags marking his unit were pale colors with the fiery flying serpent the symbol used for his coat of arms.\n\nThe third captain, Captain Damnation, was captain over the Grace-doubters. (But unto each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ. \u2013 Ephesians 4:7) His red colors were carried by Mr. No-Life. The symbol on his shield was the black den.\n\nThe fourth captain, Captain Insatiable, served as captain over the Faith-doubters. (Faith, therefore, is the substance of things waited for, the evidence of things not seen. \u2013 Hebrews 11:1) His standard-bearer, Mr. Devourer, flew the red colors; the symbol for his coat of arms was the yawning jaws.\n\nThe fifth captain, Captain Brimstone, was captain over the Perseverance-doubters, and his standard-bearer, Mr. Burning, also carried the red colors with the symbol of the blue stinking flame. (Therefore, my beloved brothers, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. \u2013 1 Corinthians 15:58)\n\nThe sixth captain, Captain Torment, oversaw the Resurrection-doubters. (And with great power the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. \u2013 Acts 4:33) He flew the pale colors and his shield bore the symbol of the black worm. Mr. Gnaw served as his standard-bearer.\n\nThe seventh captain, Captain No-Ease, was set as captain over the Salvation-doubters. (But the salvation of the righteous is the LORD; he is their strength in the time of trouble. \u2013 Psalm 37:39) Mr. Restless was his standard-bearer and also flew flags of red. His symbol was the ghastly picture of death.\n\nThe eighth captain, Captain Sepulcher, was placed over the Glory-doubters, and his standard-bearer carried the pale colors and bore the symbol of a skull and dead men's bones. (To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery in the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. \u2013 Colossians 1:27)\n\nThe ninth captain, Captain Past-Hope, served as captain of those who are called the Felicity-doubters. (Happy is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are thy ways. \u2013 Psalm 84:5) His standard-bearer was Mr. Despair, and his unit also flew the red colors. His coat of arms bore the symbol of a hot iron and the hard heart.\n\nThe great Diabolus also placed seven superior captains. The names of these chief captains were Lord Beelzebub, Lord Lucifer, Lord Legion, Lord Apollyon, Lord Python, Lord Cerberus, and Lord Belial, and Incredulity was lord-general. Over all of them, Diabolus was king. Others were made captains of hundreds, and some were made captains of more, and the army under Incredulity was completed as they rendezvoused at Hell-gate Hill.\n\nSo they set out in great numbers from Hell-gate Hill and marched straight toward the town of Mansoul. As I hinted earlier, the town wasn't taken by surprise, for as Shaddai planned, Mansoul received the warning of their coming from Mr. Prywell. Thanks to this warning, the town had set up a watchman at the gates and doubled the guards. They mounted their slings in strategic places from which they could cast great stones against their furious enemy.\n\nMansoul put in place measures to restrict and eliminate those Diabolians who had been designated to bring harm to Mansoul from within her walls, so they were unable to fulfill their role. Mansoul was now awake. But oh, the poor people were afraid when they caught sight of their enemies marching toward them. Once those troops sat outside the town, the thunder of their drums filled Mansoul with even more dread. It was an amazingly hideous sound to hear and sight to see with the streaming colors unfurled in the breeze. Such a presence frightened every man within seven miles and discouraged them even further. (Give ear to my prayer, O God, ... because of the voice of the enemy because of the oppression of the wicked; for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. ... Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. \u2013 Psalm 55:1a, 3, 5)\n\nWhen Diabolus came up against the town, he approached Ear-gate first and furiously assaulted it. He must have thought his friends in Mansoul were in place and ready to help him from within to overtake Mansoul. However, due to the vigilance of Shaddai's captains, those Diabolian troublemakers were taken out of commission. Because Diabolus lacked the help that he expected and the stones from the slingers pounded his army, he was forced to retreat from Mansoul. So he entrenched himself and his men in the field outside the reach of the slings.\n\nConsidering the lingering weakness of Shaddai's captains from the long sickness which had bothered the town of Mansoul, they performed gallantly.\n\nOnce Diabolus entrenched himself, he set up four bulwarks against the town. The first of these mounds he called Mount Diabolus, giving it his own name to frighten the town of Mansoul more. The other three he called Mount Alecto, Mount Megara, and Mount Tisiphone, after the dreadful furies of hell. He did this to toy with Mansoul like the lion does with its prey to make it drop with terror. But, as I said, Mansoulian captains and soldiers resisted, as they slung their stones against the enemy and forced them to retreat. Mansoul therefore took courage.\n\nNow, upon Mount Diabolus, which was raised on the north side of the town, the tyrant set up his standard. He fashioned it, using devilish art that looked like a coat of arms and included a picture of Mansoul burning \u2013 making it a fearful thing to look at.\n\nWith his standard raised, Diabolus said, \"I now have a mind to negotiate with the trembling town of Mansoul.\" So he commanded his drummer to approach the walls of the town of Mansoul every night and beat out the call for a parley \u2013 a signal for holding a conference with the enemy. He chose to do this at night, because during the day their slings inconvenienced him. He also thought that if the drums beat every night, he might wear them down. He reasoned that even if Mansoul was unwilling to consider meeting with him, they might become weary and be forced to do it.\n\nSo his drummer did as commanded. He arose and beat his drum, and it was a dreadful sound. If one looked toward the town of Mansoul, only darkness and sorrow could be seen. (And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if one looks unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. \u2013 Isaiah 5:30) No noise ever heard on earth was more dreadful, except the voice of Shaddai when He spoke. But Diabolus's tactic worked, because Mansoul trembled and thought they'd be swallowed up instantly.\n\nAs this drummer beat his drum for a parley, he made a speech to Mansoul. \"My master has told me to tell you that if you submit, you will enjoy the good of the earth. But if you choose to be stubborn, he is determined to take you by force.\"\n\nWhen the drummer finished delivering his message and beating his drum, the people of Mansoul had already run to the captains who were in the castle, so no one considered what the drummer said or gave him an answer. So he said no more, but returned to the camp and his master.\n\nWhen Diabolus realized that drumming didn't work to make Mansoul bend to his will, he sent his drummer without his drum to again make known to the townsmen his hope to talk with them. But his parley turned into a summons for the town to deliver themselves up to Diabolus. They wouldn't listen or pay attention to anything he said, because they remembered how it cost them to hear just a few words from him.\n\nThe next night he sent his messenger again to Mansoul, but this time it was none other than the terrible Captain Sepulcher. So Captain Sepulcher approached the walls of Mansoul and made this speech to the town:\n\n\"Inhabitants of the rebellious town of Mansoul! I summon you in the name of the prince Diabolus. Without further fuss, throw open the gates of your town and admit the great lord. Be warned, if you still choose to rebel, we will swallow you up like the grave after we've taken the town by force. Let me know whether or not you accept my summons.\"\n\nBefore they said anything, he went on to present the reasons behind the summons. \"This summons is brought by my lord, who is undoubtedly your prince and lord as you yourselves formerly admitted. The prince plans to recover what belongs to him \u2013 to reinstate the right he lost at the hand of Emmanuel when He dealt so dishonorably with the prince and prevailed. Consider this, Mansoul, are you going to be peaceable in this regard or not? If you surrender yourself, then our old friendship shall be renewed as if nothing has ever changed; but if you refuse and rebel, then you can expect nothing but fire and sword in response.\"\n\nThe Terrible Captain Sepulchre with His Standard-Bearer Corruption\n\nWhen the languishing town of Mansoul heard this summons as it was delivered to the captain, they fell deeper into the doldrums, but gave the captain no answer at all. (Our soul is exceedingly weary of the scorning of those that are at ease and of the contempt of the proud. \u2013 Psalm 123:4) So the summoner went away the same way he had come.\n\nAfter discussing this among themselves and with some of their captains, Mansoul again joined themselves to the Lord Secretary, their chief preacher. They asked for His counsel and advice, but now He was ill at ease, so they begged His favor in these few things:\n\nThey wanted Him to look upon them in a comforting manner and not stay so withdrawn but to draw nearer to them. They hoped He would listen as they confessed their miserable condition to Him. But to this He said, \"I am ill at ease and as a result can't do the work I formerly did.\" (Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophecies. Examine all things; retain that which is good. \u2013 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)\n\nThen they desired that He would give them His advice about their current situation, for Diabolus camped before the town with no less than twenty thousand Doubters. They said, \"Moreover, he and his captains are cruel men! We fear them!\"\n\nBut to this He said, \"You must look to the Law of the Prince. There you shall see what you should do.\" (But whosoever has looked attentively into the perfect law of liberty and has persevered in it, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, the same shall be blessed in their deed. \u2013 James 1:25)\n\nThey also desired His help in putting together a petition to Shaddai and His Son Emmanuel with His own signature as a token sign that He was in agreement with them.\n\nThey went on to say, \"My Lord, we've sent many petitions, but get no answer of peace. But surely, if we send one with your signature on it, we will obtain good for Mansoul.\"\n\nBut He answered, \"You have offended your Emmanuel and have grieved Me. Therefore, you must admit your part in all this.\"\n\nThis answer from the Lord Secretary fell like a millstone upon them. Yes, it crushed them to the point that they didn't know what to do. The one thing they knew was that they dare not comply with the demands of Diabolus or the demands of his captain. (For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation. \u2013 2 Corinthians 7:10a) So the town of Mansoul was in a difficult position. They knew that when the enemy came upon them, they would be swallowed up, but their friends refused to help.\n\nThen the Lord Mayor Understanding stood and began to pick and pick, until he handpicked bits of comfort from what the Lord Secretary had said. \"First,\" he said, \"it does not escape notice that this follows my Lord saying that we must yet suffer for our sins. Secondly,\" He counted off on his finger, \"what He has said sounds as if we will be saved from our enemies in the end, and after enduring the mental anguish of a few more frustrated hopes of good, Emmanuel will come and be our help.\"\n\nNow Understanding was more accurate in his dealing with the High Secretary's words, because He was more than a prophet. His words were important at all times and most precise according to principle, justice, and righteousness, and the townsmen were allowed to delve into and expound upon them to their best advantage.\n\nSo they left Understanding and returned to the captains and told them what Lord High Secretary had said. When the captains heard it, they all agreed with Lord Understanding. They drew courage from this and took steps to make some brave attempt upon the camp of the enemy and wipe out all Diabolians and the roving Doubters the tyrant brought with him to destroy Mansoul.\n\nThey all departed to their places \u2013 the captains to theirs, the Lord Mayor to his, the secondary preacher to his, and Lord Willbewill to his place. The captains were itching to do something for their Prince, for they delighted in warlike achievements, so the next day they came together and talked; they determined to answer the captain of Diabolus with slings.\n\nAs the sun brightened the sky the next morning, Diabolus ventured nearer to Mansoul again, but the slings hurled stones toward his troops and pestered him like a stirred hornet's nest. Diabolus's drum roared, but since there's nothing as formidable as the accurate aim of Emmanuel's slings, Diabolus was forced to make another retreat even farther from the famous town of Mansoul. (Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. \u2013 James 4:7)\n\nDiabolus Discomfited by the Slings of Emmanuel\n\nWhen the Lord Understanding saw this, he ordered the bells to be rung. He said, \"Thanks should be sent to the Lord High Secretary by the mouth of the secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience, for by his words the captains and elders of Mansoul were strengthened against Diabolus.\"\n\nWhen Diabolus saw his captains and soldiers, high lords and renowned men quaver with fear, beaten down by the stones flung from the golden slings of the Prince of the town of Mansoul, he came up with an idea to trick Mansoul. He said to himself, \"I will try to ensnare them by flattering them into my net.\"\n\nTherefore, after a while, he came down to the wall again \u2013 this time without his drum and without Captain Sepulcher. Instead, he came near with treacherous lips, feigning to be sweet as sugar. (He that hides hatred has lying lips. \u2013 Proverbs 10:18a) He acted like a very sweet-mouthed, peaceable prince, planning no revenge on Mansoul for the injuries done to him, but instead, he appeared interested in the welfare and good of Mansoul. He told the people his only plan was for the benefit of the town and people. So after he called for a hearing, he made it known that he desired the townsfolk to give Mansoul to him. He proceeded in his oration.\n\nWith lying lips he sugarcoated his words: \"Oh Mansoul, the desire of my heart! How many nights have I watched and how many weary steps have I taken, thinking that perhaps I might do you good! My desire isn't to wage war upon you. All you need to do is willingly and quietly deliver yourselves up to me.\" (The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. \u2013 Psalm 36:3a) He gestured toward them with an open hand. \"You know you were mine in days of old. Remember those days? As long as you enjoyed me as your lord, and I enjoyed you as my subjects, you lacked nothing of all the delights of the earth. I, your lord and prince, could get or invent anything you desired to make you happy.\n\n\"Think about it. You never had so many hard, dark, troublesome, and heart-afflicting times while you were mine, as you've had to suffer since you revolted against me. You won't ever have peace again, until you and I become united. Just embrace me again and I will grant and even expand your old freedoms with an abundance of privileges. You'll be free to take, hold, enjoy, and make everything that is pleasant your own from the east to the west.\n\n\"And none of those discourtesies with which you've offended me will ever be charged against you as long as the sun and the moon shine. Nor will any of those dear Diabolian friends of mine, who now live in fear as they lurk in dens and holes and caves, be hurtful toward you any longer. Instead, they'll be your servants and will minister to you, using their own property and whatever else becomes available. I don't need to say any more about them. You know them and at times have even been delighted with their company. Why should we live at such odds as we do now?\" His lipless reptilian mouth stretched into a wide smile as he extended his arms in a gesture of welcome. \"Let's renew our old familiarity and friendship again. (Whosoever therefore that desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself the enemy of God. \u2013 James 4:4b)\n\n\"Bear with your friend,\" he placed his claw-like fingers against his chest, \"as I take the liberty to speak freely to you. The love I have for you presses me to do this as does the passion of my heart for my friends.\" He laid his talons over his heart for a moment and offered a sad look, as he said, \"So don't cause me further trouble or more fear and anxiety for yourselves.\" His forced smile curled into more of a sneer. \"I will have you one way or another, whether by peace or war. Don't flatter yourselves thinking the power and force of your captains is enough or that your Emmanuel will come soon to help you, because such strength will do you no good.\" His face filled with arrogant pride.\n\n\"I've come against you with a brave and valiant army and all the chief princes of the den to lead. My captains are swifter than eagles, stronger than lions, and greedier for prey than wolves in the evening. What is Og of Bashan! (For only Og, king of Bashan, had remained of the remnant of giants. \u2013 Deuteronomy 3:11) What is Goliath of Gath! They and one hundred more like them are equal to one of the least of my captains! So how does Mansoul think they will escape my hand and power?\"\n\nAfter Diabolus delivered his flattering, ingratiating, deceitful, and lying speech to the famous town of Mansoul, the Lord Mayor Understanding replied, \"O Diabolus, prince of darkness and master of all deceit, we've already tried your lying flatteries and have tasted too deeply of that destructive cup. Should we listen to you again and break the commandments of our great Shaddai to join with you? If we did that, wouldn't our Prince reject us and cast us off forever? And, being cast off by Him, can the place which He has prepared for you be a place of rest for us? (And he laid hold on the dragon, the serpent of old, which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon it. \u2013 Revelation 20:2-3a) O you who are empty and void of all truth, we would rather die by your hand than fall in with your flattering and lying deceits.\"\n\nWhen the tyrant saw there was little to be gained by negotiating with Lord Understanding, he fell into a hellish rage and determined he and his army of Doubters would assault the town of Mansoul another time.\n\nChapter 25\n\nAttack on Mansoul\n\nSo Diabolus called for his drummer, who signaled for his men to make ready for battle with Mansoul. When Mansoul heard the beat of the drum, she shook as they watched Diabolus draw near with his army and position his men. Captain Cruel and Captain Torment drew up against Feel-gate and were stationed there for the war. Diabolus appointed Captain No-Ease as their relief if needed.\n\nAt Nose-gate he placed Captain Brimstone and Captain Sepulcher and ordered them to be vigilant and defend their position on that side of the town of Mansoul. At Eye-gate he placed the grim-faced Captain Past-Hope who set up his terrible standard.\n\nNow Captain Insatiable looked after the conquest and acquisitions of Diabolus. He was ordered to take into custody those people and things that should be taken from the enemy as plunder.\n\nAs for Mouth-gate, the inhabitants of Mansoul kept it primarily as a private, well-fortified gate, because it was by this gate that the townsfolk sent their petitions to Emmanuel, their Prince. At the top of this gate, the captains deployed their slings against the enemies, for this gate was situated uphill and was an ideal site for letting the stones fly against the tyrant's army. Therefore, Diabolus sought to take Mouth-gate.\n\nAs Diabolus prepared to make his assault upon the town of Mansoul from outside the walls, within the town the captains and soldiers mounted their slings, set up their banners, sounded their trumpets, and strategically placed themselves to upset and injure the enemy for the benefit of Mansoul. Then the captains ordered their soldiers to be ready to act when the trumpet of war sounded.\n\nLord Willbewill had his own orders. He was given the responsibility of watching for the rebels who still lived in Mansoul and to do his best to capture them when they came out of hiding or smother them within their caves, dens, and holes in the town wall. And for those who may wonder if Willbewill could be trusted, I must say that ever since he accepted the penance imposed on him for his wrongdoing, he showed as much honesty and bravery of spirit as any in Mansoul. His actions showed true repentance as he took Jolly and his brother Griggish, the two sons of his servant Harmless-Mirth who lived in his house, and with his own hands he put them to the cross. (Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. \u2013 Luke 3:8)\n\nThe reason he hanged them on the cross? Well, after their father was placed in the custody of True-Man, the jailer, his sons played the same mischief they had learned from their father and toyed with the daughters of their lord. When it was brought to his attention, he became fearful that these young men were too familiar with his daughters. However, Willbewill was one who felt unwilling to put any man to death, so he didn't kill them right then but decided to put spies in place to see if the thing was true. He chose two servants, Find-Out and Tell-All, to see if they could catch the sons of Harmless-Mirth in such an uncivil manner more than once or twice.\n\nThese two faithful servants, Find-Out and Tell-All, did as their lord told them, and when Lord Willbewill had sufficient proof that the charges he'd heard were true, he took the two young Diabolians and brought them to Eye-gate, where he raised a very high cross right in front of Diabolus and his army. Upon this cross, he hung the young villains in defiance of Captain Past-Hope and the horrible standard he displayed.\n\nNow this Christian act of the brave Lord Willbewill humiliated Captain Past-Hope and discouraged the army of Diabolus. It put fear into the Diabolian rebels hiding out in Mansoul, while it strengthened and encouraged Emmanuel's captains and fortified the resolve of Mansoul to fight the army gathered outside the walls as well as the Diabolians in town, so they couldn't help Diabolus. This brave act of Lord Willbewill wasn't the only proof of his honest heart toward the town or his loyalty to his Prince, as I will show you soon enough.\n\nThe children of Prudent-Thrifty, who lived with Mr. Mind, were also left behind when Prudent-Thrifty was taken into custody. Their names were Gripe and Rake-All and they were born to Mr. Mind's illegitimate daughter, Ms. Hold-Fast-Bad.\n\nWhen these Diabolian children saw how Willbewill treated those who lived with him, they made plans to escape to avoid the same consequences. But that night, as they attempted to make their getaway, Mr. Mind found out about it. He took them captive and held them in custody in his house until morning. Then he remembered that according to the Law of Mansoul, all Diabolians were to die. So what did he do? He placed them in chains and led them to the same place where Willbewill hanged his two Diabolians earlier. Here, in the same manner, Mr. Mind hung those Diabolians from his house too.\n\nMr. Mind's action encouraged the townsmen and spurred them on to take more of the Diabolian troublers of Mansoul captive. However, the rest of the Diabolians lay so low they couldn't be apprehended. In their efforts against them, the town set up a diligent watch and every man returned to his place. (Watch diligently, and sin not; for some do not know God. \u2013 1 Corinthians 15:34a)\n\nI told you a little earlier that Diabolus and his army were somewhat confused with shame and discouraged when they saw what Willbewill did, when he hung those two young Diabolians on the cross. But the tyrant's discouragement turned into intense madness and rage against the town of Mansoul. This fueled his determination to fight.\n\nBut the hopes and expectations of townsmen and captains within Mansoul heightened. They finally believed that the victory would be theirs, so they feared the Diabolians less. Their secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience, even delivered a sermon about it. His theme was based on the prophecy to Gad \u2013 Gad, an army shall invade him, but he shall invade at the last (Genesis 49:19). From this source, he showed Mansoul they would be confronted with terrible difficulty at first, but in the end, the victory would be Mansoul's.\n\nSo Diabolus commanded his drummer to beat a charge against the town. Inside the town, Emmanuel's captains had no drum, but they sounded a charge on trumpets of silver.\n\nThe armies from the camp of Diabolus marched on the town to take it. When the captains in the castle saw them, they ordered the slingers at Mouth-gate to put the attack into motion. Within Diabolus's camp, all that could be heard was horrible rage and blasphemy, while within the town, good words, prayer, and singing of psalms could be heard. (Be filled with the Spirit, speaking among yourselves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and praising the Lord in your hearts. \u2013 Ephesians 5:18-19)\n\nThe Captains Continue the Defence\n\nThe enemy responded with horrible protests, accompanied by the discordant beat of their drum, but the town answered in their own way with the slapping of their slings and the melodious noise of their trumpets. The fight lasted for several days, only stopping for an occasional short intermission, during which the townsmen refreshed themselves and the captains made ready for another assault.\n\nEmmanuel's captains were clad in silver armor, and the soldiers dressed in proven armor, while Diabolus's soldiers wore iron, which yielded to Emmanuel's engine-shot. Casualties in town included some who were slightly hurt and others who were gravely wounded. The scarcity of services of a surgeon in Mansoul because of Emmanuel's absence made matters worse. Nevertheless, with natural remedies made from the leaves of a tree, the wounded were kept from dying; however, their wounds putrefied.\n\nThe wounded townsmen included Lord Reason with a wound to the head, the brave Lord Mayor Understanding with an eye wound, and Mr. Mind with a wound around his stomach. The honest secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience, also took a shot not far from his heart, but none of these were mortal wounds. Many soldiers of lower stations, however, weren't just wounded but were slain outright.\n\nIn the camp of Diabolus the wounded and slain amounted to a considerable number. Among the wounded were Captain Rage and Captain Cruel. Captain Damnation was forced to retreat and entrench farther away from Mansoul. And that horrible standard flown by Diabolus was beaten down and his standard-bearer, Captain Much-Hurt, had his brains beaten out with a sling stone. This last casualty brought prince Diabolus much grief and shame.\n\nMany of the other Doubters were also slain, but even with the loss of many Doubters, enough were left alive to make Mansoul shake and falter. However, the victory that day belonged to Mansoul, which filled the townsmen and captains with courage. (For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. \u2013 1 John 5:4) In Diabolus's camp, it had a different effect. Mansoul's victory not only covered the camp with a cloud but also made them far more furious. So the next day Mansoul rested and commanded the bells be rung and the trumpets be joyfully sounded, and the captains shouted all around the town.\n\nWillbewill wasn't idle but performed service worthy of notice against the Diabolians who remained in the town. He kept them living in fear and dread, for he seized Mr. Anything. If you remember, he is the one who brought the three fellows to Diabolus, whom the Diabolians took captive from Captain Boanerges's troops. He is the one who persuaded them to enlist under the tyrant to fight against the army of Shaddai.\n\nLord Willbewill also captured a notable Diabolian by the name of Loose-Foot. He was a scout and messenger to the vagabonds in Mansoul. In the past, he carried news out of Mansoul to the camp and out of the camp to the enemies in Mansoul. Willbewill placed them in the custody of Mr. True-Man, the jailer, telling him to \"keep them in irons.\" His intentions were to have them crucified at a time best for the town and for the discouragement of the enemy camp.\n\nLord Mayor Understanding, while he couldn't move about as much as formerly because of the recent wound he'd received, still issued orders to all the natives of Mansoul. He said, \"Look to your watch and stand guard. When the opportunity arises, prove yourselves men.\" (The destroyer is risen up against thee: keep the fortress, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. \u2013 Nahum 2:1)\n\nMr. Conscience, the preacher, did his best to keep all his good moral instruction kindled within the hearts of the people of Mansoul.\n\nThe captains and brave townsfolk of Mansoul agreed on a time to make an attack against the besiegers within the camp of Diabolus. \"It must take place at night,\" they determined. But this turned out to reveal a profound lack of understanding on the part of Mansoul, for the night is always best for the enemy and the worst for Mansoul to fight. Yet they determined this is what they would do, since they were filled with courage from the memory of their last victory.\n\nSo when darkness fell, the Prince's brave captains cast lots to decide who should lead the foremost division in this new and desperate expedition against Diabolus and his army. The lot to lead the mission of uncommon peril and little hope fell to Captain Credence, followed by Captain Experience and Captain Good-Hope. (Captain Experience was made a captain by the Prince Himself during the time He resided in the town of Mansoul.)\n\nSo they rushed upon the Diabolian army, which lay in siege against them. As it happened, they fell into battle not against a flank, the frontline, or at the rear of the troops, but came up against the main body of enemy forces.\n\nNow Diabolus and his men were experts at night work, so at the sound of the alarm, they were as instantly ready for battle as if they'd been sent word of their coming. They entered the sortie with their full force and strength. Hard-hitting blows landed on every side, while in the background the hell drum beat furiously, almost drowning out the sweet sound of the trumpets of the Prince. The two sides fought and Captain Insatiable looked to the enemy's conquests and acquisitions and eagerly waited for the right opportunity to pounce on available prey.\n\nThe Prince's captains fought bravely, beyond what could be expected of them. They suffered many wounded but forced the whole army of Diabolus to retreat. I can't tell you how they did it, but the brave Captain Credence, Captain Good-Hope, and Captain Experience were in full pursuit, cutting down the enemy in their path and following hard after the enemy in the rear as they fled.\n\nCaptain Credence stumbled, fell, and was so severely injured that he couldn't get up until Captain Experience helped him to his feet. The men with him were thrown into confusion, and as the captain came to his feet, the pain was so severe he couldn't suppress a scream of anguish. When the other two captains heard this, they thought it meant Captain Credence had received a mortal wound, and the two of them fainted. This stirred even more confusion among their men, who lost their desire to engage in the fight.\n\nEven though Diabolus was caught up in the height of the battle, he stayed observant. He noticed a halt among the men pursuing him and took it for granted that the captains were either wounded or dead, so he pounced on the opportunity to turn around to make his stand. He stood face to face with the Prince's army and came against them with as much fury as hell could provide him. He entered the mix at the very place the three captains, Captain Credence, Captain Good-Hope, and Captain Experience, were fighting, and the tyrant cut, wounded, and pierced them so dreadfully they had to battle their own discouragement, the confusion of their forces, and the loss of blood from their wounds just to get back to Mansoul. They never would have made it into the hold again if they didn't have the power of the three best hands in Mansoul.\n\nWhen the Prince's army saw how these three captains fared the worst, they thought it wise to make a safe retreat, so they ended their attempt to thwart the enemy and returned to Mansoul by the back gate.\n\nFlushed from this night's work, Diabolus promised himself to make an easy and complete conquest of the town of Mansoul within a few days. With his ambition at a fever pitch, the next day he marched up to the walls of Mansoul and demanded entrance. \"Deliver yourselves over to me now!\" he shouted. Within the walls, the Diabolians who lived in hiding took courage when they heard their master's voice, and they became somewhat lively, as you will see.\n\nBut the valiant Lord Mayor answered the tyrant. \"What you get of Mansoul will only be by force, for as long as Emmanuel, our Prince, is alive [though He wasn't currently with them as they wished], we will never agree to yield Mansoul up to another.\" (Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. \u2013 1 Corinthians 16:13)\n\nUpon hearing Understanding's response, Lord Willbewill stood up and shouted out a response of his own. \"Diabolus, you master of the den and enemy to all that is good, we poor inhabitants of the town of Mansoul are well acquainted with your rule and government. We know with certainty how things will end for those who submit to you. The first time you came to us we lacked knowledge and permitted you to gain possession of us. We were like a bird that doesn't see the snare and falls into the hands of the fowler. However, things have changed since that time. We have turned from darkness to light and have turned from the power of Satan to God.\" (To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by the faith that is in me. \u2013 Acts 26:18)\n\nWillbewill stood a little straighter and gained even more boldness in his words. He said, \"It is through your cunning and the trickery of the Diabolians within the town that we have sustained much loss. We plunged ourselves into much embarrassment of mind from doubt and uncertainty. As a result, we gave ourselves up and laid down our arms to yield to so horrid a tyrant as you.\" Willbewill pointed an accusing finger toward the tyrant and said, \"We will not do so again. We'd rather die where we stand.\" He emphasized his words by thrusting his finger toward the ground on which he stood and arched one brow confidently. \"We have hope that in due time, deliverance will come from Shaddai's court to us, and we will continue our war against you.\" (When I am poor and needy; the Lord will remember me; thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. \u2013 Psalm 40:17)\n\nWillbewill's brave speech and that of the Lord Mayor Understanding somewhat diminished Diabolus's boldness. However, while it kindled the fury of his rage, it reassured the townsmen and captains and worked like a medicinal balm applied to the brave Captain Credence's wound. For a brave speech, after the captains of the town and their men of war came home defeated, and the enemy gathered courage and boldness to demand entrance, was perfect timing to be advantageous to the townsmen.\n\nLord Willbewill had contended from within the walls, while the captains and soldiers were in the field. He armed himself with others in the town, and whenever he spotted a Diabolian, they met with his heavy hand and the penetrating edge of his sword. He'd wounded many Diabolians, including Lord Cavil, Lord Brisk, Lord Pragmatic, and Lord Murmur; plus, he maimed several of the meaner sort too.\n\nWillbewill was able to accomplish this because the captains had gone out to fight the enemy in the field. And the Diabolians within the town thought they had the advantage, thinking, Now is our time to stir up trouble and cause an uproar in the town. The captains no sooner left with their troops than the Diabolians gathered as one and surged throughout the town of Mansoul like a hurricane.\n\nLord Willbewill took this opportunity to fall in among them with his men, cutting and slashing with undaunted courage. (I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. \u2013 Psalm 27:13) As soon as the Diabolians realized what was happening around them, they dispersed and hastened back to their holds.\n\nThis brave act of Willbewill somewhat avenged the wrong done by Diabolus to the captains, and it let the enemy know they wouldn't be leaving Mansoul because of the loss of a victory or two. Plus, his actions clipped the wings of the tyrant when it came to boasting, because the Diabolians had hoped to damage the town as much as he had harmed the captains.\n\nDiabolus didn't let that deter his plans though, for he determined to have another bout with Mansoul. He reasoned, Since I beat them once, I may beat them twice. Therefore, he commanded his men to be ready to make a fresh assault upon the town the next night. He ordered his officers and soldiers to turn all their force against Feel-gate to break into the town. \"If we break in upon them, as I hope we do, either with some or all our forces, let those who break in see to it that they never forget the word Hell-fire. Let it be heard throughout the town of Mansoul. 'Hell-fire! Hell-fire! Hell-fire!'\"\n\nThe drummer was told to beat his drum without a pause, and the standard-bearers were to display their colorful flags. The soldiers too were to take what courage they could and execute their part manfully against the town.\n\nWhen the sun set and darkness fell across the town, the tyrant had everything in place to make his move. Without hesitation, he assaulted Feel-gate, and after a struggle he threw the gate wide open. The truth be told, those gates were weak and the easiest to give way. Once Diabolus made it this far with his attempt, he placed his captains Torment and No-Ease there and attempted to press forward, but the Prince's captains fought him and made his entrance into Mansoul more difficult than he had hoped.\n\nThey did their best to resist, but with three of their finest and most valiant captains wounded and incapable of joining the foray, they were overpowered and couldn't keep the Doubters and their captains out of the town. When the Prince's men saw the truth of the matter, they and their captains moved to the castle \u2013 the stronghold of the town \u2013 partly for their own security and partly for the security of the town, but the biggest reason was to preserve the authority and privilege belonging to the sovereign Shaddai alone, for the castle of Mansoul belonged to Him.\n\nWhile the captains fled into the castle, the enemy met with little resistance, and they possessed the rest of the town and spread into every corner of Mansoul. As they marched, they cried out, \"Hell-fire! Hell-fire! Hell-fire!\" This caused such a ruckus that nothing else could be heard throughout the town of Mansoul except the dreadful noise of \"Hell-fire!\" paired with the thunder of Diabolus's drum.\n\nMansoul Is Taken\n\nBlack clouds hung over Mansoul like a shroud, leaving the Mansoulians to think all was ruined. Diabolus put his soldiers up in the houses of the inhabitants of the town of Mansoul. Even Mr. Conscience's house was full of these foreign Doubters \u2013 as many as it could hold, and the same held true for the house of Lord Mayor Understanding and that of Lord Willbewill.\n\nThe fact is, there wasn't a corner, cottage, barn, or pigsty that wasn't full of these vermin. They threw the men of the town out of their houses and made themselves comfortable, lying in their beds and sitting at their tables. Poor Mansoul! Now she felt the fruits of sin, including the venom in the flattering words of Carnal-Security. (Do not deceive yourselves; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap. \u2013 Galatians 6:7)\n\nThe enemy wreaked great havoc throughout the town. They started several fires, dashed young children to pieces, and even destroyed countless unborn children in their mothers' wombs. Many women, both young and old, were ravished and abused in a beastlike manner, so many lay dead in every street. But what else could you expect? The hearts of the enemy had no pity, kindness, tenderness, or compassion. Can anyone expect alien Doubters to determine right from wrong?\n\nAfter this dreadful night, Mansoul seemed to be nothing more than a den of dragons (a symbol of hell) and a place of total darkness, filled with nettles, briars, thorns, weeds, and stinking things. The town looked like a barren wilderness.\n\nThese Diabolian Doubters turned the men of Mansoul out of their beds, and they wounded and beat them. In fact, they almost dashed out the brains of many of them. Did I say many? I probably should say most, if not all of them. They wounded Mr. Conscience so badly that his wounds festered, and he couldn't rest day or night, but lay in continual pain like one tormented upon a rack. If it wasn't for the fact that Shaddai rules all, they would have slain him outright.\n\nThey abused Lord Mayor Understanding and almost put out his eyes. Thankfully, Lord Willbewill escaped into the castle, for they intended to chop him into pieces; they detested him now that his heart stood against Diabolus and his crew in Mansoul, for he'd proven himself a man for Shaddai and His Son. I promise you'll hear more of his exploits.\n\nThe town seemed somewhat deserted by the Mansoulians. A man could walk for days on end in Mansoul and scarcely see anyone in the town who looked like a God-fearing sort. Oh, the appalling condition of Mansoul! Every corner swarmed with Doubter soldiers who walked the town in clusters. They filled the houses with hideous noises, worthless songs, stories thick with lies, and blasphemous language against Shaddai and His Son. (For there is no uprightness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter with their tongue. \u2013 Psalm 5:9)\n\nEven the Diabolians who lurked within the walls, dens, and holes around the town came out of hiding and walked openly in the company of the Doubters who now occupied Mansoul. Yes, Diabolus's recent victory gave them the boldness to walk the streets, hang out within the houses, and show themselves beyond the walls, while the honest inhabitants of the town did their best to remain unseen.\n\nThe Desolation of Mansoul\n\nChapter 26\n\nPetition to the Prince\n\nEven with his recent conquest, Diabolus and his rude men were not at peace in Mansoul. They weren't amused or pleased with how the captains and forces of Emmanuel were held up in the castle. They didn't like the stern looks given to them by the townsmen; after all, they didn't destroy any of the necessities of Mansoul, except those they seized against the townsmen's will. Now, the townspeople hid what they could from them, and what they couldn't hide, they held with an ill will. These poor hearts longed to have their own room rather than the company of these Doubters, but they were forced to be captives in their own homes. However, I have to say they discouraged them as much as possible and showed them all the disapproval they could.\n\nThe captains in the castle did what they could too. They employed their slings, much to the worrying and fretting of the enemies.\n\nDiabolus made a great-many attempts to break open the gates of the castle, but Godly-Fear, the gatekeeper, was a man of great courage, conduct, and valor. As long as Godly-Fear lived, all attempts to break into the castle were in vain. So even though Diabolus desired to break open those gates, all his attempts were fruitless. I have sometimes wished Godly-Fear would have had rule over the whole town of Mansoul.\n\nThe town of Mansoul remained in this pitiful condition for about two and a half years. The main army of the town stayed within the castle \u2013 the seat of war, while the people of the town were driven into holes; all this time the glory of Mansoul lay in the dust. This left the inhabitants with little rest under these circumstances; what peace could Mansoul have and how could the sun shine upon it?\n\nWith the enemy entrenched against the town outside the walls, it was enough to starve them. With the enemy living within the walls and their forts and entrenchment against the castle in the midst of the town, an inner struggle of the town against the town grew. (The LORD is my light and my salvation; ... Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. \u2013 Psalm 27:1a, 3) The enemy made use of the forts and town holds to secure themselves, until they could take the spoil and demolish the castle. It was a terrible situation! But this was now the state of the town of Mansoul.\n\nAfter the town of Mansoul had remained in this sad and lamentable condition for a long time, and none of the petitions they presented to their Prince were answered, the elders and important inhabitants of the town gathered. They consoled each other regarding their miserable state and the miserable judgment upon them, and agreed to draw up yet another petition to send to Emmanuel for relief.\n\nHowever, Godly-Fear stood up in their midst and said, \"I know my Lord the Prince never has received nor ever will receive a petition for these matters from the hand of anyone, unless the Lord Secretary's signature is on it. And this,\" he folded his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth heel to toe, \"is the reason you haven't prevailed all this while.\" (And likewise also the Spirit helps our weakness; for we know not how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes entreaty for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. But he that searches the hearts knows what is the desire of the Spirit, that according to the will of God, he makes entreaty for the saints. \u2013 Romans 8:26-27)\n\n\"That's what we shall do,\" they said. \"We will draw one up and get the Lord Secretary's signature on it.\"\n\nGodly-Fear shook his head. \"The Lord Secretary won't set His hand to any petition that He doesn't have a hand in composing. Besides, the Prince knows the Lord Secretary's handwriting; He can't be deceived by any pretense whatsoever. Therefore, my advice is that you go to my Lord and beg Him to lend you His aid.\"\n\nNow the Lord Secretary still lived in the castle, where all the captains and men-at-arms were held up. So they all thanked Godly-Fear and took his advice. They hurried to the castle and came before the Lord Secretary to explain the reason they wanted to see Him. \"Since Mansoul is in such a deplorable condition, would Your Highness please undertake the drawing up of a petition for us to Emmanuel, the Son of the mighty Shaddai and to our King His Father?\"\n\nThe Secretary studied them for a moment and said, \"What petition would you have Me draw up for you?\"\n\nThey looked at one another, wondering where to start. \"Our Lord knows best the state and condition of the town of Mansoul,\" they said. \"You know we are backslidden and have slipped in the wrong direction, away from the Prince. You also know that Diabolus has come against us to wage war, and Mansoul has become the seat of that war. Likewise, my Lord knows the cruelty our men, women, and children have suffered at their hands and how our homebred Diabolians walk boldly in the streets while the townsmen dare not show themselves.\n\n\"Therefore, we pray that our Lord draw up a petition for His poor servants to our Prince Emmanuel according to the wisdom of God in Him.\"\n\nThe Lord Secretary nodded thoughtfully. \"I will draw up a petition for you and will sign My name to it.\"\n\nThose standing before the Lord Secretary gained hope. \"When shall we call for the petition from the hands of our Lord?\"\n\nHe answered, \"For the writing of this petition, you must be present, for you must include your desires in it.\" The men glanced at one another. The Lord Secretary said, \"True, the pen shall be Mine, and the signature will be Mine, but the ink and paper must be yours. Otherwise, how can you say it is your petition? After all, I have no need to petition for Myself, because I have not offended.\" He finished by saying, \"No petition goes from Me in My name to the Prince and to His Father, but I put My name to those sent by the people who are concerned and have joined heart and soul in the matter. That element must be inserted within the petition.\"\n\nHis words didn't discourage them in any way. Instead, they agreed with the Lord Secretary's decree, and a petition was drawn up for them. Then they were faced with the decision of who should carry it. The Secretary advised, \"Captain Credence should carry it, for he is well-spoken.\"\n\nThey called Captain Credence and proposed the idea of him carrying the petition to Shaddai and to His Son Emmanuel. After hearing their business, the captain said, \"Even though I am lame, I gladly accept and will accomplish this business for you with as much speed as I am able.\"\n\nThe purpose of the contents of the petition is as written:\n\n\"Our Lord, and Sovereign Prince Emmanuel, the powerful, the longsuffering Prince! Grace pours from Your lips and to You belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against You. (Thou art fairer than the sons of men, grace is poured into thy lips; therefore God has blessed thee for ever. \u2013 Psalm 45:2) We who are not worthy to be called Your Mansoul or fit to share in commonplace benefits bestowed from Your hand, implore You and Your Father through You to do away with our transgressions against Your Law and commands. We agree we deserve to be driven away for these offenses but ask that You do not do so for Your name's sake. Instead, let the Lord use this opportunity to show His compassion and mercy toward our miserable condition. For Lord, we are surrounded on every side. Our own backslidings accuse us, as the Diabolians within our town frighten us; the army of the angel of the bottomless pit distresses us. Your grace is our salvation, for there is no place else to turn. (Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in thee; and in the shadow of thy wings I will make my refuge until these calamities are overpast. \u2013 Psalm 57:1)\n\n\"Furthermore, gracious Prince, we have weakened our captains. They are discouraged, sick, and some of them were beaten in battle and hammered from the field by the power and force of the tyrant Diabolus. We used to put our confidence in these captains and their valor, and now they are wounded men.\n\n\"While our captains are in such poor shape, Lord, our enemies are energetic and strong. They show off and boast, as they threaten to divide us among them as if we are booty. And they have not come alone, Lord, but have thousands of Doubters with them, and we don't know what to do about them! They all move about with a stern, unmerciful countenance and declare defiance against us and You.\n\n\"Our wisdom is gone. Our power is drained, because You have departed from us. We have nothing we can count on. What we do have is our sin, shame, and a confused look on our faces. We don't know what to do. Please, Lord, take pity upon us, Your miserable town of Mansoul. Save us out of the hands of our enemies. Amen.\" (For my enemies are alive, and they are strong, and those that hate me wrongfully are multiplied; ... Forsake me not, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation. \u2013 Psalm 38:19, 21-22)\n\nAs mentioned before, the Lord Secretary crafted and signed this petition; it was then delivered to the court by the brave and most valiant Captain Credence. To accomplish this, he left by Mouth-gate \u2013 the back gate of the town. From there, he made his way to the court and handed the message to Emmanuel.\n\nNow, somehow news of this petition being carried to Emmanuel reached the ears of Diabolus. The tyrant charged Mansoul with what he considered treachery. He said, \"You rebellious and stubborn-hearted Mansoul, I will force you to stop petitioning.\" He raised an angry, clenched fist and shook it at them. \"I promise you \u2013 I will make you stop!\"\n\nI'm not sure how he received his information, but he knew the valiant Captain Credence was the messenger who carried the petition to the Prince. This knowledge made him fearful and filled him with rage. He commanded his drummer, \"Start beating the drum again!\" Mansoul couldn't bear the sound, but they had no choice. When Diabolus ordered his drum to beat, Mansoul was forced to put up with the noise. As a result, the drum pounded its wretched beat, and the Diabolians gathered together.\n\nDiabolus stood before his men and called out in a loud voice, \"O you brave Diabolians, let it be known that the rebellious town of Mansoul has hatched treachery against us. Although the town is in our possession, these miserable Mansoulians have dared to send to the court for Emmanuel's help.\" His chest heaved with each angry breath. \"This I tell you so you can understand what we are up against, and so you will know how to treat the wretched town of Mansoul.\n\n\"My trusted Diabolians, I command you to distress Mansoul more and more. Vex it with your deception and duplicity, ravish their women, take their virgins by force, slay their children, dash in the brains of their old men, burn their town, and cause whatever other harm you can think of.\" He raised his arms in a show of power as he clenched his fists. \"Let this be the reward of the Mansoulians from me, for their desperate rebellions against me.\" He pumped his fists into the air to make his point.\n\nThis, you see, is what he threatened, but something stepped in between the delivery of this warning and its execution. At this point, little more was done than for him to vent his rage. Then Diabolus went up to the castle gates and demanded that, upon pain of death, the gates be opened to him and entrance granted to him and his men.\n\nGodly-Fear, who had charge of that gate, replied, \"The gate will not be opened to you or the men who followed after you.\" Then he said, \"When Mansoul has suffered a while, she will be made perfect, strengthened, and settled.\" (And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content in weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong. \u2013 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)\n\nDiabolus said, \"Then deliver the men to me who have petitioned against me, especially Captain Credence, who carried your most recent petition to your Prince. Deliver that rascal into my hands, and I will depart from the town.\"\n\nThen a Diabolian named Mr. Fooling started up. \"What my lord offers you is fair. It is better for you that one man perish, than your whole Mansoul be destroyed.\" (And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation be lost. \u2013 John 11:49-50)\n\nGodly-Fear replied, \"When Mansoul has given up her faith to Diabolus, how long will she be kept out of the dungeon? If we lose Captain Credence, it's as good as losing the town of Mansoul, because if one goes to Diabolus, the other must follow.\"\n\nAt this, Mr. Fooling said nothing.\n\nLord Mayor Understanding spoke up next. \"You devouring tyrant! Let this be clear. We won't listen to any of your words. We are determined to resist you as long as a captain, a man, a sling, or a stone can be found in the town of Mansoul.\"\n\nDiabolus glared at the Mayor with hooded eyes. \"Do you hope, do you wait, do you look for help and deliverance? You have sent to Emmanuel, but your wickedness clings to you. It is too close to let innocent prayers come out of your lips. Do you really think you will prevail and succeed in this plan? I'm telling you that you will fail in your wish and in your attempts, because I'm not the only one against you. Don't forget your Emmanuel is against you too. He is the one who sent me against you in the first place. Knowing this, what is it you hope for? Or by what means do you think you will you escape?\"\n\nThe Lord Understanding wasn't gullible enough to believe the tyrant's lies. He said, \"We have sinned, but that won't help you. In great faithfulness, our Emmanuel has said he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37). He has also told us that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men (Matthew 12:31). For this reason we dare not despair, but will look for, wait for, and hope for deliverance.\"\n\nBy this time, Captain Credence had returned from his errand to the court and had delivered the petition to Emmanuel; he returned to the castle of Mansoul with a packet. So when the Lord Mayor heard Captain Credence had arrived, he withdrew from the noise of the roaring tyrant and left him to yell at the wall or against the gates of the castle. He hurried to the captain's lodgings, greeted Captain Credence, and asked him, \"How did you fare? What news do you bring from the court?\"\n\nTears brimmed in Captain Credence's eyes. He said, \"Cheer up, my lord, for everything will be well in time.\" With that, he produced his packet of letters from Emmanuel and laid it down in front of them. The Lord Mayor and the rest of the captains took this as a sign of good news. They glanced at one another with hope that a season of grace had arrived. Understanding sent for all the captains and elders of the town who were scattered here and there in various rooms throughout the castle and for their guard. He wanted all of them to know Captain Credence had returned, and he had something special to tell them.\n\nThey gathered around Captain Credence, greeted him, and asked about his journey. \"What's the good news from the court?\"\n\nHe gave them the same answer he'd offered to Lord Understanding earlier. \"Everything will be well in the end.\" (Ye that love the LORD are to hate evil; he preserves the souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. \u2013 Psalm 97:10).\n\nOnce the captain greeted everyone who gathered around him, he opened his packet and drew out several letters. The first letter was for the Lord Mayor. Within this note, Emmanuel said He was well pleased that Lord Mayor Understanding had remained true and trustworthy in his office, even with the great concerns which lay upon him for the town and people of Mansoul. In the letter, He told Understanding that He was happy with the fact that he acted boldly for his Prince Emmanuel and had engaged faithfully in His cause against Diabolus. At the close of His letter, He mentioned the mayor would receive his reward shortly.\n\nThe second letter pulled from the packet was for the noble Lord Willbewill. This letter made it clear that Prince Emmanuel understood how valiant and courageous he had served for the honor of his Lord in His absence when His name was held in contempt by Diabolus. His Prince also expressed delight in his faithfulness to the town of Mansoul and how he kept strict watch over it. He said He appreciated Willbewill's firm restraint upon the necks of the Diabolians who lurked in several places around Mansoul. This letter indicated He considered Willbewill to be a good example to the whole town of Mansoul, because he had executed some of the chief Diabolian rebels by his own hand, which generated great discouragement among the enemy camp. He finished by stating Willbewill should have his reward shortly.\n\nThe third letter plucked from the packet was for the preacher, Mr. Conscience. It said his Prince was well pleased with him, for he had honestly and faithfully performed his responsibilities and fulfilled the trust committed to him by his Lord. He accomplished this when he exhorted, rebuked, and forewarned Mansoul according to the laws of the town. (Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. \u2013 2 Timothy 4:2) He admitted it made him happy that Mr. Conscience had called for fasting, sackcloth, and ashes when Mansoul lived in her rebellion, and that had he called for the aid of Captain Boanerges to help in such important work. The letter closed by saying he would shortly receive his reward.\n\nIn the fourth letter, written to Mr. Godly-Fear, his Lord said that He had observed all he had accomplished. This included the fact that he was the first of all the men in Mansoul who detected the presence of Carnal-Security and his cunning, and identified a falling away and a decay of goodness in the blessed town of Mansoul because of Diabolus. His Lord let him know He still remembered his tears and mourning for the state of Mansoul. The letter mentioned how Godly-Fear took notice when Carnal-Security sat at his table among his guests. He had detected Carnal-Security in his own house in the midst of his jolliness, even while he sought to perfect his crimes against the town of Mansoul. Emmanuel took notice that Godly-Fear stood against all the threats and attempts of the tyrant at the gates of the castle. He had also recommended the townsmen make their petition to their Prince in a way that He might accept it and they might obtain an answer of peace. The letter closed with the Prince saying, \"Therefore, shortly you will receive your reward.\" (Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers treated the prophets in the same manner. \u2013 Luke 6:23)\n\nAfter this, a letter to the whole town of Mansoul was read. It said that their Lord noticed their repeated petitions to Him. He offered encouraging news. In the future, they would see more fruits for such efforts. In this letter, their Prince said, \"I am pleased your heart and mind are at last fixed upon Me and My ways even though Diabolus has made inroads upon the town.\" It pleased Him that neither flatteries nor hardships could make them concede to take part in his cruel schemes.\n\nAt the bottom of this letter, the Prince added that He had left the town of Mansoul in the hands of the Lord Secretary and under the guidance of Captain Credence. He said, \"Beware that you continue to yield yourselves to their authority and direction, and in due time you shall receive your reward.\"\n\nCaptain Credence Delivers the Letters\n\nAfter the brave Captain Credence delivered the letters to each recipient, he withdrew to the Lord Secretary's quarters where the two of them spent time talking. These two were well acquainted with one another and knew more how things would go with Mansoul than any of the townsmen. The Lord Secretary often showed His love for Captain Credence by sending him many good bits from my Lord's table as a show of good will, while the rest of Mansoul lay under the clouds.\n\nAfter the two of them conversed for some time, the captain said good-night and went to his chambers to rest. He had barely laid his head upon the pillow when the Lord Secretary sent for him again. He hurried through the castle halls and returned to the Lord Secretary's quarters. They greeted one another in the usual way, but the captain quickly asked, \"Why did you send for me? Tell me, has something happened?\"\n\nLord Secretary took him into his room away from the door and said, \"I've made you the Lord's lieutenant over all the forces in Mansoul.\" His countenance shined with joy as He shared the news. \"From this day forward, all men in Mansoul shall act upon your word, and you will be the one who leads in and out of Mansoul. Therefore, you shall manage the war for your Prince and for the town of Mansoul against the force and power of Diabolus. The rest of the captains will be at your command.\"\n\nCaptain Credence Made the Lord's Lieutenant\n\nNow the townsmen noticed the captain's part in both the court and with the Lord Secretary in Mansoul. No man had ever succeeded when sent on this task, nor was any other able to bring such good news from Emmanuel like him. After some weeping, they decided not to bother him with their distresses, but turned to Mr. Conscience to make known their concerns to the Lord Secretary, and let Him know they desired all they were and had to be under the control, care, custody, and authority of Captain Credence. (For the magistrates are not a terror unto those who do good, but to the doer of evil. Is thy desire therefore to not fear the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same; for he is a minister of God for thy good. \u2013 Romans 13:3-4a)\n\nSo their preacher, Mr. Conscience, did as they requested and received this answer from the mouth of the Lord Secretary: \"Captain Credence will be the great doer in all the King's army against the King's enemies and for the welfare of Mansoul.\"\n\nUpon receiving this message, Mr. Conscience bowed to the ground, thanked his Lordship, returned to the townsfolk, and delivered his news. This was accomplished with all imaginable secrecy, because the adversaries still had great strength within the town. But I have strayed somewhat from the story, so let's return to where I left off.\n\nChapter 27\n\nPlans to Take the Castle\n\nWhen the Lord Mayor Understanding boldly confronted Diabolus, and the tyrant observed the bravery of Godly-Fear, he fell into a rage. He called a council of war in order to get revenge on Mansoul. All the princes of the pit gathered with old Incredulity at the head of them and all the captains of his army. They consulted as to what to do. The council concluded they must determine how to take the castle, because they couldn't claim to be masters of the town as long as their enemies had possession of it.\n\nWith so many involved in the decision-making, one advised this way and another advised that, but they couldn't agree. Apollyon, as president of the council, stood up and addressed the others. \"My brotherhood,\" he said, \"I have two things to propose to you. First, let's withdraw our forces from the town into the plain again. Our presence here does us no good, because the castle is in our enemies' hands. Neither is it possible for us to take the castle as long as so many brave captains reside in it. And that bold fellow, Godly-Fear, has been made the keeper of the castle gates.\"\n\nApollyon dismissed the skeptical glances from his fellow fiends and pressed on with his idea. \"When we have withdrawn into the plain, they will be glad and be a little more at ease. It may be that once they let their guard down a little, they may become careless again and open the opportunity for us to deliver a bigger blow than we can possibly give them now. But if that plan should fail, our going forth out of the town might draw the captains out after us. Remember what it cost them the last time we fought them in the field? We can do more than just draw them into the field; we can lay an ambush behind the town. When they come out after us, we will rush in and take possession of the castle.\"\n\nBeelzebub stood up, and by the scowl on his face it was clear he did not agree. He said, \"It is impossible to draw them all from the castle. You can be sure some will stay behind to keep possession of the castle. Therefore, such an attempt will be in vain, unless we can be sure they will all come out to chase after us.\"\n\nThe Council of the Evil Ones\n\nApollyon gave him a cold stare, but Beelzebub ignored it. He said, \"Whatever we do will have to be accomplished by some other means. I say we invent a way to get the townsmen to sin again. You see, it's not our being in the town or in the field, and it isn't our fighting or our killing of their men that can make us the masters of Mansoul. For as long as there is even one person left in the town who is able to lift his finger against us, Emmanuel will take their side.\" He took a deep breath and let it out with a hiss. \"If He takes their side, we know what that means for us. That's why, as far as I'm concerned, there's no way to bring them into bondage to us like inventing a way to make them sin.\" (Watch ye and pray; enter not into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is sick. \u2013 Mark 14:38) He let that sink in as he idly picked something from one of his talons. \"If we had left all our Doubters at home, we would have done as well as we have done now, unless we could have made them the masters and governors of the castle. Doubters at a distance are like objections maintained by a fallacious argument.\n\n\"The question is, can we get them into the fortress and make them possessors of it? The day we accomplish that, the castle will be ours. Therefore, let us withdraw into the plain, but not because we expect the captains in Mansoul to follow us. Instead, before we do this, let us talk with our trusted Diabolians who hide away in their holds of Mansoul and put them to work to betray the town to us. We surely need their help to pull this off; otherwise, it will be left undone forever.\"\n\nBy the time Beelzebub finished talking, the whole conclave agreed that the way to take the castle was to get the town to sin. With the beginning of a plan in place, they put their heads together to devise the best strategy to accomplish this goal.\n\nLucifer stood and said, \"The advice of Beelzebub is sound. The way to bring this to pass, in my opinion, is for us to withdraw our forces from the town of Mansoul.\" He transformed his visage to appear as an angel of light and said, \"Let us do this and terrify them no longer, whether by summons, threats, or even the noise of our drum or any other rousing means. Let us lull them into thinking we are not a threat; only let us lie in wait in the field at a distance as though we do not care about them, for frightening them would only make them take up arms. I have also thought of another strategy to work in conjunction with this.\n\n\"You know Mansoul is a market town that delights in commerce. What if some of our Diabolians pretend to be from a faraway country and bring some of our wares to sell at the market of Mansoul? It doesn't matter how much they sell, even if it's for half the value. Let those who enter their market to trade be those who are clever and true to us. To fund this endeavor, I offer to take off my crown and to pawn it.\n\n\"I can think of two whom I think will be cunning, sly, and shrewd enough for this work. They are Mr. Penny-wise-pound-foolish and Mr. Get-i'the-hundred-and-lose-i'the-shire. This man with the long name is in no way inferior to the other. I'm also thinking we should add Mr. Sweet-World and Mr. Present-Good to the bunch. These men are civil and cunning, but they are our true friends and helpers. I say we let these men and many more engage in this marketplace business for us; Mansoul will be caught up in business and will grow to be full and rich. In this way we'll gain ground on them.\"\n\nA few of his cohorts cast dubious glances in his direction. He thwarted their concerns by saying, \"Don't you remember? This is how we prevailed upon Laodicea. (Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. \u2013 Revelation 3:17) And how many do we currently hold in this snare? I am telling you, when they begin to grow full and satisfied, they will forget their misery. And if we don't frighten them in any way, they may be lulled to sleep; they will let down their guard and neglect their close watch over the town, castle, and even their gates.\n\n\"If we load Mansoul with such abundance, it may force them to turn their castle into a warehouse instead of a garrison fortified against us. If the castle is filled with our goods and commodities and is no longer a depot for men of war, I predict that the castle will be more than half ours.\n\n\"Think of it this way. If we ordered the castle to be filled with all such manner of wares, then when we made an assault upon them, it would be hard for the captains to take shelter there. Remember the parable that says, 'The deceitfulness of riches choke the word'? (And the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. \u2013 Mark 4:19) And again, 'When the heart is overcharged with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life, all harm comes upon them unawares'?\" (And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with excess and drunkenness and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. \u2013 Luke 21:34)\n\nLucifer smiled smugly at his ingenious plan. \"Furthermore, my lords, you know very well it isn't easy for people to be filled with our things without having some of our Diabolians kept as attendants within their houses to provide services. Show me a Mansoulian who is full of this world that doesn't have servants and men to wait upon them like Mr. Profuse, Mr. Prodigality, or some of our other Diabolian gang, such as Mr. Voluptuous, Mr. Pragmatical, Mr. Ostentation, or the like.\n\n\"Any of these can take the castle of Mansoul, blow it up, or make it unfit for a garrison for Emmanuel, and any of these will do. For all I know, these Diabolians might accomplish it sooner than an army of twenty thousand men. So my advice is that we quietly withdraw, offer no further resistance, and make no forcible attempts upon the castle \u2013 at least at this time.\" He paused to make his point. \"I say we put our new project into action and see if that won't cause them to destroy themselves.\"\n\nAll the others highly applauded this advice to choke Mansoul with a fullness of this world and flood her heart with the good things in it. (Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. \u2013 1 John 2:15) They thought it such a good plan that they declared it the masterpiece of hell. But just as this Diabolian council broke up, Captain Credence received a letter from Emmanuel, and this is the message it contained: Upon the third day, He would meet him in the field in the plains around Mansoul.\n\nChapter 28\n\nBattle on the Plains\n\nCaptain Credence cupped his chin and asked, \"Meet him in the field? What does my Lord mean by this? I don't understand.\" He carried the note to the Lord Secretary, because He was a seer in all matters concerning the King and for the good and comfort of the town of Mansoul. Captain Credence showed the note to the Lord Secretary and said, \"I don't understand what this means, and I'd like Your opinion.\"\n\nSo the Lord High Secretary took the note and read it. Following a short pause, He said, \"The Diabolians have met together against Mansoul today. They held an important meeting, the purpose of which was to plot the utter ruin of the town. The result of their meeting is a plan to place Mansoul in such a predicament that it will surely destroy herself. First, they are preparing for their own departure out of the town. They intend to take to the field and lie there in wait until they see whether their plan will work or not.\n\n\"Make ready with the men of Your Lord to fall upon the Diabolians, for on the third day they will be in the plain. By daybreak or before, the Prince will be in that field with a mighty force. He shall be there before the Diabolians, and you will be behind them; between the two armies they shall be destroyed.\"\n\nWhen Captain Credence heard this, he hurried to inform the rest of the captains. He explained to them about the note he received from the hand of Emmanuel. \"And, while my understanding regarding the meaning of the note was darkened, the Lord Secretary explained it to me.\" (Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but with doctrine of the Holy Spirit. \u2013 1 Corinthians 2:13) He went on to clarify what each of them must do to accomplish the will of their Lord.\n\nThe captains were glad to receive direction from their Lord. To start, Captain Credence commanded all the King's trumpeters to climb to the battlements of the castle, and in the hearing of Diabolus and the whole town of Mansoul, to play the best music the heart could invent. The trumpeters did as they were commanded and climbed to the top of the castle. Once settled there, they began to play.\n\nThe sounds startled Diabolus who said, \"What can this mean? These sounds are not a summons for soldiers to mount their horses, to ride away, or to charge. What do these madmen mean by playing music so merry and glad?\"\n\nOne among them said, \"This music isn't an alarm but an expression of joy because their Prince Emmanuel is coming to free the town of Mansoul, and He is at the head of an army \u2013 and this relief is near.\"\n\nThe melodious charm of the trumpets also concerned the men of Mansoul. Among themselves they said, \"This can't hurt us, can it? Surely this won't cause us harm.\"\n\nWhile this was going on, the Diabolians also discussed how to proceed. \"What's best for us to do?\"\n\nThis question was answered with, \"It is best to leave the town.\"\n\nAnother nodded. \"This follows the advice offered at our last meeting. By leaving, we will be better able to fight the enemy in battle if an army should come against us from outside the walls.\"\n\nSo, on the second day, they withdrew from Mansoul and lived in the plains outside of the town. They settled before Eye-gate in a vile manner meant to create all the dread and terror they could. The reason they wouldn't stay in the town (besides the reasons debated in their latest conclave) was that they were not in possession of the stronghold and \"because it will be more suitable for us to fight and to flee, when we camp in the open plains.\" If they stayed in the town, it would make their role in the battle more offensive rather than defensive, if the Prince came and fenced them in within the walls. So they moved to the open field out of the reach of the slings, which frustrated them the entire time they were in the town.\n\nWhen the time arrived for the captains to attack the Diabolians, they prepared for action. The night before, Captain Credence told the captains, \"You shall see the Prince in the field tomorrow.\" This news made them all the more eager to engage the enemy, like adding oil to a flaming fire, and it stirred quite a fervor. They had waited at a distance for a long time, which made them all the more earnest and eager to get to work. (Our soul waited for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Therefore our heart shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in the name of his holiness. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have waited upon thee. \u2013 Psalm 33:20-22)\n\nSo, as I said, the hour arrived. Captain Credence, with the rest of the men of war, drew out their forces before dawn by the back gate of the town. Being prepared to move forward with the attack, Captain Credence went up to the head of the army and gave the word to the rest of the captains. Each of them passed on the word to their under-officers and soldiers by saying, \"The sword of Prince Emmanuel and the shield of Captain Credence,\" which in the Mansoulian tongue means, \"The Word of God and faith.\" Then the captains plunged forward and began rounding to the front, flank, and rear of Diabolus's camp.\n\nNow, when they departed from the town, they left Captain Experience behind, because he was still recovering from his wounds, which the Diabolians had inflicted in the last fight. But when he realized the captains had moved out without him, what did he do? He called for his crutches, for he said to himself, \"Shall I lie here, when my brothers are in the fight, and when Emmanuel, the Prince, shows Himself to His servants in the field?\"\n\nHe got up and clambered toward the battle, crutches and all. The enemy spotted him hobbling along, and the site unsettled them even more, For, they thought, what spirit has possessed these Mansoulians, that they fight us upon their crutches?\n\nAs I said, the captains moved forward against the enemy and fell on them. They cried out and shouted as they landed their blows. \"The sword of Prince Emmanuel and the shield of Captain Credence!\"\n\nNow, when Diabolus saw the captains had come out and surrounded his men, he concluded that they could expect nothing from them but blows and marks caused by their two-edged swords. (For the word of God is alive and efficient and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. \u2013 Hebrews 4:12) Therefore, he mustered his forces and fell upon the Prince's army with all his deadly strength; so the two sides clashed in battle.\n\nDiabolus met Captain Credence first in the fight on the one side and Lord Willbewill on the other. Willbewill's blows were like those of a giant. He had a strong arm, and he struck the Doubters who served as the guards who protected Diabolus. He engaged them in battle for a good while, cutting and battering shrewdly. Now when Captain Credence saw Willbewill engaged in this manner, he did the same to the company of Doubters on the other side of the fight. Between them, they created a great tumult.\n\nCaptain Good-Hope had engaged the career Doubters and found them to be strong and rugged men. But the captain showed himself to be a strong and courageous man, and Captain Experience even sent him some aid, so he forced the professional Doubters to retreat.\n\nThe rest of the armies were hotly engaged on every side. The Diabolians fought bravely, but then Lord Secretary commanded the slings from the castle to attack, because his men could throw stones at a hair's breadth. At first, this caused many of the Doubters and Diabolians to flee before the captains of the Prince, but they soon rallied and came up against the rear flank of the Prince's army. Though the Prince's army grew faint, they drew on the knowledge that they would see the face of their Prince soon, and took courage and fought a very fierce battle. (As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. \u2013 Psalm 17:15)\n\nThe Sword of Lord Willbewill and the Shield of Captain Credence\n\nThe captains shouted, \"The sword of Prince Emmanuel and the shield of Captain Credence!\" and with that, Diabolus withdrew, thinking more aid had arrived. But Emmanuel still did not appear. Because the outcome of the battle hung in doubt, both sides made a little retreat.\n\nDuring this break, Captain Credence encouraged his men to stand firm and remain courageous and strong. (Be strong and of a good courage; fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the LORD thy God is he that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee. \u2013 Deuteronomy 31:6) Diabolus did the same, but it was nothing like the bold speech Captain Credence made to his soldiers.\n\nHe said, \"Gentlemen soldiers, and my brothers in this plan, I rejoice to see such a brave and valiant army and such faithful lovers of Mansoul in the field for our Prince this day. You have shown yourselves to be men of truth and courage against the Diabolian forces. They don't have much cause to boast about their accomplishments. Now gather your usual courage and prove yourselves men one more time. After the next engagement, you will see your Prince in the field. First, we must make this second assault upon this tyrant Diabolus, and then Emmanuel comes.\"\n\nNo sooner had the captain finished this speech to his soldiers than Mr. Speedy came with a message to the captain from the Prince to tell him Emmanuel was near. When the captain received this news, he passed it on to the other field officers, and they to their soldiers and men of war. The effect of this news was as though men had been raised from the dead, for the captains and their men arose with renewed determination and made their way back to the enemy. Again, they cried out as before, \"The sword of Prince Emmanuel and the shield of Captain Credence!\" (Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. \u2013 Ephesians 6:16-17)\n\nThe Diabolians rallied and resisted as well as they could, but in this last engagement the Diabolians lost their courage. Many dead Doubters lay scattered across the ground. They had been in the heat of battle for about an hour or more, when Captain Credence lifted his eyes, and behold, he saw Emmanuel arrive. He came with flags flying and trumpets sounding. The feet of His men scarcely touched the ground, as they hurried with great speed toward the captains engaged in the fight.\n\nCredence moved with his men toward the town and gave the field to Diabolus, so the enemy found himself between Emmanuel on the one side and the captains and their forces on the other. The fighting began again. It didn't take long before Emmanuel and Captain Credence met, still trampling the slain as they came.\n\nBut when the captains saw that the Prince had come, and He fell upon the Diabolians, and Captain Credence and his Highness had trapped them between them, they shouted, \"The sword of Emmanuel and the shield of Captain Credence!\" and the ground split again.\n\nWhen Diabolus saw he and his forces were hard-pressed by the Prince and His princely army, what did he and the lords of the pit do? They made their escape and abandoned their army. They just left them to fall by the hand of Emmanuel and His noble Captain Credence. And that's exactly what happened. They all fell slain before the Prince and His royal army. Their bodies lay spread upon the ground, as one would spread dung upon the land. Not even one Doubter remained alive.\n\nChapter 29\n\nEmmanuel Restored to Mansoul\n\nWith the battle over, everything within the camp fell into order. The captains and elders of Mansoul gathered outside the community to greet Emmanuel. They hailed and welcomed Him with a thousand welcomes, because He had returned to the borders of Mansoul.\n\nHe said, \"Peace be to you.\" Then they turned, and the Prince and all the new forces He brought with Him went up to Mansoul. The gates of the town and the gates of the castle stood open to receive Him, and all the people rejoiced to see His blessed return.\n\nThe elders of the town of Mansoul stood at the gates of the town to welcome Him as He entered. One-half of the elders and the people sang out, \"Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in!\" (Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. \u2013 Psalm 24:7-8)\n\nThe other half of the people answered, \"Who is the King of glory?\"\n\nThe first side responded, \"The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; even lift them up, you everlasting doors.\"\n\nThen those of Mansoul put forth an order that the way from the town gates to the castle gates should be filled with song to worship His blessed Majesty. The most skilled musicians in all the town of Mansoul were called to perform, while the elders and the rest of the men of Mansoul answered one another in song as Emmanuel entered the town. They continued with songs accompanied by the sound of trumpets. \"Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary,\" they sang. So the singers went before those playing instruments, followed by maidens playing on timbrels. They did this until He reached the castle gates. (The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; in between them were the virgins playing with timbrels. Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, ye of the lineage of Israel. \u2013 Psalm 68:25-26)\n\nThen the captains waited on the Prince as He entered into the gates of Mansoul. Captain Credence went first with Captain Good-Hope. Captain Charity followed behind with his companions, and Captain Patience followed after them all. The rest of the captains, some on the right hand and some on the left, accompanied Emmanuel into Mansoul.\n\nThey marched into town with flags displayed, trumpets sounding, and the soldiers shouting. Dressed in His armor made from beaten gold, the Prince rode into town in His chariot beneath a purple covering. The supports of His chariot were silver, with the bottom crafted from pure gold and the center overlaid with love for the daughters of the town of Mansoul.\n\nWhen the Prince arrived at the entrance of Mansoul, He found all the streets strewn with lilies and flowers, unusually decked with boughs and branches from the green trees that stood about the town. Every house stood adorned in the same way with a singular excellence and unity to show hospitality to the Prince. As He passed through the streets, the people stood in the doors of their homes and welcomed Him with shouts and acclamations of joy: \"Blessed be the Prince who comes in the name of His Father Shaddai!\" (And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down leaves off the trees and spread them in the way. And those that went before and those that followed cried out, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. \u2013 Mark 11:8-9)\n\nAt the castle gates, the elders of Mansoul, namely, the Lord Mayor, Lord Willbewill, the secondary preacher, Mr. Knowledge, and Mr. Mind, with others of the gentry greeted Emmanuel again. They bowed before Him, kissed the dust off His feet, and thanked, blessed, and praised His Highness for not holding their sins against them and for showing pity upon them in their misery. They thanked Him for returning to them with mercies to build Mansoul up forever. He headed straight to the castle, because that was the royal palace prepared for His Highness by the presence of the Lord Secretary and the work of Captain Credence. This was where His honor was to dwell. So He entered in.\n\nAll classes of people of the town of Mansoul came into the castle to Him to mourn, weep, and wail for their wickedness that had forced Him out of the town. When they came before Him, they bowed to the ground seven times and wept and wept aloud, asking forgiveness of the Prince. With their lament, they prayed He would once again confirm His love for Mansoul.\n\nThe eminent Prince looked upon them with great love and said, \"Don't weep, but go your way. Eat the best and drink that which is pleasing to taste and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, for the joy of your Lord is your strength. I have returned to Mansoul with mercies, and My name shall be set up, exalted, and magnified by it.\" (This day is holy unto the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go, eat the fat, and drink sweet wine, and send portions unto those who have nothing prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord, and not sad; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. \u2013 Nehemiah 8:9b-10) He even kissed and embraced these inhabitants.\n\nThen He gave a chain of gold and a signet ring to the elders of Mansoul and to each town office. He sent earrings, jewels, bracelets, and other things to their wives and gave many precious things to the trueborn children of Mansoul.\n\nWhen Emmanuel the Prince finished doing all these things for the famous town of Mansoul, He said to them, \"Wash your garments, put on your ornaments, and then come into the castle of Mansoul to Me.\"\n\nSo they went to the fountain set up for Judah and Jerusalem to wash, and they cleansed themselves and made their garments white, and came again into the castle to the Prince and stood before Him. (Then come, shall the LORD say, and we shall be even; if your sins were as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; if they were red like crimson, they shall become as wool. \u2013 Isaiah 1:18)\n\nMusic and dancing filled the whole town of Mansoul. Bells rang and the sun shone upon them for a great while, because their Prince had once again granted His presence and the light of His countenance to shine upon them.\n\nThe town of Mansoul more thoroughly sought the destruction and ruin of all the remaining Diabolians who lurked in the walls and dens in the town of Mansoul, for some had escaped with life and limb from the hand of their suppressors. But Lord Willbewill was a greater terror to them now than ever, for his heart was fully bent to seek, strategize, and pursue them to the death. He tracked them night and day and caused them severe distress, as I will show you.\n\nAfter things were put in order in Mansoul, care was taken and an order given by the blessed Prince Emmanuel: \"Without further delay, the townsmen should appoint some to go forth into the plain to bury the dead there \u2013 the dead who fell by My sword and by the shield of Captain Credence, so the fumes and bad odors will not rise and taint the air and annoy the famous town of Mansoul.\"\n\nThis order was given so they might cut off the name, existence, and memory of those enemies from the minds of Mansoul.\n\nSo the Lord Mayor Understanding, that wise and trusted friend of the town of Mansoul, brought order to Mansoul and said people should be engaged in necessary business. Godly-Fear and Mr. Upright were to be overseers, and people were placed under their authority to work in the fields and bury the slain that lay dead in the plains.\n\nThe jobs included digging graves, burying the dead, and going back and forth in the plains; they also checked around the borders of Mansoul to look for skulls, bones, or any piece of Doubter bone near the town. If any were found, it was ordered that the searchers set up a marker to notify those appointed to bury them. (And they shall take men out of continual employment, who shall go through the land with the passengers to bury those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it. \u2013 Ezekiel 39:14) These bones were to be buried out of sight so the name and memory of any Diabolian Doubter might be blotted out from under heaven, and the children and those to be born in Mansoul might never know even a remnant of a Doubter.\n\nSo the buriers and those appointed for this task did as they were commanded. They buried every last bit of the Doubters wherever they found them, and in this manner they cleansed the plains. Meanwhile, God's-Peace took up his assignment and performed his duties as in former days.\n\nThey Bury the Bones of the Doubters\n\nThey buried the Election-doubters, Vocation-doubters, Grace-doubters, Perseverance-doubters, Resurrection-doubters, Salvation-doubters, and the Glory-doubters in the plains around Mansoul. The captains of these Doubters were Captain Rage, Captain Cruel, Captain Damnation, Captain Insatiable, Captain Brimstone, Captain Torment, Captain No-Ease, Captain Sepulcher, Captain Past-Hope, and old Incredulity, who was their general under Diabolus. The seven heads of their army were Lord Beelzebub, Lord Lucifer, Lord Legion, Lord Apollyon, Lord Python, Lord Cerberus, and Lord Belial.\n\nBut the princes and captains with old Incredulity made their escape when they knew the battle was lost. However, their men fell slain by the power of the Prince's forces and by the hands of the men of the town of Mansoul. All these were buried, as I already mentioned, much to the great joy of the now-famous town of Mansoul. Those who buried them also buried their weapons, including arrows, darts, mauls, firebrands, and all cruel instruments of death. They even buried their armor, flags, banners, the standard of Diabolus, and whatever else they found that smelled of a Diabolian Doubter.\n\nChapter 30\n\nFinal Attack\n\nNow when the tyrant arrived back at Hell-gate Hill with his old friend Incredulity, they rushed down into the den with their companions. They grieved over their misfortune and the great loss they sustained against the town of Mansoul. They talked at length, became violently agitated, and vowed revenge for the loss they suffered. They called a council to plot how they could once again come against the famous town of Mansoul. They were hungry to see the result of Lord Lucifer's and Lord Apollyon's counsel which they had given. Every day their raging gullets wondered if it would be a long or a short time until they filled themselves with the bodies, souls, flesh, bones, and all the other delicacies of Mansoul. With this growing hunger consuming them, they decided to make another attempt upon the town of Mansoul. They planned to employ a mixed army made up of Doubters and of blood-men. To understand this army, a closer look at both Doubters and blood-men is necessary.\n\nThe Doubters are called such because of their nature and the land and kingdom from where they originate. Their nature is to question every one of Emmanuel's truths, and their country is called the land of Doubting. That land lies far to the north between the land of Darkness and the valley of the shadow of death, which are sometimes talked about as if they were one and the same, but they are two places that lie a short distance from one another. The land of Doubting points in and lies between them. Those who came with Diabolus to ruin the town of Mansoul were natives of that country, the land of Doubting.\n\nBlood-men are people who derive their name from the destructive tendency of their nature and from the fury within them to execute carnage upon the town of Mansoul. Their land lies under the dog star, which exercises a murderous influence on the earth and governs their intellects. (They are among those that rebel against the light; they have never known its ways nor abided in its paths. The murderer rises with the light, kills the poor and the needy, and in the night is as a thief. \u2013 Job 24:13-14) The name of their country is the province of Loath-good. The remote parts of it are far from the land of Doubting, yet they both butt together at Hell-gate Hill. These people are always in alliance with the Doubters, for they question the faith and loyalty of the men of the town of Mansoul. They are both qualified for the service of their prince Diabolus.\n\nNow Diabolus beat his drum again and raised another army from these two countries to come against the town of Mansoul. This new army was twenty-five thousand strong, made up of ten thousand Doubters and fifteen thousand blood-men. These forces were placed under several captains, and old Incredulity was made general of the army again.\n\nAs for the Doubters, their captains were five of the seven who were heads of the last Diabolian army. These included Captain Beelzebub, Captain Lucifer, Captain Apollyon, Captain Legion, and Captain Cerberus, and from the army they made some lieutenants and some ensigns.\n\nBut for this expedition, Diabolus didn't count on these Doubters to be his principal men, for their virility had been tried and had failed. The Mansoulians had brought them to a most disastrous outcome. He only planned to bring them along to increase the number of troops he had to help if they found themselves in a pinch. But he put his trust in his blood-men, for they were all rugged villains, and he knew they had accomplished feats of bravery before.\n\nAs for the blood-men, they were placed under the command of eight captains with familiar names: Captain Cain, Captain Nimrod, Captain Ishmael, Captain Esau, Captain Saul, Captain Absalom, Captain Judas, and Captain Pope.\n\nCaptain Cain oversaw two bands \u2013 the zealous and the angry blood-men. (The angry man stirs up strife, and the furious man abounds in transgression. \u2013 Proverbs 29:22) His standard-bearer carried red colors, and the emblem on his shield was the murdering club.\n\nCaptain Nimrod was also placed in a position above two bands \u2013 the tyrannical and encroaching blood-men. (Woe unto those that establish unrighteous laws and that willfully prescribe tyranny. \u2013 Isaiah 10:1) His standard-bearer bore the red colors to show the blood he'd shed, and the great bloodhound was his emblem.\n\nCaptain Ishmael became captain over the mocking and scorning blood-men. (Whosoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he that is glad regarding the calamity of someone else shall not go unpunished. \u2013 Proverbs 17:5) His standard-bearer also wore the red colors, and his insignia showed a man mocking Abraham's Isaac.\n\nCaptain Esau had authority over two more bands \u2013 the blood-men who begrudged that another should have the blessing, and the blood-men who favored taking out their private revenge upon others. (And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will slay my brother Jacob. \u2013 Genesis 27:41) His standard-bearer displayed the red colors, and his emblem showed a man privately lurking to murder Jacob.\n\nCaptain Saul stood captain above two more bands \u2013 the groundlessly jealous and the devilishly furious blood-men. (Wrath is cruel, and anger is impetuous, but who is able to stand before envy? \u2013 Proverbs 27:4) His standard-bearer carried the red colors, and his symbol was three bloody darts cast at harmless David.\n\nCaptain Absalom was placed over two bands \u2013 the blood-men who willingly kill a father or a friend for the glory of this world, and the blood-men who hold a just person with their words until they pierce him with their swords. (It is not good to eat much honey, so for men to search their own glory is not glory. \u2013 Proverbs 25:27) His standard-bearer also displays the red colors, and the emblem on his shield was the son pursuing the father's blood.\n\nCaptain Judas stood over the blood-men who will sell a man's life for money and the band of those who will betray their friend with a kiss. (For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it, neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, who in my estimation was, my lord, and of my own family. \u2013 Psalm 55:12-13) His standard-bearer also carried the red colors, and his symbol was thirty pieces of silver and the rope used for hanging rebels.\n\nThe last captain was Captain Pope. He was placed over one band, which united all these spirits as one under him. (They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps when they wait for my soul. \u2013 Psalm 56:6) Like the rest, his standard-bearer displayed the red colors, and his coat of arms was the stake, the flame, and the good man in it.\n\nNow, Diabolus rallied this force quickly after his defeat in the field because he put a lot of confidence in this blood-men army. In fact, he placed a great deal more trust in them than he ever did in his army of Doubters, even though they had often served him in strengthening his kingdom.\n\nHe had tested these blood-men often, and their sword seldom returned empty. He knew how they seized any father, mother, brother, sister, prince, governor, and even the Prince of princes \u2013 like mastiffs. Believing they once forced Emmanuel out of the kingdom of Universe, Diabolus thought, Why couldn't they do the same and drive Him from the town of Mansoul? So this army, twenty-five thousand strong, led by their general, the great Lord Incredulity, was commanded to go up against the town of Mansoul.\n\nHowever, it so happened that Mansoul's Scoutmaster-General, Mr. Prywell, went out to spy upon the enemy, and he brought back news of their coming to Mansoul. With this warning, they had time to shut their gates and ready themselves to defend against these new Diabolians coming against the town.\n\nDiabolus brought his army and surrounded the town of Mansoul. The Doubters were placed around Feel-gate, while the blood-men were strategically set before Eye-gate and Ear-gate. Incredulity sent an urgent summons to Mansoul commanding that they yield to their demands. If they dared to stand against them, the Diabolians threatened to burn Mansoul down with fire. You must realize that the blood-men didn't really want Mansoul to surrender, but rather longed for it to be destroyed and cut off from the land of the living. True, they'd sent a command for them to surrender, but if they did, that wouldn't stop or quench the thirst of these men for blood. They needed blood, the blood of Mansoul, or else they would die. This is how they received their name. Therefore, Diabolus reserved these blood-men for when his instruments of war proved ineffectual; these blood-men could be played against the town of Mansoul as his trump card.\n\nWhen the townsmen received this fiery summons, they started to change their minds, but in less than half an hour, they agreed to carry the summons to the Prince. They wrote at the bottom of it, \"Lord, save Mansoul from bloody men!\" (I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies. \u2013 Psalm 18:3)\n\nWhen the Prince received the summons, He looked it over and considered it. He took notice of the short petition at the bottom, which had been added by the men of Mansoul. He called the noble Captain Credence to come to report for duty. The Prince told him to go with Captain Patience and take care of that side of Mansoul being harassed by the blood-men. So the two of them did as they were commanded and secured that side of Mansoul.\n\nCaptain Credence and Captain Patience Strengthen the Town of Mansoul\n\nThen Prince Emmanuel commanded Captain Good-Hope, Captain Charity, and Lord Willbewill to take charge of the other side of the town. \"You three keep watch against the Doubters,\" He said. \"And I will set My banner upon the battlements of your castle.\"\n\nWith this accomplished, He commanded the brave Captain Experience to bring his men into the marketplace and have them practice their skills daily before the people of the town of Mansoul.\n\nThis siege dragged on into a lengthy attempt by the enemy to gain possession of Mansoul, and included many fierce endeavors upon the town, especially by the blood-men. The townsmen met with many clever skirmishes, particularly Captain Self-Denial who was commanded to defend Ear-gate and Eye-gate against the blood-men. Captain Self-Denial, like Captain Experience, was a brave young man and a townsman in Mansoul. On His second return to Mansoul, Emmanuel made him a captain over a thousand Mansoulians for the good of the community. This captain, being a hardy man of great courage and willing to risk danger for the good of the town of Mansoul, would rush out and besiege the blood-men. He gave them many significant scares and entered several brisk skirmishes with them. He even killed some of them. But don't think this was easily done, for he met with several close encounters and bore several scars on his face and body.\n\nAfter testing the faith, hope, and love of the town of Mansoul, Prince Emmanuel called His captains and men of war together and divided them into two companies. (And now abide faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. \u2013 1 Corinthians 13:13) He commanded them to rush out upon the enemy in the morning at an appointed time. He said, \"Half of you fall upon the Doubters, and the other half upon the blood-men. Those of you who go against the Doubters, kill and slay as many of them as you can lay hands on, but for you who go out against the blood-men, take them alive. Don't slay them.\"\n\nThe following morning the captains went out against the enemies at the appointed time. Captain Good-Hope, Captain Charity, and those joined with them like Captain Innocency and Captain Experience marched out against the Doubters. Captain Credence and Captain Patience with Captain Self-Denial and those united with them went out against the blood-men.\n\nThe troops that went out against the Doubters drew up into a body before the plain and marched to challenge them to battle. But the Doubters remembered how the Prince's army had defeated them in their last battle. They decided not to venture another upset and fled from the Prince's men who pursued them. The Prince's men chased and slew many, but they couldn't catch them all.\n\nOf those who escaped, some went home, but the rest strayed about the country by fives, nines, and seventeens. As they wandered, they showed off and practiced many of their Diabolian behaviors in the presence of the ignorant people who lived there. These people didn't take up arms against them but allowed themselves to be enslaved. These Doubters also gathered in groups before the town of Mansoul, but not to dwell in it, because if Captain Credence, Captain Good-Hope, or Captain Experience showed themselves, they fled.\n\nThose who went out against the blood-men also did as they were commanded. They refrained from slaying any of them, but tried to surround them. When the blood-men saw Emmanuel wasn't in the field, they concluded He wasn't in Mansoul. Therefore, they looked at what the captains did as their own wild and foolish desires and despised them more than feared them.\n\nBut the captains paid attention to the task at hand and finally encompassed them. The forces that had routed the Doubters came to their aid with power, and after a little struggling, the blood-men decided to make a run for it. However, it was too late, for though they are harmful and cruel in situations where they can overcome, blood-men are actually chicken-hearted men when they are matched equally. So the captains took them captive and brought them to the Prince. When the Prince examined them, He found them to be from three counties but all from one land.\n\nOne sort came out of Blind-man-shire, and they ignorantly did what they did. (For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. \u2013 Romans 10:3) Another sort came out of Blind-zeal-shire, and they superstitiously did what they did. (Thus hath the LORD said, Do not learn the way of the Gentiles, and do not fear the signs of heaven. \u2013 Jeremiah 10:2) The third sort came out of the town of Malice in the county of Envy, and they did what they did out of spite and irreconcilable hostility or anger.\n\nWhen the first group from the Blind-man-shire saw where they were and Whom they fought against, they trembled and cried as they stood before Him. For all those who asked Him for mercy, He touched their lips with His golden scepter.\n\nThose from Blind-zeal-shire, however, didn't follow the example of their fellows from Blind-man-shire. Instead, they pleaded that they had a right to do what they did because Mansoul was a town whose laws and customs were different from all who lived around them. Very few of this group could be brought to see their evil, but those who did and asked for mercy also gained favor.\n\nAnd last, those who came from the town of Malice in the county of Envy didn't weep or dispute. Nor did they repent! Instead, they stood gnawing their tongues before Him in anguish and madness, because they couldn't force their will upon Mansoul.\n\nThose who sincerely asked pardon for their faults from this last group, with all those from the other two sorts, were bound and would be made to answer for what they had done against Mansoul and her King. This would be done at the great and general hearings to be held before our Lord the King. He Himself would decide for the country and kingdom of Universe. (For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive according to that which they have done in the body, good or evil. \u2013 2 Corinthians 5:10) So they bound each man for the time when he would be called to answer for what he had done. This hearing included much about this second army sent by Diabolus to overthrow Mansoul.\n\nBut three of those rascals who came from the land of Doubting figured they had escaped, after they had wandered the country a while. With this sense of freedom and the knowledge that some Diabolians still lived in the town, they became so bold they drove themselves with force into Mansoul. Did I say three Diabolians? Actually, I think there were four.\n\nAfter they entered Mansoul, whose house did these Diabolian Doubters go to? They went straight to the house of an old Diabolian whose name was Evil-Questioning. He happened to be a great enemy to Mansoul, who proved himself a great doer among the Diabolians there.\n\nWhen these Doubters came to Evil-Questioning's house, he welcomed them, showed sympathy for their misfortune, and assisted them with the best he had in his house. After becoming acquainted, which didn't take long, old Evil-Questioning asked the Doubters a question. He knew they were from one kingdom but asked if they were all from the same town.\n\nThey answered, \"No, we don't come from the same shire either.\"\n\nOne said, \"I am an Election-doubter.\"\n\nAnother said, \"I am a Vocation-doubter.\"\n\nAnd the third said, \"I'm a Salvation-doubter,\" while the fourth admitted to being a Grace-doubter.\n\nThe old gentlemen smiled. \"Well, it doesn't matter to me whatever shire you come from. I am sure you've had more downs than ups, boys, but I want you to know you have my support. For I can see you are one with my heart and want to assure you that you are welcomed here.\" His arms cut a flamboyant sweep through the air, encompassing the room in which they gathered. So they thanked him and were glad to have found a place to stay in Mansoul.\n\nThen Evil-Questioning said, \"How many more of your company came with you to the siege of Mansoul?\"\n\nThey said, \"There were only ten thousand Doubters in all, for the rest of the army consisted of fifteen thousand blood-men. These blood-men border on our country, but we hear every one of them were taken by Emmanuel's forces.\"\n\n\"Ten thousand!\" The old gentleman raised his bushy brows. \"I promise you this, that's a full company. But what happened? How is it you were so mighty a number and fainted enough that you dared not fight your foes?\"\n\n\"Our general,\" they all said at the same time. \"He was the first man to run for it.\"\n\n\"Really? Tell me the name of your cowardly general.\"\n\n\"He was once the Lord Mayor of Mansoul,\" they said, \"but please don't call him a cowardly general. There hasn't been another from the east to the west who has done more service for our prince Diabolus than Lord Incredulity. If they caught him, they would have hanged him, and we can guarantee that hanging is a bad business.\"\n\nThe old man pursed his lips in thought. \"I wish all ten thousand Doubters were well armed now in Mansoul, with me at the head of them. I'd show you what I could do.\"\n\n\"Agreed,\" they said. \"We would like to see that, but wishes, what are they except wishes?\" They shrugged and shook their heads.\n\nOld Evil-Questioning said, \"Be careful you don't talk too loud. You must be quiet and keep things secret \u2013 must take care of yourselves while you are here, or I assure you, you will be seized.\" (Where shall I go from thy spirit? or where shall I flee from thy presence? \u2013 Psalm 139:7)\n\n\"Why?\" The Doubters looked at one another in confusion.\n\n\"Why?\" the old gentleman asked. \"Why? Because both the Prince and Lord Secretary and their captains and soldiers are all here in town. Yes! The town is as full of them as ever, and there is one whose name is Willbewill, a most cruel enemy of ours, and the Prince has made him keeper of the gates. He has been commanded to look for, search out, and destroy all manner of Diabolians with all the diligence he can muster. (But we desire that each one of you show the same diligence until the end for the fulfillment of your hope. \u2013 Hebrews 6:11) And if he comes upon you, down you go, as if your heads were made of gold.\"\n\nWhile this discussion took place, it so happened that one of the Lord Willbewill's faithful soldiers, whose name was Mr. Diligence, stood listening under the eaves of old Evil-Questioning's house. (Therefore, it is necessary that we with more diligence keep the things which we have heard, so that we do not fall. \u2013 Hebrews 2:1) He heard all the talk between him and the Doubters.\n\nThe soldier was a man Lord Willbewill had much confidence in and loved dearly, because he was a man of courage and he never grew weary in seeking after Diabolians to apprehend.\n\nNow this man, as I told you, heard all the talk between old Evil-Questioning and these Diabolians. Therefore, he hurried to his lord and told him what he had heard.\n\n\"Are you sure, my trusted one?\" Willbewill asked.\n\n\"Yes, I am,\" Diligence said. \"And if your lordship will be pleased to go with me, you will find it as I have said.\"\n\n\"Are they there now?\" Willbewill asked. \"I know Evil-Questioning well. He and I both played important roles during the time when we abandoned our faith, but I don't know where he lives now.\"\n\nThe Arrest of the Conspirators\n\nDiligence smiled. \"But I do, and if your lordship will come with me, I will lead you to his den.\"\n\n\"Let's go!\" Lord Willbewill said as he headed toward the door. \"Come, Diligence, let us go find them.\"\n\nSo Willbewill and his man went the direct way to the house. Now Diligence led the way, and they went along until they came under old Mr. Evil-Questioning's wall. Then Diligence whispered, \"Listen! My lord, do you know the old gentleman's voice when you hear it?\"\n\nHe nodded. \"Yes. I know it well, but I haven't seen him in a long time. But this I do know, he is cunning. I hope he doesn't give us the slip.\"\n\n\"Leave that to me,\" his servant Diligence said.\n\n\"But how will we find the door?\" Lord Willbewill asked.\n\n\"Let me take care of that too.\" So Diligence kept Lord Willbewill close and showed him the way to the door. Then Willbewill broke open the door, rushed into the house, and caught all five together, even as Diligence his man had told him. So Willbewill apprehended them, led them away, and committed them to the hand of Mr. True-Man, the jailer.\n\n\"Put them under guard,\" he commanded.\n\nIn the morning, the Lord Mayor Understanding heard about what Lord Willbewill had done overnight, and his lordship rejoiced at the news, not only because Doubters were apprehended, but also because old Evil-Questioning was taken into custody. This rascal had proven to be great trouble to Mansoul and caused much affliction to Lord Mayor Understanding himself. He'd been sought for a long time but had proven to be elusive until now.\n\nChapter 31\n\nJudgment Day\n\nThe next thing was to prepare to try these five individuals who had been apprehended and were held in the custody of True-Man, the jailer. The day for the trial was set, the court convened, and the prisoners brought to the bar. Lord Willbewill had the authority to slay them when he first captured them without any more bother, but he thought it best for the honor of the Prince, the comfort of Mansoul, and the discouragement of the enemy to bring them forth to public judgment.\n\nMr. True-Man brought them to the town hall and up to the bar in chains, for that was the place of judgment. The jury was selected, the witnesses sworn in, and the prisoners tried for their lives. The jury consisted of the same jurors who tried No-Truth, Pitiless, Haughty, and the rest of their companions.\n\nOld Questioning himself was brought to the bar first, because he had welcomed, entertained, and comforted these Doubters, who were foreign men. He was instructed to listen to the charges brought against him and told he had the liberty to object, if he had anything to say for himself. So his indictment was read.\n\n\"Mr. Questioning, you are here indicted by the name of Evil-Questioning, an intruder upon the town of Mansoul, for you are a Diabolian by nature, a hater of the Prince Emmanuel, and one who has studied the ruin of the town of Mansoul. You are here indicted for supporting the King's enemies, after wholesome laws made to the contrary:\n\n\"First, you questioned the truth of her doctrine and seat of dignity. (Deceit is in the heart of those whose thoughts are evil. \u2013 Proverbs 12:20a)\n\n\"Second, you wished that ten thousand Doubters were in her.\n\n\"Third, you received, entertained, and encouraged her enemies, who came from their army to you. What do you say to this indictment? Are you guilty or not guilty?\"\n\n\"My lord,\" he said, \"I don't know the meaning of this indictment, for I am not the man involved in it. The man accused of these things is called by the name of Evil-Questioning, which I deny to be my name, for my name is Honest-Inquiry. The one indeed sounds like the other, but your lordships know there is a big difference between these two. For I hope a man, even in the worst of times and among the worst of men, may make an honest inquiry about things without running the danger of death.\"\n\nThen Lord Willbewill stepped forward as one of the witnesses. \"My lord and you, the honorable bench and magistrates of the town of Mansoul, you all have heard with your ears that the prisoner at the bar has denied his name, and in so doing he thinks he can shift the charge of the indictment away from himself. But I know him to be the man concerned, and his proper name is Evil-Questioning. I have known him for more than thirty years, for he and I, to my shame, were once great acquaintances. This was when Diabolus, that tyrant, held the government of Mansoul.\n\n\"I confirm Evil-Questioning is a Diabolian by nature, an enemy to our Prince, and a hater of the blessed town of Mansoul. In times of rebellion, he visited and even lodged in my house for as many as twenty nights at a time. We used to talk then. The substance of conversations back then was much the same as his recent talks between him and his Doubters. I haven't seen him in a long time. I suppose Emmanuel's coming to Mansoul caused him to change his address, in the same way this indictment has driven him to change his name.\" Lord Willbewill pointed at the prisoner and said, \"But this is the man, my lord.\"\n\nThe clerk turned to the prisoner and asked, \"Do you have anything more to say?\"\n\nThe old man stood a little straighter and held his head high with an arrogant air. \"Yes,\" he said, \"I do. For everything said against me up to this point is by the mouth of only one witness. It isn't lawful for the famous town of Mansoul to put any man to death based on the testimony of one witness.\" (One witness shall not be valid against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin which he should commit. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. \u2013 Deuteronomy 19:15)\n\nMr. Diligence stood and came forward and addressed the court. \"My lord, upon my watch the other night at the head of Bad Street here in Mansoul, I happened to hear muttering within this gentleman's house.\" He motioned with his hand toward Evil-Questioning. \"I asked myself, 'What is going on here?' So I drew up softly to get close enough to the side of the house to listen, because it sounded like it might be a quarrel, and I thought perhaps I might come across some Diabolian meeting.\n\n\"As I said, I drew nearer and nearer. When I was close to the wall, it didn't take long to perceive foreign men were in the house. They talked loud enough that I understood most of what they were saying, because I've traveled a lot. Upon hearing their language in that kind of a tottering cottage where this old gentleman lives, I cupped my ear to a hole in the window and overheard every word. This old Mr. Questioning asked these Doubters what they were, where they came from, and what their business was in these parts. They told him they were Doubters and why they had come here, and he welcomed them into his home.\n\n\"He also asked how many of them there were, and they told him ten thousand men. He then asked why they hadn't made a braver assault upon Mansoul, and they told him. Evil-Questioning called their general a coward for marching off when he should have fought for his prince. I heard this old Evil-Questioning wish that all the ten thousand Doubters were now in Mansoul with himself leading them.\" He waggled his finger toward the prisoner and finished by saying, \"He also told them to be careful and to lie quietly, because if they were captured, they must die.\"\n\nThe clerk turned and addressed the prisoner. \"Mr. Evil-Questioning, it appears we now have another witness against you, and his testimony is replete with details that implicate you. He swears you received these men into your house, and you fed them, even though you knew they were Diabolians and the King's enemies. He swears you wished ten thousand of them were in Mansoul, and you gave them advice to be quiet and careful to avoid being taken by the King's servants. (They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they attempt to hide the snares; they say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities; they perfect and put into effect that which they have invented in the inward thought of each one of them and that which they have devised in their heart. \u2013 Psalm 64:5-6) All of this makes it obvious that you're a Diabolian. If you had been a friend to the King, you would have apprehended them.\"\n\nEvil-Questioning's face flushed, but his voice remained calm. He said, \"To the first of these charges I say the men who came into my house were strangers. Yes, I took them in, but is it a crime now in Mansoul for a man to entertain strangers? I offered them something to eat.\" He shrugged. \"So why would I be faulted for my kindness? As for why I wished ten thousand of them to be in Mansoul, I never mentioned the reason to the witnesses nor to them. For all anyone knew, I might have just been wishing them to be captured, which would mean I wished Mansoul well. I also told them to be careful not to fall into the captains' hands, but that might be because I am unwilling any man should be slain \u2013 and not because I wish to have the King's enemies escape.\"\n\nLord Mayor Understanding replied, \"While it was a virtue to entertain strangers, it was treason to entertain the King's enemies. And by everything you've said, you labor by words to evade and postpone the execution of judgment. Even if nothing else was proved against you except that you are a Diabolian, by the law you must die. But to be hospitable, a nourisher, a supporter, and one who offers shelter to other Diabolians who come from far away purposely to cut off and destroy our Mansoul \u2013 this must not be tolerated.\"\n\nEvil-Questioning's nostrils flared. \"I see how the game will play out. I must die for my name and for my kindness.\" After that, he didn't say another word.\n\nThen they called the foreign-born Doubters to the bar one at a time. The first to be arraigned was the Election-doubter. As he stepped up to the bar, his indictment was read. Because he wasn't a natural-born Mansoulian and didn't speak the language, an interpreter translated for him. \"You have been charged with being an enemy of Emmanuel the Prince, a hater of the town of Mansoul, and an opposer of her most wholesome doctrine.\"\n\nThe judge asked the Doubter how he would plead. The Doubter replied, \"I confess I am an Election-doubter. It is the only religion I was brought up in.\" He finished by saying, \"If I must die for my religion, I shall die a martyr, so I couldn't care less.\"\n\nThe judge looked down at the Doubter over the rim of his glasses. He said, \"To question election is to overthrow a great doctrine of the gospel \u2013 specifically, it questions the omniscience, power, and will of God. It takes away the freedom of God with His creature, obstructs the faith of the town of Mansoul, and makes salvation dependent upon works and not upon grace. (Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. \u2013 Galatians 2:16) This Doubter contradicts the Word and worries the men of Mansoul. Therefore, by the best of laws, he must die.\"\n\nNext, the Vocation-doubter was called to the bar. The matter of his indictment was the same as the first Doubter, except he was charged with denying the calling of Mansoul.\n\nThe judge asked him, \"What do you have to say for yourself?\"\n\nThe Doubter said, \"I have never believed there is any such thing as a distinct and powerful call of God to Mansoul, not even by the general voice of the Word, except the appeal to cease evil and do that which is good and in so doing gain a promise of happiness in the end.\" (Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages. \u2013 2 Timothy 1:9)\n\nThe judge shook his head and again looked upon the Doubter over the rim of his glasses. \"You are a Diabolian and have denied a great part of one of the Prince's truths taught by experience. He has called and Mansoul has heard a most distinct and powerful call of her Emmanuel by which she has been made alive \u2013 awakened and possessed with heavenly grace to desire fellowship with her Prince, to serve Him, do His will, and seek happiness merely from His good pleasure. (And he has made you alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. \u2013 Ephesians 2:1) And for your aversion to this good doctrine, you must die the death.\"\n\nThen the Grace-doubter was called to the bar and his indictment read. He replied, \"Though I am from the land of Doubting, my father is an offspring of a Pharisee. Outwardly he lived in this fashion among his neighbors, and he taught me to believe; and I do believe it and will for the rest of my life, for Mansoul shall never be saved freely by grace.\"\n\nThe judge spoke with authority. \"The law of the Prince is plain. It is not of works but by grace you are saved. (Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, the Christ. \u2013 Romans 3:24) And your religion depends on the works of the flesh, for the works of the law are the works of the flesh.\n\n\"Besides, in saying what you have, you have robbed God of His glory and given it to a sinful man. You have robbed Christ of the necessity of what He did and the sufficiency of it. In its place you have trusted in the works of the flesh. You have despised the work of the Holy Spirit and magnified the will of the flesh and the legal mindset. You are a Diabolian, the son of a Diabolian, and for your Diabolian principles you must die.\"\n\nThe court sent the jury out to deliberate, but they immediately brought the guilty verdict and the sentence of death.\n\nThen the Recorder stood up and addressed the prisoners. \"You, the prisoners at the bar, have been indicted and proven guilty of high crimes against Emmanuel our Prince and against the welfare of the famous town of Mansoul \u2013 crimes for which you must be put to death.\" (For the wages of sin is death, but the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. \u2013 Romans 6:23)\n\nSo they were sentenced to death on the cross. The execution was assigned to take place at the spot where Diabolus drew up his last army against Mansoul, with the exception that old Evil-Questioning was hanged at upper Bad Street against the door of his house.\n\nWhen the town of Mansoul had rid themselves of these enemies and troublers of their peace, they issued a strict mandate to Lord Willbewill and his man, Diligence, to search for and apprehend any town Diabolians who were still alive in Mansoul. They received a list of several of their names, including Mr. Fooling, Mr. Let-Good-Slip, Mr. Slavish-Fear, Mr. No-Love, Mr. Mistrust, Mr. Flesh, and Mr. Sloth. They were also commanded to apprehend Evil-Questioning's children, who were left behind after he died. They were to be taken into custody and their house demolished.\n\nThe children he left behind were Mr. Doubt, his eldest son, next was Legal-Life, followed by Unbelief, Wrong-Thoughts-of-Christ, Clip-Promise, Carnal-Sense, Live-by-Feeling, and Self-Love. He had these offspring by one wife, and her name was No-Hope. She was the niece of old Incredulity. When her father, old Dark, died, he took her in as his own and brought her up until she grew to marriageable age. Incredulity gave her to Evil-Questioning to be his wife.\n\nNow the Lord Willbewill performed his commission with the help of Diligence, his man. He captured Fooling in the streets and hanged him in Want-wit Alley against his own house. This Fooling was the one who wanted the town of Mansoul to deliver Captain Credence into the hands of Diabolus. In return, Diabolus would have supposedly withdrawn his forces from the town. Willbewill also caught Let-Good-Slip one busy day in the market and executed him according to the Law.\n\nFooling Is Hung\n\nNow an honest, poor man in Mansoul by the name of Mr. Meditation was of no great importance in the days when Mansoul deserted their faith, but now he had the best reputation in the town. (But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night. \u2013 Psalm 1:2) Therefore, they were willing to raise this man to an office or dignity.\n\nLet-Good-Slip formerly had a great deal of wealth in Mansoul, but upon Emmanuel's arrival, it was confiscated for the Prince's use. This resource was given to Mr. Meditation to make improvements for the common good. After him, it was to be given to his son, Mr. Think-Well, with his wife, Piety, the daughter of Mr. Recorder.\n\nAfter this, Willbewill apprehended Clip-Promise, a notorious villain who abused much of the King's wealth by his doings. For this reason, he was made a public example. After his arraignment, he was sentenced to be first set in the pillory to secure his head and hands, then whipped by all the children and servants in Mansoul. Finally, he was to be hanged until he died.\n\nSome may wonder why this man's punishment was so severe, but honest traders in Mansoul are aware of the great abuse one clipper of promises can do to the town of Mansoul in just a little time. And my judgment is that all those of his name and life should be taken care of in the same way as he was.\n\nWillbewill also apprehended Carnal-Sense and put him in a prison cell. I can't tell you how, but somehow he broke out and made his escape. That's right! This bold villain still hadn't left the town. Instead, he lurked in Diabolian dens by day and haunted honest men's houses like a ghost at night. As a result, a proclamation was made in the marketplace in Mansoul, which said, \"Whoever discovers the whereabouts of Carnal-Sense and apprehends and slays him will be awarded daily admittance to the Prince's table and shall be made keeper of the treasure of Mansoul.\" Many responded and changed their focus to accomplish this task, but they were unsuccessful at capturing or slaying him, even though he was often discovered. But when Willbewill captured Mr. Wrong-Thoughts-of-Christ and put him in prison, he wasn't as fortunate, for he died there of a lingering consumption.\n\nSelf-Love was also taken captive and committed to custody, but many in Mansoul were allied to him so his judgment was deferred. But Mr. Self-Denial stood up and said, \"If such villains as these may be casually winked at in Mansoul, I will lay down my commission.\" (Then Jesus said unto his disciples, If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. \u2013 Matthew 16:24) He grabbed the prisoner from the crowd and placed him among his soldiers who hit him in the head and killed him. While this was the right thing to do, some in Mansoul muttered about it under their breath; but no one dared to speak outright, because Emmanuel was in town.\n\nThe Death of Self Love\n\nThis brave act of Captain Self-Denial came to the Prince's attention, so He sent for him and made him a lord in Mansoul. Lord Willbewill also obtained grand commendations from Emmanuel for what he accomplished for Mansoul.\n\nLord Self-Denial gained courage from all this and pursued the Diabolians with the help of Lord Willbewill. They took captive Live-by-Feeling and Legal-Life and put them in prison until they died. But Mr. Unbelief was quite a nimble sort, and they never could lay hold of him, though they attempted to do so often. Therefore, he and a few more of the subtlest of the Diabolian tribe remain in Mansoul. It will stay this way until Mansoul leaves, no longer to dwell in the kingdom of Universe.\n\nBut they kept them to their dens and holes, and if one of them appeared or happened to be spotted in the streets of Mansoul, the whole town was up in arms and after them. Yes, even the children in Mansoul cried as if they'd seen a thief and wished they might be stoned to death.\n\nSo finally, Mansoul enjoyed a good degree of peace and quiet. Her Prince lived within her borders; her captains and her soldiers performed their duties, and Mansoul minded her way of life. She tended her businesses and traded with the far-off country.\n\nChapter 32\n\nEmmanuel's Message\n\nWhen the town of Mansoul rid themselves of so many of their enemies and the troublers of their peace, the Prince set up an appointed day when He would meet all the people at the marketplace, where He planned to communicate instructions about future matters. If they observed them, He would take care of their safety and comfort and the condemnation and destruction of their homebred Diabolians.\n\nThe appointed day arrived, and the townsmen met together in the marketplace. Emmanuel came down in His chariot with all His captains as one body attending Him on the right and left. A call for silence was made, and after some mutual conveyances of love, the Prince began to speak.\n\n\"You, My Mansoul and the beloved of My heart, I have bestowed many great privileges upon you. I have singled you out from others and have chosen you for Myself, not because of your worthiness but for My own sake. (For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God; the LORD thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, different from all the peoples that are upon the face of the earth. \u2013 Deuteronomy 7:6)\n\n\"I have also redeemed you \u2013 not only from the dread of My Father's Law but also from the hand of Diabolus. (Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree). \u2013 Galatians 3:13)\n\n\"I have done this because I loved you and because I have set My heart upon you to do you good. (For I know the thoughts that I think concerning you, said the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you the end that you wait for. \u2013 Jeremiah 29:11) I have also laid down complete payment for your soul and have bought you for Myself with a price not of corruptible things like silver and gold but a price of blood, My own blood, which I freely spilled upon the ground to make you Mine. I did this so anything that might hinder your way to the pleasures of paradise might be removed. So I have settled your debt to My Father and My Mansoul, and have consigned mansion houses for you with My Father in the royal city, where things are unlike anything your eyes have seen \u2013 inconceivable things never even imagined by man. (In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. \u2013 John 14:2-3)\n\n\"My Mansoul, you see what I have done and how I have delivered you from the hands of your enemies \u2013 the very enemies with whom you revolted against My Father and by whom you were content to be possessed and destroyed. I came to you first by My Law, then by My gospel, to awaken you and show you My glory. And you know what you were, what you said, what you did, and how many times you rebelled against My Father and Me. Yet, I didn't leave you, as you see this day, but I came to you, endured your conduct, waited for you, and after all that, through My grace and favor, I accepted you and would not permit you to be lost as you would have been. (The Lord is not late concerning his promise, as some count lateness, but is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. \u2013 2 Peter 3:9)\n\n\"I circled around you and afflicted you on every side, so I might make you weary of your sinful ways and bring your heart to the point of change that desires your good and happiness. When I acquired a complete victory over you, I turned it to your advantage.\n\n\"You see the gathering of My Father's host, which I have accommodated within your borders: captains and rulers, soldiers and men of war, engines of war and excellent devices to subdue and bring down your enemies. You know what I'm talking about, Mansoul. They are My servants and yours too. My plan for occupying Mansoul with them deals with the natural tendency of each of them to defend, purge, strengthen, and sweeten you for Me. O Mansoul, all of this is to make you ready to stand in My Father's presence, blessing, and glory. For you, My Mansoul, are created for these.\n\n\"You will see how I have passed by your backslidings, Mansoul, and have healed you. I was angry with you but have turned My anger away, because I still loved you. My anger and indignation have been forgotten with the destruction of your enemies. It wasn't your goodness which brought Me to you again, for I hid My face from you and withdrew My presence from you and your transgressions.\n\n\"Backsliding was your choice, but the way and means of your recovery was Mine. I invented the way of your return. I built a hedge and a wall, when you were beginning to turn to things in which I did not delight. I'm the One who made your sweet bitter, your day night, your smooth way thorny, and who confounded all who sought your destruction. I am the One who set Mr. Godly-Fear to work in Mansoul. I stirred your conscience and understanding, your will and your affections after your great and woeful decay. I am the One who placed life into you, Mansoul, to seek Me, so you might find Me, and when you found Me, that you would find your own health, happiness, and salvation. I drew the Diabolians out of Mansoul the second time, and I overcame them and destroyed them before your face.\n\n\"And now, My Mansoul, I have returned to you in peace, and your transgressions against Me are as if they never happened. (As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellions from us. \u2013 Psalm 103:12) It shall not be as in former days with you, for I will do better for you than at the beginning.\n\n\"For a little while yet, My Mansoul, after a few more seasons of time pass, I will take down this famous town of Mansoul to the ground \u2013 every stick and stone \u2013 and will carry the stones, the timber, the walls, the dust, and the inhabitants into My own country \u2013 the kingdom of My Father. Don't be troubled at what I say, for I will set Mansoul up in strength and glory, unlike anything it has ever known in the kingdom where it is now placed. I will set it up for My Father's habitation, for that was the original purpose of the kingdom of Universe; but there I will make it a spectacle of wonder, a monument of mercy, and the admirer of its own mercy. The natives of Mansoul will witness things they've never seen here. They shall have fellowship with Me, with My Father, and with your Lord Secretary \u2013 a sweet communion that isn't possible here. Fellowship on this level could never be achieved now, even if you lived in Universe for a thousand years.\n\n\"In the new Mansoul, you will no longer fear murderers or Diabolians and their threats. No longer will there be plots, devices, or plans against you. You shall not hear accounts of evil that have taken place or the noise of the Diabolian drum. You won't see the Diabolian standard-bearers or lay eyes on Diabolus's standard to make you afraid. No Diabolian bulwark for offense or defense will be set up against you there. (These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. \u2013 John 16:33)\n\n\"You will no longer need captains, engines of war, soldiers, or men of war. And in the new Mansoul, you will have no sorrow or grief. (And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and no one shall take your joy from you. \u2013 John 16:22) It will be impossible for any Diabolian to ever creep into your outskirts or burrow into your walls. They will never be seen again within your borders all the days of eternity. Life shall last longer there than you desire it to here, yet it will always be sweet and new without any hindrances.\n\n\"My Mansoul, you will meet with many who have partaken of sorrows. I have chosen, redeemed, and set them apart for My Father's court and royal city. You shall all be glad of heart to see each other.\n\n\"Mansoul, things never seen since the beginning of the world have been stored by My Father among His treasures and sealed up for you until you come to enjoy them. I told you before that I would remove My Mansoul and set it up elsewhere. Where I set it, will be with those who love you, who rejoice in you now, but who will rejoice much more when they see you exalted to honor!\n\n\"My Father will send them to fetch you. Their embraces will be like chariots to carry you away, and you shall ride upon the wings of the wind. They will come to carry, lead, and bring you to that new sanctuary. When your eyes see it, you shall have your desired haven. (And then shall he send his angels and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth unto the uttermost part of the heaven. \u2013 Mark 13:27)\n\n\"And so, My Mansoul, I have shown you what will take place in the future. If you can hear and understand, I will tell you what your responsibilities and practice must be, until I come and take you to Myself according to the Scriptures of truth.\n\n\"First, I command that you keep yourself clean and the robes which I gave you unstained by the world; for while the garments are fine linen, you must keep them white and clean. This will be your wisdom and your honor and will be for My glory, because when your garments are white, the world will view you as Mine. (Remove the sin in me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. \u2013 Psalm 51:7) When your garments are white, I will be delighted in your ways, for your actions will be like a flash of lightning, obvious to all those around you. Dress yourselves as I have said, and make your paths straight according to My Law; so your King will desire your beauty, for He is your Lord and you worship Him.\n\n\"I have provided an open fountain to wash your garments, so you may keep your robes white as I have asked you to do. (But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have communion with him in the midst of us, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin. \u2013 1 John 1:7) Therefore, pay attention that you wash often in My fountain, so you don't go about in defiled garments. Doing so brings Me dishonor and disgrace and will bring you discomfort when you walk around in filthy garments. Therefore, don't permit My garments, your covering, the garments I have clothed you in, to be defiled or spotted by the flesh. Always keep your garments white, and never let your head lack ointment. (Thy garments shall always be white, and thy head shall never lack ointment. \u2013 Ecclesiastes 9:8)\n\n\"My Mansoul, I have delivered you from the plans, plots, attempts, and conspiracies of Diabolus, and for all this I ask nothing from you except that you don't repay Me with evil for My good. I ask that you remember My love and My continued kindness to My beloved Mansoul to stimulate you to walk to the whole extent of the benefit bestowed on you. In times past, the sacrifices were bound with cords to the horns of the altar. Consider what is said to you, My blessed Mansoul.\n\n\"I have lived, I have died; I live and will die no more for you. I live, so you may not die. Because I live, you shall live also. I reconciled you to My Father by the blood of My cross, and being reconciled, you shall live through Me. I will pray for you. I will fight for you, and I will still do you good. (For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled with God by the death of his Son, much more, now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. \u2013 Romans 5:10)\n\n\"Nothing can hurt you but sin. Nothing can grieve Me but sin, and nothing can make you vile and worthless before your enemies but sin. So pay close attention to sin, My Mansoul.\n\n\"Do you know why I first allowed and still permit Diabolians to live within your walls? It is to keep you alert, to test your love, to make you watchful, and to cause you to value My noble captains, their soldiers, and My mercy. It is also to remind you of the deplorable condition you once lived in when some Diabolians lived not only in your walls but also in your castle and in your stronghold, Mansoul.\n\n\"My Mansoul, even if I slew all of them within your gates, many are still outside waiting to bring you into bondage. If all within your gates were cut off, those outside would still lie waiting to swallow you up, as is the case at this very moment. Therefore, I left them in you, not to do you harm, which they will if you listen to them or serve them, but to do you good, if you stay alert and fight against them. Know that in whatever way they tempt you, My plan isn't that they would drive you further off, but rather nearer to My Father \u2013 to learn war, to petition Him, and to make you less important in your own eyes. (But as for me, to draw near to God is good; I have put my hope in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. \u2013 Psalm 73:28) Listen diligently to this, My Mansoul.\n\nBecause I Live, You Shall Live Also\n\n\"Show Me your love, My Mansoul. Don't allow those within your walls to take your desires and inclinations away from Him who has redeemed your soul. Let the sight of a Diabolian heighten your love for Me. I came once, and twice, and thrice, to save you from the poison of those arrows that would have brought about your death. Therefore, stand for Me, your Friend, My Mansoul, against the Diabolians, and I will stand for you before My Father and all His court. Love Me, flee temptation, and I will love you despite your infirmities.\n\n\"Mansoul, remember what My captains, My soldiers, and My war engines have done for you. They have fought for you, suffered alongside you. They have tolerated much at your hands to do you good. If they hadn't helped you, My Mansoul, Diabolus would have made a partnership with you.\n\n\"Therefore, nourish them. When you do well, they will be well. When you suffer misfortune, they will become ill, sick, and weak. Don't make My captains sick, Mansoul. For if they become sick, you can't be well. If they become weak, you can't be strong, and if they grow faint, you can't be brave and valiant for your King. You must not think to live by your own sense. You must live in consideration of My Word. You must believe, My Mansoul. Know that when I am away from you, I still love you and carry you within My heart forever.\n\n\"Remember, therefore, My Mansoul, that you are beloved by Me. Since I have taught you to watch, to fight, to pray, and to make war against My enemies, I now command you to believe that My love for you is constant. My Mansoul, I have set My heart and My love on you! Watch! Behold, I lay no other burden upon you than what you have already received. Hold fast, till I come.\" (Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. \u2013 Revelation 3:11)\n\nBonus Section\n\nThe Life of John Bunyan\n\nJohn Bunyan was born sometime in the year 1628. The birth place was Elstow, in Bedfordshire \u2013 a village without any pretensions to the romantic or the picturesque. Had the development of genius depended upon the influence of the grand or the beautiful in nature, the young stranger was, prospectively, in a poor case. There are no mountains round about Elstow, no cataracts nor cascades, and no gorges nor ravines. It is a land of wheat and barley \u2013 a land wherein the people may eat bread without scarceness; but it is not a land out of whose hills they may dig brass.\n\nOf Bunyan's forefathers, history makes no mention. Even of his parents, hardly anything is known. The parish register contains no entry prior to his birth. One marriage is recorded after he was born, in addition to two births, two baptisms, and six burials. The family was destitute and unexceptional. Not only by the sweat of the brow had the father to obtain the daily bread, but the occupation by which he did so was the lowest of the low. He was a tinker, repairing pots and pans and other metal items. He traveled from place to place about the region for employment, but lived in Elstow.\n\nIt occurred to him that some learning would be advantageous to his boy. Although John's parents were impoverished and undistinguished, there was no reason why he should grow up to be an impoverished and insignificant man. Education might improve his lot in life.\n\nAt Bedford, close by, there was a free school for the children of the poor. It pleased God to put it into his parents' hearts to send him there to learn to read and write. John attended the school, but did not excel. As he afterwards confessed, he learned but little, and he soon forgot the little that he had learned. He was soon taken from school that he might work with his father in the art and mystery of pots and pans.\n\nJohn's ungodliness was as advanced as it was offensive. Few could equal him in cursing, swearing, lying, and blaspheming. He was the ringleader of the village immoralities \u2013 a great sin-breeder, infecting all the youth of the neighborhood with all manner of youthful vanities. He cared nothing for Holy Scripture, preferring a ballad or the local news. With old fables and curious arts he was familiar. He was, in act and in inclination, a notorious violator of the whole law of God, except for the seventh commandment forbidding adultery, of which he declares he had been scrupulously mindful. The desire was strong to take his fill of sin. It was his study to see what there was yet to be committed, and then to make as much haste as he could, lest he should die before he had gratified his desire.\n\nIn 1644, when Bunyan was about sixteen years old, he entered the army, taking part in the conflict that was then raging between the Parliament and the King. The probability is that he was a Royalist, although the general impression has been that he fought on the other side. The evidence is not conclusive, but his loyalty is so demonstrative, that he would hardly have been in arms against his sovereign, while his references to the depravity of his comrades indicate association with the Cavaliers, or Royalists, rather than with the Roundheads, or followers of Cromwell and supporters of Parliament. Prince Rupert was his hero, not Oliver Cromwell.\n\nOnce in particular, he was in great danger. At the siege of Leicester he was chosen to be among the soldiers who were to undertake an assault. Another man, though, obtained permission to go instead of Bunyan. Early in the attack, his substitute was shot with a musket ball and died. This incident greatly affected Bunyan, seeming to him to be a summons from the Lord to turn from the error of his ways. Nor was this the only summons. Several times before, he had been rescued from an untimely end. More than once he had been saved from drowning, when he was all but dead and gone.\n\nThese deliverances worked upon his soul. The goodness of God was leading him to repentance, but he resisted God's Spirit and became unhappy night and day. Fearful dreams and visions scared him. When running riot on the village green, he found himself frequently at his wits' end. God was angry with him. He was a doomed man.\n\nThat he might put these thoughts out of his mind, he plunged headlong into his old sins. He grew more and more rebellious against God, even neglecting his work so that he might have more time for his ungodliness and vice. For days together, consequently, he was destitute of bread to eat.\n\nSome friends kindly pitied him and advised him, among other things, to marry. With a good wife he might do better and escape the ruin that was at hand. He took their advice, and it was his mercy to find a woman whose father was counted godly. Prudent persons would have pronounced the engagement reckless. Even partial friends must have thought it premature; for, to say nothing of other things that they lacked, they had neither dish nor spoon between them. It was a great venture, to be approved, perhaps, when looked at in its results, but certainly not to be recommended for imitation in the prospect of a marriage life.\n\nThe new Mrs. Bunyan was not altogether lacking in items of worth, however, for she brought her husband two books. One was The Practice of Piety, by Lewis Bayly, and the other was Arthur Dent's The Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven. So degraded, however, had John become, that he had lost the faculty of reading with any ease, and she had to help him to repair the loss. Pleased with her devotion to him in marriage, he yielded to her entreaties and took kindly to his book. They read together, she interspersing sagacious remarks as they proceeded, hoping to persuade John to become a religious man. Her childhood home had been such a happy one; how pleasant it would be if her married home could be happy, too! There was no difficulty. If her husband would imitate her father, their house, with all its poverty, would soon be the house of God and the gate of heaven.\n\nBunyan's Birthplace at Elstow\n\nTo some extent, Mrs. Bunyan's pleas prevailed. John fell in eagerly with the religion of the times and went with the best of them to church twice a day. He greatly respected and admired the ministers of God; their name, their garments, and work did so intoxicate him.\n\nSundays at Elstow were a strange mixture of levity and seriousness. There were two full services at the church, according to the Book of Common Prayer, and then there were May games, Whitsun ales, morris dances, and various other sports. In the services and sports, to which the parishioners were summoned by the same church bells, Bunyan was accustomed to take his part. He was himself a good hand at ringing the church bells, ready at any time to challenge the whole countryside to a trial of skill at the belfry ropes. One Sunday, having rung the parish into church, he took his place as usual at his wife's side joining with the congregation in the service, and then awaiting the delivery of the discourse. The preacher was intelligent and earnest in setting forth the evils of breaking the Sabbath. The sermon did its work. It was meant for him. No more violation of the fourth commandment for John Bunyan. He was determined to obey it henceforward with heart and soul. His mind was made up once for all.\n\nThis impression, though, proved only to be temporary. Before he had well dined, he had shaken the sermon out of his thoughts and was prepared to return to the old sports and gaming with great delight. No sooner said than done. That very afternoon he was on the village green, flinging himself with his usual enthusiasm into a game of \"cat.'' Suddenly, he heard a voice from heaven. He thought for a moment, threw his \"cat\" upon the ground, and left off playing. He stood like a statue, trembling at the demand of the superhuman voice that he heard ask, \"Will you leave your sins, and go to heaven, or have your sins, and go to hell?\" He thought Christ was standing with him face to face, and that He had come to inflict the punishment which he had so well deserved. Bunyan did not need much time to decide. He heard, he considered, and he decided. He concluded that there could be no other result than that he would be damned for his wicked life; and, if it must be so, he might as well be damned for many sins as for one. So back he went to play, not a soul among his companions at all aware of the astounding processes of thought and feeling which had been going on within.\n\nHis conscience, however, was ill at ease. Mrs. Bunyan was incessant in her prudent endeavors to win him to Christ, and incidents were frequently occurring by which he was rebuked. \"You ungodly wretch!\" said a woman to him one day, as after his typical manner he was cursing and swearing and playing the fool in the street. \"You ungodly wretch! I never heard such swearing in my life. You are enough to spoil all the youth in the whole town.\" He was put to shame, especially since the woman who had reproved him was herself known for her sinful lifestyle. He wished with all his heart that he could be a little child again, and that he might learn to speak without that wicked way of swearing. The rebuke of the woman took effect. He left off swearing and became a reader of Scripture and a reformed man, both in his words and in his life. His neighbors took notice of the change. They began to speak well of him to his face and behind his back. This gratified him, and he was puffed up. There was not a man in England who could please God better than he. He was all right now, he thought.\n\nSelf-denial was required from him, and he religiously took up his cross. He was passionately fond of dancing, and for a full year he still adhered to it, sometimes on the village green, and at other times in a building yet standing on the green. Now, though, he believed that dancing was unholy, and wishing to be as holy as possible, he gave it up. Old associates entreated him, and the well-known music tempted him; but he resolved that he never would dance again, and he never did.\n\nAnother favorite amusement of his was bell-ringing, which was thought by some to be improper in excess or when it deviated from its worthwhile purpose and became a means of amusement. This, he felt, must also be relinquished. The religiousness on which he was entering demanded that it should at once be given up. Still, he liked it, and yearned after it, and went on. At last he gave in to the arguments of his conscience, and though he frequented the belfry, he would not ring. Perhaps, however, it was wrong to be in the place at all. One of the bells might fall as a judgment from God. To escape this jeopardy, he placed himself always under one of the main beams in the tower. But there was danger there, for a bell might so swing and rebound that the beam would be no security after all. Thus afraid, he never went further than the belfry door. Was he sure he was safe there? The tower might fall, and what then? That settled him. To be killed by a divine judgment would be disastrous to his profession of faith and fatal to his admission into heaven. He would wash his hands, therefore, of the ringing altogether, and he resolutely kept his word.\n\nAs with many who profess mere outward religion, John Bunyan believed that his way was now perfect before the Lord. A notable alteration had come upon his life and manners. He was sure of paradise at last. The improvement was confessedly marvelous. His wife could not contain herself for joy. Her household was getting to be like her father's. The marriage portion of the two books was bearing fruit. The Practice of Piety was being embodied in her husband's practice. In The Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven, John was walking right alongside her.\n\nUnhappily, it was all a mistake. The reformed one himself being our witness, he had not passed from death unto life, so as to become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Notwithstanding the change in his behavior, there had been no change of heart. He was still in need of the regeneration of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThere are men who are at issue with Bunyan about his spiritual condition. Some of his biographers have ridiculed and others have resented his claim that he was yet unsaved. They deny that he was either hardened or depraved. They thought that Bunyan must have been having fits of religious fervor, and so thought himself to be near to God or far from Him based upon his emotional state, that his alienation from his Maker was imaginary and not real.\n\nBut the biographers are wrong, and the man of Elstow right. Amendment of the life is not renewal of the nature. However admirable in itself, it is insufficient for salvation. To man, at his best estate, the oracles of God declare, You must be born again (John 3:7). While Bunyan's understanding and explanation of his spiritual condition at that time might have been intense and impassioned, its truth should not be denied. He described his condition accurately. His was the case of the Israelites exactly, who being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, had not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3). He had a name that he lived, but he was dead (Revelation 3:1).\n\nBunyan's fundamental sensibility was remarkable. His instincts and impulses were flourishing, if not somewhat domineering. Where his neighbors were unmoved, he was agitated. Where they saw nothing that was unusual, he was either in ecstasies or tears.\n\nThis peculiarity must be borne well in mind, lest Bunyan's words and actions at this time are thought to be characteristic of all spiritual conversions rather than exclusively to the temperament and characteristics of Bunyan himself. Some people do not seem to show much emotion, while the emotions and passions of others seem to rise and fall as unevenly as ocean waves during a great storm.\n\nConversion is essential to salvation, but conversion may come to pass without our being so humiliated as to loathe ourselves like toads, as Bunyan described, and without our being so excited as to want to speak of God's love to the very crows that are sitting on the ploughed lands. Our new birth may be as certain as was the pilgrim's, although we have never thought, with Bunyan, that the devil was pulling at our clothes, and have never been ready with him to swoon with satisfaction at the thought of Christ's pity for our souls. Every man is affected spiritually according to his temperament. Bunyan was thus affected, rather by the great and strong wind than by the still small voice.\n\nAnd yet, the act of his transition from death unto life was unobserved. There is no specific moment in Bunyan's life when it can be said that he was made a new creation. All his accounts and statements justify the opinion that it was a work of time. He went on, believing that he was pleasing God as well as any man in England, though having incessant regret and sorrow due to his failures in this area. The failures multiplied, and Bunyan regularly alternated between presumptuous self-righteousness and miserable despair.\n\nHis Conversion and Profession\n\nHis business took him into Bedford one day, and it was good for him that it was business which he could follow in the streets. A few poor women were sitting at a door as he passed by. It occurred to him to put his barrow down there and to listen to their discussion. They looked like religious women, and he thought that perhaps he might have a chance of joining in the religious talk \u2013 a practice, as he tells his wife, he liked to do now. As he listened, he was amazed. No sermon at Elstow Church had ever informed him of the necessity of the new birth, of the treachery of the human heart, of the temptations of the Wicked One, of the grace of the Holy Ghost, or of the sovereignty and compassion of God in Christ. The things thus spoken of by the women struck him with great force. If it was true, then he certainly was lacking in the genuine evidence of a godly man, and what they were saying seemed to be true. The women were so simple in their manner, and so happy; there was such appearance of grace in all they said, that their intelligence and sincerity were beyond doubt.\n\nAs they kept on their conversation, Bunyan's work at his barrow resumed and stopped more than once, momentous exercises of soul going on all the while. God was making the man willing to rejoice in Christ Jesus and to have no further confidence in the flesh.\n\nBunyan Listening to the Old Women at Bedford\n\nBunyan sought the acquaintance of these invaluable helpers. They were cheerfully at his service, and did their best to expound to him the way of God more perfectly. Two results ensued: the one, Bunyan's heart softly and tenderly received what the women brought from Holy Scripture; and the other, a great bending of the mind to a continual meditating on the good things of which he heard and read. The Scripture was about to be fulfilled, that he should know the truth, and that the truth should make him free (John 8:32). But the process went forward slowly. Certain men, who were turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, met with him, and labored hard to infect him with their delusions. The devil, too, brought him into great straits, leading him to think of the child who was thrown down and sorely vexed as his father was bringing him to Christ (Luke 9:42). What right had John Bunyan to say that he had the necessary faith? He had no evidence that he had been elected to salvation. He could not tell that the day of grace was not already past and gone.\n\nTo these temptations he answered as best he could. He wrestled manfully, but every now and then he would almost meet with defeat. \"Try a miracle,\" was the suggestion that entered his mind one morning as he was on his way to Bedford. \"Say to the puddles in the horse ponds, 'Be dry,' and to the dry places, 'Be puddles.'\" He was in the act of saying it, even in the divine name, when the thought came into his mind to go first under a nearby hedge and pray that God would make him able. This delay was his deliverance. He perceived his danger, and he escaped.\n\n\"Abandon your hope,\" was the suggestion another day. \"Unless the great God, of His infinite grace and bounty, has voluntarily chosen you to be a vessel of mercy, though you long and labor until your heart breaks, no good will come of it.\" He saw the difficulty which was thus craftily proposed to him, and was at a very great standstill. For weeks he was oppressed and cast down, when one day a passage came into mind about the blessedness of the man who simply made God his trust. The words greatly lightened and encouraged him; but, to his regret, he could not find them in his Bible. He searched, and got others to search; but it was more than a year before the words were found, and then it turned out that they were in the Apocrypha. As there was no authority whatever in the Apocrypha, Bunyan was about to lose hope in those words, when he remembered that there were just the same kind of words in Holy Scripture, and of them he might be sure (for example, Romans 4:6-8; Psalm 32:1-2). Thus he put the Wicked One to silence. He could trust in the Lord, and the generations of old were the witnesses that no man who trusted in the Lord would be confounded. He was doing it, not being able to express with what longings and breakings in his soul he cried unto Christ to save him, so that he might come into a converted state.\n\nUp to this time he had kept his spiritual turmoil to himself. An occasion at length arose when he was moved to disclose it to those poor women who had taken him so kindly by the hand. They gave heed to his conversation and replied to the best of their ability. Before long, however, they were baffled by his interrogations, not at all knowing how such mysteries could be explained. Perhaps their minister, Mr. Gifford, could explain them. They obtained an interview with him, and so far engaged his sympathies that Bunyan was invited to his house. Nothing better could have happened. Gifford's sensible judgment and larger knowledge brought his new friend's impetuous and prolific imagination under discipline and restraint. Private conversations with his people about the dealings of God with their souls was one way in which the pastor aimed to promote their edification; and to these conferences the Elstow artisan was introduced. Many of his mistakes were subtly corrected, and a sounder habit of apprehending the will of God was gradually found. He was recommended to accustom his mind to closer and more diligent thought upon what God had set down by his own Spirit in the Holy Word. Bunyan began to rely more upon the Word of God and less upon his emotion and imagination.\n\nThe immediate result was a renewal of his distress. It seemed to him that he was a most grievous transgressor. The more he meditated, the more he trembled. Through the influence of his active and imperious impulse, he was overwhelmed. He thought that he was like a child whom some Gypsy had taken up by force under her apron, and carried away from its friend and country. He heard a voice calling to him quite half a mile behind him. He counted the condition of the dog or the toad preferable to his own. He would have given a fortune to have been able to repent and mourn over his sin. He was sure that he was possessed with a devil.\n\nBunyan remained strenuous in prayer and steadfast in his study of the Scriptures, hoping against hope. It came to pass that he was sitting in a neighbor's house, very sad, when the word came to him suddenly, If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Soon after, as he was going into the country, that other word came to him, He has made peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). Just then, while sitting by the fire in his house, another word came to him, Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, Christ Himself likewise took part of the same (Hebrews 2:14). These \"hints,\" as he calls them \u2013 \"touches,\" \"short visits\" \u2013 did not last, but like Peter's sheet, were suddenly caught from him up into heaven (Acts 10:16).\n\nIt would have been better for Bunyan if he had remembered that the comforting words of God were not caught away, that they were still within his reach, to minister to his peace. God's Word remained certain and constant, even while Bunyan's emotions continued to rise and fall. The grounds for his consolation in Christ was not his feelings, but the divine assurance that Christ had put away his sins by the sacrifice of Himself.\n\nDuring a brief season of evangelical tranquility, Bunyan desired to read about some ancient godly man's experience who had lived some hundreds of years before he was born. He supposed that the modern religious writings were theoretic and superficial, their authors never having gone down themselves into the deeps of sorrow and despair. Bunyan came across a copy of Luther's commentary on the book of Galatians. It was so old that it was ready to fall to pieces as he turned it over; but, clumsy and hard-handed as he was through dealing with the barrow and the tools, he examined Luther's writings carefully and skillfully, and in due time he was master of the book. It was the most well-suited thing imaginable for Bunyan at this time, for Luther was a man who had similar passion and emotional contrasts. No other book was ever so precious to him, except for the Word of God.\n\nThe interval of peace was short, and the next encounter with temptation was the worst of all. For a whole year, and almost without any intermission, he was tempted to sell Christ \u2013 to stop seeking Him and return to the world. This monstrous idea was realized by him with a distinctness which it is difficult for us to realize. Lying one morning in his bed, the words were heard by him as fast as a man could speak, \"Sell him,\" \"Sell him,\" \"Sell him.\" He kept on answering, \"No; not for thousands, thousands, thousands.\" But at last, after much striving, the thought found a place in his heart, \"Let Him go if He will,\" and he felt that his heart freely consented thereto. Bunyan, now crushed in spirit, supposed that his heart had become hard, that he had rejected Christ for good, and that he had no more hope of salvation.\n\nThere was nothing for him now but the worm that never dieth (Mark 9:48). Down he fell, as a bird that was shot from the top of a tree, into great guilt and fearful despair, and for two years he suffered almost unmitigated woe. Now and then some words of Christ occasioned temporary hope; but the remembrance occurred, and he was overpowered: \"You have sold your Saviour, and you are damned.\"\n\nBunyan's case was a remarkable one throughout. Others ought not attempt to imitate it, yet we might perhaps do well to become much more familiar with the sin and the sinfulness of our own hearts, and the exceeding sinfulness of our sin in the sight of God. Bunyan's case ought to cause us to realize, too, how active and strong our adversary the devil is in attempting to keep sinners from the Savior.\n\nBunyan mentions an instance when he met with temporary relief. Being ready to sink with fear, it was as if there had rushed in at the window the noise of wind upon him, but very pleasant, and he heard a voice speaking to him, \"Did you ever refuse to be justified by the blood of Christ?\"\n\nHis heart answered groaningly, \"No.\" Then that word of God fell upon him with power, See that you refuse not Him who speaks (Hebrews 12:25). This took a strange hold upon his spirit, and for a time calmed those tumultuous thoughts which, like masterless hell\u00adhounds, used to roar and bellow. The respite of this appreciable reprieve lasted three or four days, and then he began to mistrust and despond again.\n\nEventually, however, deliverance was effectually and permanently wrought. As he was passing through a field, this sentence fell upon his soul: \"Thy righteousness is in heaven.\" With the eye of his soul he saw Jesus Christ at the right hand of God, as his own personal righteousness, so that wherever he was, or whatever he was doing, God could not say of him, \"He lacks My righteousness,\" because there it was before his eye, inasmuch as Christ and His people were all one. The believer's good frame of heart did not make his righteousness the better, nor his bad frame make it worse, since his righteousness was Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. None other than the gate of heaven was that field to Bunyan. Then and there he came out of the bondage of corruption and into the glorious liberty of the children of God.\n\nOf the memorable spiritual fluctuations through which he had been passing, he subsequently made a summary; and, having accounted for them on the grounds of the feebleness of his faith in prayer, of the indifference of his soul to his incessant eternal danger, and of his presumption in having, on one occasion, prescribed what God should do, he concluded that they had been overruled mightily to his advantage, and that, like Job after his great difficulties, he had twice as much blessedness as ever had been his lot before. One most characteristic sentence is found in his summary; having quoted the passage, Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37), he says, \"Oh! many a pull hath my heart had with Satan for that blessed sixth [chapter] of John.\"\n\nIt had been evident to others for a long time that their friend belonged to Christ, and now he was of that mind himself. He could neither specify the moment nor define the act of his transition into life, but he really was alive unto God.\n\nThe next thing he realized, as he continued to learn from the divine Word, was the need to confess Christ before men. He accordingly explained his desire to the church of his choice to walk with it in the ordinances of Christ. He was cheerfully accepted, and having been baptized, was enrolled in the membership of that church. On his participation of the Lord's Supper, he felt as if he were plunged into the virtue of the death of Christ. Very precious were the words to him, Do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25).\n\nAbout this time he was seized by what seemed to be pulmonary consumption, or tuberculosis. He rallied and then fell ill again, but ultimately recovered and became robust. During his illness he passed through several notable fluctuations of religious feeling; but overall, he was enabled to rejoice in God.\n\n\"Wife,\" said he, as he was sitting by the fire on his recovery, \"is there ever such a Scripture as this: 'I must go to Jesus?'\" At the moment she did not recollect. They thought together for two or three minutes, when a passage in Hebrews was remembered. \"Wife, now I know, I know: We are come unto Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant\" (Hebrews 12:22-24). He went to his bed overjoyed, but could scarce lie there for the triumph that he had in Christ.\n\nBunyan Studying Luther\n\nHis health having been restored, he diligently carried out the duties of his church membership, rendering effectual help to his pastor in meetings for devotion and in visiting the sick. His ability in these respects was so conspicuous, that his brethren by common consent made him a deacon of the church, committing to him the secular service of the sanctuary and the official attention to the poor. Having moved from Elstow to Bedford, he accepted the office of deacon and used it well, earning himself a good reputation throughout the neighborhood. At this time he was a widower, but of the circumstances of his bereavement we have no account.\n\nAn entry in the Bedford church book indicates Bunyan's advancement in the esteem of his brethren. \"At a meeting held on the 27th of the 6th month, 1657, the deacon's office was transferred from John Bunyan to John Pernie, because he could no longer discharge its duties aright, in consequence of his being so much employed in preaching.\" Some of his fellow members had desired him to speak a word of exhortation to them at their private meetings; and, although much humbled in spirit at their request, he had consented, and in two several assemblies had discovered his gifts to them. These exercises confirmed their opinion, and they then invited him to take his turn in their village preachings. His compliance from time to time was so satisfactory, that of his call to the ministry his companions had no doubt.\n\nThey reported their opinion to the pastor, who in due time communicated to the church his own belief that they were right. The result was that, after solemn prayer to the Lord, with fasting, Bunyan was called forth and appointed to the more ordinary and public preaching of the Word. With great fear and trembling at the sight of his own weakness, he applied himself to the work; not, however, without God's Spirit urging him on, and with great encouragement from the Scriptures. He had further encouragement besides, for the country all around came to hear the Word by hundreds. Many confessed and affirmed that they had been awakened by him, so that the Word of God came with much refreshment to his heart. He wrote, \"The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.\" Necessity was undoubtedly laid upon him, and it soon came to this: Yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16).\n\nHis Suffering for Conscience's Sake\n\nThe old inquiry was soon proposed to Bunyan, By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority? (Matthew 21:23). The answer was at hand. His ability to preach was his authority; especially as of that ability a judgment had been pronounced by the church to which he belonged. With most anxious and prayerful care, his brethren had summoned him to the service, and in that summons he recognized the voice of God. All the ordination which he required he had thus obtained.\n\nIt happened, though, that the government of the day demanded another kind of ordination. Only ordained ministers were allowed to preach, and they had to have the official approval of the Commonwealth.\n\nBunyan, denying the right of the state to judge in such matters, paid no attention, but went on his way. Complaint was lodged against him, and he was indicted for preaching at Eaton. After special prayer on the 3rd of March, 1658, his brethren took measures for his defense. They were so far successful that the charges against Bunyan were dropped.\n\nWith the Restoration of the Stuarts came one of the fiercest assaults on religious freedom which ecclesiastical tyranny has ever made. Such ministry as Bunyan's was forbidden under the severest penalties. He could continue it only at the peril of his life. There was no safe alternative but to hold his peace.\n\nFor a time he adopted this alternative of silence, although he did occasionally wear disguises so that he might pass unmolested to various out-of-the-way places, where amidst the darkness of the night, he had agreed to preach. He greatly disliked the disguising, and at length made up his mind to preach at any risk. Having been asked to come to Samsell, where the villagers were anxious to hear the Word, he replied that he would come as they desired, if God willed. A congregation gathered from the places round about, and the preacher was at his post; but disappointment was at hand. The authorities, having heard that he was coming, were prepared to enforce the law. They had their officers on the watch, with a warrant already signed for his apprehension, in case he should dare to preach.\n\nBunyan was informed of the danger, and the question was raised whether the service should be postponed to some other time. As it was, he might be arrested, but there was a fair chance for his escape. John Bunyan would not even consider escaping, though. He thought that since God in His mercy had chosen him to go preach to those who were in despair and in need of the hope found only in Jesus Christ, it would be a discouragement to the whole body if he should run away. Further, he thought that the world would take occasion from his cowardliness to blaspheme the gospel. So the momentous Samsell meeting went on.\n\nBunyan had offered up the opening prayer, to which the brethren had responded by a full-hearted \"Amen.\" Then, with tones which told of struggle between the apprehensive and the brave, he read out his text, Do you believe on the Son of God? (John 9:35). He was proceeding, when in walked the constable, who arrested him on the spot. The warrant having been produced, there was no alternative but submission, and the prisoner went with the constable, as he required. But let the brethren be of good courage. Their preacher might have been apprehended as a thief or a murderer. Blessed be God that it was not so. Far better to be the persecuted than the persecutors in such a case as theirs.\n\n\"No more of that,\" said the constable. \"The justice won't wait; you must come along.\" They were too late, for Justice Wingate was gone away. As a great favor, the prisoner was released for the night on a sort of bail. In the morning, Bunyan met the constable, and they went their way to the courtroom. Wingate raised a discussion before he was aware, insisting that a tinker had no right to preach. That, it was replied, depended on the tinker's character and capability. The judge reminded Bunyan that the law commanded him not to preach, and that he had better give it up. Let him simply find people to give the judge assurance to that effect, and he should go free. His friends would, no doubt, give him that assurance. The document was already drawn up. All Bunyan had to do was agree to preach no more, and he could go free.\n\nArrest of Bunyan\n\nTo what were Bunyan's friends to agree? That he should desist from preaching. Bunyan assured Justice Wingate that his friends should decline the responsibility, for, as sure as truth was truth, he would go and preach immediately upon his release. The clerk was then ordered to prepare a written court order directing Bunyan to be taken to jail, for to jail he must go. As he was departing, an old acquaintance, Dr. Lidall, came into the courtroom. A curious conversation ensued. The doctor reviled Bunyan as a descendant of the notorious coppersmith who had resisted the apostles (2 Timothy 4:14-15). Bunyan retorted that the apostles were resisted by priests and Pharisees as well as by coppersmiths, and that, peradventure, there were descendants of those priests and Pharisees not far off. Lidall was exasperated and went on, deserving a severer response from Bunyan; but Bunyan refrained, sparing his speech as much as he could without prejudice to the truth.\n\nThe result was that on the 13th of November, 1660, Bunyan was committed to jail on the charge of going about to several illegal religious meetings in the country, to the great disparagement of the government of the Church of England.\n\nAnother effort was made to save him. A Mr. Forbes urged him to give up his unseemly ecclesiastical practices, assuring him, with as much kindness as earnestness, that he had no right to preach. Bunyan respectfully but firmly contradicted. He was then taken away to jail. As he was going forth out of the courtroom, he found it difficult to hold back from saying to them that he carried the peace of God along with him; but he was silent, and went away to prison with God's comfort in his poor soul.\n\nAt the ensuing sessions (the times of year when criminal cases were heard by the justices), a bill of indictment was brought against Bunyan, in which he was charged with having devilishly and wickedly abstained from going to church, and with being a common upholder of illegal religious meetings, contrary to the laws. He was required to plead guilty, but refused. In one sense of the word \"church\" he was a frequenter, and not an absentee. But did he go to his parish church? No; and, the court consenting, he mentioned the reasons why. This led to an altercation, in which, though cruelly taunted and maligned, Bunyan maintained his temper and persisted in his course. He was no enemy to the existing government. He avowed that he was one of the old-fashioned persons who coveted to fear God and honor the king, but he dared not disobey the King of kings; and, as God had commanded that every man should minister according to the gift which had been given him (I Peter 4:10), he, the prisoner, must needs minister in the preaching of the Word. He was as ready as any justice on the bench to render unto Caesar the things which were Caesar's; he could not, however render unto Caesar the things which were God's (Matthew 22:21). After Bunyan spoke, his punishment was inevitable, and thus the sentence was given: \"You must be had back again to prison, and there lie for three months following; and at three months' end, if you do not submit and go to church to hear divine service, and leave your preaching, you must be banished from the realm; and if, after such a day as shall be appointed you to be gone, you shall be found in this realm, you must stretch by the neck for it.\" And so the jailer led him away.\n\nThe prison was one of the worst in the kingdom, well designated by himself \"a Den.\" There were but two cells and one small court, all on a level with the river Ouse. Thirty persons would have filled the place, but sixty were frequently shut up there day and night. To a man of thirty-two years, accustomed to exercise and the free air, such confinement must have been dreadful. A single week of it would suffice to put his resolution to the test. Many thought that he would not be able to submit to humiliation and suffering like that for long. If he could get the opportunity, then he would certainly retract. The justices thought so, and sent the clerk of the peace, Mr. Cobb, to assure the prisoner of their goodwill, and to persuade him to accept his release by promising not to preach. The messenger pressed him. It was bad enough that Bunyan should be in jail, the companion of felons; but it would be far worse when the sessions came, for then the heavier sentence would be passed. \"It will go worse with you,\" said Cobb, \"even to being sent away out of the nation, or else worse than that.\"\n\nThe Old Prison of Bedford\n\nThe interview continued for hours, but it produced no effect. Paul acknowledged that the powers in his day were of God, and yet he was often in prison. Jesus Christ told Pilate that he had no power against Him but of God, yet He died under Pilate; and the prisoner hoped the clerk of the peace would not say that either Paul or Christ denied magistracy. The law provided two ways of obeying. In cases which approved themselves to a man's conscience, he was bound to obey actively; and Bunyan was ready so to do. In cases which offended a man's conscience, he was bound to obey passively, even to lie down and suffer what should be done to him. For this also he was ready, even unto the death.\n\nOn hearing that this was his determination, Cobb sat still and said no more. The prisoner thanked him for his civil and meek discoursing, and so they parted, with the prayer that they might meet in heaven. Noxious and nauseous as was the den, John Bunyan went back to abide the results.\n\nIt happened that a coronation came; and, according to the national custom, all prisoners except the very worst were pardoned. Bunyan received no pardon. His enemies resorted to legal quibbles to his disadvantage, so that his hopes and endeavors were unavailing, and he was detained. His wife (about a year before his imprisonment he had married again) went to London with a petition, but it came to nothing. The only chance now was with the judges who were coming to the court sessions. They might, on the strength of the coronation pardon, order him to be released. On their arrival, Bunyan wanted to go to them and ask for his release, but permission was refused. Nothing was left but for his wife to go. A brave-hearted and sagacious woman as she was, she gained access to the judges several times, and so far prevailed, that a long discussion was raised upon the merits of the case. Well and wisely and warmly did she plead; but although the Lord Chief Justice evinced singular sympathy with her distress, he would not interfere. There were two or three ways, he said, which she might try for getting the sentence cancelled; but she had not the means for trying them, and so imprisonment went on.\n\nThat he might employ himself and support his family, Bunyan worked away at the somewhat inglorious occupation of tagging with a tin point the common shoe and stay laces which were then in vogue, and he had as much work as he could do. At intervals, he read the few books within his reach, giving the most indefatigable and systematic attention to the Word of God.\n\nEfforts were made at the next sessions to secure his freedom. They were met invariably with the demand, \"Will he undertake to leave off preaching?\" If he would, there was no obstacle. Bunyan would not agree to stop preaching, though, and so the obstacle remained. For six years, he never left the den, enduring as best he could the foul compound of unwholesomeness which sent John Howard, the prison reformer, on his mission of self-sacrificing zeal a century later.\n\nThere were times when John Bunyan was well-nigh overwhelmed. The parting with his wife and poor children was often as painful as pulling the flesh from his bones; and that not only because he was somewhat too fond of these visits by his wife and children, but also because he often thought about the many hardships they were likely to meet with should he be taken from them. He especially thought of his oldest daughter, Mary, who had been born blind. \"Poor child!\" he thought. \"What sorrow you are likely to have for your portion in this world! You would likely be beaten, suffer hunger, cold, nakedness, and a thousand calamities, though I cannot now endure that the wind should blow upon you.\" But, recalling himself, he recovered strength and committed his helpless ones unto the Lord. He was pulling down his house upon the head of his wife and children, but he must do it.\n\nHe conceived for a while that he might be banished and die in a ditch, or that his imprisonment would end at the gallows, but he could not give up his right to preach. Deliverance from his sufferings would have overjoyed him, for he often groaned, being burdened; but he would not purchase his freedom by disloyalty to Christ.\n\nFor twelve years the imprisonment continued, some of his jailers being kindly affectioned, and others oppressively unkind. To the friendliness of kindly ones must be ascribed the occasional alleviations of prison life. Not only was the place made more tolerable, but permission was given to visit his brethren, even in the metropolis, upon his word of honor that he would return. The fact got reported, and one night a messenger from the authorities awoke the jailer with the demand to see Bunyan. As it happened, Bunyan was there. He had returned only an hour or two before, under the impression that his enemies were just then on the alert. Whatever kindliness their subordinates might show to him, the magistrates and authorities would show none.\n\nBunyan in Prison\n\nDeliverance at length drew nigh. In March, 1672, the king issued a declaration authorizing all Nonconformists, except the Papists, to meet for public worship and devotion, in such places and under such ministers as should be licensed from time to time. The spirit of this declaration involved the release of the Nonconformists, who were everywhere in jail. Attempts were accordingly made to obtain their release, especially by certain Quakers, whose brethren constituted the largest number of the sufferers for conscience's sake. Through the indefatigable and costly investigations of George Offor, Esq., facts have been discovered which correct several popular mistakes as to the way in which the sufferers were set free. The facts are given by Mr. Offor at length, in his elaborate and masterly memoir of Bunyan. The following is a specimen in brief:\n\n\"You have seen me before,\" said one who was representing the Quakers before King Charles.\n\n\"Where?\" asked the king.\n\n\"On board the ship that carried you safe to France after the Worcester fight.\"\n\n\"I remember.\"\n\n\"And don't you remember that a privateer was chasing us, and that some of us rowed you ashore, and that, getting into shallow water, one of us took you on his shoulders, and carried you high and dry up to a village close by?\"\n\n\"Well.\"\n\n\"The man who carried you ashore that day was I; and now I come to ask you to be kind to my brethren in their distress, as I was kind to you in yours.\"\n\nThe whole scene came up to the royal recollection. This man, Richard Carver, at an important crisis had been a friend in need. He certainly deserved remuneration, but these Nonconformists were so fanatical, that if they were let out of jail, they would repeat all their offences, and be sent back again. The old sailor pressed his application notwithstanding, and reminded His Majesty that the laws which would send them back were bad laws that ought to be repealed. In his good nature, Charles told the Quaker that he might renew his request another time. No time was lost, and other Quakers joining in the application, Carver carried his point for the liberation of the Nonconformists of every name.\n\nSome delay took place, but on the 13th of September, 1672, an order was signed which set Bunyan free. He found that his affairs were gone to wreck, and that he had to begin again as if he had newly come into the world. Before his liberation, a license had been sent to him from the king to preach, and Mr. Gifford being dead, it had been resolved by the church that he should become their pastor, in case he concurred with their desire.\n\nAfter the manner of the apostles, he had been the prisoner of the Lord. He had taken joyfully the spoiling of his goods, not reckoning his life dear to him, that he might assert and vindicate the prerogative of the Head of the Church. The prohibition which had been served upon him not to preach was a dishonor done to Christ. The suppression of free prayer was an offence against the Holy Ghost. He had, therefore, no alternative but to stand on his defense. His loyalty to heavenly authority necessitated disloyalty to earthly authority. He could not obey ecclesiastical law, because it was at variance with divine law. He went to prison, and there he would have remained until he died, not at the impulse of foolhardy fanaticism or desperate partisanship, but at the dictate of reverence and godly fear. As seeing Him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27), he did not dare to forego the privilege of pouring out his heart before the Lord extemporaneously; neither did he dare to abandon the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.\n\nHis Ministry and Pastorate\n\nBunyan believed that he had received his ministry from the Lord. The belief was like the burden of the Lord upon his soul. The longing to proclaim the glad tidings was as a fire within his bones. Hence, throughout his long imprisonment, unless when prohibited, he was the servant of his fellow prisoners for Jesus' sake. His services were generally to edification; now and then they were pervaded with remarkable impressiveness and power. He mentions one occasion, when in the prison chamber, he felt unable to speak so much as five words. The congregation was waiting, and the text was from Revelation 21 about the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God. Some dim glimmerings of the jasper fell upon his eye, and he began to think that he should see further. He carried his meditations with a few groans to the Lord. Help was forthwith granted, and the brethren did all eat and were filled. The distribution of the portion so increased that he gathered up a basketful of fragments after they had well dined. The Spirit of God moved among the prisoners that day as Bunyan spoke to them.\n\nExercises such as this were preparing him for his ministerial duties as the pastor of a church of Christ. Through the diligent study of his Bible and the careful cultivation of his spiritual gifts, Bunyan was becoming an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures. Upon his release, he found a large meetinghouse awaiting him, which had been duly registered; and there the people gathered in great numbers from the first. His sermons were prepared with deep and devout study. After the sermons were preached, depending on his opinion of them, they were sometimes written out for further use. His resources were scanty; he had little else at first but the Word of God and prayer. He found his help and his inspiration, as he was continually declaring, from a higher source. To draw water from his own cistern was his delight; daring to make bold only with what God had made his own by the evidence of the Word and Spirit. This great Bible habit of Bunyan's was obvious in every sermon he composed. The occurrence of Scripture was not only incessant, but appropriate and conclusive, exhibiting without any intention a remarkable phase of the unity of Scripture and the analogy of faith. The plainest phraseology and style were adopted. His idea was that words easy to be understood often hit the mark, whereas high and learned words only pierce the air. In no sense were his statements an uncertain sound. His ministry was comprehensible at once. The common people heard him gladly, while those who were more difficult to please found no occasion for complaint. He expressed himself clearly without being crude, and spoke directly without being rough.\n\nIn the delivery of his sermons he had the advantage of a sharp, quick eye, a fine voice, and an agreeable address. By nature and grace alike he was qualified to be a good minister of Jesus Christ. No wonder, therefore, that his meetinghouse was always crowded, many being constrained to stand without. There was power in the preacher that was felt throughout the neighborhood, all sorts of persons striving to partake of his instructions.\n\nAt stated times he visited the neighboring villages, and branch churches were formed which continue to this day. Now and then visits were paid to the metropolis, where his popularity was quite as great as it was at home. A day's notice was enough to secure a large congregation. We quote from a contemporary: \"I have seen, to hear him preach, by my computation, 1,200 people by seven o'clock on a working morning, in the dark winter time. I also computed about 3,000 that came to hear him one Lord's day at London, at a town's end meetinghouse, so that half were required to go back again for lack of room; and then Bunyan himself was required, at a back door, to be pulled almost over people to get up the stairs to his pulpit.\" It was the spectacle of his early ministry over again when, in strange out-of-the-way places in Bedfordshire and Herts, a thousand people would gather to a preaching at dead of night. His popularity affected him with awe. He humbled himself before the Lord. Unless grace were given to him from heaven, he should be exalted above measure, and the devil would lead him captive at his will.\n\nBunyan Preaching in the Open Air\n\nSomewhat severe discipline was permitted to follow. Rumors came into circulation grievously to his disadvantage. It was asserted that he had broken the seventh commandment (do not commit adultery), and it was insinuated that he had broken the ninth commandment (do not bear false witness against your neighbor), as well. A Mr. Beaumont died suddenly. His daughter, who had been previously turned out of her home for attending Bunyan's preaching, had just before been received back home, on promising that she would no longer go to hear John Bunyan preach. She regretted her promise, and implored her father to cancel his prohibition. One night, as he was retiring to rest, she pressed her entreaty with such earnestness that he was greatly moved. During the night, he died.\n\nThe report was raised that he had been poisoned, that his daughter had administered the poison, and that her minister had instructed her how she should proceed. The report aroused the neighborhood. The woman was a murderess and the Nonconformist preacher was her paramour. The rumor was spread that though Bunyan was a husband and father, he was also a scandalous adulterer, if not something worse. Judgment would overtake him now. An inquest was held, preliminary to other measures, which were already vigorously in hand; but with the inquest, the matter ended. The accusers, having been rebuked by the coroner for their audacity, were well-nigh driven out of court by the jeers and disgust of those in attendance. \"For a wind-up of the matter,\" said Bunyan, \"I call God for a record upon my soul that I am innocent. Not that I have been kept because of any goodness in myself; but God has been merciful to me, and kept me, to whom I pray that He will keep me still.\"\n\nThis vexatious trial wrought advantageously. The preaching increased in its efficiency, and the preacher was held in yet higher reputation as a good minister of Jesus Christ. Invitations were given him by other and larger churches. Inducements were offered to him of a more plentiful income to keep his station, but he was immovable. Bedford, with its neighborhood, was his sphere, provided always that he might go as opportunity offered, and preach and do good elsewhere. As \"Bishop Bunyan,\" which had come to be his designation, he spared no pains or labor in travelling to the remote counties where he thought the people stood in need of his assistance. He was permitted to preach and give counsel now, without any dread of molestation; and, therefore, although he habitually objected to the state of religion that made his preaching elsewhere necessary, he turned it to good account. From the vocation of a preacher he never swerved, whether through evil or through good report.\n\nThe following relation is given by his friend Charles Doe:\n\n\"As Mr. Bunyan was upon the road, near Cambridge, there overtook him a scholar who had observed him preaching, and said to him, 'How dare you preach, seeing you have not the original texts, and are no scholar!'\n\nThen said Mr. Bunyan, 'Have you, the original?'\n\n'Yes,' said the scholar.\n\n'Nay, but,' said Mr. Bunyan, 'have you the very selfsame original copies that were written by the penmen of the Scriptures, the prophets and apostles themselves?'\n\n'No,' said the scholar; 'but we have the true copies of those originals.'\n\n'How do you know that?' said Mr. Bunyan.\n\n'How?' said the scholar, 'How? Why, we believe that what we have is a true copy of the original.'\n\n'Exactly,' said Mr. Bunyan; 'and so do I believe that an English Bible is a true copy of the original.'\n\nThen away went the scholar.\"\n\nThe seed of the Word fell into good ground. Many were converted and added unto the Lord. The church under his care constantly increased, and as an under-shepherd, he labored diligently for its welfare. He carefully attended to the administration of the ordinances, and he strenuously insisted that they were to be regularly observed. Bunyan believed that they were not grace, but were a means of grace. The Lord's Supper did not supply the body and the blood of Christ, but it represented them. The pastor believed that the representation and the sign availed much for the dying indeed unto sin, and for the walking in newness of life. To neglect them was to lose a privilege and to commit a fault.\n\nHe visited the sick with conscientious and sympathizing care. In cases of differences amongst the brethren, he promptly intervened. For seekers after truth, with their manifold anxieties, he had helpful and congenial counsel. With the members who were gone to other places, he corresponded, consenting, when they had become residents elsewhere, to consult with the church as to a transference of their membership to some sister church. To the discipline due to offenders, he adhered at any cost. He admonished privately in the first instance; if he failed, he reported the case to the brethren; and if, on examination, they felt that punishment was deserved, he expounded the law relating to the offence, and the punishment ensued.\n\nThe readiness to punish was always accompanied by an equal readiness to forgive. Only let a man who had been put away demonstrate remorse, and the pastor delighted to facilitate his restoration and to build him up in his most holy faith.\n\nWith all this, Bunyan did not monopolize service to God. He was over the brotherhood in the Lord. He was the occupant of the pulpit and the pastor of the church, but he deemed every member of the body a fellow laborer, and introduced him to such service as he was best able to perform. The younger and the older ones were familiarized with their privileges and responsibilities, the effort being common to them all alike, both to strive together for the faith of the gospel and to bear one another's burdens, in fulfilment of the law of Christ (Philippians 1:27; Galatians 6:2).\n\nIn these several ways, care was taken of the church over which the Holy Ghost had made him an overseer. He fed it with the bread of life; he trained it for works of faith; he exercised it unto godliness; he inspired it with self-denying zeal; and he kept it from contention that would have been disreputable and disastrous, by committing it to a generous contention for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3).\n\nHis Authorship\n\nBunyan was familiar with the handling of the pen. It was a pleasure to him to write. Composition trickled from his heart to his head, and from there through his fingers to the page. It may, indeed, be conjectured that the act of writing was laborious and somewhat slow. Judging from the earlier specimens of his penmanship, it must have taken a good while to get his smallest books ready for the press. The mind evidently outstripped the hand.\n\nHe became an author in 1656, almost as soon as he became a preacher, and his first work was controversial. It was entitled Some Gospel Truths Opened, According to the Scriptures. The object of it was to counteract the errors which certain Quakers were disseminating, to the disparagement of Scripture, and of the vicarious sacrifice of the Lamb of God.\n\nIt was answered immediately, and to the answer he gave an unwarrantably severe reply. Other books followed, and then he was imprisoned. Composition, however, went on, necessity coming in to stimulate his pen. He wanted to support his family, and although he was a prisoner, he had to support himself. For these purposes, lace-tagging being insufficient, he wrote some smaller pieces, which his friends had printed for sale about the streets. They went off so well, that the ballad-singers about Newgate and London Bridge availed themselves of the writer's popularity by attaching his portrait and initials to some impudent forgeries of their own.\n\nIn token of his solicitude for those to whom his preaching had been a blessing, he wrote a brief relation of God's exceeding mercy to himself. The relation, which extends from his birth to his imprisonment, is one of the most affecting autobiographies in the world. It constitutes, of course, the staple of every account of his conversion and consecration to the work of God. The reader of the present sketch has been really listening to the man himself. It is substantially Bunyan's own.\n\nThe earnestness of tone throughout his relation comes out in one passage to admiration: \"God did not play when convincing me; the devil did not play when tempting me; neither did I play when the pangs of hell caught hold upon me; wherefore, I may not play in relating them, but be plain and simple, and lay the thing down as it was.\" His title, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, was the best he could have found for his autobiography.\n\nMore elaborate publications followed, the preparation of which, under Bunyan's circumstances, must always be a matter of surprise. They were profound treatises on such great matters as justification by faith and the resurrection of the dead; and, although modern treatises have superseded them in our theological schools, they have rarely been surpassed, either in their robust intellectual power, their sagacious insight, their reverential and tremulous anxiety to apprehend the truth, or in their precise and vigorous statement of the sentiment to be expressed. The only known addition to his few literary resources was a concordance and Foxe's Book of Martyrs; and his only place for writing was the common cell, in which the interruptions were incessant, and the conveniences none at all. The tone of these prison compositions was to a large extent controversial, and in some cases the controversialist was ungenerous and harsh. Towards a Rev. Mr. Fowler, who had written in virtual denial of the thirteenth article of his own church, Macaulay says he was \"ferocious.\" He was certainly rude, but Fowler was at least as rude, and both of them went far too near towards the malevolent and coarse.\n\nThe last work which went to press from prison was entitled A Confession of my Faith, and a Reason of my Practice. Its design was to defend the practice of admitting Christians, as Christians, to the Lord's Supper. It was enough in Bunyan's esteem that a man gave evidence of the faith that works by love. Bunyan would have preferred that a person was baptized upon the profession of faith before taking part in the Lord's Supper, but if the person's life gave proof of godliness, then Bunyan would allow the person to participate in the ordinance. Bunyan believed that such a person's right to the privileges of the church was unquestionable, and at Bedford, all the privileges could become his own.\n\nA great outcry was raised by the leading Baptists, and this open communion was denounced as daring disloyalty to the Lord. But Bunyan quietly persisted, determining, the Almighty God being his shield, to suffer for this principle, \"even until the moss should grow upon his eyebrows.\"\n\nThere was another book that might have seen the light before our author left the prison. It is the work that has so effectually immortalized his name. The Pilgrim's Progress was begun and finished in Bedford jail. It came to him almost without an effort, obtruding itself in its unrivalled and unnumbered excellences of sentiment and style, with all the gentleness of a dream. He was in the act of writing another work when he fell suddenly into writing this. Twenty ideas came to him, and before he had put them down, twenty more came. He set his pen to paper with delight. As he wrote, the matter came; and as he was still writing, still more came, until at its length, and breadth, and extent, he was both gratified and amazed. He had kept the subject entirely to himself; he had received no help from a human soul. He had gotten no material from the stores of other times. He had caught no inspiration, either from the glorious sound of many waters, or from the gorgeous spectacle of oriental heavens, or from the sublime solitudes and the sublimer silence of the everlasting hills. He was the occupant of a den, and he had always been a dweller amidst the flats of the sluggish and sleepy Ouse River. But, to his unspeakable enjoyment, he had brought his main character, Christian, through marvelous changes, by the Delectable Mountains, through the land of Beulah, and into the paradise of God. Manner and matter, too, was all his own; nor was it made known to any mortal till he had done it.\n\nIn the jail was a Mr. Marsom, through whose family it has been reported that, on the completion of the Pilgrim, Bunyan read it to his fellow prisoners, with a view to their opinion as to whether it should be published or suppressed.\n\nThere was nothing like unanimity. \"Some said, 'John, print it'; others said, 'Not so.' Some said 'It might do good'; others said, 'No.'\" Mr. Marsom went over the manuscript carefully by himself, and then recommended that it should be sent to press without delay.\n\nThe discouragements, however, prevailed, and it was not published until 1678. Its popularity was immediate and immense. Within ten years, twelve editions had been published, and in England alone 100,000 copies had been sold before Bunyan died. From that time to this it has been a foremost book. It has been quoted on the stage. The characters of romance novels have turned it to account. Essayists have pondered its several parts, in order to add to their profound treatises upon the whole. Critics have dissected and analyzed it that they might secure intelligent perception of its beauties and defects. Through translations it may be read by almost every nation under heaven. Artists have expended the utmost of their power in illustrating its surpassing scenes, never, perhaps, with more effect than in the edition presented to the public now.\n\nThe History of Mr. Badman, with one or two other books, followed the publication of the Pilgrim, and then, in 1682, came the Holy War. It may be gathered from the preface, that in describing Mansoul, first in its possession by Diabolus, and then in its conquest by Immanuel, the author is describing himself. The description throughout is military, the recollections of his soldier life at the siege of Leicester having supplied him with the graphic illustrations which he so effectually employs. The first assault of the devil, with its success in seducing man from his Maker, is wonderfully told, and so is the recovery of man by the incarnation of the Son of God. Perhaps more wonderfully still are the renewed endeavors of the Wicked One to bring man back again beneath his power. The profound philosophy of the performance is congenially akin to the genius with which it is embodied and adorned. The metaphysical, the poetical, and the evangelical are about equally combined.\n\nThis book passed through several editions in the author's life, and is in request still, though by no means to the extent which its unrivaled excellences deserve. It is the best human directory in existence for the man who would understand how the law of sin which is in his members is wrought upon by Satanic power, and how, through the concurring grace of the Holy Ghost, that power may be held in check.\n\nWithin a year or two was published the second part of the Pilgrim's Progress, in which Christian's wife and children, with their neighbor, Mercy, are seen going after him to heaven. Other companions, with names most profoundly significant of character, join them on their journey, and under the dauntless guardianship of Great-Heart, they ultimately reach their destination. It is glorious to see how the open region was filled with horses and chariots and trumpeters to welcome the pilgrims as they went up and followed one another into the beautiful city. The versatility of Bunyan's power is manifest in the entire tone of this second part in comparison with the first. The progress of the Christian man was, for the most part, a terrible struggle to obtain a victory; the progress of the Christian woman was, to a large degree, a pleasant journey towards a home.\n\nChristiana's boys were left behind as a blessing to the church militant, the dreamer intimating that he might have something to say of them at a future time. His intimation was apparently fulfilled, so far as the writing a third part was concerned; for, some years after his death, his publisher, Nathaniel Ponder, announced that the manuscript had been entrusted to him and that it would be issued before long. Nothing more was heard of Ponder's publication. There came, indeed, what purported to be a third part, but it was a forgery. The internal and circumstantial evidence proved that it had no sort of kinship with the two veritable dreams.\n\nOther books followed, until about sixty volumes, several of them of goodly dimensions, constituted Bunyan's works. Many of them were admonitions, but all had reference to the fundamental verities of the Christian faith. In several instances they were the enlargements of his sermons, the impression having come upon him strongly that they were likely to awaken ungodly readers from their deadness and to induce some deeper spirituality among the saints. He desired to serve not only his own generation, but the generations which were to come. It was indeed a painful task to go on mastering the objections of the scorner in order to their refutation, but he performed the task. It was arduous work to solve the various difficulties of undisciplined and hypercritical minds, but he did the work. It was a weighty responsibility to warn the Church of God throughout the land against the manifold temptations which were abounding to deny or adulterate the faith, but he discharged the responsibility, accomplishing, under God, as much good from the press as from the pulpit, and indoctrinating thousands of his countrymen whom he had never seen with his own comprehensive knowledge and intense admiration of the gospel of the grace of God.\n\nBy the simpler works, such as his Book for Boys and Girls, as well as by the deeper works, such as his Law and Grace Unfolded, the people were generally attracted, gratefully retained, and conclusively persuaded.\n\nNot one was there of all the sixty books of which it was not safely to be said that his object was apparent, his language intelligible, his reasoning lucid, his illustrations homely, his sincerity undeniable, his design benevolent, his tone that of Boanerges or of Barnabas, either the indignant or the pathetic, the alarming or the consolatory, whichever seemed the likeliest to bring his readers into the earlier or the maturer fellowship of the faith of Christ.\n\nAn instance may be given of his power in expostulating with the slothful: \"Sluggard, are you asleep still? Are you resolved to sleep the sleep of death? Will neither tidings from heaven or hell awake you? Will you say still, yet a little sleep, a little slumber, and a little folding of the hands to sleep (Proverbs 6:10; Proverbs 24:33)? Oh, that I was skillful in lamentation, and had but a yearning heart towards you! How I would pity you! How I would bemoan you! Poor soul, lost soul, dying soul! What a hard heart have I that I cannot mourn for you! If you should lose but a limb, or a child, or a friend, it would not be much; but, poor man, it is YOUR SOUL! If it was to be in hell but for a day, but for a year, nay, for ten thousand years, it would, in comparison, be nothing. But it is forever! Oh, this cutting EVER! What a soul-amazing word will that be which says, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).\n\nIn his dealing with the despondent, he thus conveyed his wisdom: \"Nothing has been more common to many than to doubt of the grace of God: a thing most unbecoming a sinner of anything in the world. To break the law is a fact foul enough, but to question the sufficiency of the grace of God to save therefrom is worse than sin, if worse can be. Wherefore, despairing soul, for it is to you I speak, hold back from your mistrusts, cast off your slavish fears, hang your misgivings upon the hedge, and believe that you have an invitation sufficient thereto, for a river is before thy face. And as for your want of goodness and works, let that by no means dishearten you. This is a river of the water of life, streams of grace and mercy. And when you see how those who are reluctant to die make provision at Tunbridge, Epsom, and Bath, and other places, that they may have their dwellings by the waters which are there, then you will greatly desire to be always near this blessed water of life, for you have nothing to do, I mean as to the healing of thy soul from its doubts and fears, but to drink and live forever.\"\n\nFor the believer rejoicing in Christ he had a word in season: \"It is amiable and pleasant to God when Christians keep their rank, relation, and station, doing all as suits their quality and calling. Then they are like the flowers in the garden. Where the gardener has set them, there they stand; and from the hyssop on the wall to the cedar in Lebanon, their fruit is their glory. And, seeing the stock into which they are planted is the most fruitful stock, and the sap conveyed from it is the finest sap, and the dresser of our souls is the wisest husbandman, how contrary to nature, to example, and to expectation, if we be not rich in good works. Wherefore take heed of being painted fire wherein there is no warmth, and painted flowers which retain no smell, and painted trees whereon is no fruit.\"\n\nHis Latter End\n\nSuffering for conscience's sake threatened Bunyan to the end. His nonconformity and evangelical faithfulness rendered him most obnoxious to the authorities, and on different occasions they confiscated his goods. His meetinghouse was shut up, and for a while he and his congregation had to assemble in the fields.\n\nAmidst this uncertainty as to the future, he transferred to his well-beloved wife, by a document dated 23rd December, 1685, whatever property he had acquired. He, \"John Bunyan, brazier,\" moved by his natural affection, had put her in possession of all goods, possessions, and debts, wheresoever they might be found.\n\nThus prepared for the worst, he was instant in season and out of season in his Master's work. His reputation went on increasing. Opportunities for usefulness extended in all directions. With books he became better acquainted, and of his larger knowledge of society he took singular advantage. Everything was made subservient to his purpose, so that his congregations were often struck by the sagacious mention of matters that were familiar, and his readers by powerful allusions to the incidents and opinions of the times. As the chaplain of the Lord Mayor of London, to which office he once attained, or as the pleasant guest of the wayside cottagers, to whom after the frugal meal he was about to preach, he was alike bent upon doing good and getting good! He studied to show himself approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15).\n\nEarly in the year 1688 he suffered severely from the sweating sickness, and it was feared that he must die. Partial recovery ensued, and to the full extent of his diminished strength his labours were resumed. But the end was drawing nigh, and before long it came; not, indeed, as either himself or his fondly-devoted wife would have desired, for he died where she could not come to him in time, two days' journey away from home.\n\nHe had been persuaded by a young man, whose father was about to disinherit him, to attempt a reconciliation. There was no hope of reconciliation unless Bunyan could speak with the father, and that involved a journey from Bedford to Reading, a distance of fifty miles. He undertook it, although on horseback, and so well explained his self-denying mission that the father consented to forgive and reinstate his son immediately. Overjoyed at his success, Bunyan generously determined to go to London, where the youth resided, on his way home, that he might be told of the result. The weather was unusually inclement, and the journey became exhausting. On reaching the residence of his friend, Mr. Shaddocks, on Snow Hill, the traveler fell ill of fever, and although hope had been entertained of his recovery, after ten days he died, on the 31st of August, 1688.\n\nJohn Bunyan on His Last Mission of Mercy\n\nBunyan's death was a befitting consummation of his life. His loins were girded, and his lamp trimmed. He endured unto the end. He expired, setting his seal to it triumphantly that God was true. \"Would you be better satisfied,\" said the dying man to his attendants, \"as to what the beatifical vision means, my request is that you will live holily, and then come and see. I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will no doubt through the mediation of his blessed Son, receive me, although a sinner. Weep not for me. We shall meet ere long to sing the new song, and remain everlastingly happy, world without end.\" He knew in himself that he had in heaven a better and an enduring substance (Hebrews 10:34).\n\nThe body was buried in Bunhill Fields, amidst the most grateful tokens of general respect and love. At Bedford the grief was intense, especially within the bereaved church, but also through the neighborhood without. It was only two weeks before that his fellow townsmen had seen him ride away on his errand of mercy into Berkshire, rather less robust they thought than formerly, but still a strong and healthy man of sixty: some of them respectfully bidding him farewell; others, more familiarly and congenially wishing him Godspeed.\n\nBunyan's Tomb in Bunhill Fields Burial Grounds\n\nAnd now he was dead and gone! By his considerate kindness to an outcast, he had brought about his latter end. In serving his own generation, by the will of God he had fallen asleep and was gathered to his fathers. Magnanimous, venerable Bunyan! You rest from your labors, and your works do follow you. Your course was full of disappointments and successes, but it was consistent. You were frowned upon and flattered, but you were faithful. Your progress from this world to that which is to come accorded with the similitude of your own inimitable Dream, from the slough of its commencement to the consolation and triumph of its close.\n\nWilliam Brock\n\n* * *\n\n Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God doth attribute righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin.\n\n Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile.\n\nGlossary of Names   \nUsed in The Holy War\n\nAffection: Desire; inclination; propensity, good or evil, such as virtuous or vile affections. This character is introduced as Mr. Affection but is corrupted in his principles. He lives his life accordingly, giving himself over to the flesh and thus becomes known as Vile-Affection. (Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; \u2013 Galatians 5:19-21)\n\nAlecto: A Fury in Greek mythology that represents hard-hearted or unceasing anger.\n\nAnger: A Diabolian who took on the guise of someone from a far-off country and offered to help the natives of Mansoul. He presented himself as Good-Zeal. However, his real name, Anger, means a violent passion of the mind excited by a real or supposed injury, usually accompanied by a propensity to take vengeance or to obtain satisfaction from the offending party.\n\nAnything: One of Diabolus's captains who did whatever needed to be done, but he was never true to either side because he believed anything. For his bold friendship with both sides, he had one of his legs broken, and the one who did it wished it had been his neck.\n\nApollyon: The destroyer; a name used in Revelation 9:11 for the angel of the bottomless pit (the Hebrew Abaddon).\n\nBeelzebub: Another name for the Devil; also referred to as the prince of the devils (Mark 3:22).\n\nBenumbing: Benumbing is a Diabolian who knocks down Mr. Conscience a few times. His name means to confuse or render inactive.\n\nBlindfold: Captain Blindfold was keeper of Eye-gate under Diabolus. He was slain by Emmanuel's Captain Good-Hope. The thousand Doubters under his command fought with claws as he worked to keep the inhabitants of Mansoul in the dark regarding the truth.\n\nBoanerges: One of the four first captains sent by Shaddai against Mansoul. The name means loud, determined, and enthusiastic preacher or orator.\n\nBoasting: One of Diabolus's captains who was killed when Emmanuel's troops fought to take back Mansoul. He thought nobody could shake the posts of Ear-gate or raise doubt in the heart of Diabolus. Boasting (as his name suggests) was known for talking ostentatiously, showing off, and taking glory for himself.\n\nBragman: Captain Bragman was a popular captain in Diabolus's ranks. His company of soldiers threw firebrands and arrows at Emmanuel's army. (As a mad man who casts firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that destroys his friend and says, Am I not in sport? \u2013 Proverbs 26:18-19) Bragman was known to display his actions, merits, or advantages flauntingly and to tell boastful stories.\n\nBrimstone: Captain Brimstone served as Diabolus's captain over the Perseverance-doubters who refused to believe the continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory. His name is the equivalent of sulfur connected with eternal flame and torment of the unsaved.\n\nCarnal-Lust: Daughter of Mr. (fleshly) Mind. Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection marry and have several children, including three wicked sons: Impudent, Darkmouth, and Hate-Reproof. They also have three daughters: Scorn-Truth, Slight-God, and the youngest is Revenge. These grew up, were married, and also yielded many vile offspring.\n\nCarnal-Security: A Diabolian who stayed in Mansoul after Emmanuel took possession. Carnal security is part of the Devil's strategy to tempt believers to rely on worldly wisdom and practice. In this way, Carnal-Security brought Mansoul into severe slavery and bondage.\n\nCharity: Shaddai's seventh captain. In a general sense, his name means love, benevolence, good will, and disposition of heart, which inclines men to think favorably of others and do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love for God and universal good will to men.\n\nChief Secretary: The Chief Secretary represents the Holy Spirit and is loving and faithful in the eternal concerns of the town of Mansoul. One of His roles was to draw up a trustworthy record of all that had been determined and make it known in all the corners of the kingdom of Universe. He is the chief dictator of all Shaddai's Law and a person skilled in all mysteries and knowledge of mysteries, along with Shaddai and Emmanuel. The three of them are all one in nature. In this story, He was a seer in all matters concerning the King and for the good and comfort of the town of Mansoul. (Also called High Secretary and Lord Secretary.)\n\nConscience: The first and final Recorder of Mansoul. While he was courageous and faithful to speak truth at every opportunity, and equipped with a bold tongue and a head filled with sound judgment, his sin caused him to forget Shaddai's Law at times but at other times to grieve over the sin of Mansoul.\n\nConviction: Shaddai's second captain. Sent to Mansoul by Shaddai, his name refers to the act of compelling one to acknowledge his error or the truth of what is alleged.\n\nCovetousness: A strong or inordinate desire to obtain and possess some supposed good, usually applied to an inordinate desire for wealth or avarice. To fool the town of Mansoul, he called himself Prudent-Thrifty. With this name, and dressed in sheep's clothing, he offered to lease his services to the townsmen.\n\nCredence: Shaddai's fifth captain. One of the five captains who came with Emmanuel to join the siege of Mansoul. His name means reliance of the mind on evidence of facts derived from sources other than personal knowledge.\n\nDamnation: One of Diabolus's captains. His name means sentenced to a state of eternal torment and his role was to be captain over the Grace-doubters.\n\nDarkmouth: One of the wicked offspring of Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection. His name refers to the dark condition of his heart. (The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil, for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. \u2013 Luke 6:45)\n\nDeceit: One of the Diabolians who lived in Mansoul and helped plan the return of the tyrant Diabolus to Mansoul. His name literally means a catching or ensnaring. Results are obtained by guile, fraud, or oppression. He recommended using desperation to make Mansoul question the truth of the love of the heart of their Prince.\n\nDesires-Awake: A humble character that represents Mansoul's desire to awaken spiritually. He is the second messenger to be sent by Understanding, Conscience, Willbewill, and the people of Mansoul to the Prince, while they were held in jail after Emmanuel took over the town.\n\nDiabolian: Follower of the Devil.\n\nDiabolus: The Devil, foe of God, ruler of hell. The deceiver whose crafty lies prompted the fall of Mansoul and who held the city against the conquest of Emmanuel.\n\nDo-Right: Name of the court clerk in Mansoul to whom the captured Diabolians were brought to face trial. In issues of morals and religion, his name means he will do what is just, equitable, and in accordance with the standard of truth and justice or the will of God.\n\nEmmanuel: From the Hebrew name Immanu'el, meaning, \"God is with us,\" the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. In The Holy War story, He is the Son of Shaddai, who leads the campaign to reclaim Mansoul.\n\nEvil-Questioning: A cunning old Diabolian who lived in Mansoul and caused much affliction to the Lord Mayor Understanding. He was charged with questioning the truth of doctrine and entertaining and encouraging doubts.\n\nExecution: Shaddai's fourth captain. Sent by Shaddai to retake Mansoul; his name means carrying into effect a sentence or judgment of court. It also refers to the last act of the law in completing the process by which justice is to be carried out or by which judicial punishment is inflicted.\n\nExpectation: Standard-bearer for Good-Hope. His name means the act of expecting or looking forward to a future event with at least some reason to believe the event will happen.\n\nExperience: A native-born of Mansoul, Experience was named a captain over one thousand by Prince Emmanuel. His name refers to knowledge derived from trials, use, practice, or a series of observations.\n\nFalse-Peace: This name indicates a counterfeit peace. This character satanically brought, held, and kept the town of Mansoul in her apostasy and hellish rebellion, steeped in a false, groundless, and dangerous peace and damnable security.\n\nFeeling: Mr. Feeling stood on the sidelines to encourage Mansoul to rebellion by exciting their passions.\n\nFilth: Filth represents anything that corrupts, sullies, or defiles moral character. Diabolus used Mr. Filth to draw up an odious, nasty, lustful piece of beastliness in writing and posted it on the castle gates. It granted permission to all his true and trusted sons in Mansoul to do whatever their lustful appetites prompted them to do.\n\nFooling: The name of this Diabolian means defeating, disappointing, or deceiving. This character spoke up at the gate to Shaddai's castle, asking that Captain Credence be turned over to Diabolus to save Mansoul.\n\nForget-Good: The Recorder under Diabolus, who despised the Law of Shaddai. He forgot all that was good and delighted in disobedience. He remembered nothing of submission and was prone to do hurtful things to the town of Mansoul and all who lived there.\n\nFury: One of Diabolus's captains. He was placed over the Vocation-doubters (called by the will of God). His name means a storm of anger; madness; turbulence.\n\nGet-i'the-hundred-and-lose-i'the-shire: A hundred in the old county geography of England was a political subdivision of a shire in which one hundred freemen lived with their freeborn families. The total number of hundreds made up the political unity of the shire.\n\nGod's-Peace: God's-Peace surpasses all understanding and guards hearts and minds in Christ. (And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. \u2013 Philippians 4:7) This character was set over Lord Willbewill, Lord Mayor, Mr. Recorder, the secondary preacher, Mr. Mind, and over all the native Mansoulians.\n\nGood-Hope: Shaddai's sixth captain. His name means valid hope that is sound and not weak, false, or fallacious. Opposite of false hope.\n\nHard-Heart: Hard-Heart is an inflexible persistence in sin. This Diabolian's actions kept the town of Mansoul from showing any remorse or sorrow for their natural and moral evils.\n\nHarmless: Mr. Harmless served as the standard-bearer for Commander Innocent. His name means to give bond to save another.\n\nHate-Lies: Mr. Hate-Lies served as a witness against the King's enemies when they were brought before the court. His name means just what it says; he hates lies, which include criminal falsehood, a falsehood uttered for the purpose of deception, or any other intentional violation of truth.\n\nHate-Reproof: One of the wicked offspring of Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection who hates correction because he is carnal, unfeeling, ferocious, insensible, and even stupid as a brutish man. (He that hates reproof is carnal. \u2013 Proverbs 12:1b)\n\nHaughty: His name means proud and disdainful, having a high opinion of one's self with some contempt for others. Other traits include being lofty and arrogant. He taught Mansoul to move loftily and boldly against the summons delivered by the captains of King Shaddai and to speak contemptuously against the King.\n\nHeady: The name of one of the two guns installed upon the tower over Ear-gate. It infers a readiness to rush forward in a rash, hasty, and even violent way without thought or deliberation. These guns were crafted by Puff-Up and designed to bring harm to Shaddai's army.\n\nHigh-Mind: The second of two guns installed above Ear-gate. The term high has many possible meanings in this context, including boastful, ostentatious, arrogant, proud, loud, violent, severe, and oppressive, while the word mind means intention, purpose, or plan. This gun was installed to bring harm to Shaddai's army.\n\nHigh Secretary: One who is equal to Shaddai and Emmanuel, who resides in Mansoul after the victorious conquest of Emmanuel. Represents the Holy Spirit.\n\nHuman Wisdom: One of three young men Shaddai's captains met on the way to Mansoul. Captain Boanerges enlisted him into his company. This name refers to human reasoning rather than heavenly wisdom. When captured, he agreed to switch sides and serve under Diabolus.\n\nIll-Pause: Means temporary pause or hesitation, which brings about a lapse in good judgment.\n\nImpudent: One of the wicked offspring of Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection. Means shameless, lacking modesty, or bold with contempt for others.\n\nIncredulity: A friend of Diabolus and one of the two mayors under his rule. He escapes execution after the recapture of Mansoul. Diabolus rewards him by giving him charge over the entire army of Doubters in the attack against Mansoul. His name means refusal or withholding of belief; unwillingness to believe.\n\nInsatiable: Captain Insatiable served Diabolus as captain over the Faith-doubters. His name means incapable of being satisfied or appeased; very greedy.\n\nInnocent: Lord Innocent's name represents freedom from crime, sin, or guilt; unimpaired integrity. He is a character with an untainted purity of heart and life, who falls dead when he hears his Lord and rightful Prince, Shaddai, so verbally abused by the filthy Diabolian Ill-Pause. After his death, Mansoul opened Ear-gate to Diabolus.\n\nInnocency: Shaddai's fourth captain. One of King Shaddai's captains, not to be confused with Lord Innocent who fell dead when Ill-Pause verbally abused his Prince Shaddai. Commander Innocency was one of the captains sent with Prince Emmanuel to redeem Mansoul. His name means free from guilt, having done no wrong, and not tainted with sin; pure, upright.\n\nInquisitive: A notable, clever fellow who lived in impoverished circumstances and who was inclined to seek to know more via discussion, investigation, or observation.\n\nJudgment: Shaddai's third captain. Sent by Shaddai against Mansoul when Diabolus ruled. His name means the right or power of passing sentence.\n\nKnow-All: Mr. Know-All is called as a witness against the enemies of the King. His name means he has a clear and certain perception of truth, fact, or anything that actually exists.\n\nKnowledge: Emmanuel made Mr. Knowledge the Recorder in place of Mr. Conscience, not because he hadn't performed his duty properly, but because He planned to award another position to Mr. Conscience. His name implies a clear and certain perception of truth and fact.\n\nLasciviousness: One of the Diabolians who was left behind in the town of Mansoul when Emmanuel departed. His name means tendency to excite lust, looseness; irregular indulgence of wantonness. However, as part of the deception, he called himself Harmless-Mirth.\n\nLegion: In the time of Christ, a regiment of the Roman army consisted of six thousand, exclusive of horsemen who numbered a tenth of the footmen. This word is used in Matthew 26:53 and Mark 5:9 to express a great multitude of angels/demons. Bunyan implies the same with this demonic character.\n\nLoth-to-Stoop: This character represents a stubborn unbeliever set in his ways who is prideful and unwilling to be humble before the Lord.\n\nLove-Flesh: Love-Flesh was given to unlawful indulgence of lust. He was placed as governor of Sweet-Sin Hold and was addicted to fornication. He had no limit to his desires and found more sweetness when drinking of a lust than he did in all the paradise of God.\n\nLove-no-Good: Love-no-Good was a townsman but also a Diabolian. He was mortally wounded as Emmanuel's army worked to break into Mansoul, but his life lingered for a time. He hated all that God's Law required and embraced evil behavior.\n\nLove-no-Light: Governor of Midnight Hold for Diabolus, which was built purposely to keep Mansoul from the true knowledge of itself. In other words, he kept Mansoul in the dark regarding its true condition.\n\nLove-to-Mansoul: The name of the runner used by Shaddai's captains to send a message to Shaddai, to inform Him of how the war for Mansoul was progressing. The \"love\" in his name is like that of patriotism or the attachment one has to his native land.\n\nLucifer: According to Strong's Concordance, Lucifer means \"shining one, light-bearer,\" which refers to his condition before he was cast out of heaven, and is the Latinization of the Hebrew name of the angel leading the forces opposing Yahweh.\n\nLustings: Having an eager desire; a carnal appetite. Lord Lustings was a Diabolian who had neither eyes nor ears and served as Mayor under Diabolus. He operated by sheer natural impulse like a beast and never favored good but rather chose evil.\n\nMan's-Invention: One of three young men Shaddai's captains met on the way to Mansoul, and the one Captain Boanerges enlisted into his company. This name is referring to discovery or the finding of one's own way in the world. When captured, he agreed to switch sides and serve under Diabolus.\n\nMr. Mind: Represents man's fleshly, unregenerate mind until he receives Prince Emmanuel into Mansoul. (And you, that were in another time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled you. \u2013 Colossians 1:21)\n\nMischief: A Diabolian who was consulted about how to deliver Mansoul into the hands of Diabolus again. The name means to bring harm, hurt, injury, damage, or evil, whether intended or not.\n\nMors: The Latin noun for death.\n\nMurder: Lord Murder, a Diabolian still living within Mansoul when Prince Emmanuel departed due to Mansoul's sin. (Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. \u2013 1 John 3:15)\n\nNo-Ease: Set as captain over the Salvation-doubters unit in Diabolus's army. His name represents the absence of a state of quiet tranquility and replaces it with concerns and anxieties regarding assurance of salvation.\n\nNo-Truth: The character No-Truth works to wipe out the truth. He defaced the image of King Shaddai and in its place set up the horrid and dreadful image of Diabolus as a way to show contempt for the former King and degrade His town of Mansoul. His task was to turn Mansoul into a brute savage at heart.\n\nPast-Hope: Captain Past-Hope served as captain over the Felicity-doubters in Diabolus's army. His name represents the loss of hope. His symbol of a hot iron and the hard heart represents a seared conscience and a hardened heart.\n\nPatience: Shaddai's fifth captain. Another of the captains who joined Prince Emmanuel to redeem Mansoul. His name represents the act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent.\n\nPenny-wise-pound-foolish: Stingy about small expenditures and extravagant with large ones.\n\nPitiless: A Diabolian who turned Mansoul's mind from the truth or any thoughts that would have led her to repentance. Pitiless shows no pity but traitorously and wickedly shuts up kindness, tenderness, and compassion, so Mansoul wasn't allowed to grieve the abandonment of the faith she had professed in her rightful King.\n\nPitiful: Mr. Pitiful served as the standard-bearer for Captain Charity, and his name means full of pity; tender, compassionate, having a heart to feel sorrow and sympathy for the distressed.\n\nPromise: Mr. Promise carried the standard for Captain Conviction. His name means a binding declaration of something to be done or given for another's benefit.\n\nPrejudice: One who holds an opinion or forms a decision without due examination of the facts or arguments, which are necessary to reach a just and impartial determination. This character, Mr. Prejudice, is an angry, ill-tempered fellow, who captains the area at Ear-gate.\n\nProfane: Mr. Profane was the messenger chosen by the Diabolians to carry messages to Diabolus, inviting him to come back and take over Mansoul. His name reflects opposition to all things holy.\n\nPrywell: Prywell loved the people of Mansoul and walked the streets vigilantly because he feared some harm would befall Mansoul, either from the Diabolians within the town or from some power outside the walls. He walked the streets and paid close attention to everything to see or hear whether a plan against it might be in the works or not. His name means to inspect closely; to attempt to discover something with scrutinizing curiosity.\n\nPuff-Up: Inflated with pride, vanity, or conceit. He was Diabolus's founder.\n\nRage: Captain over Diabolus's Election-doubter regiment of his army. His name means violent anger accompanied by furious words, gestures, or agitation.\n\nReason: When Emmanuel and His army took possession of Mansoul, Captain Innocency lived in Mr. Reason's home. His name reflects the faculty of the mind by which it distinguishes truth from falsehood and good from evil, and enables the possessor to deduce inferences from facts or from propositions.\n\nResistance: Mr. Resistance, also known as Captain Resistance, was a great man in Mansoul whom the giant Diabolus and his band feared more than they feared the whole town. Captain Resistance was the only man of war in the town when Diabolus came to the gate. Once they killed him, resistance was gone, and Mansoul lacked courage because his death left Mansoul without the heart to resist, which was what the Devil had planned all along.\n\nRevenge: One of the wicked daughters of Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection. Her name means to inflict pain or injury in return for an injury (real or imagined) received.\n\nScorn-Truth: One of the wicked daughters of Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection. She despises the truth.\n\nSearch-Truth: One of King Shaddai's witnesses in court. The name means pursuit or hunt for truth.\n\nSecure: One of Diabolus's captains, killed when Emmanuel's army started to reclaim Mansoul. He was the captain who said even the blind and lame in Mansoul could protect against Emmanuel's army and keep the gates from falling. His name means not alarmed, not disturbed by fear; confident of safety. Captain Conviction cut off the head of Captain Secure with a two-handed sword.\n\nSelf-Conceit: A Diabolian left in Mansoul after Emmanuel took possession. His name means false pride, having an exaggerated sense of self-importance.\n\nSelf-Denial: A brave young man and townsman in Mansoul whom Emmanuel made a captain over a thousand Mansoulians. He was placed at Eye-gate and Ear-gate to protect against the blood-men. His name means the denial of one's self, refraining from gratifying one's own appetites or desires.\n\nSepulcher: Captain Sepulcher was placed over the Glory-doubters in Diabolus's army. His name represents the thought that there is no life beyond the grave and implies the smell of death when he is placed at Nose-gate.\n\nShaddai: In this story, the King of the Universe. Also the builder and creator of Mansoul, whose image it bears. El Shaddai is one of the Judaic names for God.\n\nSlight-Good: One of the wicked daughters of Carnal-Lust and Vile-Affection. Her name means to disregard good as a thing of little value and unworthy of notice.\n\nSpite-God: Governor over the Hold of Defiance, which was constructed as a command center to keep Mansoul from the knowledge of its ancient King. This character was a blasphemous wretch who came against Mansoul in the beginning with the disorderly, vulgar crowd. His name means deep-seated and relentless malice; chronic hatred toward God.\n\nSuffer-Long: The standard-bearer for Captain Patient. His name means bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient, not easily provoked.\n\nSweet-World: Pleasing to the eye, ear, taste, or nose. One of the traders put into the marketplace to deceive Mansoul; they became caught up in business and grew to be full and rich in order for Diabolus to gain ground on them.\n\nTake-Heed-What-You-Hear: The name of the trumpeter who announced the arrival of Shaddai's forces at Mansoul and delivered His message of mercy. The name means to listen and pay attention to what you hear.\n\nTell-True: Tell-True served as a witness in court against the King's enemies. His name means that all he testified was in accordance with the actual state of things.\n\nTisiphone: Means avenging murder, in Greek. This was the name of one of the Furies in Greek mythology. She killed Cithaeron with the bite of one of the snakes on her head.\n\nTorment: Diabolus's captain in charge of the Resurrection-doubters. His name represents extreme pain or anguish of an eternal nature.\n\nTradition: One of three young men Shaddai's captains met on the way to Mansoul. Captain Boanerges enlisted him into his company because he seemed to be a man of courage. This name refers to the traditions of men, not the traditions of God. (Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not after Christ. \u2013 Colossians 2:8) When captured, he agreed to switch sides and serve under Diabolus.\n\nTrue-Man: True-Man was one of those whom Emmanuel brought from His Father's court when He first made war upon Diabolus in the town of Mansoul. He made him jailer in the town of Mansoul. His name represents one who is faithful, steady in adhering to friends, promises, and the Prince. He is not false, fickle, or disloyal.\n\nUnderstanding: Having insight and good judgment. The first and final Mayor of Mansoul. Diabolus removed him from his position of distinction and honor, because he was a seeing man. Thus, he deprived Understanding of seeing what he was doing by building a high, strong tower that stood between the sun's light and the windows of Understanding's palace, and so darkened his entire house. This represents a darkened understanding. Later, when Understanding hears Diabolus has rejected Shaddai's offer of mercy and grace, he gets together with Mr. Conscience, gathers some of the town, and begins to help them see the reasonableness of the noble captains' demands.\n\nVouch-Truth: One of the King's witnesses in court. The name means guarantee the truth or facts.\n\nWet-Eyes: Wet-Eyes accompanied Desires-Awake when he carried a petition to Emmanuel a second time. He was a poor man with a broken spirit, but one who could speak well to a petition.\n\nWillbewill: Based on the phrase \"What will be will be\" \u2013 something said when stuck in a hopeless and unchangeable situation which one has come to accept. In this case, Willbewill starts out as a servant of Shaddai but then shifts his allegiance to Diabolus when the city is captured. His fickle thoughts under Shaddai prolonged the war because he didn't seem to favor one side more than the other. Then when he is brought to repentance and wrapped in Emmanuel's everlasting arms, he ruled under the Prince for the good of the town of Mansoul.\n\nWould-Live: The one chosen to carry the petition drawn up by Understanding, Mr. Conscience, Willbewill, and the people of Mansoul when Emmanuel jailed them after taking over the town. In his name the word would denotes a sense of wishing or praying, so his name means praying or wishing to live.\n\nAbout the Author\n\nJohn Bunyan was born in November 1628, in Elstow, England. A celebrated English minister and preacher, he wrote The Pilgrim's Progress (1678), the book that was the most characteristic expression of the Puritan religious outlook. His other works include doctrinal and controversial writings; a spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding (1666); and the allegory, The Holy War (1682).\nThe Holy War \u2013 John Bunyan\n\nUpdated Edition Copyright \u00a9 2016\n\nFirst edition published 1682\n\nAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means \u2013 electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.\n\nScripture quotations are taken from the Jubilee Bible, copyright \u00a9 2000, 2001, 2010, 2013 by Life Sentence Publishing, Inc. Used by permission of Life Sentence Publishing, Inc., Abbotsford, Wisconsin. All rights reserved.\n\nCover Design: Natalia Hawthorne, BookCoverLabs.com\n\neBook Icon: Icons Vector/Shutterstock\n\nEditors: Donna Sundblad, Sheila Wilkinson, and Ruth Zetek\n\nEditor (The Life of John Bunyan): Paul Miller\n\nPrinted in the United States of America\n\nAneko Press \u2013 Our Readers MatterTM\n\nwww.anekopress.com\n\nAneko Press, Life Sentence Publishing, and our logos are trademarks of\n\nLife Sentence Publishing, Inc.  \n203 E. Birch Street  \nP.O. Box 652  \nAbbotsford, WI 54405\n\nFICTION / Christian / Classic & Allegory\n\nPaperback ISBN: 978-1-62245-300-9\n\neBook ISBN: 978-1-62245-301-6\n\n10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1\n"], [" \nThe Wings\n\nof a Broken Bird:\n\nBy Christine Wood\n\nCopyright \u00a9 by C Wood 2020\n\nAny resemblance, to people, events, and places,\n\nWritten within the pages of this book, is purely coincidental.\n\nAs this is a work of total fiction, all characters depicted in this work of fiction.\n\nThis e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.\n\nThis eBook. May not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this, book and did not purchase it, or it wasn't purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.\n\nWarning: I am a hopeless dyslexic, and please bear that in mind when reading, I have had them Grammar checked. Please focus on the story and if there are major issues please let me know...\n\nAlso UK & US are minefields of miss matched grammar.\n\nTyre vs. Tire & my favourite Arse vs. Ass\n\nChapter 1:\n\nI am on my way to see my mother, a task I have rather successfully put off doing, until now. I am heading to see her with Jess, my daughter. Who thankfully has had enough in her life to distract her from talking about my mother much, though she did ask, and I say thankfully again, because it was no more than a handful of times that her name was mentioned too. Jess, she was smart and could see it pained me to talk about her grandmother not being around or even why that was, and because of my daughters very intelligent, caring and thoughtful mind, I was blessed with never having to explain the whys and wherefores of my mother never being a part of her life.\n\nAlas all good things come to an end eventually, things generally do, as I have found to my own personal cost many times in my life. I watch as my hyper and very deep thinking daughter is chewing her pen and doing her umpteenth list of questions to ask her grandmother. I guess as I have never spoken about her, she has a right to ask the source of my loathing the questions she did not want to ask me. Though it was my idea she wrote the damned list, I do dread those questions being asked by Jess, and there will be plenty when eventually they do meet. If they meet, Mother may not turn up, as she did many times when I was growing up. I will not have Jess hurt by my mother, as I was.\n\n\"Mom, when we get there, will Grandma like me?\" Now do I be honest with my girl, or do I dash her hopes and tell her I thinks she is up to no good, or do I lie to protect her? I play the good mother and lie and hope to God my mother has changed.\n\n\"She will love you Little Bird, after all what's not to like? You're smart, independent and very beautiful. You have all the qualities Grandma likes in people.\" I know my mother does love these qualities in a child, because she told me often enough that I lacked them. Jess, she's a bright young lady and she will see through my mother's games, and I will be there to catch her when my mother ruins Jess's dreams, and she will. This dream is about having her beloved great-grandmother back once more. Alas my mother, unlike her mother, isn't a nice old woman, she is nothing like my beloved grandmother, who is known or rather was known as Grandy to me and Duchess to Jess.\n\nYou can't really tell a fifteen year old about things she has never had or witnessed in her life before, especially things concerning me and that woman. There were good things about her, pre-me, that Jess could be proud of, many things actually, because my mother was a once great actress. So Jess had at least this to look forward to talking to her about. It's what came after her fall from grace that is not easy to talk about, I have never spoken about my mother's problems, because I didn't need to, it's out there on the super highway. Stories about how she became just another has been actress, a washed-up, drunken and drug taking prostitute, to name a few of my mother's demons. She could have changed, and I really have to hope she has. I don't relish having to dash my daughter's illusions before I have to. I'm sure Mother will do that with no help from me, she has past form for it, losing it in public and in great style too.\n\nShe went spectacularly mad before my birth, when news of her habitual drug taking, whilst pregnant, hit the newsstands, and she had a very public breakdown. One which had her locked away until after she gave birth to me, she was sectioned by Grandy, to ween her from those same said drugs, drugs, that thanks to her I was born addicted to. After she had me they passed me over to Grandy to raise, they had to, as she wanted to drown me as soon as she saw me, as all little bastards should be, and she kept the threats to drown me coming, and for many years too. Though these threats Grandy got, they were never in the flesh threats, no that would have meant her coming to see me.\n\nWe were however treated to the occasional strange telephone threats and those very wordy letter threats, when she was off her meds, or high. Grandy's determination to keep her out of both of our lives wasn't a task she had to do with great gusto either, as mother never bothered to come to see us when her life was perfect, but when it hit the flusher, boy did we know about it, and she did it rather successfully over the years too, hit the flusher? I think we met that mother about a dozen times as I was growing up, and it was during those visits that I was told I was nothing to her but a disappointment, and that was fine, the feelings were reciprocated by both Grandy and I, because to me, she was and still is nothing but a name on a birth certificate to me. Sad but true, disappointment does breed contempt. That bumper sticker was at least in my case, true.\n\nIt was such a shame too, because before my birth, she was the highest and most in demand Hollywood actress the studio had, and her films made money for everyone. With eight big films under her belt, good films too, ones that gave her a countless number of awards and accolades. Which now adorned her shelves, even Grandy said she was something spectacular to see, and I have to admit the movies I saw of Mommy Dearest, yes, she was good. What happened to change her nobody knew, a jilted lover, one sniff to much of the white powder or a breakdown? She, it seems, became bad overnight and just months before my birth. What happened to change her I can't imagine? I know the film she did in Ireland, the same film where she met my father, was her last good film and I know, because Grandy still has the awards she got for it.\n\nAfter filming wrapped, my mother stayed on in Ireland, because she was having a fling with the married lead actor, so they had stopped on in the house Grandy owned there. They were inseparable and stopped there whilst waiting for the film to be finished off in editing and production. They were apparently blissfully in love, but something changed her whilst she was stopping there, that was all Grandy said. She refused to talk to Grandy about it, but I was sure Grandy knew what it was, but never said and she took the secret to her grave. Whatever it was turned my mother into a bad person. She drank heavily, even whilst pregnant with me. So much so, she didn't know she was having me and it was too late to terminate.\n\nThe married actor wasn't fooled into thinking I was his and he dumped her pretty quickly after she told him she was having his child, that was not possible, because he'd had the chop. So she was left on her own and desperate and used harder drugs to rid herself of me, which was why Grandy had her locked away, and which was why I was to be brought up by my Grandy. Something I'm thankful for and as it was, she was no great loss in my life. She was an expert at throwing away a good thing in her life, preferring the demons she courted instead.\n\nMommy, she chose then to marry for money instead of working for it, and she picked up rich ex's, husbands, many rich fianc\u00e9s and many rich married lovers. She got rich men in great quantity and in many various lands too, and most whilst holidaying on her yacht. There was it seems more than sightseeing done for her on holiday, she picked up a gullible rich man wherever she went. My mother was up to at least husband number seven in her ex-husband collecting, this hobby, job career, call it what you want, this alone had made her a very wealthy woman, which was good, I guess? It has given her a nice nest egg, supposedly a nest egg for her to enjoy in her golden years, all those thirty pieces of silver, from those gullible men, garnered her nothing but loneliness. All that money and yet it never seemed to bring her any happiness and as it turned out, Karma was indeed keeping an eye on my mother, because that easily got money was easily lost too.\n\nSome years later, she got a sudden life boost if you will, she was offered the role to bring her back her fading fame in a great way, with that great role came a great script, an amazing cast and crew, she had a way back to her much yearned for stardom. We were treated to a phone call telling us to expect people knocking on our door for stories, we were shocked that she was even up for the role, but happy for her to have her new moment. It would mean she left us alone. Alas that never happened, why we were surprised God only knows? Her much publicised come back role in that great new movie, backfired with drastic consequence to her personally, to her finances and to her health. Despite the much publicised re-launch of her once glittering career, it never came to fruition, despite her telling anyone who would listen the next Oscar was hers, though she got the film role that would, if she had not messed it all, it could lead her back to the once many red carpet appearances and allow her talent to shine once more.\n\nSo, when she was fired from the movie, she did something vengeful and something that, had I been her, I would not have started, she decided to sue them for dropping her from it. It was such a big mistake on her part, because they came prepared to take her on in court, rather than bankrupt the movie, they trashed her publicly. I never understood her bringing such a frivolous case, they were stupid in even trying, they should have just taken the film company offered her, which was nothing to sniff at, for less than a two weeks on the set. She should have grabbed the settlement and moved on, but no, she wanted the publicity the case would bring, or rather her son and my half-brother Declan did. Why they bothered even starting it I don't know, because everything about the film producer's reasons for firing her, were true? When she inevitably lost, the studio counter sued for their costs and they won, they won because of her failure to declare her on-going mental health and associated drug problems. She had not got a leg to stand on.\n\nShe'd only got the role because Declan had a medical report faked, one which Mother needed to pass, it needed to show she was free from drugs and clean, they both knew there would be no film without it. The studio, they took her on and regretted it almost instantly, she was as I said, two whole weeks into filming and started having problems and they had to replace her, they couldn't lose thousands upon thousands of dollars for each day she was laid up in her trailer feeling unwell. Was she so naive to think that they wouldn't check everything when she started to fall apart, they did and that's when Declan sued them for dropping her? I suspect it was madness and or greed on his part, who knows why they did it but those two idiots? The paperwork and medical documents that the studio produced, let's just say they were very good and they ruined her, embarrassed her and drove her into hiding, because not only did they show her to be a habitual drug user and drunk, but they revealed all of her past misdemeanours, and shock horror, all about her arrest for soliciting, which was a shock for Grandy too, she knew some things and not the others.\n\nYes, she lost the case, and after all her dirty washing was aired in public, not only did she lose her last chance to get some easy money, she not only lost that, but she also lost what little reputation she had left, but she also lost her credibility, that film and her son's actions cost her dearly. It all backfired so very horribly for her. Losing the case cost her millions in legal fees, both hers and theirs, but it also ruined her making money from simply being her, her money in the prior years before the film, was made from selling herself as a public figure, after all there weren't many millionaires courting her, so the money she made from her weddings and her glamorous life, that too stopped coming in, because her life then lacked credibility.\n\nSo then she became a recluse, pretty damn sharpish after that. That court case was her last big splash on the world too. She had all too often courted the mad, bad publicity machine of the press and television news, she had always been happy to sell her latest wedding to a magazine. She had ridden the publicity train most of her acting life. Then when it unceremoniously dumped her at station unknown, she disappeared into her other world and out of mine too! I'll give her, her dues, she knows when to quit, because she did the quitting so well and failed often: as a mother, a daughter, a film star and at being a loyal wife, though she succeeded in being a drunk and drugged up has been. I may be a little bitter towards my mother, for some strange reason... Jess is asking questions again and I have to wonder when will she ever stop? I laugh inside, not until she knows everything, that's when.\n\n\"She's taken her sweet time replying to my letters, why the change in heart Mom?\" I shook my head, I don't know my mother, nor her reasons for us demanding we come and see her. I had to wonder why the change had come about too. My mother had never asked to see Jess or me in the last fifteen years and she had hardly seen me in the nineteen years prior to Jess's birth either. I'd had the odd weekend at the castle in Scotland, or the occasional trip to her latest husbands place with Grandy, when she was happy, but I'd had nothing since having Jess, and I mean nothing, not even a card or a phone call to say congratulations.\n\nJess had never asked about my mother much, as it made me unhappy, nor did she ask much about her father either, well not in any detail anyway, she heard things but not from me, not from the horse's mouth, so I was shocked when she unexpectedly asked me about them and she said wanted to know, warts-n-all. I know why Jess had the sudden need to know all about her hidden family, a class project was the reason for the sudden interest in her roots. She said they were doing a family history tree in school and she asked for the 'warts-n-all version' not the muted one she got from those she had already asked. I always said, when she was old enough to understand, I would tell her everything, it wasn't a secret, she just never asked. It was the day I had dreaded forever and when she asked about them, that day it was finally here. I'd always told myself that when the day came, I would tell her everything, but when it did, I chickened out and I just told her the need to know things.\n\nI don't have any regrets of how my life has panned out and in the most, it's been fantastic apart from one major happening in my life, a happening that caused many horrific aftershocks for me and my family, which were far more devastating than the happening itself. My earthquake lead to a horrid tsunami of total devastation for me and it wiped me out and made the rebuilding of my life so much harder to do. My fresh start had to be done on sandy ground, unfortunately for me there were patches of quicksand there too and it swallowed me feet first and the more I struggled, the more bogged down I became, but thankfully I had many ropes thrown to me. They pulled me out of my bad place, kicking and screaming, my little girl, Jessica Jay Bird, was the best thing I clung on to.\n\nTelling my daughter about her father, added a little more regret to my life. I regretted that I had lied to my daughter for the first time ever, when we had the 'who she was' talk. Yes, I lied when it came time for telling her the warts-n-all about him, instead I told her he was just a drunken onetime thing I'd had with someone, someone I did not remember, there was no name, no photos nothing at all, it had happened because I was drunk. I had never done that to her before, lied.\n\nAs the words slipped from my mouth, my heart sank. I had told her I was drunk at a university party and had unprotected sex with someone, even possibly more than one person, and so I hadn't a clue her father was. That was one hell of a big regret, my need to lie to her about her father. I added that one to the biggest regret ever, not telling Ben who was her wonderful, loving, caring and beautiful father, who was also in the same breath, a cheating, lying waste of a man, a man who broke my heart and made it impossible for me to love again.\n\nLoving him was the quicksand that kept me bogged down. I couldn't move on from him, because he was my first love and my one true love. When you fall in love as we had done, quickly and deeply, and for it to end suddenly, without a chance for more, it was just too hard to move on from, because our love was all-consuming. Unfortunately for me, it did not diminish as I got older and as all those years passed me by, the pain I felt at his betrayal lessened slightly, but my love for him it was still there and as strong as it ever was.\n\nHow I wish I could just wake up and not remember him, one morning would be enough, but not a chance in hell, I had a constant reminder to feed every single one of those mornings, because his double was sat across from me at the breakfast table and her smiling face looked back at me, with his same beautiful eyes and his dark hair, she had his funny little leave me alone temper and his concentration, she was him in everything she did, my angel lived on through her.\n\nI should have told him he was going to be a father before he died. Should-a, could-a, would-a, oh how I wished I had. Yes... I knew who her father was because I'd only ever slept with him, and we had been together for only ten months. Ten wonderful months, when I found myself pregnant, and after learning about his betrayal, I was understandably a little confused when he died. Even now my feelings are a mess, love and hate are in the same breath as hurt and happiness, there was also my loyalty and his betrayal in my head too. I always asked Grandy do they always go together hand in hand, being sad yet happy? I will tell Jessica one day the whole truth, one day when I think she can handle it. Hahaha, who am I trying to kid, that's more likely to be when I think I can handle it, she's a smart kid. She's smarter than I was at her age.\n\nI wasn't spoken to for almost a week, after I told her that her mother was a slutty party girl, who never asked for her father's name. She didn't ignore me as such, but there were none of our usual Mom and Daughter chats in the evening because she was processing it all. She did exactly as her father did, she went away, thought about it and came back. She came back with more questions, and she expected answers, but not about her father, I think finding out I didn't know killed her respect for me a little that day, hell it killed mine too. She did come back with questions, but about her grandma.\n\nI'd always told her the bare minimum about my mother too, but she was easier to research thanks to the internet, thankfully not having her father's name hampered her efforts there. She wanted to know then about the great Daniella Gabriella Ware-Kullberg, the once great actress and now, she was a surprisingly much acclaimed author, who had written a farce of a book that she claimed to be her memoirs. Why did I ever buy the damn book again, because it had brought her back into my world, and along with it, the damned questions, about why was I not in it more? Being her daughter, yes, she had really skirted over the fact that she had me, a hard thing to ignore in your memoirs, but she managed quite well. I get a passage or two of a mention and there's the odd photograph, some of which I had taken, and she had used.\n\nI was referred to as the mistake offspring of her hour long tryst, with a Red Indian stunt rider, one she'd simply had drunken sex with, in her trailer and one who's name had escaped her. She waxed lyrical about its being just the once, during the film she was making, but once was enough to impregnated her with his spawn. She had with him, produced a now estranged half-blood Red Indian daughter, a daughter who preferred to live with her father, playing with the other raggedy arsed Indians on the reservation. Yes very lyrically and incorrect, because none of us were raggedy arsed anything. She also mentions she is a grandmother, through me and that she now has a granddaughter, so she must have known about Jess all along.\n\nShe doesn't go into detail about her son either. My half-brother Declan. He, for her, was a lot harder to escape from than I was. She had nobody to dump him on and forget about. He was her much publicized bad boy son party loving and spoilt, a son, who at fifteen was accused of rape. He was a major screw up, a head case and the son of a man who fixed his problems for him and her. Alas his father was just unable to fix his son. The girl dropped the charges before it went to court. She suddenly remembered she might have said yes, she had a flashback and remembered consenting to their union, another farce. I'd had a feeling his father stepped up to save his psycho son, again. After he had escaped that crime, he became an even nastier piece of work, than he was before, he was a true chip of the old block, he too was a drunk, pill popping idiot, a true psychotic bastard, and all before his sixteenth birthday.\n\nHe had always been bad for as long as I can remember, the first time I saw true evil, it was seeing him lose it, and he was just ten at the time. He was sent to stop with us for the summer, Mommy Dearest, she was on her fourth or fifth marriage, and Grandy was left with little choice to take him in, because he and his nanny turned up on the doorstep. I hadn't seen much of Declan growing up, both he and Mom stayed away, so it was a shock him there when I returned from school. Grandy cancelled our holiday and we stopped for a week with them, the nanny and the boy, and lord was I was glad we did. We, Declan and I were taking breakfast on Grandy's bedroom balcony, overlooking the Thames. It was a sunny morning and Percival, Lulu and the rest of the yapping pug family Grandy adored, were doing their happy yapping at my feet, in preparation for my giving them their plate of liver, kidneys and bacon, yes they were spoilt.\n\nI was feeding them it when Percy asked Declan for some of his, he pushed him away making him yelp, I cuddled Percy and gave him his treat, putting him down he went to ask Declan again. What happened next made me violently ill, he picked him up and threw him to his death, as he landed on the boatshed roof. I screamed as he went for Lulu and the rest. He then had Lulu in his arms and was throwing her too, but I smacked him in his nose so hard he dropped her into my arms. Putting her down, I continued hitting him, but the frenzied barking of the dogs combined with my screaming made Grandy come a running.\n\nShe saw poor Percy and boy did she thrash Declan's arse raw, he was dispatched with his sore bottom, bust nose and lip and his nanny, back to his stepfather's yacht within the hour. I already hated the boy and I knew that day I had seen true evil, he was deeply disturbed and mental, and I was right he would never change. He carried on being an arse, all his life. All of his wrong doings were out there on the super internet highway, his pictures appeared in various tabloids, and he found it hard to escape from the press because when you seek them out to court publicity, as both he and mother used to. They are a double bladed sword when you hope to rule their airways, you can't choose what they print when it suits you, unfortunately for him as they hated him, it was never anything good.\n\nMe? They never found, and if they did, I was just a boring American college professor and attorney, and I don't think I was newsworthy enough. I didn't exist in their world anymore and hadn't done for the past fifteen wonderful years. Thank the Lord... I have, according to the book, refused her all contact and in doing so kept her grandchild away from her. If they only knew the real reason why, her and that farcical book would be dead in the water. She wrote too that I was a wild hippy child, traits I'd inherited from both her crazy mother and my savage father, both free spirits. She also penned more lies stating, I'm currently finding myself in Arizona! There's a smidge of the truth hidden in that sentence, one sentence out of seven hundred pages of pure bull shit...\n\nChapter 2:\n\nI had no need to find myself. I knew who I was. I am Sara Nascha Bird and yes, I had lived the past wonderful fifteen years in Arizona, on my father's ranch there. The place where I had spent all my summers and holidays, from the very first visit when I was a month old. I had spent nineteen long and happy summers there, along with my crazy Grandy and my loving father and his wife Sara. She was my mother in all but birth. She, on all my long breaks there, cared for me and loved me. I think if she'd had her way I would have stopped there, but Dad said Grandy was my legal guardian, a deal they'd had to make with the devil who was my mother, and one he understood, but between them I was loved and cared for. Sara had succumbed to cancer when I was just twelve and I missed her and her wisdom.\n\nFifteen years ago, I came home for good to have my daughter, I was just nineteen and afraid. There would be no more visits back to London and there would be no more having to face danger. I had decided we were stopping in Arizona, and I never looked back. A place that had always been good to me, very good. It was there where I finally considered home, a place where I was happy, and it was a place where Jess thrived, because we were safe. The home we have here is just that home, a happy safe and wonderful sun filled home. Jess loves it and I feel at peace her, most days anyway.\n\nWe keep a small office in the small town of White River, to deal with things on the reservation were Jess was raised, though we have lived for the past five years, since my father's death, in Tucson to be near Jess's school and my work. We still spent every weekend at the horse ranch, because it's still the best place on the planet, with Mother Nature right on our back porch. I thank God it almost runs itself mid-week, with the help of the manager Cane and the hands, our wild Mustangs rule my land and the rest has cattle grazing on it.\n\nDad had always said when he retired that he would like to once again make contact with mother earth and enjoy the fruits of his labour. The ranch, it was Mother Sara's baby, her farm and horse ranch. She was the one who taught me to ride, whilst Grandy taught me to shoot, and the men on the ranch showed me how to hunt. I was not your typical little girl. I was a kick arse rebel, more boy than girl, my father used to call me his little renegade. However, I was also a straight-A-student, both here and at my other home, in Richmond, Surrey. So much so, I was in university at just seventeen years of age and learning the family business, because I wanted to be a lawyer just like my Daddy.\n\nUnfortunately for Dad, he never was able to retire, because he died before he could, of a stupid blood clot of all things. From an injury sustained when he crushed his leg and pelvis in a freak riding accident. He'd fallen off his horse, when it was spooked by a rattlesnake. He'd been out riding with poor Jess, who then had to ride hard to get help, after she tried unsuccessfully to move him and the dead horse on top of him, for hours, but it was far too heavy. He and the horse had rolled down a ravine and landed in a crushed heap at the bottom. Jess was a wreck for quite a while, thinking she could have done more. We nearly gave up the ranch that summer, and came back to live in England, such was our despair losing Dad. We stopped put, because Grandy said we had to continue to live the life my father wanted for Jess. To be free and happy. I agreed.\n\nWe continued getting visits from The Duchess in the following years, and it was decided by Grandy that she wanted to take Jess on one of her extremely big adventures, having promised her one for years. I finally, after a lot of persuasion on both their parts, decided she could do it in her final year at high school, and before she went to college. The Duchess though failed to deliver, because she too died, but she died peacefully in her sleep, before they could do the longed for trip last year.\n\nShe'd got a bad bout of influenza and couldn't shake it, she said it was the sharp winds of Tibet that had caused the chest pains and damn bad cold she couldn't get rid of! She felt so bad, she said she felt it would do her in and it did. Her death was far worse than losing the other people in my life, because she was my rock, my strength and my best friend. She was someone I wished I was just a little like, her with her wild carefree spirit and her sense of adventure and fun, she was eight-seven when she died and still trekking, damn she was adventurous, she was fearless and fantastic, so what happened to me?\n\nShe did however leave me with the dilemma of what to do about the trip. Her dying before she could take Jess on her big European adventure, was her only regret in her long and wonderful life, she made me promise to do the trip in her place, and as I had promised Grandy that I would do the trip with her if she could not, and I had agreed to it just to shut her up the night before she died, so I could hardly renege on a death bed promise, even though I didn't know it was one at the time. I ended up promising Jess I would do it as a tribute to Grandy.\n\nThen the farce that was my mother entered the picture. Jess had finally got a reply back from her grandma, after doing an internet search she wrote to her. Actually, she'd written many letters over the past six months, something she'd kept from me. When she showed me the reply to her last letter, I just knew on that fateful day, that my past would come back to haunt me. She wasn't the only one shocked to hear from her. I had long since put my mother and brother out of my mind. I often dreamed that they had never existed, such a wonderful dream. She'd never asked me questions about them until the dratted book and family tree thing came into our home.\n\nJess was just ten when Dad died and fourteen when the Duchess died, they told her things. I knew she had asked them the questions she thought she could not ask me. They then gave her their limited versions and knowledge of my past, and hers, how could they not? Jess was a persistent little thing when she had to be and had this way of getting what she wanted without you realising she had! Jess was the sunshine and the pleasure in all our lives. She had done so well in her last year that I couldn't renege on the deal I had made with Grandy, even if I wanted too. Besides, I thought it was time, time to try at least to be a little free spirited like Grandy. Ha, I wish. Jess yes, me? That's a big no. Smart I may be, but real world, real life smart? I am not.\n\nI had a detailed list of places that meant a lot to Grandy and they were places she spoke to Jess about all the time. When the Duchess died last year, we inherited a plethora of houses, chalets and cabins to choose to holiday in, in the places Grandy had promised to show her, where there to be seen and I decided what the hell, why the heck not? Then there was my once beautiful home in Surrey, my magical childhood home and my castle on the banks of the Thames, but it hasn't been lived in for the past year, not since her passing anyhow. I had worked so hard in the past year, we both had and yes, I decided we were taking two months off, almost three actually. We had ten weeks to see the world and do touristy things and educational things. We were both excited to start, and it started today, when we got on this darned plane... Money was no object to our doing this and I am educated enough to home school my daughter as we travel.\n\nWhen they died, they left me very well off, Dad left me the law firm, his horse ranch and his land, which had been in his family for generations. I was always told it was mine to care for, for Jess, just as he had cared for it for me, he didn't own it, he was just borrowing it from me. As the many generations before him had, as would the many who came after Jess would, each borrowing it from a future generation. He would tell me it was mine, but for just a short time as it had been for generations, but in that short time we had to make our natural mark and leave it healthy for the future. So now I too was borrowing it from Jess.\n\nI had always been wealthy, thankfully money had never been a problem, and so I could invest and care for the land we were borrowing and care for it I intended to do. It is thanks to my grandmother, the affectionately named Grandy, or The Duchess by Jess. The Duchess of Welling, the right honourable Jessica Ware, she had made sure I was provided for and she provided for Jess too, not that we needed it as I earned good money, because my practice thrived. I love my work, I love my daughter, and I love the land on which we live. I'm eager to see the things mapped out for us by Grandy. Some I had seen, others were a new and exciting mystery, one we are heading out to have.\n\nThough thanks to Jess, we were now adding in a visit to see my mother to the trip. Apart for that trip, we are doing it to the list, and just as Jess wanted it to happen and apparently so did Grandy! Though she would not be allowing Jess to see her grandmother. I though, I have little or no choice, because Jess is that strong willed, she would only sneak off and go it alone, so it's best we do it together. We would stop for a few days in a hotel and be a little spoilt and then go home to Richmond Surrey.\n\nI am having it looked at whilst we are in the hotel, getting it cleaned and getting the place aired. Jess had loved the Duchess's tales of our home there, and as she had never seen it, she naturally wanted to see her house, before we decided if we were selling it or not. It was a big thing to decide without her having ever seen it, but for me it would be like going back in time. I was taking the much dreaded emotional trip back to a place where I was happy and in love, once.\n\nWe would eventually be headed towards London, and we would be in Europe for two whole months and all were to be spent with my girl, she and I are finally running with the Bohemian genes we'd inherited from Grandy. Jesses are freer spirited than mine, because I have a little thing like personal history, work and responsibilities to deal with too.\n\n\"I don't know about you Little Bird but I'm tired, so get your head down, it's a long flight, and we have a stressful couple of days ahead of us.\" Jess wrapped her well-worn blankie around her and dozed off, as I ran my fingers through her jet black hair. She looked so much like her Daddy.\n\nWhen she was born, she was his double, so much so, that it hurt to see her and not have him by my side too. For the longest time I cried when I looked at her, and as my chubby little cherub played, he was staring back up at me. As she got older his traits were there too, my constant reminder of my first love, he was my one and only and no one would ever replace him. She was my reason for being, my world and through her, I still had him by my side. I will tell her how we met, how we fell in love, because I think the whole much put off story needs to be told. I need to tell her everything, but it's a story too sad for me to speak of and one I have kept hidden from all but a handful of people, but the times fast approaching, were I have to tell her, and she has to know.\n\nMy grief and anger are still there nearly sixteen years later. I will tell her of the day I knew I had fallen in love for the first time. Of how I met her father that day, that wonderful day spent at Kew Gardens that glorious raining day... I do love the rain and the beautiful memory's I have each time I see it pour from the sky, normally accompanied with tears, thankfully it doesn't rain a lot in Arizona... I was studying in the garden and fed up of the arguments at home. I packed my backpack and headed for Kew, I'd been day dreaming as usual, and I hadn't noticed it had started to rain, not until it was too late to head to the conservatory. It started raining even heavier as I ran for shelter, it was then I was hit by someone or something, and judging from the clobbering my shoulder took, a bloody bulldozer.\n\nThe person it turns out I hit, sent me flying, no blame was to be had, as unfortunately we both had our heads down, which meant we didn't see each other. We each just felt the collision, I ran into his chest, then I was thrown backwards into the tree's roots, roots my foot got tangled in and then as I fell, my head went towards the tree, boy was I sore and angry. Then I looked up to see who had nearly killed me, only to see the most beautiful man I had ever seen, he looked gorgeous.\n\nHe was dressed for a business meeting, but his jacket was thrown casually over his shoulder, he hadn't been sent flying on his bum, because he was the immovable object, I was not, and as he helped me up to my shaky feet. I noticed his tie, it must have fallen to the floor as he sent me flying, so I leant down for it, at the same time as he did, and our heads clashed, and I sent him sprawling to the ground, I helped him up this time. Wow, he had a thick skull and my head was swimming again, was it in pain or in lust for the man who had banged my noggin?\n\n\"Thank you, how about I go this way you go that way, that way we won't do each other anymore harm?\" He smiled and was rubbing his head too.\n\n\"Sorry, I was studying. I'm so sorry, but I didn't want to get my books wet, are you alright?\"\n\n\"Fine, I'm just here to de-stress. I've just had a fraught business meeting and as I was travelling back to London. I saw the sign for Kew Gardens, and I thought why not, what harm could it do? It seems it can damage one's suit and dirty one's backside.\"\n\n\"Gheeze I'm so sorry, will you please send me the bill? Here's my card, and don't worry it will all come out in the bloody wash.\" I passed him my card and he smiled.\n\n\"Sorry, I was being a little cranky, my father and I fell out at very important meeting, so I have come away to think, re-group my thoughts and get my head together before I go back and face him with a renewed fight, and hopefully better informed to reason with him. I just needed some peace and quiet.\"\n\n\"Sorry, I will go.\" I picked up my bags and walked towards the Palm house. I didn't look back but went to sit and hit the books and thought nothing more of it. I hit the books again. Then my shoulder started to throb, because it seems I'd hit that almost as hard as my head hit the tree. My shoulder was suddenly very sore and getting hot. I put down the books and took off my jumper and there it was, the mother of all bruises starting up, God it was very red and sore, ouch.\n\n\"Shit that will hurt in the morning, I'm sorry.\" He was coming to sit beside me. \"It's still raining and getting worse. It is nice in here and dry. Can I drop you off somewhere? I have a car at your disposal.\"\n\n\"No thanks Grandy said I hadn't got to get in cars with strange men, even if I did ruin his Armani suit.\"\n\n\"As you said, it will come out at the dry cleaners, here's my card, it only seems fair I have yours. What are you studying?\" He looked over my sore shoulder, gently assessing the damage, and told me that I needed a cold compress and some pain killers, derrr I'd worked that out for myself.\n\n\"I'm studying for my law degree at the University of Westminster. I'm in my second year and trying to get my head around, legal ethics, methods and skills, and it's doing my tree in, excuse the tree pun.\" He laughed and gave me back a book.\n\n\"You dropped this Miss Bird, by the same said tree. How come you're here studying, and not in the warmth of some dry student digs or the pub with all the other students I see every day from my office windows, sitting in the parks discussing their emotive speeches of how best they will change the world? In my opinion they need to contribute to it financially, before they can change it, don't you agree?\"\n\n\"I only live by the river, and the walk here is nice, Grandy has her friends at the house and there's only so much Mao Tse-tung I can take in a day, once they start, they don't stop. As to changing the world, we have made the mess, we have created the losses, so we should each be responsible to help in any way we can to try to fix it. I can't change all the world, but I do keep my land as green and as renewable as possible, where possible. I have to because other people are ruining it, they are eating away at it, more and more, decade by decade. Stealing from the land and the precious things Mother Nature has given us to care for.\n\nNow we are wasting our precious resources on frivolous things and stripping it. In the name of what, progress? No, they are stripping it just for pure greed in most cases. I help in my own way and when I can, I help others. I figure if we each do all we can now, maybe we can slow down the planet's eventual decimation, greed it seems makes this world turn. When is enough money enough? Why be the richest dead person in the cemetery? Leave your footprint on the earth in a more meaningful way. Leave a legacy behind for your children to build upon. We shouldn't be leaving them with more of a mess to sort out and with fewer resources to rely on. These messes we create now, our children will have to clear away and will need to find more resources to do it too, and there will be none left to do that with, so we best start sooner rather than later.\n\nThe time is fast approaching, when our children and their children will be unable to build new things, bigger shiny things. They won't have the natural resources to keep them powered or to clear away the smog, nor put back the ozone layer. Which has been and is slowly being killed by the overuse of all our modern creations. There is already an outcry to stop using the crap we invented, things that are destroying it. We will eventually have to improve on the things that are here already, and stop being a throwaway society, because that's all we are really turning into, a bunch of consumerism addicts. Fuelled in our constant need to beat the Jones and have the best of everything. When nine times out of ten there was nothing wrong with the old thing they already had.\"\n\n\"Communist, politics, philosophy and eco warrior, there are a few heavy topics of discussion there Sara, are you into politics and why are you here and not at home then?\"\n\n\"No politics, and I am not into communism either. Grandy and her friends are walking along the Great Wall in the summer, when I go to Arizona. It started up a debate on the little red book, and it got a little heated, so that's the reason I'm here and getting into a heated debate with you instead. Sorry, I have this thing for protecting the land, and the things on it, not eco at all, because I am told constantly by my people and my ancestors, to look after it, for my children's children. I have to be mindful that it has to be here and kept alive and thriving for use by the many generations that come along after us, or what are we working for? For the here and the now, and what? Bugger the future of your children and theirs? It's rather short sighted and selfish, don't you think?\"\n\n\"I think you could have a point and have given me an argument to use against my father. My father feels the need to shut down a factory we have recently bought, and sell the parts off, and then demolish it and put an entire estate of God awful ugly, grey breeze blocked, blue trimmed paint work, and an ugly estate of tinned roofed monstrosities on it and is intent on creating a sprawling industrial estate with neither charm, nor character. Killing off a wonderful old building and leaving those in its place. That's why when I drove by it, I decided to buy it because it is beautiful, but half of it is empty and the rest just needs investment. We need to keep it and repair it. It's not falling down, quite the contrary it's a solid old building, which will still be here and for a lot longer than the units he wants to throw up have fallen down.\n\nI have an idea that we could make the factory pay for itself, with a little investment, perhaps we could bring one of our current businesses here and use the larger of the buildings for that! The building, luckily for us, it has access to the River Thames too. Then the other smaller, yet empty buildings could be made good and then sublet to other connected industries and help keep down our transportation costs and theirs, thus using less fuel and doing our bit for the cause. Plus, the conservationists would be happy, and it may get them off our backs too. Sara, thank you. I knew I would find the answer here, but never did I think a girl and a tree root would help me? Now, why are you going to Arizona, sorry I'm being intrusive?\" I smiled as I take the book from him.\n\n\"My father lives there, and he has me for the holidays, they, Grandy and he, share custody of the Renegade Squaw.\"\n\n\"What, who is a Renegade squaw?\"\n\n\"Sorry, my father is an Apache Indian, as am I in turn. The blonde hair throws people, as I'm not your stereotypical Apache Indian, plus I have an English accent and there it is, that look on your face, instant confusion.\" He laughs, as he does, I notice how truly handsome he is, his smile is infectious.\n\n\"I am Italian, and I'm not stereotypical either. I can't make a pizza to save my life, nor am I a gigolo.\" I don't believe the next words out of my mouth.\n\n\"Pity that then... The Pizza thing... Shit, not the gigolo... I mean... Hell sorry...\" He laughed at me.\n\n\"Let me take you for pizza my way of apologising for not looking where I was going?\"\n\n\"That would be nice, thank you Leonardo, that's a mouth full. Do people shorten it to Leo?\"\n\n\"My friends call me Ben, as my second name is Benito, my father is Leonardo too, so it's less confusing at home.\" I oh-ed, as I continued to stare.\n\n\"I'm Sara Nascha Bird, the Nascha means owl, in Navajo. My family have a bird theme going on with their second name and though I like it better than Sara, I don't use it, because my mother was called Sara, well not my birth mother. My true mother, my father's wife, and lord you're going to be even more confused before your first slice of pizza.\" He smiled.\n\n\"Well we will discuss it over pizza then, my cars this way. Do you need me to take you home first?\"\n\n\"Would you mind? I need to look at my shoulder, and the noggin hurts too. It's just down the road and I can do you pizza at home, I in fact insist on it.\" He accepts my hand, and I pulled him up, as I do, he kisses me. I know I oh-ed when he did it too.\n\n\"I couldn't resist that, and I should say sorry, but I'm not.\" He did it again, and as he did, I drop my bags and return the kiss. Oh wow, I only came to study too.\n\n\"We are never going to get food at this rate. I don't usually pick up strangers in parks. Grandy will kill me.\"\n\n\"As long as she doesn't kill me, I still have a business meeting tonight.\"\n\n\"Well, I will get your lunch done quickly then. Come on.\" I pick my books up and he carries them to his car, a bright red Ferrari Spider, not at all flashy.\n\n\"Don't tell me the Porsche is in the garage?\" He laughed.\n\n\"No, it's at home in Italy, we boys like our toys, so where to then?\"\n\n\"Friars Gate by the Thames?\" He laughed.\n\n\"We're near neighbours. I live in the same area. I have a mews apartment there.\"\n\n\"Umm, it's a small world. Grandy's house is nice and is handy for my rowing on the river, as it backs on to it.\" He really is nice, and as we get to the house, he sighs.\n\n\"This is nice, really nice, do you really live here?\"\n\n\"Why, do I not look like I belong? Come on meet the Duchess, she doesn't bite.\"\n\n\"The Duchess, who is she?\"\n\n\"She is my grandmother, the right honourable, Duchess of Welling. She doesn't use the title, but it's hers. She prefers Jess or Jessica. Don't worry, it's not as if you're asking to marry me or anything? Come on I have pizza to make.\" We walk into the house and he is being dragged in behind me. \"Grandy I have a guest, are you all finished, is the red book away?\"\n\n\"Yes Darling, and they all went home, boring old Ludwig's got a bee in his bonnet, and poor Stein, he hit the red book quotes a tad hard, it gave me a damn headache Little Bird. Who is this darling man then? You are always bringing in strays.\"\n\n\"I picked him up at Kew, they were doing a deal on clumsy Italians. I may have ruined his Armani, Grandy?\"\n\n\"Falling again Sara? Hello young man, I'm Jess pleased to meet you. My granddaughter has lost her manners as well as her sense of gravity. Don't tell me, was your head in a book again? I always said they'd be the death of you.\"\n\n\"Sorry Grandy, this is Ben Vinci, the poor man I nearly killed, and I have offered him lunch in return, with any luck I won't give him food poisoning too, because he has a business meeting to go to later?\"\n\n\"Pleased to meet you too, I don't normally pick young ladies up in parks, but she hasn't a coat and the rain it wasn't for letting up, and I was a little hungry, that is until Sara mentioned food poisoning?\"\n\n\"Fine young man fine, Sara hasn't ever brought a man home. Don't worry she has yet to poison anyone, I am living proof of her most excellent cooking repertoire, you don't get this body eating salads dear heart, and with any luck she will do you her pizza, it's to die for young man, fan-bloody-tastic. I'm so happy to see you and if you were doing pizza, do one for my dinner, would you please Sara? I'm off Little Bird, the club is calling my name. I will see you again Ben. Yes... I think we will see you again.\" She winks and goes to her book group. Well, the afternoon session of gin rummy at her club, which is really more gin, and rummy, than card games.\n\nI made him sit down and I began the pizza, my speciality, and as he watched me create his lunch we talked, he was twenty-three, a whole five years my senior, an ex-model and the middle son of a diplomat, I know I oh-ed, I was mesmerised, and as the pizza cooked, he drank coffee and we talked. I was intrigued by him, what did he want with an eighteen year old? It didn't seem to bother him that I was only eighteen either, well I'm after all nearly nineteen. He ate his pizza and drank more coffee and we sat all afternoon talking, and when he had to go, I sighed, would I see him again? He smiled as I walked him to the door.\n\n\"Would you like to come to dinner tomorrow, on me, a thank you for a very pleasant afternoon?\"\n\n\"That would be nice thank you, and yes it was nice. Now I really have to get my backside into my ethics paper, or I will fail.\" He leant down and kissed me again. I ummed quite loudly as he pulled away from my lips.\n\n\"Until tomorrow, hopefully I will see you again, Sara Bird. Goodbye my little hummingbird.\" I laughed he did hear me then. \"I will pick you up at eight.\" I made a point of humming. He drove off in his little red car just as Grandy came back.\n\n\"Certain people catch your eye because they look good, but don't be fooled by their looks in your pursuit of perfection Little Bird. Make sure of his heart first. Don't fly too high, too quickly, walk slowly along the long path a while, before you fly off and give your heart to him completely? I think he may very well be the one that puts the wind beneath my Little Birds wings. I think he will be the one, yes he is the one?\" I agree and go to my room and hit the books, after I do an internet search of him, and yes, he was a model too, in his rebel years. He now works for his family business of hotels and casinos and an array of other enterprises. He's considered one of Italy's most eligible bachelors, a prized catch here too judging by the girls on his arms, bummer. I sigh as I switched to revision mode. That man made my heart stop.\n\nI'm suddenly snapped out of remembering him as the plane hits a spot or turbulence. I feel going back home, will mean there are going to be a hell of a lot more memory's hidden at there, plenty of tears will be shed and happiness to share too. I will have to tell our entire love story to Jess, I sighed. It's too hard remembering him, too hard. I decide on some comedy and I re-read that damn book again, my mother's story was a pure work of farcical fiction. I had read it first months ago, when it hit the bookstores. A very stupid title I thought, 'A life With Hidden Regrets' what possible regrets in her life, hidden or otherwise, could she possibly have?\n\nAll she had were people getting in her way, and those she stepped upon to get where she wanted, all those she left behind, without a care. So what regrets did she have? Did she finally regret being a bitch? A diva, for getting people sacked from their much needed positions at the drop of a hat. Being a drama queen, making a simple fall from a horse a reason to start using drugs and drinking? She'd spent her life before she had me, being a nice woman to be with and work with a good daughter and friend, was it my impending arrival, the thing that sparked the hidden and nasty Daniella Gabriella into being the wicked witch of the north, the cold and heartless bitch she had become?\n\nI study the title again, more importantly had she finally regretted the part she played in locking me away, in my own Scottish castle. It could have been a film plot, the way it all played out that fateful day, when she found out about all about me having Jess, now that would have made the book title a tad more truthful? I closed the book, there was no comedy in the horrors I had to endure at their hands, and no mention of her sorrow for her part of it? I think that's why I bought the book, to see if she was sorry for all of it, or in fact any of it. Having read it, I found there were no apologise at all.\n\nChapter 3:\n\nWe landed after just over eleven hours in the air, and Jess had slept for the majority of it, and me? I was restless and full of questions and had a feeling of impending doom. We collected our luggage and headed to our hotel The Savoy, as it was local to the areas Jess wanted to see, and she deserved the best. I was still very wary about my mother's sudden need to be in our lives. Eli, my head of security, could find out nothing more about her than I already knew. The wonders of the internet were great, I'd found out that in the past ten years she had been a virtual recluse and that Declan had been in and out of rehab more than Lindsey Lohan had.\n\nI was just wanted to show Jess my old home, places that meant something to us, her father and I, and the Duchess. We definitely needed a visit to Kew Gardens, and perhaps do some hunting in Scotland. I had to tie up the loose end with the castle anyway, it had sold at last and after that I may take her to Italy to see Ben's old home. As I hadn't seen it or them, it would be a first for me too, and if they granted us an audience, they would know who she was instantly, plus she may get to see her sibling. I hadn't wanted to know about his family or his other child, their betrayal too much for me to bear, their refusal to see or talk to me spoke volumes.\n\nI must admit the need to Google them when I was feeling a little down, it was a great temptation, but one I resisted. The last time I did an internet search it was to download a picture, but as saw his image I sobbed uncontrollably, it was still all too raw even years later. I'd fingered the screen, tracing his face and snapped the laptop shut. I closed the lid crying a river as I usually did when I thought of him. For my own sanity, I never did it again. Whilst we were here, I would try to tell her the truth and all about him, and my reasons for not telling her before, besides we had time. Time, I needed to get my head back in the game. The game? It was far from a game what Ben and I had, it was amazing and horrendous and full of dratted confusion, even years later.\n\nWe had a week here before our arranged meeting at my mother's home and I was still reluctant to meet her there, but she was bed bound and too weak to travel, so I had little or no choice. I put her out of my mind for a while and I set about showing Jess the sights. My fifteen year old stunning daughter was in awe of the place, the sights in London were truly great. The Tower of London, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Harry Potter World and Trafalgar Square, they were all on her list of places to go, and as she took photographs of our summer vacation, her face lit up with every new thing she saw.\n\n\"Mom this place is awesome. Will you tell me someday why you left this place, and not just that you needed to spend time with Shiitsooyee?\" Her need to keep her heritage within her meant that she would occasionally slip in Apachean words without thinking! The language is a mixture of Apache and Navajo and a splattering of all the Apache tribes over the past few hundred centuries, words with so many meanings and quite a beautiful language too.\n\n\"One day and soon Jess... I promise you but spending all my time with Grandpa was a luxury for me. Grandy was fine and I loved her to heaven and back again, but she wanted to start travelling again. She'd put it all on hold to raise me, and when I moved to Arizona to have you, I decided you needed to be brought up by him too, because Jess, he missed so much of my childhood. I figured sharing you with him was what we both needed. Plus, living with Dad, Grandy could do the things she put on hold, not that that worked she was still never away. I escaped from here and found my freedom with him, literally escaped Jess. I will tell you of that too, but when I'm ready Little Bird, alright? That's all I can tell you, well until I know what your Grandma wants. I can assure you Jess it will be for her benefit not ours, so please Little Bird, don't get your hopes up. Okay?\" I sighed as she shot more photographs. She had no clue as to what was waiting ahead of us, and neither did I.\n\n\"Okay, Mom when you're ready, you'll tell me and one day Mom, I will be as good as you at this too and have my work in exhibitions, in the big New York art galleries.\" Something else I was good at photography, the hours I spent on my father's ranch taking photographs of everything and anything. The mountains in the differing four seasons were the best, and the prints sold very well. The pictures of wildlife and life in general in White River and on the reservation, our life had been truly blessed since moving back home to be with Dad. What was Mother planning, was she trying to wreck it? Would my psycho brother be in residence? I broke out of my daydream to take Jess to the Hard Rock Caf\u00e9 and have dinner, though what she considered dinner and what I considered dinner were and are two very different things, let the battle begin.\n\n\"Mom, can you order for me, please, I need the toilet.\" I was in shock... Was she testing me? Now, am I getting her something I know she will moan about, healthy and nutritious just for her not to eat it? Or do I get her favourite and know she will eat it? Teenagers, who'd have them? The waiter came.\n\n\"Can I please have the Southern Burger, a side salad, fries, onion rings, and a portion of slaw and can I have the pulled pork sandwich, please? A Coke Light and a Sprite Light please?\" He took my order just as Jess came back, she looked happy and carefree as I was at her age, as all kids should be.\n\n\"Mom this place is awesome, can we see a show tonight or do something you want to do, because you've put up with my whining all day.\" I am shocked.\n\n\"Alright what have you done to Jessica Jay, my arguing Little Bird?\"\n\n\"Awe gheeze Mom I'm not that bad, am I?\" She was far from bad, she was perfect and as she smiled, I saw her father's big eyes and his killer smile looking back at me.\n\n\"No Little Bird, your wonderful don't ever change, and whatever happens at Grandma's remember I love you so much.\"\n\n\"Mom, what could she possibly say to make me hate you? I have issues with her, not you. She has to explain why she thinks it's alright for her to suddenly want to be in our lives, after nothing in years. We don't have to explain anything to her.\" Again, she shocks me.\n\n\"Your dinner Madam, the burger is whose?\"\n\n\"That would be my daughters, along with the Sprite please.\" He places the food and the side orders, and we tuck in. This is nothing as near good as Millie's pulled pork and slaw, but it's reasonably good, I've had worse. As we eat, we chatter, and I watch my girl as she tucks in and smile as she finishes the lot, she's like her grandfather, she has hollow legs and is as skinny as a bean pole.\n\n\"Mom, when you said you didn't know who my father was? Why did you lie, you know about not knowing who he was? Why make yourself out to be a drunken lush, because we all know it is a load of bull, I didn't think that's right, it's not you? I cried when you so obviously lied to me. I did not believe you were like that, no way Jose, Mom. I asked Grandy, she told me you would tell me who my father was when you were ready, are you ready Mom, because I'd like to know about him?\" I choke on the last of my sandwich.\n\n\"I don't know Jess, I can't tell you why, not properly? Perhaps it was just that I loved him so much, and I think he lied to me about loving me? I loved him and was devastated at his betrayal. When he died, you were all I had left of him. I never got over him, and I don't think I ever will, but things had happened before you were born, things that took him from us, and I didn't want to be reminded of that awful time. At that horrid time, there were things that happened, that made me so unhappy and angry. I was so confused, I was fed up and angry, thinking that everything he had ever said to me was probably a lie, everything Jess, including that he loved me. He couldn't have loved me if he moved on so quickly Jess. Your sister or brother is only a couple of months older than you.\" I pick up the napkin and wipe my eyes.\n\n\"I have a brother or sister, did you not think that was important Mom, it was and is. I can't believe you kept that from me, that is so not cool Mom, not cool?\" She was getting up to leave, I grabbed at her arm. I was frightened I would lose her. She needs to know it has been long enough. I need to tell her everything, but will she be ready?\n\n\"Jess please, he had a baby with my best friend. Do you know how hard that was for me, they, his family, they refused you to accept you as Ben's, but her child they accepted, but not you, their child yes, you, no. Yes Jess, they did know about you. Those special photos we had done every year for your birthday. They were for them and they were sent to them and still I heard nothing. I didn't want you to feel as rejected as I felt. I begged them to see me before you were born, pleaded with them. Your father was my whole world for a short time before he was taken, and after that, you became my world, mine, not theirs. They had their chance and threw it in my face.\"\n\n\"Sorry Mom, I didn't mean to make you sad and make you cry, it's just, Shiitsooyee, said one day you would tell me of my father, and I would understand your sadness.\" I put my hand over hers.\n\n\"The minute I had you Jessica Jay Bird, I had him back in my life, and for that I will be truly thankful to him for, for giving you to me. I can never hate him, but yes, I was angry and I'm still sad. I always will be sad that he never even knew about you, and he died not seeing you. That's what is so very horrid about it, that and the fact his parents refused to acknowledge you as his, even after his death, so I gave up trying to convince them you were. So, Jess I figured the family who stopped with you, and loved you, were the ones you needed in your life. Have you missed out Jess? Have I failed you?\"\n\n\"Shit Mom no, my friends think I'm the luckiest girl alive. I have a fantastic Mom, and one most of the girls would kill for, none of their moms can down an Elk and can kill a mountain lion, or canoe, trek black bears or whip a criminal's butt in court. Having a father would have been cool too Mom, but I haven't missed anything not having one. Shiitsooyee, he taught me things and told me things, the elders give me advice. Eli helps me with man stuff and Asher guards me like a hawk. I think I have enough positive males in my life, as well as some stupid boys, why are boys such dorks?\"\n\n\"Jessica Jay, shit and whipping of butts is not language I want to be hearing from you over the dinner table, and when you find out about how to handle a boy or a man pass on your tips, your old mom is useless too.\" We laugh as she finished her second drink and I pay the bill. We wander along the banks of the Thames. I walk arm in arm with my daughter, as I did with Ben on our first date. This place is killing me with all the memories, after all they and Jess are all I have of him, but what a gift he gave me. She is my life, my whole life.\n\nWe headed back to the hotel, taking much the same path as Ben and I had on a couple of our date nights. We had a few very nice nights in the Savoy, actually more than a few and I smile. Why he does this to me I will never know? I should hate him, but despite the hurt I felt at his betrayal, I can't hate him! Our first date was amazing. It was a date like nothing I had been on before, he wined and dined me at the very hotel we were staying in, and I think that's why I booked the Savoy for our few days of luxury too, it was a place with more of our memories. He'd picked me up as he said he would and after giving Grandy her flowers, he had a car drop us at the Savoy. I'm glad I purchased the required little black dress, the simple pearls and heels made me look, and I hoped, good enough to ask for a second date. Grandy said I looked as beautiful as ever, she was biased though.\n\n\"Is this alright Sara? I wasn't sure if you, did this sort of thing?\"\n\n\"Umm, I'm house trained, and I do know what knife and fork to use Ben, sorry Leo?\"\n\n\"Call me Ben it's nice hearing it again, everyone calls me Leo these days, I suppose you have been researching me?\"\n\n\"Of course, I had to know if you were after my millions, I am forever being wooed for them.\" He choked on his beer. \"Ben I am joking, well about the wooed part of that, the money not so. I am thanks to Grandy independently wealthy, so I am not after yours, if that's what you're thinking?\"\n\n\"No, I wasn't. I couldn't find out a lot about you, other than your mother was an actress Daniella Kullberg, that you have a brother and you do a lot of charity work in Arizona for the Red Indians? Oh, and Jess could give Sherpa Tensing a run for his money. She is amazing, she is a big part of the much fabled, wind travellers club, I read. Now her I like a lot. She is windswept and interesting.\"\n\n\"We prefer Indigenous People, the first nation or simply Apache. I, unlike my little brother don't court publicity, and he's a freak with a capital F. He is in a boarding school, when he should be locked away in a school for the mentally insane. He was too much for Mother and her last husband, so he's been sent away again, this I think is his sixth or seventh school? The thing with him is he gets in with the older boys and that's where the trouble is, he's easily led. I am not his favourite sister, nor is he my favourite brother. We're a very dysfunctional family.\n\nGrandy is the most interesting person I know and yes, her travels are legendary. She's as you say, she is, she is a prime member of the W.T.C and has been since they started it after the war. She, Ludwig, Stein, Grandfather William, and a few other likeminded friends from Cambridge started it. I like to say she is Bohemian, but she is way cooler than that. I am just not as adventurous as her, would that I was, it may make my life more interesting. Do you have siblings?\"\n\n\"I have a brother like that he's called Giovanni. He's always in trouble, but something happened and inevitably he's found God, so he's doing the required thing for the family and is joining the church, he hopes to become a priest. I kid you, not from his running with thieves and sleeping with prostitutes, he has changed into a reformed boy. I have an older sister Donatella, his twin, and Mom and Dad dote on her. She is the only girl of four children. My younger brother he too is at boarding school and is due to join the family business later this year. He is a strange one, he's called Paulo, and he has even stranger friends. Not that I give them much of my time, I don't have a lot to waste on idiots.\"\n\n\"Oh... I will be going then?\" I jokingly get up.\n\n\"Sit down you're not an idiot, you are like a breath of fresh air. I don't think, no I can honestly say I have never met anyone like you?\"\n\n\"I don't know if that's a compliment or not? Is it?\"\n\n\"Defiantly a complement Sara, so drink your wine and behave. You look lovely by the way, I'm sorry I didn't mention it before, I was a little nervous with the Duchess. If she really is a Duchess, and if so, does that mean your royalty?\"\n\n\"No Ben, it means she just has a title, the family land went generations ago, but being bankers, they know about money. My grandfather, William was the Duke of Welling, he was quite wealthy, so being born into money they made sure he married into more money. Grandy had her own title before they married, she was a Lady, daughter of a Lord, it was an arranged marriage. After Grandy was presented at court, at her debutante ball. It worked very well for the time they were married. He was wonderful according to her. Alas, I never met him, he died when my mother was a baby. As a result, the riches came down the family ladder, so I have it too, but money and having it really gives me a huge headache and I hate it. Everyone at college is working to pay off student loans and stuff, and I feel I am missing part of the university life. I mean does that sound strange, me wanting to work?\"\n\n\"No far from it actually. I don't have to work but I do, you would go mad doing nothing all day, or I would. Have you a job?\"\n\n\"Yes, I do work when I go to the ranch, its part and parcel of living on the ranch too, you pull your weight, and I like being part of it. I will intern for my father for a while too, he has two offices one in Tucson and one on the reservation, and yes, I live on an Indian reservation with the rest of the tribe, and thank you, you can leave now, if you want to?\"\n\n\"Why would I want to? Sara, you are who you are and that's fine by me, you by the way are a beautiful girl called Sara, everything else is part of you and I am not that bothered by stupid crap like colour of skin, religious beliefs and or sexual orientation. I am a modern man, at least I hope I am?\"\n\n\"Other men, boys or whatever, they are not as open minded about things like that. The boys I meet anyway, I impart the same thing as I have to you, and they think they get to screw Pocahontas dating me. I'm so sorry, but that's so not happening by the way. Usually, they get rude after they have had a drink or two and when I impart that piece of my heritage, they smile and usually do the wowowowo thing with their hand over their mouth. I just give them the finger and say 'how' and walk off. Please don't tell me you are going to do that?\" He laughs loudly, and as he does, people look in our direction, and I go red.\n\n\"No, I think I'm little more mature than that. Have you had many boyfriends treat you like that?\"\n\n\"No, I have only had a couple anyway and the first one thought I was going to scalp him when I said in all honesty, that he could do with a haircut. He ran out leaving me with the bill, grabbing his damned beany hat and heading right out of Dodge, and there you have it, another Cowboy and Indian metaphor there for you to think about.\" He laughed at me again. \"The second was a little more forceful he wanted to... He tried to... He wanted more than I was comfortable giving him. He was strange and still is. I sometimes feel he is still watching me. It's a little difficult avoiding him, as we still attend the same University, though he has shifted some of his classes, and I have too, so we now we only have a couple of classes together. He is and was weird.\"\n\n\"So from what you're saying, he wanted sex, and you didn't want to give him your body?\"\n\n\"Correct on both counts, I didn't feel like anything for him in that way. We did an assignment together, just the once. I kissed him once, a thank you for walking me home and on the cheek too, he wanted to take it further that night, a swift kick to the nuts put him firmly in his place. He said I was his and would be his, one day I would be sorry for being a tease. I never felt like that towards him. We didn't even go past a passionate kiss before he wanted to bypass all bases, and just get to the home run in one night. Oh, get me, this is all too much information and is a tad too serious for a first date. Oh, I mean... I don't know if this is even a date, God talk about being forward?\"\n\n\"No, I like it very much how honest you are being, so what you're saying I have a chance at second base, seeing as the kiss yesterday was first base? I thought this was a date, our first date and yes and one of many more I hope?\" I know I hummed again and as I blushed, he smiled.\n\n\"If you play your cards right you could be in for a home run.\" I know I said it because he laughed again.\n\n\"I like your baseball metaphors, so a home run is on the cards? Why, because you think that's all I want? I can assure you it's not.\"\n\n\"Oh, so I'm not what you want?\" I was a little upset go figure? I practically threw myself at him too.\n\n\"I could take you upstairs now, but I'm trying hard to play it cool, because I really want to.\" I blushed as a beautiful woman is waving in our direction, and as I didn't know her, it must have been aimed at Ben.\n\n\"I think that woman over there is trying to catch your attention, in fact, she is coming over.\" I will not be jealous, but I am, she is stunning, really stunning.\n\n\"Charlie long time no see, how's the job? Sorry let me introduce my date Sara, this is an old colleague Charlotte Ginsburg, Charlie this is Sara Bird.\"\n\n\"Hiya, I haven't seen you on the circuit? When did you meet Benny then? She's prettier than the normal ones who throw themselves at you?\"\n\n\"Oh, I'm not a model? I scoped the place looking for trade and this one took my fancy. I decided to try for a little posh toff sex. I'm just discussing my prices, he was being nice when he said I was his date, he picked me up earlier in the park.\" She laughed as I said it, but Ben he looked mortified.\n\n\"Oh, Benny Baby, this one's a keeper, she has brains, and a sense of humour as well as the beauty. She will need humour to be with you, what do you do besides ply for posh trade in parks then?\"\n\n\"I'm studying to be a lawyer, I'm in my second year, thank you, and I'm sorry to say the trade in Kew's a tad bit of a let-down just lately, don't bother going this one only drives a Ferrari.\"\n\n\"Sara, you picked me up.\"\n\n\"I beg to differ I sent you flying on your Armani covered bottom, into the tree and then on the wet grass. I ruined, apparently, a perfectly good suit.\"\n\n\"Oh hell you two are too cute. I am off, see you soon here's my card, ring me. We definitely need to get to know each other. I like you, she's a keeper Benny.\" We exchanged cards that night, and she became my new best friend.\n\n\"Sorry, that was too easy. Ben are you mad?\" He laughed again.\n\n\"No Sara, far from it, I love how you went to green eyed monster to her best friend and all at my expense, and all in one conversation.\" He leant over and gave me a kiss.\n\nWe ate dinner, and as we ate, we talked about nothing and everything, including our dreams plans and hopes. After dinner we walked along the Thames hand in hand. Taking in the cool spring evening air, we didn't talk for an age, when he suddenly pulled me into his arms and kissed me, and by kiss, I mean he really kissed me. I went weak at the knees and at that moment, I knew he was the one. Oh, he was the only one, that I was sure off...\n\n\"My place, Grandy's away for the weekend, a retreat for fellow likeminded Bohemian old hippies, we're going back to my lair.\" After hailing a cab and spending the journey lip locked, we pulled up to the house, he paid the cab fare and as I climbed the steps, he smiled.\n\n\"Are you sure this is what you want, and tonight with me? Sara, we can wait and take things easy, do the dating thing! I'm not going anywhere?\"\n\n\"Umm I do yes, with you tonight, in my room on my big comfortable bed and all night too, be gentle with me. This I get to remember for a lifetime, who I lost it to and when.\" He held me as I opened the door, he picked me up and closed the door with his foot, carrying me into my room in his arms.\n\n\"Which room? Are you sure, this is really quick, it has to be what you want, remember what you want, not me?\"\n\n\"I want you, and this is my room. I'm covered too are you, you know safe? We should have discussed this more first, but I wanted you yesterday when you kissed me.\"\n\n\"Yes safe, clean bill of health and I have protection too, so both?\"\n\n\"Both, there's no need to add to the world's population.\" He kissed me again, shut the door and undressed me as I clambered to take off his things too, passionate kisses are grabbed, as we pulled off each other's clothes.\n\nFinally we both are naked, we fell on the bed and began exploring each other's bodies, this was all new to me, and if I said it was mind blowing, it would have been an understatement. I was awash with feelings of excitement and differing needs. My body sparked to life in places never touched by another soul, but me. Those places were now being played with, and wow was he playing. My body moved and as I did, he'd place a little kiss there, as I moved more fiercely, he would playfully bite. Even more kisses are to be had and given. Down they went to my now firm nipples, erect and waiting for him, and as he feasted on them. It sent shock waves to my sex, it throbbed as he suckled, it ached in a strangely nice way.\n\nAs the feeling drove me mad with need, he went lower, oh my God, what was he doing? He was making me act wildly, driving me into a near frenzy. I screamed as he gave me so much pleasure. I opened up my legs to allow him unfettered access to me, my virginity and lord was it good, his tongue probed that open part of me, and I mewed like a kitten and I swore like a hooker and screamed like a banshee. Yes, my emotions were riding me that harshly, but wow it was good. He then nuzzled at the apex of my thigh and worked his way back up my body the kisses at last were reaching my mouth, I devoured them, as we mumbled our needs for more wanting it and needing it, and now. He ripped open the condom, I watched as he slowly rolled it down his none too shabby dick.\n\n\"Are you ready? One, I hope, very happy memory for you to remember forever?\"\n\n\"Just one, I will be disappointed.\"\n\n\"Slow and easy or quickly, I have never done this before? It's kind of special for me too?\" I held his face to mine and kissed him as he returned the kisses and as he ascended into me, I let out an almighty moan, panting at the feelings of sweet dread and pure lust. This is what I'd been missing, all through college and University?\n\nAs he took me, the pain was nothing in comparison to the pleasure he gave, kissing me wildly as he moved within me. He began riding high on his arms and lowering his body into mine, moving into me gently, in and out repeatedly. I reached fever pitch as I came and hard, he cried out my name and never has Sara sounded so desperately sexy as it did when it came from his mouth. As I tensed around him, he cried for me to let go, I think in pain, so I released my hold on him. My head felt like it was soaring, and I swear I had an out of body experience as I came again. He too made wild noises, as our bodies were now joined in a heated exchange of thrusts and pulls, as we moved, he changed position, and as he moved faster and faster, the feelings were rising again.\n\n\"Yes, yes oh hell Sara you're so good to be with, are you alright?\" I ummed, as I held on to his back my fingers grasping at his skin, I couldn't do anything but moan my pleasure, and as he came to an amazing finish, I gripped tightly to him.\n\n\"Wow that was... Amazing, I could do that again, you Leonardo Vinci were amazing.\"\n\n\"Just amazing, I can live with that. Are you, are you alright? Was it a good enough memory?\"\n\n\"Why is there going to be no more?\"\n\n\"I think, no I know there will be plenty more! Drinks, we need drinks?\"\n\n\"In the fridge downstairs, bathroom through the grey door there. Robe behind door. No naked arses in Grandy's kitchen, even if it is cute and attached to that body. What would the Duchess say?\" He laughed as he washed and grabbed the robe.\n\n\"Pink, is so not my colour, stay where you are. I am coming straight back we need to make you some more memory's...\" My heart sings and my panties are more than a little moist, if I was wearing them, derr...\n\n\"Mom are you alright you just started laughing, they lock you up for that here, in a loony bin whatever that is?\" We headed back to the hotel, knowing I walked this way with him all the time, it made me both sad and happy at the same time. This was a trip we needed to do, and for me to exorcize some ghosts. It was bath and bed for us when we got back, Jess was finally getting used to the time differences with her friends, so went to chat on-line.\n\nChapter 4:\n\nI woke and felt like crap exhausted and emotionally drained. After a busy few days, I decide to take it easy today and go see Grandy's house. Jess has never seen it, so it will be nice for her, if it's clean and tidy we will stop there for the remainder of the holiday. Jess wants to see Stonehenge, see the castle at Edinburgh and do some fishing, she wants to do some shooting too, so we are booked in for a couple of days in a castle. Borrodale Castle to be precise. Clive the man who arranges all the trips for the hotel, was busy arranged a couple of days shooting at a large estate in Scotland and he was arranging their transport, when I rocked up to ask him about trips.\n\nHe laughed and said two had just had to pull out of a rather luxurious shooting weekend, so he would ask if we could join the party in their places to make up numbers. He was just arranging flight times for them, it was a really important meeting as they were in talks with a bigwig who owned the castle. I wasn't listening, well I was sort of, two people had pulled out and that we were lucky enough to get their places, that much I heard.\n\nAfter a quick phone call to okay it with the owner's secretary, we're approved, good old Clive says we will love it. It's a private estate, and the owner will be there too. It's his business party that are travelling up. I decline the use of his private jet as I have hired a car, a little old Porsche Cayenne, I wanted comfort, and this was the best the hire place had. The castle, I was told was excellent for photos too. I want to snag a Roe deer, it will look cool on the wall at the cabin at the ranch, next to my elk and my mountain lion.\n\nI didn't want to kill the mountain lion, but it sneaked up on us, or rather Jess, whilst we were hunting for deer to fill the freezer. I only hunt to eat, not for sport. That's why we're going here, as all the meat is eaten. I haven't been pheasant shooting in a while either. I've shot a few geese and ducks though, and hopefully Grandy still has her pair of Purdy's and her Holland's, she has a nice little collection of rifles and shotguns, well actually, I suppose I own those too? I'm thankful that my licences have been kept up to date and the guns I think may be in the shooting clubs gun locker, I will need to check. There is so much to sort out, and Grandy has lots of things I need to sort out, including the bank and the properties I now own, selling the ones we don't use is easy enough, as I'm selling all of them.\n\nI ring the cleaning company and the house is fit to live in, so we pack and head there. I really need to know what to do with the place, its massive, and it's a shame it being empty all the time, it's used as a house for photo shoots and it's been used in a film. Other than that, it has stood empty most of the time. I will never live here again. Not when so near her, and besides Jess would miss her old life, and it would miss her. I pay the bill and as we are leaving, I swear I see Ben. It was just a fleeting glimpse, but as I turn to see the man again, he's gone.\n\nDreaming again Sara, the dead don't walk, unless it's in those awful films my daughter insists on, we have a marathon of every few months. I swear, I think she thinks vampires are real. Her father has been dead over fifteen years, definitely wishful thinking on my part, that he was there. I think because I spent all night dreaming of him and the amazing sex, we had that last night, it and those wonderful memory's is what has me all so het up. Knowing that I'm never going there again, and the lack of sleep, is a killer too! It took me quite a while to settle after remembering him and being here hasn't helped much. Lord help me when we get to the house.\n\nThe rental car has been delivered. I have had no time to check out Grandy's car, but I do wonder does she even still have it? Or rather do I still have it? More to do... I have to sort out the cars and hopefully her wonderful little bright yellow VW bug is there. We are not using it, because I doubt would even make it to Scotland and I know there would be a distinct lack of comfort, because as best as I can remember about the dratted thing, it was cold and bloody noisy. Well it was when Ben and I last drove in it.\n\nI laugh, I learnt to drive in the banana wagon, had rude sex in the back of it too, it may even be where Jess was conceived, well in the car or my room on my massive comfortable bed. Now that was a wonderful place and full of wonderful memories. I laugh because Grandy, bless her, allowed Ben to live with us, whilst he had his apartment redecorated. I gave him his own room and she just embarrassed him by saying why move in if it wasn't to share my bed, she figured I was old enough to make my own choices, being as I was over eighteen.\n\n\"What are you laughing at Mom? This car is really nice. Please remember they drive on the wrong side of the road and a lot slower, and watch the bicycles, they are darting in and out, they are acting like rats.\" I laugh.\n\n\"Yes, I know Malady, would you like me to wear a chauffeur's hat?\" She tunes in the radio, to some awful boy band, as we head to Grandy's house.\n\nPulling up to the road, I drive past his old mews apartment and point it out to Jess, she smiles and says she will take some pictures later. We pull around the corner, oh my, oh my. I breathe a deep sigh of relief. It still looks the same, it's still my safe haven. Friars Lane was Grandy's home for her whole married life and mine for the nineteen wonderful years I lived here. I have to wonder if she kept the d\u00e9cor and maintenance up to date? I did have a woman who lived in until last month, and now I pay a firm of cleaners to look after it's up-keep. The cleaning company goes in twice a month to dust, and keep it spider free, etc. My housekeeper, she moved on because it was too boring for her.\n\nWith Grandy passing in Arizona, I had now no reason to come back here, or so I thought, though she did want her ashes returning and placing with Grandfather William. I have her with me and I will carry out her last request, she will be returned to William and her lovely dogs, in the garden at home. Another reason I cannot get rid of the place, my family are all in the garden. Oh Grandy, Grandy, Grandy what am I to do? I pull around the back to the four garages and open my door. Jess has finally shut her mouth and is looking at the mini palace in front of her.\n\n\"Tell me again why you left this place Mom? This if friggin awesome and look its right against the water, heck can we live here?\" I laugh, not unless we get a miracle and your grandma is living on the other side of the world sweetheart.\n\n\"It is nice, isn't it? I had forgotten just how nice Jessica. Here help me with the doors.\" She pulled, and I pushed, as they flew open easily, it seems the money I pay for maintenance, is well spent, even the hinges have been oiled. The bug is still there, as is my mini cooper, last seen left at the airport. I drive the Porsche carefully in and park up. \"This way Jess and lock the bolts on all the doors please.\" She slides the heavy bolts across, and I feel safer now.\n\n\"Mom how rich are you?\" I laugh she has never asked me that before.\n\n\"We are fine Little Bird. We have more than you can ever spend, and this house is worth close to fifteen million dollars, so I think were financially sound darling. Why did you ask, you have never asked before Jess?\"\n\n\"I just never realised, we never speak about it, I always have what I need, but when you paid the hotel bill, it was like mega expensive, and we were only there like three days, and we stopped at Magic Mountain for like a whole week and it wasn't as much as that.\" I laugh as she compares this to the best holiday she ever had, and all is done with not as much as a breath in between.\n\n\"Sorry Jess, I forget we have money. We have a few days here, so we will run through everything, Grandy has loads of photographs and I have a hell of a dark room here. Old school photos, do you fancy it? All my stuff should be in my room, so how do you fancy going up the river? My sculls in the boat shed, come garage. Do you fancy your old Mom taking you up the Thames?\" She squealed and came in for her monster hug.\n\n\"This has been the best holiday ever, and we still have over ten and a half weeks left, you're the best Mom in the world.\" I am in for one of her tight hugs.\n\n\"You're welcome Jessica Jay.\" I open the connecting door to the house and damn my keys still work after near on sixteen years. I cart the luggage up to the house, as we pass through the house the old feelings come rushing back. I'm home...\n\n\"Where's my room, Mom?\" Jess heads up the stairs like a bull in a china shop, as she opens all the doors and screams in delight. I think she's not going to want to leave, because I know I never wanted too.\n\n\"The big one at the end was Grandy's, mine is here. Just choose one, or sleep in a different one each night?\"\n\n\"Do you think Grandy would mind if I slept in her room? It sounds silly Mom, but it smells of her, or am I just being dumb?\" I go in and she's right it does, there is a faint smell of her is in the room? The reason is explained, as I see the cleaners have been squirting her perfume in the room. It's been placed back in the wrong place. I squirt a little on my sleeve and sob. She could be here with us. The smell reminds me so much of her. I find it funny how a smell can spark a memory into action, this smell has been in my life forever, and now it's gone. We both let out a sad sigh as Jess squirts it on the bed. \"I will smell nice later and feel like she's here with me. This is way cool Mom way cool.\" She throws herself on the massive four poster bed, the biggest I have ever seen, and the most comfortable one I have ever slept in.\n\n\"We need to spend a few days packing her stuff away, and no, she wouldn't mind it if you slept in here. The cleaners have changed all the beds and until last month Yvonne lived here. We need to decide what we want to do with it Jess?\" This has been an expensive house to maintain, but one I don't want to get rid of either. I go to my room, and I throw myself on my bed, I lost my virginity in this room, to Ben and I could have conceived Jess in this bed? As I think about him, I cry, really cry as my memories of him flood back, to those fateful weeks before we were parted...\n\n\"Grandy I have to go to Dads, and I don't want to leave Ben? He can only get so much time off work, and I don't think I can manage all that time without seeing him, he and I have hardly spent any time apart in the past eight months.\"\n\n\"I do know Little Bird, he was only meant to be here two weeks, whilst he spruced his place up. That was what four months ago?\"\n\n\"Grandy, do you want him to leave? I'm sorry, it's just his brother is staying there with a friend, and poor Ben says he's being weirder than usual. He thinks he can just finish university, and he can just take over the whole company, so Ben staying here has been calming for him, having to deal with him at work and home is too much.\"\n\n\"He can stay as long as you want, it's your home and he's your chap. I like having a man about the place. I wouldn't worry too much about Ben being upset at missing you, he too has things he has to do, he was just saying last night, he was thinking another trip to Italy and China is on the cards, their casino build is hitting a bad patch in construction, did he not tell you?\"\n\n\"Probably, but I've been studying so hard, I switch off and I um at the right places, but his work is so confusing, the legal stuff I understand. It's just they have their fingers in so many pies. When is enough money enough Grandy? I have enough for us to be comfortable, hell he has more than enough now?\"\n\n\"Well, each to one's own, I can't explain the money thing, it allows me to travel and not worry about finances, reminds me Little Bird, I'm away tomorrow, so whatever you decide is fine by me, your father will be fine too? I think the break will do you both good, and it's only two weeks this time, he managed the month you did at your fathers at the start of the romance, so this, this will be a walk in the park?\" I agreed. \"Besides absence makes the heart grow fonder.\"\n\nI go for a bath and as I lay soaking in the tub, he comes in from the office. We did just slip into this living together thing so casually, well it worked, and we worked. Did I really only just notice that that had happened? He walked into the bathroom and sat on the toilet lid watching me bathe.\n\n\"Baby, I don't feel well, I think I'm coming down with a cold? I feel like crap! Would you mind giving the meal with Paulo and his friend a miss? I want to get a bath, take some painkillers and get in our bed and snuggle in with you?\"\n\n\"No, that's fine, from what you have said about him, I don't think I like him already.\" Besides I had seen him already, he called me a gold digger, something I haven't told Ben about.\n\nHe was with his back to the car and was on his phone talking to his friend, about Leo's new bitch, who was keeping him occupied. I heard him say I was just another one of his whores, and they would have more money to shell out, his poor parents would have too when this fling turned sour. I was hurt, too hurt to say anything. Their relationship, that was worse since he had started working for the company full time. I didn't want to add to the stress, besides Ben knew I didn't need his money. Paulo didn't know that though, and Ben wasn't keen to introduce me to the family. He said they were complicated and not as nice as Grandy. He'd said that everyone he had taken to see them, was given the third degree and was made to feel horrid about themselves.\n\nHe didn't want them to spoil us. I didn't mind, I loved him not his family, besides I didn't have enough hours in the day for all I had already in my life, so throwing other people in the mix, no thanks. As it was Charlie and I now only snatched the odd lunch date in, here and there and the very odd night out, she too noticed the change in Ben, and made the joke it was time we considered making it legal. I laughed and said we were fine as we were, but I did like the idea and would snap his hand off, if he asked me. I loved him so completely. I woke from my daydreams, as he spoke again.\n\n\"I have some trips I have to do, and Grandy says you're worried about telling me you're off for another two weeks to Arizona? You have to go to see your dad, he will be expecting you. I have to see my parents all the time, but I manage to get away with short stays, combining business and seeing them is enough. Believe me they are tough cookies to crack. I can grab some time off when I finish in China?\"\n\n\"Is that alright, I was worried? Look at us like an old married couple sat here and at home on a Friday night, even if one of us is milking being ill, get undressed and get in here, share the germs husband.\"\n\n\"That sounds good, shift over wife.\" So, not for the first time we had a long relaxing soak in the tub, which always led to sex. Even with a cold, he was insatiable. He and I are so compatible in that department, and we work in other ways too, wonderfully so. He seems happy enough, and we make each other laugh. I can't imagine my life without him in it. As the water is on its third reheat, we get out wrinkly and clean, fluffy pyjamas on for me whilst he lounges in bed in his pyjama bottoms.\n\nI go to get him painkillers, vapour rub, and oils to burn in the vaporisers. He seems to have become worse since the bath. Oh hell, he's such a baby, and I was told not to forget his damn soup... He has a temperature when I get back with my nursing supplies. Umm, if we survive him having man flu, we will survive anything. We have an unsettled night because he really is poorly. I get up to see Grandy off, she is all packed and awaiting Ludwig, Stein and company for their much talked about trek. I laugh at the sight of Grandy she is going trekking in the Himalayas and she actually looks like the much fabled yeti, in her coat. I do hope nobody shoots her. I don't say anything though, and as the taxi comes for her, I wave her off as I do, she shouts she will be back when the wind changes, Grandy speak for when she's had enough...\n\n\"See you in about six weeks Little Bird, enjoy Arizona.\" I wave as she pulls away. Oh, to be as adventurous as her.\n\nI go to see to the invalid, and he really is ill. I feed him more soup and mop his brow, oh my poor baby. That was Saturday over and done with and by Sunday, I had joined him, but I got it worse because I was sick too and lord was I ill, our room looked like an explosion in a tissue factory. The steamers were working to capacity and the smell of the eucalyptus oil and the mint concoction stunk out the room, and what was with him? Even though we are dying, he still needed sex, I was exhausted. His excuse was very good actually, that we needed to sweat it out and no, it didn't work for me, but he seemed to get better.\n\nI gave up three more days to my bed and he got better and went back to work leaving me throwing my guts up. So not a good look and he's now seen me looking like an alcoholic old soak. What with my big red nose, it's snotty and sneezing too, and I'm feeling crap and crankier than usual. Yet still he said he loved me, as he brought me soup and mopped my brow when he got home from work. He laughed too, as I sneezed, shooting snot and soup, all over him, such a bloody good look, not. I slept so comfortably though wrapped in his arms.\n\nThen at the weekend we had to part for at least four weeks. I was panicking, thinking the worst that he would find someone else. He also said I should go and meet his parents and go with him, but I had to go to see my dad because I missed him too. We needed to sort out our lives, as they seem to be getting so complicated with pleasing other people now, instead of just ourselves. Those were the worst five weeks in my life, five whole weeks he was away. I was away just the two. He came back tired, a little more stressed than usual and yet strangely happy to see me, he threw himself at me as he walked back in. We'd had phone contact at all times and we sent each other lengthy emails. He rushed me straight to our room, saying never again, and that a month was excessively too long between kisses, he'd missed me too much to do it again, I ummed and oh-ed.\n\nWe made up for lost time when he got back, we spent a whole two days in bed living on food being delivered to the house. We didn't leave the bedroom for most of it, and then one more night of screaming and chasing each other around the house, I'm so thankful these walls couldn't talk. Grandy was back in the morning, so we made up for missing each other one last time. He would be really busy at work in the next month and me? I was trying to get my head into the exams, the course work and being part of a couple, it was harder to juggle than I first thought it would be, his world was mainly spent with clients, going for dinner meetings, meetings that went into the long hours. I was usually exhausted, sometimes bored, but always there on his arm when he needed me.\n\n\"How do you fancy going to the lakes at the weekend? Have sometime hiking in the mountains, do some exercise other than bedtime Olympics?\"\n\n\"Yes, as long as it includes bedtime Olympics there too?\"\n\n\"Of course it does when do we not do that?\"\n\n\"You do that so well Sara! Oh, Mom and Dad want to see you too, I said we could perhaps go after you finish university for the summer? I will come with you to see your dad and get his permission to date you?\"\n\n\"Date me? We have been living together for nearly six months Ben?\" He laughed.\n\n\"Well you know what I mean? I have a couple more big trips to do too, a week in Vegas, and another two in China, then a few days in Italy for a big board meeting. You could come to see them then and I could do the Vegas trip perhaps we could go and see your dad? We do seem to be like an old married couple, you're right. I hadn't thought about it, not until Delphia asked was I going home to the wife? Then I realised that yes, we have spent all our time together, like a married couple? I hadn't thought of us like that, but I must admit it made me smile knowing I had you to come home to, as it does all the time. Thank you for falling for me and ruining my favourite Armani Sara.\" I laughed, as he rewarded me for ruining his suit again.\n\nGrandy came home the morning after, with her bags full of treasures and tales. She regaled us about the wonderful time she'd had me I sat and watched as Ben smiled. He was up to something.\n\n\"Well you two what's the next few weeks got in store? We need to plan. Sara, you're in Arizona for the summer and for two months, yes?\" I sighed.\n\n\"I've a bucket full of exams to finish as you both know. I've also been asked to do a movie with my mother too. She needs me to ride for her as I can pass as her double. Grandy, don't look at me like that, I so wanted to say no, but I am assured we would have little or no contact, and if she is happy she leaves us alone, and she didn't do too well the last time she was on a horse. So why the hell she's agreed I will never know, it's her big come back and she was nearly begging me for my help. I've said I will do it, but for no more than two weeks, there's not that many scenes on horseback, so it should be fine. Besides I think Declan arranged this and I think she too had her arm twisted, she sort of hinted that he would be angry at her.\" Grandy smiled. \"But this will shoot her back up there, she thinks people will call here to, so be warned, her nuttier fans may call.\"\n\n\"She asked for your help, how very unlike my daughter, you are both blonde and that is as near to looking alike as it gets. Is she being accompanied by your brother?\"\n\n\"Yes, he'll be there it was Declan who brokered the deal, he has heard I am seeing a zillionaire and wants to see you too Ben. I told him to do one, but what I should have asked him was how he know? I want as little as possible to do with Brother Dumb. I have to go again to Arizona yes, but not for two months. I can't it's too long a time to be away from you and I did tell Dad I wouldn't be there as much because of you and I Ben? He was surprisingly fine with it.\" Ben laughed, as Grandy was busy taking notes.\n\n\"My turn, I should just give you Delphia's extension number and we could coordinate our diaries Grandy. I have to go to China again in four weeks, it can't be helped Sara. We are building the biggest casino in the group, and it's costing a small fortune. Paulo has been standing in for me, so I don't have to be there all the time and so whilst you're in Arizona, I will be there giving him a break. Where are you off too this time Grandy?\"\n\n\"Umm I may join Sara at the reservation or join Ludwig and Stein down or up the Amazon, I've not yet decided. I will go wherever the wind may carry me as always. So, we have four weeks left of 'Miss Cranky Knickers' her exams and then we part for the summer, right?\" We all nod.\n\nThe month had flown by and then the day before we were to part for the summer, I did the test, because I had missed another period. I'd done the test before Ben got back from work, I was nervous, excited and shitting it too and as the lines appeared, I was shocked. I had hoped it was just down to exam stress, but no, I'm going to be a mom.\n\nI told Grandy first, as I needed some reassurances, she is always my sounding block for great advice, she was ecstatic. She assured me whatever Ben said or did she would be there for me, and not to worry too much about Ben, the man was head over heels in love with me and my temper too. Giving me the warmest and longest of her Grandy hugs, she went to see her friend Ludwig for the week. I had to go and tell Mother the film was a no go, as I'd be too far along at six months, to either pass as her double, or to do the stunts she needed to do. She doesn't have a phone at the castle, or rather Grandy nor I will pay for one, it is after all empty the majority of the time. She's been stopping there to rehearse her new film role and the brother from hell is joining her. He's supposed to be at a friend's for the summer, but he's probably pissed them off, or worn out his welcome there too.\n\nBen is away in Italy for two or three days too, so it seemed the perfect chance to tell her. I need a break, so two days with them would not kill me. Besides, it's a nice place to get my head together. I would get back, and then I'd wait for him to come home and make him, either a romantic meal or the last supper? I wasn't sure either way, but he did say he wanted loads of children and I had to pray it was with me? So, I threw the stick in the bathroom drawer and cried.\n\nHe came in from work and I was still crying I told him it was because I wanted to go to China with him and we argued a little, he'd already said it was all work and he would be working long hours and not be able to see me much, I was convinced he had someone else. I couldn't tell him about the baby, he was so stressed with the China deal, plus I'd been off with him for a few days. I had an inkling I was pregnant and had been a little snappy, but given I'd had a stressful month of exams he'd been quite patient with me.\n\nI decided I would either tell him when he got back from his parent's place and possibly even when he returned from China. He didn't need the added stress of an unplanned pregnancy too and to be worrying about me whilst he was over there. I was sure he'd be fine with the news he was going to be a father, he sort of hinted he wanted to be a young parent as his were so much older, and he wanted to be nothing like them. Our last night together was wonderful, and as we cuddled after we'd made love he held me close to him and whispered he wanted me in his life forever and to grow old and grey together, I lay on his chest and fell asleep, so in love with him I very nearly told him, how I wish I had. The next day, I left for Scotland, and he for Italy, that last kiss lingered on my lips like a coating of sweet honey. He'd be back in a couple of days and said he would see me when he got back. He had something to ask of me, I'd hoped he was going to ask me to marry him.\n\nI wake and as I do, I feel his lips against mine and cry some more, it was only a dream. I look over at the door and Jess is there. I shrug the last pleasant memory of him away, and as I look over at her stood watching me, in the same place, where her father would lean against the doorframe, just as she is doing now, he'd watch me when he got home from work. I'd decide today is the day. This is the day she learns the truth and the reasons why I hate my mother and brother, and finally all about Ben. I am ready to tell Jess everything, warts and all. Being here makes me finally realise that she has a right to know because of them, her father is dead.\n\n\"Do you want to see your Dad?\" She smiles. \"Obviously, it's in photo's Jess. I'm sorry I can't raise the dead, even for you, would that I could.\" I'm joined on the bed as she hugs me.\n\n\"Please Mom, I have a small picture it's a little fuzzy and old. The Duchess gave me one, she figured I needed to know I had a dad but swore me to secrecy. She figured you'd tell me about him when you were ready. She always asked me if I had been told yet. Can I see my beautiful father then? Grandy did say he was gorgeous, and I looked so like him, and that's why you were sad. Show me my dad then Mom, hurry up before I die of excitement. Did I tell you this is the best trip ever?\" I smile, my father and Grandy told my daughter more that they all let on.\n\nI hand her the albums from under the bed, and as I do, I see a pair of his shoes and pick them up, and as I finger the leather, I cry some more. My room is like a time capsule of emotions. I go to the bathroom and wonder if it's still in the dresser drawer? I open it and it is. His aftershave is there, so too the pregnancy test. It's still in the drawer where I shoved it that last day. Jess is behind me.\n\n\"Are you alright Mom? Eww's, what's that? Please tell me it's not what I think it is?\" I laugh.\n\n\"Umm the pee stick that told me I was having you. Yes, I was keeping it to show your Dad. This was his favourite cologne, he always wore it.\" She squirted it and cried. \"What's the matter Jess? Please don't cry Little Bird.\" I hug my girl tightly.\n\n\"Mom, why did he die and leave me? He left you too. Do you know how or why?\" I joined her in the tears.\n\n\"He never left me Baby, he didn't know where I was, he thought I had left him. I hadn't and well I think you're ready to know the whole tale, and then I will answer any questions you have? You have waited long enough to ask Little Bird.\" She put the cologne back after squirting herself with it again.\n\n\"My Dad was the last one to touch this, and I have touched it now too.\"\n\n\"Oh Jess, I'm sorry that's the only memory I can give you of him, that the photos and his clothes which are still here.\" She and I went to get comfortable. It would be a long night. \"So Jess the story of why I didn't want to come back, and why he never knew anything about you, are you ready Little Bird?\" She nodded. Where do I begin? I told her to shush and just let me tell her my own way and to ask questions when I finished, and of course she agreed, she was desperate to know about him.\n\nChapter 5:\n\n\"I went to see my mother and brother at the castle I own in Scotland, to tell your Grandmother and Uncle that I would not be able to do the film with them, and why, because I was having you. I was only going to be away a couple of days and then I was going to tell your father I was pregnant. He was away in Italy for a couple of days and I had been a little crabby with him. I figured the time apart would do us good, anyhow I'd turned up at her door, well technically my door, as the castle was mine. It started off really badly the meeting, because all Daniella did was thank me for helping her and she kept telling me I was the answer to her troubles, and that I was her last chance. Great that wasn't what I wanted, to dash all her hopes. The telling her of my reasons why I couldn't do the riding for her, were soon over.\n\nShe took it quite well, that she was going to be a Grandma, but I thought it was too good to be true, because then she had a drink or two in her rooms and came back downstairs more relaxed. She wasn't as guarded with her words when she had a few gins in her, she said I was too young, I would have to have a termination. I was too young to be tied down, what if your father didn't want it, or me? She had dinner with the film producer and director to go to, but she would be back later to discuss things in more detail.\" Jess was biting her lip but was already fuming. \"Your Uncle Declan was up to something. He was on his phone and speaking in a muted voice as soon as he heard my news. Declan was up to no good, he'd hidden my car keys and my phone was no longer charging where I had left it. So I had no way of contacting anyone, it was too dark outside to be wandering the moors at night, so I decided to leave first thing, the following morning, when I'd found my missing keys or had the car recovery guys break in and start it, my spares were here in London.\"\n\n\"Did they have them?\" I nodded.\n\n\"Yes Jess, I had a niggling doubt they were up to no good, so I stashed my stuff in its hidey hole, when they left for the said important dinner. Mother said she wanted to talk more when she got back, about a termination or its possible adoption. To make sure I was there when they returned, Declan then told me he had taken my things, because he was making sure I stopped there. What planet was she on? My child, you Jess, were going nowhere, your father and I were in love, and we'd talked and planned to be together forever.\n\nThey had gone for dinner as they said they would and when they got back, the talk ended up in a shouting match of her telling me I had to have a termination. I refused, it was a heated debate and then she wanted a special hot chocolate to calm down before bed, sleeping pills, and rum in her chocolate. She had Uncle Declan make us drinks, she said we would wake up and talk more reasonably, when we had all slept on it? There was nothing to discuss I was out of there as soon as I woke in the morning, even if it meant walking.\"\n\n\"Something bad happened I can tell Mom...\" I hugged her tightly.\n\n\"Yes Jess, it did. I think they must have drugged my hot chocolate, because whilst I slept, they'd locked me away in the back tower, away from prying eyes. I hated them, and I swore I would kill someone for doing that. Declan was the one who locked me away, I found out by listening to his conversations of their plans. Oh and what plans they were, I was to be locked away to await your delivery and then you would subsequently be adopted into a good family, they already had one waiting in the wings, to whisk you away as soon as you arrived, they were selling my baby for cash.\" Jess was angry and swore quite a lot too. \"I'd cried for weeks whilst I was locked away, all the time hoping and praying your dad would come and look for me, but he never did. I think I'd been there for weeks possibly, months? I was unsure of the time or how many days I was there. I only knew that in my belly you grew, and you moved.\n\nThe first few weeks were horrendous, they melded into just more days spent without him. Locked in that prison tower and being kept from him, praying that they'd change their minds, and your dad would be waiting for me when I got out, or when I escaped. I had tried all ways of escaping, but it was impossible. There was just the one door leading into my room, bolted on the outside. One bay window, too high to jump from, but I tried the knotting together of the sheets, only to have them taken from the bed, as were the curtains and my clothes. I had just a pillow and the feather quilt. I couldn't reach the roof to climb up and go over either and yes, I tried Jess, I really tried.\"\n\n\"Mom shush, I bet you did. I hate them, and I fear there is worse to come.\" Again, I nodded.\n\n\"Then that that awful day came, the day I died inside even more than I already had. I was sat reading, when Uncle Declan came in laughing, he threw a newspaper at me, that was when I learned your father, he had been killed in a car accident. The story was there in black and white, Declan laughed and locked the door. I had read that paper over and over for two weeks and they were two rotten weeks, were I cried and cried. I remember every word of that article, it was all I read for weeks Jess.\n\n'Ben Vinci, model and playboy socialite was today killed in a presumed drunk driving accident, whilst driving his fianc\u00e9e to meet his parents. She escaped with just a few cuts and minor abrasions. She is fellow socialite and model Charlotte Ginsburg, who is said to be resting comfortably, in their new Parisian home by the Seine, and is awaiting the delivery of their child who is due in six months. Their baby was unharmed, and she is being comforted by both their parents. Mr Vinci's parents who are ecstatic to learn she was carrying their grandchild, a first for both families.\n\nMiss Ginsburg wishes to be left alone to grieve and await the delivery. She can throw no further light on the cause of the crash. The accident was caused, it is believed, because he had swerved to miss an object in the road and hit a tree, killing him instantly. He had been drinking and they had been arguing in the restaurant before their crash and Vinci's untimely death, these allegations have been quashed by Ms Ginsberg as laughable, he never drank and then drove his car, and they never rowed. Whatever happened though, will remain a great mystery, as she does not remember arguing. Just swerving to miss, what she thought was an animal...\"\n\nI was now being comforted by Jess, and I comforted her too, we had a hot chocolate and I continued. She was doing that Dad thing she does, the processing and letting it all sink in. Lord will there be questions. I continued the epic tale.\n\n\"I cried, clutching at my stomach. I thought she was my best friend, he I thought, wanted to marry me and take me to see his parents? He promised me he loved me Jess, only me, yet he lied, you can't move on that quickly, you're nearly sixteen and I can't move on. I'd been in there for months, of course he'd moved on, because he never loved me like I did him. I reasoned that he must have thought I had dumped him, after all we had been arguing and a lot in the week leading up to our separate trips. I wasn't sure how to tell him about you our baby and was crankier with him than I needed to be. Oh Jess, I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Mom carry on, I don't blame you for not telling me about my brother or sister now, I would have been kinda pissed off too, please stop crying and just tell me everything, even if you think it will hurt me, I need to know everything please?\" I continued.\n\n\"My only glimmer of hope was that he did love me and that he had waited and grieved, and that grief was his reason for moving on and with Charlie, because we had all been close friends. Perhaps she was his rebound girl, or the one he comforted and so soon after me, perhaps a one off, with no protection taken and his over-whelming need to do the right thing, meant he was marrying her, because of the baby and that he still loved me? It all made sense in my head and made it easier to think she was just a one-off mistake, rather than he had moved on so quickly and in doing so had forgotten me. It helped for a while to believe he had loved me, he didn't know I was there, he was heartbroken and had found comfort with my friend, who would be missing me too.\n\nMy life would have ended that day too, had you not needed me Jess, I could have quite easily ended it all. I would have jumped out of the window such was the grief, the loss and betrayal I felt. I stood by the window for quite a while contemplating it, but instead I cried for a few more days. I went mad with the grief, then yes, they were back the negative thoughts. My logic was all over the place, I was going mad with the loneliness and grief, not the best of bed buddies at the best of times. I had been dumped and he'd moved on with her I was so confused and in turmoil. Your dad was dead whatever had happened, and didn't know about you, our baby. I needed to get out, I had to save you from being sold. You were in danger and the other child of his was in a cosy Parisian apartment, its mother was being fussed over by his parents. I should be there not here, it should have been me, not her being fussed over and grieving his loss with them and then God did I hate Charlotte more, but it also gave me a renewed vigour to get out and get out I would, then God help Uncle Declan and your Grandma.\n\nThen as if heaven sent, my prayers were answered. I would have to grab at what I thought was possibly, my only chance to escape, before it was too late. They were off to start shooting that bloody picture in Morocco, they found a stunt double to take over the riding. Declan told the insurance people, well he insisted on it after her last fall caused her great injuries to her back. Did he have to remind them it cost the last studio an awful lot of money, he'd hate for her to have to fall and sue them again.\n\nShe wasn't as young as she was and may break more bones. I laughed hearing him say that. I wanted her to break her neck, followed by his. They hired a nurse, to care for me whilst they were away, telling her I was a paranoid schizophrenic and only calm on my medication. I wasn't Jess, I was just upset and confused. Given I was messed up about your father, grieving his death and the double betrayal, I would mumble at them, seeing them stood in the corner, kissing each other mocking me.\n\nI hallucinated all the time, I'd have long talks with them, I'd scream at them, throw things swear at them, you name it I did it. My imagination was playing tricks on me, it was all down to the loneliness at being locked away and for so long, with no one to talk to, so it all looked quite plausible on the face of things. Declan always thought I was asleep when he spoke to the nurse, guard or whoever she was? His friends called too, though they always stayed just outside the door. I never saw faces, just heard their voices, telling him they had a buyer for you, a good family, wealthy and the kid would easily pass as the wife's. He was told to make sure the merchandise was kept safe, and then they'd pass him his drugs, I presumed he was just that, his dealer?\n\nI learned an awful lot that summer, locked in the tower, about the money he needed from the film, and from selling my child to save him from kneecapping, as he'd borrowed heavily for his habits and couldn't pay it back. Both Grandy and his mother were refusing to bail him out. Declan's habit was getting worse. Mother never came to see me, I thought she must have truly hated me. Then the nurse took over my sole care. They had been gone for quite a while, the days were a hazy existence, reading, crying plotting and planning, days came, and they went.\n\nPossibly two weeks had passed since they'd left me with Nurse Tipsy. She answered phone calls telling them the baby was fine. She'd have a drink and sit and watch me as I watched her, I had to wonder had she been told not to speak to me? She was always so drunk when she fed me or handed me clean clothes. I'd started asking her for afternoon tea, and for her to join me, which she did, so after a while she trusted me. Unfortunately for her, and unbeknownst to the poor nurse, she was my way out. They'd hired her to look after me. Who was looking out for her, she was hopeless and a drunk?\" Jessica whooped, way to go Mom, I laughed at her reaction too.\n\n\"The nurse joined me for tea, as usual locking the door and sitting in her comfy chair, she was three sheets to the wind, sorry Jess that means drunk, before she even sat down, it must have been hard for her only having the nut job for company, that and the very good wine cellar? I decided to make a play for escaping, and it had to be that day too, as they were due back the following day. She'd asked me to be mother, so I poured her a really sweet tea as she'd asked for and as she sipped I talked calmly, the music playing in the back ground was so soothing, after not too long a wait, she fell asleep and I made my run for freedom. My crushed pills had knocked her spark out, as they were supposed to do to me. I grabbed her keys and then locked her in.\" We had a much needed pit stop, for the toilet, for pizza and for more sodas.\n\n\"Gheeze Mom no wonder you never told me. I think you were really brave. They are mother-fucking arseholes.\" I spluttered out my coke, as she told me to continue.\n\n\"They were back in the morning, and she wouldn't die in there, and so what if she did, the body and her were their problems, not mine. No, they couldn't say my sister did it, the one we locked away, win, win for me, I was out. They though had ripped my room apart searching for my papers, passports, and stuff. My things were all over the place, they had even taken apart the library, my place to retreat to on the rare occasions I stopped here in my youth, with Grandy. I don't know what made me hide it all in the nook that night, but I'm glad I did. I took my stash of money and passports from their hiding place in my mother's own room. The last place they would have ever looked. I packed the well-read newspaper and my treasures and made ready for my escape.\n\nSo ended my months of imprisonment. Uncle Declan was behind all this, my sixteen year old monster for a brother had kept me captive. I swore someday I would come back and make him pay for what he had done to me, to us, but I needed to get to safety. I would make him pay, after having had you. I would kill him, because of him, your dad was dead, and you Jess had no father. I had everything I needed, having found my car keys in my car and packed what few possessions I had, and I drove to Glasgow airport, putting it in the parking garage there and leaving Grandy's address and phone number, she would arrange a pick up when she was back in the country. She hadn't answered her bloody phone, so I flew to the safety of your grandad's waiting arms.\n\nHe, it seems, had been told by Declan I was with your father and his family in Italy, and I would be going travelling with Grandy for a while. They told Grandy I had gone to see my father and was having the baby there. So, because she didn't have to worry about me, she had gone on a world tour, reliving her youth before it was too late and before the sprog came, that's you by the way. Until you were ready to come, she was travelling, whilst she still could. She trusted their word that I had gone to the ranch. I did wonder why nobody ever questioned my lack of verbal communication over the months?\"\n\n\"Yeah, were they stupid did they not have phones? I remember The Duchess ringing every day when she was away, is that why Mom, in case they took you again?\"\n\n\"I think she liked hearing your voice, and besides she cut back after I had you, she missed playing with you. Let me continue Jess, this is taking forever where was I, yes, so when I got to dads I broke down as I arrived at the airport, I was safe there and I mean truly safe. The lack of questions on my whereabouts was soon explained too, there were postcards from all over the place. Grandy flew in days later, she too had letters and postcards from my travels. It seems Declan was very good at convincing them I was travelling.\n\nGrandy had a letter too from your father's family asking that all personal effects he'd had at the house be returned to them and there would be no further contact. Their son had died, and they blamed me. Why I never knew, it wasn't like I was in the bloody car with him? I think that's why the shunned you and hated me? I didn't know your father's parents, but according to Ben were a nightmare, and now one's I'm glad I never met Jess. Grandy ignored the subsequent letters and she too was mad at his family, as she said their loss our gain, we didn't now have to share you, and she was right. Though I suspect she did send letters, but hers too fell on stony ground. I was given a full work up on my arrival in Arizona and given a clean bill of health, so were you, my seven month old baby girl was fine and dandy and you were very health in there.\n\nGrandad sent his family and my mother and brother a very lengthy legal letter severing all ties, and told them all to keep their distance, or we would have them prosecuted. I never wanted to see them again, a court case would mean I would need to see them, and I would have had to return to England. I wasn't sure what the people he'd sold you to would have to say, you know, about there not being a baby for them to adopt. I did worry would they search you out and would take you. With Dad, we were safe, perhaps they would exact their revenge on Declan, I had to hope so.\n\nMy nightmares continued each night. Dad would hold me until I slept. He made me a new dream catcher, you've seen it, it's the big one I have over my bed back home? That's the same one, the one decorated with owl feathers and white hawk feathers with crystals woven in the intricate webbing. It was made to catch the new and horrid nightmares, and allow pleasant dreams through, and it worked too after a few nights, my sleep returned to normal, it helped that old Bonnie was sleeping on my bed. She helped, she let nobody near me except Dad and Grandy.\n\nYou my beautiful daughter, were born two months later, healthy and beautiful and lord you had your father in you, too much really. You were his double you were my new start and my whole life. I'd carried on with my law degree and graduated top of my class the following year, and with Dad's help, I had excelled in law school. My dad stood there looking so proud holding you so tightly his Granddaughter, Grandy was happy too when I graduated. Then I joined his firm. It all seems so long ago now Jess, but those actions they took, deprived you both of knowing each other, he would have loved you so much baby.\n\nHe left me with you, and for that, I will be forever grateful, and they got the other child he had fathered. Unfortunately, it was the only one they recognised and that was Charlotte's child. I hated them and her more, all my calls fell on deaf ears, so I stopped bothering after a couple of years. You were then just my little miracle and very much loved, their loss not mine. Each year on your birthday though, I would send them a photograph and each year you looked more like him. Now, we're back here where my memories of him are haunting me. He'd never been with me to Arizona, but here in London Jess, we have places to go that your dad and I had been to as a loving couple, and that's why I wasn't ready to come back. Even after so long, my heart still aches for him, but ready I had to be, because you Jessica needed answers to your questions, honest and truthful answers this time and now you finally know everything and why it is I truly hate my mom and brother. You and I, Jessica Jay Bird, we're heading into murky uncharted waters. What does Daniella want and why now?\"\n\nI had told her the whole tale and let me tell you that was so bloody cathartic, not having to keep those awful things to myself. As we sat, we'd eaten the pizza we'd had delivered. She was now sat open mouthed and shocked at what her uncle and her grandma had done, and what they had planned. I had to stop her swearing, quite a few times, the first time she said mother-fuckers, I was dying to laugh.\n\n\"Mom, they were awful. I'm sorry I wrote to her now, please forgive me, we aren't going, she can rot in hell. Fuck her Mom, fuck her, she doesn't deserve us.\" I cried at how mature my baby girl was and told her those were the last time she dropped the f-bomb ever again. \"Does that crap really happen here? They were going to sell me, to buy coke. Shit sorry, Mom the f-bomb is coming to town one last time the mother-fucking pair of bastards, let them go to hell for what they put you through. I never want to see her, and I hope she dies a painful death.\"\n\nShe carried on ranting but in Apache, so I couldn't understand her. I am not as good as my daughter at the language, but I do understand a lot. She would go to the reservation and learn her lessons. I learnt the little I did know, from handling the cases I got at our small practice in White River, and from my months spent at the ranch over the years. I preferred to be out riding, hunting or fishing when I was younger, Jess liked to learn all she could.\n\n\"Jessica Jay Bird, go and wash your mouth out that was nasty little girl, and when did they teach you that in class? I may not know as much as you, but even I know that's a very rude thing to say. Gouyen will be turning in her grave knowing you'd used the beautiful language she taught you, in such a potty mouthed way.\"\n\n\"That wise woman Mom would do as her ancestor did and sneak in and scalp the pair of them. So please don't tell me she would have taken this lying down she was named after a fierce and powerful warrior.\" I shouldn't mock her. She is sometimes more tribal than her grandfather was.\n\nShe certainly has his temper when wronged, it was only me being heavily pregnant that stopped him coming here and doing just what she is threatening to do now, and that makes me happy, knowing that she does take after him too, and yes, she could do it too, she can skin a deer, Elk or a bear if needed, they used their skins in the making of the traditional items they make and sell in the tourist shops mainly for the for the moccasins they buy, as all we Indians wear them.\n\nThe number of complaints we get because we don't now live in wigwams, really their ignorance is unbelievable. Please, they are called wickiups or tipis, if you must. Jess prefers to wear her Sketchers, so do most of the kids she hangs around with. So clich\u00e9d, but that's what the tourists thought, and they bought them by the bag full, the dream catchers and the cute teddies, in Indian traditional dress, big sellers too. Jess has a fabulous collection of teddies in all sort of dresses, Grandy has brought her one back from each of her many trips taken, and she has a fair few too.\n\n\"Right well that's decided, they rot in hell and we spend more time doing fun stuff, scalping the pair of them not to be included Little Bird?\" We spent the night going through my room.\n\nI imparted tales of each thing she found, the ticket stubs, the tee shirt she insisted in wearing of his to bed, spraying it with his cologne, to feel close to him. In the bathroom I found the necklace he gave me for my birthday, one he'd had made for me. A symbol for our love, a gift from him, and so many tears cried over that. A golden Humming Bird, because I hummed a lot and usually after sex, I laugh at the memory, it was the best thing he gave me, because he'd designed it himself, yet more tears are had. This bloody room is filled with him. I smiled, as I gave it to his daughter.\n\n\"Mom this is beautiful, it's really sweet, are you sure? This place is kinda cool, why did we not come here before?\" I smiled, now I'm here I did wonder why too? Perhaps it would have been too painful on my own. I am sharing it with the only other person who misses him as much as I do, and perhaps now was the right time.\n\n\"Come on bedtime, we have to sort things out here tomorrow, bedtime, and lights out.\"\n\n\"Night Mom love you to the top of the mountain and back.\" I gave her a smile as she went to sleep in her Grandy's rather cool four poster bed. I swear I heard her jumping up and down on it, and if Grandy is watching, she will have a chuckle, it's what I did when she wasn't around, but somehow, she would always catch me and chase me around the room with the great big pillows, and yes I still did it, even when I was all grown up.\n\nJess and I spent a few days packing away Grandys clothes, to be sent to charity. My things I just wasn't sure about, they were a little dated. After Jess had all but emptied all my drawers and put things in the charity boxes, there wasn't that much left, and it was a good excuse to shop for some better clothes. I needed to be glamorous again, apparently? Her father's stuff was in her suitcase, which was going nowhere. I did take her on the promised ride down the Thames, in my boat.\n\nGrandy had kept it looking as good as new. No wonder she spent so long with us she must have been bloody lonely hanging around here on her own, as all my things were everywhere. I sent my apologies to my mother, and told her all things considered my daughter, and I would not like to meet her after all, and to forget we even existed. We had a few days, sightseeing and spending a few days in the South West of England and seeing the sights Jess wanted to see, Stonehenge was a must.\n\nThen it was down the coast to see where the Mayflower set sail to America, bringing over their diseases, grabbing our lands and waging war on our people for our lands? I don't think that our poor American fellow traveller wanted to hear all this on his holiday, how his ancestors had killed her ancestors for our lands. Poor Bob Hardy from Portland, Maine and his wife Barbie went away with more than a flea in their ears, being as their ancestors were on it. Then we walked around the Barbican, another must. A hike over Dartmoor was had, with Jess hoping to see the hound of the Baskervilles. She needs to stop watching so much television.\n\nI swear she heard what she wanted and believed the crap she heard on television. We then spent a pleasant couple of days in Cornwall, where we didn't see any Piskies, they are Cornish Pixies, I was told. Then from Lands End, and we headed back to Richmond. We made a quick stop at the supermarket for groceries, and I could have sworn I said no to the boxed set of wolves and vampires, so why was it in the trolley then? Popcorn and chips, yeah, more crap films to watch again, deep joy.\n\nFull of beans, we arrived back to find him at my door. I wanted to smack the crap from his smug face. He was stood grinning. I wanted to kill him, I parked at the front of the house and studied the smarmy little bastard, he will pay for what he did, because his taking me prisoner, it meant Ben died. Yes, I'm very bitter, bitter enough to kill him. I'm well trained to do it too, my years of preparation, were all for this day, but I had Jess in the car.\n\n\"Stay in the car Jess, do not get out, I repeat do not get out. If anything, bad happens, please dial 999, and not 911, then ask for the police, if I signal you, do you hear? Do not get out of the car, no matter what Jess?\" I was shouting, something I never do in front of her ever and certainly not at her. She told me she would. I got out and locked the doors.\n\n\"Well, Sister Dearest, isn't this a nice surprise seeing you here, and looking so well, haven't you done well for yourself? Is that the bastard? Mother wants to see you, and don't piss me off, with you'd rather not. I don't want to be here either, but I was called back too. Apparently, the old bitch is dying, and she wants to make her peace.\"\n\n\"I don't care one tiny atom if she is dying. I just hope it's a lonely painful death and hope that you join her soon after. That is my daughter Jess, and she is no bastard, I think that title goes to you, she knows who her father is. Take your evil arse back and tell her it will be a cold day in hell before I ever, I repeat, ever go to her house again. The last time didn't go too well for me, do you not remember? It cost Ben a chance of seeing his daughter, and her from seeing her father. Leave before I signal to Jess to phone the police.\" He came down the steps and passed me.\n\n\"What if I told you a secret that will change your life, would you come then?\" I laughed.\n\n\"Right, and what could you possibly tell me to change my life? I know who my father is, I know my mother is a freak, and I know you brother, have more than a few slates missing off the roof.\"\n\n\"Now, now Pocahontas, this would benefit your daughter too, a chance to see where her father is? I don't suppose you know where he is, or do you?\" He was right, I hadn't been able to find out, but I was sure he'd been taken back to Italy and placed in the family crypt.\n\n\"So, how do I know I can trust you? You pair haven't got that great a track record of earning my trust, do you? As far as my daughter's health and safety are concerned, I don't want you anywhere near her?\" He smirked.\n\n\"I have more to lose this time, I get nothing if you don't turn up, and you get to know where lover boy is?\" I look at Jess and agree. \"Mothers flat tomorrow, we will be there all day. I have things to run over with her, money property and the things she's leaving me! It shouldn't take too long and then we never have to see you again?\"\n\n\"Right and who else will be there?\"\n\n\"You're safe, she has a nurse who is in attendance, and her secretary. Her book has made her a lot of money. It's the biggest pile of shit I have ever read, but her fans like it.\" I laugh, it's the first thing we have ever agreed on.\n\n\"Well, I will see you tomorrow, and any funny stuff and you will be sorry? I'm not the frightened girl I was back then.\"\n\n\"See you tomorrow and Mother wants to see her granddaughter. She has to be there too. Not an option and as soon as its over I give you the information, as promised.\" I cringe as I watch him walk away. \"Tomorrow, don't forget to bring the half-blood too.\" I get back in the car, and drive to the garage, pulling into the garage, I get out and lock the doors. Finally allowing Jess out of the car, and we take the groceries in, and the bags.\n\n\"Was that who I thought it was Mom?\" I nod as I unpack the food.\n\n\"We have to go see Grandma, she hasn't got long to live, and if we do that one thing, he will tell me where your father is laid to rest. I have never been able to find out. His family have refused all contact, they are like the Cosa Nostra. There are loads of them running interference. I call them the Italian Mafioso and I have never once been allowed to speak to your grandparents, nor his sister or either of his brothers. I had to learn Italian in the end, just so I knew if they were lying to me, I'd pretend I couldn't understand them, and they would speak.\"\n\n\"Is that why I had to take Italian? So, I could speak the same language as my father. How cool, I never knew why you had me learn. I'm just happy we were going to Italy, so I could speak to someone else other than the waiters at the pizza place down the block from the offices. Mom you're really sneaky.\" I laugh as she and I speak in Italian for a while, as we make dinner.\n\n\"We will be alright Mom, you can kick arse if they start on you, and I am coming on great in my Krav Maga classes, Mom. Poppa Eli says I'm nearly as good as you are. Tell me again why you have someone working with you from Mossad, and why is he my godfather Mom?\" I laugh.\n\n\"He was as dear to me as my father was, he swore to look after you if anything happened to me. He had married a good American girl, she got sick, and Dad brought them here to help him, they were old friends, so he brought her here for treatment and stopped. He was retired and so helped Dad in the practice. Nothing more sinister, Jessica Jay, he just happens to be a bloody good private detective. You really have to stop watching television Jess, and realise that not everything in life, is like an episode of N.C.I.S.\" She laughs as she chops the herbs.\n\n\"Really, you could have fooled me, with what you have told me over the past couple of weeks, I beg to differ? Mom your life, well, it's played out as if it was right off the pages of a film script.\"\n\n\"Chop or we won't be eating this side of midnight.\" I smile and agree.\n\n\"Right bossy boots. Mom, do you think we can go to the gym or something before we go around? We need to loosen up a bit and get a little more fitter. I miss working out in our gym, well your works gym.\" I agree I am feeling a little bit of a need to pound the bag a little. I went on Google as the pasta cooked.\n\n\"We're in luck Jess there's a gym that does martial arts and does the total fitness thing, they have a pool too and a masseuse. Should I book for a day pass check it out?\"\n\n\"Please Mom, I'm going to get a quick shower and get ready for bed.\" I ring and book us in for a day trail, at half past six in the morning. They take my credit card details, and we're to meet a fella called Jarrod there, who will walk us through. I laugh. Wait until Jess hears she has to be up at six. It's literally down the road though. We head to bed after our late supper, we have a busy day starting early, and ending who knows when?\n\nChapter 6:\n\n\"Wake up Jess, your kit is over by the dresser, come on Baby get up. Juice is waiting?\" I go downstairs and have my toast, as sleepy head comes down the stairs.\n\n\"Morning Mom, you weren't kidding then? Are we driving or jogging? I need to wake up.\" She has her toast with peanut butter and jam on it and takes a glug from her juice. I watch as she eats.\n\n\"This isn't jelly Mom? It's nice though, kinda chunkier?\" I laugh.\n\n\"It's called jam or more precisely conserve, it's an English thing Baby Bird, they don't do grape jelly here. We'll jog it's literally ten minutes' walk. It's one of the best in the area. I'm told everyone and their mother and anyone who's anyone goes to it.\" As I grab my phone and headphones, I put water and towels in the bag and we head off, getting there just as they are opening. Jess and I have barely broken a sweat.\n\n\"Mrs Bird? I'm Jarrod, I am sorry have I got the name, right?\" I laugh.\n\n\"Yes, this is my daughter Jess and I'm Miss, not Mrs. She would like to use the machines and I want to pound the fight bag, if you have one? We have missed three Krav Maga classes, and we're getting withdrawal symptoms. We work out every day in the gym at work, so that too has been allowed to slide.\" He laughs as he shows us around.\n\n\"You know what you're doing? We don't do Krav Maga here, it's considered too, well too rough. There is a very good mixed martial arts gym a mile down the road. Some of the men here go, it's very popular. Right, here's the gym Jess, if you need any help, give one of the lads a shout or come and get me? I will be holding the bag for your Mom. Will you be alright?\"\n\n\"Yeah, I'll be fine thanks, there's nothing here I haven't done before. See you later Mom. Give me an hour, and we'll meet up on the running machines and do a 10k warm down?\" I laugh because now she's showing off.\n\n\"Right Jess and don't speak to strange people.\" I go to their martial arts studio, and as I look around and I wave at Jess. The gym is filling with people doing their pre-work, workouts. \"Right Jarrod are you ready?\" He holds the bag still, as I start my gruelling kick boxing routine on the bag. The first couple of smacks catch poor Jarrod unawares. I don't think he was expecting the power behind the kick, and as I switch to the higher kicks, he holds the bag firmer. I switch it about and start on the elbow swipes, then punches and I have a fantastic work out. My sweat definitely broke, I watch as others are in now and they are watching as I take my frustrations out on the bag. I note the men watching too, I raise a smile from one or two, and as I finish, I breathe a deep sigh of relief. You can't miss the training for as long as I had, is the feeling my body gets, as I wrap the towel around my neck. I slip on my jacket and take a sip from my bottle.\n\n\"Thanks for that, much appreciated, I'd better join Jess and do her run, if she has the energy left?\"\n\n\"Will you be joining, do you think? I think you will like it.\" I smile.\n\n\"Yes definitely, we will be coming back a lot more now to London, Jess loves it here and I don't think I will be able to keep her away from the place now she's seen it.\" Thanking him, he goes to get the paperwork in order. It is an expensive treat for the couple of times a year we will be here. Jess has said we are coming back and what Jess wants she normally gets. People are leaving and more arriving, lord it is a popular gym.\n\n\"Hi, have you had a good time?\" She removes the headphones.\n\n\"Yeah, it was really good, though it's a little bit posher than your gym in the office Mom. Oh, and a man liked my necklace, he asked where I got it from, I told him my dad had it made for my mom, he said it was very pretty. He knew it was a Humming Bird too.\" I look around. \"You have just missed him, he was the tall guy with the hoody and the dark glasses on, he may have been hung over, I think? He kinda looked really sad too. Do you think he is drinking to forget Mom?\" She laughs, as she plugs herself in.\n\n\"What did I tell you about speaking to strangers Little Bird? Come on we have 10k to do and then we are going for a swim and a massage.\" We ended the morning fully relaxed and are now fully paid up members of a very expensive gym.\n\nI feel like we are being watched, but I think that's because of seeing my brother again. We go home and have breakfast, and as I grab the mail, I look through it, nothing of interest as such, though there looks to be a couple of letters addressed to the occupier from a solicitor. Who's after what now? I can't be bothered looking. I put them to one side and go for a bath then change into my jeans and tee shirt for the meeting later on. Jess too is ready and as we have a couple of hours to spare, we do what we girls do best, we shop. I pull the gates open and we head out, after locking them securely. Since Declan has been around, I don't trust him not to break in, the alarms are the best Grandy could find, being empty a lot it had to be. She had got to protect the family pile what, what.\n\nJessica and I shop for some pretty dresses and shorts, as well as a few tops for Italy. I have the strangest feeling we're being followed. I look in shop windows and turn around quickly, but I'm just being over cautious, but then Declan has me a little paranoid too. I push the thoughts to the back of my head, and we buy her the shoes to go with them. I am by no means a fashionista, but even I know I have to have the shoes I try on, and in two different colours too, how extravagant. They will go very nice with the dresses I bought or rather Jess made me buy, she has filled my bags with some cool clothes... Really, I think I stopped wearing cool when I had her, but I was told I needed to look hot in case the man of my dreams bumps into me and sweeps me off my feet. Right that has only ever happened the once and that ship she has long since sailed on, and without me on board.\n\n\"I think Jessica Jay we have just enough time for a coffee, fancy a milk shake?\"\n\n\"Umm please Mom, I'm a little bit nervous now the time is here. I don't think they are nice people Mom. Why was she like she was, when Grandy was such a really nice person?\"\n\n\"That Jess, is the million-dollar question? One I have always asked too. She was always a bit flighty Grandy said, and she was convinced the nanny had somehow mixed them up in the park.\" We finished the drinks and with bags in hand and we headed for the car and then to my mother's flat, we were not feeling the deep joy as we pulled up, deep dread yes, joy definitely not. \"Whatever you hear Jess, it is more than likely a lie? Remember how much I love you. I promise you if it gets too much we leave. All Declan said was I had to come. He didn't state how long we had to stay.\"\n\n\"It will be fine Mom, I will be fine, stop worrying Team Apache can kick paleface butt if he starts.\" I laugh and hope we don't have to find out. We get out and head for the door, it's answered by a woman, a woman I can only describe as a secretary? As she comes complete with twin set and pearls, with a pair of glasses on a chain hang around her neck, her smile is nice to see as she shakes my hand and Jess's too, she shows us through. A wisp of white musk ascends my nasal passage, and I now realise I am nearing her presence. The smell gets stronger as we approach her bedroom, and I have yet to see Declan. We are offered tea, which we decline.\n\n\"We are not stopping long enough to drink it, but thank you, are you alright, you look upset has she been shouting at you?\"\n\n\"No dear thing, she hasn't. She never shouts, but she is so un-well and this is the happiest I have seen her in months knowing you were coming has brightened her day, and there won't be many more.\" I gulped, I think, so she is dying then. She scuttles off as we enter the room. My father's room looked much like this as he passed, if I didn't know better, I would have guessed we were on a staged film set. The machines are bleeping, the chorus of sounds meld together, and it all sounds too much like my father's last few weeks, stood by his hospital bed whilst he recovered from the fall off the ravine.\n\nThe air she breathes is sucked on, I would have said as if her life was dependant on it, but then it probably is, and she probably does need it. The sickly smell of her perfume burns my nostrils, and as it is, it is mixing with the clinical disinfectant smells and I feel sick. She looks ill, and way too skinny and her eyes are heavy, she struggles for breath and as I watch her, I realise she is really dying. Should I be happy, remorseful? Should I regret shutting her out? I look across at Jess, and it hits me... No, they were trying to take her, she deserves all this and more, and it looks like she is getting my wished for, painful death? I should feel pity or remorse for thinking it, but I don't they did too much, and took too much from me for any type of forgiveness.\n\nThe air pump in the mattress kicks into gear, and as it does the bleeps reach fever pitch, it startles me slightly, it's because then Mom realises, we are stood in the room. The nurse alters the meds in her drip feed and she keeps her gaze on the equipment, doing her job and ignoring me completely, and then mother asks us to come closer, and as we step near, my smarmy brother is hanging around the back of her bedroom, the nurse goes to say something to him and he quickly steps forward.\n\n\"You deemed fit to call Sister, and good you brought the brat?\" I looked at him and then held on to Jess's arm.\n\n\"She brought me, her daughter yes. If there's no need for you to be here then leave, you're just an arse. We have come as requested, so there's no need for you to be here, because if you stay, we go. The choice is yours Grandma?\" She smiles and waves him out. Good for you Jess.\n\n\"She is beautiful Sara, and looks like her father, you must be very proud?\" When did she see Ben, I never introduced them? \"I know your father was, he wrote to me often and had the decency to enclose a photograph or two, which is much more than I deserved. Jessica, please come and let me see you, I don't bite. She has your grandmother's temper I see. He is an arse your uncle, you're quite correct.\" She walked to the bed and I heard my mother cry. \"Beautiful, so very beautiful, she is a credit to you and your father. How is White Eagle? I suspect he's still angry I gave you to mother and not to his squaw, so she could raise you as her own?\" I didn't know if this is a joke or not?\n\n\"My father died five years ago, and she was not his squaw, she was his wife, my mother and a full blood Apache, a daughter of a chief, and she was considered to be royalty amongst our people.\"\n\n\"Our people, you were born here, in this flat in this very bed. I bought the damned clinic they had me in, it was secure enough to keep me in, so it was secure enough to keep the world out. Now let me look at you, please\" Now she's back, the bitch is in the room. \"Why did you not come home when he died, you would have been welcome Sara?\"\n\n\"Mother this is all old news. I have always been a half-breed Apache, or have you forgotten whom you slept with to produce me? My Father was happy for Grandy to raise me, her he trusted. I spent most of my holidays with the other raggedy arsed Indians on the reservation. My home was a shared place between them. As you know, I had two loving homes, with both my father and Grandy, your house was never my home, perhaps that's why? Or perhaps because the last home we shared I did without agreeing to it? What do you want from me Mother? Forgiveness, because that will never come, I'd sooner be stabbed in the heart than forgive you. Did you forget you tried to sell your granddaughter to buy your drugs, or that you kept me prisoner for months, what part of that Mother do you find I should forgive you for?\"\n\n\"Still bitter, such hate in your eyes, your daughter too hates me I see it. I don't need your forgiveness. I don't deserve it, and so I'm not asking for it. No, I haven't very long left, these machines are what's keeping me alive and as soon as you're gone, they can be switched off as far as I'm concerned. No, I want to put right an injustice done to you. I have somethings for you, and then when you get them, I want you to go. I just wanted to see you both and to look upon true beauty before I die, you are the only good thing I ever did with my life.\"\n\nHer nurse messed around with the tubes and I watched what she was doing, and noticed that the medication was being fed in far too quickly? I spent months seeing this done for my father, watching as the nurse did his medication. As I watched her, she panicked, she excused herself and sent in the secretary. She was nice and as she smiled, she had a tear in her eye. Did she really like my mother, go figure someone had to, I suppose?\n\n\"Pass me the box please Ruth, there's a dear, then my Daughter and Granddaughter can leave, you too can then leave and thank you for everything you have done for me.\" She wiped a tear as she passed me the box and disappeared into the back room crying. Shit she really was dying. \"I am not leaving you anything, but those, those you will treasure more than anything of that I can promise you. The money you don't need, you should still have plenty from Mother?\" She heard what I did, Declan opening the door, she smiled and gave me a wink.\n\n\"Declan will get what's due him, he's in for his reward soon enough.\" Declan was hovering by the door as she passed me a large old walnut box with a smile. \"Don't open them here or now, I want you to read them in the morning, that's soon enough Sara, and please when you read them... Declan shut the door or leave.\" I smiled as the door shut. \"Please know I knew nothing, about the great wrong done to you. I didn't know you were in the tower. He and his 'wop friend' did it all without my knowledge. I was told you had gone back to Mothers, when I woke that morning, I was angry that I even suggested you got rid of the baby. The letter I sent to you, apologising for my foul mouth and rancid suggestions and intolerable behaviour that night, was sent straight back to the castle. That was when I got suspicious, that he was up to no good, but...\" She took a deep breath in it was hurting her! I did not want her to die in agony, despite me saying so.\n\n\"Still having my little problem to deal with, I'm sorry to say I will soon forget about it, I did however have all the mail sent to a PO box, both from here and the castle and when we got back from filming. They were all waiting in it, along with a summons from your father, not to contact you, so I didn't. I figured whatever he had done was bad and put the letters in a safety deposit box. In one of my more lucid moments for safety's sake. Ruth collected them for me and put them in the old box she had. Declan just said you were over-reacting again. I am sorry, truly sorry for what he did, but please don't worry he's getting everything he deserves later.\"\n\nI wanted to believe her I really did. I was asked for a kiss goodbye, which I gave her as did Jessica, who was also passed an envelope and told to open it, tomorrow. She had to promise too. She did, and Mother fused over Jess for a little while longer and fell asleep. We quietly left and feeling in my case, a very strange sense of loss, loss perhaps for her being left to die alone, but I couldn't fake feelings for someone who'd had none for me. Perhaps that was hard of me, but thirty-five years of having had very little contact with her, made me that way. We were about to leave when Declan stopped me in the hallway on our way out. He hovered around Jess, making me feel very uncomfortable and his threatening stance had me on pins, Jess stood close.\n\n\"What did she say?\"\n\n\"Just that I didn't need what you were getting, I can only presume because Grandy left me everything she is seeing to it, you get what you deserve. Now, where do I find him Declan?\" He laughed.\n\n\"I am not stupid Sara, I needed to make sure you came, so now you have been here.\" He handed me an envelope with a key in it.\n\n\"It Dear Sister, is the key to the safety deposit box at your bank, you're on the list to allow access. They have your signature, which you need to change, it's too easy to copy. I managed to send letters and postcards to your loved ones, keeping them away from the police, to report you as missing. I particularly loved the Dear John I sent lover boy. Apparently, he was devastated. Daddy dear Jessica then went on a shag fest after Mommy dearest dumped him. She fucked his head to bits, with the following postcards and letters too, fancy him being too ashamed to take Pocahontas home to meet his parents? He went on an almighty shag fest doing anything with a pulse, including your best friend, from what I hear?\n\nSorry yes, I wrote to him too ending it, telling him you'd found someone else, someone, who unlike him wasn't ashamed of taking you home, because you finally realised that's why he hadn't. You weren't good enough for him, you were sorry that a half breed Indian wasn't good enough for them, nor to be seen as his wife, then I sent him postcards signed wishing you were here, it drove him mad in the end. I hope you like what's in there, I will be long gone when you get the contents, so you won't be able to retaliate when you see what is in there, hence not giving you them now. Had you come earlier, and paid a quick visit to the bank, you could have come back and kicked my arse, it is your own fault that ship sailed. Now this has been so pleasant and I better for knowing I never have to see you again, that is unless I come to see you and have a powwow?\"\n\n\"Please do come and see us Uncle Declan, the reservation is under Indian Council Laws, I will see to it you get shot as soon as you step on our land. We can do that we Pocahontas look a like's and this squaw hates you too, my decedent Geronimo, was known for exacting revenge on pale face intruders. I too can scalp a man, I have yet to try it, but I could give it a go with you. Now move your arse, you idiot or I will forget the good manners my mom raised me with. So do come and try to get us on the reservation, I can promise you that if you come, you won't leave and not alive, am I clear? Mom was the best thing Grandma ever did, she was right, and that you you're the worst mistake she ever made.\" Oh, hell Jess spot on again when did my Little Bird learn to fly. He grabbed at Jess's arm, oh no you don't.\n\n\"I knew I couldn't trust you, you bastard.\" I lost it and hit him several times, I think I broke his nose hitting him so hard the last time, because he flew down the hall on his butt, alive, just, but blooded and battered. I put the envelope in my pocket and ran with Jess to the car.\n\n\"That was weird Mom, really weird. Your mom is strange, your brother is a moron with a capital M, and I'm wondering why we have to do as they say? Why shouldn't I open this? Why shouldn't I just rip it up and not bother?\" She placed the wooden box on the back seat.\n\n\"Jess you gave your word, as did I. Come on home, and we can go out for dinner and push the boat out, go somewhere really fancy, a nice swanky place and a show?\" I got a hell yeah. Once we were safely home, I was surprised to see another letter behind the door, hand delivered too. I put it with the rest, it seems I will be doing a lot of reading tomorrow.\n\nChapter 7:\n\nWe dressed to go see Jess's must-see show, The Phantom of the Opera and she was mesmerised as she watched it, but all I wanted to sleep. The interlude came, and we went for drinks. I waited for her at the door to the toilet and as I did, I swear the man I had seen watching me was here too, I definitely needed sleep. I went in to hurry my daughter up, finding her inspecting the cloakroom, strange girl.\n\n\"Mom the washrooms are great in here.\" I laughed. She was impressed with the toilets. My daughter was easily pleased. \"Can we please get a drink, Mom?\"\n\n\"Sure, Little Bird, a glass of Bordeaux, Champagne, or a Sprite?\"\n\n\"Sprite please Mom. Nice try, I had that once you know, Champagne? Wow, it tastes foul, it tastes like crap and I'm sorry that word offends, but it does Mom. Billy said we were drinking the good stuff too, so Lord help you on the cheap stuff?\" I laughed as we made our way to the bar.\n\n\"Glad to know you were sensible. I agree give me a good cup of tea and a glass of orange juice anytime. Billy, does he do it a lot?\"\n\n\"I'm not saying Mom, I'm not a squealer, but let's just say the last time he did it was his last time. His mom nearly took his head off, with the back of her hand, his punishment was really harsh too. He's got to do three more nights of hoop training, he wasn't very impressed either, they are with his Uncle Running Bear and he's really strict, not like those he has with his Cousin Tommy, and he won't be doing it again for a while. We will be making his hoops too, when we get back. I fancy giving it a try it looks really interesting Mom.\"\n\n\"Really, your grandfather was great at it. He tried to teach me, but I was just tempted to hula hoop with them, much frowned upon, so don't do it as a joke, Running Bear takes heritage seriously.\" She scowled, as if she did anything for a joke were her roots were concerned either. \"Come on let's get back the shows about to start, and I don't know about you, but I need food then my bed Jess and a lie in.\"\n\n\"Ditto Mom, I could eat raw beef steak I'm so hungry.\" Erg no... We watched the show and went for dinner. We'd grabbed a late booking at the Ivy, the meal was absolutely wonderful and hollow legs ate the lot. We walked towards the car park and I had that nagging feeling I was being, sorry, we were being watched. I turned and the man from the theatre was following us.\n\n\"Can I help you Sir?\" He looked embarrassed.\n\n\"I don't think so Madam? I'm going for my car it's in the car park here, my wife has sent me for it, as she cannot or will not walk, she's waiting by the Ivy. We have just had a meal, I did notice you in there however, I have to go back to pick her ladyship up. Did I frighten you? I didn't mean to. Please let me introduce myself Cary Underwood.\" He passed me his card. I shook his hand.\n\n\"Here please have my card, not that you need advice on legal issues or that you need advice on your blood rights as an Apache? We are over here on holiday, sorting out my Grandy's home, for possible sale and having a holiday. I am so sorry, I have been a little jumpy of late, seeing people who aren't there, jumping at my own shadow. My car is here, thanks for walking me to it. If I need a systems analyst, I will bear you in mind and thanks again.\" He nodded and walked up a level. I was so relieved. Declan had really pushed my panic buttons. I gathered my thoughts in the car and headed towards the exit, when I happened to look at the pedestrian's street exit from the car park, and he was walking towards a parked car, with someone in the front seat. I shook my head. My imagination is working overtime, again. Jess was nearly asleep when we got home. I pulled into the garage and locked up.\n\n\"Jess, come on Baby Bird, bedtime for sleepy head.\" I carried her to bed, she was just too tired to wake up. I lay her on her bed and went to shut the place up. There was yet another envelope on the mat. \"I am popular tonight.\" I put it with the rest and went to bed. I slept very strange, I had really bad dreams, as I tossed, and I turned. The digital alarm flicked slowly forward and the hours I thought I spent in there were actually just minutes.\n\nI couldn't take it any longer, I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen for a drink. It was one in the morning, when I went to sleep, I seemed to be up there all night and yet it was still only two thirty? This was no good, I needed something stronger than hot chocolate to knock me out. \"Wine Malady? Why I don't mind if I do Sara, and please make it a large one.\" I glugged the wine into a big glass, I grabbed the box and the letters and turned on the desk light and looked at the cache of letters from behind the door. The first three were bills, the second was from an estate agent with a damn good offer for the house. The second was from Grandy's solicitor asking to contact his office regarding Grandy's box at the bank.\n\nThe handwritten ones were intriguing, one was just a phone number, handwritten and a short message, please call me at your earliest convenience, please Miss Bird. I put it to one side and opened the other handwritten one, an address and phone number and I was asked to phone as soon as I could, we had things to discuss, the writing was strangely familiar? This day keeps on getting stranger and stranger. I sipped at the wine, and wondered what was in the walnut box, and would I like it? I moved to a comfortable couch and turned on the fire and I settled in to reveal the mysteries of the box.\n\nI opened it and flicking the hook over and opened it. It was filled with letters. I picked one up from the top of a pile of about thirty letters. I looked at them repeatedly because they were all from Ben, and all sent to Mother's PO box, she was right, some actually had been redirected to the castle from here. Shit Declan had, had my mail forwarded. I may have fallen asleep, because I woke with a stiff neck and I hadn't opened any of Ben's letters, it was just too hard a thing to do yet, so hard that I'd cried myself to sleep. Jess was coming down the stairs and was grumpy.\n\n\"Mom did you sleep down here, and you drank wine too. Is something worrying you?\"\n\n\"No, I want to go and get the letter from the bank, open yours baby.\" She gave it to me to open.\n\n\"Read it Mom, I don't want to.\" I ripped open the envelope.\n\n\"Dear Jessica, Thank you for coming today, by the time you get this I will be long gone, and with me I am taking your Uncle Declan. He will get everything he so richly deserves, with enough money to see him to the end of his days, and by my reckoning that should be today, it should be about an hour, after you leave me, actually.\n\nI cannot forgive him for what he did to your mother and what he thought to do to you, what kind of monster does that make me, your mother was the only good thing I did in my life and she in turn had you, you are a credit to her. I have pictures and reports done on you both, all the time, it gives me comfort knowing you are both safe and protected, after today you will have one less threat in your life, if I don't do it, he would only search you out for what I leave you Jessica.\n\nWhat I leave you, cannot remove from your heart the fact I abandoned my child, but I knew I would mess it all up. Declan is living proof of that. He was a bad seed from the get go, and one who never changed. I hope you both can forgive a mad old woman, her past stupidity and lack of understanding. Those were the two reasons I gave her away, all too painful to admit too, those secrets are written down, and when you read them you will understand why, I hope?\n\nI couldn't have done as good a job at raising you Sara as Mother did, you were her second chance to get it right too, having failed with me. There was a distinct lack of love for me from her, and it was all down to her losing her beloved William, she saying it was my fault, but I was just a baby and not to blame. We had a long chat, and she agreed to take you and do things differently with you. Enough of that read the book it explains everything Sara, do with the book what you will.\n\nWhen you open this, turn on the television and if all goes to plan, I should be on the news as you wake from your slumber. The contents of the safety deposit box are yours to do with as you wish Jessica, though I ask that you give your mother the book, it explains everything, and in detail, this is the one true copy. Declan will be getting a version he thinks is the truth, and he will blackmail the wrong person and they won't let him see the light of day. I needed a backup in place if my plans to have him killed failed. They will see to it he dies and won't be a problem to you. The publishers published the one I wrote as gospel. It was a pure work of fiction both ugly and pathetic.\n\nMy will is with the solicitor, as are the taped versions of the book, all written with dear Ruth, she was a true friend and has been paid well for keeping my secrets, treat her with kindness, she was kind to a mad old woman in her final days. Jessica do whatever you wish with the money I leave you... Give it to the dog's home for all I care, I can't take it with me, best the bitches there get something from this old bitch. Goodbye, and have a sweet life, fill it with love, Grandma.\"\n\n\"Mom does that mean what I think it means, quick turn on the television.\" I did and on screen they were outside Mom's flat, the reporter is speaking, as I try to take it all in.\n\n\"There has been a bizarre, suicide pact of a mother and her son at the house behind us, authorities and the television station received an anonymous tip off that this had occurred last night, around midnight. The police were also called when a person believed to be the woman's personal nurse, returned home and found their bodies. The bodies are thought to be those of Daniella Ware-Kullberg and her only son, Declan Kullberg, authorities are at present seeking nobody else in connection with this matter, as there were notes left by them both. It is believed they state that they couldn't live without each other. Daniella Ware-Kullberg was believed to be suffering from a degenerate heart problem and had recently been sent home after the failure to find a suitable heart replacement, and the police are at present looking for Miss Kullberg's daughter to inform her of their deaths. She is thought to be travelling around England, from her home in America.\" I am in shock.\n\n\"Holy hell, she killed him Mom, like she said she was going to, shit, Mom. I should have opened this, when I got in the car, we could have saved them.\" I was in shock and being hugged to death by Jess.\n\n\"Jess we need to get out of here and go home, straight home back to Tucson and never come back here again.\"\n\n\"No Mom, we are not running away from this, we have done nothing wrong. We need to go to the bank and get these damn boxes.\" I cry because it's then I remember the letters. Ben's letters, no, that's why I passed out, it's impossible?\n\n\"Right let me get a shower and change we can go out for breakfast go to the bank, and then call at the police station and sort this mess out. Declan was a nasty, nasty piece of work and deserved what he got, and Mom actually came through for me and did the world and me a favour. How about we fly to Italy after dinner, just pack light and go buy what we need over there, how about it, Milan and the shops?\"\n\n\"Sounds ace Mom, I need to shower, last one down's a rotten egg.\" We race to the stairs and into our rooms. I wash and change and as ever, she beats me to win the race. I come down the stairs to a knocking on the door.\n\n\"I'll get it Mom.\" I hear strange voices.\n\n\"Hello young lady is your mother at home? I'm Detective Peters and this is my colleague, Constable Bulmer, we'd like a moment of your mother's time?\"\n\n\"Sure, we were coming to see you after we dressed, we woke up to see the news on the television, and it was such a shame we only saw them yesterday, I said to Mom, it was strange her asking to see us for the first time in fifteen years, and all she said was I was pretty, she gave me a kiss, and a letter to tell me to go and see her solicitor. She wanted me to do what I wanted with what she left me, even giving it to the dog's home if I wished. I am sad that she was so ill and happy too that Uncle Declan went with her, he was so sad because she was dying.\" My daughter certainly should be the tribe storyteller.\n\n\"Good morning officers? I heard my daughter telling you of our visit to my mother's yesterday, it was as Jess said very strange. We come all this way for her to tell me my daughter was pretty, and I had done a good job. I was under the impression from what the nurse said Declan had given her the night off, and he would be dealing with the medication, she I think left when we got in the car, along with her secretary. I can't remember her name. Ruth or Ruby perhaps, the nurse wasn't introduced, is what the news crews are saying true, and they are both dead?\"\n\n\"I'm afraid it is yes, they left notes, and had come to a bizarre suicide pact. I believe he injected himself with a lethal injection of morphine and a heroine concoction after he injected your mothers into the drip, and she died peacefully in her sleep, he however had a massive fit, smashing his face quite badly against the bed, in doing so, he also bit off his tongue and it took him quite a while to die, he was a mess. The nurse, a woman called Wendy Price, had remembered something about your mother needing more of her medication, medication she had forgotten to tell your brother about, so she came back early and found them just after midnight. She called the press first and then us, believing they would pay her for the news, stupid woman. Then she tried I believe to call you?\" I looked at my phone.\n\n\"Yes sorry, I'd turned it off at the theatre, and I'd forgotten to turn it back on, we went to watch The Phantom and didn't leave there until well gone ten, then we stopped for a meal at the Ivy, where a very nice gentleman saw us to my car. I have a card somewhere.\" I reached into my bag, and he made a note of the name and number. \"Tell him I was the lady who though he was following her. Is there anything else I can help you with at all? As I said we hadn't seen my mother or brother since before my daughter was born, and I moved to America to live with my father, I wasn't even aware she was ill until yesterday, still they died together there's some comfort in that, he too was troubled with the misuse of drugs and drink?\"\n\n\"That's fine Miss Kullberg, we can contact you on the mobile number her nurse gave us, all we needed to know was when you and the two ladies left your brother alone with your mother, and you have confirmed the secretary's story, the nurse was distraught, but we have yet to interview her officially?\"\n\n\"My name is here on my card. My name is Sara Nascha Bird.\" He smiled and took the card from me. \"Will we have to do anything else? I mean obviously, I need to organise their funerals, but do I need to come and identify the body, or something?\"\n\n\"No, other than could you stay in the country, just until the coroner has finished. The Nurse did the identifications at the scene and on the nightstand, were their suicide letters, with a syringe he used, it had just your brother's prints on. From what we know, they really had planned it all so very well. I am sorry for your loss Miss Bird.\" I shook their hands and saw them out. Relived I think that they weren't in my life any longer.\n\n\"Well come on we need to see to these bloody boxes now Jess, when did you get so good at story telling my girl?\"\n\n\"I told them what they needed to hear, had they asked me did Grandma leave me anything, I would have given him a letter just not the letter, but he didn't so I didn't tell tales. Come on bank and breakfast. Guess this means we are going to have put Italy off for a while, hey Mom?\"\n\n\"Umm, yes I think so, we can I think still go shooting and hunting, the funeral can't be held until all the tests have been done, and I will just ask the funeral director to do the arrangements.\"\n\nWe got to the bank and were talked through security and shown to a room with both the boxes. Moms first and it was filled with her jewels and there were plenty of bonds and shares. It seems mother wasn't as broke as she had Declan believe. In her box the manuscript to the true story of her life and wow with an offer to send it to print, as the newest version of her book. I had to wonder why, perhaps because the dead can't be sued for slander? I would have to read it first.\n\nWe emptied the box, I opened the lid of my box and took out the envelope, in it a letter a letter with a newspaper in it, he said in his letter he had no idea where Ben was buried, and as far as he was aware, they didn't bury people who weren't yet dead? I slumped in the chair and wanted to pass out again, the newspaper was from the day he died, and so I put it in my bag unread, the sick bastard. What did this mean, why was he being so cruel, but now he was doing it from the grave too?\n\n\"Mom, is it bad news? You look like you're going to hurl again Mom, Mom are you alright?\"\n\n\"Umm, I'm fine, I have a bit of a headache, the joke was on me and it seems he was just telling me what I wanted to hear. Come on we need breakfast.\"\n\n\"You're pale Mom, let's just go home, and have a day staying in. I fancy catching some sunshine on Grandy's balcony.\"\n\n\"Sure Baby Bird, whatever you want.\" I needed to read those letters, they were from Ben, if they were from Ben that is, or had Declan wrote them to hurt me more.\n\nWe went home and after we ate breakfast, I made a few phone calls giving the undertaker their details, and I had to register their deaths, when that was done, we could plan the funeral. I phoned the coroner's office, and it would be at least a week until they released the bodies to the undertaker, so I packed and told Jess to pack for the Highlands, we were leaving in an hour. I need some good clean air in my muddled head, air to clear away the mess in there. I watched as Jess loaded the stuff in the car. I then went to the gun cupboard and it was empty. I would need to take a trip to the gun club too. We have a secure box there. Grandy never left a gun in the house, especially if she was away more than a few days.\n\n\"Right gun club, to get the guns and then Scotland here we come. When we get back, we will get the chemicals and paper and develop the films from when we first got here Jess, yes?\" She nodded in agreement. We drove to the club for the guns and the club put in a gun locker in the trunk. I watched as they loaded it all in for me, told too they had been serviced and cleaned regularly, another bill I pay. Shit this having too many places owned, is mind boggling expensive. We did have some nice guns to use though. We set off.\n\n\"Do you need something for the journey? I could do with food and a drink.\"\n\n\"Yeah, sounds like a plan, can we pull over and get supplies Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes, there's a supermarket there, I will stop in here with the guns. Will you be alright in there on your own? Take my card and get plenty of water, I am really thirsty.\"\n\n\"Sure. Mom are you in a stressed 'I need chocolate kinda mood'?\" I laughed she knew me too well.\n\n\"Yes, Jess really stressed, get chips too and sugary stuff, fill your basket with things.\" I watched as she skipped into the store. My phone rang, so I answered it.\n\n\"Hello Sara, can I help you? Hello... Is there somebody there?\" There was someone the other end, but nobody was answering. \"It's your dollar, speak... Fine... Don't talk then, so no speaking? Well then you have a very nice day.\" I put it on to charge and turned off the phone. I am not being stressed out about phone calls too. Jess was making her way back to the car.\n\n\"Mom, they have really different chocolate here, I didn't know what to get, so I got all this, we are going to get zits.\" Getting in she showed me her stash. \"I've got some sandwiches too, are you alright Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes, Baby Bird, it's been a crazy few days, and I think this trip is just what we need, but we're not going to get there if we don't start the journey.\"\n\n\"Argh, Lao-Tzu says a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. Mom you look worried, we haven't done anything wrong. We didn't know that's what Grandma had planned, and we did as we were told, and didn't open the letters, should we tell the police that she gave them us? What will they do charge a dead woman with murder? You're an attorney?\" I smiled, should I tell her what her uncle said?\n\n\"Uncle Declan left a note in the box, he said he had no idea where your father was, or where he was buried and as far as he was aware, they didn't bury people who weren't yet dead? He is, I saw the newspaper and I have the newspaper it's in the bag.\"\n\n\"Mom he was messing with you, have you researched Dad? I have, and I can't find one who looks like my father, his brothers are on there and his father, the sister died in a traffic crash, but no Ben nor Benjamin Vinci, there are some hot pictures of a Benito Vinci though, a really hot model? I looked for him Mom. Do you not think it was the first thing I did when I found out his name?\" I smiled my clever Little Bird.\n\n\"The hot model was your father Baby girl. That's what I thought, he was messing with my head again. Come on as another ancient philosopher said if you don't put the key in the ignition the car she will not start.\"\n\n\"Who, what, whoa my Dad was really hot, err I pashed at my father. Who said that about cars, did ancients even have cars?\"\n\n\"No, but Grandy did. She was ancient enough for you?\" I started the car and headed north. \"Do you fancy breaking the journey up? By stopping in a nice place halfway there, or drive straight there? It won't take long. It's virtually a long road.\"\n\n\"Mom, the roads here are kinda not that long? Their highways are really a heck of a lot shorter than and not as hectic as those back home. Did you notice that? I suppose we can stop if you want. I wouldn't mind getting there and getting up early and starting the day fresh there?\" I headed up the motorway. Jess passes me some more amazing chocolates. I'd forgotten just how different chocolate tastes here.\n\nWe'd been on the road four hours when Jess fell asleep. All that sugar, it's a small wonder she even can sleep. I had a thought, a crazy thought, what if he was alive? I thought he was last night, the handwritten note, and the letters matched, had he been to the house. Oh my God, I'm having conspiracy theories or was it all just more parlour tricks from Declan perhaps? If he were alive, he would have looked me up. I had to hope so, even if it was just to ask why I left him?\n\nOh my headaches. I could find out... I would find Charlotte, swallow my pride and ask her? I may even get her to introduce Jessica to Ben's family, after all she had perhaps the clout to get Jessica in their home, and once they saw Jess they would know she was his, everyone else could see it. How did my mother know what Ben looked like, they never met, she could have had him checked out I suppose? I'd got a photo of him from the internet. Strange happenings in my past were now messing with my future, Jess's future. We need to sort things out.\n\n\"Grandy, why the hell did you promise your Little Bird a trip to Europe? Oh Grandy this is a tangled web the world has weaved for me to unravel.\" I change the channel and pull into a motorway service station, just as Jess wakes.\n\n\"Are we there yet Mom?\"\n\n\"No, we need warm drinks and food, more fuel too. I didn't fill up that's all.\" I park up and we head in. I grab some magazines and mints. After we drink the worst coffee and we eat the worst food I have had in a long time and I have tasted some crappy food in the past, including roadkill stew. Jess too is not impressed. \"Fuel and then off, we should be there in two hours Little Bird.\" She was looking at the motorway from the connecting bridges and snapping away with her camera. \"Here let me take a picture of you?\" I took it from her and aimed, and as I focused in on her, doing so I noticed that man again, the man from the theatre and the restaurant. Oh hell, this was now really freaky, what did he say he was called again, Cory, Gary? That was it, Cary Underwood. I had his card. I snapped away as she posed doing the stupid poses her and her friends do. \"Come on Jess lets hit the road.\" I needed to lose this man, once was freaky twice not so, three times was so something else, so why was he watching me? What was he driving? I will get his plates and have him checked out, Jess went to the toilets, and I made a call. I used the camera and watched as he got in his car, I snapped at the plates. I then phoned Eli.\n\n\"High handsome, how's work?\"\n\n\"Well hello Boss Lady, why are you ringing to check on us? The place is still standing, but only just.\"\n\n\"I know this is a strange question, but have you a contact that can get me the registered owner of a British car? I think I may be being followed?\"\n\n\"Yes, Boss Lady give me the number.\" I gave it to him, and he clicks away and ums and arghs. \"The car is registered to Vinci Securities, are you alright Sara? Do you need me to do anything else? Sara, do you need anything else?\"\n\n\"Umm, what, sorry? Need something, yes, sorry yes a full background check and whereabouts of Leonardo Benito Vinci, and a Charlotte Ginsberg, please will you send everything you find to my email, and try not to worry, he may be just looking out for Jess, that's her grandfather's company.\" He ummed and said he'd work on it. I flicked the phone off, and as Jess came out, I threw her the teddy bear I bought whilst snapping at the man.\n\n\"Awe thanks Mom so cute, a Scottish teddy wearing golfing stuff. It will go well with the teddy bear collection.\" I smiled. I'd just picked up the first thing I saw.\n\n\"Yes... I thought so it's very cute, now let's get this wagon rolling.\" Jess had done a check on Ben and Benjamin and not Leonardo, the hot model was known as Ben, Benito, and Benny too. I'd never told her his full name, nor did Grandy know it or Dad, they only knew him as Ben. The handwritten letters through the door looked familiar because they were his writing. Shit is he still alive?\n\nChapter 8:\n\nWe arrived just before dinner, and we were shown to our rooms. Jess was very impressed with all the dead animals on the walls. It was massive, I had to tell her she couldn't do her bull in a china shop thing, not here anyway. I was ignored. Our room was shared, so we fought over the bathroom and then the hair drier. I had forgotten just what hard work sharing was. We dressed for dinner, smart casual, I wore one of my pretty dresses Jess had me buy and she looked really grown up too, when did that happen?\n\n\"Mom you look pretty. Your daughter sure has good taste in clothes and those shoes are so perfect.\"\n\n\"Flattery Little Bird will get you everything. Dinner is served come on that's what the gongs for.\"\n\n\"Mom, why do you not date, I wouldn't mind?\" I laughed as I shut the door.\n\n\"I don't and didn't want to Little Bird, after your dad I never met anyone who filled his shoes so to speak. I think once you find that someone, anyone else is just a poor second choice. I am not saying no to dating, but I haven't found that one yet.\" She looked and smiled.\n\n\"I guess that makes sense, sort of. This place is super cool, have you seen the old stuff? The suits of armour are ace and check out the throwing hatchets. Mom, do you think they would let us buy it for Running Bear?\" I laugh.\n\n\"I highly doubt it Little Bird that was used at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Battle between Robert the Bruce of Scotland, and Edward the Second of England, the great battle for Scotland's freedom from the Sassenachs and is priceless, probably?\"\n\n\"Correct, that's been in the castle since the then Laird of the castle went to battle, returning injured. Dinner is being served in just a while, we are waiting on a late arrival of the current Laird, he is stuck in traffic, and being as this is his shooting party it would be rude not to wait don't you think?\"\n\n\"It sure would, wouldn't it, Mom?\" I smile.\n\n\"It would yes Little Bird.\"\n\n\"What an unusual name?\" I laugh.\n\n\"It's her Grandy's name for her, sorry let me introduce my daughter Jessica Jay Bird. I am Sara Nascha Bird.\"\n\n\"Yes, I looked at the register, you both have a bird as your middle name. That's sweet. Navajo for owl is it not. We have a chap from your region to train the guest on hawking, his daughter is called Nascha too, and a sweet thing she is too. They came and stopped once for a summer, and they moved here, he runs the hawking centre, very popular and worth a visit. He's a nice man as is his family, they are Sioux. I'm a steward and I run the place when his Lordship isn't here, anything you need let me know I'm Hamish Kellock, and anything you need, then I'm your man?\"\n\n\"My father's family always had a bird as their second name, in the older days they just had their Indian names, but in recent history we are better equipped to survive with a more acceptable first name, as too him being Sioux, and our being Apache, is a little like saying you Scottish, are the same as the Irish, or Welsh, there are similarities, in the Gaelic languages, but regions apart.\" He smiled and nodded his head.\n\n\"This is a really nice castle you have Sir.\"\n\n\"Thank you, but it's not mine, it is the gentleman we're waiting for! He brings clients down and shoots, and occasionally his family come to stay. Argh, if you would just excuse me our Laird has arrived, oh and on his own, now there's a surprise? I will speak to you again.\" I join Jess as she is looking through the display cases. I go to get a drink and she joins me.\n\n\"Mom, this is kinda cool, are you alright you look ill?\"\n\n\"I'm fine, when you said you looked up your dad Jess, you didn't look up his proper name, he's called...\"\n\n\"... I'm called Leonardo, hello Sara, long time no see?\" Thank fuck but shit he's not dead!\n\n\"Mom, Mom, oh Mom, please wake up... Oh, heck Mom, this is weird, please wake up.\" I came around, to Jess sat by my side rubbing my hands and face. That was a hell of an illusion, Declan is messing with me from the grave and my mind is all over the place, I could have sworn I heard Ben?\n\n\"Jess that was a hell of a dream I had. I need some water, please, what happened?\"\n\n\"I think my dead father turning up could have been a bit of a shock for you. He's getting you some ice for your head as you cracked it hard when you passed out. Mom, he's here and not dead, would you care to explain?\" I am helped to my feet and led to a quiet room, Jess joins me, and the others are told to go and eat by the now not dead Ben.\n\n\"All that was real, and he's here? I thought he was dead... Shit Ben is really here. I must be sick, this isn't happening, Declan's behind this, he's an actor, who just looks like Ben? The real one is dead. Shit sorry Jess, are you alright? Has he said anything, why is he doing this?\"\n\n\"No, well apart from oh crap, then he rushed to get you water and some ice for your head and he is coming back shush...\"\n\n\"Sorry, Sara but I saw your name in the register, Hamish said you were in there with your daughter, what the hell are you doing here? If you'd have answered the letters or phoned the numbers, we could have done this at home. How's the head? Hello Jessica, I believe you know who I am?\" She looked at him her mouth open and tears coming down her face.\n\n\"You're my dead Father, only you're here not dead, how? I mean how did that happen? Hell Mom, I feel an f-bomb coming on. He was right, Declan was right, a living man can't have a grave.\" She and I both sat looking at the man before us. I put my hand to his face, and he was warm, he looked like Ben and I looked at him again. I needed to be sick.\n\n\"Please, please just wait here both of you, just for two minutes. Please I need to get something, stop here.\" I left them and ran to my room, I looked through my bag and grabbed the newspaper and the well-worn old newspaper cutting, which I always had in my diary and went back downstairs. He was there and just as handsome, but even better now, because he was alive.\n\n\"Jessica Jay Bird, you will not swear, that's my next thing to do, young lady. Well, Ben it seems we need to talk, and we have a lot of things to talk about.\"\n\n\"I have arranged for us to have dinner in the small dining room, we need to talk you're right. Until I saw Jessica in the gym that day, I had thought you were dead... You were killed in a boating accident in Arizona. I even visited a grave near your place there. Your Dad wasn't there he was away shooting. Do you know how awful that was?\"\n\n\"Try being locked away for months, whilst your brother sells your unborn child, then whilst I'm kept prisoner, he shows me a newspaper saying you had been killed, driving off the road with your pregnant fianc\u00e9e in the car, try that one on for size?\" I passed him the newspapers. Which he took from me and looked them both over.\n\n\"Mom err this is weird, Dad, both of you please stop it, stop shouting at each other please... I need to get my head around this, talk and sort it all out, please, it seems Dickhead Declan has been very busy. I need to think, because you're not dead?\" She ran off and Ben was going after her.\n\n\"No leave her Ben, she will come back, she needs time to adjust, she walks away thinks about thinks and comes back with her head cleared, and deals with it, like her father, I mean like you.\"\n\n\"She does what I do too? Sorry, I wasn't sure how this was going to go, I tried to phone you, but hearing your voice. It meant so much to me. Mainly that you weren't dead, you were there, and I couldn't speak. For sixteen long years, I have missed you, and I have grieved over you and I have tried miserably to get over you. You're here and alive, I wasn't sure how all this would turn out. That day I went to the gym and as I used the rowing machine, the girl opposite was singing as she worked out, she smiled as she saw me looking and asked if I was alright?\n\nI was a little hung over, I'd had you on my mind for a couple of days, because I thought I saw you in the Savoy of all places? Then she spoke in her deep American accent, and as I looked, she reminded me of someone and as I looked at her more, I saw my sister. Then I saw the necklace as she used the step machine, it danced with each step, and I knew who she was. I was so damn confused... How could you have had my child and been dead at the same time? I had you investigated that day, because I had no idea you were still alive?\" I'm just staring at him, he's here and I feel sick.\n\n\"You're alive, Ben, alive oh hell... My brother... He showed me that newspaper and it said you were dead, and I was heartbroken. He'd locked me away from the night I got to Mothers and for nearly five months too. I waited for you to come and rescue me from the tower, it was awful, it nearly drove me mad, the grief the loneliness, the baby and everything was such an effort. I hadn't told you about you baby, that's why I was so crabby days before you went back to Italy. I didn't know how you would take it, or if you would think I'd done it on purpose? I didn't, I was shocked I was on the pill and having a baby then was way ahead of my plans, but do you remember that bad bout of flu we both had, and I was sick? I must have thrown up the pills.\n\nBen, you left thinking I was being off with you, but I was just worried about telling you. Then I found you had died, weeks later and I felt like dying too, but I had to get out and save her, he was selling her to pay his drug dealer. You had moved on with Charlotte whilst I was locked away pining for you. I was so angry and confused, because you didn't wait very long, and had impregnated Charlie too. I escaped and ran to Dad in Arizona and never came back. You were dead, and I had no reason to doubt it, so I got on with living and having our daughter.\n\nI tried to tell your parents, before I had her and after I'd had her. I sent pictures and they just had to look at her because she looks so like you, but they were I thought, busy comforting Charlotte and by then she would have had your baby, they didn't need my child. They had you back with her child. I was angry that should have been me, they didn't believe me when I told them she was yours. So after a while I stopped trying, they didn't want your daughter when they had her child.\" I sobbed, oh my days he is here, and he is alive.\n\n\"If he weren't already dead, I would have him killed... This one is the correct version of the story, but this one is a good copy with the fake story, same paper, same date, with the same photo of the crashed car in both copies, but two very different stories.\" I took it from Ben it was then I read the newer of the two copies. \"I was in a car accident and with Charlotte yes, we were on our way back from Scotland. I wanted to find you I was shocked and surprised you hadn't come back, and I wondered what was going on? Grandy left a note, 'gone a travelling, see you when the wind turns' She wasn't specific on the time she would be back, and she didn't say where she was off to. So, I grabbed an equally angry Charlie, and we headed to the castle up there. Declan was very convincing. He said you'd had a re-think about us, it was all too much too intense. You'd decided on ending it with me because I was ashamed of you being a half breed. You didn't call yourself that, so I knew something was off. I should have realised, but I hadn't taken you to see my parents, you were right, but not because I was ashamed of you. I didn't want you to think I was like them.\n\nHe asked had I not had your letter or the postcards? You, he said had dumped me by post card, that's what pissed me off and made me come and look for you nothing seemed right, nothing was how you were with me? He was so snug. I wasn't admitting that to him that I had got the letters and was heartbroken. He talked on and on about how you were travelling with Grandy and putting me out of your mind. I was in a mess, some of the things he said rang true others didn't sit right, and then he said you were going to your dad's place. You'd been gone about three months and no spoken words were had. I just got bloody postcards, as if I meant nothing to you. I had gone looking for you, because I wanted bloody answers, not bits of cards saying, wish you were here?\n\nYes, Charlie she was pregnant, but not with my child? She had her boyfriend's baby, Carrington, the model she was seeing from Australia. She lives there now with their son, not mine. The newspaper ran a story about two models getting into a fender bender with a deer, and her being pregnant, but it wasn't a major news story just a thing in the local rag near the castle. Seeing your version of the paper you must have been devastated Sara. I would have loved to hear that news, being a dad, her dad.\" His tears fell. Then he got even weepier. He took a large intake of breath, and blew out the emotions, suppressing the sobs that were there.\n\n\"Two weeks after the, castle visit... I get a phone call from Declan, with the news you'd been killed, whilst white water rafting in Arizona? I flew out to see your grave and an elderly woman stood by it and tried to tell me who was lying in the earth, her English wasn't very good. As I stood there and listened, she said you were a beautiful young girl, you had the soul of a free bird now, a young and beautiful girl, whom the water had taken back, she showed me a plaque, and it clearly said Bird. I laid the flowers cried a lot and flew home the same day. I was desolate for months, you'd left me, and I didn't know why, then you died? I missed you and was damn angry with you, damn angry. I need to do something...\" He leaned over and kissed me, and yes, of course I kissed him back.\n\n\"Wow, fifteen years between kisses, is a little too long Sara, I missed those kisses. I need to ask about and see who refused to tell me about my daughter. I will have someone's head for this, had I known I would have come running back to Arizona and seen my baby girl and her mother. I loved you so much, so very much, when you died a part of me died, you took my heart with you Little Bird, God I have missed you.\"\n\n\"Ben, have you been watching me? There's a man watching me, if you are, why?\"\n\n\"Yes, but not me personally, two teams of my men, why? I've been getting background, information on you two. I tried to knock at Grandy's, but I just sat for an hour waiting for you to come back. I even thought of using my keys, but I haven't been back in since I saw the grave, it was too much sitting in an empty room, you were everywhere, Grandy was away again. I flew to Italy and was based there for a while, the mews flat was and is too near to where we were once so happy, we were happy weren't we?\" I nodded and smiled because he was here and not dead.\n\n\"I left a note and wondered if I should sign it? I decided you'd dumped me once, and that was enough. I just wanted answers, why had you kept her from me. My beautiful Daughter and I was angry again. I went home fully intending to come and see you the following morning, and then all the shit hit the fan about your family's suicide. I figured you'd still be there when I got back, and you didn't need me to add to your worries, and as clinical as this sounds, I had to keep this appointment its worth a lot of money, many people's livelihoods are at stake too, there's so much riding on it.\" Jess came walking back.\n\n\"So, what happens now, do you want to get to know me, or are you with your other child? Will I be an embarrassment for you?\"\n\n\"Jessica, you are the only child I have and no you could never embarrass me. I really want to get to know you, fifteen years is a lot of catching up to do.\"\n\n\"So... What do I call you? Do you want me to call you Ben, Leo or Dad?\"\n\n\"I would be upset if you called me anything but Dad, after all I am your father and proud to be your father too. Now, we are being called to dinner, join me ladies we still have many questions. You do don't you Jessica?\" She had a look of mischief about her. Oh, he's going to pay for that.\n\n\"Umm, I have loads, like what happens now? Do you marry my mom? Do I get to have your name? Do you know I'm sixteen soon, and it's customary for the dad to buy the spoilt only daughter a massive car and throw her a massive sweet sixteenth party? Then finally, where's my allowance you own me quite a bit? What do you think Mom?\" He laughed loudly.\n\n\"Well Jess, you get that attitude from your Grandy, straight for the obvious. Do you remember when I moved into the house with you at Richmond? When you showed me to my room, she laughed and asked, why were we not sharing, did her Granddaughter have smelly breath in the morning?\" We both laughed, as Jess blushed, he held my hand as Jess smiled.\n\n\"Jess what you have just been given is priceless, Little Bird don't be greedy.\"\n\n\"Why did you ask if I was following you Baby, are you being followed?\"\n\n\"Yes, a man who works for Vinci Securities, he has been in quite a few places I have been, the theatre, the Ivy, and the service station on the way up here. I took a photo and registration number, and it traces back to one of your companies.\"\n\n\"The securities branch is Paulo's division that and the casinos. I deal with the corporate takeovers and acquisitions. Eat, please your safe here. I will deal with everything when we have eaten, eat please. I still can't believe you're here. Is Jessica named after Grandy then? Stupid question, of course she is, what else would you call her. I was sorry to hear of her passing, the newspaper I read said she died visiting family in Arizona. I presumed she was there with your dad, how is he? Grandy's home, I have put several bids in for the house as I wanted to buy it, but the owners haven't got back to me.\" I sighed.\n\n\"Dad died five years ago, but Grandy was never away from the place, she loved our Little Bird too much to stop away. As to the house, I don't know its Jess's too, we haven't decided really what we want to do with it and all the others.\"\n\n\"Gheeze Dad, you're all outta luck, we aren't selling, Mom gave me the choice, so I decided to keep it. I do have a bag full of your clothes you left in Mom's room. Do you want them back? Sorry, bagged the big baggy tee shirt you left.\" He laughed.\n\n\"I walked into that room for the first time in fifteen years and it was like a time capsule, everything was where I'd left it, everything Ben. It was like you were coming back and would use your key and come running up the stairs from work and everything would carry on, then our daughter took over, she does that, she is a little bossy.\" He laughed, and Jess carried on looking at him.\n\n\"I do look like you too, they weren't wrong. Mom looks at me like she is looking at you now... I have more questions. Love life have you one, where do you live and why didn't you ask me anymore questions at the gym, what happens now? I wasn't joking about the name either.\" He held my hand tightly as he answered his daughter's questions.\n\n\"I am single, yes I have had girlfriends and dates. I have houses all over the place, this castle and a mews house in London, just around the corner from you. You were taking photos of it a few days ago, you were outside of it, God it was you then? I watched you and wondered what you were doing, but I didn't get a good look you because you had a camera in your face. Oh, hell where was I? Yes... One in New York, the family estate in Italy, a place on the Seine, oh and a hunting lodge in Canada, not used since I bought this place. You will with your mother's permission be registered as my daughter, because you are, and do want to add my name to yours, as to marrying your mother, in a heartbeat. I've had her ring for nearly sixteen years.\n\nI picked it up from Mom the week I went to Italy, it was my grandmothers, because I was going to ask you to marry me when I got back, there was it seems, a slight delay? You can have a car once you have passed your test, but you will not be spoilt, that Sara may be hard for me not to do. I have a lot of catching up to do, and lord help her when Mom sees her Dad too, because she looks just like Donatella.\n\nMy Mom is going to kill you Jessica, with kisses, she is always saying I'm getting too old to give her grandchildren, she's going to hug you to death. You will both come with me, won't you, to see them? I need to check into everything. Something's not right with all this, and that's without your fucking brother, oh Sorry I dropped the f-bomb, excuse me please Jess? The photographs you sent, the letters, the person who is watching you, who did you speak too, did you get any names Baby?\"\n\n\"No, they spoke in Italian, I wasn't sure who or what they were saying, they just said in broken English, send all requests in writing to Marco, a Marco De Rege? He sent a curt letter back saying the family does not recognise me or my child as an heir, and no appointment would be granted. Then the same letter every time I rang him.\"\n\n\"Argh, he died about fourteen years ago, he and my sister were killed in a tragic accident on their holiday in Jamaica. Their car had a fault, and they plunged to their deaths. So, I can't ask him. When did you stop asking to see my mother and father?\"\n\n\"When Jess reached her fourth birthday, but the photographs I still sent every year, but with the fourth lot of photographs I sent a last letter with them. I told your parents I wouldn't be contacting them again, we wanted nothing, needed nothing and I will send a picture every birthday, so they would know what they were missing, and I have done.\"\n\n\"His office came under the securities arm of the company. I will deal with it all. Sara, you really are here aren't you, both of you? Right, I want to know things about you two too. Jessica, Jess what do you like being called? What do you want to do in collage, what do you think of all this really? Sara are you seeing someone, what do you want, do you want anything or need anything?\" I laugh as Jess has that look again.\n\n\"Umm no Dad, Mom hasn't as much as looked at anyone else, never has, not even a date for the works functions, normally I go with her! Apparently, no one will ever be as good as you?\" Oh, hell she didn't just go there. \"I want to be an attorney, just like my mom. Do you know she is great at her job, and she is up for being a Judge? I love my home at White River, I love my heritage and it means a lot to me to keep it alive. I guess I have to learn about my Italian heritage too, more books to hit. Mom calls me Little Bird more now that The Duchess has gone, before that she called me Little Jay, I love all my names.\n\nI don't need anything, I get everything I need, we're not poor far from it. I am what was it the Duchess said Mom? That's right an independently wealthy young lady. I was joking about the car I have more than enough money to buy one, Mom told me I'm mega rich when I'm twenty-one. I can't wait to see your home in Italy, you will love the ranch, and do you ride Dad? We raise Mustangs, well they are mainly wild, but my horse, Socks is a bay gelding fifteen hands and beautiful, he is all mine. I trained him with Shiitsooyee, sorry Grandpa? Oh, and I'm still in high school, college next year.\"\n\n\"Jess, breathe. She's right we have more than enough money, I did tell your parents that, you knew that too. I love my practice in Tucson and I have a small office on the reservation, Jess wants to run that and she's always in there helping. We keep busy and I lecture at the university and I own my own firm, the ranch, the Richmond house, the castle here in Scotland, which is currently being sold, we don't need anything Ben, as Jess said. Ben I'm not sure we could pick up from where we left it, even if we both felt like that and we still cared about each other, we have different lives now, and I can't see you living on the reservation with Jess and me? Jess will never leave there.\" The steward Hamish, from earlier knocked and entered the room.\n\n\"Sorry Sir, the staff would like to know if you need anything, it's getting late?\"\n\n\"No, Hamish, please send them to their beds, my family and I will be going to bed soon too. Can you see to it that that they are moved to the family wing, please? In the morning whilst we are out shooting will be fine thank you Hamish. We will head up there now. Goodnight, and thank you.\"\n\n\"Good evening Sir, Madam, and Miss Jessica, cook will do you pancakes, and will get you in some maple syrup, goodnight sleep well. We will move their things tomorrow, Sir.\" He shut the doors and as Jess yawned, Ben showed us to our rooms.\n\n\"Sleep tight, both of you, I would invite you to my wing, but it's late and we are up in the morning early, see you both at breakfast?\" He leant in and gave Jess a hug, kissing her head and sighing, he seemed to hold on to her forever, she equally didn't want to let him go.\n\n\"Goodnight Ben, I'm sorry for all this, will we see you at breakfast? You have guests you have ignored all night. I wouldn't want you to lose out on your business deals.\" He watched as Jess went through the door. He then kissed me again holding me close, his hands wrapped tightly around me. I kissed him back too, after all if I bloody wake up in the morning and this is all a dream, I at least want to have had a kiss.\n\n\"More Baby, I need more I need all of you, you're mine. There's nobody here that is as important to me as you and our daughter are to me.\"\n\n\"Ben, please we can't do this, it's too hard. Our worlds are now so very different, we live in different places, you live in a world that's alien to me and not forgetting you have other people in your life. I would love the more, like you wouldn't believe, but I don't know Ben, I really don't know if this will work, so much has happened to change us?\"\n\n\"I will wait, and you will be in my bed again, you should never have left it! I never stopped loving you ever, now I will grab a kiss and see you in the morning, for breakfast. I need some quality time with my family.\" He kissed me again, and as he did, he smiled. \"You so do want me, night Sara. I'll see you in the morning sleep well, if you can? If you don't, my rooms are down the corridor, down the steps and through the double doors, my rooms the one at the end...\" I laughed and went to bed. That sounds like a plan, but I'm not going there, not yet, but lord I want to. Oh God do I want too. I spent a very restless night, tossing and turning, I am not at all tempted to get my old backside in his bed, well not much.\n\nChapter 9:\n\nI woke to find Jess was already out, her note was brief, 'gone for breakfast with Dad, now that I can... It is awesome.' I laugh, because it must seem so to her, to me it's bringing me a barrel full of problems. I fired up the laptop the report was there from Eli and I opened it. I read down the pages and all the things about Charlie were true. His though is a different story, he was now head of the firm answering to no one. He owns the company, and he stays the majority of the time in Italy.\n\nThere are hundreds of girls not a few. The rumours are rife in the articles I read, that he is about to get engaged to a model, Flavia De Portia, she too is Italian, good looking and twenty-three. So he likes them a lot younger than him, does he? I don't know why that should surprise me, he's single, good looking and loaded. What does surprise me is how angry I feel, I'm so jealous, that's what shocks me the most. I read too that there is hostility within the family, his brother has tried to take over the company twice and failed both times, resulting in Ben taking it over completely. He now has no board to answer to.\n\nHe is according to the articles I skim through is a ruthless businessman and some people call him heartless, Ben was never heartless, quite the opposite, what's going on there? Paulo is hard working, still with Ben's firm and unlike Ben, he doesn't seem to have a life other than his work? It's sad that the brothers seem to be fighting over a company that brings them each, more than enough money to enjoy, and yet enough to keep a small country supplied and running. Why the need for them to have more than they can ever spend?\n\nI also read that there was a suspicion of foul play over his sister's death and that of her husband. He was rumoured to have connections to some bad people, their death was thought to be to silence him, and there was suspicion too that the brake cables were cut, but there was very little left of them or their car. Hell, oh my oh my more drama I don't need. No wonder he's jumpy about our safety. Jess did look more like his sister, strangely even more like her, than she does her father, it's quite alarming. I fire off my thanks and tell him all is fine, that we are reunited with him and he has met his daughter. I wash and change and dress for the days shooting, lord I need a kiss, is that so wrong of me? I need to ask him about Flavia too, I don't want to step on anyone's toes or come between them. I head down to have breakfast with the two people I love most in the world.\n\n\"Morning you two, why were you up so early Jess. Good morning Ben.\" I leant in and kissed their cheeks.\n\n\"Morning Mom, you didn't sleep so well? Are you not feeling too well? Dad has been filling me on the things I need to know about the family.\"\n\n\"Did you not sleep well? I slept very well knowing you were here and safe under my roof. You should have woken me, I could have stopped up with you talked, perhaps reminisced, you know whatever it took to get your mind back in the game?\" I grab a plate and eat from the buffet breakfast and I look back at them, and they look adorable sat together. I pinch my arm, ouch, yep this is still not a dream. I opt for a plate full of kedgeree and toast, when I get back, he pulls out my chair and kisses my neck.\n\n\"Thank you, do you bring Flavia up her very often?\" I don't look up now that I have asked the question, I'm afraid now I've asked it, to hear the truth.\n\n\"Yes, she came a lot whilst we were dating, as did a few of the other women in my life. You have been looking into me too?\"\n\n\"Why would that surprise you? I needed to know what our daughter is getting into, as I said, the lives we lead are so very different, mine is Jess and my practice, yours is models and money, getting more of it and the models seem to be young pretty things?\"\n\n\"Had we been allowed to continue Baby it would have been your life too. I was single Sara, lonely and single. I have had a lot of friends in my life, some, well if I'm honest, most are just that, friends. Some wanted more than I could and would give, some were in it just for what they can get. Flavia was one of them. There has been no one who ever meant as much as you did, though Flavia's people set about a crazy story we were closer than we were. I can promise you rumours of my impending nuptials to her are wildly exaggerated.\" I look at Jess as she eats, she is plugged in and has missed the whole Flavia talk, I nudge her to take catch her attention and to take them out.\n\n\"Gheeze Mom, what do you want? When are we are going, I need to put my warm stuff on and my shoes, though I had fun sliding up and down the ballroom floor Mom, will you do it with me later? Go on you know you want to?\"\n\n\"Umm, shiny floor and fluffy socks, count me in Little Bird that sounds like fun. We could ask your Dad to you make the big staircase into a cardboard slide too?\" He looks shocked.\n\n\"Mom does a mighty fine dance routine like Tom Cruise to the dance from Risky Business, she's kinda hot too. The cardboard slide is something she did for sleepovers, my friends love coming to stop with us, I have one fantastic Mom, have you seen her ride?\" She made him blush, as I look up, he winks.\n\n\"I haven't seen her ride, but I bet she looks hot too. You have to show me the dance Sara. As to the staircase, we can go one better we had an American family hire it, the castle, for the summer. It was wet a lot, so the girls got a little fed up, and they had some sort of plastic slide pieces made to fit it, they're in the cellar. Apparently, it was pretty damn dangerous. Hamish went a hundred miles an hour down it, it's on You-Tube. I think it's called 'Crazy Scots Screaming Guy on a Slide'. It is quite popular apparently? He would relish the chance to get it out again, wouldn't you Hamish? The big slide thing Miss Trudy had you ride?\"\n\n\"Yes Sir, but if you remember, I had that written into my contract never again to slide down the staircase, but if Miss Jessica wants it putting in, we can see. They are telling me you need to be ready at the door in ten minutes Sir. Your guns Miss Bird are already in Sir's Range Rover. Sir yours have been cleaned and are ready, the beaters are already and hopefully you will have a good day. Strathmore is positive your guests will not be disappointed, does Miss Jessica wish to stop here?\"\n\n\"No thanks Hamish, I have my guns ready too, I feel the need to shoot.\"\n\n\"As you wish Miss Jessica, Sir, Madam...\" He went to organise or do whatever the steward does. He's more like a butler in a kilt.\n\n\"You shoot Baby, and you too Jess?\"\n\n\"I was raised with the knowledge that if we don't shoot, we don't eat. I have been hunting since I was really young. It's all a big part of who we are as a people and we are known as hunter gatherers and warriors. Mom shot a mountain lion, it nearly had me for lunch, it scared the crap out of me, and then bam, one shot and it was dead as a Dodo.\" He looks horrified.\n\n\"She was never in danger, she means too much to me for anything to happen to her, besides we weren't alone there were at least three others with it in their sights. I was just the one who happened to get it, she is never in any danger she is well loved our Daughter, her Grandfather was so proud of her, his little renegade mark two.\"\n\n\"So, I should have money on you bagging a few birds then? I still can't believe you're here. When Clive said he'd filled the two spots to a couple of women, never did I expect it to be you two? Apparently, the others dropped out minutes before you asked him about it. It was you that day, at the Savoy, I was there sorting it out with them? Sara, this is meant to be.\" I smile.\n\n\"I thought I saw you too, but I put it down to a lookalike, after all the dead don't walk the streets. Oh Jess, Dad can watch your films with you.\" I laugh, the full box set too he owes me. \"The grave you visited was of a young girl of fourteen, she was the one who died. She was called Tallulah Bird. She was a very distant cousin and died whilst I was locked in the tower. He planned his revenge well Ben, frighteningly so. Did you get the car checked after your accident? I know I'm paranoid, but did you?\" He studied me.\n\n\"I did yes, and it was my fault. I span in the rain, to avoid a deer. We, Charlie and I were arguing about where to go next, and she was convinced what Declan had told me was a lie. It turns out she was right. Did you read the report on Marco's and Donatella's death then? It was looked into, and we are more careful now. I am going to be more so now with you two to look after, you will have to have a minder too, that's not a request either. I need you both to be safe.\"\n\n\"Dad, we are being called to go.\"\n\n\"Right jump in ladies, we have dinner to kill. The cook here is great, and nothing is wasted, it feeds the staff and is distributed to the villagers, and the dogs get fed well too.\" We drive for about half an hour, and as I look across at him, he smiles. \"I am still here and I'm still alive Sara, stop smiling. Jess are you going to be warm enough? There's a scarf in the back there, sorry it's one of mine.\"\n\n\"Gheeze, I'm fine, you're going to have to stop fussing, and I'm sorry to break it to you Daddy. I'm all grown up.\" He sighs. I see the hurt in his eyes. It's not as if I did it on purpose. I put my hand on his leg and give it a squeeze. He looks at it and places his hand on it.\n\n\"Jess I'm sorry, it will take me a while to get used to this dad thing. Have you had any thought as to when you want to go to Italy, the jets ready as soon as we need it? Mom wanted to be on the next flight over, in fact, when we get back to London, I expect them to be there. I am giving you the heads up, she will cry an awful lot, and her English is not too good either.\" I smile as Jess speaks in fluent Italian.\n\n\"Dad, it's fine, Mom had me learn. She speaks it too, she had to because apparently, the arses she spoke to, all of them said they didn't understand her, so she learned Italian, just so she could understand what they were saying. I have a very clever Mom, haven't I?\"\n\n\"You have learnt Italian? You always said you would learn it. Your Mom was convinced when I spoke to her in Italian, I was actually telling her off, so she said she would take lessons. You had Jess learn too?\" It seems I did well.\n\n\"She represented an old man who needed some legal work done and he couldn't afford to pay, so she bartered Italian lessons for winning his case. He was a sweet old man.\" Pulling into the woods, we got out of the car and joined the rest of the party to go through safety talks.\n\n\"Are you alright Jess?\" She was looking at her gun and checking it over, grabbing the cartridge holder, she then filled her pockets and smiled.\n\n\"Fine, these are pretty guns Mom, have you seen the engraving on them, they are all little birds.\"\n\n\"They are Purdey's and a matched pair too, someone has great taste in guns? Are you going to be alright Jessica?\"\n\n\"Yes, Dad fine.\" I smiled this is going to be murder he is going to panic, his little girl can shoot and well too, he will be fine. I hope. I would hate for him to have a heart attack so soon.\n\n\"Stop worrying yourself, are you taking flank, or would you like me to? Can this lot shoot and walk or are we standing, or butt stick?\"\n\n\"Standing, or in most cases sitting on a shooting stick dear, butt is frowned upon.\" I umm, best he doesn't panic too much, he would panic more with Jess walking within their shot, so I made her stand. The line is established and as the beaters did their thing, the line suddenly started firing. I watched as he fired his gun and I smiled as I looked over at Jess, God this is a dream, they are both here... They are here and I am happy too.\n\n\"Right Little Bird lets show these English folks, how we do it in Arizona.\" I took aim watched the birds flight, I focused and putting my cheek to the stock fired and hit the birds, the dog ran as I fired again and again, the second fell and then the third and the fourth, I re-load, and as they fly I focus, fire and watch them fall, the dogs are kept busy. Jess is smiling as Ben stops and watches as she takes her shots, she fires and he watches as her birds fall and as she hits them, she laughs. Loading again and as she aims at next bird, the next shooter, the stupid bastard at the side of her, turns to shoot in her direction, she ducks as he narrowly misses her.\n\n\"Are you fucking serious man? Don't ever do that again, gun forward never to the side, never do that again, watch the bird, focus on it alone, see it and shoot to the front. Not the side, if it flies to the side, choose another and leave it. Never do what you have done again, are you alright? I'm fine, please don't panic.\" I watch as she shows him what to do. The whistles stop the shoot, after what seems an age as the dogs are in need of water, and we need a drink.\n\n\"You weren't joking you do know what to do Sara, Jess too, so I guess her now very grey haired Dad has nothing to panic about? Gerry, you nearly killed my daughter. Watch it, she's irreplaceable to me.\"\n\n\"I wondered if she was a relation, Leo, she's so like you. Sorry little lady, first time shooting the real thing. Clays don't move like these little buggers. Who taught you to shoot?\"\n\n\"My Mom, she's good and I'm sorry I swore at you.\" I had bagged myself a fair few birds. Jess was now busy helping the beaters with the dogs, she fed hers her pie. I laughed as she played with them, they are her Achilles Heel dogs, and she loves them.\n\n\"She is great Sara, really great. I was about to take Gerry's head off his shoulders.\"\n\n\"It's a good job we weren't walking and shooting. You would have turned even greyer.\" We had an enjoyable day, but things were still a little weird between Ben and I, with Jess it was easier. They just went with the flow, chatted, laughed, fooled around, he'd pick her up spin her around, he was enjoying doing Dad stuff I suppose? I was feeling even more confused, pent up lust was an understatement, it had been sixteen years since I'd last had sex and God my body was waking up from a bloody long hibernation, into what I can only describe as bordering on a case of bad nymphomania? If he offers it, I am taking it and giving him more, I need him and soon.\n\nArriving back at the castle Hamish told us our things were in our rooms, Jess went in search of her stuff, as she did she was like the usual bull in the same china shop, doors are flung open until she found hers. She was having a bath and excused herself, saying she was due some catch up time with her friends at home, and desperately wanted to show them her hot dad, blushes from Ben as she told him this. She shut her door telling us she'd see us at dinner.\n\n\"We have been dismissed by our daughter. So, do you fancy seeing your room? This way Sara, I think you will like it.\" I saw that look, he's had my stuff put in his room, and he led me by the hand to his rooms.\n\n\"You presume this is what I want Ben, just to jump back in? No asking, just doing it?\" He stopped me talking by kissing me, oh hell, don't stop please don't stop, and as the clothes came off, we continued to kiss.\n\n\"Tell me no and I stop Sara.\"\n\n\"Hell, if you do that, I will kill you.\" He picked my now naked body up and carried me to his bedroom, I didn't care what it looked like, I needed him, badly. He placed me in his bed, and as he leant down to kiss me, I pulled him towards me. I noticed he was a hell of a lot better built in the body department, much improved and even sexier without the clothes spoiling the view.\n\nHis kisses I devoured, as he touched my body with his. I sighed as his kisses moved down my body, he kissed my heaving breasts, as my heart began beating faster and as he moved down my body, he got to the scar and kissed it continuing downwards making me writhe under him. He then got to that place, and as he did, I cried out in sheer pleasure, oh hell was it always so good, yes of course it was... As he worked my body into a quivering wreck, he started to lap at my sex, as if he'd never been there before. I threw my hands over my face as I came and hard. I was a shaking wreck as I screamed his name over and over.\n\n\"Oh hell I missed this Sara, I'd forgotten how passionate you get, please can we?\"\n\n\"If you don't, I will kill you. Now, now please, now?\" He moved up my body and as he entered me. I cried, he was there, he was here with me, oh hell there were no words to describe the need I had. We were as one as he moved within me, I succumbed to him again and again, his body riding me like a wave, his firm dick giving me the pleasure my body had long since forgotten. His control was impressive as he spent down kisses to my lips. We rolled around on his bed grappling to control the game, he was beneath me as I rode him, and hard, circling on top of him, my hips moving in time with his as he began thrusting upwards.\n\n\"I'm coming oh hell Sara move it, please God move it now, harder, faster Baby now, now, now...\" I climaxed just as he screamed out my name, as he clung on for dear life. Crying real tears, he was sobbing and kissing me. He held me tightly and as I lay at his side, he covered us in the comforter. Wrapping me in his arms, for the after-sex-cuddle I'd always liked. He scooped me into those arms and held me tightly. \"That was more than overdue Sara, oh hell I missed you. I want you in my bed every night and forever. I know you said no, but please think about it. We complete each other and don't tell me you don't think that too?\" I snuggled into his chest and kissed it.\n\n\"I love you Ben, I never stopped, I can't stop loving you, and I never did stop. Now shush I'm not as young as I was.\"\n\n\"You could have fooled me, you were the same as you always were, oh so nice to be inside of, warm and God so good. You want to marry me don't kid yourself.\"\n\n\"Guilty as charged, I always did.\" I fell asleep in his arms as he kissed my head. I woke to the sound of running water, I grabbed the sheet around me and as I did there was a ring on my finger? When did I agree to this? I know he hypnotised me with his sexual prowess, but this I can't remember agreeing to. I went to find the reason for the ring being on my finger. It was the prettiest and yet most unusual ring I'd ever seen. Two square diamonds, separated by a row of square sapphires, they continued down the sides, the sides were a filigree of four diamonds on each side, with tiny diamonds seeming to hold the bigger ones in their place.\n\n\"When did we get engaged?\"\n\n\"As soon as I had you back in our bed. I asked, and you said yes. Our Daughter is instant on it too, I don't think she was too surprised to see you asleep in my bed? In fact, she saw the ring before you. I asked her this morning, if I could ask you. She, by the way, said yes, as did Grandy before I went to Italy the last time. She said it was about time, we'd lived sinfully long enough.\" I ummed and got in the bath.\n\n\"So, we discussed that for a long time? Where do we live, my businesses, the houses, your parents, America, Italy, England, there are plenty of questions and my headaches with them.\"\n\n\"We will sort it all out, I can retire, and I think sixteen years' worth of missing you is enough to give everything up for Sara. I love you, and I never stopped.\" I watch him as he shower's and I lower myself into the inviting bubbles.\n\n\"I accept, but what happened to the down on one knee thing?\" He laughed.\n\n\"You had me weak at the knees four hours ago, now if you want the whole romantic gestures? Leave it to me, but for now will you marry me Sara?\"\n\n\"I already said yes, besides would hate to let your daughter down, she sulks far worse than you do Ben.\" He came out of the shower dripping sex from every pore. Oh my. \"Ben, we need to talk, and I mean talk, this is bigger than just you me, we have Jess to think about, she's complicated and head strong.\"\n\n\"No, it's not, you me and Jess are all I care about, everything else is just background noise you two are the verses, and I'm the chorus and together we make a damn fine song.\" I smile. We do sing a harmonious song alright. Especially when having S.E.X!\n\nChapter 10:\n\nWe went down to dinner as the gong sounded, Jess was already down and was apparently in the kitchen, and as Ben walked with me to find her, he brought me into his arms and kissed me again.\n\n\"We are alright, aren't we? Is this, is this what you want, to have me back in your life? Don't just do it for Jessica, I will be there for her whatever you decide.\" Ben looked so happy, but there was worry there too.\n\n\"Yes, I do want to be with you, and I always have done. I have from the first time we made love, to screaming for you in the tower, to the moment I had Jess. You were all I had ever thought of, but as soon as I had her, my priorities changed. She became the focus of all my attention, she had to be. Now I get to share her with you and share the love I have between you both. I have never stopped loving you Ben ever, we just have so much going on in our lives for us to just start playing happy families, it is going to be very hard to do, you do understand that, don't you?\"\n\n\"We'll find a way of working things out Sara, I will make this work we will make this work together. I will give up everything, she, sorry you both mean everything to me. We'll get this funeral out of the way and go away, just we three. We will take the boat and sail away? Get to know each other again, not that getting to know you earlier wasn't nice, very nice in fact.\"\n\n\"I doubt Jess will like the boat idea, she's not a water person. She likes her feet firmly on the ground, but yes, we spend some time together and decide things slowly. It's not like we have to get married, we're a little too old to be told we have to, and Jess isn't a baby.\"\n\n\"Oh, but we have to get married Jess insists, as does Mom! Sorry, she insists and in fact she would like to do it at home when we go back. I think she's already planning it.\"\n\n\"Ben, what happened to slow and easy? You are railroading me into this, you and our daughter are going to be murder together. Come on dinner, I'm starving, and we are being watched.\"\n\n\"She just wants to know if you said yes or not, you did say yes and mean it, didn't you?\"\n\n\"It seems I did and yes, and I meant it, you got me in a good mood and for some strange reason, my resistance was at best minimum? Dinner, your guests need your company too.\" With that, Jess came bounding over.\n\n\"Well, are my parents getting married and making me legal? You did say yes Mom, I said you would say yes, please Mom tell me you said yes?\"\n\n\"I said yes, happy? You two had better not keep ganging up on me.\" They both laughed as I walked off, they really are birds of a feather and as we make our way to the dining room there's pandemonium happening in the hallway. I turn to see an entourage of people bags and commotion and in the centre Flavia De Portia. Oh my God, she's stunning.\n\n\"Darling have my bags taken to our room. Leo the staff say I was not expected, but you sent me an email asking me to join you, and I haven't been here in age's darling. Oh, I see you are seeing to the guests, I will wait. Do I get them to take my bags to our room?\" I smile as Jess gets the look. Oh hell...\n\n\"Dad who is she? I'm sorry you are? No matter, I'm Jessica his daughter and not a guest and my father, as you can clearly see, is here with my mom.\"\n\n\"She jokes, no? You never wanted children, you never said you had children? Who...? When did this happen, who is her mother? Did you forget we are getting married? Your email said we were to sort things out?\"\n\n\"Flavia, stop right there. I never promised you anything of the kind, you are welcome to stay, but as a guest and for the one night, it's too late to be going back to wherever you came from? My Daughter and Fianc\u00e9e are in my wing, my family and I are having a few days relaxation. The staff are correct, your booking was cancelled months ago, and your office were made aware of it, as were you. I never sent you an email I haven't done for a while, it's been months since we last saw each other, and I made my feelings quite clear then, both in person and by email. There was no engagement and definitely no wedding of any sort planned or unplanned.\"\n\n\"Two months ago, no, try just over a week ago? Did you forget the session at the Savoy? Don't be foolish, you don't want her? You can't be serious?\" I'm mad, because that was when I saw him, or thought I saw him at the Savoy, was he there with her?\n\n\"I will leave you to it, it seems you have things to discuss. Jess leave your father to it. He will sort it all out.\" I grabbed Jess's hand and I walked her to the dining room, leaving them to it.\n\n\"Mom, are you mad leaving her to get her hooks into him? She will be all over him. Mom stop, we can't leave them together?\"\n\n\"Jess, he will be with us as soon as he sorts her out, all this has happened so quickly, and he still has loose ends to tie up, and if he wants her then he doesn't need me, but he will still be your father when push comes to shove Little Bird.\"\n\n\"I don't know Mom. She looked like she meant business. My Dad's quite a catch you know?\" I laughed. She was giving her father the look. Lord, help him because she's getting pissed off with the whole situation, and our daughter is on tenterhooks.\n\n\"Jess, please stop worrying he will be back, come on your mom's a little bit hungry.\" I was worried yes, because I'm not stupid. I know she's stunning, but I also saw the look in his eyes when he saw her, the sheer panic. He's not going anywhere... I hope? We take our places at the table, as Jess is looking towards the door, the food is delivered, the first course is wonderful, but Jess still hasn't eaten. I nudge her to eat and she reluctantly does.\n\n\"Mom are you not worried, he's been out there forever?\" I shake my head, no. I would be a fool if I weren't, but I had to trust Ben and try settle Jess down. I had to hope it was as he'd said that I am all he needed, well Jessica and me, and I pray I am not making a mistake. The second course is the pheasant, not ours because this has been hung for a while and is really good. Poor Jess again looks towards the doors. I am starting to get a little nervous now too. When the doors suddenly open, and he takes his seat apologising to everyone for being late.\n\n\"Sorry about that Sara, you too Jess, now eat please Jess. Please don't worry, she and her party have gone to their rooms. It seems she was correct. She was sent an email asking her to come to stay. I was checking to see if she was lying and it seems she wasn't, she was sent an email and it seems to have come from my office this morning. Sent whilst we were out shooting, so I know I didn't send it, which means if I didn't, who did? Jess eat your food, it will be getting cold, eat please? Are you alright Sara? Please eat.\" He is worried, so is Jess. I give his cheek a kiss, and he relaxes. Then he kisses me back, Jess at last relaxes too.\n\n\"I'm starving, all that fresh air has given me an appetite. How about you Jess, are you not hungry? Ben stop worrying, you will sort all the mess out. It may be someone having fun at her expense knowing I was here with you, who did she piss off at your office?\" He laughed.\n\n\"Everyone at some point, but how would they know you were here and were with me? Yesterday I was just spending the weekend with clients, you were down on the booking as last-minute replacements, it just said in the diary two female guests of the Savoy. No names were in the book and until yesterday we hadn't met, not until I walked in saw Jess and interrupted your weekend?\" He laughed as he said it too. I looked at Jess she was eating again. She thought the damn hot model was competition for his affections... I don't think she is willing to share him just yet.\n\n\"No, they knew who we were, because Clive rang the office Ben, and he gave our names. I heard him quite clearly, your secretary made a joke about our hippy names. Perhaps someone is messing with you, what about your secretary, do you trust her?\"\n\n\"Yes, she was with Dad for years, she has another assistant Bella, and she's a little strange? I catch her all the time mooning over at me. She doesn't know about you and our past, but Delphia did. She would have recognised the names and said something to me. So perhaps Bella wrote the entry in the diary. This is getting quite weird and wacky. It seems we have ourselves a conundrum Baby? Jess we are going to Edinburgh tomorrow and going to visit the castle. We're taking your mom's car back to the hire place too and spending the day together just we three, is that alright?\"\n\n\"We are? Great Dad, yes that will be fantastic. I need some more film and a warmer coat too, Mom, can I have a new coat, yes?\" I am looking at him and wondering was he always so in control?\n\n\"Why am I taking the car back?\"\n\n\"We can take mine back to London and having two cars mean we will be separated, and you can use one of mine for the rest of your trip. I intend to spend as much catch up time with you two as is possible.\"\n\n\"I have a car at Grandy's, in fact I have two. She still has the banana wagon and my little red mini.\" He laughs, as he does his eyebrows rise. I wonder if he remembers breaking down that night and keeping warm in the back seat. Then he laughs.\n\n\"Did it not breakdown the last time we were in it? Damn piece of junk, it was cold as hell and it took them hours to get to us. Remind me why were we in the middle of nowhere again?\"\n\n\"We were on a hike in the Lake District, because you were getting lazy, and as I recall we were warm enough snuggled in the back seat.\"\n\n\"Ewe Mom, Dad no sex talk, please, Daughter in the room, impressionable ears and all that? Besides, so not cool Mom talking about sex with your parents.\" Jess is as red as a post box and so too is Ben. I just laugh.\n\n\"That reminds me, boys. Do I have to have a talk with any?\"\n\n\"Ewe, no Dad, and you're not ever going there, I swear I thought you would be a cool Dad.\"\n\n\"Umm, I will be a damn protective Dad, because nobody is hurting my Little Bird. Now what did you think about the shoot?\"\n\n\"Fine, but I can't wait to go deer hunting, it was a little tame the standing and just shooting. Mom said you would have had a kitten if we did it whilst walking. You would be so nervous if we did it on horseback.\" He agrees, as he does the late guests join us, she really has pushed the boat out. The dress is very revealing. Jess scowls, Ben smiles and as he does, he winks at me.\n\n\"Now that's overkill, and I'm not turning the heating up. She will be throwing a jacket on soon enough. Right Jess, desserts what do you want? The cook made you a very sticky chocolate cake, apparently, you told her it was your favourite and she made you it. Unusual that, she never makes my favourite desserts?\" I watched as Jess and he settled down and their laughter was heard throughout the room. It is so real, he is here, and I am happy! Jess is in her element and Ben, Ben is back, and yup the pinch I gave myself again, it still hurts.\n\nI drank the wine and listened to Ben's guests. They were all part of a company he was hoping to acquire, they were only here because at the tenth hour they had heard he was breaking the company up and selling it off, something he's known for doing these days, which shocked me, he seemed to have turned into his father were business was concerned? He did a lot of soothing of nerves and I watched him as he spoke, and I feel a sense of pride in my man and his work as he soothes and calms them all. He knew what he was doing, he knew what he was saying, and as he rattled off facts and figures, they accepted the fact that certain things had to go.\n\nSome parts had to be made in the Far East, but the mainstay of the company would be the upgraded assembly shipyard here, for the outfitting and the customising of the yachts. All to the customers own requirements and it would still be here in England, in the old shipyard they already had, only upgrading everything for the custom yachts they built. My God he builds yachts now too? I need to know what his job involves, I knew he bought and sold land and buildings, but building yachts too? I just presumed he was a realtor. I yawned.\n\n\"Go to bed Sara your tired, please Baby? I will join you in a while. I will see to Gerry and his party, then come and join you later? Jess are you stopping here with your old Dad?\"\n\n\"Nah sorry I'm tired too, we have a lot to do tomorrow, is it alright if I go up too?\"\n\n\"Sure Jess, do you want me to tuck you in?\" She laughs as he says it in all honesty.\n\n\"If you want, you can stop by and say goodnight. I'm going to upload the photos I took today, and then chat to my friends and go to sleep. Mom stopped tucking me in years ago.\" He shrugged his shoulders.\n\n\"See you later then, sweet dreams Little Bird.\" We went to bed and as we passed Flavia, she smiled, dream on woman he's all mine. I had a red hot shower and waited for him in bed and I fell asleep reading. I woke who knows when, as the book clattered to the floor. I looked to my side, and there was no Ben, then at the clock, it was saying it was four in the morning. I went in search of him, and oh hell I wish I hadn't. I saw him alright coming out of my old room, his jacket in his hand and smiling. I rushed back to our bed and lay back down, pretending to be asleep. He came in undressed and got in the shower, obviously washing the sex from him, I was so angry at my stupidity, he wanted Jess not me.\n\nWhy had I been so na\u00efve, why would he want a half-breed Indian, when he could have her, the ravishing young Italian model? He came in after a while, I pretended to be sleeping, obviously it's Jess he wants not me. He slipped between the sheets kissed my head and slept, his arms holding me to him, and I struggled to get sleep, knowing what I knew. He was still sleeping when I left him. I was confused, and I needed to get out of here and far away and as soon as possible, but leaving Ben would upset Jess, what was I going to do? As I got to the dining room, the guests, including the model and her friends are having breakfast. She smiled over at me, and as she did, she gave me a look.\n\n\"Leo has said we can stop for a few more days if we want. I think I would like to join the hunt, it looks like it could be fun. What do you think Jamie? Should we accept Leo's kind offer of a few days here?\" I smiled at Jess and I grabbed my breakfast as she watched, so I eat when stressed, shoot me bitch. The model was drinking black coffee and smoking. I looked at her and smiled.\n\n\"Jess would you be upset if I went back home, there's a problem on the ranch and the case they are working on has hit a major problem? You can stay for the summer with your father and I will get back as soon as I can?\"\n\n\"No Mom, I wouldn't like that, at all and I know Dad wouldn't either, he's so happy you are back in his life and he has me too. Why can't Uncle David do the work on the case and I'm sure the ranch hands and Cane can sort out the problems at the ranch, they did when Shiitsooyee was alive and to be honest Mom you have never had to deal with problems at the ranch. Why are you running away Mom, because of her? You don't have anything to worry about Mom, I came down for a drink because I couldn't sleep, you know, because it's so exciting getting a Dad? Dad and me, we talked and talked, sorry Mom, but we talked nearly all night too, in his study. She tried to come in and interrupt, but Dad sent her away with a flea in her ear and she went to drown her sorrows. When we finished talking, we saw her, you should have seen her Mom, she was so drunk it was hilarious. She'd passed out in a drunken heap, at the bar and she'd been sick everywhere Mom.\n\nDad had to carry her to bed, not a pleasant task for Dad, because she groped him, and I sort of slapped her hands away from him. He put her to bed and oh boy it was funny, well for me not Dad, 'cos he was kinda embarrassed, she was pulling him into her bed, so he just threw her down. I offered to clear up the mess, because he needed a shower, he stunk as she had thrown up again and all over him this time, as well as on her bedroom floor. We stopped and cleared her room, as she snored.\n\nDad laughed as I swore in Italian at her, she said I was to go away, I was the old whore's bastard. I said no she was so wrong, because I knew who my father was, and she wasn't having him. He belongs to my older than her, but nicer than her, Mom. We'd already cleaned the bar up, and then the sick in the bedroom he stank. I'm surprised the smell didn't wake you, he offered to wait for me and tuck me in. I said get a shower he needed it. I stripped the skinny Italian and made her comfortable, placing a sick bucket at the bed side and then I went to bed.\"\n\n\"You were with your dad all night? He didn't spend time with her?\"\n\n\"No, he doesn't like her like that I asked him. He just said they had sex nothing else and he had sex with her over a week ago, because he was hammered. Apparently, it was the day he thought he saw you. When he actually did see you that day? Well he, sorry, they had sex, he even remembered calling her Sara. Apparently, that got him a slap, he was still hung over when he saw me at the gym too, he's been drinking a lot since that day. He didn't want anything else with anyone else.\n\nHe wasn't over you, but he said he had certain needs. Yes Mom, we discussed everything. He didn't believe me when I said you had only ever been with him. He really was shocked too that you'd stayed faithful to him and was and is so sad he hadn't. I told him not to be stupid, no two people are the same. Also, that between your work, training, the ranch, me, Grandy and Grandpa, you didn't have much time for socialising. You two need to talk Mom.\" My heart was fit to burst.\n\n\"I will do Jess and they can deal with the problems, it's what we pay them for, and if we stop here...\" She squealed. \"...If, we stop here they will have to get used to it. I need to go and wake your father and I may be a while Jessica Jay?\"\n\n\"Ewe Mom, please remember the conversation about no sex talk, me, the Daughter, is at that impressionable age. Go make me a brother or sister, Dad wants more kids and I want more too?\"\n\n\"Oh my God, tell me you didn't discuss that too?\" She nodded, and I left the room. The Italian was at the bar...\n\n\"Oh Flavia, I didn't introduce myself yesterday, I'm Sara and you're welcome to stop as long as you want in our castle, but if you are sick again, you or one of your minions clear it up and I will be sending you the bill for cleaning Ben and our daughters clothes, and your more than welcome to come on the hunt. I'm a crack shot, I may enjoy teaching your skanky young arse a thing or two, we old whores can do that you know. Oh, Ben and I are engaged and sorry you're not invited to the wedding.\" I nearly ran up the stairs. As I opened the door, he was waking so I stripped off, and jumped in the bed. I was so relieved, why did I think so lowly of him? I snuggled into him and kissed his nose.\n\n\"Good morning Baby, this is a nice way to wake up, come here I know a better way a much better way.\" I giggled as he tickled me and laid on top of me, looking into my eyes. \"I love you Sara, so much I can't believe your still here, and this isn't a dream. I want to marry you and soon, we, Jess and I had a long, long talk last night and we have decided she wants more siblings, can we... Well can we start working on some, because I'm not getting any younger Baby, and I do want to give her everything she wants.\" I laugh as he kisses me again.\n\n\"Sounds like a plan, being as I'm not actually on birth control, I never had the need after you, and well, you were too carried away to ask, when we did it yesterday. Consider this the start of trying but beware I'm really cranky when I'm pregnant and believe it or not, bad tempered.\"\n\n\"Umm so what are we waiting for?\" We spent a very enjoyable few hours having really loud and frantic sex, it was fantastic and as we showered, he held me tightly. I nearly ran away from this, was I mad? He still loves me, and I can finally see it for myself.\n\n\"Ben, we, Jess and I are moving to Richmond, Jess wants it and I think I do too, but the holidays we spend in Arizona, at the ranch and Jess when she goes to university it will be there. I will make the other four guys partners of the firm and I will retire. It seems I may be concentrating on having a bigger family, are you alright with that?\"\n\n\"Yes, but I can give my position to Paulo, he has always wanted it. I don't need the money and I only worked as hard and as long as I did to fill the void you left.\"\n\n\"No, there's something funny about Paulo and I can't put my finger on it, I know I only met him the once, but there's something niggling me about him! Give me time and I will remember what it is, but for now you continue being the man that you are, and we will work around you. That is until we sort this mess we call our life out, but you and Jess are all I need to be happy. Come on we have a daughter, who's itching to go see another bloody castle.\" We dressed and went down, just in time to see Flavia and her entourage leaving, good riddance to bad rubbish, after an air kiss of Ben's cheeks she left and as we waved her off. I smiled, because he looked damn relieved too.\n\n\"Right, one cuckoo removed from our nest, and my family are off to see a castle in Edinburgh. Hamish has taken your car to the city Sara, and he has taken the gun safe out already, your guns are in the safe here, if that's alright? All your sickly, sweet mess is out of there too, and he had it cleaned, you two ate some crap coming up?\" I stare into his eyes and swoon. He said his family. We are doing this for real, it's no longer the dream I have had for years, but is happening. \"Sara, I asked you what sort of food, did you eat coming up here Baby?\"\n\n\"Sorry I was miles away Ben, I blame Jess she loves English chocolate.\"\n\n\"I don't know Baby there was an awful lot under the driver's seat?\"\n\n\"So, okay, I may be a little into chocolate again, so yup, I'm guilty as charged, your honour I am a chocolate junkie. Come on then let's go. Jessica Jay come on, we're ready.\" She came running out of the bar smiling, jumped in the car earphones in and the boy band playing loudly in her ears. She was eating yet more chocolate cake and was singing along, all at the same time, not a good look. She shouted her instructions at Ben to slow down and to watch the road. Unaware she was being loud.\n\n\"Don't worry she stops after a while, she's even worse in the front seat, she has to stop herself from grabbing the wheel, she is such a good driver already. She's going to be sorely upset to know she can't drive here until she's seventeen! I think you can tell her that Daddy?\" We were busy talking when Jess screamed to pull over.\n\n\"Dad there's been an accident look, there's a car and it's ran off the road. It's back down the road about two hundred meters just after the turn, please check it out Dad?\"\n\n\"I will sweetheart, stay in the car, Sara you too, please?\" I watched as he ran to the place Jess had said she saw the crashed car, he disappeared down the embankment and I followed, because he'd disappeared over the edge so had seen something. I got there and was more than a little shocked, at the horrific scene below me.\n\n\"Ben what's the matter, are they, are they alright? Ben that's my car. That's my hire car, for Christ's sake Ben is poor Hamish alright?\" He looked up and that face was not one telling me he was okay, Ben was really pale and his whole body is shaking, its bad.\n\n\"Stay there Sara, you don't need to see this, phone for the police and ambulance, he's in a mess, but alive. Pass me the first aid kit from the boot of the car. Please?\" I rang the emergency services and went back to the car, first I grabbed the first aid kit, telling Jess to sit tight. I scampered down the embankment, and after Ben had moved, I saw the mess before me. Poor Hamish was stuck behind the wheel, his head was bleeding, luckily the bag had worked and was now deflated, but he was still a mess. I looked him over as Ben watched from the passenger side. I covered the steering wheel with my jacket, as there was white powder everywhere, the bag had split and the powders within it are toxic, like Hamish needs to be poisoned too?\n\nI set about patching him up the best I could. The head wound looked worse than it was, after the blood was cleared away, I packed the wound and wrapped his head in a bandage. I ran my hand down his legs, his leg seemed to be pinned in under the crumpled front of the car, he was unconscious and barely breathing. I secured his head to the headrest, and Ben sat in the back of him holding it in place, whilst I wrapped the bandage around the seat and his head, then I cleared the blood from his mouth. This is bad, really bad.\n\n\"Ben, get a blanket from the car and see to Jess, get me some more water. I need to clear the blood and see what's what and hurry. Please don't worry I'm fine.\" He went returning with a spare jacket for me and a blanket. \"Ben, he may lose his leg or die, when they release the car from the tree. He will bleed to death, Christ almighty this isn't looking good. Was he a good driver? There were no skid marks on the road either I checked.\"\n\n\"He is, and he has never had an accident before. Sara, he drives me about all the time when I'm here. Jesus Christ Sara, this could have been you, you could have been driving this car!\" I'd already figured that much out myself.\n\nAfter what seemed an age Ben was showing the paramedics and the doctor down, I'd already phoned and asked for the fire brigade as he would need cutting out, whilst on phone to emergency services. I told them they would need to send an accident trauma surgeon. He was the doctor they had sent. I had unfortunately seen this type of accident once too often back home, visitors drove too fast down the mountains, misjudging the curve and the roads closeness to the edge and whammy, they would lose control and career off the edge of the road. I was forever helping with the crashes, in fact that had been my lot for more times than I cared to remember, so this wasn't new to me, but in a way, it was good for poor Hamish.\n\nWe waited in our car as they worked on releasing him, luckily for him he was out of it. We waited as they worked, and it was I suspected he would die and bleed out, so they were amputating his crushed leg by his knee. They pulled the car from the tree, and he was released and rushed away. We followed the ambulance to the hospital. The police were here in number too as we left. One constable was coming with us to the hospital in our car.\n\n\"You were very good Miss Bird, you possibly saved his life, according to the paramedic.\"\n\n\"We get those kinds of accidents all too often back home, people think a four wheel drive is invincible, but unfortunately for most they aren't, nature and mature trees are way stronger than any metal car. I should have been driving in that car. He was just taking it back for me, poor Hamish.\"\n\n\"Why was that Miss Bird?\" Ben held my hand tightly and answered the questions.\n\n\"My family are driving back in my car, I didn't think it was practical for two cars and as Sara's car was a rental, Hamish was taking it back to their place in Glasgow, whilst we went to Edinburgh for the day. He was then stopping a while with his mother. I have to let Massie know this had happened because she's housebound and will be expecting him.\"\n\n\"No worries Sir, we will send officers to her home and have her brought to the hospital. The car Miss Bird, was it in good working order? Were there any problems with it?\"\n\n\"No, no it was fine. He didn't break as he went around the corner, there were no skid marks, I checked. This is a highly suspicious crash and I don't think it was an accident. Ben says he's an excellent driver, could the car have been tampered with?\"\n\n\"We won't know until we get it back and forensics takes a look. Have you got enemy's Miss Bird, Mr Vinci?\"\n\n\"I do business with a lot of people, some don't like the outcome of my taking over their companies, so as to your question, yes I have a lot, hence the security. If you see, there's a car following us, I have it at all times. Miss Bird, she doesn't live here, she only arrived a little under two weeks ago from Arizona, so even she can't have pissed anyone off so soon, or have you?\" I smile because he's not telling them about me being followed, and I wonder why? He squeezes my hand, as we pull up to the hospital.\n\n\"I will send security for Hamish's mother, could a constable meet him there? She will only panic, and I'll have his sister picked up too?\" He agrees and gives him her address and tells his security to go bring Massie to the hospital. We go and await news, as Jess raids the vending machine, her father watching her closely.\n\n\"Ben has this got something to do with the people following me, and the reason Flavia was here? What's going on, I'm a little afraid for Jess? My brother could be behind this too Ben. I should have told them about his past, our past and his depravity and drug problems, he could have owed people money and they want it from me, now he is dead?\"\n\n\"I don't know that a dead man can tamper with a car Sara. I need to see the picture you have of the guy following you, oh and Dad is on his way with Mom. He needs my help. He says he thinks Paulo is mixed up with bad people. They haven't heard from him in a few days, and he normally rings home at least once a day.\" I shiver.\n\n\"Ben, I know this sounds farfetched, but did Paulo know Declan?\"\n\n\"No, they didn't run in the same circles Sara, not that I know of anyway. I will get our security team to check your suspicions out.\" I smile. I go to the toilet and make a phone call.\n\n\"Hi Boss Lady, what can I do for you today?\"\n\n\"Eli, you can get your butt on the next flight out here. I need you. I think someone's trying to kill me and Jess?\"\n\n\"I'm on the next flight to London, are you at your house in Richmond?\"\n\n\"No, charter a private jet and get it to bring you to Glasgow airport, we're at Ben's castle here.\" I gave him the address and tell him to him hurry and I will have Ben's people meet them at the airport.\n\n\"See you soon Boss Lady, keep close to Ben, be aware of your surroundings, avoid crowds and watch for strangers, oh and don't let Jessica out of your sight.\" He was now worried, he would be, poor Eli.\n\n\"See you when you get here and bring all you need with you, and whoever else you need too.\" I put the phone in my pocket.\n\nI went back, only to see Ben is thumping the machine, Jess's candy was stuck, and his temper and frustration is clear to see as he shakes the machine! He was worried, and I can't help thinking we are in for more chaos in our lives, and I don't know why? The only person I have pissed off here is dead. I approach Ben carefully as the damned machine is besting him, I feed the machine more coins, and Jess gets two candy bars and Ben sighs and places his head on the glass front of his nemesis, the vending machine. Jess, thanks him and then kisses her father's cheek, and he instantly relaxes.\n\n\"Don't shout, but I'm having Eli and my security team fly here, and I am having them look into all this, I have a feeling we will need him? He's bringing his team and I trust him Ben. Someone who works with you or for you, knows something and is passing on information to someone else, as you said who knew I was here? This is all too close to home for you to see anything wrong, and Eli is ex-Mossad, though apparently, you're never really an ex in their organisation? I dread to think of the consequences if these are true threats against us, because he will kill to keep Jess and I safe. He swore an oath to Dad on his death bed and believe me he has always looked out for me and is the best person I know for the job. He recruited the people to care for Jess.\"\n\n\"She has security?\"\n\n\"Yes, she has had them all her life, but to her they are family. The team he's bringing with him have worked for me for fifteen years, and before me they were there for Dad. Eli has always been in my life. Our beloved Uncle Eli is Jess's Godfather and her mentor, in fact he is her everything since Dad died. I need them Ben, because someone wants me out of the picture and I'm sorry, but I feel it has something to do with Paulo and security at your place, I feel it. I also think it's got something to do with Declan, there's something niggling away in my head. I can't put my finger on it, I just have this seventh sense thing going on up here,\" I tap the side of my head, \"that it's something to do with Declan and Paulo knowing each other?\"\n\n\"Alright, you have a point. We keep Jess with us, and I will increase security, Mike and the guys have been with me for years and work for me not the company, I will get him to watch Jess. Why is this happening Sara, why did Jess need security at home?\"\n\n\"You now have an heir and she is worth more than she was before, a hell of a lot more. I'm back in your life, so who ever wanted me out of it before, may be back to get me out of it again. I'm sure that's what it is? I had Jess watched Ben, because I had too, because of what Declan did, that's all. She was too precious to lose. I'd lost you Ben and she was all I had left of you.\"\n\n\"Sara, it seems we may very well have people out to get us. I get that, I do and the money thing. What can we do now?\"\n\n\"We can't do anything until Eli gets here, but make sure she's safe and we have to make sure Hamish is well looked after. I can't lose you again Ben, I can't, and neither can your daughter. Please be careful and you watch your back too, please do not do anything heroic, promise me?\"\n\n\"Oh Baby, you didn't lose me, and you'll never be without me again, do you hear me never. Hamish will be well cared for and get the best help he needs don't worry, and Massie too.\" The doctors came out to inform us of his condition, poor Hamish he was very weak because of the blood loss at the accident sight. The cut was clean, and he would heal well, however he was going to need to spend a lot of time in hospital and in rehabilitation too, but he would live. We were advised to go home, because there was very little else for us to do here.\n\nHe would be out of it for a couple of days, high on pain medication, but Massie was staying by his bed with his sister, they were to be put up in a hotel near the hospital and are given a member of Ben's own security, a man called Joe, who was to run them around and get them food or whatever they needed, no questions asked. Ben wanted them safe too. He thought highly about Hamish and his family, as they were all good to him when he stopped in the castle. We left for the castle a lot more worried than we were when we set off to visit Edinburgh Castle this morning.\n\nChapter 11:\n\nArriving at the Castle, we were informed Ben's parents would be arriving before dinner. Great, just what I needed to be doing right now, meeting the people who didn't want to know us before, and now they do? I can't wrap my head around it, their sudden need to want us after fifteen, nearly sixteen years of rejection. The atmosphere here could be a tad chilly, actually it could and would be as chilled as deep freeze. I may be nice, after I hear the explanations for their rejection. Jess, she however, is so excited and happy to be meeting them finally, just as Ben is, he is a proud father and excited at being able to show her off. I was still really worried that there had been too many coincidental happenings, to concentrate on playing happy families.\n\nI needed to get the niggling doubts from my brain, a very foolish doubt actually, that this is all a dead man's doing. I know Declan though and what's to say though, that he could have possibly put balls in motion before he died, sorry before Mommy Dearest killed him? That's another thing that has blighted this death pact thing they supposedly had, how did she kill him? Who helped her, because she could hardly move, and he wouldn't have sat still waiting for her to do it? Shit, was there someone else helping her, and if there was, who was it? I went for a bath to at least attempt to relax, but with more and more questions entering my head, it seemed like all the damn bath would do was clean me, would that the steam could unlock my brain, because there's something there, but I don't know what it is? I stepped into the bubbles as Ben came in the room, he sat on the toilet lid watching me as I bathed.\n\n\"Have you got any family photos or home movies here? I have this feeling I have seen Paulo somewhere else and it's bugging me. I know I saw him the once at your offices, as I waited in your car for you, but he had his back to me, and he hated me even without ever seeing me. He was talking on the phone about me to someone, telling them I was just another one out for your money. I hate that this could all be about bloody money again.\"\n\n\"Really Sara, you think it's got something to do with Paulo?\"\n\n\"No, I'm not sure of anything. I am less sure now Declan's dead, but I need that one spark to light the fire that needs to burn away the other crud in my head. Please don't laugh, I am serious, something in my head is hidden and I have a feeling it's about my time in the castle tower. Paulo, I just don't know, but there's just something about him, something minuscule, but important and that's really bugging me. I can't put my finger on it, but whatever it is, it's going to be the key to opening the door hiding some seriously crazy secrets.\"\n\n\"Like what, Sara?\"\n\n\"If I knew that I wouldn't need the spark, the fire or a lobotomy!\" He smiled. \"I think it's about something that Mom mentioned before she died, about his 'wop friend?' One of her many husbands was an Italian, a so called Count, and she used to call him the wop, so who ever his friend was, he could have been Italian? She said he was the one putting him up to it, he was the one pulling his strings, forcing him into locking me away, whoever he was, he's the one responsible for my kidnapping.\"\n\n\"Declan was the mastermind behind this? With an Italian friend helping him?\"\n\n\"Ben, Declan wasn't clever enough to do it, not on his own, evil enough yes, but not all the other stuff, the newspapers, the grave. I know it's something to do with your brother. I will know when I see him, or hear him? Do you have something, anything with him speaking on it, anything, I have a feeling it's his voice?\" He took out his phone. He had a family photo album here too, there were a few pictures of the summer holidays Paulo had at their Italian villa. He went for a look in his mom's room here. Coming back, he had the album and his phone in his hand.\n\n\"I was thinking about the voice thing, it's a little bit mumbled, but I do have this, he sent me a message congratulating me on Jess. I'd phoned Mom and she must have told him. Listen to it, he's sarcastic and an arse, but I don't think it's got anything to do with him Baby.\" He pressed the message.\n\n\"Hello Brother Dearest, I hear congratulations are in order, you have a daughter. Such a shock finding her after all these years, but are you sure she's even your child and not just someone else after your fortune? Do you know how many people my people have to deal with claiming they are having your bastard baby? This is getting ridiculous Leo, more tests done and more money for your latest mistake? What next she wants back child support?\" I asked, and he replayed it twice more and a cold shiver went through me.\n\n\"Turn it off, turn it off please, it was him, he was Declan's drug dealer. That was the voice that was outside the room. I heard his voice outside the door when they thought I was asleep, I never saw him, but I will remember that voice as long as I live, and I only saw your brother as he passed your car on the way into your office. I never saw his face and he didn't say much, other than I was just someone else after your money. It was his voice Ben, he'd arranged for Jess to be sold, he said the same thing at the tower, that he would get money for my mistake. Ben, why does he hate you and I so much?\" I sobbed as Ben came in for a hug, he emptied the water out of the tub as I sat and shook, it was his brother I am two hundred and ten percent sure of it. He wrapped me in a towel and he just held on to me tightly.\n\n\"I promise I will look into it. If he knew you were having Jess, and he kept you a prisoner, I will kill him myself. Sara, he could have had the claims all sent to him, he was the one keeping you from me. I don't know why he would do it, nobody could be that vindictive and nasty, could they? You had done nothing wrong. Hell, I will kill him, I am so sorry Baby, my own brother did this to you, and to us.\"\n\n\"Declan was on the phone as soon as I told Mom about Jess, he was acting weird. Then he took my phone, he took my car keys. I couldn't leave, he was up to something and then the morning after I woke in the tower. A few days later, I heard a voice in the other room. Declan said once I'd had the baby, his debts would be all squared off. There were plenty of people looking for babies no questions asked. Then the voice said even his sister couldn't have a kid, and they were looking at adopting. Is that right, could she have children or not?\"\n\n\"No, that was why their marriage was in trouble, she desperately wanted children to please Mom and she couldn't. The funny thing is they were really upset months after you left me, a deal they had made to adopt had fallen through, the mother changed her mind and kept the child. You don't think they were adopting Jess, or do you? That would be too cruel, even for him. He sounds as sick now as Declan was.\" I looked at his photo album and as I flipped through the book, I got to the summer before I met Ben and oh my God, my heart was beating so quickly, and I wanted to be sick...\n\n\"You never met Declan, did you?\"\n\n\"Yes, I went to the castle to look for you, and he told me you had left. Remember I died in the crash on the way back to London?\"\n\n\"Don't that was horrible Ben, never make light of that again, please?\"\n\n\"Sorry Sara, but yes I have met the weasel.\"\n\n\"There is a photograph here look, I took this one a couple of summers before I even met you, a picture of the happy family. She used it in her book, another wasted day spent with the two of them. Declan came to Richmond to smarm is way into getting my home for the summer, to show off with his new friends, but there was not a chance in hell he was having my home. I let him use the castle, seeing as I was going to play cowboys and Indians for the summer. I relinquished the castle to him, but only if he took Mother with him.\" I showed him the photo, his eyebrow rose.\n\n\"I came looking for you at the castle, but that's a photo of Tony, not Declan, he's one of Paulo's friends from boarding school, he and another lad, shit I can't remember his name. He I didn't see a lot of, he was on his computer all the time, he was some sort of systems whiz, they came to stop in Italy a couple of times, and he, Tony was your brother? This wasn't the boy we spoke to at the castle either. Shit Sara, this is serious whoever is doing this wants you and Jess dead, but why?\n\nI would give up everything to keep you two safe I would sell the company tomorrow or step down. I wanted to give it all up when you died, then again when Donatella died. Mom was a mess and Giovanni was in the seminary, had you said him I may have believed it, but he is now a priest. It's not him, Father Vinci isn't the one we have to worry about, no Paulo's the one we need to be focusing on. We need his laptop and computers looking at all his files everything? I will have Delphia bring his office up here, lock stock and barrel.\" He made a phone call and it was being done, within the space of a few minutes Delphia got the whole ball rolling, everything would be here in the morning and she would come up too. He still hadn't shown up at the office and he had been missing for a few days, possibly a week.\n\n\"Ben, I'm afraid to tell you this, but this has something to do with me, this photo here is Paulo yes? That is Declan or Tony, as you knew him, he used his middle name, but this one lad here, his one he is called Richard, now he does hate me enough.\" I had a headache. \"Ben, do you remember, before I met you, I told you I was having trouble with a boy who wanted more, and wouldn't take no for an answer?\"\n\n\"Yes, the boy at university, the idiot who hounded you, even after we started dating, what of him?\"\n\n\"Yes, one in the same. He always threatened to get even with you for romancing me away from him. Ben, in his delusional world, he and I were a couple and you had stolen me away from him, with your flash cars and money. He was Italian too, his name is Richard, he came from a fancy boarding school, to my university. He loved to boast it was a good one, which his father paid a lot of money for, because his father wanted him to get the best education money could buy. Ben, he seemed to think I liked money, but he didn't know me at all, if that's what he thought I needed? I didn't know he knew my brother before me, or that he knew Paulo, or that they went to the castle, or that they all went to the same boarding school, it seems? We didn't know our brothers at all Ben?\"\n\n\"How? I mean why? Or do I really mean how? I am confused by this, why the name changes and deceptions? Do you think they planned this even before we met Sara?\" I flipped through the album. I turned the pages and all three of their faces are staring back at me from their shiny plastic cover. What the flipping heck, did this trio of nutters want?\n\n\"I don't know, but I met Richard Marsh, that was his name, the first year in university. Damn, these photos are at the castle and here is the fabled tower I was kept in. Paulo, Declan and Richard are in my bedroom look, that's my bed. They were in my room, so he knew me even before he came to university. Grandy has pictures everywhere up there. I need to be sick, the three of them were in my room there and God knows what else they searched through? Perverted bastards. Ben don't leave me please, no matter what we find out, if it is an old plan of Declan's, or of your brother?\" He looked at the three faces sat on my bed and pulled a face and pointed at Richard.\n\n\"I'm never leaving you again ever. The middle one here, sat between this Tony and Paulo. He is the one who said he was Declan, that's who told me you were travelling with Grandy, this was the Declan I met. Him, I know. That damned face, it's not a young as that though, he was called Ricco, I think? Mom would know, she never forgets a name, but I would put money on it being Ricco. Oh hell, this goes deeper than we thought. He was passing himself off as Declan. Did he touch you as you slept Baby?\" He was shouting through from the other room and looking for clearer pictures. I didn't need them, I knew who Richard was, he was my stalker at university, and he became my bloody nightmare shadow.\n\n\"No, I would put a chair behind the door as I slept, and I only slept at night, all the other times I was just pretending, so I could listen to them talk. If they seemed to be coming in, I would wake and stretch, then go back to sleep. Nobody came in other than the nurse and Declan.\" I was shocked, tired, confused and angry.\n\nNow I needed answers. Ben came back with bigger pictures to show Eli when they arrived, he looked less worried now we had some sort of semblance of who we were dealing with, but neither of us could begin to hazard a guess as to the all-important one, why? Now we knew the players, perhaps the answers we were looking for, we thought would be an easy find. They were not great at keeping me captive, okay they did but their end game failed. This was so messed up, yet strangely intriguing, and if it hadn't already cost people their lives, I would have been enjoying the thrill of the chase, but it was serious, and I had to think of Jess.\n\n\"Mike has put guards on the doors here and yes Baby, we're going to be held captive for a while. We need to tell Jess, but I can look after you better here. The whole building is on a great security system, as are the grounds, and we have everything we need for a few weeks. We need Eli and Mike on it, and I need to see phone records, he must have called people, right? Come on your shivering, get dressed. Mom and Dad will be here soon and are eager to see you and Jess. Expect hugs and a lot, they will be upset with all this, so I will tell Dad first, before we tell Mom. Gaining a granddaughter won't make up for what her son has done.\"\n\n\"If we hadn't come back Ben, everyone would have been alright.\"\n\n\"No, we wouldn't Sara, we wouldn't be together, and I wouldn't know about our daughter. Never say that, these have been the best days of my life. I have you back and my daughter, I love you and our Little Bird so much.\" I dressed to meet the in-laws, yet still feeling suspicious about everything, and worried more about Jess's safety. We went to find Jess who was chilling in her room, we knocked and went in, she was dancing to her I-pod, unaware of anything that was going on, thankfully. She turned around to see us smiling at her.\n\n\"Little Bird, your Nonna and Nonno are on their way. Please get dressed and get ready to be hugged to death. Jess they are really looking forward to seeing you and may be a little over enthused, I apologise for the sore cheeks and broken ribs, before they get here.\"\n\n\"I can't wait Dad. Mom have you been crying?\"\n\n\"No Jess I got shower gel in my eyes and it's stinging a little. Dad and I need to talk to you and its really serious Jess. For the next couple of days, you can't leave the castle, sorry Jess but it's for your safety. Uncle Eli is coming to look after us, because someone, and no we don't know whom or why just yet, is trying to harm you, me and possibly your dad too. We need you in here, safe. You go nowhere without Mike or Asher, he's coming with Eli too.\"\n\n\"Asher who is he Sara, is he security?\"\n\n\"Dad, he's the biggest Samoan I have ever seen, he is a mixed martial arts specialist and along with Eli, he teaches Mom and me, Krav Maga. We do two classes a week and Thai boxing too. No one is getting past Asher. Great Mom we can train again, I've missed it.\"\n\n\"You do Krav Maga, that's lethal. Some of the guys do it at the gym and they are forever covered in bruises and ache when they have a session, it's like street fighting, yes?\"\n\n\"It is good exercise and great self-defence and we enjoy it. I will get Asher to teach you. The gym here's already set up and there's plenty of mats, and yes Ben it's street fighting to the untrained eye. It's the best self-defence I know of, it's actually hand to hand combat, the Israel army used it first and if it stops our daughter from being taken, beaten up or being attached. Her knowing it and how to use it correctly, then I'm not sorry.\"\n\n\"Alright, I will watch you two do it! I'm sorry, I just don't want either of you harmed.\"\n\n\"Ben, we won't be, we train to be perfect at it, sometimes a punch goes wrong, a move isn't executed correctly, but we take it in our stride. I wouldn't put her in harm's way. I have been doing it fifteen years, Jess for the past three. She started off slowly, it was more like practising dance moves in the beginning, well-choreographed and lifesaving dance moves. She does very well at it, and she can even get a sly drop on Asher, and when she does, she doesn't stop bragging for days.\"\n\n\"I still need to know more about the two street fighters in my life then. I'm glad to know I have my own bodyguards.\"\n\n\"Umm, I like guarding your body too, such a task.\" Jess heard cars pull up and ran to the window, then let out an ear-piercing scream, she turned to tell us and saw her Mommy and Daddy kissing, God forbid.\n\n\"Ewe, Mom, Dad stop with the sex stuff. I know your codes now, act your ages please, you're making your little girl blush.\" Too much information from our daughter. \"Ooh Nonna and Nonno are here. Cool...\" With that the security guys escorted his parents in, and he wasn't kidding, poor Jess wasn't even down the stairs before she was swept off her feet. Never have I seen anyone so excited. I thought the poor woman was going to explode, his father's face too was like nothing I have ever seen before, and my father was in the room as Jess made her appearance and wasn't half as overjoyed as these two seemed, but then he had just watched my C-section. He was making sure I was well relaxed, as breached Jessica Jay refused to move, stubborn even in the womb.\n\nThey looked at her and cried and as his mom jabbered away in Italian, they said over and over Donatella, thank you, she was a darling, so beautiful and so like her father. Then I was hugged and squeezed to near death too, the whole tale was told again. Of our both being told the other was dead, all as we sat down to eat dinner with them. The castle was now just filled with security, staff and family, the other guests had left in the morning, with their deals having been successfully done, as was a day hunting deer. The next through the doors were Eli and his team, six of them and enough equipment to sink a battleship, all to be set up in the ballroom. Introductions are done and Nonna had to share her granddaughter with her godfather Eli, and her minder Asher, the squeezing continued as Ben watched.\n\n\"This Ben is Elijah Prinz or Eli or Uncle Eli, my security chief and computer wizard. This is Andy Barrow, the best hacker this side of the Mason-Dixon line, this little fella is Asher Taupo, Jess's bodyguard and boy frightener. He likes to pop to school and pick her up, so the boys know if they are stupid to mess up, they have the man mountain to face.\" I laughed as Asher and I hugged and touched noses, he shook Ben's hand and he touched Ben's nose too with his. Ben just looked at the near seven foot giant.\n\n\"Dad, that was the Honi, it's a Polynesian greeting, and one were two people greet each other by pressing noses and foreheads and inhaling at the same time, that's an honour Dad. Asher is exchanging his Ha, the breath of life and he is sharing his Mana, his spiritual power with you. Asher doesn't do that to everyone Dad, he's kinda welcoming you to the family?\" Ben, oh-ed and kept a watchful eye on the new arrivals.\n\n\"Thank you, Asher thank you very much, my daughter speaks very highly of you indeed, she didn't say you were quite as large as you are?\"\n\n\"Everyone is large compared to my little Jay-Jay, she is my princess and my child too. I have missed her so much; the place is defiantly quite without our little thunderstorm.\" Everyone laughed as she stuck out her tongue and ran to her grandparents\n\n\"This lady is Andrea Lander, and you don't want to know what she does, just to say she can find anything and get in anywhere and not always in the legal way.\" I signed to Harry that this was Jess's Father. I continued to sign as I introduced him.\n\n\"This is cheeky chap is Harry Binder, he is reader, he can tell if people are lying, hiding something or are worried about things. He watches their expression's and he's an expert lip reader, when you talk to him, do it to his face, he's deaf not stupid, far from it his IQ is off the scale. Remember not louder, but perhaps a little slower? Finally, this is my father's best friend, the best tracker and shot I know, and is who taught Jess and I to shoot from horseback, both guns and bows. Yes, now you can go wowowowo, an Indian with a bow and arrow. This is Thomas Redwing, Jess's advice giver, he advises her on everything and anything, he and Asher oversee all her care and are the two who warn off the boys.\"\n\n\"Argh, my best friend already, I'm pleased to meet you all, my home is your home. The cook has laid on food, and we have rooms for you all, thank you for coming to help my family. The office that my brother Paulo used, is being shipped here and will arrive first thing in the morning. I have access to all the computers with a master code, because he once hired an expert of his own to lock me out of a few systems, he wasn't aware I had this code.\n\nI would ask you don't mention the name Paulo around my mother, she has no idea he's up to his neck in all this, she doesn't speak much English either. I would ask you please, to refer to him as simply P. Thank you, I am indebted to you all for looking after my daughter, she says you are her family too, so welcome to mine. Anything you need, Mike here is your run to guy, he can get anything you need. I will see to dinner, thank you again, and yes I will keep saying it, keeping our Daughter safe is top priority, as is keeping her mom just as safe.\"\n\nMike and his guys helped them to set up in the ballroom, where there were tables, phone lines, modems, and all the things needed. They started setting up, the lads had been working on it on the flight over too so had already amassed some information. Jess was now back with Ben's Mom or Nonna, and no one was getting between them, not tonight, not even Man-Mountain-Asher. He was cuddled too as Jess explained who he was and how he looked after her.\n\nI talked Eli through the things I knew, and as we talked, the well-oiled machine started doing what they did best, finding things out. They started with phone calls and there were lots, including texts, several were sent by Paulo, but nothing in the past four days, he had fallen off the grid. Then he checked Declan's and his phone had been used this morning, just a short call to a phone that was presently turned off. He called a number constantly the week before my mother's death. Eli traced it to the woman who was my mother's nurse, their texts were rude and explicit.\n\n\"Eli, is it possible they were killing my mother before her time? Is Declan the one on the slab, I need to see the body, the damn nurse did the identification of the body, not me?\"\n\n\"I have already sent Andrea down, she slipped out after the introductions! Sara did you not spot her leaving, Sara focus regroup and be more aware, you have let your training slip. Now, I was thinking that myself, if it is not him who is it and why did they swap the body. She will be online soon, Ben allowed her the use of his plane. She will be in touch as soon as she gets photographic conformation, she is being met by a Detective Peters and Constable Bulmer. Your men from the police force there?\" I nod my head. Yes! \"She has dental records from both Paulo and Declan, she also has an x-ray of Paulo's broken leg and cracked skull. All are being sent to the coroner, along with the x-rays we have of your brothers last run in with you, when you broke his nose, it was remodelled. Grandy paid their medical bills, he also broke his leg skiing when he was eighteen. Hopefully, they will get them as soon as they open their emails. We were very busy on the plane and Andy has already found the backdoors to get into his private files. Now Boss Lady, let us do what you pay us good money to do, guard your daughter, does he know you have always had her watched?\"\n\n\"Yes, but only half of it, I will tell him, but he's already worried about all this. Eli, thank you for coming, what would I do if I didn't have you? I do have another doubt that the dead body is that of Declan. Who helped Mother kill him, he wasn't going anywhere quietly and certainly not headfirst into death? My Mother was too weak to kill him unaided. I know the secretary left as we did, the night Mom died. Eli, she was too weak to subdue Declan, it took me a hell of a punch to get him from us, how did she manage it? I only said the nurse left too because I didn't actually see her leave and the thing is there was something familiar about her too? The secretary too, but I can't put my finger on it. As you say my focus has been way off the mark since coming here.\"\n\n\"I promised William I would look after you and keep you safe, he got Estelle and I back here safety, back in the country, and set us up in a nice home and with good jobs. I owe him everything, he paid for all her treatments and she lived happily for thirty happy years, twenty-eight more than she had been told she had. He gave us back our lives, and our children had their mom with them as they grew up, they both send you their love. Now we are giving back, we all got our second chances because of William, all five of us, Redwing was his brother, so it was only right to bring him here to look after you two, he insisted. William made us promise to protect you both to the death, not that we will need to die, but we would.\" I cried into his shoulder. \"Bed, your exhausted and we have a busy morning tomorrow! My Boss Lady needs her sleep.\"\n\n\"You too, the rooms are wonderful and there's loads of food in the kitchen including things for you, we had them deliver it from a kosher deli, it's in the two small top fridges, so no cross over is that alright? There's plenty of things in there for you, one of Mike's team, Joe, only eats Kosher and so they are always prepared. I'm going to rescue Jess from the Grandparent Mafia. I have a feeling they will be sleeping in her room. Goodnight Uncle Eli.\"\n\n\"Goodnight Sara sleep tight, and I like her father very much, he loves our Little Bird, and my Boss Lady. I see the ring too, we will get an invite, won't we?\"\n\n\"Yes, our family will be there, all of you. Night God bless.\" I went to the small family lounge and Nonna was holding Jess, as she was fast asleep on her lap. His mom too had fallen asleep holding her. Ben was watching, and his father smiled as I put a blanket over them, shut the curtains and we left them to their dreams. His father was making himself comfortable on the sofa, as I said they were going nowhere.\n\n\"Dad seems to think Paulo was in this with some bad people, he knew there was something wrong a month ago, the jet was used to go to Arizona. Mom wanted it to go see Donatella's crash site and it was in use, it was then Dad noticed it had been used three times in the past six months, he was watching you. The logs go back years, he has been going there as long as you have lived there. I will kill him. I swear I will.\"\n\n\"Ben, we need sleep, will your dad be alright? He looks so sad.\"\n\n\"He's happy to have Jess and you, and yet angry that Paulo has done this to his family, he's stopping in there with them. He just keeps thanking me for her, like I had much to do with it. I will be better the next time Baby, I swear.\"\n\n\"Well we need to go to bed, we need to keep trying! Boy, what a chore, it's so tiring this sex lark. I'd forgotten just how much it takes out of you.\"\n\n\"Sounds like a plan, we have had a stressful day, let's relieve some of yours.\" We went to bed...\n\nChapter 12:\n\nWaking in the morning, I did so alone and to the sound of organised chaos, there were three lorries emptying their cargo into the ballroom. I laughed at the sheer amount of stuff they were unloading. They had just brought everything filing cabinets desks and computers. Delphia was here too and as she spotted me, she ran into my arms, she remembered seeing me. Well she did nearly catch me naked on Ben's desk, so yeah, she probably remembers me, and I blush at the memory.\n\n\"Sara you're looking well for a corpse, welcome back to the land of the living and back into Leo's world. He couldn't have been happier when he found you. Your daughter is beautiful, she is his image, it must have been hard seeing her all the time and thinking he was dead. You poor girl, still you're here now and I have never seen this family as happy as they are right now. If you're wondering where she is, she's in the kitchen. Her, Marietta and Leonardo Senior, are running the cook ragged. She may be on her fourth or fifth lot of pancakes, Nonna is seeing to it her granddaughter gets what she wants. She's a credit to you. Go eat, Leo's in there too, trying to tell them she needs to breathe.\" I smiled. She certainly can make you think about things.\n\n\"Thanks, I will be back when I've been fed. The poor cook, we're killing her.\" I popped my head around the study door, I was sure I heard Ben's voice, and I did, he and his father they were deep in discussion about something, they waved me over.\n\n\"You've had a phone call Sara, and they are looking at your mother's case as murder, because she wasn't suffering from heart failure. She was being slowly poisoned by digoxin. The other body is Declan, and the nurse has disappeared, she is being looked for by the police. It seems they have various CCTV images of Paulo, in the area around your mother's apartment too. They have traced the phone calls to a now empty office, which was used as a Doctor's office. It seems this was your mothers new heart specialist. I'm sorry, but it looks like they killed your mother and your brother, I'm so sorry Sara.\" I shrugged my shoulders.\n\n\"Oh Jess, deleted the photo of the guy at the services. She thought it was taken by mistake, I didn't want to worry her, so I said it was fine. The body was Declan, good I was convinced it was Paulo on the slab, what happens now?\"\n\n\"It could be weeks before their funeral, this is turning into a farce. Good news though, they have found all of Jessica's pictures you sent. Paulo at least had the good grace to keep them and she was a beautiful baby, so cute and tiny. Your letters were heart-breaking to read, and I'm so sorry Baby. Mom is now feeding her granddaughter.\" Ben was looking disturbed, and he had good reason for the worry, after all his brother was still missing.\n\n\"There's not enough pancakes in the world for that. Can I have a word please, on our own?\" His father rose to leave the room with a big smile.\n\n\"Sorry, Sara I will try and rescue my little girl from her Nonna. We are going for a walk around the house and gardens, and yes, we are taking the fellas with us the big one is insistent.\" I agree as Ben has already said yes. We went to see Eli, we told him about Ricco, having forgotten to tell them last night. He was very interested in him.\n\n\"What does his name mean in Italian, would it be Marquis? We have on the radar, a Marquis of Neghelli, we knew he was a fraudster, the original served in the Second World War. Dying without heirs, but this man is claiming to be his son, and heir to his title? If you aim high when you're doing a con, it makes people more susceptible to believing it. Paulo has been paying him a lot of money, and for thirteen years, maybe even longer, we think possibly in blackmail pay-outs?\n\nYou put a hold on your brother's access to money, from the company a while ago, he has none of his own left and is in hock to money men. This Marquis, Sara has just bought Grandy's old Castle. He completed earlier in the week, and he now owns your place of imprisonment. I have sent two of Mikes security and Andy has gone with them to see if he can read their lips. They are going in posing as the agents to hand over spare keys, he picked some up from the estate agent the day the place became his. If he's keeping your brother hostage, it may well be there Ben?\"\n\n\"He will be in the tower Eli, get them to check that, the keys for it are in a nook, under Mother's bed. It is pink and garish. They won't be able to miss it.\"\n\n\"So it explains Paulo wanting my position too. I'm the only one who can release large amounts of money.\"\n\n\"That's not the only thing we found out Ben, we believe he may have been the one who killed your sister, or could have very well paid for their assassination, along with her husband. I found the files they thought they had deleted. Marco had found a discrepancy with the finance's way back then. There was more money coming into the company than it was making, and the difference was in fact a quite a large amount. Payments regularly going into several accounts that had nothing to do with any of your companies, it was being siphoned through your casinos in Vegas, Malawi, Atlantic City and Macao? He sent several emails to you and to Paulo and finally your father, but his emails were re-routed, and they deleted them. The last file was sent the day they died, and were sent to a Giovanni, who is that?\" Ben stumbled.\n\n\"He is my elder brother, the priest and reformed bad boy? God help us, please tell me he isn't part of this too. We always thought their deaths were suspicious, we knew their brake cables were damaged, but they weren't cut, however they could have been damaged when their car flew off the road, but we couldn't prove it. Dad, get Dad, please Sara...\"\n\n\"No, your brother never received the email, he until very recently wasn't using that email account, he only started using it about a month ago. Does he use the one as Father Vinci? I can't get into his files there are layers of encryption, even our best hacker, with my help is having trouble accessing them?\"\n\n\"He was the best computer analyst I have ever met, present company aside, he was always up to no good, he'd spend hours on them. He did the systems for the company until he joined the seminary. He put a good team in place before he left us though.\"\n\n\"We could do with him here.\"\n\n\"I will get him to come. He was last in Spain. I think he's on a retreat. Dad will know. Sara, please can you get him for me Baby. Mom is going to be hurt really hurt, please to God Giovanni isn't involved too.\"\n\n\"Sure Ben, anything to help. I will ask Jess to keep her occupied. We have hundreds of photos, well thousands for you all to see.\" I did as I was asked, and Leonardo joined them. I sat and listened, my head is thumping, and I am not getting the answers quickly enough. I may be a tad impatient?\n\n\"Right Dad, this is all stemming from the money laundering we were looking at through the casinos, the same accounts that the damned accounts department said were clean. We were clean, and nothing was wrong. Please can you check on the names of the accountants Eli, if poor Marco found it, why didn't they? We need to put a hold on the accounts for the casinos. They are going after their money and with me locking out Paulo, they are desperate.\n\nI was stupid, but I trusted my brother, he earned my trust with all the hard work he did, even after we locked horns over owning the company, he still gave me his full backing. How could I have got him all wrong? He did nothing but work, he never had a social life and was always at the office. I know why now; he was doing it without an audience and behind the firewalls at head office too. Dad, I will kill him I swear I will, he killed my sister and tried to take Jess and her mom from us too.\" Dad, he agreed.\n\n\"Right Son, phone the bank and the casinos, no authorisation of large payments or pay-outs. We need to get the authorities in to help. This is too big for us to handle alone. Paulo will pay dearly, if he is to blame for Donatella's death. I will kill him you need have no worries on that score.\"\n\n\"Ben, I can lock down all your accounts from here. I can also track all payments. It's automatically done over ten thousand pounds. They just need to pay themselves under, to fly below the securities radar, so we should set the minimum to a figure we can easily trace and then follow the money to see which accounts the payments go to?\" Eli said as he tapped the keys like a ninja.\n\n\"Do it, and we will phone the banks, allowing you legal access, just in case you get in trouble, and so it is all above board. I want nothing to stop them getting everything they deserve, or getting off on a technicality? Dad, I will kill him with my bare hands if he is behind this?\" The wheels began to turn, and as I watched Eli at work and the others. I saw the scale of the mess we were in and it was massive. The clear boards had pictures and markers connecting the dots, and it was being added to all the time.\n\n\"How had I allowed Paulo to run our casinos into such a mess, he had help, he had to have had help? Eli what else has he got his sticky mitts into, kidnapping, money laundering, ordering his sister's death, selling my child, is there anything else my brother could do to hurt us more?\"\n\n\"Possibly, we have yet to dig deeper Ben, but we are getting there. The many trips to Arizona are explained too, they wanted to open another casino on Indian land. Unfortunately, they don't like to share what's theirs with outsiders, their money and land only goes to tribe members. Apache or Navajo and their families, there have been over the past twenty years several attempts to buy the land first from Sara's mother, then her father and more recently Sara herself, but she has refused. It's a massive acreage of land, sitting on it its own water supply and a prime site for a casino. Half on reservation and half off, an ideal arrangement and uncommon, there's not a lot of lands like it.\n\nMother Sara expanded into non-reserve land for her beloved wild Mustang horses, her love of them shared with our Sara and Jess. Wow they are passionate about them, they are perfect for the land, which is no good for cattle. She is very good at land management and she will never sell. Her horses need their homes. Sorry, I'm waffling, but I'm very proud of what they have done, both my adopted daughter and granddaughter. Sorry again, I am wondering from the problem in hand. We're talking millions, Ben. She has turned down all offers made through this Marquis's company. He is in too deep to stop, he has spent millions on plans and buying the right things needed, permissions and such. He owns land just off the reservation too and he has bought as much non-Indian land as he can, which is worthless without Sara's plot. As I said, he's in too deep.\n\nYou should know Ben, that Sara has had Jess watched from a very early age. She always knew someone was watching her, she is very conscious about her, sorry your daughter's safety. She always has been, Asher he is her personal bodyguard and driver and he has been since before she was born. She is his child in his eyes, he's her other Godfather, a responsibility he takes very seriously. Sara having her here has had him so upset, the times we had to stop him flying here, and I wish I hadn't now. Her father had a heavily pregnant Sara watched too. He and Asher were there when she had their Princess. Poor Asher, Sara wouldn't let go of his hand, even when she drew blood, it was still offered to her. I still laugh as he cried when she came out. They have been inseparable since that day, and these past two weeks he's been like a bear with a sore head. As I said, they are normally inseparable.\n\nHer father defended Asher on a murder trial, and yes, he did do it. He killed a child rapist with his bare hands because the little girl was his sister, who killed herself later, unable to cope with it all. William got him off... Stupid as it sounds it was simply self-defence. The idiot came at him as he watched him, Asher never broke the law, but it spooked the guy and he just went at him with just a carving knife in a packed restaurant. Asher had no weapons, because he didn't need them. As Sara says Krav Mega is more than self-defence, it will one day, she is convinced save your daughter.\"\n\nI have so much to learn about my family. I take in a deep breath of relief, because thankfully they have been well protected and loved, pity it wasn't by me though. I then remember our conversation about moving to London to live, and the horse ranch's future.\n\n\"Both Sara and Jess have willed their share of their land and the horse sanctuary, back to the people of the tribe. They told me they were going to give it back anyway, and soon, as a gift to the tribe. It was something for the youngsters to do and keep them out of mischief and to learn all about the wild Mustangs. She does talk about them as her babies. Have they got a man on the inside of the reservation, one who would know this is what they were planning, and that it was happening soon? She made a phone call setting the wheels in motion two days ago, after I asked her to marry me.\"\n\n\"I'm looking into it, Ben its big thing to give away, with so many implications. It would still be impossible to put a casino on it with the clauses Sara has put into gifting it back to them, plus they have a big place there already and they don't need the competition, but there's nothing stopping another person building one though, as long as they were of the tribe? Her killer clauses are mainly about the re-use of the land, it's the only land that is part on reservation and part off reservation, apart from three other smaller plots there isn't any like it. I'm looking to see who owns them, perhaps Sara knows who owns them?\n\nI am waiting to see who's suddenly over the past few weeks has become a little richer. There is a family, also named Bird, who are regularly paid an amount of money. They farmed a small plot, which I was sure Mother Sara bought before her marriage to White Eagle, sorry William? Perhaps she had sold it to the family, or she could have given it to them, perhaps they had sold it already, and this was their monthly payout? It's quite a bit of money for scrub land, only fit for cattle and horses. If we find out where the payments are from, we could perhaps find out who is behind it? That perhaps will shed some light on the subject, that's the only connection I can see at the moment.\"\n\n\"The grave of the dead girl I saw thinking it was Sara's, she was called Bird, Tallulah I think Sara said? This has taken some planning and over many years, and Paulo was neck deep in it all?\"\n\n\"Sorry to confirm that for you, but yes it seems he was. Would you have stopped looking for Sara without the grave?\"\n\n\"No, I told Paulo I wanted all the teams looking for her because I had to know where she was, price was no object I needed answers. Oh God, please tell me, did I get that poor girl killed?\"\n\n\"No, it was an accident, a school trip which went tragically wrong, two others were killed too including one of the guides trying to rescue them, but I will look into it for you. It was just a mere coincidence, you knew what you needed, you had your closure and you then knew where she was. I need Sara now, we need the records from the reservation, someone's on their payroll, and if they have bought land for these people, they would have had to apply to make it an allotted trust land. She dealt with all that through the office at White River.\"\n\n\"Eli, please could you run that by me again, it sounds confusing?\"\n\n\"Ben, simply put, they own the rights to the income from it and they can build on it and keep the money they make on it and from it, so if they allow this Marquis in as a silent partner, he gets to build on it and they get an income, a large tax free income. I have a feeling this is going to hurt Sara very much as she considers them all her family.\" I went for Sara, to find she was already out with Thomas and Jess for some fresh air, Mom is fast asleep on the couch.\n\n\"Mom, come on bed you have been up all night, Mom, Mom? Asher get in here now and quickly Mom's out cold and Sara and Jess are gone, alert the security and fucking lock this place down.\" Dad with the help of my cook Maggie, were bringing Mom around with smelling salts, she is fine and remembers nothing. Dad takes her to her room, whilst we set about finding Sara and Jess. I think we have found our inside man, her trusted friend and her father's much loved friend, and brother.\n\n\"Redwing is definitely your man. He owns the two plots of land to the side of Sara's and one piece with an access road on it, one needed to get machinery in and out, why did he do it? Fuck, he did do it, he was in the office that day when she spoke to David about giving the land back. Oh hell, he knew, he already knew she was gifting it back when I brought him here, and he is going to kill her before it's gifted back. She will trust him. I brought him here Ben, I'm sorry so sorry. Why did he do it? The man was as close to her as her father was, he is Jess's Grandfather in all but name. I will kill him if he harms them. I brought him Ben, I brought him here because he said he wanted to help them. I had no reason not to trust him.\" Andy was coming into the room.\n\n\"Sir, the information you wanted on the drowning incident, the guide was Thomas Redwing's son, Tommy, he died trying to rescue Tallulah, who couldn't swim, and she dragged him under the water to his death. He perhaps blames the Birds for his death?\" Eli looks angry and I'm in major panic mode.\n\n\"We need to be quick they have half an hour head start on us.\" Asher was angry too, because he had been talked out of going by Thomas.\n\n\"We need a tracker and go figure he was the best fucking one we had.\" At last, I can help.\n\n\"I have the very man to help. The man I bought into the hawking centre with. He's a tracker, he was a detective in his hometown of Dakota, and is Sioux. He teaches classes here. He and his family live on the edge of the estate. I'll ring him and get him here to help. It seems we have a secret weapon. They won't realise they are in danger because they trust him totally. We need to find them and fast, he won't think we can track and knowing the girls they will leave clues too.\" I dialled his number. \"I only hired him because he reminded me so much of Sara, his enthusiasm for being Sioux and how proud he was to belong to a great First Nation, just like Sara was. Oh hell, he has to find them Eli, I can't lose her twice, she can't die again.\" I really want to cry, but men aren't supposed to cry. \"Kale, I need your help, my family are in danger. I need you to help me find them, please I need you?\"\n\n\"I will be with you in ten minutes, stay on the phone and talk to me until I get there.\" I explained everything and as I explained we got the rest of the party together, we left people here to guard the house and my distraught Mother and Father.\n\n\"Everyone this is Kale Smith, my friend and neighbour and one I hope has remembered how good he said he was, and how he persuaded me, I needed a tracker for the poachers.\" He smiles.\n\n\"I would remind you, that poaching is down on your land and apart from the three elders you allow to fill their bags and belly's, nobody else escapes me! Now, how long and how many?\"\n\n\"Three, Thomas Redwing an Apache Indian and a tracker, my daughter and her mother, my soon to be wife. They are well wrapped up and are unaware they are in danger, they trust him.\"\n\n\"Have you phoned the police? They will need to be informed, but for now what directions have the cameras got them going in?\"\n\n\"They went towards the woods, from there no cameras. He has a phone, but Sara's is here, Jess has hers and there is tracking on it as soon as it turns back on. I have sent her a text, but I'm not getting any indication her phone is on. She never has it off at home, so he could have turned it off or he has smashed it?\" Eli is worried, and he still is blaming himself for bringing him.\n\n\"Right, two of you drive to both of the estate exits and drive in each direction towards the old road, they could have been picked up on the old dirt road that leads off the wood.\" They do as he asks. \"Put an alert out to the small airport that barmy, ex-air-force-elder has for his model airplanes, which upset my birds. It's big enough to allow a small plane to take off and land.\" Two men do a check of that.\n\n\"Right, when I find their tracks stay behind me, then fan out, but stay behind me at all times and be vigilant.\" We follow as he leads us deep into the woods and picks up their track easily.\n\nRedwing wouldn't know we have our secret weapon, and as we near the road it is, as he fears, they were picked up in a four wheel drive, and it's heavy. There are four, perhaps five people and there was a big struggle. There is blood, and as he walks to the other side of the dirt path, he quickly picks up their trail again. Apparently, there are clues being left, there are broken twigs, leaving a clear path taken by the girls. We radio through to the security in cars to keep their eyes open, there is a car in the woods, and they may be armed. Kale dips down and presses the ground looking forward and around him.\n\n\"These two are the lighter of the party and they are running, the bigger of their shoes is limping and the other one, a much heavier male is injured, this one followed them a short while later and is bleeding. Follow me and keep behind me, the girls will be finding a hiding place, she won't be able to walk far on her ankle.\" I am now panicking and imagining all sorts, poor Asher is trying his best to keep me calm and is failing miserably. \"Shush they are near, the blood has pooled here and is fresh, the injured one has slowed down, he is hurt and badly. \"Stay here in case he comes back, you two take the sides, you two, behind me and spread out.\"\n\nWe have been out here an hour running around in the now cold wet wooded area. The rain is helping to track them and then we hear a scream and a thud of a car door. Kale sets off at a storming pace, and for a big chap Asher is keeping up. We near the opening to the old road, where a car has pulled in front of them. Sara is hurt, but the two of them are like a tag team and as they defend themselves. I wonder what my panicking was all for. They I don't think needed much help, they have floored two of them and Jess has just dropped the man going for her mother, and very easily. Asher grabs the one coming up on Sara, and I think he breaks a few ribs, my girls are indeed a pair of fighting machines. Thomas is in a heap against a tree. The last one is dropped by Kale.\n\n\"Baby are you alright? You had us worried for about a minute there, you came out without your brolly, and we were bringing you one. Fancy coming out for a quiet walk in this weather. Shit Sara you had me worried there. Are you alright?\"\n\n\"Umm, so you are still crap at the jokes Ben. I have a sore ankle, and I may have bruised my ego a little, he was manic. Redwing held Jess by the throat and was hurting her. I just leapt at him, I wasn't thinking and being a Mom kicked in, not the street fighter. He hit me once and boy he was going down. It kicked in big style, as I punched kicked and let him have it. I dropped him, and we ran, but the busted ankle was slowing us down and Jess wouldn't leave me. Damn that girl is stubborn. He put up quite a fight and I thought we'd escaped him, but as we ran, he picked himself up. He was awful, really awful, hurtful and not the man I have known all my life. Jess had to hit the man she considered her Grandfather.\"\n\nWe are taking them all back to the castle, an unconscious Thomas is thrown in the car and driven back to the estate, the other cars descend, and everyone piles in to get them home. My girls are in my arms and safe, Sara is shaking.\n\n\"Wow Dad that was awesome, Mom hurt her ankle on Thomas's face, and he was supposed to be our family Dad, why would he do it? You were quick off the mark did you get my text?\"\n\n\"No Jess, my phones in the bedroom at home charging. I'm sorry how did you realise?\" Sara had calmed down enough to speak again.\n\n\"When he said we were going to a safe place to keep us from harm, and you had authorised it. One, you said we were in the safest place, and two, Ben you wouldn't order me to do anything, not without running it by me first. As we fought, he said he was fed up of waiting to avenge Tommy's death, and us having all the money. The money that should have been his and the land we had would have been his had Sara married him and not Dad as she had promised. He hated Dad and had done all this time.\n\nHe was like a man possessed, and something was mentioned about building a casino and hotel complex on the land we owned, it's impossible, because the land is only good for livestock, wild animals and the land has water yes, but it not just mine, it runs under our property and feeds the villages wells. The water supply runs under our land, so it can't be built on ever. I would be cutting off the village's water supply, and it's not mine to do that with, I just hold it for them to use. Other than small holdings the land can't support large buildings, that's why we hadn't built on it, it's not cost effective or feasible. Now get me home my ankle is massive.\"\n\n\"Yes Baby, are you alright Jess? Thomas will be arrested and charged along with the others, what did they say?\"\n\n\"I'm fine and pumped up Dad, what are we doing tomorrow for excitement?\" Both Sara and I laugh at her.\n\n\"They were taking us to Canada, I heard one of them say you have a cabin there, perhaps Paulo's there?\"\n\n\"We will find out. I will have the police check it out. Hopefully they will have good news and he's there for me to go and kill.\" We pulled up the police were everywhere, and they took into custody the prisoners and followed us through to mission control, where we had a few new visitors. Andrea was back with Detective Peters and Constable Bulmer.\n\n\"Hello, it seems you have been busy, we were mistaken on the identification the body. I'm sorry to inform you, it is that of your brother Mr Vinci, it seems someone switched records over. The nurse, Wendy Price, is as you Americans say, singing like a canary. It seems Paulo was into some bad people for money he borrowed to pay off a blackmailer. He apparently killed or had your sister killed, and he had an Indian girl killed by a fellow Indian?\n\nHe thought he was there at your mothers flat, to get the evidence back and he had made the final payment of ten million and he thought it was all over. They drugged him, then killed him, dressed him in Declan's clothes, gave the body his wallet and personal effects, and she identified him as Declan. It was pretty easy to mistake them, they share the same build, colouring and hair type and his face was smashed in, she says Declan did it all, though we think she was the one poisoning your mother.\n\nDeclan is on the run with his accomplice, a Ricco Marchese, he may be Ricco Farggio or Rodolfo Cavalla? He thinks he's a big man in organised crime, our friends the F.B.I and Interpol have been looking for him for a while, as are the big money men he has been conning for years, those big men he worked for, his bosses? They are missing a little bit of their cash, cash that he's thought to have given himself.\n\nThey are missing millions of dollars of their money, which was easy to do because he's their accountant, or he was, up until the past week doing quite well, and the small amounts he took were never noticed. All monies stolen, were we are told by the canary, were stolen to support the dream of his to build a casino and get even with you Mr Vinci? Apparently, this has been a plan much thought out by him, so much so he has become obsessed with it, and the nurse says he extremely unstable, his personality disorder is way out of control. She seems to think he's off his medication causing him to be suffering a psychotic break. He wants you both dead, and to get his daughter back?\n\nThe nurse came in of her own free will, she was more afraid of him, choosing instead to take her chances with us. Your brother Declan and she have been intermate for years. She says since they were in school together. She also nursed Richard through several breakdowns at the castle you have. He is a delusional paranoid schizophrenic, worse when of his meds. She also knew he and your brother have pissed off some big money men. With what she knows there are arrests being made all over Europe and America and in China, the Chinese government are helping too.\" Eli interrupted them.\n\n\"Ben, they have the subjects in the castle and there are three of them, do you want them taking down?\"\n\n\"No, they need to pay for what they did, death will be too quick. Get them all out, but alive and bring them here to Detective Peters to sort, but only if it can be done with no harm to themselves, if they can't wait for backup.\"\n\n\"Sir, I would prefer you waited for back up, it's on its way as we speak?\"\n\n\"I would prefer them to just shoot the fuckers, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. Mike will be fine, and you say they stole money from the money men? They will be dead as soon as they hit a prison. It may be quicker for them to take them out.\" Too late apparently, they saw an opportunity and took it. Delphia is speaking to Mike on her phone. He's been ringing mine without success.\n\n\"Sir, they have them all, the captives are both dazed and stunned. They are saying they were there on holiday. They have found a priest in the tower too and he's been drugged but is alive. They are on their way back the prisoners are secure. The Priest is Giovanni... Leo, and he's safe but refusing to be taken to hospital, the police and paramedics are there. Detective Peters they want a word?\" He takes over the conversation and tells them to bring them to the castle for questioning, there is an incident room already set up. An officer is sent with the priest, as Mike is bringing him back. Everyone is coming back here, and this is turning into a circus. Ben looks kind of relieved, but it's not over yet, even if the canary is singing, but she doesn't know everything.\n\n\"Ben my foot is killing me. I am going to fucking kill my arse of a murdering, pond sucking, scumbag, arsehole, bastard brother, and then you can have him Detective Peters.\"\n\n\"So we have to tell Mom and Dad that Paulo is dead, are we sure it's him?\" Detective Peters gives Ben a ring and a photograph of two scars. Ben looks and sobs. It is Paulo, and I hug him. What his mother will do is anyone's guess?\n\n\"The nurse admits her part too in imprisoning you Miss Bird, she thought you recognised her at your mothers, and warned your brother as such.\"\n\n\"I didn't take much notice of her, other than noticing she was feeding the drips through too quickly, that's why I thought she was panicking.\"\n\n\"No, they had been killing her slowly for months, when the nurse listened into a conversation with her publicist, about printing her real memoirs. They panicked, stole the only copy of the book and then hastened her death. The nurse had conned your mother into thinking she would be helping her kill Declan the night she died, something you forgot to mention to me Miss Bird?\" I shake my head, after all we burnt the damming letter.\n\n\"Nope, there was no letters, sorry just the ones she had from Ben, for me.\" Liar, liar. I am a liar again!\n\n\"There was some damming stuff in it apparently? Mob bosses she had for want of a better word, been on dates with, politicians, film stars, and money men. She was paid to write the book she published, as a real account of her life and apparently, it's a big seller. But the real one would be worth millions and ruin countless people's lives, and possibly put some bad men away. Then they staged a fake suicide to hide Declan, they knew he knew too much and would be the next to be on their hit list, tying up loose ends.\n\nThey figured they wouldn't be looking for a dead man. Paulo, he's the same height, dark hair and could be easily mistaken for him. Until we got the records Miss Landers showed us, we were none the wiser, they are rechecking the x-rays again. They need the original doctor's reports, because the break isn't quite as old as it should be or something? There is a plate screwed to the bones, they are looking into, and it's from a foreign hospital too.\"\n\nWe await the arrival of the three men and the priest. I'm eager to see who they are they are. My ankle is strapped, and Jess is rerunning our fight with the bad men to Nonna and Nonno, who are just happy to have her back. Happy for the time being, laughing at her and smiling, grab the happiness folks you're in for some unhappy times. We are telling them about Paulo when Giovanni gets here, he can calm his mom as no one else can. We await their arrival as Eli keeps on checking into things, I am still going to kill Declan.\n\nThe cars pull up. None of the people they bring from the castle are known to us, they didn't even know the guy was in the tower, they didn't have a key for the tower, just the house. The men it seems were shocked, because they had rented out the place for three weeks. We await confirmation of their identification, and they are whom they say they are, realtors from America. They have no criminal records and can show proof of hire, which Eli looks into, and clarifies. They are there for hunting and fishing, they are the first of many people booked into it. It's being ran as the castle here is, almost identically in fact. Now cleared and their stories checked out, they were allowed to return to the castle. This thing is getting weirder by the minute.\n\n\"Eli, have you found anything else out?\"\n\n\"No, no nothing. I'm looking at Paulo's phone records again and he phoned this number several times before was killed. Do you recognise it Sara?\" I look and shake my head.\n\n\"No, should I?\"\n\n\"Whoever it was called the office three times before you came to England, and phoned your mobile twice whilst you have been here?\" I grab my phone and look through the logs and sure enough, the calls are there. I phone the number, and there is no reply it goes through to voicemail, the phone is switched off.\n\n\"We will have to wait for it to be turned on. How come you didn't notice the numbers before?\"\n\n\"I don't know, I am always putting my phone down, so perhaps someone else answered it? I don't know. Jess always picks it up. Get Jess in here Ben, she may be able to tell us something?\" He goes to get her. As more information comes through, Giovanni is brought in from the hospital, looking a little worse for wear, his father rushes to greet him and looks him over.\n\n\"Dad stop fussing I'm fine, now where's Mom? We have to tell her of Paulo's death?\" That throws me because we have only just been told it was Paulo, how did he know? Just then Jess comes in with Ben, the two brothers embrace. Jess comes to my side. As they take Giovanni to freshen up, to get a bath and some fresh clothes, he is too messy to hug us yet, he is embarrassed because he has soiled himself.\n\n\"Jess these phone calls, did you take them? It's just that I can't remember taking them?\"\n\n\"Yeah Mom, they were from some church, the man said he would speak to you later. He phoned again a couple of days later and asked where we were staying, whilst we were in England and would it be possible to come and see us?\" I looked at Eli, as Ben came into the room. \"I told him we were stopping at The Savoy for a few days, and seeing some sights, and to ring back later or contact you in your office. I phoned him back about ten minutes later, because I'd forgotten to give him your works number and a woman answered the phone and said it was a church, Saint Sebastian's I think?\" I um, as Ben looks shocked.\n\n\"That's Giovanni's church, why would he be calling you? What's going on?\" Eli does a check for the number Jess has on her phone, and it is for the church, so he does a check and there are plenty of calls to and from Paulo.\n\n\"Ben, how did Giovanni know Paulo was dead? We had only just found out, and he was on his way over here? I am worried now.\" Asher and a constable go for Giovanni. He needs to answer some question. He is brought down, as the madness in the ballroom is calming down, the police have left, and the guys are going to eat. At last, I get to thank Kale, and he's just glad he could be of help and as he leaves, he smiles.\n\n\"An Apache and the Sioux in Scotland, it's fast becoming a reservation. I am happy to help and if you need company we live on the edge of Leo's property, my wife Lenny runs a small bed and breakfast!\"\n\n\"How are we Indians ruling the world, and why are you here in Scotland?\" I ask.\n\n\"Lenny, she was born here, we fell in love when she came on holiday and persuade me, I'd like it here. Please, bring Jessica to the house she can hang out with the moody daughters I have. They miss America, we have only been here five years, so you'd think they would have settled by now?\" I laugh, he may be right, I don't think Jess will like it here, because it's very different. He shakes Ben's hand and heads home.\n\n\"He's nice, you were right we need to regroup our thoughts. Have the Canadian authorities been informed of the possibility your home there is being used?\" Eli interjects.\n\n\"They are sending their people out, let's not forget there's a time difference Sara?\" I forget we are dealing with quite a few time zones and are waking people up all over the place. Giovanni is brought down and in Ben's clothes, he looks so different and I have seen him before...\n\n\"Cary Underwood, it's nice to see you again, why the disguise? Why were you following me? Ben this is the man who has been following me.\"\n\n\"Why Giovanni, why were you following my family?\" He is staring lovingly at me as he did that night, as he walked me to the car.\n\n\"Sit please all of you, this is a story that started years ago. I only got involved about a month ago, when our idiot brother got in way above his stupid neck, when you locked him out of the bank accounts Leo. I thought I had escaped from all this crap years ago, but the stupid idiot dragged me back in. I wanted to come and see you with what I had found out Leo, but I needed to see how you would be implicated in it all.\n\nYou're the only one who has ever kept his hands clean and who has been hurt the most Leo, I had to protect you. He came and told me everything just four weeks ago. Please sit. Jessica go and sit with Nonna please, she will need to be relaxed later, and you do that for her. She's beautiful, Sara, Leo.\" I nod, and she goes. Ben sees them in and comes back. Detective Peters wants the conversation taped, which Giovanni readily agrees too. We all sit comfortably, and Eli is running through the records and is still finding things, as is Andy. Ben's man Joe has just phoned to say Massie is fine, and do we need him here? Ben asks that he stop where he is, they need to speak to Hamish as soon as possible.\n\n\"Paulo had screwed up, big time and he needed some help and wondered if my old connections could help, did I still have the codes for the company and a way to get to your money Leo. I refused and ordered him to tell me everything. He said your girls were in danger, that he couldn't look after them anymore, he couldn't afford it or to piss a certain person off. He never wanted them dead, just away from Leo and his money. He knew there was a mole in the office, but not who, he had nobody else to trust.\n\nHe panicked because Ricco phoned unexpectedly and asked did Leo know he had a kid, and was he having the girls followed? Ricco had two people in his office a woman called Bella, who heard Paulo on the phone to me. I told him not to worry I was now watching the girls and they were on their way to England, and that I was watching them, unfortunately Ricco had men watching her too.\n\nThere was also a boy called Louie, who works in accounts apparently, who told Ricco, that Paulo couldn't access the casino accounts as he could before. They were feeding all the information back to Ricco, go figure he didn't trust Paulo? I am good with computers too and was able to track the information that had been sent from the offices to Ricco. What Ricco forgets is who taught him the things he knows, and thankfully I had put in a backdoor into all he did, and I know all the names he uses officer.\" He passes Eli a stick drive with the information he has, including the entire list of known aliases. Bulmer sits with them and makes notes, and they send the information to the various people involved, including the FBI and Interpol.\n\n\"I always knew he was a little unhinged and I needed to cover myself in case he did what I knew he was more than capable of. I'm only surprised it's taken this long to come to a head. He was and is Declan's half-brother, Sara. He'd inducted himself into Declan's world to get to know him in boarding school. Declan's world included Paulo by this time, and they all three came to spend the summers at the villa for three years or so, before you and Leo met Sara. Ricco watched as I worked, and I was a little high one day, I was busy hacking into the various company bank accounts, just to get funds to travel a little, with friends.\n\nDad had said no, and that I had to earn the money. If I needed to travel, then I had to work for it. I though wanted to party, not bloody work. That was Leo's calling not mine, mine was computer hacking and the ever-growing new frontiers of the internet. He watched what I was doing, and I was too buzzed to care, and we talked. I showed him what to do, he was already good, but with me teaching him, he was better. I'm ashamed to say he and I had a liaison, for want of a better word.\n\nI'd say he used me, but he didn't, I enjoyed it too. Paolo knew nothing other than we hung out doing nerd stuff, which is what he thought we were doing. Until a month ago, I never thought, nor did I ever think my family were at risk with the things I had told him. Ricco told me he only wanted revenge on his father, not my family too. I promise I knew nothing about his hurting the family. I was convinced it was just his father he hated, and he it seemed liked his idiot brother Declan?\n\nI found out things on all Declan's family though, as they were indirectly involved in Declan's father's life, through Declan, information on the old Duchess, your information too Sara, all about your mother and through you, your father William White Eagle Bird, I revealed to him all I had found out. The strange thing about all this is, you hadn't even met Leo at this time Sara, nor had he met you, but I knew Ricco was a little strange. He was ill, and he had a massive hate thing going on for his father. He then told me who he was, and that he wanted revenge on his father, he'd never been accepted by him as his son.\n\nDeclan yes, but never him. He was brought up in care, not by nice people either from what I found out. He was desperate for revenge, but in a strange way, he wanted to belong to a family. He plays on your weak spots, and he's good at what he does. I was weak and helped him find a way in, with his father, I showed him ways of impressing him, showed him how the internet was the way to launder money for his bosses. Dummy accounts, what amounts to take and where and when was the best time to pay in sums of money, and how much, much of it they would already know, but I invented a backdoor security code. It could piggy back any debit or credit card and allow it to be used as a clean way of transferring smallish cent and penny amounts, and he went to see his father armed with the new information.\n\nThey met, and it seems the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, he is as bad as his father is. He had cast iron identification it seems you pick up legitimate names and birthdates in care. He still didn't tell him he was his son. He then told Declan who he was, and they came up with a plan to bring down their father. Silly boys, they then went to see your mother, she had things on her ex-lover and Declan knew where she kept the things hidden at the castle, the one she loaned from you Sara?\n\nIt was then he fell for the girl in the photos and his obsession with you started that was the summer before you met Leo. He didn't need me anymore, and I was now getting my head straight and as far as I was aware, they were all three, still best buddies and nothing more? The last summer you were involved with Leo, was when Paulo then realised Ricco's crush was his own brother's girlfriend and his best friend's sister, they laughed a lot at that, Paulo and Declan? You two knew nothing about them being friends for years. They relished rubbing his nose in your romance and he was not happy.\n\nRicco losing out to Leo was something he took to heart. I do remember they cut the holiday short too. After long talks with my priest, I found my true calling was at the hands of God, but I had a past and Ricco said if I helped him, he wouldn't tell the church about my fondness for male company. I hasten to add, Ricco was above the age of consent, he was just passing himself off as a much younger person. I like men, not boys or children, just in case you're wondering officer.\n\nHe asked me to find him a proper job, so I did with our company. I got him a legitimate job at head office, he needed to become more organized, a proper job, one with regular wages and a place to live. His father was insistent, or he said he would have nothing more to do with him, he had one idiot son, he didn't need another, he had told his father who he was, but his father knew already and was waiting for him to come clean. To be accepted by him as an heir and second son, he had to do it all legitimately, and as Richard March, which was his given name at birth.\n\nSo he worked in accounts. I thought he had become organized and official, naive of me I know, but he has this way of convincing you it is so. Unluckily for you Sara and Leo, it was where he spotted you together, one afternoon in your office being overly fond with each other? Sara had already knocked him back. I believe he had enrolled into your University to be near you and it was the best course available, also paid for by his father, to get him legitimate qualifications, his father wanted to go straight.\n\nHe tried with Declan too, but he hung off your mother's coat tails and Declan, he didn't need the money like Ricco did, Ricco didn't know Paulo was being blackmailed by Declan, his mother wasn't giving him a penny, she said she had none. Ricco wanted I think, to keep in sweet with his father, he still had plans concerning his fall from grace, but now those revenge plans included you and Sara, Leo. Ricco was still obsessed with her, Leo he hated you, I mean really hated you, and you Sara, well, he was angry.\n\nHe said all you were interested with was money, and power and he would have it too and you would love him not Leo. I wasn't involved with him again after I found him the job at head office and as that was my last summer with the company too, I didn't give it, or Ricco any more thought. I had found my true calling. I was accepted into the seminary. I had all my university degrees and I wasn't married, I had abstained from relationships, the last one was Ricco two years before, so I was away from the whole thing.\" Ben was looking at his brother in disbelief.\n\n\"So, at Donatella's funeral you knew what Paulo was involved in and said nothing? Giovanni what were you thinking of not saying anything? Did you not think he could have had something to do with it, Dad mentioned that Marco was friends with dodgy people, you could have said it was Paulo, not Marco, you do know they are buried apart because Dad was convinced because Donatella had died, and it was Marco who had as good as killed his beloved daughter?\"\n\n\"No Paulo wasn't involved, he told me he wasn't, and I believed him at the time, as far as I was aware, they were just boarding school friends. Paulo started working for the company at the same time you fell for each other, he was kept in the dark about Ricco working for us. He didn't know him as Richard Marsh, just Ricco Marquise. I was the one Ricco had used, not Paulo. I only found all this shit out when he, Paulo told me everything a month ago. It took him two days to tell me everything. I'm only giving you the condensed version. He has files too they are hidden somewhere. I haven't been able to find them either, and yes I have looked for them.\n\nHe said they were his insurance policy, they didn't do him much good, and he wasn't such a forward thinker or planner wasn't our little brother. I put all that behind me when I found God, and I thought it was all behind me too, until Paulo got me involved again. So, that's our past explained briefly, now to begin with the time from Paulo's first contact with me in years... The first thing I did was set about making sure Sara and your daughter were kept safe. I needed to see if she was your daughter, because Paulo was convinced she wasn't. Ricco told him she was his. Was he a fool, don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question, she's Donatella's double.\" I sobbed and said it wasn't even a possibility then fell backwards in my chair, to be calmed and shushed by both Ben and Giovanni.\n\n\"So, I had some people follow them to keep them safe all the way from Arizona to Richmond, down the coast for sightseeing, back here to London, and then you took over, it seems you found out about your daughter too and I pulled them off watching her. Unfortunately, one of my team, pulled from security at the firm, was on Ricco's payroll, he told them of their every move. I didn't know I had put them in more danger. I am sorry I thought I was looking out for them, my family.\n\nI knew your team were good, so I had no concerns leaving them. I had lost Paulo though; the little shit gave me the slip. My need to protect them was greater than watching his arse. I followed the girls thinking he would be following them, but no it was just me, two of your men Leo and two of Ricco's men, they were getting close inside the theatre, you'd let Jess go to the toilet on her own. I allowed you Sara, to see me. You were a little jumpy, but more on the ball. I made sure she saw me at the restaurant, and on her walk home to the car, once she was safely to her car, I met up with the chap I had helping me, who told me there was police activity at Sara's mothers flat.\n\nHe had asked about and the neighbours told him the woman had died along with her son. I jumped in as Father Vinci saying I was the family's priest, nobody argues with a priest in a dog collar, besides I have all the proper paperwork and your men let me in Detective Peters and all above board too. It was at that point, I saw the ring I realised it wasn't Declan, I looked at the face it was a mess swollen and not easy recognisable, but his scar was there the one he got from the time you Leo, threw him from the balcony at the villa and he hit his head and broke his leg.\n\nI wanted to scoop him in my arms, but I prayed for his soul and blessed him, anointed his body and went in search of his killers. I was livid, and still am. I forgot I was a priest. I wanted to find and kill my brother's killer, so I went back to the apartment and went looking for Ricco and Declan. The Marquis had recently bought your castle Sara, for a small fortune, and had allowed three men to stay there. They worked for the supposed Marquis as fake realtors and they each had sold it to quite a lot of gullible Americans, between them they have sold the castle between four and six times each already and taken very hefty deposits off them, and he's only had it a week.\n\nHe will claim ignorance saying the castle isn't up for sale and keep it, it's called a short con, a lot of money comes in quickly. The title is obviously a fake, but there is very little on the internet about this Marquis's personal life, so Richard stepped in as the new Marquis, so the making of the con is all the more believable with a title. Americans are too gullible where titles are concerned, especially the air heads the realtors targeted, rich bored housewives, they were buying a castle from a Marquis after all, so it had to be for real right?\n\nI set off to see if it was Ricco and Declan, I went to see if the girls were safe and as I did, I saw they were packing and then I tailed the girls up here. I saw that they were safely here, and you arrived a little later, so I knew they would be safe. I then went on to the see if they were in the castle. I spotted the three men and didn't recognise any of them, so hung around it was then I went to the tower having seen a flash of light in the room at the top, it was then I got clumsy.\n\nI was heading up the stairs and got whacked on the head from behind and locked in the damned tower with no way of getting out, they had duct taped me to a chair and drugged me. I have been there since God knows when, I would say about two days? The fellas didn't hear my bangs against the floor, it seems it was sound proofed my prison cell. Nobody had been to see me and as you saw I was rather filthy, so now you know. I need to help find him. I did find out a lot about Ricco's business dealings between the three of them, I can help with that?\" Detective Peters agrees the more people working on it the quicker we will find him. Giovanni talks to Eli.\n\n\"Paulo had told Ricco about Marco getting too close, he had found out about the money laundering and Ricco arranged for their accident. He had been blackmailing Paulo into laundering money, he knew of his addiction problems, and his part in the death our sister. Our brother Paulo had a problem with white powder and gambling, and he was in a mess. He was supplying your brother Declan for years, Declan was blackmailing him too, but for cash and drugs. His father gave him some information on Paulo that he had about the getting rid of Donatella and her husband? He used it well and all too often, and so over the years Declan has drained him dry, he was taking money from the 'clean money accounts. If we look at those account's he may still be using it?\" Eli taps away.\n\n\"No nothing in this account, there's another in the Grand Cayman, we need your expertise Andy. Detective Peters, you may want to go for a drink of tea or something, you too Bulmer.\"\n\n\"Consider us drinking tea right now, continue. How did they know they had been rumbled?\"\n\n\"Right, I will tell you how I found out, off the record, and I will not tell you or give you any other information I deem you do not to need to know?\" He agreed, and the recorders were stopped. \"I planted a bug in the flat, well several actually. I happened to be in the church around the corner from the flat of your mother Sara, it seems she found God in her last few months. I was actually calling on an old friend, as he was the new parish priest, when he got a call to see a Mrs Kullberg, from her secretary. She said she needed to confess her sins, and be given the last rites, but unfortunately, he was busy with another person, so I offered to go.\n\nI swear it was an act of God, I wasn't meant to be going, but it was too good an opportunity to miss. Yes, I just happened to have the stuff in my car, I stocked up when Paulo came to see me. We were going to bug the flat anyway. I cannot and will not be able to tell you of her confession, only that they were all written down and to be in her new revised book, the one I believe they think they stole, but that too was a dummy. There is a copy, but nobody knows where it is? She told nobody, not even the secretary.\n\nI think Declan is intending to blackmail people with the copy he has and if he does, he's a fool. It will get him killed, as your mother, she hoped he would. She was unsure of her nurse in the last few days and dropped into a telephone conversation, the existence of the second fake book and sure enough, after the conversation the nurse phoned Declan.\" I laugh this is becoming a bloody espionage tale of epic proportions and all this was going on, and nobody had a clue? I am for a better word flummoxed by it all.\n\n\"Ricco knew of course that Declan was still friends with Paulo, and they went to see Mother Kullberg, in doing so they were hoping to catch Declan, but he wasn't there. However, the nurse was, and imagine his surprise to find out it was an old friend from a way back in their past, so she told him what he asked, she was too afraid not to. She was to have given him your child Sara, he seemed to think it was his, delusions I know.\n\nShe didn't want to let him down again, he nearly killed her for letting you escape the last time. He told her she would pay her well for her silence and that when Declan returned, she was to give him a call. He left, but on his way out he made a call, he wanted them both out of the way, as they had been loose cannons for far too long, the nurse too was to be killed. She was in love with Declan, so told him all about the visit telling them they had to get out and that the ten million was enough. Declan was too greedy he wanted your mother's book too.\n\nOnce they drugged her, she told them where it was, in her living room bookshelf hidden in a photograph album. She also said to her nurse mistaking her for you perhaps Sara. To use it wisely, Declan would kill for that information, and minutes later he did he injected her as she slept, laughing as he did it.\" I cried as he told me, and Ben swept me into his arms. I really cried for my mother, she had been killed because of the life she led, and in the end her worst mistake killed her, for the knowledge of all her other mistakes. Karma really was a kick arsed bitch.\n\n\"Declan must have swept the flat too, he found my devices so after that I was in the dark. I tried to find Paulo, but the little idiot had, as I said, given me the slip. I can only assume from the dead body, they already had him drugged up in the other bedroom and killed him. When I went to do her last confession, it was the only room I couldn't get into the nurse's room. They must have finished him off after Ricco's visit, because when I went to the flat to see if he was there, the flat was awash with police by the time I got there. Then the neighbour as I said assumed it was the actress and her son Declan, and I only assumed it to be true, not that they had committed suicide, but that Ricco had had them killed and made it look like suicide, as he had said in the conversation, he was clearing away his loose ends.\n\nHe had to keep Paulo alive though, he was the man dealing with the casinos, and unfortunately Brother Dear, your locking Paulo out of the system, caused him the problems that made him come and see me, you closed down his access to big money. Then your Brother Sara, he did the stupid thing and killed Paulo. Ricco's men were following you too, you were I think going to be snatched and used to get to get his money back, but I don't think he would have stopped at just your fortune, I think he wanted you both dead. He had found a way into get the land he needed, and the casino money he needed, he was so mad for revenge he isn't thinking straight.\n\nLeo had enough money for him never to have needed another thing in his life, and he would not have had to work every again, there is enough to live out his life in sheer luxury, but he's mad. Really mad, there's a lot of information on his late mother, she was a paranoid schizophrenic, and I don't think the lad missed that apple either. They spotted me and were following me, I was too busy trying to sort this mess out to make sure I wasn't being followed, and well I was abducted and shut in the bloody tower. The thing is they said Paulo was dead and Declan was out there pretending to be dead. How the hell they knew, I don't know. I was the only one who spotted it was Paulo and told no one, they were waiting for Ricco to come and get the information from me, they had another brother to get it for them?\" Eli listened in.\n\n\"Perhaps Redwing tipped them off?\" I shouted to Eli.\n\n\"No, he was out kidnapping you. When Andrea came back with Detective Peters and Constable Bulmer and told you.\" He looked around putting his finger to his lips and then to his ears, he signed to me and to Andy, he told everyone to keep talking.\n\n\"Right enough for now we all need to eat and get something to drink the pair of them will still be out there, they don't know we know all this, so will be holed up somewhere. We are all tired and hungry and we need to regroup our thoughts and come back with fresh eyes and ears. Yes?\"\n\n\"You're right Miss Bird, we won't get anywhere unless we eat and drink, this will still be here in ten minutes.\"\n\n\"Good thinking besides Detective Peters, I think we have to rescue Jess from Mom, Giovanni you need to be introduced to Jessica too.\" Eli and the others swept the room and he was right we were being listened too, and the bugs were everywhere, in the dining room, the library and just everywhere. Eli cleared the games room and we all went in there, leaving Andrea and Asher in the ballroom moving around and making a noise.\n\n\"Right, I can block the signal that's not a problem, but whoever is listening will know we are on to them, we can find out from the bugs the distance they need to be to hear the conversation and circle out and find them. We can feed them misinformation too. We can even set a trap to catch them, what do you think?\"\n\n\"It will only be the lackeys we catch, the same as the ones in the car earlier. I can get Kale to round up some men and find them give them the coordinates they wouldn't think anything off it. If we were all still in here talking and keeping it real, and they will just look like a party out hunting. Bring them in, so their boss doesn't know we have whoever they are in our custody, and then we set a trap to catch the boss, either its Declan or its Ricco?\"\n\n\"Good idea are the men going to be safe?\" Giovanni asks and Ben laughs.\n\n\"Kale is the best man for the job, and he knows what he is doing, I need a secure phone. Eli are the phones bugged?\" I sigh again, technology has been allowed to advance too quickly, and into the realms of science fiction!\n\nNow anyone with the correct software can find whomever they want, they can clone a phone, they can hack into your computers. When all this is over, we are going to live on the ranch, with no phones, computers or anything, because this had been an eye-opening revelation for me. All I bloody wanted was to show Jess where I was born and where Ben and I fell in love. Gheeze, this is a nightmare and all because of Ricco and my bloody mother and brother... Good job I didn't tell anyone I had the true copy of the book in my case upstairs, there is definitely some bedtime reading to be done.\n\nEli finds the range of the listening devices, its five hundred meters, they are on the property, so the trackers will have to be looking for a car parked within the grounds. Two people have been out and checked the outbuildings, the bugs have a limited battery time on them too. I know we had until two days ago people coming and going. Now no one was getting in here Eli reckons at most, the devices have a day of listening time left. I go and help cook rustle up food, bless her she has been run ragged, she is tired and grumpy.\n\nI tell her to go to bed with a cup of tea and stay there until she feels like getting back up, I insist. She does and as I carry the things through, the rabble are helping themselves. We are now on misdirection's and I go to talk to Ben and his family in the now clean family lounge, this has Jess all excited and high, Mom is confused and me? I want to sleep for a week, it's been the craziest day of my life. Shit, I was in a tower for months, that was crazy, but this is something straight from a spy film.\n\n\"Mom, we are going to Italy for the summer you're getting married at Nonna and Nonna's villa and Uncle Giovanni is marrying you, isn't that cool?\" I smile as I look at her\n\n\"Way cool Little Bird, way cool. I think Jessica Jay it's time for bed, Nonna is stopping in your room and Nonno is in the room right next door, you all have had a busy day. Your dad and I, we will come up with Uncle Giovanni in a while. Do you want Dad to tuck you in, it seems he likes doing it, now that he can?\"\n\n\"Nah, I will be fine Dad, besides Nonna will beat you to it.\" They all disappear to their rooms, leaving Giovanni and I to talk.\n\n\"Did my mother suffer, when they killed her? Please be honest with me you listened as they did it.\"\n\n\"No, she was already asleep, they just pumped it in through the iv drip, she wouldn't have felt anything. Paulo though he would have really suffered, I am thankful I wasn't able to listen, I wish I hadn't gone back to the mews thinking he was still there. If I'd have stopped there, I would have been able to save him.\"\n\n\"It's pointless blaming yourself, you didn't make him do as he did, he and my brother were damaged, and all because of their years of drug use and you couldn't stop them from using. God knows Declan had enough tries to kick it, they were just unable to give it up. They had addictive personalities, I have one too for Rocky Road ice cream and English chocolate, it's less dangerous it seems. Can I ask you, when you first found out about me, why did you not just think to tell Ben, he found out about me by seeing Jess at his gym?\"\n\n\"I know, I was outside when he went in, I was following you did you forget? I was so sure he would see you. When he came out of the gym, he threw up, got in his car, and cried really cried. I so wanted to comfort him, but you were being watched, so I couldn't make my presence known. As soon as he got to his office, or even in his car I would imagine, he put his team straight on it, because Big Mike and the boys were watching you.\n\nAll within less than twenty minutes of him leaving the gym, so I knew you would be safe. He was so upset that summer and for months after you disappeared, he cried for weeks. He flew back from America though a much changed man, heartless and cold. He hasn't had anyone in his life who meant anything to him, Mom was so worried for him, he has always needed someone to love in his life and the months he spent with you were the happiest I have ever seen him, and I see it in him again, more so with Jessica. You are happy no?\"\n\n\"I can't tell you how happy I was seeing him again, I was angry at him for so long, for dying and leaving me, but not for too long because I had Jessica, and she brought him back to me, so he never really left me, he though had nobody and that makes me sad. To think we could have been happy and together, but for our brothers and Richard, he was the one settling their debts for my baby? That I can't believe. One cheek kiss ruined my life and he thought Jess was his?\" Giovanni held me tightly.\n\n\"Let it go Sara, there's no doubt she's a Vinci. She has my sister in her to keep her safe, she is beautiful and has made Leo a very happy man, especially as she comes attached with the only woman he has ever loved.\" I cry a little more.\n\n\"We will try to make it up to him. I promise Giovanni.\" Ben came back with news they had two men and a van in their custody. Kale had found them.\n\n\"He has earned my share of the Hawking Centre today, what do you think Sara?\"\n\n\"If you want, it's up to you, do you need the income?\" He laughed and agreed he didn't.\n\n\"Well come on let's see if you know them Giovanni?\" We went to the ballroom they were being man handled into the room when we got there.\n\nI didn't know them, neither did Ben and Giovanni said they were the ones who were following me. They refused to talk. Detective Peters even turned a blind eye whilst Asher tried to persuade them. It was useless, they were more afraid of their boss than Asher, it wasn't Declan then? They were taken away, the police cells in Glasgow were filling up nicely as the three con men realtors had now joined them. The bugs are all disabled and are in a plastic bag and in the outside freezer of all places.\n\n\"We have found something Sara. Your Grandmother had a property in Ireland, did you go there much?\"\n\n\"No, never she had a bad time there, that's where William died, so she never went back why?\"\n\n\"The powers been on for the past two months and the telephone line has been reactivated, any chance Declan knew about that?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mom did a film out there one time, before I was born. She always bragged about it too, it's in the damn farce of a book too. It's in Coachford, near Cork. I'd forgotten I owned it as I have never ever been. It's about ten kilometres from the airport, I think. Grandy had an offer on it, years ago, but refused to sell it. She wanted it to fall into disrepair and fall down. Apparently, it was what did her William in? I think it's were Mom may have been born too, she was Irish, but then again, she had four birth certificates that I know of, the ages were all different. She seemed to get younger on each one. I never asked about it either. I had too many places to see without adding that to the list, besides she hated the place and I mean hated it.\"\n\n\"It belonged to Williams's younger brother and sister. I see William inherited on their death, two weeks after your mother's birth. Then it passed to your grandmother, the title then passed to your brother five months ago?\"\n\n\"No, it's mine, as is the cottage in Wales, and the cottage in the woods near Paris, oh shit and the chalet in Switzerland, as I said I have houses everywhere, all being sold. I don't need the houses or the responsibility that comes with them. The bastard, he must have forged my signature and transferred the deeds to himself. The fucking little shit is that where he is then?\"\n\n\"Yes, I would think so, he will be unaware you know about it, considering you had forgotten about it. Would that be safe to say?\" I nod, how can you own property and forget you have it? Bugger, I need to streamline my properties, and fast.\n\n\"Do you have any sway in Cork, Detective Peters, or do we have to go through the process of arrest and await transfer to London? We can get him and fly him straight to London?\" Eli asks?\n\n\"Strictly speaking he's in an EU country we have extradition treaties within all EU countries, I could go ask for the Garda\u00ed to help arrest him, take custody, and bring him back. Can you do it quickly and quietly?\" I laugh.\n\n\"Andrea is going with them, so hell yes.\" I smile as Andrea sees my face.\n\n\"Do it and straight back to London. Bulmer go with them just in case. Got your passport?\" He nods. He takes the micky, because he'd told Bulmer he needed it get into Scotland, he only needs to show his warrant card at the airport, poor man I'm sure the warrant card is valid in Ireland too?\n\n\"See you back to London and keep us informed.\"\n\n\"The jets waiting and good luck, do you need Mike?\"\n\n\"Yes please, I will just take Mike and Bulmer, I will get us in. I don't suppose you have a key?\"\n\n\"I doubt the bloody doors are even still on, it's been over thirty-five years since Mom did the film there, and nearly sixty years since Grandy went there. She must have been heavily pregnant with Mom back then?\" Ben hugs me tightly.\n\n\"Keep yourself safe and keep in touch. Right you lot, securities changed on the doors, get some sleep I have a feeling it's going to be a long night again.\" They do as they are asked and grab some sleep whilst they can. Me, I am nearly asleep on my feet, and my ankle is sore now too.\n\n\"Sleep, I need it Ben, and lots of it.\" He laughed.\n\n\"Just sleep? It seems a long time since we had some quality time together Baby.\"\n\n\"I swear you have one thing on your mind Leonardo Benito Vinci, do you ever stop?\"\n\n\"Sometimes, when you're asleep, even then I get the urge to wake you.\" We grab a not so quick shower and spend the night doing the usual bedroom Olympics, when I eventually fall asleep, it's soundly, and I don't hear him get up. I am awoken with a kiss and good news they have Declan in London. The Royal Canadian Mounties have had no luck at the hunting lodge, it hasn't been used in months. Oh my, the world didn't stop working whilst I slept.\n\n\"We will work on finding Ricco today. Baby you are safe and here with me. Jess is safe, oh hell I love you.\" I murmur my thanks into his kisses.\n\n\"I love you more, now I'm awake and in need of your body again, what say you get that cute arse in this bed?\"\n\n\"Oh hell, yes...\"\n\nChapter 13:\n\nWe went down to breakfast, the whole team had regrouped and slept well, Declan wouldn't tell them anything and he was keeping silent. I watched as the team got down to it again.\n\n\"This would all be easier if we knew what was in the book, Declan didn't have it on him, and Giovanni cannot divulge the secret of the confessional, he let us know more than he should have by telling us she had written it all down.\" I looked at Jess, who nodded, then I dashed to my room and I pulled out the manuscript and took it to Eli.\n\n\"I wanted to read it first, there's stuff in there that is personal to me, I don't care about the dirt she had on people, and I just wanted to read about the family stuff. Sorry for not giving it you yesterday, good job I didn't, they could have fed Richard, Ricco, or Ricco whatever name he's going by, the information.\"\n\n\"Never mind we have it now Sara, it will be fine. Detective Peters is heading back to London. The jet is waiting to take him back, what's in here stays between us, the book is yours to do as you will with.\" Defective Peters had his bag and was saying goodbye.\n\n\"I will keep Eli informed as to anything we find out you'll do the same. I really should take the book with me, but my superiors think Declan has the only copy, so I will keep quiet for now, thank you Mr Vinci, Miss Bird, it's been an interesting couple of days. I will see you soon and hopefully you will be able to bury your families soon.\" I look at Ben. My brother killed his brother, and he must hate me? I know his mother is being told today, so we will have to brace ourselves for the fallout from that.\n\n\"We would love it if you and your family came to stop here again, come and be the guest of the castle at any time, my home is your home.\"\n\n\"Thank you I will keep you to that, now I need to get to London and interview Mr Kullberg and let him know we have another copy of the book, it may loosen his tongue a little, especially when I share what I know, and that his copy is another fake! It may persuade him to talk?\" I go to see to Jess. She is eating in the kitchen and is helping herself to pancakes. The breakfast of champions, I am actually starving too. I graze the breakfast buffet and sit and eat with her and Nonna, I listen in as she talks and smiles, this will be different later when she knows her son is dead, and my brother did it. Ben came back into the dining room and grabs himself breakfast.\n\n\"I worked up an appetite Sara, we need to eat, it seems we forgot yesterday, how's the ankle Baby?\"\n\n\"Fine, my prides more dented. I trusted him like no other, he held all that hate inside for so long, he killed and stole for what? Money? Had he asked, I would have given him more. He was resentful to the girl who killed his son, why, when he was there to kill her anyway. She just grabbed him for safety and in doing so, he died too and what for, just to cover my disappearance?\n\nShe must have been so afraid, when she died Ben? She was as young as Jess when they did it.\" I was held, as I sobbed for the poor girl. \"I will give them their property back, as its mine anyway. Bloody Declan signs my name better than he signs his own. I know it's not going to bring her back, but hell I need to sort out my affairs and quickly. When is enough, enough Ben? I am giving most of mine away. The property sales can all go to the Mustang charity. I have enough to last a lifetime, as does Jess. You too need to trim down, and I want you in my life a lot longer and without all the stress too.\" Ben laughed.\n\n\"Dad said the same thing this morning, we are downsizing, and we have had a good offer in for the hotels and the casinos. Vinci Enterprises, however, we are keeping. I still need to work, but instead of buying companies, then splitting them up and selling them off for profit, I am going to help them get back on their feet and resurrect them instead, as you say we have enough money. We need to give back. Once, a very opinionated girl I fell in love, with told me that. I forgot all about her wise wisdom for a while, so I'm doing my best to give back from now on.\" Eli comes in for breakfast.\n\n\"Sara, can I speak in private?\" I smile.\n\n\"We have no secrets Uncle Eli. Ben needs to hear everything too.\"\n\n\"As you wish Boss Lady, this is hard and very personal, but the book starts from the day your Grandmother gave birth to her in Ireland... Well, Grandy was her aunt, not her mother. It seems her mother was William's sister and, her father his brother, your mother was born out of an incestuous relationship. William and Jessica were there at the insistence of his brother, Faulkner, her mother was called Bridey. She had apparently died during your mother's horrific childbirth, she too was apparently mad as a March Hare, and he didn't want the baby because it too would be like its mother, she was damaged. I might add Sara I would be mad as a hatter if I too was raped and by her own brother too, then kept locked in the house day after day, all whilst being raped and tortured daily.\n\nThe incestuous relationship, rape or imprisonment Sara, I find it horrendous which ever words are used, and I only used relationship, because she herself was told, that was what it was. The things Faulkner made his sister endure, it all started when Faulkner went a little mad with rage when he saw her cavorting with a doctor at a works function. She was dragged out kicking and screaming and was never allowed back to work. She was a very good junior doctor from the records I have found, but he put paid to her furthering her career by impregnating her, she had no mental issues Sara, not being a good Doctor she had test after test.\n\nHe locked her away until she gave birth and was as you were, when you came to us in Arizona, a mess and lonely, but far from mad. She was sane enough to write Grandy a long letter asking her to look after her baby and another letter asking them to send for William, she had hoped they would both come before the baby was born, but alas, they arrived too late, and were told the birth had killed her. The staff after her death, sent an urgent telegraph to London, telling William he needed to come and sort out his brother and quickly, he was mad. They were worried about his nieces' health and safety.\n\nThey went to sort it all out and were going to bring back their niece Daniella to be raised as their own, as Bridey had requested. Unfortunately, Faulkner was racked with guilt at forcing himself upon his own sister, he confessed all to William and well...\" Eli gulped as he watched me. \"Faulkner, he committed suicide, after he handed the child over in that house in Ireland, all watched by William, he was unable to stop him. The whole thing caused him to have a massive heart attack, and he too died minutes later, here are the news cuttings from the time.\" He handed them over. I cried again. I was in shock too.\n\n\"It seems Grandy had no other choice but to raise your mother as her own. Your mother Daniella was clueless about it all. She finally found out everything, when she stopped at the house. She'd stopped there for a film she made, just before your birth. The place she wrote was like a time capsule, locked up, as it was the day she left with Grandy. She explored and found all her father Faulkner's papers, as well as Bridey's diaries. She liked to write too and kept a well documented log of what he did and when, everything was documented in her diaries, which your mother found when she stopped there. She found out everything all about her dubious parentage and her subsequent adoption by your Grandy, and also that they had left her quite wealthy. She however, never forgave Grandy for lying to her.\" I know that I oh-ed because I had a strong arm around me.\n\n\"Grandy wasn't my grandmother? She was my great-aunt?\" He nodded.\n\n\"Your mother wasn't lying about giving her to your grandmother to be raised as her own, she knew she would only fail if she did. She was giving you to her mother, because she didn't want a damaged baby, she'd read up on it and thought you would be deformed, or brain damaged. She was convinced you would be a bad seed born from incest, she was also drunk and on drugs and continued using them until Grandy rescued you. Your mother was selling you, when Grandy stepped forward and said she wanted you, and the deal was done.\n\nWhen the papers were signed it was under the strict instructions, you were never to be told, that your grandmother had bought you and become your legal guardian, she also made it clear if your father tried to claim you, she would take you back, she wanted her mother to fail with you as she had with her, but Grandy proved she wasn't at fault, she raised you well and loved you more than she loved anyone, you were hers, and hers alone. Her free spirited, beautiful girl with beauty and brains. It annoyed your mother that Grandy wasn't to blame for her mental deficiency, that was all her own doing.\" I collapsed in a heap on the floor, crying.\n\n\"Baby please shush, Grandy loved you, imagine who your mother could have sold you to? I for one am very thankful she did step in. Jess and I thank her too, without her doing that we wouldn't have you.\" I oh-ed again and was awash with tears. God how and why was my life getting even more confusion thrown at it?\n\n\"Your mother was a very messed up young lady, the things in this book could ruin many, many people, some deserve it others don't, people she slept with to gain favours for her then boyfriend Alfredo Milinero, he used her to entertain men, to gain things to blackmail them with. He was when he was alive a much feared man.\" I sobbed again.\n\n\"Was he Declan and Richards's father?\"\n\n\"No, that was the head of a big family in Sicily. Stefano 'The Black Angel' Marcelo, he too was to be feared, she told The Angel, what Alfredo has planning, and he dealt with him. She goes into graphic detail about how he killed him with his bare hands and watched as they dismembered his body, she knows where all the bodies are hidden, literally. There is a two page list of things he will spend a lifetime in prison for doing, and authorising.\n\nAs will his right-hand man and his eldest son, Stefano Junior. He, Richard and Declan are the only boys he has left, two others were killed in hits, and one is brain damaged after racing his car off the road in Italy, the family is I believe, very like the actual Godfather films. Such a disappointment to him they are. He had hoped they would go straight, but they are both mentally disturbed, seems they both inherited those genes from their mothers.\"\n\nI can't believe the family I indirectly belong to. What must Ben think of me? I don't have to ask he is killing me with the death hugs. Jessica has escaped her Nonna's clutches and comes laughing into the room. I smile as she looks at me, her eyes bright and that smile, she is my family, she and Ben.\n\n\"Mom I'm so bored, I need to get out of this place Asher says he will take me shopping. Please can we go, please Mom, Dad pleaseeeeee?\"\n\n\"Jess, I will take you, your mom needs some rest, I'm sure Nonna will be up for some shopping too? Please don't worry Sara we will take security with us and Asher.\" I laugh as Asher gives me the eye. I know that look, he hates shopping with Jess.\n\n\"That would be nice, get something for Hamish and his family, and take a trip to the hospital too.\" My phone goes off and I answer it, and as I listen, I signal to Eli. I place it on speaker, so everyone can hear it.\n\n\"Hello Sara, it's been a long time. We really have to meet up some time and soon. I do hope you have enjoyed the fifteen years you had with our daughter, there won't be many more. I think this game has played out far too long now. Give my regards to the would be new father of my child. I will be seeing you soon Sara.\"\n\n\"Richard, is that you? What are you playing at, why have you done all this? Just because I said no, all those years ago. Jessica is Ben's child. I have yet to know of a cheek kiss, making a girl have an eighteen month pregnancy. Why are you being like this, you need help, come in and get it Richard, stop this now, people have been hurt and have died. What for because you didn't get what you wanted that night?\"\n\n\"No, because you chose him and not me, he will pay, he has lost you once, and he will lose you again. Enjoy your time together it's going to be over soon Sara, so very soon au revoir. I really miss our conversations. Your friends have all been too posh, too rich, and are brainless truffle munching, Champagne swilling morons. Now had you studied with me things would have been so very different. Were my gifts never good enough? Did they not cost enough? Was I not rich enough? Pity too because I am now rich beyond my wildest dreams, and I have the book too and Declan will not speak.\n\nFather says he will see to it, no matter what money lover boy has, I have the connections, my father was thankful for the book, so thankful he is making me he is heir. So now I have everything, wealth, power and I will have my revenge on you. Declan isn't safe not even in Scotland Yard, and neither are you. Bye Babes see you soon, you know where to find me, don't leave me in the wilderness too long, if you want to save the lovely Leo from dying too, you know where to meet me.\" He put the phone down.\n\n\"He wasn't on long enough. Sorry Sara.\" I needed clarity, my head was swimming and it ached. It was decided to let Jess go shopping with her father and Nonna. Security are going too, I just wanted to get my head around the madness of the last few days and now the phone call, this all can't be because I said no? Grabbing the book from Eli, I decided I needed to see what my mother had got Jess and I messed up with, who were the next crazy Italian's coming into our lives? Were we in more danger and who else had she pissed off? I needed information on the stranger I had for a mother.\n\nI watched as the convoy headed out. Was this going to be Jess's world from now on, being kept a virtual prisoner? I settled in with a cup of tea and wrapped in a blanket. My security on the prowl, why though? He couldn't swoop in and grab me, not from the roof anyway. I read the book and if I hadn't known it was about my mother, I would have sworn it was a film plot, literally. The things about Grandy were there in black and white and a shock. I knew Grandy had her reasons, I'm sure she loved me, there wasn't a day I didn't feel her love. She didn't fail me, she made me who I am, strong and independent, thank you Grandy.\n\nThen as I read, I read of the places where Sal, and she would meet, a house in Soho, their love pad? I read the book cover to cover, and as I read, I was more shocked at the things she did and her reasons. I was glad I had nothing to do with mother now, she was all sorts of messed up. I put the book down, as the light was fading, and just as the parade was returning. I made my tired way back down the castle steps, to be greeted by Jess with more bags and boxes than I had ever seen before.\n\n\"Did you leave them anything else to sell Jessica Jay?\"\n\n\"Mom it was great, we went in every shop in Edinburgh, we saw the castle. I have a load of cool photos and Asher has a kilt, but Dad said no. I have new clothes and a cool coat. I really had such a fun day thanks for letting me go Mom, did you have fun?\" I ummed...\n\n\"Sort of, I'm glad you had fun Little Bird, go and unpack I need to speak to your dad and Uncle Eli.\"\n\n\"Cool Mom see you at dinner.\" I went to find Ben, Eli, Leonardo and Giovanni.\n\n\"Hi, any leads?\"\n\n\"We have narrowed it down to Paris or London, Declan was surprised to hear there was another copy of the book and is now singing, as his little nurse did the other day. He is being watched because they took the threat seriously.\" I fill them in on the book.\n\n\"Declan's father and of course Richards too, had a home in Soho, it was where he took all his mistresses apparently, that's worth a look-see.\" I gave the address to Eli, who was sharing with Scotland Yard and Detective Peters, they all looked tired and they had found more aliases and one of them was booked on a flight to Mexico, another on a flight to Venezuela, another to Costa Rica and one to Russia.\n\n\"Chances are he isn't on any flight. I doubt he is in England either...\" I ummed as I tried to get my head around the book and then it hit me, he was in my home, in Paris. The conversation we had, and I remembered his cutting remarks as he said goodbye.\n\n\"I know where he is, I know he's in La Ville Du Bois. I have a smallish, cabin in the woods there, called 'La Petite, de r\u00e9gion sauvage maison,' or in English, 'The little wilderness home.' I went to it the weekend after he made a pass at me, to get away from his constant need to be near me and to get a little space. I went with some others just to study. I said to the others we were being watched, but as we studied, we drank champagne and ate only the good food, which Graham and his girlfriend had brought from Harrods.\n\nBobbie and his boyfriend had food delivered from a really posh food store in Paris and more supplies, we all went there in Travis's Rolls Royce too. Shit, no wonder he thought I was money mad. What with the posh friends I was studying with? They were the only ones who didn't have jobs and were the only ones who could come. Hell, he really did follow me there and watched me? I was pursued relentlessly after that weekend. I'd have deliveries of flowers and I was sent Champagne, truffles, good food from Harrods, dresses from Dior, shoes from Prada. Oh my God, how could he have been so stupid? I thanked him for helping me with a project with one kiss to the cheek, and all this is because of that?\"\n\n\"Where is the cottage Sara?\"\n\n\"It's between the Route de Montlh\u00e9ry and Rue L\u00e9on Chartier, Saulxles Chartreux, it's off the road to Orleans. Turn right after the big farm on the road, the one with the water tower and greenhouses, it was painted green way back then? Then take the first turning on the right, and its approximately half a kilometre down the dirt path, or you can come in off the shallow stream to the back of the property, there is a quieter track to the rear of the property, but slightly longer to walk down. It's used a lot by horses, I used to ride down it. It's set back in the woods and the cottage is hidden from the road. I think he wants me to go, I can lure him out?\" Eli looks just as shocked as Asher does, but not as mad as Ben and Leonardo.\n\n\"What no. No way am I putting you in danger. We will send in the best to get to him, I already have a team standing by Sara. I have called in a few favours and the least said the better.\" Uncle Eli was shouting at me.\n\n\"This could be our only chance, what if he isn't there what if he's watching us here? I think it's too convenient that he told me where he was, this could be a setup, to kill me?\"\n\n\"Sara, I have a woman who from a distance would easily pass as you, she's the same build and complexion, throw on a blonde wig and she could be you. She is Mossad and highly trained Boss Lady, they all are. They are just awaiting instructions, they are going to hit both the Soho house and the Paris cottage at the same time, along with Ben's place in Paris.\" I nod approval, as if I have any say in this soap opera, I call my life?\n\n\"It will take them an hour to get to their positions from Paris. So now we wait.\" I needed to eat, and I go to the kitchen closely followed by Ben.\n\n\"I have too many properties. Grandy liked to buy homes that were quirky and out of the way, the cottage was where she honeymooned with William, it's a hunting lodge, oh hell, it has cellars and a tunnel leading to a barn off the property. I should have told Eli. I am so fed up of all this. This has been almost the worst couple of days in my life. Ben, build be a house with a twenty-foot wall around it, with woods and a stream, land for my horses, and it needs to be safe for us to raise our daughter in?\"\n\n\"Your wish is my command, where do you want it here Arizona, Italy, where?\"\n\n\"Anywhere as long as were together and Jess is safe. I don't care.\"\n\n\"We won't have to build it if we move to Italy. You have just described our new home. They are finishing it off as we speak. Mom and Dad's place wasn't safe, it was far too open. We would have to share it with them though?\" I laugh as he comes in for a cuddle.\n\n\"We will have to look at it then, I know one little girl who will be happy, she misses her Grandfather so much and Grandy too, they were like two peas in a pod after all. Your place, it sounds perfect. Come on we need food, I have a good feeling about tonight, are you up for bedroom Olympics?\"\n\n\"I think that's a distinct possibility, seeing as I need the exercise. We are being watched.\" I snuggle into his neck.\n\n\"She's getting used to seeing us together now, I think she only mildly blushes when you kiss me now Ben.\" He leans in and takes me in his arms, lifting me to his lips as he does.\n\n\"Well, let's join her and my parents for dinner then, I believe Mom saw the perfect wedding dress for you today. Jess talked her out of buying it though, saying you knew the very dress you wanted?\" I know I'm blushing.\n\n\"I do yes, like all little girls I planned my perfect wedding a long time ago. But I think the Cinderella theme wouldn't suit me now. I am after all quite old and past it.\"\n\n\"Past it, old, who the hell are you and where's Sara? My fianc\u00e9e is not old nor is she past it. She is however getting her dream wedding.\"\n\n\"I know your mom wants big and an all singing all dancing affair, I just want small family and intimate?\"\n\n\"Me too, you me Jess, is that too small?\"\n\n\"Yes, I think we would kill your poor Mom, Uncle Eli would kill me, and Jess wants a posh frock. Enough wedding talk we need food and our all-night Olympics, you need building up Mr Vinci.\"\n\n\"Mom, Dad... I still think that's so cool saying Dad. I don't suppose we can go hunting tomorrow, or can we?\" I looked at Ben and then at Asher, they both were shaking their heads.\n\n\"Correct we can't Little Bird, there is still a very bad man out there, and he has to be caught first. We will be going back to London in two or three days and hopefully, we will be able to come back when we have been to see our new house in Italy.\"\n\n\"Italy, we are living in Italy, yeah so awesome and all year? Do we get to go back to the ranch? Can we still keep Grandys house? This place too?\"\n\n\"I can't see why not, Dad and I are downsizing, and upsizing on the main house, because Nonna and Nonno will be living with us and Asher. Uncle Eli too if he wants to, but he likes it in Tucson, he may just come for holidays?\"\n\n\"Asher has agreed. Cool this day gets better.\" Asher is death hugged.\n\n\"Sorry, wherever we go Asher goes too, he lives with us in Tucson, and in White River. I should have said?\"\n\n\"He's Jess's shadow father, and why would I not agree? Jess says he's her best friend, next to you he is.\" We sit down to eat, and everyone is eating in silence. The past few days have been long and exhausting for everyone. Come to London see a few sights, not be in someone's sights. Do some hunting and not be the hunted. I then laugh. I know it's aloud because everyone is looking. I was going to Italy, now I'm doing an Italian. I'm going stir crazy stuck in here.\n\n\"Something make you laugh Baby?\" I ummm back at Ben.\n\n\"I wouldn't mind riding, even if it is only over the jumps in the back paddock. I haven't been out of the place in what seems like forever. Jess can join me and it's still in view of the stable block and Asher and Mike can watch us?\" Poor Mike smiles, he has been here there and everywhere and has just got back from London, having been in Ireland too.\n\n\"I think we can do that. Kale and his girls are due for their ride out, they can join you?\"\n\n\"You mean Kale can watch me and Jess from horse back?\"\n\n\"Am I that obvious? I'm sorry, we just need to see what happens in the house raids, hopefully it will be over and done with later.\" We continue eating and I am then asked by Marietta about the wedding. I listen as she tells me of her plans, smiling at her as she talks, and talks joined by Jess. There's a commotion in the ballroom and as we rush in Eli is smiling.\n\n\"They have him, but Kiara was shot on her approach to the house, he wasn't fooled into thinking it was you and tried to make his escape by the river and was captured, he was shot in the process and injured. His father and brother were in the house at Soho, and he too has been arrested. Declan is a much hated man at the moment. They are all on the way to Scotland yard.\"\n\n\"Kiara, is she alright please tell me she is? That would be too much if she isn't.\"\n\n\"Body armour, she has a bruised rib and is as mad as hell she allowed him to draw his weapon first, but no she is fine Sara.\" I know I am sobbing now as Jess is hugging the life out of me.\n\n\"Mom does all this mean that we can carry on as normal now?\" I shrug my shoulders.\n\n\"I guess so? I think we will still need security for a while, Declan's Father will not be happy, but I would think the recriminations will be against Declan not us, but you never can tell.\"\n\n\"We will pack up and head back to London, Detective Peters wants all this Intel down there. We will take it there and spend a few days with you then head back home Boss Lady?\"\n\n\"Well you are, but only after you attend a family function. We are getting married and as soon as we can, if these past few days have taught me anything it's that you have to grab whatever happiness you can, whilst you can.\"\n\n\"The quickest way is to fly to Vegas, but Baby, the nicest way will be at the villa at home, or if you want to, we could get married in White River and do the whole ceremony there? I may have been looking at places in my spare time.\"\n\n\"Italy sounds like the best place, romantic and personal, though the quickie in Vegas sounds like fun, but no Ben Italy at the villa, seeing as we're going there anyway.\"\n\n\"Right, we have to get this lot to London, Delphia will work her magic, and we now have to tell Mom about Paulo, Dad is insistent. You and Jess get some rest we will be up later?\"\n\n\"She is going to hate me, after this Ben. I don't want her to hate me, should I not be there with you?\"\n\n\"She won't hate you, none of this was your fault, none of it.\" I cried into his shoulder, yet again I'm doing that an awful lot lately.\n\n\"Dad, I'm going to sit with Nonna, she's not stupid, she asked where Paulo was the other day, and she knows something is wrong. She also knows more English than she lets on too, and I know she heard a phone conversation between Eli and that detective guy. She did the cross on her chest thing. She has been doing the prayers with her rosary beads for the past two days. She doesn't think I see her, but she has been crying too, so I think we should all be there, Mom included. Dad's right you did nothing wrong, besides she thinks your wonder woman for giving her me. She wants a grandson though, and please don't tell me you're working on it, too much information dear parents.\"\n\n\"It seems our wise Daughter has spoken, come on let's get this over with.\" We went to the family lounge and joined the three of them. Marietta held her arms open for Jess and smothered her with kisses, as the worst half an hour of my life began, she as Jess said, knew something was wrong, but she had no comprehension of the scale of Paulo's involvement, crying, screaming, hugging, shouting, but the hitting herself was too much for me. I leapt to her side and held her tightly.\n\n\"Never say it was you, it wasn't! You have four children and the other three are and were wonderful people, you didn't do this Mom. No, he did this, please Jessica is here, I am here, we are safe, Jessica loves her Nonna, and I need you too.\" After yet more tears she was carried to her room in need of sleep, we all needed sleep and less stress.\n\n\"Bed for my girl's, Dad and Giovanni have gone to their rooms, you two are tired too.\"\n\n\"Can you come and tuck me in Dad and tell me again what our new home is like?\" I laughed, gave her a kiss and went to our room, running a hot bath and pouring in a whole load of bubble mix. Ben came in looking stressed. He sat and watched me.\n\n\"Our Daughter has you wrapped around her little finger Ben and don't you know it.\"\n\n\"Umm she does, as does her Mom, the only thing is I get to do some wicked things with my fingers with her Mom. I need a bath too, move over.\" I watched as my man stripped, to join me in the tub.\n\n\"I wonder if it is really all over, this tangled web of intrigue and mystery?\"\n\n\"For tonight it is, and hopefully in a few days it will be over for good and behind us. Then we get to settle down to normal life. Do you remember when we thought our lives were confusing at Grandys? Arranging our schedules to fit in with everyone, a time when Grandy was all we had to worry about. Where Grandy was off travelling to this time and not forgetting, the age old question...\"\n\n\"...How long was she going for this time? Yes, they were the happiest time of my life, waiting for you to come in from work, with that killer smile and your insatiable appetite for sex. I remember it very well, we did make a lot of memories.\" I giggled as he washed me, kissing the back of my neck.\n\n\"I remember getting a cold and you being the best nurse you be, the cuddles, the back rubs, the soup you made me, the sex was good in sweating out the cold, which was one of your better ideas. I love you so much Sara so, so much and I have from the minute you sent me flying on my backside in Kew.\"\n\n\"We have to show Jess our tree, it's been a few years since I last saw it.\"\n\n\"I take my lunch in there a lot. When it rains, I sit in the palm house, I had happy memories in there.\"\n\n\"I did too, I was swept off my feet literally with a wonderful kiss. I knew then I'd lost my heart to the stranger kissing me.\" He kissed the back of my neck as he climbed in the tub.\n\n\"I remember it too, I followed you like a lapdog into the warmth, were you knocked me off my feet again.\"\n\n\"Umm, I remember it well, so too the night after. I remember that night very well...\"\n\nChapter 14:\n\nWe woke to far less boxes and very few of the office supplies, file cabinets and removal men were seen emptying the ballroom. Delphia was in full sergeant major mode and my team were packed and ready for the plane. Eli came in to give me my itinerary for the day and update me.\n\n\"Good morning Sara, we are ready and have been booked into the Savoy by Ben, apparently, it's the hotel to stop in. Redwing has been shipped back to Arizona, he has been charged with assisting his son in the murder of Tallulah Bird, and the land he illegally bought is being seized back on your behalf. Declan signed your name to fake papers giving him power to act on your behalf, he was desperate to kill you here. He knew you would know you hadn't signed the paperwork, with you dead it would all be his. What do you want to do?\"\n\n\"I don't know? As much as I love him, he did some unforgivable things, he will be dealt with and he has only himself to blame. I want the land gifting back as soon as possible, for use as a Mustang sanctuary. The funds will be in trust to keep the horses safe and add to their numbers. I will buy the land he stole at either side for more acreage for them. We will keep the ranch house and have another built as a school and office. Cane and his family need to be living on the ranch too, so they can move into the ranch house it's bigger than the one he has now, and we can stop in a hotel when we go, or perhaps in my favourite uncle's house? You though, have you made up your mind, about coming to live with Jess and I in Italy?\"\n\n\"Etan is coming home he wouldn't be happy because he's moved back to be near me, and Alia is due to have her first baby. Russ's posting in Germany is finished soon, they should be coming back if we can find them a house nearby. We can come for holidays Boss Lady. I knew this day would come, but I had always hoped it wouldn't, but your family is here now.\"\n\n\"Alia can have my house in Tucson, its four bedrooms has a backyard and near to her Daddy. Etan can take my place in the firm, he is after all my big brother, if that's alright?\"\n\n\"Sara, are you sure? She loves your house and Etan was going to ask to buy into the practice.\"\n\n\"No, he gets to be in it as the lead attorney, the others get a share too, their buy in will pay for Etan and you a bigger home? Consider it yours. I can't give my sister something and not my brother, can I? I will sign it over to her, so that's sorted. I can't thank you enough for all you have done for Jess and me...\" Ben came in looking so relaxed, more than he has done in a week.\n\n\"I can never thank you enough either, it's been wonderful getting to know you all, my daughter and her mother, have been well looked after, now the cars are waiting to take us to the airport. Mom and Dad have Jess and her bags and yours are in my car. We are having some alone time and driving back. Jess insists, and she says Asher is with her she just needs the keys to Grandys, we are all stopping there, and we have the room?\"\n\n\"Oh, we are, are we? Eli keep an eye on her, we will be back later, here are the keys and the rooms are all made up. Just run through the house before you let them in, check for bugs, cameras and stuff. I'm more paranoid than ever now.\"\n\n\"Will do Boss Lady, we still get to stop at the Savoy, right?\" I laugh.\n\n\"Yes, Asher and Mike will be at Grandy's, they will be looking after Jess and her grandparents. We will see you later.\" Waving them off, we watched as Jess was already giving Asher his orders poor man. \"We will see you later Little Bird.\"\n\n\"No, we will see you tomorrow. Dad and you are having some quality time together. I will be fine. I have lord knows how many minders and you need to chill a little Mom.\"\n\n\"Fine, I will see you sometime tomorrow and Asher, watch her.\" We waved them off and I watched as the car pulled away, I wanted to chase after the car, but was being held in place by Ben.\n\n\"Your car awaits you, your ladyship and for a surprise... We are camping in the Lake District. Well when I say camping, I really mean stopping in a nice hotel, I'm too old to camp in the wet.\"\n\n\"We could always keep warm in the back of the car. I think that's where Jess was conceived, in the back of the yellow banana wagon Ben.\" He laughed.\n\n\"I had sort of wondered we were overly careful except the once. I didn't have any more protection as I recall Baby, we had a really good weekend and we'd used it all. We were on our way home, and we didn't stock up. Thank the lord for small miracles, well for Jess anyway.\"\n\n\"I'm so glad we took the bug, and to think you said nothing good would come of going in it. Your Ferrari was a little too flash for there. Do you still have it?\"\n\n\"No, I ran it into a tree trying to avoid a bloody deer, it got a little bashed, along with the idiot driving it. Baby, we need to be going.\"\n\nOur bags are thrown in the back seat and as we drove to the quiet country hideaway, which Ben had booked, a journey that was spent in near silence, the touches and looks were more than enough, but as we got to the cottage, we changed our minds simultaneously. We both agreed that we needed to see Jess. I wanted to go home. After Ben agreed he missed Jess too, we stopped off for a drink and food in a pub by the banks of the river, before going back home. Ben wanted to be reacquainted with our old room too. We ordered our food and wine, then sat at a table.\n\n\"Ben you've been quiet what's the matter? Are you still worried?\"\n\n\"Yes, it all seems like too much to take in, all this havoc and chaos in our lives. These past few days have been really strange, and I can't help but think it's not all over for some strange reason?\" I drink my wine and look into his eyes.\n\n\"I know it's all surreal a nightmare and a dream all tangled together, Ben this isn't over, by a long way and I don't want Jess to live in a bubble of security, like you did when you did a simple shopping trip. She has had Asher follow her all her life, him she's used to, but all the others? Are they really necessary?\" Ben's phone rings as he is about to reply to my question.\n\n\"Hello Leo, how can I help you?\" He smiles shakes his finger over his mouth and signals he needs five minutes.\n\nI nod and watch as he walks along the quay, he turns and smiles waves and as he looks around, I hear a car backfire and as I turn to look back at Ben, he is slumped on the ground. There are a series of loud screams and people are running around, as I run towards Ben, I hear the sound of shots ringing past my ears. I feel a red hot piercing sensation in my shoulder, it feels like a bomb has gone off and it sends me backwards against the cold grass bank of the river. I hear the screams again, as I look at my hands, they are covered in my blood, and the screams I'm now hearing are my own.\n\nThe commotion is all around me, and it is sheer madness. I can still hear people screaming. I am now silent as I stare at my hands and I hear my name being called over and over again. The commotion becomes a dull hum of activity. I see a figure hovering over me, and I hear her telling me to be calm, and I hear her as she says to stay still, she says she is looking after her granddaughter. I am dying, because I see and hear Grandy. I hear sirens and car doors slamming too. I look to my side Ben is covered in blood, and as I reach for him, the pain is too much, and I black out, after seeing Ben lay motionlessly on the ground, and dead at my side.\n\n\"She's coming around, Doctor, she's coming around help her.\" My eyes open and I see Jess sat at my side, I see a nurse, I see people, my head aches and I have a sense of numbness about me.\n\n\"Jess... Jess is that you, where am I? Your Dad was shot, oh hell I was shot too, I feel sick...\" I know I throw up, as I hurt my shoulder as I turned to avoid hitting Jess with the mess. \"Mother-Fucker that hurts...\" The nurse clears around me.\n\n\"Oh, Mommy you had me so worried, you kept talking to Grandy, asking her to help. Are you in much pain?\"\n\n\"No Little Bird, I don't think so, I just feel really strange. What happened, the last thing I remember is drinking wine with your dad by the river and the shots and the blood, there was lots of blood?\" She cries, and I feel like throwing up again.\n\n\"You were shot by Richard Marsh, the man they captured in France, wasn't him, he was in a hotel down the road from Borrodale. He had been the whole time. He was shot by an armed response team. He had you and Dad pinned down at the river for ages, he was taken out by a marksman from the police. He is definitely dead now, or I would be killing him.\" I oh-ed, okay, I think, I mean I'm here, Jess is here, Ben, where is Ben...\n\n\"Your Dad is he... Is he... Dead, Jess please tell me is he dead?\"\n\n\"No Mom, he was hit pretty bad, he lost a lot of blood and hasn't come around yet, you have been out of it for three days too. Uncle Eli is here, as is Asher, Nonna and Nonno are with Dad, he's over there can you see him? He's in a coma because he was shot in the head Mom, he's lucky to be alive.\" I sob as I sit up, there are tubes and machines, and my arm is bloody sore, as I see Eli come in.\n\n\"Boss Lady, you really can't be let out on your own, how are you doing?\"\n\n\"Fine, just tell me how they fucked up? How did they think they had Richard? Who did they have, if not him?\"\n\n\"Hold on to your hat, they had Paulo. The dead man on the slab was just another body. It was quite a shock for Leonardo's father too, he went to identify the body he thought was Paulo, and though he had scars and the ring was his, it wasn't Paulo after all. This lad's arm had been broken at some point and was pinned, they dug out the plate and identified him, he was a lad that worked in accounts a lad called Louie, one on Ricco's payroll?\n\nHe was then asked to identify Richard too, as there were no photos of him, and because they had seen him at the villa for those few summers. He went with Giovanni and to say they were shocked was an understatement. Richard/Ricco was his son and their brother, Paulo. Richard had told Paulo that the house in France, it was a safe house, and one that nobody knew about. He also told Declan to stop in Ireland, Richard needed to make sure we were following false leads, which we did, he left the two of them to get caught, and take the blame for everything. When he saw us leaving the castle, he followed you two and took his opportunity when it came along, he heard you say you wanted to get back home to London that night Sara.\"\n\n\"How, when I only said that when we reached the cabin we were supposed to be stopping in, that I wanted to go for a drink, something to eat and head home because we were both worried for Jess's safety.\"\n\n\"He bugged the car and your luggage, at some point he has been that close to you, he must have changed his appearance as we have old photos of him, and it wasn't him. He was posing as a member of Mikes security team, he was Joe. I sat hours talking to him about you as we ate and prepared food, he prayed with me everything, and he was good. He had me fooled. He was glad to be assigned to the hospital. He knew they would discover Giovanni in the tower, he thought Giovanni would see the real Ricco. He had a room at a guest house, where he was listening to the feeds, when he finished his shifts at the castle and hospital.\n\nHe phoned you from the guest house, he was here all the time. He knew as we all pulled out you had no security. He followed the tracker on your car and listened into your talk as you drove, he has it all taped, it was in his car along with everything you had done and sorry to say everything, including one in your bedroom Boss Lady, sorry he'd swept the room because we trusted him. He knew where you were heading and planned to kill you in the cabin and burn it down, your changing the plans when you got there, meant he had to improvise, he lured Ben away from you with a phone call and shot him first.\n\nHe liked to hear his own voice too, he has hours upon hours of tapes detailing everything from the first time he saw you picture at the castle, and everything in between. Richard/Ricco and now the agent known as Joe, was dedicated to making you both pay. He knew you would be hard to get to at Richmond, because you said you didn't want a big security detail, just Mike and Asher, cutting him out of the security detail panicked him. He improvised, he didn't have a lot of time left, so he was sloppy. He was on the other side of the river taking shots at you from the bridge, he could have escaped with the damage that he had already caused, but you were still moving and because of the quick thinking actions of a stranger, a woman who was just passing by, she pulled the car up between you and him.\n\nAs he took the time to move, the armed response team were there, he shouted he wasn't being taken alive and you needed to be dead too, he thought Ben was, and then he fired shots at them. They were given the order shoot to kill. That woman saved both you and Ben, and then she simply disappeared. The car wasn't hers, she just broke the window, released the handbrake, and waited until the police got there, and in the commotion, she disappeared into the crowd. You have a guardian angel Boss Lady.\"\n\n\"Who was she, was she the woman stood over me? Oh hell, what's the matter with Ben? Is he going to be alright? Jess says he's in a coma?\"\n\n\"He lost a lot of blood and the head shot was lucky, it didn't go in too deep and though it looks bad, it isn't. Yes, he's in a coma and they say he could be in a while and there is a possibility he won't wake at all, not if the swelling does not start to go down soon, so be prepared Sara and be strong. He was also shot in the leg, the arm and the chest, Richard was a crap shot.\"\n\n\"I had the guns in the car, did he use ours?\"\n\n\"No, all yours are accounted for, as are Bens. Get some rest, and we will see you later. Little Bird needs a wash and change of clothes, she hasn't been away from your bedside.\"\n\n\"No, I wanna stop, I need to be here when Dad wakes?\"\n\n\"Jessica, that isn't happening anytime soon and Nonna won't go home if you stop, please Bambino, go home take your Nonna with you, for Nonno?\"\n\n\"Umm alright, but we come back when we have had dinner and changed, agreed?\" Asher comes for her, kissing my head as he does.\n\n\"I knew you should have had security with you, you listen to me in the future, I am not ready to lose another family member just yet and I am praying for Ben.\" Asher holds on to Mom, because neither she nor Jess wants to leave.\n\n\"See to it she's safe, that they both are please Asher, and thank you.\" They leave as Leonardo sits on my bed and pats the back of my hand. I just stare at Ben hooked up to machines and gadgets, he just looks asleep.\n\n\"Sara, you need to get your rest Leo will not be awake for days, not until the swelling goes down. The police will be in to question you later. You didn't stand much of a chance according to the witnesses, he just fired until you both fell. I hope he rots in hell. Do you need anything Delphia, is on the end of the phone, Jessica bought you both night garments and toiletries?\"\n\n\"No, I just want to spend time with Ben, thank you. You need to go and get some sleep, food, and a change of clothes too, come back tomorrow. All of you I'm not leaving him.\"\n\n\"I am rather tired. These past three days have been hectic, and I would say the last two weeks have me in sore need of a long relaxing holiday. I will go home with your permission to Grandy's, it is a beautiful home you have, and Jessica loves it so.\" I smile as he pats my hand again. \"Right Michael has an around the clock guard on your door, it's a private hospital, and we have men at all exits, we are not taking chances with your lives.\"\n\n\"Please go home, I will be fine. I will get them to ring if anything happens.\" He does so, and as the nurse removes the lines and the drips from me, I am able, all be it very slowly, to sit by Ben's bedside.\n\n\"Ben I'm so sorry this is all my doing, your hurt because of me.\" I held his hand and spoke to him, the Doctor said he could hear me, and he explained that he could awake from the coma on his own. Leonardo was right, he also told me if we were lucky, and he stressed the word if, he again stressed this was not going to be a quick fix. It could be days, weeks or months and in some cases, people did not awaken from their coma's, and I need to prepare the family for that eventuality. That although the majority of coma's, generally do not last for more than a few weeks. A patient whose state does not change, after a long period, is often reclassified as being in a persistent vegetative state.\n\nUnfortunately, those in a persistent vegetative state for over twelve months rarely wake up, they had explained everything to his parents, but they hadn't taken the news well. I wanted him to wake, though I was really glad he didn't die, even if he slept forever, he was here, selfish I know, but he was not dead. I will not let him die, we have just found him, and I will not have him die twice, I won't let him.\n\nI sat by his bedside and read him books and the newspaper, day after day, the rest come and go. I spend the odd hour or two with Jess and then we are back to dad watch, as Jess says. She's only just got to know him again and sits patiently at his bedside. He had another operation to close the hole left from them removing a piece of his skull, and his skull is replaced. The operation was a success, the bullet hadn't done any permanent damage as far as they were aware, it was just a matter of our waiting for him to wake. Apparently, the brain is a complex and individual thing and no two people are the same.\n\nI had weeks of recovery ahead of me and Jess went to Italy to finish her dads house off with Nonna and the rest of her entourage, everywhere she went, the pack did surely follow. I went to the bank to get the papers from Grandy's box, it was filled with letters from her beloved William, my letters to her including the ones from me forged by Declan, he was good. There was a gift for Jess every year until her twenty-first birthday, which was so sweet of her and a letter for me. I closed the box and handed in the keys, whilst I was there the manager came up to me.\n\n\"Miss Sara Bird? Can you come with me? I have a package for you.\"\n\n\"Really from whom?\"\n\n\"We were asked that once you opened your grandmother's box, to give you a package we have been holding a while, so can you please come to the security office?\" I oh-ed, and I went to his rooms and gave him everything he needed to prove who I was.\n\nI took the package to the hospital with me, I am confused and shocked yet again. My life is still full of surprises it seems... I got to the hospital room and smiled, he looked like he was just asleep, and after kissing his head, I settled in for the afternoon. The envelope from my mystery friend, was in fact all Paulo's missing files he must have forgotten he had stashed them, and who he had wanted to pick them up. He couldn't ring from the prison, as he was on lockdown and security was tight.\n\nHis solicitor worked for Dad, so divulged everything, against the rules it may be, but he knew who was paying his expensive bill. I glanced through, and everything was there in black and white. Giovanni came for his visit and I gave them to him, because I wanted nothing to do with it. He stopped for a while as he prayed for Leo at his bedside, he kissed my head and disappeared, he was still very mysterious my new brother, but every day he was there, morning, noon and night.\n\nNext my letter from Grandy, she told me everything, including her admitting she bought me. My mother had told Alfredo I was his, blood tests later confirmed I wasn't, and he laughed as Grandy approached him saying he highly doubted it, he'd had a vasectomy after his boys were born. I was the product of a fling with the lawyer the film company hired. So Grandy found out who my father was for me, by approaching the films lawyers and he flew in the day after and knew instantly I was his. I was tested, and he was tested, and we were related. I sighed Ben was right, imagine being brought up by Alfredo? I shiver and put the letter away. The new nurse is wonderful, and she sees I am crying and tenderly wipes away my tears. We sit and drink tea, her cure all medicine, everything is fine with a good cup of tea apparently?\n\n\"We are teaching you to change the patient's tubes and things are we, not Madam?\" I nod\n\n\"Yes Bridget, please call me Sara, Madam sounds so formal. I want to be able to do it when we take him home, I don't like others caring for him. Am I wrong wanting to do it all for him? He has died once on me he's not doing it again.\"\n\n\"No, it's very good that you do want to do it, besides it's the personal care he needs, which we can't give him.\" I laugh aloud. I know what she means his morning erections are quite hilarious, which is another reason to get him home, relieving that problem in private. The doctor said it couldn't do him any harm and may bring him around. It hadn't worked so far...\n\nWe are at long last, moving him to our new home, it was done, and the Doctors agreed. He needed a personal nurse, and I had to be trained in the feeding tubes and changing of the catheters and such, so that's what I did, I trained to do everything for him. Was that really only six months ago? The days had been melding into one long day after another, then they turned into weeks, and they finally turning into months. We needed a change of scene and now we are getting it. Jess and I, along with her grandparents and our slightly large, if odd entourage, are on the way to the villa. The machine beeps to the rear of the jet, and I dash to his side.\n\n\"It wasn't Leo, Sara it was just the turbulence, he is still sleeping. He is safe, go and sit down. You need the rest your ankles are swollen, legs up young lady. Here Jessica, place these pillows under your Mom's feet please?\" I kiss his cheek and sit by Jess, who does as Bridget, his nurse says and though she cares for him, she has been a God send for me too.\n\n\"Mom are you alright? Are my brother and sister giving you problems?\"\n\n\"No, we are fine, I am tired though. Dad have they delivered everything we need to the villa for Ben?\"\n\n\"They have and please, stop worrying between you and your mom, I am run ragged caring for you all. It will be easier at home. The smells of the sunshine and the summer here will make him feel better, and he will awaken refreshed. You too will be better, not spending all the time at his hospital bed.\"\n\n\"I will you are right. Jess the tutor is meeting us there, sorry you are to be home schooled for a while Jess. Asher, can you stop worrying, it's only a plane.\"\n\n\"Ummm, and a small plane with biddy seats, we are high up, with a big fall down.\"\n\n\"You, you big baby, it's fine besides we will be there in ten minutes, see the airports coming into view. Buckle in big man.\" Jess was fooling around with him and his insecurities about flying.\n\n\"Jess buckle up too, is Ben okay Delphia? Are you buckled in too?\"\n\n\"We are fine, Bridget has seen to it he is alright.\" I look over to see sleeping beauty, would that a kiss did wake him. He would have been awake a long time ago. The news that we could at last take him to the villa was much needed, the bullet had been removed months ago, but he still remained in a coma, and it was possible that one day he would just wake, and we lived for that one day, as the stress of hospital visits was slowly killing us all. Here at least we were all together. He would be in my bed again.\n\nWe landed in safety, and our bags and things were loaded into the cars and we followed the ambulance to the villa. I had yet to see it, but Giovanni says it's quite beautiful, he has been given the church in the village, were we will be living, he has been a big help to us all. We have had a punishing time these past six months. Paulo and Declan's trial will be looming soon, they are in solitary confinement, as the death threats are being taken seriously. Stefano has promised revenge. Stefano Junior had been killed inside his prison, evidently the hands of revenge do cross the miles. God help Declan and Paulo now, because it seems the Black Angel is blaming them for his death. We distanced ourselves from them too, it would seem that Leonardo has just two sons.\n\nI had a meeting with the Black Angel in prison. I assured him in return for our safety, the book would never be given to the authorities, and I told him too that the book Declan had, was a book of pure fiction. If he exacted any revenge on Jess, Ben's family or I, I would hand the book over. I told him were Alfredo Milinero was hidden and he believed me. I told him too that if I as much saw anyone following us, the book would find its way to the right people. His one requirement to his agreeing was that I didn't class Declan or Paulo as family. I shook his hand and wished him well. I walked out of the prison and straight to the doctors, were I found out I was pregnant and not just run down. I was happy and as I told Ben that night, I imagined him holding me loving me and kissing me. I settled for kissing then taking his hand and laying it on his unborn child.\n\n\"Don't forget you said, you would be better this time. I don't intend to do this alone, we need you, Jess needs you, so come back to me.\" I slept at his side holding him, but nothing. We had hoped the bullet and the swelling going down was good news, but still he sleeps. Tonight, he will be in our bed and be surrounded by family. The family that went potty when I told them I was pregnant again, when we found out the day it was twins, they were overjoyed twice fold. I was now never left alone. The very proud Grandparents and Jess worried over me, we videoed me every single day, so we could show Ben what he missed out on. Photos are done of the ever-increasing bulge, and snapshots are sent to his phone, you name it we documented it. We arrived at the fortress on the hillside, and if my mouth dropped anymore, my jaw would be on the floor.\n\n\"Oh wow, Jess this is beautiful, your Dad did well, it's beautiful.\"\n\n\"I know, we just need the ivy and the walls covered with greenery and flowers and it will look like the castles in all my fairy stories. We need to get sleeping beauty in and do the tour, everything on the mountain is ours, there's a stream, and a lake, everything Mom, it's everything he said it was. Wait until you see the bedroom's they are perfect too. I have a surprise for you too.\" I oh-ed as she grabbed my hand.\n\nIt was as she said, exactly like a castle, a modern new build castle, complete with grand staircases and chandeliers. Yes, I'm in my very own fairy tale, I wonder were the Ogre's and Trolls are? I would say Mom as she likes to be called, was the dragon, but she isn't. She's the sweetest thing alive. Forever fussing and pandering to our needs. We have to tell her to take it easy, she will kill herself before the bambinos arrive. It works for a day or so, and she starts up again. They wheel Ben to the lift, and I join them as the door pings open, and I am shown to our rooms, and wow they are lush. I watch as they place him on Grandy's four poster bed.\n\n\"Do you mind? I know you said it was the comfiest bed you had ever slept in, and well I want Daddy to have comfort, he seems to sleep an awful lot. I will leave you to settle in and then we explore Mom. This is so cool, it's frigging awesome. Did I tell you that already? Wake up Dad we're home.\" She kisses his cheek sighs and goes to her rooms.\n\n\"Thank you, but I think that I can manage Bridget. Do you think you will be happy here?\" She smiles.\n\n\"I think I will be it's such a pretty place, and with any luck you won't be requiring me for long, I was due to retire anyway.\"\n\n\"Bridget, you were and are a God send. Jess and I thank you for agreeing to give up your job at the hospital and come and work for us, and when I say work, I mean be part of the family, our ever growing family.\"\n\n\"The babies are they alright? The flight has made your legs puffy, please lie down and sleep too. Ben is fine, are you sure it's alright to call him Ben, it seems very informal?\"\n\n\"I hate being so formal its part of my inherited Bohemian genes, I am sure it's less to fuss over, it's Ben and Sara. I think you may still have to call his parents Mr and Mrs Vinci, unless they tell you differently, which they will, they are not at all stuffy, we have friends not staff.\" She smiles grabs some pillows and makes me raise my feet.\n\n\"Now sleep, you will feel better when you wake. Ben is alright, and I will call back in a couple of hours to check on you both, sorry you all.\"\n\n\"Thank you, you're mothering me too, but I seem to like it, goodnight.\"\n\n\"Goodnight Sara, it really is my honour.\" I smile as she says it. Her voice is quite calming, and she has the softest of touches. She often found me crying at his bedside and would sit and talk to me. She made me feel totally at ease, so when they said we needed a nurse, who better than the one who looked after us both so well.\n\nWe settled easily into our routine here. Jess's teacher was an old retired teacher, and they spent hours studying. I laughed as she said she actually enjoyed being taught by Rafi, he was she said, most excellent. Her new films were Keanu Reeves inspired, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, it ranks highly on the play list, if she says party on, one more time I swear I will bury it in the backyard. She still sits and makes her dad watch vampires with her every night, I do joke that's why he won't wake up.\n\nI had been walled up in my castle for over two months, I was bored, and I was nesting big time, and had decided it was time for the nursery to be done, it was the last room in fact. The cribs and things were all here, and Jess and the rest had gone into San Marino to pick up Eli from his flight. Whist they are there, they are picking up the drapes and the bedding, Nonna was insistent she was picking them. Jess had decided they need a fairy tale nursery in their castle. So it was what they got, the murals were so lifelike, and I enjoyed very much painting the dragons and the Princesses in all there finery, the Knights on their horses and the castle on a hill. I was up a ladder putting the final additions to their room, their photographs and pictures. When I misjudged the last step, and I fell from the ladder, I landed quite badly on my backside. The bulge went rock hard as I cried out in pain.\n\nI screamed for help, over and over again, because I was in pain, real pain... With Jess, I'd had an epidural and a C-section, so there was no pain, this was killing me, and nobody was about. I screamed again as I crawled to my room next door, damn it why did they all go and leave me? Oh, that's right because I told them to. My phone was on the bed. I pulled up to the bed, crying in pain, and cursing Ben to high hell.\n\n\"Be here for me next fucking time, oh no you're a fucking asleep, shit ouch... I swear you will pay for this Vinci, this is a God awful bad and painful shagfess.\" I screamed again and pressed Ben's bell, thank the lord Bridget hadn't gone with them. \"Ben, you promised me it would be different. I need you Ben and now.\" I thumped him hard. Crying and screaming as I did, and just as Bridget came running in.\n\n\"Sara, are you alright? The babies are they coming?\" I ummed as another contraction came, she stood me up and my waters broke, great. I was laid on towels on our bedroom floor screaming like there was no tomorrow. I cried screamed and swore. So unlike me, but this bloody hurt.\n\n\"Baby number one is here, push hard and we will see who the eldest is?\" I screamed at the top of my lungs as she came out. \"She is wonderful and a nice colour.\" Bridget cleared her mouth and rubbed her in the towel, as she screamed her first cry. \"She has a healthy pair of lungs, too she is beautiful, and she looks just like my Daniella Gabriella.\" I looked at her and screamed again. \"Oh little Leonardo doesn't want to wait, are you alright, I will put baby next to Daddy, so he can keep her warm?\"\n\n\"Yesss, you do it, do it now... He doesn't want to wait. How do you... Argh... Know... About my Mother, nobody knew she was called Gabrielle too... I heard you, who are you? You're here to steal my babies, aren't you? Helppppppp me please, someone help meeeee.\"\n\n\"Relax please, Sara, you're my granddaughter. Daniella Gabriella was my daughter, these two are my family too. I've known all about you, since I became your mother, my daughter's, secretary, I was horrified at the things I wrote for her. All I had ever wanted to do was find the sweet baby I had ripped from my arms and then when I finally found the courage many, many years later, what I found chilled me to the core, at first. She was a shameless pitiful wreck, ruined by greed and distinct lack of any moral compass.\n\nMy grandson was evil too. You, I did not meet until you came for the first time and saw her that day, but I read all your mothers reports on you, I looked at my granddaughter and then my great-granddaughter with such pride. You proved her wrong. She always blamed Jessica for being a bad mother, but in the end, she admitted had she given poor Jess time to explain her reasons for keeping her past a secret, instead of blaming her, things could have been so different. In her last few month's she was much changed. Her descriptions of you led me to believe she had done well not raising you.\" She was explaining and working on me.\n\n\"I ran straight after I had your mother. The nurse told him I had died having Daniella Gabriella, he didn't even come in the room and check on the damage he caused. He just said they were to bury me in the garden, the baby would be disposed of as she was damaged. The nurse was to leave her at a church. She helped me escape after she sent a telegram to William for him and Jess to come and get Daniella Gabriella. I was placed in a hospital, for my own protection, safely away from him. I was seriously ill from blood loss and complications after her birth. I desperately needed to get help and care. I had to be given a hysterectomy, such was the damage done to me, it took me months to recover and when I did, I sought out my child.\n\nI learned by this time, she had been given to Jessica to bring up as her own, by my brother, Faulkner. The nurse had kept her hidden and safe and followed my instructions to give the child to William and his wife to care for her until I could. I didn't know they had been told I had died in childbirth, the nurse was caught with Daniella, as she brought her back to the house to give her to my kindly brother and his wife, who could not have children. Mumps had left poor William barren. Faulkner took pity on his child as he gazed upon her, he must have had a tiny amount of love for her in his cold heart, helped I hope by God's guiding hand. With that same luck, William had turned up just in time to save her.\n\nThe nurse was dismissed, but she still kept a watch on the baby though, as Jessica cuddled the child and left knowing that she was safe for the time being, until I could claim her back. Faulkner could not deny her birth any longer, but within an hour of his meeting his daughter, and handing her over he had killed himself. I smiled and wished he was in the bowels of hell and praised the Lord for answering my prayers. He left a note telling them of all that he had done, who her mother was, everything. William walked in just as he pulled the trigger, he couldn't stop him, and it killed poor William too. Until I sought out the nurse who helped deliver my child and got me to safety, I knew nothing of all this.\" I screamed some more, but all this talking was calming me down too, in a strange, strange way.\n\nShe washed my face as I sweated and felt the bump, taking readings and examining me. I just wanted help, and she was doing that so well, I was strangely calmed by having Bridget by my side. She continued to talk and rubbing my back for me, as each contraction got worse. I listened to the story, I concentrated on her words and relaxed until the pains were tolerable.\n\n\"I was so afraid of Jessica rejecting me. She hated Faulkner so very much and blamed him for poor William's death, who could blame her for hating me too? They were so in love, her and her flighty travel and be damned attitude, live life to the fullest, not fill it with work and dreary things, money was not the be all and end all. She always said to William, when is enough money enough, when you're too dead to enjoy it? She made my brother so happy, he was so stressed at work before she breezed into his life. He was a much changed person, when he finally met her, his perfect partner. I thought she would hate me too, after all I had caused William to die, or rather my having a child by my brother, caused him to die.\n\nIt was not like I asked for the monster to force himself on me, or to impregnated me with his own child. That was the cruellest thing of all waiting all those months to see if she was damaged. She looked perfect in the few minutes I had her in my arms, but she cried aloud, and he knew she was alive. The nurse was hoping to say we had both died. Faulkner said he wanted the baby out of the way, and I was to be sent to the asylum, the nurse saved us both that day. Telling him I had died and then agreeing to drop the child off at the church. When I got better, I travelled to their home in Richmond and I watched her for a few days. I needed to see how she was, how Daniella was, and if they were happy.\n\nSo after I made sure Jessica was looking after Daniella, and she was, she was a very happy child. Her nurse was ever attentive, and Jessica smiled as she cuddled her daughter. How could I split them up? She had been her daughter for six happy months, and mine for but a few minutes. My faith had told me I needed to leave it be and do what I had always wanted to do and to be a missionary doctor, I wanted to become a nun and give my life to God and care for people. Both my vocations at last were to be fulfilled, as I met the last hurdle, I had no children who depended on me, Jess saw to it Daniella was safe.\n\nSo, I decided to remain dead to them, it would be much easier for them that way, don't you think? I entered the convent and it became my life's calling. I was so happy that day. The day my life with Christ started. I joined the novitiates and found a strange peace, something which was missing from my life before, and I was allowed to keep being a doctor, something else Faulkner had stopped, my dreams and hopes.\" She smiled as she mopped my brow, gave me a sip of water, and held my hand as she spoke softly. I screamed a little more as my stomach tightened, the pain was excruciating.\n\n\"You're doing very well Sara, very well. I was happy too, until a chance meeting with your mother many years later. I was back in London, attending to a priest who was ill, as his doctor. I happened upon her name in his diary, her details were there, along with her name at baptism. He was her priest, and she had made enquiries into renewing her faith. I happily went to see her at his behest, he was too ill, and his replacement was still on his way from Rome. So I went to see her, and was quite excited too... Oh, that's right Sara breathe through this one, pant, good, you're nearly there.\" I did I was asked as I looked at her. \"I went to see her, she presumed I had been sent to be her secretary, I didn't argue or tell her differently, and after an interview she hired me to write her life story, it was the perfect position for me. I didn't need to tell her who I was, and she would tell me her life story.\n\nI asked for immediate released from my vows, I told them why, and they were shocked and surprised, because I had never told them of my daughter, but now she was dying, she needed me. I was released, but in doing so, I was told I could not go back to my calling if I did. So, with a heavy heart, I became her secretary. Then her last visit to the specialist said a heart would not be found in time, and she was to make her peace whilst she could. She tried so hard to write to you but didn't. She said she didn't deserve your forgiveness. It was then we wrote the third and final book that one made me truly sick, at what she had done, what she allowed Declan to do. As luck had it, I happened across the postman one day.\n\nI received the letters from him before I entered the building, she was pleasantly surprised to see one from her granddaughter and had me reply, according to Jessica's letter, she had been writing for months, unfortunately, the nurse was intercepting the post for Declan. He was convinced there would be things of interest sent through the post regarding his inheritance. Anything like that was sent to her post office box, she wasn't stupid, and she knew I would pick it up and keep them from Declan.\n\nThat day I met you, Daniella had just told me she had not long to live, hours if she was lucky. Her breathing had become laboured, and as we had said our goodbyes, I had a feeling it would be for the last time, so I was quite sad. When she died, I decided to try to be there for you, instead. I had enough money Daniella left me plenty. So I watched you and followed you looking for a way in, then one day I spotted a man following you in Scotland. I watched, and I waited, I saw and heard about all the commotion at the big house, as I was stopping in the little guest house on the estate, run by the chap Kale and his wife, Lenny.\n\nHe would tell me the goings on, on his return. Finally, he then said your nightmares were over, they had caught all responsible, and you were returning to London. I thought you had security with you, so I followed. I watched as you pulled into the pub by the riverside and took my place in the beer garden. I was going to introduce myself, when I saw a man who had been following you. I realised he wasn't security and watched in horror as he set himself up. I wasn't as quick as I could have been, the damn door window wouldn't break.\n\nI rolled the car down, between his sights and you two, and I sat with you until the police were on the scene. I failed miserably at my last job of watch dog because you got shot.\" I screamed again, in disbelief and amazement. \"Baby number two is nearly here Sara, pant and breathe with me, deep breathes. You're doing so fantastically, one more push and we are there.\"\n\n\"You're my grandmother, you're here to help me, please help, this really hurts?\" I screamed again and wow, the pain was unbelievable, yet confusing and the feelings even stranger.\n\n\"Good yes, now shush darling, push one last time. Oh Sara, he is beautiful.\" She cleared his mouth, gave him a rub and wrapped him in a towel, handing him to me as he cried. I cried this baby cried as did my baby daughter. Bridget too cried as we were awash with so many strange feelings.\n\n\"Thank you, you really are who you say you are? You're my grandmother, it's all true and not a lie to get my babies?\"\n\n\"Everything I have told you is the truth, and I have just delivered a Great-Granddaughter and Great-Grandson, it was such a wonderful experience, thank you Sara. I actually thought my game was up. I thought Father Giovanni had recognised me at her flat, as he was best friends with Father Patrick's replacement. He was stopping with us at the rectory for a few weeks, as he had urgent family business that was making him quite poorly. He had called to give her the last rites sacrament, the new priest was his friend, and he, unfortunately, had been called to a rather more pressing appointment. I held my breath for quite a while I can tell you. He didn't recognise me. It had been a couple of weeks since last I saw him. I was always in my habit too, and we penguins all look the same to the priests.\" She laughed as she said it too.\n\n\"He was still a little distracted, he even went roaming from room to room looking for the toilet. Bless him he was a tormented man. I hadn't had a lot of contact with them to be honest. I was just the Sister who served the three priests their afternoon tea in the rectory, and he hadn't recognised me as the dowdy secretary, showing him into her room. Daniella had never seen me, well she had in old photos, but then again I was a lot older than I was in the photographs she did have for her book.\" That's why she looked familiar, I had seen the photos, in the book my mother wrote. \"Right, I have to clear up after these two, shall I put him with his sister? Just until we clear all this away, then we will get you in bed for some sleep?\"\n\n\"Ummm please, Ben can look after his children for a while.\" I heard deep and loud laughter and then a scream. I looked to the door, and Jess was stood there open mouthed and smiling.\"\n\n\"Dad, you're awake oh hell... You're awake... And you have my brother or is that my sister?\"\n\n\"I don't know Jess, I woke up when I heard an ear-piercing scream, and someone hit me, I think? Then swore at me, but I went to sleep again, and then when I woke up again because I had a crying baby in my arms. I looked down and your mom was busy having a baby. I think I may still be dreaming all this, because that story the nurse has just told is very much like the spy novel, I have been dreaming about lately. Where are we and why am I in Grandys bed and why are you having babies Sara? You didn't have them when I fell asleep, what sort of dream is this then or am I still dreaming?\"\n\n\"No Ben these are your two babies, we are at our new home in Italy, and you sleeping beauty have been in a coma for eight months, not sleeping, but recovering and for eight long and hectic months.\"\n\n\"Oh hell Mom you had the babies, wait a minute Nonna and Nonno are stopping in town for dinner. I will phone them and get them back shit Mom, Dad's awake. I will tell them to get their bums home or sorry, get Mike to get their bums home, you get yourself sorted first. What's betting she has a kitten?\"\n\n\"Sara, are you alright? You were shot the last thing I remember, and I thought you had died. Who is this then?\" His smiling face was looking down from the bed.\n\n\"That's your daughter, they are all still arguing over her name. This is your son Leonardo meet Daddy Leonardo.\" He laughed.\n\n\"Ummm it seems I have yet to see my woman pregnant. Have you finished with her nurse? My babies Mom needs to explain how I went to sleep with just Jess and woke up with another two children?\"\n\n\"This nurse is my dead grandmother, and no she really is, the story you heard was all true. Oh hell, I have loads to tell you, give me a minute please. She's busy sorting your children's mom out here.\" My heart was racing, beating ten thousand miles an hour and in desperate for a hug of him and our children.\n\n\"All done, right let's get you up on that bed, move over Sir.\" He laughed as he moved carefully with his daughter.\n\n\"Why do I have no feelings in my toes, my bum is numb too?\"\n\n\"You have been in bed over eight months. Sir was in a coma and it's good that you remember Sara was shot, many people can't even remember their names, as it is you were hurt far worse than Sara and have been sleeping. When Sara went into labour, she hit you and whilst having a contraction, she may have shouted and thumped you some more, and her doing that could have triggered your awakening. It's a good job too as she has run herself ragged caring for you.\n\nNow you will get stronger and be able to move, physiotherapy can only do so much, and though Sara spends all her time with you, exercising your legs and arms, even she isn't wonder woman. You can walk, it will just take you a while to rebuild the muscles Sir. You will be fine once you start eating, and rebuilding your strength, the Doctor will have to be called, he can check on you if you require it, though I have been dealing with your care since we arrived in Italy.\"\n\n\"Stop with the Sir thing, please? I think you can call me Ben or Leo, what have you been calling me? You said in the story I listened to you were a doctor, a nun who was a doctor is that right?\"\n\n\"Yes Ben, I was and am still a doctor, I retired to look after Sara's Mother, but yes I am a legal doctor. I called you Ben when we washed you and dressed you. If Sara let us get a look in that is, she bathed you and nursed you, learnt to change you, clean you, and feed you.\"\n\n\"Yes, I have been busy looking after the biggest baby I know again, this time for a tad more than a week and with something far worse than a cold.\" I blushed as I carefully got on the bed. The banging at the door made me jump, as Jess bounded in closely followed by everyone else.\n\nMom didn't know, whom to cuddle first or if she should just throw herself in the middle of the bed and cuddle everyone. She hugged Ben to death swearing at him for worrying her and being too lazy to wake up. Leonardo rescued his son with a hug, taking his granddaughter from him.\n\n\"Has our little girl got a name then?\"\n\n\"She is called Donatella Lark, I hope that's alright? Our son is called Leonardo Robin. I would like you all to meet my grandmother, and the person who saved our lives that awful day. Eli this is the woman who saved my life, this is Bridey, or as she is normally know as Sister Bridget, Giovanni do you not recognise her?\" He looked at her again and smiled.\n\n\"Of course, Father Patrick's doctor, how did I not see you? You were so good to him. I'm so sorry I didn't know you were Sara's relation.\"\n\n\"Don't worry about it, Father, it has been a hidden secret for far too long. I have only just been introduced officially, to her and as her grandmother, she didn't know I was until she had Donatella, such a beautiful name too.\"\n\n\"Rather explains the urgent and sudden need for you to give up your calling, a far greater calling indeed, the need to protect your grandchild and my family. Thank you.\"\n\n\"It really was my pleasure, I did it for purely selfish reasons, getting to know my daughter again, the Granddaughter and Great-Granddaughter were a pleasant bonus, and having delivered my other great-grandchildren is way more than I deserved. Now I think we all need to leave Mom and Dad and Big Sister Jessica Jay, to get some kisses in.\"\n\nThey left us alone. All be it very reluctantly on Moms part, the promises of her doing the nightshift was accepted.\n\n\"I will go in a minute too. I just need to hold Daddy for a while. He owes me more hugs, the things you do to get out of paying my allowance old man, oh and you owe me a car you slept through a birthday, we can have to have more cake now.\"\n\n\"Oh Jessica Jay, I'm so sorry. Anything you want you can have, I love you Little Bird, get up here, before I explode.\" He hugged her to near death, and as he did, he kissed her head. I watched as the twins slept in my arms, oh thank you thank you guardian angel. Jess gave me a kiss and then her siblings as she was busy hugging her Dad again, and as she did, she cried as she hugged him more.\n\n\"I have everything I wished for when I blew out my candles, you're alright again and my brother and sister are here safe. Promise me don't ever leave me again though?\" She cried herself to sleep in his arms.\n\n\"This is perfect, I think. So, what do we do now? I need to hug you too, but all our children are in the way. I went to sleep and woke up with a larger family. I'm getting too good at disappearing and walking into a bigger family. Next time can I be there right from the peeing on a stick? I saw my son being born, but missed both of my daughter's arrivals, we need to do that again.\" I laughed so loudly that Jess woke up.\n\n\"Please let me rest a while first?\" Jess nuzzled into my side and slept again.\n\n\"I will give you a few days, but I need to exercise Baby. I can't believe it I have three children can you believe it, three beautiful children, can you believe it? Yes of course you can, thank you I love you, my little Humming Bird.\" I smiled as he held the other two. I was now hugging Jessica, as she held on to me. I felt wonderful exhausted and relieved, Ben had woken from an awful nightmare. We must have looked a sight all five of us on Grandy's bed.\n\n\"Did we set a date for the wedding then? It seems I have to make three children legitimate now?\" I laughed as he kissed my head again.\n\n\"You're a romantic sod, we have to get you stronger first, and I have to lose a few pounds first. My dress won't fit.\" He kissed me again and I ummed into them.\n\nWe did marry six weeks later, in a wonderful ceremony at our home in Italy, sun shining birds singing and babies crying, seems as we were all in the one place, it was too good an opportunity to miss, so they were christened too. I had everything I wanted. My happy family in my castle in the sky, with a river and a wood's running around it, my horses in their paddocks, and Jess happy with her siblings, but better than that? I had the love of my life back in my life, living and breathing, he had died twice already, and for me that was two times too many times to die on me.\n\nThank you for reading my mystery romance novel, a first for me...\n"], ["\n\nHer\n\nCatalyst\n\n## a story of hope and love\n\n## in an alternate timeline\n\n# Background\n\n## Geoff Schultz\n\nebook format edition - distributed by www.smashwords.com\n\nCopyright 2020 by Geoff Schultz\n\nAll rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.\n\nThis is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events in this book are products of this writer's imagination or, in the case of referenced historical persons, are used fictitiously. Any other similarity to actual persons, names, or events is purely coincidental.\n\n* * * * *\n\nLicense Statement: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this writer.\n\n* * * * *\n\nNote to the Reader: The principal elements of this story were previously released under a different title by Glynn Glenn who requested that this writer rewrite and release this story under his own name.\n\nWARNING:\n\nUnlike each of the 25 Parts of Her Catalyst, Background does not have descriptive scenes of intimate pleasure experienced individually or shared between consenting adults. However, Background does have brief descriptive scenes of violence unrelated to intimacy. In addition, some of the statements and ideas expressed by the characters may be offensive to some people. The intent of this writer is not to be offensive, but to allow the characters to practice their right of the freedom of speech.\n\n* * * * *\n\nAn explanatory note:\n\nThis story takes place in an alternate time line which uses a calendar of ten months with six weeks of six days each. The remaining five days are set aside for the New Year holiday at the beginning of the year which expands to six days every fourth year.\n\nMonths are identified as 'first' through 'tenth' with the New Year holiday being the 'zero' month at the beginning of each year. The days of the week are known as: first-day, second-day, third-day, fourth-day, fifth-day, and sixth-day. Dates are recorded with four digits for the year, two digits for the month, and two digits for the day. For example, 2120-06-18 refers to the year 2120, the 6th month, and the 18th day.\n\nDays are divided into 24 hours with the start of the hour being referred to by the number followed by the word 'hundred'. For example, noon is called 'twelve hundred' and an hour later is 'thirteen hundred'. Rather than use precise times, the following abbreviations are used to designate general time periods with the dates:\n\n(n) for night or about from 0001 to 0600\n\n(m) for morning or about from 0601 to 1200\n\n(a) for afternoon or about from 1201 to 1800\n\n(e) for evening or about from 1801 to 2400\n\nFor inclusive time period listings with dates, '>' is used between time period abbreviations. For example (m>a) means from the morning into or through the afternoon. For partial time period listings with dates, (a1) is the first part of the afternoon and (a2) is the second part of the afternoon.\n\nThe cartographic coordinates used in this story to identify municipalities and other locations are based on a defined circumference of the earth of 25,000 miles divided into 1,000 units of 25 miles each. Longitudinal coordinates begin near the western edge of the Western Ocean (in the reader's timeline it's called the Pacific Ocean) and reach the 500th unit near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. While the units are 25 miles apart at the equator, their separation diminishes as the location nears the North and South poles. Latitudinal coordinates begin at the North Pole and maintain a 25 mile separation to reach the 250th unit at the equator and the 500th unit at the South Pole. After the cartographic coordinates were defined, it was discovered that the circumference of the earth around the poles is less than it is around the equator so there is some overlap of units at the North and South poles based on maintaining the 25 mile interval between units measured from the equator. For the story of why the cartographic coordinates were developed, please read The Trouble With Luck available at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/GeoffSchultz.\n\n# Background\n\n2120-06-18\n\nIn the middle of a dark and stormy night, the rain is coming down in sheets and the wind is gusting which makes it difficult for David Schmidt to keep his family vehicle in the traffic lane while he hurries his very pregnant wife to the hospital.\n\n\"Owww! Hurry, David, please!\"\n\n\"I'm going as fast as I dare, Soo-Lin. We're almost there.\"\n\nSeveral blocks away, a police officer pulls over a highly modified and over powered farm vehicle which is driving too erratically for him to ignore, even in a rain storm. Just as the police officer gets to the driver's door, the farm vehicle takes off at a high rate of acceleration and almost hits him. The police officer runs back to his patrol vehicle and takes off in hot pursuit while his rookie partner radios in the situation.\n\nWith a relieved sigh, David sees the sign for the hospital entrance ahead and turns on his right turn signal, just as another contraction convulses his wife's body. Paramedic Alice Bronson and her partner are standing under the covered entrance to the emergency room in an effort to stay out of the rain and out of the way of the emergency room while they wait for their next call. They dismiss the sound of a siren coming towards them as a normal middle-of-the-night sound. David slows down and begins to make the turn into the hospital emergency room entrance. Alice sees the family vehicle and steps back towards the door of the emergency room so the driver will have room to stop the vehicle under the covered entrance.\n\nThe driver of the farm vehicle is traveling at a high rate of speed when he enters the intersection on a red light, turns the steering wheel slightly as he notices a vehicle starting to enter the intersection from the other street, but doesn't have time to correct the direction of the vehicle before it crosses the empty oncoming traffic lanes, - \"Look out,\" Alice shouts, - slams into David's vehicle, and shoves it over the curb and between the corner of the hospital parking garage and the concrete base of a street light which immediately bends the frame of the family vehicle. David is crushed and dies instantly. The passenger door flies open and Soo-Lin is thrown towards the now open door, but her head hits the door frame and snaps her neck.\n\n\"Wreck!\" Alice yells to the second paramedic team which is standing nearby. Alice and her partner yank the crash cart out of their rescue vehicle and run to the tangled vehicles. While she guesses that any possible survivors will be on the passenger side of the family vehicle, they go around the wreck and are narrowly missed by the police officer as he brings his patrol vehicle to a sliding stop.\n\nAs soon as she runs around the back of the wrecked vehicles, Alice notices that someone is partially hanging out of the passenger door. She quickly steps closer and recognizes that the person is a very pregnant woman while her head is at an angle which is indicative of a broken neck. As her partner checks the back seat, Alice examines the woman and is unable to find a pulse, then automatically looks down the body as she checks for other injuries. When she notices a feeble movement under the woman's night shirt, Alice grabs her scissors from her belt, cuts the night shirt, and sees a baby is partially expelled from the woman.\n\nShe yells to her partner, \"Clamp!\" With a firm grip, Alice gently pulls the baby the rest of the way out of the woman, takes the clamp from her partner, applies the clamp, cuts the umbilical cord, lifts the baby, and swats the baby on the buttocks. With a cry, the baby begins to breathe. Alice yanks the sheet off of the crash cart, quickly wraps it around the baby, and runs back to the emergency room.\n\nWhile the rookie calls in the accident and requests fire department assistance, the police officer runs to the driver's side of the farm vehicle to prevent a possible escape. He climbs up on the running board, looks through the window and realizes the driver isn't going anywhere. A decorative steel pole used to support hanging plants from the parking garage has gone through the center of the driver's forehead and is sticking out the back of his head. As he steps back down, the police officer mutters something about justice being done and walks back to his patrol vehicle.\n\nSince they noticed Alice and her partner going to the passenger side of the family vehicle, the other paramedic team goes to the driver's side. A quick look makes it clear they will be unable to reach the driver because the farm vehicle has crushed the roof of the family vehicle. They follow around to the passenger side, step out of Alice's way as she runs past with a small bundle, and sees Alice's partner who is just standing there while he looks down.\n\nOne of the other paramedics asks Alice's partner, \"What'cha got?\"\n\n\"Dead woman.\"\n\n\"What about Alice?\"\n\n\"Live baby.\"\n\n\"Wow.\" They help Alice's partner take the woman out of the family vehicle and place her on the crash cart. As two of them secure the woman onto the cart, one of the paramedics crawls in the passenger side of the vehicle and checks for a pulse in the driver's hand. A moment later, he crawls back out while he shakes his head.\n\nThe emergency room staff cleans the baby and gives it a thorough examination and are surprised there appears to be nothing wrong with the baby. They speculate that the force of the accident on the seat belt across the woman's abdomen in conjunction with a contraction caused the baby to be partially expelled from her womb. The baby is examined again by Doctor Chang, the mother's obstetrician, who just arrived after she was called by David before they left for the hospital.\n\nAs she fills out the paperwork for the birth certificate, the nurse asks the obstetrician for the appropriate names. Doctor Chang is able to give the parents' names, but, at the moment, she can't remember what the parents had decided on for the baby's name so she suggests, \"Call her 'Baby Girl' for now.\"\n\n\"No, that's not her name.\"\n\nIn the stunned silence, Doctor Chang and the nurse turn towards Alice who had stayed out of the way, but hadn't let the baby out of her sight. Doctor Chang asks, \"Do you know the family?\"\n\n\"No, Doctor. I've never met them.\"\n\n\"Then how do you know what the baby's name is?\"\n\n\"I don't know what her name is, but the mother was wearing a night shirt which had these characters printed on it with an arrow pointing to her abdomen.\" She writes the characters on a piece of paper and hands it to the doctor who quickly reads it.\n\n\"Thank you. That was very observant of you.\" Doctor Chang turns back to the nurse and says, \"The baby's name is Sha-Lin. If there's a mistake, it can be corrected by the next-of-kin before the paperwork is sent in. The poor baby, a loving mother so anxious for her to be born and then this happened. I came in the front entrance, but one of the ER doctors said the mother had been killed in a vehicle wreck. Does anybody know what happened?\"\n\nAlice responds, \"Yes, Doctor. I saw it.\"\n\n\"You saw it?\" in stereo from Doctor Chang and a police officer who has just stepped into the room.\n\nAlice nods her head as she answers, \"Yes.\"\n\nThe police office suggests, \"Go ahead and give a brief version to the doctor then I can take a more detailed statement from you later. If you don't mind, I'll record it.\"\n\n\"I don't mind, Officer.\"\n\n\"Recording,\" the recorder announces.\n\n\"My partner and I were standing under the cover in front of the emergency room doors and saw the victim's family vehicle start to turn into the emergency room entrance. Then I saw a large farm vehicle cross the empty lanes and hit the driver's side of the victim's vehicle. We grabbed the crash cart and ran to the wreck. When I noticed how the farm vehicle was on top of most of the family vehicle, I guessed that if there were any survivors, they would be on the passenger side. I went around the back of the vehicles, because the front of the family vehicle was crushed against the corner of the parking garage. I was in front pulling the crash cart so I went to the front seat and left my partner to check the back seat.\n\n\"As soon as I arrived there, I saw a woman appeared to be dead with a broken neck. I didn't find a pulse while I looked along the body for other apparent injuries, but I saw that the woman was pregnant and assumed she had been on the way to the hospital to be delivered. After my eyes passed over her abdomen, I thought I saw feeble movement from under the woman's night shirt between her legs and immediately grabbed my scissors and cut the night shirt. I saw the baby was partially expelled from the woman and yelled to my partner for a clamp. The movement I saw was probably the baby's arms. I clamped the umbilical cord, cut the cord, swatted the baby, and she started to cry. I yanked the sheet off of the crash cart, wrapped it around the baby, and ran back to the emergency room. You know the rest.\"\n\n\"End of record,\" the recorder announces.\n\nDoctor Chang asks in surprise, \"It happened in the hospital driveway?\"\n\nAlice nods her head and answers, \"Yes, Doctor.\"\n\n\"So close, so very close.\" Doctor Chang looks at her name tag then says, \"Alice, thank you very much for your immediate action and correct responses. You saved this baby's life. If the parents were here, you would have their deepest gratitude. They were so looking forward to this child. Do you know what happened to the father?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Doctor. I only saw the woman and the baby. I assume it was the father who was driving the vehicle.\"\n\nThe police officer clarifies, \"One of the other paramedics on the scene said the driver was a male and was dead. We haven't been able to remove the body from the wreckage yet. From documents which were found in an overnight bag in the back seat of the vehicle, and the vehicle documents, we're tentatively identifying the male victim as,\" he looks at his paperwork, \"David Schmidt. The documents from the overnight bag were quite thorough and identified the next-of-kin as Robert Schmidt, apparently the brother of the victim, and his wife Sarah. We've already sent an officer to the address listed for Robert. We also have another officer contacting the family lawyer listed in the documents. The female victim is identified from documents as Soo-Lin Schmidt.\"\n\nDoctor Chang confirms that, \"I personally identified her as Soo-Lin Schmidt when she was brought in. She was one of my patients. One of your fellow officers was with me and filled out the paperwork. I'm sorry, but I didn't get his name.\"\n\n\"I quite understand, Doctor. Under the circumstances, I probably wouldn't have gotten the name either.\" The police officer turns to Alice, \"When would be an appropriate time for you to give a detailed statement?\"\n\n\"Now would be fine. . . . Doctor, would it be okay if I stayed with the baby while I give my statement, at least until the next-of-kin arrive? I know it sounds silly, but I've kind of grown attached to the little one.\"\n\n\"That would be wonderful, Alice. I want to check her over again. When I'm done, maybe you can hold her and rock her to sleep. When everything is settled, she should go to the special care nursery.\"\n\nAfter she gives the baby another thorough examination, Doctor Chang notes that the baby appears to have suffered nothing worse than a normal vaginal delivery. She wraps the baby back up and hands her over as she says, \"Here you go, Alice. If the next-of-kin see you first, please tell them that I would like to talk to them before they go. I want to check with them before I order any more invasive examinations or scans. I will also recommend that the baby stay for a few days for careful observation. Thank you again, Alice, and I'll be back again if I can.\"\n\nWithin moments of being rocked within Alice's arms, Sha-Lin Schmidt, born and orphaned in a single violent act, falls fast asleep in safe and friendly arms.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2125-08-15\n\nWhile they clean up after lunch, Sarah takes the dirty dishes from her daughter's helping hands.\n\n\"Mommy?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene?\"\n\n\"Diane wonders how you can be my mommy when you look different from me. She said someone told her I was adopted and that's why you look different. Am I adopted?\"\n\n\"Do you know what adopted means?\"\n\n\"Uh, no.\"\n\n\"It means that for some reason, your mommy couldn't take care of you, so some other lady was lucky enough to be chosen to be your mommy and to take care of you. Do you remember Natasha?\"\n\n\"I miss her, Mommy.\"\n\n\"I miss her, too. She was a good dog. What happened to her puppies when they didn't have a mommy?\"\n\n\"We got Nadia and she took care of the puppies.\"\n\n\"That's right. Did Nadia take good care of the puppies?\"\n\n\"Yes, she was a good mommy to the puppies.\"\n\n\"Did the puppies look like Nadia?\"\n\nSharlene pauses to remember then says, \"A little, but the puppies and Natasha had short black fur and Nadia had long white fur.\"\n\n\"Well, what Nadia did is what we call adoption. She adopted the puppies and took care of them. Well, to answer your question, Sharlene, yes, you are adopted. Your mommy very much wanted to hold you, love you, and take care of you, but she died. Then I was very lucky to be able to adopt you and be your mommy and take care of you. And that's why we look different from each other. But it doesn't stop us from loving each other, does it?\"\n\n\"No. . . . So, I had a mommy I came out of like the puppies came out of Natasha. Then my mommy died. So you adopted me like Nadia adopted the puppies and now you're my mommy.\"\n\nSarah nods her head as she responds, \"That's exactly right. It might be a little confusing to call us both mommy. I suppose you could call us 'mommy 1' and 'mommy 2'.\"\n\nSharlene giggles, \"That's silly, 'mommy 1' and 'mommy 2'.\"\n\n\"Yes, it probably is a little silly. Why don't you call the mommy you came out of, like Natasha, your mother, and you can continue to call me 'Mommy,' like Nadia was mommy to the puppies.\"\n\n\"Okay. Did you know my . . . mother?\"\n\n\"Yes. I also knew your father.\"\n\n\"My . . . father?\"\n\n\"Just like I'm your mommy and am married to your daddy, so your mother was married to your father.\"\n\n\"Um . . . then I have a mommy, a daddy, a mother, and a father,\" Sharlene holds up a finger as she lists each one. \"That's four. Wow. I can't wait until I can tell Diane.\"\n\n\"Honey, when you tell Diane, don't make her feel bad. A person like Diane is special when she's loved and has two parents and a person like you is special when she's loved and has four parents. The important thing is that you're loved by your parents, not how many parents you have.\"\n\n\"What's a parent?\"\n\n\"A parent is a general word used for either your mommy or your daddy or your mother or your father. You have four parents, a mother and a father who made you, and a mommy and a daddy who take care of you. Diane has two parents, because her mommy is also her mother and her daddy is also her father. Do you understand?\"\n\n\"I think so. Can I tell Diane?\"\n\n\"Yes, you can tell Diane. I just don't want you to tell Diane that she is less special than you are, because you are both very special. Okay?\"\n\n\"Okay. Thank you, Mommy.\"\n\n\"You're welcome, sweetheart,\" Sarah says to the back of a little girl who is running off to play.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2125-09-21\n\nSharlene finds Sarah in the kitchen and asks, \"Mommy?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene?\"\n\n\"What was my mother like?\"\n\n\"She was a very special person who loved your father and really wanted to be your mommy and love you.\"\n\n\"Did she look like me?\"\n\n\"Yes. You've seen her picture.\"\n\n\"I have? Where?\"\n\nSarah leads her to the dining room and says, \"It's right here.\"\n\n\"That's Soo-Lin.\"\n\n\"Yes. Soo-Lin was your mother.\"\n\n\"Is that why her face looks like my face?\"\n\n\"That's part of it.\"\n\n\"How come my skin is a different color from her skin?\n\n\"Who is that in the picture next to Soo-Lin?\"\n\n\"That's David. His skin looks almost like my skin. And he's holding Soo-Lin, I mean my mother. Was David my father?\"\n\n\"Yes. David was your father and Soo-Lin was your mother.\"\n\nSharlene looks more closely at the picture and asks, \"How come David, I mean my father, looks a lot like daddy?\"\n\n\"Because your father and your daddy were brothers.\"\n\n\"Brothers? You mean like Mark and Mike?\"\n\n\"Well, Mark and Mike are brothers, but they're twin brothers which are brothers who were born at the same time. Your father and your daddy are brothers more like Stephen and Luke because they were born at different times.\"\n\n\"Oh. Okay.\"\n\n\"Now, look a little closer at the picture. Can you describe the shirt your mother is wearing?\"\n\n\"Yes. It's pink with a big red arrow and it looks like little black drawings. Does it mean something?\"\n\n\"Yes. It's written in a different language, but it means, 'Sha-Lin sleeps here'.\"\n\n\"Shalean? Who's that?\"\n\n\"That was what your mother was going to name you, but it was spelled on your birth certificate as Sharlene and, well,\" Sarah briefly hesitates before she continues, \"we thought it would be less confusing to other people so we started to call you Sharlene.\"\n\n\"Oh. . . . Then that means I'm in the picture, too!\"\n\n\"You figured it out, very good. Yes, you're in the picture, but we can't see you, because you were still inside of your mother's tummy.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2125-10-09\n\nAfter dinner is cleaned up, Sarah hears, \"Mommy?\" and answers, \"Yes, Sharlene?\"\n\n\"Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Mak are your mommy and daddy.\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"And Grandma Running Deer and Grandpa Hien-rik, that's hard to say, are Daddy's mommy and daddy.\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"Would Grandma Running Deer and Grandpa Hien-rik be my father's mommy and daddy, too?\"\n\n\"Yes. And why do you think that might be?\"\n\nSharlene thinks for a moment then says, \"Um, because they're brothers and brothers have the same mommy and daddy?\"\n\n\"Very good.\"\n\n\"Who are my mother's mommy and daddy?\"\n\n\"That's a little hard to answer. Your mother's mommy was Sha-Lin.\"\n\n\"That was going to be my name.\"\n\n\"That's right, Sharlene. You were going to be named after your mother's mommy because she was a very special person to your mommy and she was sure you were going to be a special person.\"\n\n\"Have I met my mother's mommy?\"\n\n\"No. Before your mother met your father, when your mother was going to college, her mommy died.\"\n\n\"Was my mother adopted by a new mommy?\"\n\n\"No. Your mother was very sad when her mommy died, but she was old enough to take care of herself, so she didn't need a new mommy to take care of her.\"\n\n\"Who was my mother's daddy?\"\n\n\"We don't know who he was. After your mother was born, her daddy went away and nobody knows where he went.\"\n\nSharlene asks in surprise, \"Nobody knows? That's sad.\"\n\n\"Yes, it is. All we know is that he was from the European Sector and we have one picture of him.\"\n\n\"Can I see the picture?\"\n\n\"Sure you can. . . . How would you like to make a picture chart of all the mommies and daddies who made you?\"\n\n\"Oh, boy, I like charts.\"\n\nA couple of minutes later, after they gather the drawing supplies, Sarah suggests, \"Let's draw a box at the bottom of the paper for your picture.\"\n\n\"Can I put my picture there now?\"\n\n\"Why don't we draw some more boxes first and then you can put the pictures in the boxes where they belong?\"\n\n\"Okay, Mommy. Can I draw some boxes?\"\n\n\"Sure. Draw two boxes a little above the box for your picture with a little room between them. . . . That's good. Now draw a line from the bottom of each of those boxes to the top of your box. . . . Very good. Those boxes are for your mother and father.\"\n\nSharlene looks at the drawn boxes and realizes, \"What about you and Daddy?\"\n\n\"Thank you, sweetheart. We didn't help make you, but we would like our pictures on your chart. Okay, draw another box right next to the box for your father and that can be for your daddy since they're brothers. Now draw a line from the bottom of your daddy's box to the side of your box. That will show that your daddy takes care of you. Do you see the space between the boxes for your mother and father?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Leave about the same space next to your daddy's box and draw a box for me.\"\n\n\"And then a line from the bottom of your box to the side of my box to show that you take care of me.\"\n\nSarah exclaims, \"Wow! You figured that our fast. Now above your mother's box you need to draw two boxes for her mommy and daddy with lines connecting them to her box. . . . That's right. And then two boxes and two lines above my box for my mommy and daddy.\"\n\n\"Since my father and my daddy are brothers, that means they had the same mommy and daddy.\"\n\n\"That's right. So draw two boxes for their mommy and daddy. One way to show that they had the same mommy and daddy would be to draw a line from your father's box to his mommy's box and a line from your daddy's box to his daddy's box which will make a big 'X'.\"\n\n\"Like this?\"\n\n\"Very good.\"\n\n\"Mommy?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene?\"\n\n\"Didn't my grandmas and grandpas have mommies and daddies?\"\n\n\"Of course, they did. How smart of you to think of that. But I don't think you have room on your chart for that many more boxes and we don't have pictures of everyone.\"\n\n\"Can I get the pictures now?\"\n\n\"Why don't we make copies of the pictures to put on your chart and then we can keep the pictures on the wall for everybody to see and you can have pictures on your chart for yourself.\"\n\n\"I like that.\"\n\n\"Go get the pictures and bring them to the computer. We can scan the pictures and make some a little bigger and some a little smaller so they're all the same size.\" Several minutes later, Sarah asks, \"Okay, shall we print them out?\"\n\n\"Can I do it?\"\n\n\"Sure. Do you remember how? . . . Very good, Sharlene. Now while they're printing, get the glue and the scissors. Remember, no running with the scissors.\"\n\n\"I know, Mommy. . . . Can I cut out the pictures?\"\n\n\"Yes. Just take your time so you can do a nice job. . . . Very good. Now before you glue them, you want to put them in the right places first. . . . Oops, you might want to switch those two.\"\n\n\"What?\" Sharlene quickly recognizes why Sarah suggested that then giggles, \"Oh, sorry.\"\n\n\"That's better. Now take one picture at a time and glue it in place and that way the pictures won't get mixed up.\" A few minutes later, Sarah tells her, \"Wonderful. That's very good.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Mommy. Can I go show Daddy?\"\n\n\"Yes. Just make sure he's not talking on the phone or busy with something.\"\n\nSharlene carries her chart to Robert's home office and asks, \"Daddy? Are you busy?\"\n\n\"Not for you, sweetheart. What do you have?\"\n\n\"I made a chart and Mommy helped me.\"\n\n\"Really? Can I see it? Why, that's wonderful. But who are all of those people? They must be the fauns and beavers and other friends from Narian.\"\n\n\"No, silly Daddy. They're my mommies and my daddies and their mommies and daddies.\"\n\nRobert looks closer and says in mock surprise, \"Well, I'll be, you're right. Can you tell me who they are?\"\n\n\"This is my mother Soo-Lin and my father David and this is you and Mommy. The line to the side of the box says that you and Mommy didn't make me, but you and Mommy take care of me.\"\n\n\"Very good.\"\n\n\"And this is Grandpa Mak and Grandma Lucy who are Mommy's mommy and daddy. And this is Grandpa Hien-rik, that's hard to say, and Grandma Running Deer who are your mommy and daddy and this big 'X' shows that you and my father are brothers and had the same mommy and daddy.\"\n\n\"That's a smart way to show it.\"\n\n\"And this is Grandpa I don't know his name and Grandma Sha-Lin who were my mother's mommy and daddy.\"\n\n\"That's very good. What a wonderful chart.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Daddy.\" Sharlene hesitates then asks, \"Daddy?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Can I hang my chart on my wall so I can always find it and look at it when I want to?\"\n\n\"That's an excellent idea.\" Robert suggests, \"While I get my tool box, why don't you go to your room and think about where you want to put your chart and then I'll come to your room and help you hang it. Okay?\"\n\n\"Yippee!\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2125-10-13\n\nWhile Sarah is attending worship in a local church, Sharlene, in the children's class, raises her hand and asks, \"Teacher?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene.\"\n\n\"What do the colors mean in the color song?\"\n\n\"The color song?\"\n\n\"I don't know the name of the song, but it has colors in it.\"\n\n\"Can you sing it?\"\n\n\"Yes. 'Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.' That song.\"\n\n\"The colors in the song are the different skin colors of people.\"\n\nSharlene's eyes open wide in surprise before she asks, \"You mean there are people with red skin and yellow skin and black skin and white skin? Where are they? I've never seen them. I've seen people with red hair, I even saw people with blue hair and purple hair, that was funny, purple hair,\" she giggles.\n\n\"Well, the colors in the song aren't the actual skin colors of people, but represent skin colors. The red color refers to people who are from the Western Sector. The yellow color refers to people who are from the Asian Sector. The black color refers to people who are from the African Sector. And the white color refers to people who are from the European Sector. Does that help?\"\n\n\"Yes. Thank you, Teacher.\"\n\n\"You're welcome.\"\n\nA little later, near the end of the children's class, the teacher hands out line drawings which shows a child with lines to two adults and with lines from them to two more adults for each of the first adults. After the papers are handed out, the teacher tells them, \"Children, while you're waiting for your parents to come and get you, here is a drawing you can color with you at the bottom, then your mommy and daddy in the middle, and your grandparents at the top.\"\n\nA little later as the teacher goes around the room to check on the children, she asks, \"Sharlene?\"\n\n\"Yes, Teacher?\"\n\n\"You stayed within the lines very well when you colored the people, but who are these other people that you drew?\"\n\n\"That's my daddy and my mommy and my mommy's daddy and mommy.\"\n\n\"Then who are these people?\"\n\n\"That's my mother and my father, but they died. So my mommy and daddy adopted me.\"\n\n\"That was very nice of them. If this is your father and this is your daddy, why did you draw them right next to each other with lines going to the same grandparents?\"\n\n\"Because my father and my daddy were brothers and had the same mommy and daddy.\"\n\nThe teacher nods her head, \"That's a good way to draw it. I see that you colored each of your grandparents with a single color and that your mother, your father, and your daddy have two colors. Can you tell me about that?\"\n\nSharlene explains, \"This is Grandma Running Deer and you said that in the color song red meant people from the Western Sector, so I colored her red because that's where she lives. This is Grandpa Hien-rik, that's hard to say. I colored him black because he has dark skin and I've heard people say that he's black and I think he's from the African Sector. This is Grandma Sha-Lin, she had the same name I was going to have. I colored her yellow because you said yellow means the people from the Asian Sector and that's where she was from. This is my other grandpa, I don't know his name, but in his picture he had very light skin so I colored him white. And this is my Grandma Lucy and my Grandpa Mak and they have light skin too.\"\n\n\"That's interesting. So those people with two colors are from parents with two different colors?\"\n\n\"Yes. I colored me brown because my skin is like brown and all those colors mixed together make brown. My daddy tells me my skin is brown because I like to drink chocolate milk, but I think he's teasing me.\"\n\n\"Yes, he's probably teasing you. Can I make a copy of your picture? I'll bring it right back.\"\n\n\"Sure. Here you go.\"\n\nA minute later, the teacher returns the picture to Sharlene who takes the picture and shows it to Sarah who has just arrived to pick her up.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2125-10-16\n\nSarah hears the doorbell ring and opens the door to find three men standing there whom she recognizes as elders from the church she attends.\n\nThe head elder speaks for the group, \"Mrs. Schmidt?\"\n\n\"Yes. How can I help you?\"\n\n\"Can you spare a few minutes of your time?\"\n\n\"Of course, gentlemen, please come in.\" Sarah guides them to the living room and says, \"Please have a seat. Would you care for something to drink, water, iced tea, or fruit juice?\"\n\n\"No, thank you.\"\n\n\"How can I help you?\"\n\n\"It has come to our attention, that your daughter colored a picture with each of her grandparents as a different color.\"\n\n\"Just a moment, please.\" Sarah steps away and soon returns, \"Is this the picture you are referring to?\"\n\n\"I believe that's the picture.\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene showed me the picture and carefully explained who each of the people were. Somehow I doubt that you're taking the time from your busy schedules to compliment my daughter on her art work.\"\n\nThe head elder shakes his head as he responds, \"No, ma'am. It seems unusual that she would use, um, shall we say, such single and diverse colors.\"\n\n\"Well, it's true that her grandparents don't have skin the same colors as Sharlene colored them, but within the language of today's society, she was quite accurate.\"\n\n\"You mean, uh . . .\"\n\n\"Just a moment, please.\" Sarah turns towards the dining room and speaks up, \"Sharlene?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mommy?\"\n\n\"Can I borrow your chart with the pictures of your grandparents?\"\n\n\"Sure, Mommy. Do you want me to bring it?\"\n\n\"No, I can get it, you keep doing your school work.\"\n\n\"Okay, Mommy.\"\n\nSarah soon returns from Sharlene's bedroom and shows them the chart as she explains, \"Here, gentlemen, are pictures of Sharlene's grandparents. As you can see, her coloring was correct, based on how society describes ancestry to skin color.\"\n\n\"Uh . . .\"\n\n\"Gentlemen, every person on this chart, except for one, I have personally known or known somebody who knew them and they were all warm, caring, loving people. The one exception is this white man who impregnated Sharlene's grandmother and left her to raise her child alone. When Sharlene's parents . . . died, we were able to adopt her as our own child.\"\n\n\"Um, this could be a problem.\"\n\nThey hear a voice from behind them, \"What's the problem, Gentlemen?\"\n\nSarah says, \"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Robert.\"\n\n\"Your husband?\"\n\nRobert greets them, \"Hello, Gentlemen. I presume that the problem you're referring to is that Sharlene is the product of 'mixed marriages' and that to resolve the problem, you want to punish Sharlene for what her grandparents and parents did.\"\n\n\"Well, I wouldn't put it so harshly.\"\n\n\"Maybe you want to soften the words, but the intent is the same. For the sake of this discussion, shall we assume that the Bible is accurate?\"\n\nThe head elder is indignant as he exclaims, \"Of course it is!\"\n\n\"Then why don't you believe it?\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\nRobert explains, \"After the flood, the Bible clearly says that all of the people on the earth are descended from Noah and his three sons. How can you say that there are various races when there was only one to begin with and we all came from the same source? In Noah, there was only one race, which is called humanity. And the incident at the Tower of Babel wasn't to separate the so-called races, it was to put a stop to consolidated arrogance. When you talk about maintaining the purity of your race, you're really encouraging the splintering of the human race. And when you splinter the human race far enough and put it into isolated pockets, you don't get a pure race, you get inbreeding with dangerous genetic mutations.\n\n\"Why do you want to separate people based on their skin color or where their recent ancestors came from? Why not separate people based on the color of their eyes, or the length of their big toe, or the number of swirls in their fingerprints, or the hour of the day on which they were born? Gentlemen, I'm sorry. I didn't intend to get on my soap box, but please take the time to think, to be honest, and to read what's actually in the Bible. Don't take your prejudices in with you. If you don't want Sharlene or me to attend your church because you're prejudiced against people with colored skin, that's fine. But at least be honest and say so.\"\n\nThe head elder proclaims, \"We couldn't do that.\"\n\nRobert asks, \"Why not? I'd rather you be honest, than that you lie about your motives and hide it under some fancy theological jargon which won't stand up in the light of the Bible.\"\n\n\"Well, . . . um, . . . uh . . . .\"\n\n\"Gentlemen, thank you for coming and sharing your valuable time. I think you've given us plenty to think about for now. Good day.\"\n\nA few minutes after the church elders have left, Robert takes Sarah into his arms and suggests, \"Honey, I think it's time we moved back to the Trader Sector.\"\n\n\"Oh dear. Do you think so?\"\n\n\"For Sharlene's sake, yes. So far, I don't think she's noticed the strange looks she gets wherever she goes, but it won't be long before the prejudice becomes more obvious and dangerous.\"\n\n\"You're probably right. But to go back . . . .\"\n\n\"Has the pain of your memories been less since we've been here?\"\n\n\"No. What about the business?\"\n\n\"I can do my work just as well from the company headquarters since the local office runs quite well on its own. If there's a problem, we can always teleconference or I can fly over.\"\n\n\"But there will be more things to remind me of . . . . I still can't say it.\"\n\n\"I know, but if we move, you'll be closer to your parents and Sharlene will be closer to her grandparents.\"\n\n\"That's true. . . . Okay, Robert.\"\n\n\"Did you want to talk to your parents and see if you can stay with them for a few weeks until we can buy a new home?\"\n\n\"Yes. Sharlene will probably see it as a vacation while she helps out on the farm. Thank you, Robert. Let's do it.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2127-04-34\n\nA week has passed and the proper ceremonies have been conducted. Maria is free from any kind of infection, either physical or spiritual. And the issue from her womb has remained flesh and blood and is quite normally breathing, sleeping, eating, and defecating. Pablo can now claim to have a living daughter. Hopefully this one will live more than a handful of years like his and Maria's first daughter. Her full name has been entered into the cultural records which lists her matriarchal lineage out for many generations.\n\nWhile he has to swallow some pride, Pablo takes the Trader Sector government's certificate of live birth form to a nephew who isn't even an adult yet to help him fill out the required information in the standard language. Since there's only room for three names, they list Pablo's daughter's first three names: her given name, her mother's name, and her assigned Great Aunt's name. Her grandmother's name is her fourth name because her third name is that of the woman who will be Pablo and Maria's daughter's mentor into the traditions of their culture who also happens to be her actual related great aunt. After the form has been turned in to the local government office and registered, Angelisa Maria Sohneetuh becomes an official child citizen.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-04\n\n\"Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene?\"\n\n\"How did my mother die?\"\n\n\"Oh dear!\" Sarah quickly moves to a chair and sits down.\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, but I've been dreading the day you were going to ask that question.\"\n\nSharlene is puzzled at that response so she asks, \"Why have you dreaded it? Did my mother do something wrong?\"\n\n\"Oh no, not at all. Neither your mother nor your father did anything wrong.\"\n\n\"Did my mother and father die at the same time? I seem to understand it as though it was implied, but I don't know that it was ever clearly stated.\"\n\nSarah pauses before she nods her head, \"Yes, they died at the same time. We probably haven't outright said it. It was one of the subjects which your dad and I along with your grandparents have had numerous discussions about and were never comfortable with the options of when to tell you the details. We finally decided that the best way for us to know when you were ready to learn more details, would be when you asked for more details. We don't know if it will end up being the right decision or a wrong decision. We didn't want to hide any of the truth from you, but we also didn't want to tell you things you might have been too young to understand.\"\n\n\"You mean like when you told me I was adopted, you used the story of how Nadia took care of Natasha's puppies after she died?\"\n\n\"Yes. If we had told you that your mother died and we had adopted you, it probably would have confused you more. But by relating it to something you knew about, you were able to see the connection and understand it.\"\n\n\"That makes sense. If they didn't do something wrong, what's so dreadful about telling me?\"\n\n\"Because, Sharlene, it's very sad. And I feel upset, hurt, and angry whenever I remember it, even after all these years.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Mom, I don't want to hurt you, but I really want to know. Is there someone else I can ask?\"\n\n\"Let me give you the very basic story and then you can talk to the person who can tell you all of the details you want to know. Does that sound okay?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nSarah hesitates before she briefly explains, \"Your father was driving your mother to the hospital because you were about to be born. As they turned into the hospital emergency entrance, a large farm vehicle driven by a drunk driver crashed into your father's vehicle and killed them. A paramedic saw it happen, ran to the wreck, saw that your mother was dead, found you, helped you finish being born, and carried you to the hospital emergency room. The doctors examined you to make sure you were okay and the paramedic stayed with you the whole time. In fact, when a policeman brought your dad to the hospital after the accident, the paramedic was holding you while you slept.\"\n\n\"Is that why you always speak so strongly against a person being drunk while they're driving a vehicle?\"\n\n\"The family has always been against people drinking alcohol in excess, but the death of your mother and father added a very strong personal argument to the issue.\"\n\n\"So who do I talk to who can tell me all of the details?\" Sharlene briefly pauses in thought then remembers, \"Wait a minute. You said a paramedic saw it happen.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"I know a paramedic, Alice. Was Alice the paramedic who saw it and helped me to be born and stayed with me?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sharlene, Alice was the paramedic and she's watched over you ever since. She also made copies of everything related to the whole situation so that when you were ready to know the details, she could give them to you, as much or as little as you want to know. I'll warn you, some of the details are very unpleasant and you might want to wait a few years before you ask for all of the details. But the family and Alice have talked about it and will give you any details you ask for. And you know the saying . . . .\"\n\n\"Be careful what you ask for, because you might get it. I understand the warning, Mom. Can I think about it for a few days before I ask Alice for the details?\"\n\n\"Of course. Why don't I call Alice and let her know you're thinking about it. She might have a way of relating the details in layers so when you talk to her, you can decide how deep into the layers of details you might want to go. After you've had some time to think about it, you can call Alice and make the arrangements to meet with her and talk about it.\"\n\n\"You mean to set up a meeting like Dad does when he talks to someone and says he wants to meet with them at 'x' time in 'y' place for a period of time to discuss 'z'?\"\n\nSarah nods her head as she answers, \"That's right, Sharlene. You can probably be less formal with Alice, but the concept is the same. Remember, she works some odd hours, so it may be a few days after you decide before you can talk to her or meet with her.\"\n\n\"I understand. Mom, would it be okay if I invited Alice here for lunch or dinner and then we can talk afterwards?\"\n\n\"Sure, but if you do the inviting, then that means you're the hostess, so you'll need to organize and prepare the meal and clean up after it.\"\n\n\"Um, I suppose that means something more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.\"\n\n\"I think you can do better than that. Oh, one more warning before you talk to Alice. She's been a paramedic for many years and has seen a lot of very bad things. To do her job, she's had to try to ignore some of those things and not let them bother her. Alice is very nice and would never try to hurt you or anyone else, but sometimes she forgets that things which don't bother her can upset someone else very much.\"\n\n\"You mean like some people can watch and talk about animal shows where the predators eat their prey and other people can't watch them at all?\"\n\n\"That's what I mean.\"\n\n\"Okay. Thanks, Mom.\"\n\n\"You're welcome, Sharlene.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-15 (a1)\n\n\"Thank you, Sharlene. That was a very good meal.\"\n\n\"You're welcome, Alice.\"\n\n\"I understand you made it yourself?\"\n\n\"Mom helped. But she said that if I was going to invite you to a meal, especially when it was my idea, then I was the hostess and it was my responsibility to make it a success and not pawn off the duty onto someone else.\"\n\n\"Smart lady, your mom,\" Alice winks at Sarah.\n\n\"I guess Mom figures I need to expand my social skills beyond beating up obnoxious boys.\" Sharlene gives her mom a significant glance.\n\n\"So, you go around beating up obnoxious boys? How long does it take you to identify them as obnoxious? And do you limit it to just obnoxious boys? What about obnoxious girls? I don't know, Sharlene, it sounds like you're somewhat discriminatory.\"\n\n\"Alice!?!\"\n\nShe answers in a voice of surprised innocence, \"Yes?\"\n\n\"I don't go around beating up anybody. It's just that . . . well, . . . a couple of days ago, two new boys came to the martial arts class I attend and started in on me about being small and being a girl and that martial arts was a man's sport. They were both at least a head taller than I am and weighed quite a bit more. They were probably in their late teens. Even though I tried to ignore it, the coach could see that I was starting to get upset, so he called the two new boys to the front of the class and asked them what their style and levels were. After they told him, the coach just stood there like he was thinking something over long enough for the smug smiles on the two boys to dim some. He then called me to the front of the class. Come on, Mom, the coach was right there, he wasn't going to let me get seriously hurt.\"\n\n\"I know, Sharlene. I just don't like the violence.\"\n\n\"I don't either, Mom, but if I can't defend myself, I'll end up being a victim.\"\n\n\"Smart girl, 'mom',\" Alice winks at Sharlene.\n\nShe continues her story, \"Before I got to the front of the class, two of the other students stopped me and stepped up to the coach in my place. Both of them are bigger and probably older than the two new boys. 'Coach,' they said, 'we respect Sharlene and don't like the way these two BOYS insulted her. We would like to stand in her stead so she doesn't have to dirty her hands to demonstrate her honor to these two.' The coach looked at them for a moment before he responded, 'Gentlemen, I appreciate your concern, but there are times when each person must get their own hands dirty.' A moment later, the bigger of my two fellow students turned to the two new boys said, 'If I hear that you've bothered Sharlene again, I'll deal with you, outside of class.'\n\n\"As my two fellow students stepped back to their places, I gave them both a big hug and whispered, 'Thank you,' to each of them. I thought the coach would chastise me for breaking class decorum, but when he called me to the front of the class again, I could hear the laughter in his voice. As I stepped forward, the other students along the way reached out to touch me, grab my hand, or pat me on the back. I never realized before how much they cared about me and supported me. It was a wonderful feeling, yet it was also humbling at the same time.\n\n\"When I arrived at the mat in front of the class, the coach clearly said for all to hear, 'Sharlene, you may defend yourself to the extent which you feel is necessary to protect yourself.' Then he turned to the two boys and said, 'Young men, she accepts your challenge.' One of them looked at me, looked at the coach, looked at me, looked back at the coach, and asked, 'Both of us against HER?' 'Both of you or one at a time, that's up to you,' replied the coach, 'you may begin.'\n\n\"The two boys turned their backs to me to whisper to each other which was really stupid because I could have attacked them, except the coach had clearly said, 'defend'. After they finished whispering, they slapped raised palms, flexed their muscles, waved their arms around, and got into position. I just stood there, relaxed, slowed my breathing, and centered myself, just like I had been taught. This was the first time I needed to use my training outside of very controlled practices or the rules of a tournament.\n\n\"As they attacked me, I didn't think, I let my training guide my body. It was like I stepped outside of myself and watched it happen as though I was just an observer. When it was over, I found myself standing in position and the two boys were both curled up on the exercise mat and groaning. After I relaxed from my defensive posture, I gave the boys a slight bow and said, 'Thank you for the exercise.' As I straightened up, the coach gave me a grin and a wink. I stepped away from the center mat and my fellow students surrounded me and congratulated me. Some even thanked me for showing what the training could do. It felt wonderful. I don't think I had ever before felt the sense of 'belonging to the group' like I did then. I think I hugged every one of them.\n\n\"After a few minutes, the coach clapped his hands and we quickly quieted and returned to our places. He told the class, 'Sharlene's honor has been demonstrated and my honor has been preserved, since it has been my privileged duty to train her.' To the two new boys, who were then starting to sit up, he said, 'Young men, you will leave this class and you will leave Sharlene and these other students alone. The only way you can come here as a student, is if you come to me individually and in humility, apologize for disturbing the class, and beg to be a student. If I do not believe you are sincere, you will not be allowed to enter. You may now leave.' After the two boys got to their feet and stumbled out, the coach sent his assistant to make sure they left the building. Then he guided us back to our practice and drills as though nothing had happened.\"\n\nSharlene takes a quick drink before she continues, \"When the class was over, I hung back and waited until the other students had left and asked the coach if I could talk to him. He indicated agreement, so I asked him what he meant when he said my honor was demonstrated. He did the typical 'teacher thing' and instead of answering, he asked me what I thought he meant. I said that after he said, 'begin', when the two boys turned their backs on me, I could have attacked them, but that I had followed his instruction to 'defend' and only to the point of protecting myself. He responded, 'That's what I meant by your honor demonstrated. You defended yourself by incapacitating your attackers, but without causing them any real harm except to their egos. Now, I have a question for you, could you have hurt them more?' I had to think about that one for a little while then said, 'Yes.'\n\n\"He explained, 'Thus you have learned two valuable lessons today: one, you can protect yourself even when the attacker has all of the obvious advantages, height, weight, reach, strength, and age which presumes experience; two, you responded to the attack with the minimum force necessary to accomplish your task of protecting yourself. In addition to what you learned, you provided your fellow students with a valuable lesson, that the training works and that they can defend themselves. Many people, young and old, take martial arts classes because their parents insisted, or it looks cool, or for the exercise, or to be the toughest kid on the block. Few really believe they will ever be in a situation where they have to defend themselves.'\n\n\"He let me think about that for a few moments before he went on, 'That's why I didn't allow your friends to defend you, but required you to get your own hands dirty. You're the smallest student in the class and one of the youngest and I'm sure that your fellow students are telling themselves, even if they only do it subconsciously, that \"if Sharlene can do it, then I can do it, too\". I can safely predict that several of your fellow students will take more interest in their training and work harder at their practice, because they've seen before their very own eyes, how real the need can be and how successful the results can be. You helped the lesson by facing the conflict calmly and left it calmly without gloating which showed that you are neither a bully nor trying to impress someone. For that I thank you.' All I could do was tell him I appreciated him taking the time to talk to me and to thank him for his patience and training. To the surprise of both of us, I gave him a quick hug, said, 'Thank you,' again and left.\"\n\nAlice grins as she exclaims, \"That's excellent, Sharlene. I would have liked to have been there.\" She turns and says, \"Sarah, I know you're not keen on martial arts training, especially for your little girl, but believe me, I wish many other young women had the training which Sharlene has received. It would make a very positive difference in so many of their lives and the tragedies I've seen. For them to be able to defend themselves and to have the confidence to do so, could have possibly prevented the lives of many young women from being destroyed. Sharlene's coach also sounds wise in helping her to understand the choices she has available before, during, and after a crisis situation.\" Alice turns back to Sharlene and asks, \"So, what has your coach said to do if you're in a similar situation on the street and your potential assailant is momentarily distracted?\"\n\n\"Excuse my language, Mom, but our coach said to run like hell and lose ourselves in a crowd or in a store.\"\n\n\"And if there's no crowd to lose yourself in?\"\n\n\"He said to run even faster.\"\n\nAlice laughs then proclaims, \"Wonderful! I think I'd like to meet your coach someday. I'm going to stick my nose in here a little. Sarah, I want to encourage you to help Sharlene keep up on her training. Sharlene, continue your training, but more so, when you meet other young women, especially those who are vulnerable to being victims, you'll recognize them more quickly as you grow older, find a way to get them into martial arts training with a good coach. You won't save the world, but every young woman who you can encourage to gain self-defense skills and self-confidence, you will have saved their world.\"\n\nSarah responds, \"Alice, thank you for your encouragement. Despite my personal feelings, I know it's the right thing for Sharlene to be taking martial arts training. Sometimes it helps to have a reminder that it really is needed, especially from someone who's seen what happens when the training isn't available.\"\n\n\"Sarah, you've been a good mom.\"\n\n\"Thank you again, Alice. Now I'm going to change the subject. Would you like some more iced tea?\"\n\n\"Gee, I thought Sharlene was supposed to be the hostess. I'm teasing you, kiddo. I think you have other things on your mind. Yes, please, Sarah. I think I'll use the restroom before we go any further.\"\n\nWhen Alice steps out of the room, Sarah turns to Sharlene and asks, \"Do you want me to sit in while Alice tells you about your parents?\"\n\n\"That's up to you, Mom. I know you know what happened and I know you don't like to think or talk about it. I think I can handle it. I'm pretty sure Alice will take it in small steps. Why don't I start out listening to Alice alone, but if it gets to be too much, I'll come get you or if I can get through it, maybe I can come to you later and have a good cry. Would that be okay?\"\n\n\"Of course, dear.\"\n\n\"Should I take Alice to another room to talk about it?\"\n\n\"That won't be necessary. Go ahead and stay here if you're comfortable unless Alice needs to use the computer or something.\"\n\n\"Okay. Somehow it seems like now is the right time to learn about this.\"\n\n\"You're probably right. Let me know if you need me.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Mom.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-15 (a2)\n\nAlice returns and since she sees only Sharlene, she asks, \"Did Sarah decide to sit this one out?\"\n\n\"Yes. It distresses her to think or talk about my mother's death.\"\n\n\"Don't be too hard on her, I think she's been a very good mom for you. She's a sensitive lady and your mother's death was a very tragic event for her. There was more going on than I'm willing or at liberty to tell you about and just telling you that much might be opening up a can of worms. I can tell you about your mother and father's deaths and I can tell you some of the things which happened afterwards, but for some of the other related events, you're going to have to talk to somebody else. If your mom will talk about it, that would be good, but, Sharlene, whatever you do, don't push her. I really mean it, don't push her to talk about it.\"\n\n\"You're serious.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she responds, \"Yes, I'm very serious. I don't mean to scare you, but I want to emphasize how serious I am. If you push her to talk about the related events, it could hurt her very very much. On second thought, don't even ask her about it. If you think you want to know, talk to one of your grandmothers, or better yet, your aunt Paula. Be patient, wait a few weeks after we talk and then see if you can arrange some time alone with your aunt. Okay?\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\n\"Let's go back to the subject of your mother and father's deaths. I'm going to start by asking you some questions. The reason is that I want to know how much you already know so I don't repeat what someone else has told you and to get an idea of how deep into the details you might be ready to go. As I talk, if there's something you don't understand, please interrupt and ask. At the end, if you have questions about anything, ask and I'll see if I can answer them. Do you have any questions so far?\"\n\n\"No, but you haven't really said anything.\"\n\n\"About the subject matter, no, but I want to make sure you understand how I'm going to approach the subject matter.\"\n\n\"Oh. Okay, Alice. No questions so far.\"\n\n\"What do you know about how your mother and father died?\"\n\n\"Mom told me a few days ago that my father was driving my mother to the hospital because I was about to be born. As they turned into the hospital entrance, a drunk driver in a farm vehicle hit their vehicle and killed them. A paramedic saw it happen, ran to the wreck, saw my mother was dead, found me, helped me finish being born, carried me to the emergency room where the doctors examined me, and the paramedic stayed with me until Dad got to the hospital. When I questioned her, Mom said you were the paramedic.\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry it never occurred to me before, but,\" Sharlene steps around the table, gives Alice a hug, and says, \"thank you for saving me.\"\n\n\"You're welcome. I'm very glad I was there and was able to save you. I can truthfully say I was just doing my duty, but it's been a real pleasure for me to watch you grow up and for me to be welcomed by your family and by you. Every time I see you or spend time with your family, I'm reminded of why I do my job and how it helps real people. It gives me the strength to keep going. Even with all of the bad things I see, in the back of my head is the thought that at the next emergency I go to, maybe I'll save another Sharlene.\"\n\nWhen she notices the surprised look on her face, Alice nods her head and assures her, \"Yes, really. And I'm not saying it just to make you feel good. Most of us have an emergency we responded to which is special in our minds, usually one that happened early in our career, one that waves a flag and says, 'This is why I'm a paramedic.' Saving Sharlene happens to be the emergency which waves a flag in my mind.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Alice,\" she gives her another hug.\n\n\"Thank you, Sharlene, for giving me hope. And if you keep giving out hugs, I'm going to have to visit more often to get my selfish share of them. Alright, sit down here next to me and we'll move on. So, how do you feel about the death of your mother and father?\"\n\n\"That's kind of hard to say. When the family talks about them, it's like everybody's read the same book and they're telling me bits and pieces of the story without any order. I understand they were my biological parents, but I never met them so it's hard to have a personal feeling. I can feel more sadness about our dog, Natasha, dying than about my parents. And then that makes me feel guilty for not being sad about them, especially when the rest of the family is feeling sad. I like to hear the stories about my biological parents, what they were like and the things they did, but sooner or later the talk turns to how sad it was they died and what their lives could have been like if they had lived. Usually by then, I've slipped out of the room.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she responds, \"I understand what you mean. I don't have the same personal experience you have, but I've talked to a lot of people who had very similar experiences and their feelings are just like yours. They think they ought to be sad because everyone around them is sad, but there's no personal impact to cause the sadness. One trick some people have used to fit in with a sad family gathering is to think of something sad from their own life, to sort of transfer the feeling of sadness from a known person to an unknown person. For you, it might be thinking about Natasha when the family is talking about your biological parents. The trick doesn't always work, and it's somewhat dishonest, but for some people who feel the need to fit in, it sometimes helps.\"\n\nSharlene hesitates before she says, \"I hope it doesn't sound too harsh, but sometimes I think of my biological parents as test tubes. The ingredients are mixed up and out pops me. When somebody says the word 'parents', what comes to my mind is Mom and Dad. I've known them, they've taken care of me, they're my parents as far as I'm concerned. If something happened to them, then I really would feel the sadness and probably be very angry at whoever took them away from me. I suppose I'm lucky compared to some kids who have lost one or both of their biological parents and didn't have somebody willing to step in to be mom and dad to them.\"\n\n\"You're right about being lucky and I'm glad you recognize it. To summarize so far, you know the basic facts that your mother and father were killed in a vehicle wreck caused by a drunk driver and there's no personal energy associated with the facts, because you didn't personally know them. If the family didn't bring up the relationship, it would be like you read about the wreck in the newspaper or saw it on the television news.\"\n\n\"Yes, that's about right.\"\n\n\"Another question, have you watched any television shows or movies about police officers or paramedics?\"\n\n\"I've seen a couple of episodes and parts of others when I was bored and flipped channels.\"\n\n\"What did you think of them?\"\n\nSharlene hesitates a little before she expresses her opinion, \"Mostly, I thought they were overdone. Too much panic, too much reaction, the lines were either just above the grunt of an ape or they're trying to sound like Shakespeare while they're clamping off a blood vessel in a gaping wound. And the women with their fancy hair, perfect makeup, and jewelry look like they just need to take off their uniform and we'll see that they're wearing some designer evening gown and are ready to go to some fancy party rather than to a vehicle wreck.\"\n\nAlice starts to chuckle at the idea of Shakespeare clamping off a blood vessel and is laughing out loud when Sharlene finishes her description. It takes her a couple of minutes for her laughter to diminish to chuckles before she can verbally respond, \"Oh, that's got to be one of the best descriptions of those shows I've ever heard. Marvelous, simply marvelous.\" When she notices her puzzled smile, she explains, \"I'm sorry, Sharlene, I'm not laughing at you. Your description matches those shows which are nothing like real life. I was just imagining myself coming off shift where we went to two vehicle wrecks and pulled a drowned baby out of a pool. I'm covered in blood, I'm hot and sweaty, I'm angry at the stupidity of people who let a baby drown in a pool, and a television producer thinks I'm ready to yank off my uniform and go party all night long. The contrast between the two is so ridiculous, that we treat it as funny instead of sad.\"\n\n\"I think I understand that, even if I don't feel it. I think it might be like Grandpa when he talks about politicians and can only laugh at them because they haven't got a clue, otherwise he would be depressed at the sadness of the situation.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she says, \"Yep, you understand. It's sad to say, but in a few years, you'll probably feel it as well. Okay, on to the next step. Do you have any idea what caused the death of your mother and father?\"\n\n\"All I heard is that they were killed in their vehicle when the drunk driver's farm vehicle hit them.\"\n\n\"When you heard that, did you have any kind of mental image?\"\n\n\"I've seen vehicle wrecks in television shows and there's usually broken windows with the flying glass cutting people, or the vehicle gets hit in front or back and the people hurt their necks, or the vehicle gets knocked off the road, rolls a few times, dents the roof, and the people are hurt with maybe a broken bone. When I hear killed in a vehicle wreck, no image seems to fit.\"\n\n\"That makes sense. Before I go on, do you have any questions?\"\n\nSharlene pauses before she answers, \"One thing which puzzles me is I was told that you helped me be born. How did you help me? Aren't babies just born?\"\n\n\"Have you seen any kind of birth?\"\n\n\"Yes. I saw Natasha give birth to puppies and I've seen some television shows of other animals being born.\"\n\n\"Did Natasha experience any problems?\"\n\n\"No. They just seemed to slide out, Natasha licked them clean and we moved them closer to Natasha's tummy so they could drink her milk.\"\n\n\"Do you know how a baby grows inside of its mother?\"\n\n\"Kind of. I have a book that describes it.\"\n\nAlice suggests, \"Why don't you get the book and maybe that will help me explain.\"\n\nSharlene is soon back and hands her the book as she says, \"Here it is.\"\n\n\"Okay, here's a drawing of a baby about to be born. The baby fills up the mother's lower abdomen, the baby's head is down, and the umbilical cord, here, connects the baby and the mother. When the baby comes out of the mother, the hole for the baby is barely big enough for the baby's head to come out, so the mother has to push the baby out with her abdominal muscles. Once the baby's head and shoulders come out, like it shows here, then the rest of the baby usually comes out rather easily. Then the umbilical cord is clamped, like in this picture, and cut to separate the baby and the mother. The baby is then cleaned up, examined by the doctor, and given to the mother to hold. Do you have any questions about that?\"\n\n\"Um, no. I assume that something was different for me.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she responds, \"Yes. Let's go back a couple of pictures to where the head and shoulders are out. I don't know exactly why, but you were stuck just a little past this point so your arms were out and your legs were still inside of your mother. When I found you, I pulled you the rest of the way out, clamped the umbilical cord, cut it, spanked you, covered you up, and ran you to the emergency room.\"\n\nSharlene takes most of a minute to get over her surprise and asks, \"Why did you spank me?\"\n\n\"To encourage you to breathe. When a baby is inside of its mother, it's in liquid and doesn't breathe air, so when it's born, it has to learn very quickly how to breathe air and one of the fastest ways to help the baby learn, is to spank it. The pain on the bottom causes the baby to suck in air and it starts to breathe, usually with some crying. The pain and the crying soon stop and the baby is usually breathing as though it was very normal. Does that answer your question about how I helped you to be born?\"\n\n\"Yes, thank you.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-15 (a3)\n\nAlice pauses to take a drink before she continues, \"Now, Sharlene, on to the question of how your mother and father died. From what you've seen on television and so forth, it seems like the vehicle can be busted up badly, but people live through it, so you don't understand how your mother and father died. Is that a fair statement?\"\n\n\"Yes, I did wonder about that.\"\n\n\"To clarify, the damage to a vehicle often doesn't reflect the damage done to the people inside. I've seen times where a vehicle looked like it had been run over by a military tank, but when the vehicle was finally cut open, the person inside didn't have a scratch. Other times, a vehicle will barely have a dent, but the people inside are dead. Or a vehicle will be pretty bashed up and one person inside will have serious injuries and the person who was sitting next to them will climb out of the vehicle as though they had just parked at the grocery store.\"\n\n\"So when you go on a call, and see a wrecked vehicle, you don't know what the condition of the people inside will be.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she responds, \"That's right. Now for your mother and father, I brought a two dimensional map board showing where the wreck occurred and I'll walk you through what happened. First, let me set the scene. It was in the middle of the night and it was very stormy. The rain was heavy and the wind was blowing in strong gusts. Usually, when a first child is born, it can be several hours from the time the mother feels the first contractions until the baby is born. In your mother's case, it was a much shorter period of time. It was very close to the time for you to be born when your father called your mother's doctor and drove your mother to the hospital. On the map board, this cutout will represent your father's vehicle and this bigger cutout will represent the farm vehicle.\n\n\"As they came down this street, your father slowed down and started to turn into the hospital entrance here. At the same time, the farm vehicle was going fast and ran through the red light at this intersection, swerved slightly to avoid a vehicle which was coming along the other street, and came across the street at an angle like this. Your father's vehicle had completed the turn when the farm vehicle hit your father's vehicle about here, shoved it across the sidewalk and between the corner of the parking garage here and a concrete support for a street light here. Your mom says you're good at physical science. For the moment, Sharlene, I want you to take off your hat which is concerned about what happened to your biological parents and put on your scientist's hat. What do you think happened to the vehicles based on how I described their collision?\"\n\n\"Well, . . . I would guess . . . that . . . the front of the vehicle would be crushed against the . . . hold it . . . how high were the family vehicle and the farm vehicle?\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she responds, \"That's a good question. Let me get out another map board, this one is in three dimensions and shows the parking garage here, the street light here, the sidewalk in front of it, the curb, and the street. This model represents the family vehicle and this one, the farm vehicle. The farm vehicle comes across the street and hits the family vehicle here. What happens next?\"\n\n\"My first thought is the farm vehicle would roll over the top of the family vehicle because of the difference in their heights. But I'm missing something.\"\n\n\"What was the weather like?\"\n\n\"Raining.\"\n\n\"What does rain do to vehicle tires?\"\n\n\"They become slippery and slide.\" Sharlene thinks for a moment then guesses, \"So, when the farm vehicle hit the family vehicle here, the family vehicle slid across the curb and sidewalk until it hit the parking garage, then the farm vehicle climbed on top of the family vehicle until it hit the parking garage and the weight of the farm vehicle crushed the family vehicle roof.\"\n\n\"That's essentially what happened. . . . Now, what happened to the people inside of the family vehicle?\"\n\n\"Um, the driver would be my father and sit here . . . oh . . . .\"\n\n\"Sharlene, are you okay?\"\n\n\"I'm beginning . . . to build an image . . . in my mind . . . it's not pretty.\" Sharlene quickly turns into Alice's arms and breaks down and cries. After several minutes and some tissues which were within reach, the tears subside, but when she glances at the three dimensional map board, it brings the tears back. A couple of minutes and several tissues later, Sharlene looks up and with a hard glint to her eyes, she stares at the map board for a long time.\n\n\"Sharlene?\"\n\n\"I'll be okay. . . . It's just that . . . when I went . . . through the scenario . . . in my head . . . all of a sudden . . . my father . . . my mother . . .\" the tears renew their path down her cheeks, \". . . all of a sudden . . . my father . . . my mother . . . became . . . real people . . . and not . . . story book characters.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Sharlene.\"\n\n\"No. . . . I had to know. . . . You let me figure it out. . . . He was crushed, wasn't he?\"\n\nThis time, Alice can only nod her head with tears in her eyes. They hug and cry together for several long minutes.\n\n\"I didn't know it could hurt so much. No wonder the family is always sad when they talk about my mother and father.\" Sharlene shakes her head as she says, \"What a way for the light to dawn.\"\n\n\"Sometimes it's the only way.\"\n\n\"How can you be a paramedic and see it all of the time?\"\n\n\"We remember the successes, like you. We also tend to develop a rather morbid sense of humor.\"\n\n\"Laugh, otherwise you'll be very depressed at the sadness of the situation.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she agrees, \"That's it.\"\n\n\"What about my mother?\"\n\n\"What do you think?\"\n\n\"Based on this diagram and on the fact that I survived, she wasn't crushed.\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\nSharlene hesitates then asks, \"Can you explain, Alice? . . . I don't think I'm up to any more guesses.\"\n\n\"Okay. I won't claim to understand the physics of it, but apparently, when the farm vehicle hit your father's vehicle here and forced his vehicle between the parking garage and the street light support, it bent the frame enough so the front passenger door flew open. The parking garage stopped the momentum of the vehicle, but it didn't stop the momentum of the people who were inside of the vehicle.\"\n\n\"So my mother . . . was thrown . . . out of the vehicle?\"\n\n\"Not quite. She was wearing her seat belt and her seat was partially reclined. So when . . . so when . . . I'm sorry. . .\" tears stream down Alice's face before she partially regains her composure, \". . . so when her body . . . was partially thrown from the vehicle . . . her head . . . hit the door jamb . . . and broke her neck. . . . Later, the doctors found . . . that her brain . . . had suffered . . . massive damage.\" Several minutes later when her emotions are under more control, Alice says, \"I'm sorry, Sharlene. I didn't mean to make you sadder. I'm usually not so emotional.\"\n\n\"Thank you for telling me about my parents. I think it will take some time for it all to sink in. You don't get to cry about the sad things you see, do you?\"\n\nAlice shakes her head then verbally answers, \"No. It would make it harder to do my job and go out on the next call.\"\n\n\"So you have to just hold it all in?\"\n\n\"Yes. Some people try to forget about it by going to lots of parties or drinking a lot. Or they become callous and only have friends who are callous. Or they do all of it, just to escape the pain.\"\n\nThe silence stretches to minutes as they sit there with their own thoughts while they hold each other's hand for comfort. Alice picks up the pitcher of iced tea, refills their glasses, and takes a long drink. After she sets her glass down, she gives Sharlene a sad smile.\n\nShe asks, \"Alice?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\n\"You're welcome.\"\n\n\"Alice?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Can you tell me again what happened?\"\n\n\"Why don't I play the recording of what I told the police about what happened right after it happened?\"\n\nSince she didn't expect that response, Sharlene asks in surprise, \"You have that?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Can I hear it?\"\n\n\"Yes. The recording of my statement to the police is in two parts. The first part is when the police officer heard me tell your mother's doctor what happened and the second part is when the police officer formally took my statement. Are you ready?\" When she sees Sharlene nod her head, Alice turns on the recording.\n\n\"Recording.\"\n\n\"My partner and I were standing under the cover in front of the emergency room doors and saw the victim's family vehicle start to turn into the emergency room entrance. Then I saw a large farm vehicle cross the empty lanes and hit the driver's side of the victim's vehicle. We grabbed the crash cart and ran to the wreck. When I noticed how the farm vehicle was on top of most of the family vehicle, I guessed that if there were any survivors, they would be on the passenger side. I went around the back of the vehicles, because the front of the family vehicle was crushed against the corner of the parking garage. I was in front pulling the crash cart so I went to the front seat and left my partner to check the back seat.\n\n\"As soon as I arrived there, I saw a woman who appeared to be dead with a broken neck. I didn't find a pulse while I looked along the body for other apparent injuries, but I saw that the woman was pregnant and assumed she had been on the way to the hospital to be delivered. After my eyes passed over her abdomen, I thought I saw feeble movement from under the woman's night shirt between her legs and immediately grabbed my scissors and cut the night shirt. I saw the baby was partially expelled from the woman and yelled to my partner for a clamp. The movement I saw was probably the baby's arms. I clamped the umbilical cord, cut the cord, swatted the baby, and she started to cry. I yanked the sheet off of the crash cart, wrapped it around the baby, and ran back to the emergency room. You know the rest.\"\n\n\"End of record.\"\n\n\"Recording.\"\n\n\"As a witness of the vehicle wreck identified earlier on this recording, please state your name and occupation for the record.\"\n\n\"My name is Alice Bronson and I work for the quadrant Emergency Response Team as a paramedic and rescue vehicle driver.\"\n\n\"Are your licenses and qualifications current?\"\n\n\"Yes. They can be verified through the quadrant Personnel office.\"\n\n\"Earlier you said you first saw the victims' vehicle turning into the hospital emergency entrance.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"How was the vehicle being driven?\"\n\n\"I saw the right turn signal flashing and the windshield wipers were working. The vehicle carefully turned the corner from the southbound street into the hospital's east emergency entrance driveway at a slow rate of speed and stayed within its lane. Even with the driving rain and gusting winds, the driver maintained control. I don't know what caught my attention, I assume the movement of the other vehicle in my peripheral vision, but I turned my head and saw the farm vehicle crossing the street diagonally at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction of the normal flow of traffic. I yelled something, I'm not sure what, and saw the farm vehicle hit the victim's vehicle across the front half of the side of the vehicle and shove it between the corner of the parking garage and the concrete support for a street light. The farm vehicle stopped when the front of it hit the parking garage while the wheels were halfway across the top of the victim's vehicle.\n\n\"I immediately ran to the back of my rescue vehicle, pulled out the crash cart, and ran to the wreck with my partner right behind me. I could see that because the farm vehicle was sitting on top of the family vehicle, I wouldn't be able to get to the driver. If there were any survivors, I guessed they would probably be on the passenger side of the family vehicle and I couldn't get there from the front, because the vehicle was crushed against the parking garage. As I started to run around behind the wreck, I almost ran into a patrol vehicle which was stopping. I went straight to the front passenger door of the victim's vehicle and found the female victim and the baby. The rest is just as I told you and the doctor earlier. You might check with hospital security since there are security video recorders on the parking garage and above the emergency room door.\"\n\n\"That's a good idea, thank you. Just to clarify, from the time you saw the accident until you left the scene to take the baby to the emergency room, how long was the wreck out of your sight?\"\n\n\"Less than thirty seconds. For us to run from the front of the rescue vehicle to the back, open the door, pull the crash cart out, and run back to the front of the rescue vehicle, that is a timed element of emergency response which we practice and my partner and I consistently do it in under thirty seconds.\"\n\n\"I can't think of any other questions for now. Thank you for your time, Ms. Bronson. If we need more information, what phone number can we reach you at?\"\n\n\"End of record.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-15 (a4)\n\nSharlene asks, \"Can you play them again, Alice?\"\n\n\"Are you sure?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\nAfter the recordings play a second time, Sharlene turns to Alice with a quizzical expression then says, \"I don't want to be rude, but you almost sound like a robot.\"\n\n\"That's part of keeping the sad feelings from hurting so much.\"\n\n\"Oh.\"\n\n\"Do you have any questions?\"\n\n\"After you took me to the emergency room, what happened to . . . my mother?\"\n\n\"My partner unhooked the seat belt and with the help of two other paramedics, he gently pulled your mother's body out of the vehicle, put her on the crash cart, and took her to the emergency room where the doctor examined her and officially pronounced her dead. She was then taken to the pathology lab where they did a more complete examination.\"\n\n\"Is the crash cart the narrow bed on wheels that goes in the back of the rescue vehicle?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"What about my father?\"\n\n\"Since the other paramedics couldn't get in from the driver's side, they came around to the passenger side and after your mother was removed from the vehicle, one of the paramedics crawled into the vehicle and was able to reach one of your father's hands and check for a pulse, but there wasn't one. He was dead, but they couldn't pull him out of the vehicle because it was crushed down on him.\"\n\nSharlene asks, \"How did they get him out?\"\n\n\"That took some time. Since they knew he was dead and they couldn't do anything for him, the paramedics stepped back and let the police conduct the on-site investigation. The police looked for evidence which showed the path of the vehicles to the moment of impact. They took many pictures of the vehicles from a lot of different angles. They searched the outside of the vehicles to see if there was any evidence of possible mechanical failure which occurred before the wreck and might have caused it. And they searched the inside of the vehicles for anything that might have suggested a cause for the wreck.\n\n\"When the police were done gathering the evidence they were able to, they had to call in a crane to lift the farm vehicle off of your father's vehicle and then they looked for any other evidence which might have been hidden. The fire department had to cut the top of your father's vehicle off with a special saw. The paramedics could then reach your father's body, but they couldn't pull him out because it was still trapped in the wreckage. The firemen had to carefully cut several more pieces off of the vehicle before your father's body could be removed. He was put on a crash cart, taken to the emergency room, pronounced dead by the doctor, and taken to the pathology lab for further examination.\"\n\n\"Was he badly crushed?\"\n\n\"Very badly.\"\n\n\"How did they know who he was?\"\n\nAlice takes a drink before she explains, \"One, it was his vehicle. Two, the woman in the vehicle, your mother, had already been identified as his wife from her documentation and from her doctor who recognized her. Three, when he was removed from the vehicle, your father's wallet with his identification was in his pants pocket. Four, they took his fingerprints which were a positive match. Five, your dad was able to positively recognize the unique ring which was on your father's hand.\"\n\n\"I didn't think of those things. So often you hear in the media that they recognize the face even through a disguise with fancy software or they use dental records.\" Sharlene thinks for a little while before she asks, \"What happened to the bodies of my mother and father?\"\n\n\"Do you know what a will or a living will is?\"\n\n\"I'm not sure what a living will is, but isn't a will a legal document that says what to do with what you own after you die?\"\n\n\"Yes. It also gives instructions for taking care of any children if the parents die. A living will is a legal document which says what to do if a person is very sick and can't talk about what they want to do. Either document can contain instructions as to what a person wants done with their body when they die. In the case of your parents, their living and regular wills said that any parts of their bodies which could be used to help someone else, should be taken and then the rest of their bodies were to be used for medical research and medical training of new doctors.\"\n\n\"Really? Wow. Alice, do you know what parts were used to help other people?\"\n\n\"No, and it really isn't any of my business to know.\"\n\n\"Oh. Yeah. That makes sense. So even though my parents were dead, they were still trying to help other people.\"\n\n\"That's right.\" She waits a little while before she asks, \"Sharlene, is there anything else you want to know? Or do you have any other questions?\"\n\n\"Yeah, you said it was a farm vehicle that killed my parents. What was a farm vehicle doing in the city and how was it able to go so fast? I thought farm vehicles went quite slow.\"\n\n\"Usually they do go slow, but the owner had fancied it up as a personal vehicle and had changed the gear ratio of the drive train so the power of the engine was converted to speed instead of strength to pull farm implements and heavy loads. What he was doing driving it in the city in the middle of the night, I don't know.\"\n\n\"You've given me a lot to think about, Alice.\" Sharlene hesitates then asks, \"If I think of something else, can we talk again?\"\n\n\"Of course. As you have questions, you can write them down and save them up for when we can get together again. Or, if you think the questions will have simple answers, you can call and we can talk on the phone, or you can email them to me. Whatever way is comfortable for you to deal with. If there are questions you have that I either can't answer or don't think it's my place to answer, I'll tell you and, if appropriate, I'll tell you who might be able to answer your questions. Okay?\"\n\n\"Thank you, Alice. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.\"\n\n\"Hey, I enjoyed a free meal, a bunch of wonderful hugs, and had a good cry with a good friend. Maybe I got the better end of the deal.\"\n\nSharlene looks at Alice in surprise and asks, \"Friend? You think of me as your friend?\"\n\n\"Of course.\"\n\n\"But you're my mom's friend.\"\n\n\"Can't I be friends with both of you?\"\n\n\"But you're a lot older than me.\"\n\n\"Thanks, kid.\"\n\n\"I didn't mean it that way.\"\n\n\"I know, I'm teasing you, Sharlene. Think about it. What makes a person your friend?\"\n\n\"Um, somebody I like to be with, to talk to, to share experiences with, and to have fun with.\"\n\n\"So, what does age have to do with friendship? You like your grandparents, don't you?\"\n\n\"Of course.\"\n\n\"Well, they're even older than me.\"\n\nSharlene exclaims, \"But they're my grandparents.\"\n\n\"Could you like them even if they weren't your grandparents? Would they be fun to visit, to talk to, to bake cookies with, even if they weren't your grandparents?\"\n\n\"Uh, I never thought about it that way. Yeah, I would still like to be with them even if they weren't my grandparents.\"\n\n\"So, if they don't have the label 'grandparents', then they can have the label 'friends'. And if they can be your friends, even though they're so much older than me, why can't I be your friend?\"\n\nSharlene wraps her arms around her as she exclaims, \"Thank you, Alice. I think you've been my friend all along, haven't you?\"\n\n\"I would like to think so,\" as she immediately returns the hug.\n\nThey sit for awhile in companionable silence which gives Sharlene some time to think about what she's heard.\n\n\"Alice, there seems to be something missing from what I've heard from you and others.\"\n\n\"Oh?\"\n\n\"Yeah. What happened to the drunk driver of the farm vehicle?\"\n\n\"Let me ask you a question. Considering what you do know about the situation, what do you wish had happened to him?\"\n\n\"Well, . . . uh . . .\"\n\n\"Don't say what you think others want you to say. Don't say what you think is the right thing to say. Say what YOU, Sharlene, wish had happened to the driver of the farm vehicle.\"\n\n\"Um . . . I can really say what I wish?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Well, . . . I wish he were dead.\"\n\n\"Your wish is granted.\"\n\nSharlene looks at Alice in surprise then asks, \"Really? How? He was in a big farm vehicle and it was on top.\"\n\n\"Earlier today, you told the story about the two new boys in your martial arts class and how you defended yourself. Later, when you thought about them and the aches and pains they probably had, what did you think?\"\n\n\"They deserved what they got.\"\n\n\"Think about frontier movies you've seen. When somebody killed another person or even stole a horse, what happened to the criminal after he was caught?\"\n\n\"They hanged him.\"\n\n\"So, if we were living on the frontier, what would have happened to the guy who killed your parents?\"\n\nSharlene hesitates before she says, \"He would have been hanged.\"\n\n\"Let's go back to the three dimensional map board and put the vehicles into place. What isn't shown here is a series of steel poles which were sticking out from the parking garage that the hospital used to hang baskets of flowers on. And one of those poles was right here.\"\n\n\"He ran into a steel pole?\"\n\n\"Yep.\"\n\n\"Where?\"\n\n\"As they say in frontier movies, smack between the eyes,\" Alice points her finger at her own forehead.\n\nSharlene barely pauses before she says, \"Good. He deserved it. Since it was a pole to hang flowers from, I guess we could say he was hung after all.\"\n\n\"That's an example of the morbid humor we indulge in to reduce the stress of the job. If you want to be technical, he wasn't hung because he was still sitting on his vehicle seat.\"\n\n\"It's close enough for me.\"\n\n\"After the wreck was cleared away, I heard that somebody had suggested they cut the farm vehicle away from around the driver and leave him hanging with that pole through his head and put a sign on him saying, 'Penalty for drunk driving'.\"\n\n\"That would have been great.\"\n\n\"There would have been one problem with that, the top of the skull couldn't have supported the weight of the body.\"\n\n\"I didn't think about that.\" Sharlene thinks for a little while before she says, \"Now I can understand why Mom wouldn't have wanted to tell me all of that, even if she knew all of the details. And now that I know what happened to the driver of the farm vehicle, it puts the whole thing into a package. I guess there are probably other details, but I think I know what I want to know for now. Thank you so much, Alice.\"\n\n\"You're welcome.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-15 (a5)\n\n\"Sharlene, do you mind if I bring up a different subject?\"\n\n\"Of course not, Alice. What do you want to talk about?\"\n\n\"When your mom called to say you were interested in talking about the death of your mother and father, we talked awhile about several other things and one of the things she mentioned is that you'll be starting college soon.\"\n\nSharlene nods her head as she responds, \"Yes. I passed the high school equivalency exams and the college entrance exams.\"\n\n\"Congratulations.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\nAlice looks at her a little more closely and says, \"You don't sound real excited.\"\n\n\"Well, I'm ready to go on academically and I'm excited about learning new things, but I'm not sure about the other parts of college life. All of the other students will be physically adults and here I am still looking like a little girl. I mean, it'll be like my martial arts class and those two new boys all over again. How long do I have to keep proving myself? Why can't people take a little time to find out who I am, before they make assumptions about me based on my size or shape or whatever?\"\n\n\"I don't mean to throw a wet towel on you, but that's the way life is. As long as you live, most people will make assumptions about you without taking the time to find out the truth, even people who care about you. If you think about it, you make assumptions about other people, too. How many times have you assumed that because somebody was older or bigger, they were smarter or stronger than you?\"\n\nSharlene hesitates before she admits, \"Um, lots.\"\n\n\"When your coach called you to the front of the class to face those two boys, what did you assume?\"\n\n\"That they would beat me.\"\n\n\"Then why did you go up there?\"\n\n\"I trusted my coach that he wouldn't let me be hurt too badly.\"\n\n\"When you were done, did your coach look surprised?\"\n\nSharlene thinks for a few moments before she answers, \"No. He didn't look surprised.\"\n\n\"So he must have guessed at how it would turn out.\"\n\n\"Huh? . . . I guess he did.\"\n\n\"He gave you an opportunity to prove yourself.\" Alice pauses to let her think about that before she asks, \"Who benefited from that opportunity?\"\n\n\"I did.\"\n\n\"And I dare say that your classmates also benefited. You'll have to keep proving yourself over and over again. Your grandparents did, your parents did, I do. I know it's not fair and it can be very tiresome. Forget about having to prove yourself, that's a given, you can't do anything about it. Instead, remember those times when you were challenged to prove yourself, and you did something even you didn't think you could do, like in your martial arts class.\"\n\n\"You're right. I'm glad you want to talk with me. Mom can't get past the violence of the martial arts class.\"\n\nAlice takes a drink before she returns to the subject, \"Where will you be going to college?\"\n\n\"I was offered some nice scholarships from some big universities, but their huge size scares me and then I would have to share a room with an older stranger. It was just too many changes at once. Mom and Dad keep telling me to forget about the money aspect and pick some place to go where I can learn more without too many distractions to my education. So I decided to start at the local community college. The class sizes are smaller, they have good teachers, the campus isn't so big I can't walk across it, the classes often have a variety of ages attending instead of most of the other students being straight out of high school, and I can stay at home, so I don't have to worry about dorm life interfering with my education. Plus, it will give me two or three years to get used to the college environment and take a bunch of classes, before I need to choose a major and go on to the university environment.\"\n\n\"That sounds like a good plan. I look forward to following your progress. . . . I don't mean to sound harsh, but earlier when you asked how I helped you to be born, you seemed rather ignorant of birth and babies.\"\n\nSharlene assures her, \"It's not harsh, Alice, I am ignorant of the whole reproductive cycle. Or it seems that way because I think I understand the reproductive cycle of mammals and there are bound to be many similarities between mammals and humans. But it's like there's some key elements missing in my understanding of the human reproductive cycle which makes it a confused mess in my mind. When I've tried to talk to Mom about it, she avoided the subject like the plague and gave vague statements about telling me when I'm older or when my body starts to change.\n\n\"If my body is going to change, I would sure like to know about it ahead of time. It doesn't seem an appropriate subject to talk to Dad about, my Grandmas say Mom should tell me, and most other people don't think I'm ready to hear about it. Since I'm smaller than average, they think I'm younger than I really am. I've read a couple of books, but either I didn't understand it or there was something missing.\"\n\n\"I can understand your frustration. I also feel the social stigma that such knowledge should be shared with you by a female family member, preferably your mother. Part of the reason for this is that while there can be variations of experience from one woman to another, what happens to the mother is often what happens to the daughter. That makes it difficult for you because your biological mother isn't here to tell you. If she did tell anyone the most likely candidate would be your mom. Your aunt Paula isn't going to like it, but this might be something else you can talk to her about, at least to start. Your mother might have told her, I don't know. If Paula is unwilling or unable to answer your questions, let me know, and I'll take you to a doctor who specializes in mothers and babies. Doctor . . . how stupid can I be?\"\n\n\"What, Alice?\"\n\n\"Here's the plan. Talk to your aunt Paula. Even if she can answer all of your questions, I'll take you to see the doctor afterwards. She would love to meet you.\"\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"Doctor Chang was your mother's doctor and your mother probably told her about how her body changed, and she was there the day you were born.\"\n\n\"Really? How come I never heard of her? Did she know my mother well?\"\n\n\"Slow down, Sharlene. I don't know why you never heard of her, probably because the family didn't need her services any longer and didn't want to be reminded of your mother and father's deaths. Frankly, I'm surprised they've so warmly accepted me since I'm an obvious reminder. And I don't know how well she knew your mother. She had and still has a lot of patients and it's been a lot of years, so even if she knew your mother well, she may not remember much.\"\n\n\"Would it be better to see the doctor first?\"\n\nAlice shakes her head as she answers, \"No, she's real busy and hard to get an appointment with. She'll also insist on going through the family connection first. She's somewhat traditional in that way, which is a good thing. She wants to encourage families to talk more openly about body changes instead of in whispers where knowledge is often forgotten because one person in the chain is too embarrassed to talk about it. Let me know when you're going to be able to talk to your aunt and I'll see if I can set up an appointment with the doctor for a week or so later. Forewarning, the doctor will probably want to check you over and examine your body and ask you some personal questions to make sure your body is working right.\"\n\n\"Okay. Thank you.\"\n\n\"It's been my pleasure. . . . Do you want to keep the recordings and the map boards?\"\n\nSharlene asks in surprise, \"You mean I can have them?\"\n\n\"I saved them for you. I don't want you to dwell on it and to have bad dreams about what happened, but it's a big part of your history, even if you don't remember it. Or I can keep them longer until you feel ready to have them in your possession.\"\n\n\"Um, maybe you'd better keep them for now, Alice, if you don't mind. I think I need to find out more about how my body might change and start thinking about going to college and I really don't need something else sitting around which might distract me.\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she responds, \"That's probably a wise choice and I don't mind keeping them. I keep it all in a box at home and any time you want to take the time to go over any of the other details, just let me know.\"\n\n\"What else do you have?\"\n\n\"Copies of the police report, copies of the pictures the police took . . .\"\n\n\"Ugh, I don't want to see those.\"\n\n\"I didn't think you would want to, at least not yet. I also have copies of the video which was taken by the hospital security video recorders, the testimony of the other witnesses, the transcripts from the court cases, and copies of news broadcasts about the wreck.\"\n\nSharlene asks in surprise, \"Court cases?\"\n\n\"Yes. You might ask your dad about those. He was more involved in them than I was.\"\n\n\"You collected and saved all of that stuff for me? Why?\"\n\n\"Because I figured you would want to know what happened. Your parents were too emotionally involved to think of everything and I knew who to talk to in order to get copies of the information.\"\n\n\"You didn't have to do anything to get the stuff, did you?\"\n\nAlice shakes her head and answers, \"No. It's just that most people don't know they're able to legally get it and the agencies involved tend to put roadblocks in the way of people getting information, probably because they're afraid people will second guess what the officials did and tie up the courts even more.\"\n\n\"Oh. I think I understand. I'm sure glad you did gather it all. It answered a lot of questions I hadn't even thought about yet. Thank you, Alice,\" Sharlene gives her another big hug.\n\n\"Do you have any more questions or things you want to talk about or bad jokes you want to tell?\"\n\nSharlene hesitates then asks, \"Have you heard about the lipard which had green stripes?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Neither have I.\"\n\n\"Ugh. That is a bad joke. If you don't have anything else to talk about, I'll get out of your hair. Thank you for the meal. I loved your story about the martial arts class. And thank you for giving me hope and for letting me be reminded of the good that comes from my job. This time it's my turn to start the hug,\" and she does.\n\n\"Thank you very much, Alice. You filled a hole I knew was there, but didn't have the words to describe it.\"\n\n\"You're welcome. Remember, just let me know whenever you want to talk again. See you later, kiddo.\"\n\n\"Thank you. Bye.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-31 (a1)\n\nSharlene pokes her head into Robert's home office and asks, \"Dad, can I talk to you?\"\n\n\"Sure, sweetheart. What do you want to talk about?\"\n\n\"You and Mom keep telling me not to think about the money aspect of college and that has me confused. I know how much college can cost and I hear quite a few kids in my extra-curricular classes talk about how their parents complain about the cost of college, yet they seem to have more money than we do because they always have fancy new vehicles, the latest fashionable clothes, the newest electronic gadgets, bigger homes, and so on.\"\n\nRobert chuckles then suggests, \"Sit down, Sharlene, this might take a little while. Just because a person has money, doesn't mean they have to spend it all. Why should I have a fancy new vehicle when my old vehicle gets me to where I need to go? I'll bet the parents of those kids you heard from, have a lot of debt because they bought their possessions using borrowed money from a bank. And when they use borrowed money, they have to pay for the item plus pay interest to borrow the money.\"\n\n\"I hadn't thought about it from that perspective. I know about the cost of interest. When I took that basic accounting class, I was surprised to learn that the cost of borrowing money always outweighed the benefit of saving money. The only time a person could gain money above the cost of borrowing it, was when they invested in some high risk speculation, although most people end up losing money doing that and sometimes they lose an awful lot.\"\n\n\"That's right. I make enough money that we could have a lot of those things which other people have. Will possessing all of those things make us better people? I don't think so. More often, those things are something more to maintain or to clean. When people see something new, they figure their current possession is out of date so they go buy the new one. Typically, there wasn't anything wrong with the old item and instead of continuing to use it or even give it to a charity so a poorer person can make use of the item, it gets thrown away, overloads our garbage system, and doesn't reuse any of the resources which went into producing the product in the first place. So instead of buying a lot of things which we don't need, or paying for a fancy version when a plain version will do, the money we don't use to maintain our comfortable lifestyle, I save. Is there anything you feel we should have bought you to make your life more comfortable or more happy?\"\n\nSharlene shakes her head then answers, \"Not that I can think of. Whenever I said I wanted something, we talked about it to be sure I knew whether I really wanted it for myself or if it was just something the other kids had. When I decided I wanted something and could give you a reason which was more than just wanting it, you guys got it for me. Even when I started to take piano lessons and I needed one to practice on. . . . Now I get it. You could have gotten me a grand piano, but said I would have to keep it clean, so I settled on an upright piano, especially when it was pointed out that someday when I moved, I would have to find a place for it.\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he responds, \"That's right. Is it harder to practice on an upright instead of on a grand piano?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Or is the sound any different on an upright instead of a grand?\"\n\n\"Not at my level of playing. If I played really well and was to give a concert, then the sound difference might be noticeable, but not just for practicing.\"\n\n\"Do you remember the price difference between the two types of piano?\"\n\nSharlene briefly thinks before she shakes her head, \"Not exactly, but I think the upright was less than a quarter of the cost of the grand.\"\n\n\"So, we could have spent four times as much money on the grand piano, but what benefit would you have gained?\"\n\n\"None. So instead of buying things which would give us no benefit, you've been saving the money. I assume you've saved enough so I don't need to worry about college expenses, regardless of what scholarships I'm offered, and without cutting into whatever else you might be saving for or have set aside for emergencies.\"\n\n\"Yes, that's part of it.\"\n\n\"What do you mean 'part of it'?\"\n\nRobert rubs his hands together and chuckles, \"Oh, boy, this is going to be fun.\"\n\n\"Dad? What are you talking about?\"\n\n\"Sharlene, you have your own money.\"\n\n\"I have a few hundred credits in the bank which I assume I'll need for incidental expenses in college.\"\n\n\"I'm not talking about that, you have your own money, but legally you can't access it yet.\"\n\n\"What? Where? How much?\"\n\n\"Let me start by saying that we could have easily purchased a grand piano, but to encourage you to think of the obligations, such as cleaning it, and the benefits, practicing just as well on an upright, provided you with a valuable lesson. Do you miss having a grand piano?\"\n\nSharlene shakes her head as she answers, \"No. It might be impressive to look at, but the cost difference between an upright and a grand is a lot of money for something to look at.\"\n\n\"Good. That's the idea we wanted to get across to you. Every purchase can be approached in the same way. For common things you buy, you make a benefit decision once and continue to buy that item until you find new information which may change a part of the benefit decision. For things you seldom buy or only buy once, the benefit decision will have a greater impact.\n\n\"To go back to the subject of your money, it's in trust accounts which your mom and I, as your legal guardians and adoptive parents, control until you reach your majority status. The money is there to support you and provide for you until you're on your own. If the courts thought we were misusing the money, we would be in big trouble. I assure you, the courts have nothing to suspect us of. Even if they did, they would find we haven't misused the money. Actually, we've only touched that money once and shortly paid it back with interest at the current rate, and that was to move here.\"\n\n\"But if that money is to support and provide for me, you should have been using it. I've seen enough information to know that raising a child is expensive.\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he responds, \"That's true, but when we adopted you as our own child, we felt it was our responsibility to provide for you as our own child. It's been a big comfort to know that the money is there if something goes wrong, but so far, I've been able to provide for us quite comfortably.\"\n\n\"So, Dad, where did the money come from, if not from you?\"\n\n\"It came from four sources.\"\n\n\"Four?\"\n\n\"Yep. Shortly after your mother and father were married, they set up a college fund for any children they might have and contributed to it quite heavily. They had talked about having two children and researched what college cost then. Their goal was to set aside twice the amount of money needed for both undergraduate and graduate programs at the most expensive school, as well as living expenses while going to college, for both children because they knew the inflation of college costs would rise faster than the interest in any savings account. Before you were born, they had met about one-quarter of their goal which has continued to grow from interest earned. Any funds which are not spent for college related expenses and living expenses while you go to college, are to be turned over to you when you reach your majority status. That's the first source.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him with wide eyes then exclaims, \"Wow, no wonder you said not to worry about college expenses. Since there will only be one person accessing the fund, the money will go even further.\"\n\n\"You could easily afford to go for a doctoral degree if that's what you want.\"\n\n\"Even if I can afford to go to any school, I think I'll have a better educational experience if I start at the community college.\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he responds, \"That's a good benefit decision.\"\n\n\"Huh? Oh, yeah. I didn't think of it that way, but it is a good example.\"\n\n\"A very good one.\"\n\n\"Uh, I don't want to sound greedy, but you've made me curious. You said that was the first source, so that means there are three more.\"\n\n\"Well, I'm glad to know you've learned to add and subtract before you go to college.\"\n\n\"Dad!!\"\n\n\"I don't want you to get complacent without my teasing, Sharlene. Anyway, the second source is from two substantial life insurance policies which your mother and father purchased so if something happened to one of them, the other would have financial support and if both of them died at or near the same time, the funds would be used to support any children they had. Do you know what a will is?\"\n\n\"Isn't it a legal document that says what to do with a person's possessions when they die?\"\n\n\"That's right and that's the third source. Both your mother and father had a will which said if one died, all of their possessions went to the other person and if they both died, the funds were to be used to support any children they had. Both of them were earning very good wages and they lived a rather frugal lifestyle. They both did a lot of traveling for the company, so they didn't have a lot of time to entertain or socialize, nor did they have the inclination to do so. They didn't have a lot of possessions. They saved a lot of their earnings and made some very good investments because they wanted to retire from work early and travel when you were old enough to go with them. Their wills also designated your mom and I to be the primary guardians of their children.\"\n\nSharlene hesitates before she asks, \"I don't want anything to happen to you or Mom, but since we're talking about it, I assume you have a will?\"\n\n\"Yes. If something happens to one of us, everything goes to the other. If something happens to both of us, we've named your aunt Paula as your primary guardian and my parents as your secondary guardians. The same applies to these funds we're talking about.\"\n\n\"If my math hasn't failed me, that leaves one more fund to talk about.\"\n\nRobert grins then says, \"Smart girl. I understand you talked to Alice about what happened to your mother and father.\"\n\n\"Yes, but what's that got to do with the fourth source of funds?\"\n\n\"Hold on, Sharlene, I'm getting there. Did Alice say what happened to the driver of the vehicle who killed your mother and father?\"\n\n\"Just that he was 'hanged'.\"\n\n\"Yes, Alice would put it that way.\"\n\n\"Actually, Dad, Alice may have pointed the way from old frontier movies, but I'm the one who said it.\"\n\nRobert looks at her in surprise before he responds, \"Really? How interesting. Did she say anything else about him?\"\n\n\"Only what Mom had said, that he was drunk while he was driving. While we're talking, Alice did say I should ask you about court cases, but I don't know how the subjects are related.\"\n\n\"They're related. Let's go back to the night of the wreck. When the driver was removed from his farm vehicle, the doctors checked him for other injuries besides the obvious and found that his blood alcohol content was above the level for criminal liability. The police put together their evidence and took the driver to criminal court. Actually, they took the driver's estate to court since he was already dead.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him in surprise then asks, \"Why did they do that? He couldn't be punished anymore.\"\n\n\"True, but his estate could still be held liable for the costs which were incurred by the quadrant Emergency Response Team to clean up the mess the driver left behind. The police, firemen, paramedics, and hospital staff spent a lot of time and supplies, to investigate the wreck, to remove and examine the victims, to separate and remove the vehicles, and to restore the scene to what it was before the wreck.\"\n\n\"I thought taxes covered those services.\"\n\n\"They do. In the past, if the driver had lived, he would have just got a ticket and had to pay a small fine. Now, if he had lived, he would have to pay for the consequences of his actions and nothing makes that as clear as a substantial hit to the pocketbook. So the quadrant uses those reimbursement funds to buy extra supplies and equipment, improve vehicle maintenance, increase training, etcetera. Since the driver in question died, his estate was then held responsible. It used to be that the most a drunk driver could be charged with when they killed somebody, was involuntary manslaughter and they often served little or no jail time and received little negative impact to their personal finances. Too often, it was found that drunk drivers were repeat offenders.\n\n\"It took a long time before the laws were changed to recognize that a person knew they were getting drunk and knew they were driving, so that means driving drunk is premeditated and when they kill someone, the charge is first degree murder which carries the death penalty. No more of the nonsense of life in prison. If a criminal is such a menace to society that they're going to be in prison for the rest of their life, then why should the people's taxes go to the government to support the criminal and pay for them to live? The problem was so bad in the past, that some poor people would commit a crime so they could go to jail and improve their living conditions.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-31 (a2)\n\nRobert shakes his head they says, \"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent. Anyway, the quadrant took the farm vehicle driver's estate to criminal court and charged the driver with two counts of first degree murder, reckless driving, driving while intoxicated, running a red light, driving on the wrong side of the road, and resisting arrest. Apparently, the driver had been pulled over by the police before the wreck, but had driven away before he could be formally arrested for drunk driving. At first, the lawyers for the driver's estate tried to deny everything, but when they saw the evidence - the testimony of the witnesses, the statements of the involved officers, the clear footage from the hospital's security video recorders, even footage from the drinking establishment's security video recorders, with date and time stamp just minutes before the time of the wreck showing the driver stumbling to his vehicle, getting in, and driving off - they pled guilty to all charges. The quadrant handed them the bill for their services and they promptly paid.\n\n\"Once the criminal case was over, the family sued the estate of the driver on your behalf for an amount based on the projected lost salary of your mother and father until your majority status, plus an equivalent punitive amount because the suspect had been guilty of drunk driving before and his family hadn't prevented him from driving intoxicated, and to cover all court and legal fees. Although the estate lawyers tried several counter offers which grew as the scheduled court date drew nearer, the family held firm on the basis of the strong evidence and the guilty plea in criminal court. Finally, the estate lawyers settled out of court for the requested amount. I think part of it was that the driver was from a prominent local family and they didn't want the negative publicity of a public jury trial or the increased costs which would have resulted from an extended public trial. When they paid, the money was set up in a trust account to provide for your care and support. Just like the other funds, if there's any money remaining after your needs have been provided for, they'll be turned over to your control when you reach majority status.\"\n\nSharlene asks, \"How could they determine when my majority status would occur?\"\n\n\"Do you know what majority status is?\"\n\n\"It's when a person is considered a full adult member of society and legally able to vote, drive, sign contracts, get married, be a politician, drink alcohol, smoke, and, uh, other things.\"\n\n\"How is majority status determined?\"\n\n\"I'm not positive, something about having a job and getting an education. That part was kind of glossed over in what I read.\"\n\nRobert explains, \"There are two parts to the determination that a person has reached majority status. The first part is that the person has completed vocational or professional training or has natural talents which has enabled them to be offered employment which is sufficient for them to support themselves independently. The second part is to pass a competency examination to demonstrate a person's ability to function as an adult member of society.\"\n\nSharlene thinks for a moment then asks, \"Since that's going to be at a somewhat different age for each person, how could anybody determine ahead of time when I would gain my majority status?\"\n\n\"There's a provision in the law which gives a default age of twenty five for when a person has reached majority status, assuming they pass the test. Based on that provision, the courts have decided that in cases similar to yours, the determination of financial awards is based on achieving majority status at age twenty five, whether you're actually that old or not when you achieve majority status.\n\n\"Before we go further, Sharlene, I want to make something clear. I've told you all of this because I think you're mature enough to handle the knowledge and to treat the funds your mother and father provided for you with respect. If I didn't think you were mature enough, I would have let you believe we had saved the money for your college and not told you about those other funds. Actually, your mom and I have saved enough to send you to college without touching your college or your other funds, just not quite enough to send you to the most expensive college.\"\n\n\"Dad, I think you ought to keep your savings for you and Mom. I would want you to have a safety margin for yourselves and not just for me. Use my college fund for my expenses. That's what my mother and father wanted. From what you've said, my college fund is big enough to pay for the best education I can get. With a good education, I should be able to get a good enough job to reach majority status which would open up those other funds if something goes wrong or if I need something to fall back on. If you keep your savings for you and Mom, maybe you can retire early like my mother and father wanted to.\"\n\n\"Sharlene, I'm so proud of you. I know it bothers you that most people see you as though you're younger than you are. But when I talk with you, you seem so much older than you are. I know you've impressed both Alice and Paula with your levelheadedness, your practicality, and your maturity.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Dad,\" she gives him a hug, \"I wouldn't be who I am without you and Mom to raise me right.\"\n\n\"I think there's more to you that our raising of you, because I see so much of your mother and father in you.\"\n\n\"I wish I had known them.\"\n\n\"I wish they could have known you.\"\n\nSharlene pauses before she asks, \"Dad, I know that you and Mom were appointed my guardians based on my mother and father's wills, so when did you adopt me and why?\"\n\n\"We adopted you several months after the court case was over. Life was pretty confusing at the time and the legal process of adopting you would have only added to the confusion, so we waited for awhile. As to why, that was somewhat selfish on our part. When adults adopt a child, the government sticks their nose into the adopting family's affairs, but once the adoption is complete, the child is considered the same as a natural born child, so the government leaves the family alone, unless there's strong evidence of abuse. If we had remained just your guardians, the government would be sticking their nose into our affairs all of the time, since they think they have a better understanding of your needs. It would have also been more difficult for us to home school you, or move to a different locale if we wanted to. We would also have to get the government's approval every time you visited your grandparents. Besides, we considered you to be our daughter, so it was also the right thing for us to adopt you.\"\n\n\"I didn't realize it was so involved.\" Sharlene tightly hugs him as she tells him, \"Thank you for adopting me, Dad. So, where do we go from here?\"\n\n\"You go to college and get a good education and we encourage and support you. Or I stuff you in a closet, feed you only bread and water, take all of your money, and go be a beach bum on a tropical island. No, your mom wouldn't like a tropical island. We'd better stick to the first plan.\"\n\n\"You can be pretty silly at times. How can you feed me only bread and water and be on a tropical island at the same time?\"\n\nRobert looks at her in disbelief then asks, \"You mean they don't have closets on tropical islands? Then I'll just have to stick to the science fiction teleportation method.\"\n\n\"Okay, Dad. You've made me curious. I have a college fund which will cover my expenses for about as long as I want to go to college.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Then there's the fund from the substantial, as you put it, life insurance policies and the fund from my mother and father's estate. I'm getting the feeling that I'm in for a big shock. On top of that is the fund from the court case which is based on twenty five years of the projected salary of my mother and father. I . . . I assume the funds are in interest bearing accounts.\"\n\n\"Of course.\"\n\nSharlene hesitates before she asks, \"Um, . . . Dad, . . . just how much . . . are we talking about?\"\n\n\"Well, I haven't looked at the figures for a few months. The company investment managers keep a close eye on the funds, but since your mom and I aren't accessing them, I review the funds with the investment managers every five months or so. Maybe I should take you with me the next time I review the accounts. That's a good idea, why didn't I think of that earlier. Oh, well, live and learn.\"\n\n\"Dad, you're stalling.\"\n\nRobert looks at her in mock surprise and asks, \"Me? Stalling? I'm just trying to build up the suspense to make it more exciting and all of that. Besides, I have to wait for the drummer to get off of his union mandated coffee break. Ah, here he comes now. Drum roll, please. What do you mean, what kind of drum roll? I want a snare drum and no cymbal until the end. No, I don't want a bass drum. And put those bongo drums away, we're not in the tropics. Kettle? What do I want with kettle drums? They're too much like 'doom, doom, doom'. What, do you think this is a jail sentence? This is a happy occasion. I'm trying to tell my favorite daughter how much money she has stashed away. You've been rather uncooperative, why should she share any with you? Yes, just a boring old traditional snare drum roll with the cymbal at the end. And put some enthusiasm into it. Ah, that's better. Sharlene, the sum total of your funds, not counting your college fund, is approximately . . . cymbal . . . twenty million credits.\"\n\nSharlene's eyes go wide in shocked surprise and it takes her several moments before she's able to stammer, \"You said . . . (gulp) . . . twenty . . . MILLION . . . credits?\n\n\"That's what I said. The drummer says that's what he heard.\"\n\n\"Twenty . . . million?\"\n\n\"After you finish your education and reach your majority status, you could be a comfortable beach bum for the rest of your life.\"\n\nSharlene stares at him before she blurts out, \"Beach bum? Why would I want to be a beach bum? After Mother and Father sacrificed so much and then died. And you and Mom have sacrificed and not used the money which was available to you. A beach bum?!\"\n\n\"Well, if you're not going to dream small, I guess you'll just have to dream big.\"\n\n\"Twenty million? I've never heard of so much money.\"\n\n\"Sure you have, the government's budget is several gazillion. What's twenty million among friends?\"\n\n\"You're doing it again, Dad.\"\n\nRobert again looks at her in surprise, \"What am I doing again?\" He turns his head to the wall and asks, \"Do you know what she's talking about?\" He turns back to Sharlene and reports, \"The drummer doesn't know what you're talking about either.\"\n\n\"You're trying to distract me to reduce the shock.\"\n\n\"Me? Distract you? Is it working?\"\n\n\"Yes, Daddy,\" Sharlene hops onto his upper legs and gives him a big hug, \"it's working.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-09-31 (a3)\n\nAfter several minutes of quiet companionship and a little chit-chat, without the drummer, Sharlene turns serious and asks, \"Dad?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Um, is my body going to change?\"\n\nRobert hesitates before he answers, \"Yes.\"\n\n\"Do you know how it will change?\"\n\n\"I have a good idea without understanding all of the medical details. But it's really not a subject which is appropriate for a man to talk about with his daughter.\"\n\nSharlene protests, \"But Mom refuses to talk about it. She keeps putting me off and tells me to wait until it happens. I'm afraid she won't really tell me then. I would like to know what's going to happen before it does and I end up in a situation which could have been avoided with a little prior knowledge.\"\n\n\"Have you tried talking to your grandmothers?\"\n\n\"Grandma Lucy seems to find the subject distasteful. I think I would get lost in all of the 'um's and 'ah's. Grandma Running Deer said she would tell me, but not until after Mom gave her permission and Mom won't do that. I think Mom's afraid Grandma will tell me a lot more than she thinks I ought to know.\"\n\n\"You're probably right about that. The only other adult female in the family is your aunt Paula.\"\n\nSharlene nods her head as she responds, \"That's who Alice suggested, although she thought Aunt Paula wouldn't like her for suggesting it.\"\n\n\"Paula's bark is worse than her bite, but don't tell her I said that. Yes, she would know that her sister wouldn't want to talk about it until after the fact, and probably not then. She would also agree that you need to be told ahead of time. Did Alice suggest anything else?\"\n\n\"She thought that after I talked to Aunt Paula, I should talk to the doctor who was my mother's doctor.\"\n\nRobert pauses a moment in thought then says, \"Ah, yes, Doctor . . . what was her name . . . Doctor Chang. I'm sorry, I'd forgotten all about her. Your mother thought very highly of her. Thank you, Alice, that's a very good idea. . . . Something else just occurred to me. If Doctor Chang can give you some indication of when your body change might occur, maybe we can arrange for you to visit your grandma Running Deer for a couple of weeks so you can participate in the female coming of age ceremony.\"\n\n\"What's a coming of age ceremony?\"\n\n\"It's kind of like receiving your majority status. In many Western and African cultures, it's when a girl becomes a woman and is considered to be a full adult member of that culture. Depending on the individual culture, there are several days of celebration, instruction, or secret rituals. I've heard that in some of the Asian Sector cultures there's something similar, though less involved. In the European Sector, there's no ceremony and almost as much instruction. As your Grandpa Hienrik would say in his rich Deutsche accent, 'Achtung, yesterday you boy, today you man. Go to vurk.'.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him in surprise then asks, \"He said that?\"\n\nRobert chuckles they says, \"Oh, yes. Your father and I, about the time we reached puberty, spent some time with our uncle Running Bear to prepare for the male coming of age ceremony. For several weeks after we came home, first thing in the morning, Dad would march into our bedroom and announce that. Of course, since your father was older than me, I laughed myself silly when it happened to him.\n\n\"When it was my turn, I thought the joke must have been played out. But, no, that first morning, here comes Dad who proclaims, 'Achtung, Robert, yesterday you boy, today you man. Go to vurk.' Of course, your father laughed himself silly at my expense. And then to make matters worse, after about a week, Dad turned the responsibility for the morning wakeup call over to your father, so it was my own brother telling me to get up and 'go to vurk'. At the time, I thought the best thing about the whole situation was they stopped calling me 'Bobby,' which I never did like, and started calling me Robert.\"\n\n\"Wow. I can almost hear Grandpa Hienrik say that. If I go through the coming of age ceremony with Grandma Running Deer, will you wake me up with 'go to vurk'?\"\n\n\"No, I'll think of something worse,\" and he proceeds to tickle her.\n\nSharlene gasps out, \"Enough . . . Daddy . . . enough.\" After a couple of minutes to catch her breath she asks, \"So, Dad, how are you going to sneak me off to see Aunt Paula?\"\n\n\"Why should we have to sneak you? Just tell your mom that before you get wrapped up in college, you want to spend a week or so with your aunt and your grandparents, I'll pipe in that it's a good idea and the next thing you know, you'll be on your way.\"\n\n\"Do you think it'll be that easy?\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he answers, \"Sure. You don't have to tell your mom what you want to talk about on your visits. If you go to Paula's first, and if she's willing to tell you, then you can tell your grandma Running Deer who will probably be willing to answer any questions you might have and to tell you about the coming of age ceremony. Then you can go to your other grandparents and enjoy your visit on the farm.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Dad. That's a good plan. And thank you for telling me about the money. Twenty million credits? I can't believe it.\n\n\"Believe it. It probably will be a good idea to take you with me when I go for my next review with the investment managers.\"\n\nSharlene considers that then says, \"I suppose I really ought to try to forget about it since I can't do anything with it. And twenty five years old seems like a long ways away. Oh, well. When do you think I should ask Mom about those visits?\"\n\n\"Whenever you think she might be in a receptive mood.\"\n\n\"That's a good point. Thanks Dad, I really appreciate it,\" she gives him a big hug.\n\n\"Anytime, sweetheart.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-10-28 (a1)\n\nWhile she sits in the waiting room at the doctor's office, it takes Sharlene a moment to realize that she's the one who is being called, \"Ms. Schmidt? The doctor will see you now.\"\n\nThey're guided to the doctor's office rather than to an examination room where the doctor stands up and says, \"Alice, it's so good to see you again.\"\n\n\"Hello, Doc. I'd like to introduce Sharlene Schmidt. Sharlene, this is Doctor Chang.\"\n\n\"How do you do, Sharlene?\"\n\n\"Very well, Doctor Chang. It's a pleasure to meet you.\"\n\n\"Let's sit over here,\" she directs them to a comfortable sofa in the corner of her office. A couple of moments later, she asks, \"Sharlene Schmidt, why does your name ring a bell? You're not old enough to be one of my patients.\"\n\n\"Doc, I'm afraid that's my fault. I worked with Karoline to get a long appointment as the last one of your day when you didn't have anything scheduled afterwards.\"\n\n\"Alice, what's going on? And whose patient chart is that in your hand, Karoline?\"\n\nAlice answers, \"I asked Karoline to pull it out of the archives. You see, Sharlene was your patient. Or should I say her mother was your patient. About thirteen and a half years ago, in the middle of a dark and stormy night.\"\n\n\"Soo-Lin? You're Soo-Lin's little girl?\" Doctor Chang looks at her in surprise then when she sees the shy nod, she says, \"Oh, come here.\" Doctor Chang wraps her arms around Sharlene and begins to cry. In a moment, Karoline slips in and joins the hug huddle and there isn't a dry eye in the room for several minutes.\n\nWhile she still holds onto Sharlene, Doctor Chang says, \"Alice, thank you so much, and Karoline, thank you for helping Alice.\"\n\nKaroline replies, \"I liked Soo-Lin too.\"\n\n\"I know. Soo-Lin was such a wonderful likable person.\" She holds Sharlene at arm's length, but doesn't let loose then says, \"Let me look at you. Yes, I can see the resemblance. Your skin is darker, but it looks very good on you.\" As she pulls Sharlene back into an embrace, she proclaims, \"Oh Soo-Lin, she was more of a friend than a patient. She would be so happy to see you now. . . . Oh, my, here I am getting all emotional and a perfect stranger to you.\"\n\nSharlene responds, \"It's okay, Doctor, I like hugs too. You can't be a stranger if Alice knows you.\"\n\n\"So much like your mother. Soo-Lin was always ready with a hug, wasn't she, Karoline?\"\n\n\"And about the best hugs I've ever had they were so warm and loving. And with her beautiful smile, I didn't know whether to schedule her appointments in the morning to brighten up the day or in the afternoon to make a hectic day all seem worthwhile.\"\n\nDoctor Chang shakes her head then says, \"Soo-Lin. After all of these years. If I remember right, your father's brother and his wife were appointed as your guardians.\"\n\nSharlene responds, \"Yes. A few months after I was born, they adopted me. I think they've been a good mom and dad to me.\"\n\n\"I'm so glad to hear that. If you don't mind, tell me a little about yourself.\"\n\n\"I think I was about five when I understood I was adopted and shortly after that we moved here. I don't know why, but I seem to remember some sort of problem before that. Since then, we've lived here. I'm going to school at home and taking a lot of extra-curricular classes. When I was younger, it was ballet and gymnastics. Now I'm taking tai-chi, piano, and martial arts. I also volunteer at the library to help people read, some of them are younger and some are older. A couple of weeks ago, my grandparents taught me the basics of archery and handgun safety. After the New Year holiday, I'll start going to the local community college. That's my life in a nutshell.\"\n\n\"That's very nicely condensed. Alice, do you know where Sha-Lin, I mean Sharlene, was before they moved here?\"\n\n\"Shortly after the court case was settled following the wreck, Robert and Sarah moved with Sharlene to the European Sector.\"\n\n\"I can almost guess what the problem was.\"\n\n\"Actually, Doc, it was more interesting than that.\"\n\nSharlene asks, \"Alice, what was it? I don't remember Mom or Dad saying anything.\"\n\n\"I think they figured that since it happened in the past and didn't affect you, what was the point of telling.\"\n\n\"Can you tell me?\"\n\n\"Do you have time, Doc?\"\n\n\"Yes. I'll like to know also.\"\n\nAlice asks, \"Sharlene, what do you know about the European Sector?\"\n\n\"Most of the people there have light colored skin. I've read a little history which stated that some people there don't like people with different colored skin, but that didn't make any sense to me. People are people, what does skin color have to do with anything?\"\n\nDoctor Chang nods her head as she says, \"That's such a simple truth, yet so many adults don't understand it.\"\n\n\"You're right, Doc. Sharlene, I know it doesn't make any sense to you, but to some people, the color of your skin is very important. And if a person of one skin color marries a person of another skin color, some people consider that very bad. Some of the strongest feelings that way seem to be in some of the churches in the European Sector.\"\n\n\"I remember going to church with Mom and there was a song I called the color song about the children of the world being red and yellow, black and white. When I asked the teacher what the colors meant, she said they refer to the people from the different sectors. . . . Is that why we had to leave? Did I cause my parents to leave?\"\n\nAlice shakes her head as she assures her, \"No, Sharlene, you didn't cause them to move. You were the catalyst who opened their eyes to the problems which were already there. Go ahead and tell Doc and Karoline what you remember.\"\n\n\"Well, when the teacher told me what the colors in the song meant, I thought it was a special song for me. Later, we were given a line drawing to color which showed our grandparents, our parents, and ourselves. I had to draw extra people to represent Mom and Dad. So I colored Grandpa Hienrik black, Grandma Running Deer red, Grandma Sha-Lin yellow and Grandpa I-don't-know-his-name white. Then I colored my father David half black and half red and my mother Soo-Lin half yellow and half white. I colored my dad Robert half black and half red because he and my father were brothers and I colored my mom Sarah white. Then I colored myself brown.\"\n\n\"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.\" Doctor Chang hugs Sharlene who is sitting next to her on the sofa.\n\nAlice continues the story, \"A few days after that, some church elders visited Sarah to talk about that drawing. She showed them a chart which she and Sharlene had made with photographs of her parents and grandparents.\"\n\nSharlene asks, \"You mean that one I have hanging on my wall?\"\n\n\"That's the one. And Sarah pointed out that Sharlene's drawing was accurate within society's characterizations of skin color. When Robert walked into the room to ask them if there was a problem, Sarah introduced him as her husband. He asked if the elders were going to punish Sharlene for what her grandparents and parents had done. They said they wouldn't put it so harshly. Robert said that if they didn't want Sharlene or him to attend their church because they were prejudiced against people with different colored skin, that was fine with him, but they ought to be honest about it and say so. Then he politely escorted them out of the house.\"\n\n\"Dad said all of that?\"\n\n\"Yes, he did, Sharlene, and your mom confirmed the story. Shortly after that, you guys moved back here.\"\n\nSharlene notices the grins of appreciation for the story on the other women and asks, \"You mean some people really think that skin color matters?\" After she sees them nod their nods, \"Then what about when a light skinned person gets a dark tan?\"\n\nThe women burst into laughter and Doctor Chang hugs Sharlene even tighter.\n\nA couple of minutes later, when composure has been somewhat achieved, Doctor Chang slightly relaxes her tight hug and says, \"Sharlene, I'm sorry you don't understand the joke, but at the same time, I'm glad you don't understand why it's such a joke.\"\n\n\"Is it one of those situations which is so sad, you have to laugh about it to avoid being depressed?\"\n\nDoctor Chang gives her a look of surprise and exclaims, \"Very well put, young lady.\"\n\nAlice adds to the explanation, \"Sharlene, this is similar to what we talked about a few weeks ago in regards to you having to prove yourself. It's not just your size, age, or gender, but people will also prejudge you based on your skin color.\"\n\n\"I haven't laughed and cried so much in a long time. Thank you, Sharlene. So like your mother, bringing joy wherever she went, but so much your own person.\" Doctor Chang briefly pauses before she says, \"I would like to modify Alice's advice, don't try to prove yourself because then you'll be trying to meet the expectations of others. Just be yourself and set the example. Let others strive to rise to your level, don't lower yourself to their level.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Doc, you're right, that's a more positive direction.\"\n\n\"You really mean, just be me?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" in stereo, from Doctor Chang and Alice.\n\n\"Go ahead, Doc.\"\n\n\"You can't change your skin color or the shape of your eyes, so take pride in them. You seem to be pretty smart and have a warm personality. Let those positive elements shine forth and some people will ignore whatever they see which might cause them to be prejudiced. For those people who exhibit prejudices, ignore them until they can overcome their prejudices. There are too many people in this world who are worth knowing for you to waste your time to cater to the prejudices of society's thugs. Your mother was very good at being herself. She never compromised her principles or tried to cover up or deny who she was. It was obvious she was a woman, she was small, she was from the Asian Sector, she had an accent, any or all of which could have marked her for failure in many aspects of your father's company, because of the prejudices of some of their clients and customers. Yet, Soo-Lin was a huge success with her intelligence, warm smile, polite greeting, and ability to get the job done.\n\n\"I don't know how many times when your mother was in for an examination and your father was with her that he would shake his head and say, 'Doctor Chang, she did it again. We were having difficult negotiations with so and so when Soo-Lin walked into the room. Immediately, they demanded that Soo-Lin, usually with derogatory slurs, be removed from the room. Within ten minutes, they were smiling and shortly afterwards we had a contract signed. When I asked what changed their minds, they said that Soo-Lin reminded them of a special younger sister, or a beloved daughter, or their petite mother.' I had many of my patients at the time tell me how Soo-Lin had cheered them up with her warm smile and polite greeting.\"\n\nWith a glance at Karoline and a nod in return, Doctor Chang continues, \"A few weeks before Soo-Lin became my patient, we had a young man who did deliveries around the building. He was very prejudiced about many things, females, skin color, accents, disabilities, and who knows what else. His behavior was very offensive to the staff and to patients and there was talk about circulating a petition to have him removed. One day, as Soo-Lin was coming into the building, she was just ahead of the man and with a slight bow, she opened the door for him. He was startled, but went through the door and made his rounds. When he got to the office here, he was curt with Karoline who didn't have the outgoing packages ready because it was a busy day. Soo-Lin stepped up to him with a sad warm smile, gently touched his arm, and after a glance at his name tag she said, 'Daniel, be patient.' He gave her a rather nasty look, but stayed where he was.\n\n\"When Karoline started to give him the outgoing packages, Soo-Lin took them with a big smile and said, 'Thank you, Karoline.' Karoline responded with a slight curtsy, 'You're welcome, Soo-Lin.' Soo-Lin turned and said with a big smile, 'Here are the packages you came to pick up, Daniel. Wasn't it wonderful for Karoline to get them all ready for you?' He looked at your mother like she was a three headed alien from outer space. He put the packages away and turned to make his next delivery and Soo-Lin said with warmth and sincerity, 'Daniel, have a good day.'\n\n\"Whenever your mother saw him, she would greet him with a warm smile and a sincere, 'How are you?' After a number of weeks, he would stop and say how he was and it usually wasn't very nice. Soo-Lin would tell him that things would get better, or have you tried this or that, or that he was intelligent and ought to go to college. By this time, the building gossip was running while they wondered what happened to the delivery boy because he was being courteous and not offensive. One day, Soo-Lin invited him to eat with her during his lunch break. The result of that lunch is that he went to work for your father's company and went to night school for college with money your mother set aside for him. Karoline, do you want tell the rest?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am. It was hard for him to work and go to school, but he would remember Soo-Lin and try harder. He stopped seeing his drinking friends and his family disowned him. After awhile, he started coming around to see me. When he finished college, he received a promotion at work and asked me to marry him. He's had a real struggle, but he always remembers Soo-Lin as the lady who saved his life.\"\n\nSharlene steps over to Karoline, gives her a hug, and says, \"Thank you, Karoline, for telling me about my mother. I'm glad she was able to help Daniel.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2133-10-28 (a2)\n\nAs she sits back down, Sharlene leans over and gives Doctor Chang a hug as she says, \"Thank you, Doctor, you've helped me to know my mother better.\"\n\n\"Hey, don't I get a hug?\"\n\n\"Of course, Alice,\" Sharlene leans the other way with a hug as she tells her, \"without you, I wouldn't be here. Thank you.\"\n\n\"This has been such a wonderful surprise. I assume that was not the only reason for your visit.\"\n\n\"No, Doc, but it was definitely a part of my plan. Go ahead, Sharlene.\"\n\n\"Well, I've heard about the time when a female's body changes. As of a few weeks ago, Mom kept putting me off by telling me to wait until it happens. I've been afraid she won't tell me even then. I want to know what's going to happen before it does and I end up in a situation which could have been avoided with a little prior knowledge. One grandmother was almost as nervous about the subject as Mom. My other grandmother would tell me, but not without permission from Mom. I'm pretty familiar with the reproductive cycle of animals, but it doesn't cover the body changes of a human female. I'd read some books on the subject, but either I was missing something or there was something missing in the explanation, because it didn't make sense. At the suggestion of Alice and my dad, I went to talk to my aunt Paula who is my mom's sister.\n\n\"She wasn't happy with the burden, but she told me probably more than I would ever want to know. What Aunt Paula couldn't tell me was what my mother's experience was. I understand that what happens to the mother often happens to the daughter. Then I talked to my grandmother who was willing to talk and she answered the questions I hadn't thought to ask my aunt. She told me that when it is closer to the time for my body to change to let her know and she'll guide me through her Western culture's coming of age ceremony. I would like to know if you know what my mother's experience was, whether my body is progressing properly, and have a little more of a clinical explanation of a female's body changes either through conversation or with a thorough textbook.\"\n\nWith her eyebrows raised in surprise, Doctor Chang pauses before she answers, \"Young lady, I'm impressed. I don't often meet a young woman who has tried to do her research and been persistent in asking questions to find out what's going to happen before it does. One piece of disappointment for you is that I won't be able to examine you to see if your body is progressing properly without your parents' approval.\"\n\n\"Oh, I forgot. Here's written permission from my dad, my insurance card, and my medical history form. Alice received it from Karoline and passed it on to me.\"\n\nDoctor Chang looks at them and asks, \"A real conspiracy, eh, ladies?\"\n\nAlice nods her head as she answers, \"Guilty as charged, Doc. Just to reassure you, I talked to Sharlene a few days ago about what her aunt and grandmother told her about female body changes. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I learned a few things from the conversation.\"\n\n\"Really? Sharlene, it sounds like you've had some good teachers. I'm a bit envious of your opportunity to participate in a coming of age ceremony. If you're willing, and with your grandmother's permission, I would love to hear about it. In regards to your mother's experience, I'm sorry I don't specifically remember since that was a few years ago. Ah, Soo-Lin's chart. Thank you, Karoline. Why does that not surprise me? Something keeps nagging at me. Sharlene, what did you say your adopted mom's name is?\"\n\n\"Sarah Schmidt.\"\n\n\"Why does that name ring a bell? Was she a patient, Karoline?\"\n\n\"No, ma'am.\"\n\n\"Sharlene, did your mom get along with your mother?\"\n\n\"I was told there were like sisters.\"\n\n\"Sarah Schmidt? . . . Oh!!\" Doctor Chang's eyes and mouth pop open and her hand covers her mouth.\n\nAlice quickly speaks up, \"Doc, she hasn't been told. Sharlene, remember what I told you about events related to the wreck which I wasn't at liberty to tell you?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Doc knows about them. Did you ask your aunt?\"\n\n\"Yes. She said I wasn't ready to hear about it yet. She was upset you had said anything, but seemed to understand when I said how you stressed not to ask Mom about it.\"\n\nAlice explains, \"I don't like to withhold information from you. Considering how much your aunt told you about how a female body changes, she doesn't like to withhold information either. If she won't tell you about events related to the wreck, then she has a very good reason not to tell you. Neither I nor Doctor Chang will betray that confidence and tell you something your family won't tell you. I'll go out on a limb this far and say that if and when your family does tell you, you'll strongly wish they never had, and you'll probably regret ever wanting to know. If you possibly can, forget it. Doc?\"\n\n\"Sharlene, I have to completely agree with Alice's advice. You've demonstrated that you can be persistent, and I congratulate you on your persistence to learn about female body changes. If you were to pursue this other matter, your persistence could be a curse to you and to those around you.\"\n\n\"Alice, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push.\"\n\nShe pulls Sharlene into a hug as she assures her, \"I know. This is one case where you need to let those who love you, protect you from the bogeyman.\"\n\n\"I know. Thank you.\"\n\n\"I hope you told your aunt something similar.\"\n\n\"I did.\"\n\n\"Good for you,\" and she kisses Sharlene's forehead.\n\nDoctor Chang returns to the subject, \"From what Soo-Lin recorded in her medical history, she remembers her body change at somewhere around age fourteen or fifteen. From the notes I recorded in talking to her, she didn't have any real issue with it. Apparently, her mother told her a lot about what was going to happen physically and she was well prepared for it. Soo-Lin didn't remember any personality changes, either towards depression or excitement. Based on what's recorded in Soo-Lin's chart, and assuming that your body will respond like hers did, you're probably going to be lucky and have a fairly smooth sail through puberty. Do you know anything about the females on your father's side of the family?\"\n\n\"For the past two generations, there's only one female and that's Grandma Running Deer.\"\n\n\"Running Deer. What a wonderful name. I assume she's your grandmother who will take you through the coming of age ceremony.\"\n\n\"Yes. When I talked to her, she said that when her body charged, her, um, breasts were a little sore when they grew. She didn't think I would have much trouble with that because my mother was, um, small there.\"\n\n\"Did she say anything else or mention any personality or depression issues?\"\n\nSharlene pauses before she answers, \"She said that everything was fairly easy for her along those lines.\"\n\nDoctor Chang looks at her for a moment longer before she says, \"Something seems to be bothering you. What is it? You can talk freely here. I doubt if you can surprise any of us.\"\n\nShe hesitates a little longer before she responds, \"Well, my grandma's family is real down-to-earth, some would say they're a little crude. They've been very kind, loving, and supportive towards me and have taught me a lot. However, they tend to say what they think, regardless of who's around, especially my grandma's brother. He's been very good to me and loves me like his own grandchildren, but sometimes he tries to shock me. For some reason, he seems offended at the lily-whiteness and political correctness of my mom's family. In contrast, my mom has taught me to be real careful with what I say so I don't offend anyone.\"\n\n\"I wish people weren't as worried about being offended or offending, but speak their minds. Sometimes it's almost refreshing to hear down-to-earth from-the-gut speech and to know that the person is saying what they believe.\"\n\nSharlene pauses a little more before she explains to Doctor Chang, \"Well, when I talked to my aunt, she mentioned that some females experience personality or emotional changes when their body changes. She mentioned depression, excitement, fear, lust, violence, and sadness as some of the more common emotional changes. She also said that some women go from being social to unsociable or tidy to sloppy or vice versa, or that psychological disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar can manifest themselves at that time.\n\n\"When I asked my grandma if she had experienced anything along those lines or out of the ordinary, she said she didn't remember directly and didn't remember any complaints from her parents about her behavior. Then she yelled at her brother who was in the next room, 'Hey, Running Bear, when I started my flow and went through puberty, did you notice any change in my behavior?' There was a pause, then he yelled back, 'You were a bitch before and a bitch after, how could I see any difference?'.\"\n\nWhen the laughter diminishes, Doctor Chang says, \"I can see why you say they're down-to-earth and that he tried to shock you. I think I'll read between the lines and say your grandmother didn't experience any significant behavior issues. I'll make a note of that when I start your chart.\" She takes the chart from the outstretched hand and asks, \"Anticipating me again, Karoline? Or is this another element of the conspiracy?\"\n\nKaroline smiles as she answers, \"I'm just trying to be helpful, ma'am.\"\n\n\"Well, I guess the next step will be to do an examination. Sharlene, do you have any questions about what's going to happen?\"\n\n\"No. Both my aunt and my grandma were quite specific about what happened during the examination and Alice confirmed what they told me. They were both glad I was going to see a woman doctor although they were somewhat surprised I was seeing an obstetrician until I said that you were my mother's doctor. They also suggested that I ask you about a recommendation to a regular gynecologist so I don't take up a slot for another patient until I need the services of an obstetrician.\"\n\n\"Alice, are you sure this is Sharlene? You haven't disguised a twenty five year old on me, have you?\"\n\nShe grins as she answers, \"No, Doc. This is Sharlene.\"\n\nDoctor Chang turns to Karoline and asks, \"And I suppose an exam room is ready?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am, room four.\"\n\n\"Okay, Karoline. Get Sharlene ready and I'll be there shortly.\"\n\nAfter they leave the room and close the door, Doctor Chang throws her arms around Alice and says, \"Thank you so much for bringing her. Except for the skin tone, that could have been Soo-Lin sitting there.\"\n\n\"You're welcome, Doc. I'm sorry I never had the chance to meet her mother.\"\n\n\"You've been able to keep in touch with them?\"\n\nAlice nods her head and answers, \"Yes. Except for when they were in the European Sector, I've been able to visit a few times a year. The last couple months the visits have been a little more frequent once Sharlene decided she wanted to know how her mother and father died.\"\n\n\"How did that go?\"\n\n\"Quite well. She had a good cry when it hit her that her biological parents were real people instead of story book characters, as she put it, when the family talked.\"\n\n\"Have you seen anything which might indicate she had been harmed in the wreck?\"\n\n\"You saw her, Doc. She's a bit mature for her age, but so would a lot of other girls if they grew up in the positive environment that she's had.\"\n\nDoctor Chang hesitates before she asks, \"You're positive that it's Sharlene and her mom didn't adopt another child as a substitute?\"\n\n\"Give me a little credit, Doc. After they returned from the European Sector, I acquired a good set of finger prints and a hair sample. Both the prints and the DNA matched perfectly.\"\n\n\"That's a relief. I was so worried when Sarah lost her baby that she might do something to Soo-Lin's baby.\"\n\n\"Doc, you can relax. I've seen no indication that Sarah, in any way, blames Sharlene. Sharlene is a definite reminder and Sarah is often melancholy which seems to increase as she sees her little girl showing signs of growing up. Sarah's been a good mom. If she didn't have that pain in her soul and sadness in her heart, she would be a great mom. I just hope the family can keep it a secret forever, or at least until Sharlene has fully grown up and is strongly self-confident. She's doing very well for her age, but if she found out now, it's possible she would feel completely guilty and let it gnaw at her until it destroyed her.\"\n\n\"Well, let's go examine her. In spite of her knowledge about what's going to happen, it's always nice to have a familiar face in the room.\"\n\nAlice grins as she says, \"I can tell her I saw her when she was born, and I see her now and the only thing I can see different is her hair is longer.\"\n\n\"She might not like that.\"\n\n\"She'll know I'm teasing.\"\n\"Okay. Here we are.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (m1)\n\nNow that her classes are over after her first year at the community college, Sharlene looks into Robert's home office and asks, \"Dad?\"\n\n\"Yes, sweetheart?\"\n\n\"Do you have some time to talk?\"\n\n\"Can you give me five minutes to finish up here?\"\n\n\"Sure.\"\n\n\"I could use some more tea.\"\n\n\"I'll put a pot on. What kind do you want?\"\n\n\"How about the spiced black tea?\n\n\"Consider it done.\"\n\nA few minutes later, Robert takes the cup from Sharlene and says, \"Thanks for the tea. What do you want to talk about?\"\n\n\"Business.\"\n\n\"Yeech. Business? You don't want to talk about my drummer friend? Or the new warp drive engine I built in the basement last weekend. Or how high I flew my kite the weekend before that? Business? Why business?\"\n\nSharlene grins at his teasing then explains, \"Through most of my reading of history over the years, the impression was that politicians and generals made and changed the course of history. The last few months, my college professors and textbooks have been encouraging us to look behind the scenes and try to discover what motivated those politicians and generals to make and change history. In most cases, it was an economic factor or some business entity which 'encouraged' the politicians and generals to do what they did. Further research often showed that what drove the economic factor or business entity was some rumor either of problems or profits.\n\n\"I was amazed at how often a political entity would send an army or a fleet to invade a basically peaceful group of people because it was rumored there was a valuable resource there. When the valuable resource wasn't found, the natives were accused of lying or hiding the resource. Then the invading force would kill or enslave the natives and settle in to rule and use that place as a stepping stone to chase the next rumor. Or they would destroy the crops, strip the land of whatever resources they could easily find and depart which left the survivors destitute.\n\n\"In my economics class, we studied the stock market and each student had a handful of companies to investigate. A simplified, but typical scenario was that a company would produce say a thousand widgets a day and ship them to stores for people to buy. One day people would buy 995 widgets, the next day people would buy 1,005 widgets, so that over time the widgets produced equaled the widgets sold. Then the company would publish its semi-annual financial statements with a one percent loss during the first five months and maybe a one and a half percent gain at the end of the next five months. Then we looked at the stock market history of that company for those same time periods and found that from day to day the stock value for that company gained or lost as much as ten percent in one day. There was no correlation between what the company was actually doing and what the stock market so-called valuation of the company was doing.\n\n\"Then there was the rumor factor. If there was a suspected scandal brewing in one company, its stock started to go down, then the stock of every company in that industry started to go down, then the stock of every company in the political entity of the first company went down, then the stock of every industry related to the first industry diminished and before you know it, there's a panic. Yet that first company was still producing a thousand widgets and people were buying a thousand widgets.\n\n\"Then the investors would tell the company executives to reduce costs to increase profits in order to offset the deflated stock values, so the company would lay off employees which reduced production. When the employees were laid off, they couldn't afford to buy widgets, so fewer widgets were sold, which caused further reductions in production which required more layoffs. The next thing you know, the company is out of business, a lot of people are out of work, the executives scratch their heads while they wonder what happened, then they take their big salaries and even bigger bonuses, start a new company, and do it all over again.\n\n\"As we were researching the stock market and those companies, the professors and guest speakers kept telling us that stock investors, financial advisors, and corporate executives are all highly rational, methodical people who review all available information before they make a decision. Several of the other students and I looked at each other, looked at the data, looked at the professors and said, at least to ourselves, who do you think you're kidding? We were told over and over that economists understand the market and its dynamics. Yet whenever there was a bubble, dip, or crash in the stock market, it was always, 'oops, we didn't see that one coming'. And I thought my philosophy class was a bunch of mumbo jumbo nonsense on stilts. . . . I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to go off on a rant. I appreciate you listening to me and letting me get that off of my chest.\"\n\n\"Wow, kiddo,\" Robert glances under the table then 'reports', \"I thought for a moment there that you had blown my socks off. Actually, I had very similar thoughts when I went to college and frankly, I haven't seen anything to change my mind. Your grandfather had similar thoughts and he earned a doctorate in economics.\"\n\n\"I don't know had he could have stayed in the field that long. I would have killed somebody or gone stark raving mad. I didn't really want to talk about business or economics in general. It just got me to thinking that I know you and Grandpa have a business, but I had never had much of an interest in it and I don't know much of anything about it. So I figured it was time to find out what the family business is all about.\"\n\n\"Well, Sharlene, that's quite an introduction to the age old question of, 'Dad, what do you do at work?'.\"\n\n\"Probably. Anyway, I would like to know how the company was started, what the philosophy or guiding principle is, basically how it operates, and how it survives in the volatile fluctuation of the stock market. Or do you have company brochures, documents, or advertising which covers those subjects?\"\n\n\"Humm, how about I give you a personal overview, then I can give you some documents to review at your leisure, then you can come back and we can talk some more and answer any questions. Did you want to take notes?\"\n\n\"That approach sounds good, but do you mind if I record it?\"\n\n\"You can record it, if you agree to not share it with anyone unless I specifically give you permission. There will be some things I'll tell you which aren't appropriate for public awareness.\"\n\nSharlene nods her head as she says, \"I agree.\"\n\nRobert takes a drink of tea before he starts, \"Okay. First of all, the name of the company is Community Consulting and Construction. The consulting and construction part is what we do. The community part of the name is from the idea of working in the local community of any quadrant with the hope of encouraging and enhancing the communication and community of all quadrants. For how the company came into being, I'm going to go back a ways in history to set the stage. Several decades ago, there was a megalomaniac who riled up a lot of people in the European Sector with visions of global conquest. At first, people in the other sectors thought he was just another cracked pot.\n\n\"It wasn't long before his followers started growing exponentially and soon had political control of some of the central quadrants of the European Sector. They revved up their military supplies production and in a short time had troops along their borders facing the weaker quadrants. The other sectors joined forces into a coalition to protect the weaker quadrants. The war was bloody but brief and was greatly shortened when some of the more reasonable European leaders arrested the megalomaniac and his top henchmen, tried them, and executed them for treason. The coalition stationed a few highly visible troops in those European quadrants to say, 'don't let it happen again'. The coalition also sent in some construction people to help rebuild the destroyed infrastructure in the affected quadrants.\n\n\"Since there were few opportunities for work in his rural African sector community, a young man who liked to build things, named Thomas Schmidt, joined the Coalition Construction Corps and was sent to the Deutsche Quadrant in the European Sector. He started as a common laborer and worked his way up to operating the heavy machinery. When he made several suggestions which resulted in better quality construction at lower costs, his managers sponsored his education. After he graduated from college with a degree in construction management, he returned to the Deutsche Quadrant with his bride, Martha, whom he met in college.\n\n\"Thomas's first job as a construction manager was to rebuild a school. When the project was completed on time and below budget, he was given a bigger project to manage. Each project he managed was completed on time and below budget. Part of the key to his success was that he hired local people to do the work and local firms to provide the supplies which made him very popular with the local community. It wasn't long before he started making positive suggestions for improving the design during the project and then he worked with the architects to improve the design before the project began.\n\n\"Shortly after Thomas's first project was completed, Martha gave birth to a son. Both Thomas and Martha enjoyed a good sense of humor and since they were living and working in the Deutsche Quadrant and already had a surname of Schmidt, they gave their son the very Deutsche name of Hienrik. As he grew up, Hienrik was often sent to the local Deutsche school and learned to speak the language like a native. At first, there was some concern that young Hienrik might face some discrimination, but it was soon clear that he was such a novelty in the local school as well as a friendly cheerful child, that he quickly became the most popular kid.\n\n\"Between Hienrik's popularity, his father's reputation, and his mother's humble cheerfulness and volunteer activities, the family was made very welcome. When the family traveled outside of the local community for vacation or shopping, Thomas would ask Hienrik, by name, to order the meal in a restaurant and when people turned with pleased smiles to watch young Hienrik order, Thomas enjoyed seeing the shocked looks on their faces when they realized that Hienrik wasn't a blond hair blue eyed Deutsche, even if he was wearing lederhosen.\n\n\"After a few years, the Coalition post-war reconstruction was complete and the Coalition Construction Corps was disbanded. Thomas's family said a sad farewell to their many friends in the Deutsche Quadrant and moved back to the African Sector near to where Thomas and Martha's families lived. It was somewhat of a culture shock for young Hienrik to go from being a popular novelty in school to just being another kid. Although he had learned Swahili from his parents, he didn't use it daily so he was understandable, but not fluent. In a few short months with the support of his parents and newly met multitude of relatives, Hienrik soon fit in and was making many new friends. For a couple of years, Thomas did some consulting with construction firms in his quadrant which were building high-tech state-of-the-art architectural showpieces. The construction firms were pleased with his work, but his heart wasn't in it.\n\n\"Then Thomas received a call from someone who requested that he oversee the construction of a hospital in an economically depressed area in a nearby quadrant. After he talked to the quadrant government officials who were funding the project, reviewed the architectural plans, and checked with the local suppliers, Thomas made a number of suggested changes. When the changes were agreed to, he took to the project with all of his heart and completed it to the satisfaction of almost everybody. You can't always please everyone and in this case it was somebody who ran an employment agency for construction workers which wasn't much better than slave labor. When that person threatened Thomas's family, word got out, the quadrant officials investigated, shut down the employment agency, and jailed the owner as well as the local officials who he had been bribing.\n\n\"Within a few short years, Thomas was traveling the world as he consulted on or oversaw public construction projects. As a teenager, Hienrik would often accompany his dad and was soon adding valuable suggestions of his own. At first, Martha would go along to keep them company, but it wasn't long before she was working with the local women in setting up school rooms and medical clinics. At her suggestion, Thomas would purchase decorative handicrafts made by the local women to add to the construction project. Soon, Martha was running a consignment business where she would buy local handicrafts and sell them to boutiques and tourist shops. She avoided middlemen as much as possible, took no salary, and any proceeds above costs were returned to the producer. The living standards of many women increased since they were able to work from home while they raised their children.\n\n\"With his experience on his dad's construction projects, Hienrik easily earned a civil engineering degree in college, then worked with his dad, this time on salary, for a couple of years on various public projects. Since he had closely observed how both his dad and mom would try to improve the living conditions of people who lived near the project his dad was working on, Hienrik wondered how he could improve the financial lives of the disadvantaged on a larger scale. He decided more education was needed and went to a top university in this sector where he worked on a doctorate in economics. As a graduate student, one of his assignments was to teach one class each term to undergraduate students.\n\n\"During one term he was able to teach a class called 'The Economics of the Disadvantaged'. While the subject was important to him, he found most of the materials to be inconsistent with what he had observed, but assumed he just wasn't seeing the big picture or all of the angles. Within the first week of teaching the class, he realized it was what students referred to as a 'junk class'. The students took it because they figured it would be easy, or they needed an economics credit, or the class they wanted was full. By the end of the second week, it became clear to him that he was teaching the class to one student in the back who paid attention and appeared to take notes, but since the lights were directed onto the podium and dimmed in the room and considering the variety of cultures who were attending the school, Hienrik wasn't sure if the student was even male or female. He thought what was considered then the 'modern' educational approach of a student signing into class at the door with their identification card and sitting in a lowly lit room left something to be desired.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (m2)\n\nAfter he takes a drink of tea, Robert tells what happened as though he has stepped into the past:\n\nAt the end of the fourth week of the class, as he is putting his materials away, Hienrik hears a soft voice in front of him, \"Why teach crap when not trust?\"\n\nAs he looks up, he sees a striking woman with medium brown skin and long black hair wearing a dark tan shirt with a matching calf length skirt and both of them are decorated with what looks like many tiny beads. When he can find his voice, Hienrik asks, \"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?\"\n\n\"Everyone deaf here?\"\n\n\"I heard you, I just wasn't sure I understood you.\"\n\n\"Why you teach fecal matter you not believe?\"\n\n\"That's about what I thought you said.\" As he looks down to finish putting his materials away, Hienrik notices that her shoes have no heels and match the color of her skirt. As he stands up, he notices that she's almost as tall as he is. He hesitates then asks, \"Would you care to join me for lunch and we can discuss it?\"\n\n\"O-kay.\"\n\nAs they start to walk towards the cafeteria, he realizes she must be his mystery student, and that, yes, she must be from one of the cultures in the Western Sector which he had seen in documentaries, but had never knowingly met someone from there. In an attempt to start the conversation, he introduces himself, \"My name is Hienrik Schmidt.\"\n\n\"I know, on class guide. Deutsche name,\" she looks him up and down then tells him, \"you not look Deutsche.\"\n\nHe chuckles then explains, \"No, my parents are from the African Sector, but my dad worked for the Coalition Construction Corps in the Deutsche Quadrant and I was born and lived there for several years. My dad thought it was a big joke to give me a Deutsche name.\"\n\n\"Your dad, he builder?\"\n\n\"Yes, he's a construction manager.\"\n\n\"Good job. I build when done here.\"\n\n\"What's your major?\"\n\n\"Civil engineering.\"\n\n\"That was my undergraduate degree.\"\n\nShe stops and looks at him in surprise.\n\nHienrik walks a couple of paces before he realizes she has stopped so he turns around.\n\n\"You go from civil engineering to e-co-no-mics? Why?\"\n\n\"My dad tries to help the disadvantaged while he oversees construction of local infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, roads, energy facilities, and so forth. I wanted to try to help the disadvantaged financially on a larger scale and thought economics might provide some means to achieve that.\"\n\n\"Why help disadvantaged? No profit.\"\n\nHienrik points to his chest as he explains, \"The profit is here. I've been to many parts of the world with my dad and his work and I've seen people living in squalor, their house a cardboard box, with no clean water, no medical facilities, and no education. Yet a few hundred feet away, the local bigwig sits in a twenty room mansion with servants, fancy vehicles, and all of the luxuries of life, and feeds his guard dogs more in a day than the people down the street will see in a week.\"\n\nThey continue their walk towards the cafeteria as she asks him, \"So, e-co-no-mics give answer?\"\n\n\"No, I haven't found any answers in economics. In fact, I'm beginning to think that economics is a part of the problem. Technically, economics is the study of the development of material wealth from the individual to the largest corporation or political entity. In practice, economics only looks at the top end of the scale. Essentially, how to make the rich richer. One of the major areas of economics is the study of the stock market. Yet the stock market is so out of touch with reality, it might as well be on a different planet. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get on my soapbox.\"\n\nAs they get their food, she says, \"No be sorry. Soapbox good with passion and truth.\" They look for a table, then she points and asks, \"My brother, we eat with?\"\n\n\"Sure,\" Hienrik replies while he feels a little jealous at having to share her company.\n\n\"Hey, Sis, what kept you?\"\n\n\"Talk with teacher, e-co-no-mics.\"\n\n\"Not again. Why do you keep pulling that dumb savage, no want to speak in forked tongue routine?\"\n\n\"It helps to keep the jerks away. I think Herr Hienrik Schmidt here is real.\"\n\nHe's astounded as he realizes she spoke his name as a native Deutsche would say it and he can't seem to stop himself from just staring at her. He turns as he realizes her brother is speaking to him, \"Herr Schmidt, I must apologize for my sister's behavior, although she's right that if the jerks assume she can't understand the language, they can't talk her into lifting her skirt for them, so they go away. My name is Running Bear Lakota. As you might have guessed, we're from the Western Sector. I must say, I've never met someone from the Deutsche Quadrant who looks like you.\"\n\nHienrik takes a moment to answer, \"My parents are from the African Sector, but my dad was with the Coalition Construction Corps in Deutsche where I was born and he thought it would be a big joke to give me a Deutsche name.\"\n\n\"I think I would like your dad. Well, if she followed her usual routine, she didn't tell you her name.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Herr Schmidt, my I introduce my sister, Running Deer Lakota.\"\n\nShe holds out her hand and says, \"Guten Tag, Herr Schmidt.\"\n\nAs he shakes her hand, Hienrik woodenly replies, \"Guten Tag, sprechen Sie Deutsche?\"\n\n\"Yahvohl.\"\n\nRunning Bear speaks up, \"That and about seven or eight other languages. My sister has a real gift for languages and is such a natural mimic of animals you would think she was talking to them. Just don't sit next to her when there's a full moon out or you'll start believing in werewolves when she decides to howl like a wolf. Damn, gotta run to my next class. It was nice to meet you, Hienrik. See you around.\"\n\n\"It was nice to meet you, Running Bear.\" In the silence which follows, Hienrik turns back to Running Deer and asks, \"Is your brother always like that?\"\n\n\"Yeah, they should have named him Running Off At The Mouth. When he was born, he was chubby like a bear cub and very quiet. All through childhood, he hardly spoke. After puberty, it was like he tried to make up for lost time and the family hasn't been able to shut him up since.\"\n\n\"Running Deer, that's a pretty name.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\n\"I have a cousin back in the African Sector, whose name means 'Running Gazelle' in Swahili. I don't mean to intrude, but you seem more mature than the usual student.\"\n\n\"You mean older?\"\n\nHienrik shakes his head as he clarifies, \"Since I've never knowingly met someone from the Western Sector, I have no means of judging age. I meant more mature.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\nAfter he pauses to eat some of his meal, Hienrik asks her, \"What led you to take up civil engineering?\"\n\n\"As a teenager, I was interested in our cultural traditions which were fast disappearing as many leaders sought to match the secular business approach of the other sectors. So I traveled around the northern plains area of the Western Sector and talked to every elder, shaman, and tribal grandparent I could find, in order to record as many customs, legends, traditions, and stories as they remembered. While I was traveling, I also made note of the prevalent poverty and the failing infrastructure everywhere I went. The local government would see a need for something and accept the absolute lowest bid, which often resulted in supplies and construction techniques which barely met minimum standards. In a few years, the structure would collapse, or be in imminent danger of doing so because there wasn't any money to maintain it or to replace it. I decided I wanted to try to do something about it. I passed the high school equivalency exam, went to the local community college, won some scholarships, and here I am.\"\n\nHienrik takes a sip of his drink before he responds, \"That's an excellent reason to go into civil engineering, and it explains your interest in 'The Economics of the Disadvantaged'.\"\n\nRunning Deer nods her head and simply agrees, \"Yes.\"\n\n\"Changing the subject, where did you learn Deutsche?\"\n\n\"A couple of summers ago, I took an independent study audio course, but I don't find many opportunities to practice.\"\n\n\"Your pronunciation is superb. If I had closed my eyes when you spoke, I would have thought we were sitting down to a meal of bratwurst and beer, instead of whatever this is,\" he lifts his spoon and lets the contents dribble back into his bowl. They both start to laugh.\n\nRobert returns his attention to the present and summarizes, \"And so began the storybook romance of Running Deer Lakota and Hienrik Schmidt. Hand me a tissue, I think I'm going to cry.\"\n\n\"Oh, Dad, you silly ol' buzzard, knock it off. I like to hear about my grandparents, but I asked about the family business.\"\n\n\"But, Sharlene, you're a girl, you're supposed to like romantic stories. You know, boy meets girl, they fall in love, and live happily ever after. It's supposed to be written down somewhere in your genetic code. Maybe when they programmed you, they left that part out. Or maybe you're a boy in disguise. Hey, son, how about we go toss the old pigskin around some?\"\n\nShe pauses then asks, \"Uh, what's a pigskin besides what a pig wears on the outside of its body?\"\n\n\"Rats, she already guessed the joke. A pigskin is another term for a football which was the ball used in a game by the same name. The game never caught on, but it was a somewhat more organized and less violent game than the English Quadrant game of rugby.\"\n\n\"Dad, thank you for telling me about how Grandma and Grandpa met, but I have to wonder how much you embellished it.\"\n\n\"From the stories I remember, I tried to repeat what I heard until the bit about the bratwurst and beer, that was embellishment. And before you question what it had to do with the family business, how, when, and where your grandparents met was a major factor in the business getting started and the success that it's enjoyed.\"\n\n\"Okay, Dad, I'm sorry I questioned the direction of your story. By the way, I think your embellishment fit right in.\"\n\n\"Why, thank you, Sharlene. I'm so glad my creative abilities have finally been recognized.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (m3)\n\nWhen they have fresh cups of tea in front of them, Robert resumes the narrative, \"During the first long break between college terms, Running Deer took Hienrik to visit her family in the Western Sector. There he saw some of the same symptoms of the disadvantaged which he had seen in many other parts of the world. There weren't the cardboard box shanty towns, but there was high unemployment, poor or no medical care, overcrowded schools, disintegrating infrastructure, and disdain from the nearby wealthy. The Westerners may have kept the Europeans from taking over the land, but the cost to the population and the natural resources had been enormous.\n\n\"During the next long break between college terms, Hienrik took Running Deer to visit his family in the African Sector and they spent a couple of weeks working on one of his dad's projects in a neighboring quadrant. She saw firsthand how Hienrik's family sought to help the local disadvantaged, as well as the extent of the poverty. Running Deer was somewhat ashamed for thinking of her people as disadvantaged until Martha pointed out that disadvantaged was a relative rather than an absolute term. Hienrik was almost not awarded his doctorate in economics because his dissertation on the economic effects of corporations on the disadvantaged was so controversial to traditional economic theory. After he graduated, he was hired by the African Sector government to study the historical economic trends of the quadrants in the sector and how they interacted with each other.\n\n\"Running Deer graduated with a degree in civil engineering at the top of her class and was hired by a prominent Trader Sector engineering firm to design high tech office buildings. A few months later, she found out she had been hired because the firm's executives felt that its engineering staff was poorly represented by females from the Western Sector. When she confronted her manager, and he confirmed it, she immediately quit and moved back to her family's ranch in the Western Sector.\n\n\"A few days later, Hienrik arrived in an attempted surprise visit, found her apartment vacated and that she had quit her job. When he contacted her family, Running Bear assured him that she was there, that she was safe, and that she was 'almighty pissed off,' and to come as soon as he could. After Running Bear picked him up at the airport and told him what happened, Hienrik figured that for once, Running Bear's description of his sister's mood was an understatement. When they arrived at the ranch and Running Deer threw herself into Hienrik's arms, he was glad she had already worked off her anger and doubly so when Running Bear later showed him the mangled pile of firewood which Running Deer had reduced to kindling.\n\nRobert takes another drink before he continues the story as though he stepped back into the past:\n\nThat evening, after dinner and with her family as unknowing witnesses, Hienrik kneels before Running Deer, asks her to marry him, and presents her with an engagement ring.\n\nIn the silence of her pause, her withered old grandmother says, \"Don't be a daft fool, girl, say 'yes', or I will.\"\n\nAmidst the laughter, Running Deer proclaims, \"Yahvohl,\" throws herself on Hienrik, and kisses him while the laughter of her family turns to cheers and whistles.\n\nAfter they break the kiss and the cheers have diminished, Running Deer's grandmother calls him over. Hienrik kneels by the side of her wheelchair to be at eye level with her, and asks, \"Yes, Grandmother?\"\n\nShe takes his hand and stares at it intently. Then she reaches out, puts a hand on the back of his neck, pulls him closer, and stares into his eyes. Then to his shocked amazement, she pulls his head even closer and kisses him to the renewed cheers of her family. After she breaks the kiss, she keeps him close while she catches her breath, then with a big somewhat toothless grin, she proclaims, \"Welcome to the family, boy.\" With a light shove towards Running Deer, she tells him, \"Now go make some babies.\"\n\nLater, when they are relatively alone, Hienrik asks Running Deer if her grandmother's action was some cultural tradition he had never heard about.\n\nShe laughs then explains, \"No. Grandmother is just a lusty old lady who hasn't been kissed for awhile. She likes you and when she said, 'welcome to the family,' she meant it. As matriarch, her word is law, at least within the family.\"\n\nLate that evening, which was early morning in the African Sector, Hienrik calls his parents and tells them that Running Deer had accepted his proposal. After his parents congratulate him, his dad tells him to quit his lousy government job and do some real work.\n\n\"What do you mean, Dad?\"\n\nThomas explains, \"I think it's time for you to start your own company and formally do what I've been doing out of a briefcase. It's what you want to do and it's what Running Deer wants to do. I'll work as a consultant to help you over the edges and get you acquainted with my contacts. You're both good engineers and with your understanding of economics, you can keep an eye on the bigger picture. I've got enough money saved to get you going and to tide us over. Take as long as you need to get married there and then come here and get married again. What do you say, son? Will you make an old man doubly happy?\"\n\nWhile Hienrik just sits there with a stunned expression, Running Deer answers for him, \"I'm sorry, Dad, but I think your son has just developed a sudden case of lockjaw in the open position.\" When Thomas finishes laughing, she goes on, \"For his sake, I accept your wonderful offer, and if he objects, I'll beat some sense into him. Thank you, Dad.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Running Deer. And welcome to the family, daughter.\"\n\nRobert returns to the present and provides an overview, \"So, the family business was started. There was some paperwork to acknowledge the marriage in both sectors, but it was straight forward. There was some discussion as to where to incorporate the new company which required legal and financial research, but it was soon accomplished. Due to the nature of the business and the amount of time they would spend away on projects, it was decided to use Thomas and Martha's home as the office point of contact, especially since that was where Thomas's contacts knew where to reach him. They also decided not to set up a household of their own for awhile, but would alternate their time away from the current project between the families. Before I go on, I need to make a pit stop and get re-fueled.\"\n\nA few minutes later, Sharlene hands him a fresh cup of tea as she says, \"Dad, I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me all of this. I thought I knew Grandma and Grandpa, but this adds whole new dimensions to who they are. I can picture Grandma Running Deer chopping that firewood into kindling after being told she was hired as a token Western female when she had graduated from a well-known university at the top of her class. I would have been right there with her. I can also imagine Grandpa Hienrik having a controversial doctoral paper. From what I understand, the whole idea of the doctoral dissertation is to present a new look at an old idea or to document research in a new field or direction. Do you have a copy of his dissertation? I think I would like to try to read it.\"\n\n\"I think I do, but if I don't, I'm sure he still has a copy of it. I'll make a note to look for it when we're done talking. Okay, we've covered how the company got started. I know it sounded more like family history, but what your grandparents and great grandparents were thinking, feeling, and experiencing, had a lot to do with why the company was started and the philosophy which keeps it going. Think about your grandma Running Deer. She takes great pride in her heritage and in her engineering abilities. Now if that prestigious engineering firm she was working at had told her they had hired her because she had proven herself by being at the top of her class and wanted her to stay because she had demonstrated excellent engineering abilities, do you think she would have jumped at the chance to do relatively simple engineering jobs while traipsing through jungles, swamps, and deserts, maneuvering around crooked politicians, fighting off bandits, being hated simply because she was a woman, or considered as a dark skinned European by a lot of others?\"\n\nSharlene shakes her head as she answers, \"Not likely.\"\n\n\"So, the reason the company even started is deeply embedded in your family history and you won't find it recorded in publicly accessible company documents. I'm going to skip over the company philosophy for a moment and deal with your question of surviving in the fluctuation of the stock market. First, the company isn't on the stock market. It's a privately held company. If the company needs to borrow money, instead of selling stocks it goes to a bank. If a bank won't lend the company money, then the company will borrow from its officers, your grandfather, me, and a couple of other people, but that's never happened. Second, the majority of our suppliers aren't on the stock market. Third, when we do have to deal with companies which are on the stock market, we spread our business as far as we can to reduce our risk, so if one of those companies has a problem, it won't shut us down. Does that make sense or do you want more details?\"\n\n\"That's about the level of what I wanted to know. Not so much the nitty-gritty details, but the reasons which guide the details.\"\n\n\"Okay. In regards to our philosophy, the first part of that goes back to the stock issue. The company is a privately held company and we intend that it remain a privately held company. We've had a number of offers from publicly held companies to buy us out and we've refused every offer and some of them were big. We've worked very hard from the time of your great grandfather Thomas to build a reputation for good quality construction, completed on time, and within budget. We know the offers from publicly held companies aren't to purchase our assets, but to purchase our reputation and then push it into ruination in an effort to capture as much short term profit as they can. Before that happens, the company will sell off its assets, contact all of the people we've worked with and tell them we're quitting business and that if somebody comes to them with the company name, it's not us, and then dissolve the company.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him in surprise before she exclaims, \"That's serious.\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he responds, \"You bet it is. The fewer companies there are which produce a product or provide a service, the more important a company's name and reputation is. Just within the motorized vehicle industry, there are a number of companies that, for whatever reason, lost their reputation for building a quality product at an affordable price, so people stopped buying their product and you never hear of them again, unless you go to an antique vehicle show. As a company, our primary purpose is to consult on, design, and/or build civil engineering projects in developing quadrants or in depressed areas of developed quadrants. Some of the more typical projects are schools, hospitals, medical clinics, roads, housing developments, wells, pipelines, sewers, energy production and distribution, and emergency services facilities.\"\n\n\"What do you mean by energy production?\"\n\n\"Primarily solar and wind energy with an occasional geothermal project.\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (m4)\n\nAfter he takes a drink, Robert asks, \"Do you know how a civil engineering project is put together, for example, a school?\"\n\nSharlene thinks for a moment then says, \"I might be able to guess some of it, but I don't know.\"\n\nHe nods his head as he says, \"Fair enough. For our discussion, I'll use a very simplified version of building a school. Just to let you know, each step I mention can have a dozen variables and many of those a dozen more variables. Here we go, building a school starts when a political entity such as a quadrant, considers the possibility of building a school in village ABC. Someone will go to village ABC and find out how many children there are in the village and the surrounding countryside and where there's land available for the school. Based on the number of children, the size of the school can be determined and the land available will determine how the size of the school is configured. The political entity will then put out a request for bids to construction companies for them to build a 2,000 square foot school in village ABC on a 3,000 square foot plot of land to be completed within five months for no more than 50,000 credits.\n\n\"Our company receives the bid, looks at our current workload to decide if we can do it. We'll also review our records to see if we've worked with that political entity before or if we've found suppliers in the area. If we decide our workload isn't too high and we've had no problems working with that political entity, we'll send an engineer and one or two other people to the political entity to review the plans for the school. Then they'll go to village ABC and start to ask questions such as: Do you want a school? Do you have a teacher? Where will the teacher live? Will you help build the school?\n\n\"The team will look at the proposed building site. Will the ground support the proposed building? Does the land flood? What happens to the land in the summer, the winter, the rainy season, the dry season? Is there water and electricity available? Where will the sewage system go? The team will also go to the suppliers of building materials to determine the quality of the materials. What will the supplies cost? Can they be delivered? Is there a road to village ABC to support the vehicles which will bring the building supplies? Do they have construction workers? What will they cost? And so on and so forth.\n\n\"When we have the answers and if things look satisfactory, we'll send in the bid saying we can build the school in five months for 48,000 credits. Most often the political entity will go with the lowest bid, period. Sometimes our bid is chosen even if it isn't the lowest, because we've built a reputation of quality construction. If our bid is chosen, we'll send in a bigger team, usually including the original team. If the villagers really want the school, we find out what their most pressing need is and supply it and then ask them to help prepare the site and construct the building.\n\n\"As much as possible, we use local supplies and local building techniques, so the villagers can do the building themselves and sometimes we teach them how to build it stronger. Probably ninety percent of the time, for us to supply their most pressing need is cheaper than bringing in construction workers from the nearby town. It may sound like we're getting low cost labor, but what we're really getting is people who take pride in their school because they built it. It will be built better and maintained longer. And when we teach them better construction techniques on the school, they turn around and use those techniques to build better homes and other buildings.\n\n\"When we build a school, we'll often build a septic system with it, even if the plans don't call for it, and we teach the villagers about hygiene and sanitation to reduce disease. When we work with suppliers of building materials, if the materials aren't up to the quality we need, we'll work with the supplier to improve his product. If he's unwilling, we sometimes set up our own supply company and enable a couple of families or even a whole village to go into business for themselves. When the school is complete, it's often the strongest building in the area and becomes a community center, a church, a storm shelter, a medical clinic, or whatever the village needs.\n\n\"Many times when we've collected our fee and the accounting is complete, we find that if we had built the school strictly to the plans and used outside construction workers, we would have lost money. But by modifying the plans to build the school stronger, adding a septic system, using local labor and local supplies, paying for a team to teach better construction techniques and hygiene, we make a small profit. More importantly, the village doesn't have 'a' school, they have 'their' school. No amount of money can buy the pride those villagers express in their school which they built. I know this isn't a list of pretty philosophical statements, those you can get in the company brochures, but maybe this gives you an idea of what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. Sharlene?\"\n\nAs she steps around the table with tears in her eyes, she hugs him and proclaims, \"That was beautiful, Dad, really beautiful. I could see your pride as you spoke of the villagers' pride.\"\n\nRobert cautions her, \"I hope I didn't give you the idea that it's all goodness and light.\"\n\n\"No. When you started, even I, who doesn't know anything about construction, could think of lots of other questions and see where multitudes of problems could crop up. In the end, it must be worth all of the problems to be able to help people help themselves. In a way, it's like what Alice goes through, when she sees broken bodies and broken lives every day, yet she can take pride and joy in the ones she's able to save.\"\n\n\"I would have never equated what Alice does with what we do, but in general principles, there are some similarities. . . . Whenever a project is completed, we always survey or interview the team which was involved in the project and ask: What went wrong? What went well? What can we do better? Who did you have problems with? Who was supportive? What will you remember from this project? To that last question, two main answers stand out: the pride of the people in the successful completion of their project, both the team and the villagers; and the fun the engineer had in being able to produce a better product for no more cost.\"\n\n\"If your company is so successful, how come other companies don't imitate your methodologies?\"\n\n\"They do and in fact we've helped some local companies get started who very successfully do what we do. We won't bid on projects in their quadrants and sometimes we'll help them bid on projects in nearby quadrants. Other companies try to imitate, but they ignore critical elements in the interest of gaining short term profit which often results in less success. Actually, we make it easy for companies to imitate us because the checklist we follow for every project is publicly available. Just a second . . . here's a copy.\"\n\nSharlene exclaims, \"That's a book!\"\n\nRobert nods his head in agreement then explains, \"It started as notes or ideas which Thomas and Martha wanted to pass on to Dad and Mom when they started the company. Mom formalized it into a checklist and it's grown over the years. Most of the time the team assigned to the project will complete it electronically so we don't waste so much paper. If you look at the table of contents, those are essentially our guiding principles. The checklist is revised on a fairly regular basis as we run into situations on a new project which we haven't encountered before. Then there are sub-checklists related to types of projects, because there are some things a hospital needs that a school doesn't.\n\n\"In the early years of the company, we tried to hire engineers from top schools and sent them all over the world to work on projects. It was soon apparent that many times those engineers couldn't deal with local conditions. Then the light bulb went on, if we use local labor and local supplies, why not local engineers? We scaled back the size of the company to those who could work with the local conditions and started sponsoring engineering internships. An engineering student, usually civil engineering, will take time off from college to 'get their hands dirty' in working on a project in an underdeveloped area. Whenever possible, the student will be involved from start to finish and will be required to shovel dirt, work the machinery, review the plans, report on progress, work with contractors, oversee the construction workers, or do whatever else is needed. The projects used for the internships are short term, three months to a year, whatever will work with the student's academic schedule.\n\n\"Most of the better known engineering schools scoffed at the idea, while many of the local quadrant schools jumped at the opportunity. It was soon apparent that the students gained much knowledge and confidence from the experience and were better students both in their insights and the quality of the questions they asked and it wasn't long before other schools wanted to join the program. After graduation, many of those interns became our engineering team leaders on new projects and once they had some successful projects under their belt, we often encouraged them to go into business for themselves and start their own engineering company.\n\n\"If you were to look at a chart of how many employees we have, you would see a gradual, but clear downturn, as though we were a failing business. We're not firing employees and closing local offices, we're encouraging them to go into business for themselves. As time has gone on, we're doing less construction and more consulting and have become a clearing house of engineering techniques most successfully used in underdeveloped areas. Sometimes we're even a bank as we loan the money to the local office to buy the assets and start their own company. We're still a business and don't give away our local properties, but we do keep the price as low as possible within local conditions.\"\n\nSharlene shakes her head as she says, \"That's fascinating. I never would have guessed all of that was going on. So how do you fit into the company? And what about my mother and father, what did they do?\"\n\n\"Before we get into all of that, why don't we take a break for lunch and you can tell me more about school. Are there any boys who I should be prepared for you to bring home for us to meet?\"\n\n\"Dad!?! They're all a lot older than I am and even then, most of them are immature or just plain jerks. A couple of guys from my martial arts class are there and they're like big brothers and have quietly passed it around that other guys aren't allowed to bother me. It's kind of funny, but since I still look like a little girl, a lot of the other students think I'm just some show off daughter of one of the professors instead of an actual student. A couple of the professors have gotten in on the act and call me 'daughter' or 'kiddo' or other nick-names which suggest a closer relationship.\"\n\nRobert laughs at the mental image then exclaims, \"That's wonderful. Oh, what fun.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (a1)\n\nAfter they prepare, eat, and clean up after lunch which they do on their own since Sarah is at one of her volunteer activities, Sharlene asks, \"Dad, would it be too much out of the story line of the company to tell me how my mother and father met? Mom's been kind of vague about that.\"\n\n\"I can easily fit that in since they met while doing company business. I'll need to bring in some of your mother's history for it to make sense and that's probably why your mom has been vague about it. Before I get to your mother and father's roles, I can rather quickly cover what I do for the company. I type emails, look at numbers, and talk on the phone. Is that clear enough?\"\n\n\"Clear? Dad, it's so vague, it doesn't mean anything. Almost anybody with a job could say the same thing.\"\n\nRobert pauses as though he seriously thinks about it then he grins and clarifies, \"You've got a point there. Okay, my official title is Administrative Vice President. I'm responsible for almost everything in the company except the construction and the consulting. I oversee all of the financial, legal, personnel, publicity, and physical asset elements of the company.\"\n\nSharlene's eyes open wide in surprise as she exclaims, \"Wow! You do all of that? I couldn't.\"\n\n\"Sure you could. Maybe not today, you're still young. Give yourself some time to learn and gain some experience and you'll be running your own company. Actually, I don't do it all, I just oversee it. I don't do the accounting, but I have to know enough about it to hire the right people and to make sure they do it right, and the same with all of those other areas. Some areas I'm more directly involved in than others, but the key for me is to hire quality people who believe in the philosophy of the company, give them the tools they need to do the job, then sit back and be amazed at how well they accomplish the work.\"\n\n\"But you're still responsible for all of those areas.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"How do you have time to talk with me?\"\n\nRobert explains, \"You're my favorite daughter and I like to talk with you. Remember, I hired good people. I don't need to be looking over their shoulders. Even if one of them has a problem, I've made it clear that they have the first shot at solving it. About eighty percent of the time they come up with a better solution that I could have thought of. Approximately fifteen percent of the time there is no solution, because there are too many factors outside of our control. Less than five percent of the time they made a mistake. We discuss what the problem was, what their solution was, what else could have been done to solve the problem, and we all learn from the experience. Enough about me, or do you have any other questions?\"\n\n\"No. I suppose someday I'd like to meet some of the good people you've hired.\"\n\n\"Some of them live in different quadrants and we coordinate through email and phone conferences. You've been with me to the local office and those are all good people.\"\n\n\"The last time we were there, you had to meet with someone, so Klara took me around and introduced me to a lot of people. She's a nice lady and kind of reminds me of Grandma Lucy.\"\n\n\"Yes, Klara is nice. She's one of our lawyers. During contract negotiations, she can come across like a big dog who thinks you're trying to take their favorite bone away, you feel like you want to count your fingers when you're done.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him in surprise then asks, \"Klara? I find that hard to believe.\"\n\n\"That's part of why she's so good. People dismiss her or underestimate her. Just like what happened to you in your martial arts class when those two new boys picked on you.\"\n\n\"Huh? Oh. I think I understand. If the opponent thinks you're a pushover, they get over confident and don't put much effort into winning the contest.\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"It might be interesting to see Klara in action. I'm not sure how to picture that with just words.\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he responds, \"Klara is a joy to watch. I'll try to remember to see what her schedule is and see if she wouldn't mind an observer some time when you're free. Do you have any other questions?\"\n\n\"Not now, Dad.\"\n\n\"Before I get into your mother's history, let me briefly touch on your father's history up until he met your mother. Some you've probably heard, but this might put it into context. After your father and I were born, your grandma spent more time at home and kept an eye on the administrative side of the business along with Thomas and Martha. When we were a little older and they were doing a project in what they felt was a safe area, they would take us along. David and I thought it was a wonderful vacation because we were able to play with the village kids, work the construction equipment, see wild animals, ride an elephant, and go to exotic places. We had so much fun and had no idea how much we were learning in the process.\n\n\"Years later, I realized that when we went with them, we were an unintended public relations bonanza for my parents when the villagers saw the foreigners bring their own children. Sometimes when the people in a village were reluctant to help and David and I were working on the project, the village kids didn't want to be left out and would unintentionally shame their parents into helping and soon the whole village was involved. When it was time for college, David followed in Dad's footsteps and earned a civil engineering degree. Along the way, he opened the eyes of a few professors based on his years of field experience and working with Dad. After he graduated, he oversaw a few projects under Dad's supervision, then did a number of projects on his own and a couple of years after that, he was responsible for all of the projects in the Asian Sector.\n\n\"I thought the engineering side was interesting, but I was fascinated by the support functions of the business, so I went to college and graduated with a business administration degree and took over that part of the work from Mom who was anxious to spend more time in the field on the engineering side. It was while your father was responsible for all of the projects in the Asian Sector that he met your mother. To understand how that happened, we have to go back to her mother, your grandmother.\"\n\nSharlene supplies the name, \"Sha-Lin.\"\n\n\"That's right. I'm sorry, but we don't know anything about her family which must have been an interesting story because the two parts of her name are from two different cultures in the Asian Sector. 'Lin' comes from the Chinese Quadrant, although it's pronounced 'leen' there, and means 'fine jade'. Do you know what jade is?\"\n\n\"Isn't it that greenish stone they do those beautiful carvings from?\"\n\n\"That's right. It's a hard stone which enables them to carve it thin and look so delicate, yet it's strong and won't easily break, and fine jade is the best quality. The first part of her name, 'Sha,' comes from the Korean Quadrant and apparently simply means 'girl'.\"\n\n\"Thank you for telling me, Dad, but how does that fit in?\"\n\n\"In the Asian Sector, and in some other places, a person's name is thought to shape their personality. In our culture, it's not believed, but to know what Sha-Lin's name meant does somewhat match who she became, especially the second part of her name. As her namesake, I can see how it can also apply to you which I think will be more evident as you grow up.\"\n\n\"What does Sharlene mean in our language?\"\n\nRobert grins then answers, \"I'll let you look that up.\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\n\"On with the story, Sha-Lin grew up in the Thai Quadrant and never knew her parents. She didn't know if she was orphaned or sold by her parents or another relative.\"\n\nSharlene almost chokes as she tries to get the word out, \"Sold!?!\"\n\n\"Yes. I'm not trying to shock you, but it happens. Especially if the family thinks they have too many children to feed or if they have debts to pay. Usually it's a girl child who is sold, because a son is expected to support his parents when they're old, but a daughter goes to live with her husband, so she's considered to be of no benefit to her parents in their old age. If they think the girl will grow up pretty, she might be sold to a house of prostitution which was were Sha-Lin's first memories were from.\"\n\n\"Prosti . . . You mean . . .?\"\n\n\"Yes, where women rent their bodies for men to have sex.\"\n\n\"Oh, . . . my. . . . No wonder Mom couldn't tell me. . . . Did Sha-Lin . . . ?\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he explains, \"Yes. But before you judge her, think about this, she had no parents or other family, she had no education, and she had no opportunity to grow up to decide what she wanted to do.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"That's okay. Consider this as a learning opportunity to remind yourself to take the time to learn more of the story before you judge the person's motives.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Dad.\"\n\n\"So, Sha-Lin's first memory as a child was doing laundry in a house of prostitution. Yes, child labor also. When she became older, she was taught had to be a prostitute. In the Thai Quadrant, prostitution is considered an honorable occupation, but I have to wonder how many young girls and women are essentially forced into it like Sha-Lin because they don't know any better and have no other opportunities.\"\n\n\"Could she have done laundry for some family?\"\n\n\"It was possible, but in that case, she most likely would have been treated like a slave and the men in the family would have also used her sexually. She was probably better protected in a house of prostitution.\"\n\nSharlene hesitates, then in a quieter voice, she asks, \"Is it really that bad?\"\n\nRobert nods his head then answers, \"I'm afraid so, and sometimes it's a lot worse. And not just in the Thai Quadrant. You don't want to know how many times our construction teams have been offered young females, either for the night or to take home with them. We've had to fire some people who took advantage of those offers. Many of us have wished we could take those young females away, not to take advantage of them, but to give them a home, a good education, and an opportunity to be themselves.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (a2)\n\nRobert takes a drink before he continues, \"Anyway, Sha-Lin, as she became aware of how many young females, herself included, were forced into that life without having a choice, decided she was going to find some way to escape. Since she didn't have an education and there were no other opportunities for a young woman in her culture, she decided to become a special prostitute or a mistress to some important person, or better yet, a foreigner who might take her away. When a nervous young man from the European consulate showed up, Sha-Lin took him. The next time he came back, he asked for her.\n\n\"In a few weeks, he rented a small apartment and she became his mistress. She didn't get greedy for gifts as some women do in similar situations because she had a bigger goal. Whenever he came to the apartment, she always tried to make him happy, to calm him when he had a bad day at the office or anything she could think of to make him want her. She even talked him into teaching her how to read and write standard. From what Soo-Lin said, Sha-Lin grew to care for him, but her goal was more important. After awhile, she decided to sink the hook deeper and allowed herself to become pregnant by him. He was both mad and happy at the same time. Sha-Lin continued to calm him and make him happy. He felt responsible enough to take her to the consulate doctor when Soo-Lin was to be born.\n\n\"After Soo-Lin was born, Sha-Lin continued to try to make him happy, but when it came time for the young man to go back to the European Sector, he didn't dare take Sha-Lin with him. Apparently, he felt too guilty to just leave her in the Thai Quadrant where she would have no choice but to go back to being a prostitute. One night, he took Sha-Lin and Soo-Lin, gave them some money, and smuggled them to the Koala Quadrant where he had arranged for Sha-Lin to work in the laundry of a hotel at a tourist resort.\n\n\"It was hard work for Sha-Lin and sometimes she missed the care the young man had showed her, but she had achieved her goal of escaping prostitution and saving her little girl from that life. She worked hard and saved what money she could because she wanted Soo-Lin to have a good education. She was able to earn a little extra money by providing seamstress services to the staff and tourists. Sha-Lin did all she could to provide Soo-Lin with the opportunities which she herself never had.\n\n\"As Soo-Lin grew, her intelligence and cheerfulness became the delight of the resort staff and the tourists. When she wasn't going to school or doing homework, she was into everything, helping in the laundry, helping the maids clean the rooms, and helping on the grounds. She would help set the tables in the dining room and although she was too small to help in the kitchen, she would ask questions about the cooking, the spices used, and the utensils. As she grew older, she would spend time around the reservation desk and asked questions about the operation and the management. She often knew where things were on the resort which the managerial staff didn't know.\n\n\"When she graduated from high school in the top quarter of her class, with scholarships, help from the resort staff, and the money her mother had managed to save, Soo-Lin went to college. She was lonely without her mother and her friends from the resort, but she remembered her mother's sacrifices and persevered. Between college terms, while Soo-Lin was back at the resort, her mother had a heart attack and died. When she went back to college, Soo-Lin had a big hole in her heart and a small cardboard box of items by which to remember her mother. When she graduated from college with a degree in hotel management, she was offered an assistant manager position in a small hotel which was part of a sector wide chain. Within a couple of years, she was promoted to a more responsible position within the chain.\n\n\"When Soo-Lin was offered the prestigious but risky position of arranging meetings for visitors from other sectors, she hesitated, then she remembered how much she liked to interact with the tourists and the people at the resort from her childhood, so she accepted. It wasn't long before the hotel management was happy they had offered her the position. Her attention to detail, her courtesy, her quiet cheerfulness, did much to sooth visitors who were involved in tense negotiations. That hotel was one which David had used on other occasions to meet with sector and quadrant officials to iron out contractual differences before a large project was started.\n\n\"After only a few meetings, it was obvious to David that the meetings Soo-Lin arranged ran more smoothly. He requested that all of his meetings were arranged by Soo-Lin which the hotel management gladly agreed to. Once, before a particularly difficult negotiation, the meeting was about to start and the translator hadn't arrived. When Soo-Lin told him the translator called and wasn't able to arrive on time due to transportation issues, David became upset.\"\n\nRobert 'steps' into the past to relate what happened while he changes the pitch of his voice to reflect David and Soo-Lin speaking:\n\nDavid exclaims, \"Damn, where am I going to find another translator this late?\"\n\nSoo-Lin responds, \"Sir Schmidt, might I be of assistance in this matter?\"\n\n\"Do you know someone who can speak Thai?\"\n\n\"My mother was raised in the Thai Quadrant and that is all we spoke at home, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"Excellent. Would you be willing to work as my translator?\"\n\n\"I am here to serve, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\nThat was how the hotel staff were trained to answer, to which David could only say, \"Thank you, Soo-Lin.\" After that, the negotiation didn't turn out to be as difficult as David had feared. When the meeting is over, David asks Soo-Lin, \"May I impose upon your time a little longer?\"\n\n\"I am here to serve, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"I don't want to take you from your other duties.\"\n\n\"Sir Schmidt, my only other duty this evening is to see that the cleaning staff cleans the meeting room.\"\n\n\"I would like to invite you to dinner, but I know your manager would frown on that.\"\n\n\"That is correct, Sir Schmidt. The manager does not want the staff to fraternize with the guests.\"\n\n\"Would it be okay for us to talk in the corner of the room while it is being cleaned?\"\n\n\"That would be unusual, but permissible. I will see to it immediately, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\nWhen she leaves the room, David grabs a couple of water bottles and a small plate of finger foods left over from the meeting and goes to a corner of the room and sets up a couple of chairs facing each other with another chair partially between to serve as a table. In a matter of moments, Soo-Lin leads the cleaning staff into the room and when she notices David in the corner, she's surprised that a foreigner would move chairs by himself. As she walks over, he points to the food and water bottles and suggests, \"Help yourself.\" When he recognizes that she's about to protest, David speaks up, \"Soo-Lin, you've been translating all afternoon, you're human, you need water, please drink.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"Please call me David.\"\n\nSoo-Lin's eyes open wide in surprise and it takes her a few moments to respond, \"I am sorry, Sir Schmidt, that is not permitted.\"\n\n\"Would it be permissible for you to refrain from saying, 'Sir Schmidt' all of the time?\"\n\n\"At your request, that would be permitted, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"I so request, thank you.\" After he gestures her to sit on the empty chair, he raises his water bottle in salute and drinks. As he notices that she's just sitting there, he says, \"I encourage you to drink.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Sir . . .\" he quickly raises his hand in protest. She drops her head, quietly says, \"Thank you,\" and takes a small drink.\n\n\"I wish to thank you very much for your translation services this afternoon.\"\n\n\"I only served as I was able.\"\n\n\"Before I forget, this is for you,\" David holds out an envelope which Soo-Lin doesn't take.\n\n\"It is not permitted that I receive a gift.\"\n\n\"This isn't a gift. This is what I would have paid the translator for his services if he were here. Since he wasn't here and you performed his duties for him, then this belongs to you.\"\n\n\"It is not permitted that I receive anything in serving, however I was able.\"\n\n\"Then I'll save this until such time as it is permitted to give it to you.\" David puts the envelope back into his pocket. After a brief pause, he asks, \"Would it be permissible for me to speak to the manager and express my gratitude for your services this afternoon?\"\n\n\"It would be permitted.\"\n\n\"Would it be helpful for you to have such a commendation in your employment file?\"\n\nShe hesitates in surprise before she responds, \"Yes, thank you.\"\n\n\"You helped my company in a very important negotiation and I'm very grateful to you. Do you have a surname so I can properly identify you in my commendation?\"\n\n\"No, Soo-Lin is my only name.\"\n\n\"You're obviously fluent in standard and Thai. Do you speak any other languages?\"\n\n\"I am considered adequate in Cantonese, Mandarin, Nipponese, Punjabi, and Koalan. I can conduct limited conversations in Deutsche, English, Espanola, Afrikaans, Swahili, Russian, and Incan.\"\n\nDavid's eyes are wide in surprise and it takes him a little while to exclaim, \"That's impressive. I don't wish to intrude on your personal life, but how did you learn all of those conversational languages from cultures which are so far from the Asian Sector?\"\n\n\"I was raised at a tourist resort in the Koala Quadrant and I would ask the visitors to teach me some of their language. Seldom did they refuse.\"\n\n\"Do you enjoy translating like you did this afternoon or do you prefer to talk to people in other languages?\"\n\nSoo-Lin is puzzled by the question and asks, \"Enjoy? I am sorry, I do not see how that is a factor in serving.\"\n\nAs he realizes that approach isn't going to work, David changes his direction and asks, \"May I inquire as to what your educational achievements were which enabled you to acquire your current position?\"\n\n\"I graduated from the Koala Quadrant University with a degree in Hotel Management. I had to work in two other positions within the hotel chain before my current position.\"\n\n\"What were those previous positions?\"\n\n\"Assistant manager.\"\n\n\"May I presume that those positions as assistant manager were in increasingly larger hotels with more responsibilities?\"\n\n\"That is correct.\"\n\n\"I presume that as a child you helped the resort staff with their duties and learned everyone's responsibilities.\"\n\n\"That is correct.\"\n\n\"As a child what was your favorite staff responsibility to help with?\"\n\nSoo-Lin hesitates before she answers, \"Helping the gardener with the flowers. He would let some of them go to seed, so I could collect the seeds and plant my own flowers.\"\n\n\"Soo-Lin, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me. I do not wish to increase your duties, but I may want to have you translate for me in the future. Do you have a suggestion on how I may approach your manager about requesting your translating abilities without interfering with your other duties?\"\n\n\"My manager would say that it was my duty to serve.\"\n\nDavid nods his head as he responds, \"I'm sure he would, but if you were translating in my meeting, how could you, at the same time, be helping somebody else's meeting go smoothly?\"\n\n\"That could be difficult. May I take some time to consider it?\"\n\n\"Of course. If you have a suggestion, you can leave me a message, or call my room.\"\n\n\"I am sorry, that would not be appropriate.\"\n\n\"It would be if it was in the interest of organizing meeting details or even arranging a time and location to arrange meeting details.\"\n\nSoo-Lin pauses to think then says, \"In that situation, you are correct.\"\n\n\"Then I won't take any more of your valuable time. Again, I thank you very much for your translating services this afternoon and for your excellent meeting arrangements. A pleasant evening to you, Soo-Lin.\"\n\nDavid stands up, bows towards her, and leaves the room without noticing the wide eyed looks of surprise from Soo-Lin and the cleaning staff who have never seen a foreign visitor bow to a staff member.\n\nWithin the hour, the hotel assistant manager calls Soo-Lin to his office.\n\nAs she stands in front of his desk, Soo-Lin asks, \"Yes, Sir Manager?\"\n\n\"I understand you spoke with Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"Yes, Sir Manager.\"\n\n\"What did you speak about?\"\n\n\"He wished to know my abilities in addition to arranging meetings, Sir Manager.\"\n\n\"Why did he want to know that?\"\n\n\"His translator was late today. I offered my services, Sir Manager.\"\n\n\"As you should. Did he accept?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sir Manager.\"\n\n\"Was he pleased with your services?\"\n\n\"He indicated that my services were adequate, Sir Manager.\"\n\n\"Should he request your services in the future, provide them.\"\n\n\"Of course, Sir Manager.\"\n\n\"You may go.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Sir Manager.\"\n\nAfter he takes another drink of tea, Robert returns to the present and provides an overview of what happened afterwards, \"When David returned to his hotel room, he took some time and wrote a letter of commendation regarding Soo-Lin's services. Then he sent me an email to research the hotel chain's practices regarding managerial employees. He suspected they had a legally binding contract with the hotel chain. I did some checking and some coordination with our nearest local office and found out that the hotel chain did require contracts of its managerial employees. To our surprise, Soo-Lin's contract had been in force since her initial hiring. Usually, with each promotion, the managerial employee has to sign a new contract. In Soo-Lin's case, we didn't know if it was an oversight, or intentional on the part of the hotel chain to not lock themselves into a succession of multi-year contracts with a female employee. From what we could find out, Soo-Lin's five year contract was due to expire in about three months.\n\n\"When David returned from his trip, he sat down with Mom, Dad, and myself and suggested the company hire Soo-Lin as our Asian Sector meeting coordinator and head translator. He laid out her qualifications and abilities and pointed out the problems he has had from time to time with independent translators. When Dad asked David about his personal feelings, he responded, 'Soo-Lin is an intelligent, gentle, beautiful young woman that, from what I've seen, any man would be proud to call her his wife. But I'm making my best effort to look at her abilities in light of what's good for the company and not what my feelings may be in either direction. I would like you and/or Mom to manage the next set of negotiations there so there can be an objective look at Soo-Lin's ability and a second opinion as to whether she would be an asset to the company. I've tentatively scheduled a contract negotiation for a big contract in the Punjabi Quadrant in the next three to four weeks, but haven't made the meeting arrangements'.\n\n\"Mom and Dad agreed to handle the negotiations and asked David to set up the typical meeting arrangements and to request that Soo-Lin be the translator. They also asked me to research the hotel manager and his background since we never know ahead of time when that information can be useful. It didn't take me long to find out that the hotel manager was Chin Win-Woo, but was surprised to find out that, if we had the right person, he had been the local coordinator and future teacher for one of the schools which Dad had constructed.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (a3)\n\nRobert pauses to sip some more tea before he 'returns' to the past:\n\nWhen Hienrik and Running Deer arrive at the hotel, Chin Win-Woo is overseeing the front desk, recognizes Hienrik, and bends over backwards to make him and Running Deer welcome. When they ask about his change in occupation, he says that the political climate had changed and he had to make a hasty move to better weather. On the morning of the contract negotiations, Hienrik and Running Deer request to meet with Soo-Lin to go over the final meeting arrangements. While Win-Woo goes to escort Soo-Lin and introduce her, Hienrik and Running Deer wait in the conference room with the door open and chat in Deutsche. When Win-Woo and Soo-Lin enter the conference room, Soo-Lin barely keeps her jaw from dropping open in surprise.\n\nAfter the introductions are completed, Hienrik says to Soo-Lin, \"I presume you were surprised to see us after you heard us speaking in Deutsche as you came into the room.\"\n\n\"That is true, Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"Please do not feel embarrassed, because we do that on purpose; sometimes as a joke, as with you, and sometimes to startle people particularly during negotiations.\"\n\nHienrik turns to Win-Woo and in passable Mandarin, he thanks him for taking his valuable time to make such humble introductions and will make arrangements to renew their valuable relationship in a more relaxed setting. After Win-Woo leaves, Hienrik and Running Deer quickly settle the last minute meeting details with Soo-Lin. After they verify that she can take the time and request that she drop the continuous Sir Schmidt and Lady Schmidt, Hienrik and Running Deer conduct a friendly and gentle interview, except that they change the language in which they're speaking multiple times.\n\nAs the interview draws to an end, Soo-Lin takes a bold step and asks, \"If I may be permitted to ask a question?\"\n\nRunning Deer responds, \"Of course.\"\n\n\"Why do you want a translator when you are fluent in those languages?\"\n\n\"We're not as fluent as we need to be for some negotiations, especially for the cultural subtleties. It's also advantageous in negotiations to keep some knowledge to ourselves. There have been times when either the other party or the translator tried to change the outcome of the negotiations when they thought we did not understand.\"\n\n\"Why do you tell me this and reveal your advantage?\"\n\nAfter a pause and with a nod from Hienrik, Running Deer answers, \"I'll answer your question, but first I would like to ask you a couple of questions. Would that be okay?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"We understand that your contract with the hotel chain is due to expire in about two months.\"\n\nSoo-Lin pauses in surprise before she responds, \"That is correct.\"\n\n\"If you feel that my next question is inappropriate, please do not answer it. Do you know if the hotel chain plans to renew your contract?\"\n\n\"I do not know.\"\n\n\"What do you like about the work that you do?\"\n\n\"I am here to serve.\"\n\nSince she realizes that a different approach might be necessary, Running Deer asks, \"My I ask you some other questions?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"If I ask a question which you believe is inappropriate, I request that you tell me so. If I ask a question which Soo-Lin as a person, not as a staff member of the hotel, does not want to answer, I request that you tell me that you do not want to answer the question. If I ask a question which is appropriate and that Soo-Lin as a person is willing to answer, I would like you to answer it. Are these conditions acceptable?\"\n\nWhile she wonders where this is going, Soo-Lin thinks about the conditions for a few moments then answers, \"Yes.\"\n\n\"Thank you. We all know there are some parts of a job which a person likes more than other parts of the job. I can see you already know where I'm going with this question. So, what parts of your position does Soo-Lin as a person enjoy most?\"\n\n\"I would not want to be in negotiations with you.\"\n\n\"Sure you would, because I'm trying to find out what Soo-Lin as a person believes is in her best interests.\"\n\nSince she's very startled by that, it takes Soo-Lin several moments to respond, \"My best interests? Why?\"\n\nRunning Deer explains, \"Because I suspect that your best interests may be compatible with my best interests. If I'm wrong, then I'll forgo my best interests, so that you may maintain what you believe to be in your best interests.\"\n\n\"You mean my best interests . . . are more important . . . than your best interests?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nShe briefly stares at hearing the quick and positive answer then Soo-Lin drops her head into her hands and her small body shudders as she quietly sobs. Running Deer slips out of her chair, kneels in front of Soo-Lin's chair, and wraps her arms around Soo-Lin who cries the tears which she had been holding inside for years.\n\nAfter several minutes, Soo-Lin quietly says, \"I sorry I cry in front of you.\"\n\nRunning Deer hands her some tissues before she responds, \"Don't be sorry. We all need a chance to cry and someone to cry with. I don't wish to intrude, but did I say something to make you sad?\"\n\n\"Yes. I mean no. What you said reminded me of my mother who put my success in front of her own success.\"\n\n\"Your mother must be proud of your success.\"\n\nSoo-Lin hesitates while she struggles to hold back her tears, \"My mother died while I was in college.\"\n\n\"Oh, Soo-Lin, I'm so sorry.\"\n\nShe asks in surprise, \"Why should you be sorry?\"\n\n\"It is always painful to lose one's mother. And those of us who have lost our mothers, need to support each other in their loss. Do you have other family members to support you?\"\n\nA sad shake of Soo-Lin's head leads to another round of quiet sobbing.\n\nWhen Soo-Lin's tears have mostly subsided, Running Deer says, \"Oh, Soo-Lin. I am sorry. I know that I can't take the place of your family, but I would like to be your friend to share your hurts and to share the joys of your success. Would that be okay?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Soo-Lin answers barely above a whisper. A few minutes of companionable silence slide by before Soo-Lin asks, \"Why do you want to be my friend?\"\n\n\"I suspect you need a friend, we have both lost our mothers and need to support each other, and you are a wonderful person. I'm selfish and want to be friends with wonderful people.\" Running Deer signals to Hienrik for a bottle of water and holds it out, \"Here, Soo-Lin, have a drink of water, it will help. I hope we haven't embarrassed you by being here while you cried.\"\n\n\"My culture says I should, but I only feel relief at being able to cry.\"\n\n\"You must have held it in for many years.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Crying is a part of healing the hurt and when you need to cry, please do not hold it in so long, call me, and I will come and we can cry together.\"\n\nSoo-Lin looks at Running Deer in great surprise and it takes her several moments to be able to ask, \"You would come here to cry with me? Why?\"\n\n\"That is part of what I believe it means to be a friend.\"\n\n\"It is so expensive.\"\n\n\"As long as I can afford it, that's how I wish to use my money.\"\n\n\"What does your husband say?\"\n\n\"Hienrik, can I come and visit Soo-Lin whenever she wishes?\"\n\n\"Of course, that's what friends are for.\"\n\n\"See?\"\n\nAfter a very brief pause, Soo-Lin drops her adult cultural restraints, throws her arms around Running Deer, and proclaims, \"Thank you. Oh, thank you,\" and this time, her tears are of joy. When she's mostly recovered, Soo-Lin says, \"You asked me some questions, but I forget what they were.\"\n\n\"Remember, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.\"\n\n\"I understand.\"\n\n\"What parts of your current position do you like the most?\"\n\n\"I like the coordination with the various departments in the hotel to make sure the meeting I am arranging will go smoothly. I also like to meet and help the people from the many different cultures who have meetings here.\"\n\n\"My next question may be a little harder to answer, but we will keep your answer strictly confidential. What parts of your current position do you like the least?\"\n\nSoo-Lin pauses before she answers, \"The enforced formality of what is called business professionalism.\"\n\n\"How would you like to see that changed?\"\n\n\"I grew up on a resort in the Koala Quadrant where my mother worked in the laundry. Most people were there for vacation, but there were still a number of business meetings which were conducted there. When I was a teenager, I would help with the arrangements. It appeared to me that important business was conducted even when the atmosphere was more relaxed and cordial.\"\n\n\"Thank you for your answers. I appreciate your willingness to answer them. If you could stay here for a little while longer, I would like to speak to my husband for a moment in private.\"\n\n\"You do not wish me to leave while you talk?\"\n\n\"No. Someone might find more work for you and then we could not complete our conversation.\"\n\n\"Oh, then I can wait.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\nRunning Deer and Hienrik step to the corner of the room, face the corner, and speak softly in the Lakota language. They soon return and Running Deer says, \"Soo-Lin, when your contract with the hotel chain expires, we would like to offer you another choice.\"\n\nSince she has no idea what they could be talking about, Soo-Lin hesitates before she responds, \"Another choice?\"\n\n\"Yes, if you do not wish to continue working with the hotel, then we would like you to work for our company.\"\n\nSoo-Lin tries to quickly contain her surprise and asks, \"What would the duties be?\"\n\n\"Arranging business meetings, just as you're doing now, and translating at some of those business meetings. Because the meetings wouldn't be scheduled in one location, the arranging of those meetings would require a lot of coordination with different facilities. Since the position requires some traveling, you could work out of one of our local offices, or you could work out of your own home or office, whichever is more comfortable.\"\n\n\"I do not have my own home, I am provided with room and board at the hotel.\"\n\n\"Then we will help you find a comfortable home.\"\n\nSince she's not sure she can possibly be hearing correctly, Soo-Lin pauses before she says, \"I presume the position would arrange meetings for a particular geographical region.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Which region?\"\n\n\"The Asian Sector.\"\n\nSoo-Lin's eyes open wide in surprise and she almost stutters as she asks in disbelief, \"The WHOLE Asian Sector?\"\n\nRunning Deer nods her head in confirmation, \"Yes. You could start with one or two quadrants until you're comfortable, but we think you could oversee the sector. We don't have that many meetings, but they are spread around. We want somebody who can bring organization and consistency to the meeting arrangements and we think that person is you. If we grow to have more meetings, then we'll hire assistants for you to train. The work will be hard particularly in dealing with the multitude of cultures and learning how to work with the variety of facilities, but we think that with some effort on your part, you will be excellent.\"\n\nWhile she feels stunned at where the conversation has gone, Soo-Lin still has enough coherent thought to ask, \"May I take some time to consider your offer?\"\n\n\"Of course. I'm sorry, Soo-Lin, I intended to tell you to take your time to think about it and to ask any questions you might have. I don't expect you to make an immediate decision. After all, you've only just met us. If you wish, talk to the hotel manager, Mr. Chin Win-Woo. He worked with us on one of our construction projects a few years ago. You can also talk to the people in our local office. We'll give you a list of people we have worked with in this quadrant who you can contact. You can ask them any questions you wish; what our business is like, how we conduct our business, how we treat our employees, how we work with our customers, or anything else.\"\n\n\"Why me? No, that is the wrong question. You believe that I am qualified, for which I sincerely thank you and hope I would not disappoint you. How did you know of me to ask me?\"\n\n\"You were recommended by David Schmidt. I believe you have worked with him on several occasions, most recently a few weeks ago.\"\n\n\"Yes, I have worked with Sir Schmidt.\"\n\n\"I also believe that he requested you refrain from calling him Sir Schmidt and asked you to call him David.\"\n\nSoo-Lin stares at them then asks, \"How do you know?\"\n\n\"He is our eldest son and he wanted us to speak with you. After speaking with you, we agree with his recommendation and would like you to join our company.\"\n\n\"I . . . I don't know what to say.\"\n\nRunning Deer suggests, \"Just say that you'll think about it. Here is the number for our local office and here is a list of people in the quadrant you can talk to. If you call the local office, they can transfer your call to any of these people so you don't have to pay for the call. Here is where we can be reached through the local office if you have any questions.\"\n\n\"I will think about it, I promise.\"\n\n\"That is all we ask. Well, we have a meeting to go to. Soo-Lin, thank you for thinking about our offer. We will talk to you later.\"\n\nRunning Deer gives Soo-Lin a quick hug and she and Hienrik leave the room.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2134-10-27 (a4)\n\nThat evening, Hienrik and Running Deer chat with Win-Woo after a shared dinner then Hienrik asks, \"Win-Woo, may I interrupt our pleasant conversation for a brief business discussion?\"\n\n\"Of course.\"\n\n\"I wish to inform you that we have offered Soo-Lin a position with our company after her contract expires. If she wishes to stay with the hotel, that is her choice and we will support her. But I didn't want it to look like we were going behind your back to hire your people. We have also recommended that she talk to you to learn more about our company.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Hienrik, for telling me and for offering Soo-Lin a position. I have received a number of commendations about her abilities and not just from David. I'm afraid she won't have a choice to stay with the hotel. The hotel chain executives decided that a business professional appearance would be better enhanced by having only males in managerial positions. The so-called professional climate is getting too chilly for my blood. I'm starting to think that a warmer climate might be more suitable.\"\n\n\"I think we could make some arrangements.\"\n\n\"No, my friend, I would not wish to so impose upon our friendship. If you could take Soo-Lin under your wing, that would be wonderful. Now if you happen to hear of a teaching position, I would happily be in your debt if you would tell me about it.\"\n\n\"Gladly. Do we need to worry about a contract expiration date for you?\"\n\n\"No, my contract has a 'no penalty' termination clause.\"\n\n\"When we were building your school, you were going to have to teach all of the subjects. Do you have a particular subject which you would like to teach, so we can keep our ears open in that direction?\" After that, their conversation goes on to other subjects.\n\nAbout three weeks before her contract is about to expire, Soo-Lin is getting nervous. She knows that the standard practice is for the hotel chain to begin talking to the employee no less than six weeks before the contract expires. Even though Running Deer and Hienrik had encouraged her to speak to the hotel manager, Soo-Lin is quite hesitant, partially due to the stiff relationship she has with her direct boss, the assistant manager. She can't imagine that relationships could be better higher up. A couple of days later, with a hint of a smirk, her boss orders her to report to the manager's office.\n\nWhen she arrives at Win-Woo's office, Soo-Lin knocks on the open door and asks, \"You wished to see me, Sir Manager?\"\n\n\"Yes, Soo-Lin, please close the door and sit down.\"\n\nShe sits down with her back straight and her head lowered in a proper position of humility.\n\nWin-Woo waits for a little while before he says, \"I understand that Mr. Hienrik Schmidt and his wife suggested you speak with me about their company, yet you have not done so. May I ask why?\"\n\nWhile she hopes her bowed head hides her expression of surprise, Soo-Lin pauses before she answers, \"Sir Manager, I did not believe it would be appropriate of me to impose upon your valuable time.\"\n\nIn the quiet of the moment, Win-Woo thinks to himself, \"Spare me from imposed humility.\" Out loud he says, \"I think I can understand your concern. For the duration of our discussion in this room, please refrain from saying 'Sir Manager' all of the time and you are permitted to look up and speak directly.\"\n\n\"Sir . . .\"\n\n\"Yes Soo-Lin, I am serious and you will not be in trouble for following my directions.\"\n\n\"Thank you, sir.\"\n\nAfter he shakes his head when she doesn't look up, Win-Woo goes on, \"After they talked to you, Hienrik and his wife told me they had offered you a position with their company. The reason they told me is they did not want to give me the impression that they were going behind my back and hiring my employees away. Based on what I've seen of your work and the numerous commendations I have received from your customers, I can understand their desire to have you join their company.\"\n\nSoo-Lin's surprise overcomes her hesitancy to ask, \"You have received commendations about my work?\"\n\n\"Yes, didn't the assistant manager tell you?\"\n\n\"He indicated that my work was barely adequate.\"\n\n\"You have been told nothing of your commendations?\"\n\n\"Only one and that was when Sir David Schmidt said he would write one, but I do not know whether or not he did.\"\n\n\"David has written several, the last one written in particularly glowing praise when you filled in for his missing translator.\"\n\n\"I am sorry, I did not know.\"\n\nWin-Woo nods his head then says, \"I think I understand. I wanted to speak with you to see if you had made a decision as to whether you would accept the offer to join the Schmidt's company.\"\n\n\"Their offer sounded very good, but I am hesitant to turn my back on the hotel chain which first hired me and has promoted me to such interesting positions.\"\n\n\"Thank you for speaking clearly. Now it is my turn to speak clearly. I would recommend that you accept the offer from Hienrik Schmidt and his wife.\"\n\nSoo-Lin looks up at him in surprise and asks, \"You do?\"\n\n\"Yes, Soo-Lin. For two reasons; one, they're wonderful people and their company does excellent work and they will help you to excel and treat you like family; two, I am very sorry to tell you, but due to a change in company policy, your contract will not be renewed. If it was my choice, I would have you sign a renewed contract right now, but it is not my choice.\"\n\n\"Thank you for telling me about the contract. I was afraid that was the situation.\" She hesitates then asks, \"You would renew my contract if you could? Why?\"\n\n\"Because you do excellent work and the customers appreciate that. My job is to make the customers happy and when you do your job so well, it makes my job much easier.\"\n\n\"Thank you for telling me. I suppose I will need to accept the offer from Sir Schmidt and Lady Schmidt.\"\n\n\"Soo-Lin, I know it looks like you have no other choice at this time, but if you had one hundred other choices, I would still recommend that you accept their offer. One word of advice, get used to the idea of calling them by their given names, Hienrik and Running Deer.\"\n\n\"Running Deer? That is an . . . uh . . .\"\n\nWin-Woo suggests, \"An unusual name?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"She is from the Western Sector and Hienrik was born in the Deutsche Quadrant to parents from the African Sector. When you have a chance, ask them about how they met, it's a fascinating story. I'm sorry, but I believe that we both have other duties to attend to. Please stop by again before you begin to work for the Schmidt's company.\"\n\n\"Thank you, sir.\"\n\nRobert takes another drink and brings the conversation to the present, \"That's how your mother and father met and how Soo-Lin joined the company. Within a few short months, Soo-Lin demonstrated her excellence and David was so proud of her and that he had recommended her, he gave the impression that he had trained her from childhood, instead of just recognizing her abilities. A few months later, they were married. That's pretty much the private side of the company history. The public history is available in a number of documents I can let you review. And you're always welcome to ask more questions when you think of them.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Dad, that was wonderful and it gives me a much better understanding of my mother and father as real people. One thing which has stood out to me through your stories is that the family has an awareness of the world as a whole, while in my sheltered corner, I have the impression that everyone has a nice home with running water, indoor toilets, and plenty to eat. I've seen some news stories of people who live in much poorer conditions, but it might as well be a movie for the personal impact it has on me. Do you think it will be possible for me to go work on one of the construction projects some time?\"\n\n\"I think the possibility is increasing. Your grandparents and I talked about you going several years ago, but your mom was adamantly opposed to it. I think that as you demonstrate your maturity and independence in college, your mom may have less reason to oppose you going on a project. In a year or so, we could probably also make a strong case for it being a practical element of your college education. Even if we don't have a project in a safe area to calm your mom's fears, there are a lot of projects with our daughter companies which are in safe areas. Part of it will depend on how long you want to interrupt your classroom education and what you can bring to a project.\n\n\"You might start looking at our database of requested technicians for projects. They generally don't need unskilled labor, but if you can bring a skill or knowledge to a project, the people working on the project will usually be very helpful. That doesn't necessarily mean a college degree. Some of the people on a project team have little formal education, so almost any specialized training is very welcome. The most obvious are engineering and construction, closely following by medicine, agriculture, technology, and education.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Dad. I'll have to think about what I could add to a project. I would feel both silly and guilty about spending a lot of money to work on a project when all I could operate was a shovel.\"\n\n\"Don't think of it as a shovel. Think of it as a portable independently operated excavation device. People will be amazed that you can operate what must be a complicated piece of machinery. When they see your excavation device and say that it looks like a shovel and it works like a shovel, you can go into a long winded explanation that appearances can be deceiving and that your excavation device is a product of many years of high tech engineering to develop the right materials, to conduct the extensive testing, and to design the shape for the most efficient functionality. If your explanation is good enough, you can be selling five credit shovels for fifty credits each and have your purchaser go away happy.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him in surprise even as she thinks he might be teasing her before she says, \"Nobody's that stupid.\"\n\n\"Sorry, honey, but businesses do it to the government and private citizens all of the time. Compare the ingredients of a store brand shampoo with some fancy salon brand. About the only difference is added perfume and packaging. Or compare the differences in a pair of jeans from a discount store and some exclusive designer.\"\n\n\"You're right. I didn't think of it in those terms. If your sales pitch is good enough, you can sell almost anything to a lot of people.\"\n\nRobert nods his head in agreement then says, \"And my sales pitch now is that it's time to fix dinner.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2135-01-11\n\nSuddenly, it seems like little Angelisa's world has come to a crashing end.\n\nShe had been a happy child as she willingly used a stool to help wash the dishes, but was too small to help with the cooking in the restaurant, even though she was learning the recipes and practicing them in their home kitchen. She was a very curious child and seemed to be always asking questions about almost anything especially about their cultural traditions. When she learned their written language at a younger age than any others, she seemed to devour much of her culture's written history and stories and even spent hours reading through the birth and death records.\n\nShe had loved Mama, Great Aunt Sohneetuh, and Elder Banlohtee who taught her so many wonderful things, but she had adored her Papa and he adored her. When she wasn't busy with learning or doing chores or helping in the restaurant, she was her Papa's shadow.\n\nAnd then he died. Angelisa understood death as well as any child. In their close knit community there were always births and deaths, but it happened to others, it wasn't supposed to happen to her beloved Papa. He wasn't white haired like the ancients, he wasn't feeble, he was her strong and caring Papa. Angelisa was devastated. She would huddle in her Mama's arms the few times Maria wasn't too busy or when she wasn't accusing her Mama and everyone else of letting her Papa die.\n\nFor a few months, Angelisa had lived with Great Aunt Sohneetuh while she went through the motions of helping to mix the dyes for her great aunt's weaving and whatever other chores she was given. Eventually, she had settled down and accepted her fate. After she apologized to her Mama, Angelisa had moved back home and became a dutiful daughter, but seldom smiled.\n\nShe had never been comfortable around lots of people which was made more difficult in a community which was mostly relatives to one degree or another, but after her Papa's death, Angelisa became even more of a loner and would find the most unusual of hiding places just to have some peace with the few books she could borrow.\n\nNow, the worst thing of all, her Mama has sent her to that place other people call 'school'. Since she's no longer able to learn at home because Maria is busy trying to keep the restaurant going, Angelisa has to be with multitudes of other children. There are so many of them it makes her feel like she has wriggly worms in her clothes. They even speak a different language, she knows a little of it, but what they write looks like a combination of straight and curved lines which apparently have no meaning. She was beginning to think the day would never end, but when the final bell of the school day rings, Angelisa heads straight home and to her bed where she cries her eyes out at the unfairness of life.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2135-10-15\n\nA few days before Sharlene graduates from the community college, as they clear the table after dinner, Robert grins at her and asks, \"Well, kiddo, are you going to take some time off and lay around on the beach to get a tan before you go to the university at the first of the year?\"\n\n\"What do I need a tan for? Dad, you wouldn't believe how many female students ask me which tanning salon I go to for a tan. When I tell them I received my tan from my parents, they either look at me strange or they ask me if it's listed online. They're in college and older than me. Sometimes I think the only thing they use their brains for is fertilizer for their hair.\"\n\nRobert quickly sets the dirty dishes down to keep from dropping them, grabs his belly, and bursts into laughter. While Sarah warmly smiles and hugs Sharlene, he finally controls his laughter then says, \"That's rich, fertilizer for their hair. I've got to remember that one. Thank you, Sharlene.\"\n\n\"Well, I did want to talk to you guys about this term break. There's an independent study class offered by the university I would like to take which would satisfy one of my social sciences and humanities requirements. It's called, 'How The Past Affects Who You Are,' and requires the student to collect oral histories from their grandparents and other relatives to find out how they lived and what their traditions are and figure out how those elements affect who we are today. Besides fulfilling a class requirement, it's something I'm interested in. I also figured it would be an opportunity for me to practice some independence in arranging the travel and coordinating the visits. Mom, you've been talking about visiting Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Mak over the New Year holiday. Maybe we could go together and make it partly a girl's vacation. I'm guessing I'll need to spend a week with them.\"\n\nSarah exclaims, \"That's a wonderful idea. Make the arrangements with your dad and I'll check with your grandparents about when it would be a good time for us to visit.\"\n\nAfter Sarah leaves the room, Robert turns to her and exclaims, \"Well done, Sharlene. You made a bid for independence and included her as a part of it. Any other approach and she would have had a bunch of objections. How did you want to handle it?\"\n\n\"I was thinking roughly one week with each set of grandparents, one week researching my mother's parents and two weeks to write up the paper.\"\n\n\"I can save you some time with your research. Your father encouraged your mother to write down everything she could remember about her mother and what her mother told her. In fact, she always carried a notebook with her to jot down things as she remembered them. I'm sorry I didn't think of showing it to you last year when we talked about your mother's history. It's not pleasant reading some times, but it does shed light on who your grandmother was, at least through your mother's eyes.\"\n\n\"Do you know anything about my mother's father?\"\n\nRobert shakes his head before he explains, \"No. When your mother and father wanted to get married, that meant extra paperwork because they were citizens of different sectors. When they went through the box of papers and mementos that Soo-Lin had from her mother, they were surprised to find two birth certificates. One was an Asian Sector birth certificate signed by a Thai Quadrant doctor without the father's name listed which wasn't uncommon considering the circumstances. The second was a European Sector birth certificate signed by the European consulate doctor with something like 'John Smith' listed as the father. They used the Asian birth certificate for their marriage and immigration paperwork and asked me to research the European birth certificate.\n\n\"It was a proper European birth certificate, it had both your mother's and her mother's names on it correctly, and the doctor's name was identifiable. But there hadn't been a 'John Smith' serving in the European consulate within five years of your mother's birth. We were able to discretely locate the doctor, but he had had a stroke a couple of years before and his memory of that time period was gone. We also used the one picture Soo-Lin had of her father and checked the consulate records, but there was no match. We even tried using facial recognition software a few years ago and discretely researched those people who had a number of facial similarities and found out that none of them were anywhere near the Thai Quadrant during the time or for the length of time that Soo-Lin remembered Sha-Lin talking about. We finally gave it up as a lost cause.\"\n\n\"So, Grandfather I-don't-know-his-name really is a mystery man.\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he confirms, \"Yes. We figured he must have had some relationship with the European consulate unless he had some other kind of influence over the doctor.\"\n\n\"Maybe he was a spy or a secret agent.\"\n\n\"That could be, but he would have had a hard time sneaking around where it was clear he wasn't a native.\"\n\n\"That would be a problem. Oh, well, I guess we'll never know. Since my mother wrote down what she remembered about her mother, and you've done the research on her father, that will save me a bunch of time and effort. I suppose it will give me more time to spend with my known grandparents.\"\n\n\"Or you could visit your great grandparents.\"\n\nSharlene looks at him in surprise then asks, \"All of the way to the African Sector?\"\n\n\"Well, they're not healthy enough to travel here. And I would like to see them again.\"\n\n\"That would be great. I haven't seen them for several years.\"\n\n\"Something else you might think about is talking to your grandma Running Deer about the background for the coming of age ceremony she led you through a few months ago. Even if you don't write about the ceremony, if you know more about how it developed and the meaning of the various activities, that will add a personal dimension to your class about family traditions.\"\n\n\"That's a good idea. Do you know if Great Grandma and Great Grandpa have similar traditions in the African Sector?\"\n\n\"I don't know for sure. You can ask them about it. Something to keep in the back of your head though, is that many African cultures have a more relaxed approach to clothing than you're used to.\"\n\nHis somewhat cryptic statement isn't clear so Sharlene asks, \"Um, I'm not sure I follow.\"\n\n\"I don't want to be too blunt, but a coming of age ceremony is about a girl becoming a woman and when a female has matured into a woman, she's eligible to be married and let eligible males know that she's . . .\"\n\n\"Okay. I think I get the picture. Maybe I can ask about rather than ask to participate. How come you didn't express any concern about the Western culture ceremony Grandma led me through?\"\n\n\"I remember when Uncle Running Bear led me though the male ceremony and from what I've heard of the other Western culture coming of age ceremonies, all of them maintain a strict separation of the genders. I don't know about where your great grandparents live, but some African cultures don't have a strict separation of the genders.\"\n\n\"Oh.\"\n\n\"Yeah. Hold it, maybe you don't have to ask questions which might lead to answers you don't want to hear yet. I'll be right back.\" Robert soon returns and hands a book to Sharlene, \"Here you go. Check out the section on coming of age ceremonies.\"\n\n\"That's a big book. Customs of Northern Plains Cultures by Running Deer Lakota.\" She looks up at him in surprise and asks, \"Grandma wrote this?\"\n\n\"Yep. In this second edition, she included comparisons of the Plains cultures with the customs of cultures from around the world. Every time she went on a construction project, she would search out the local elders and record whatever stories, legends, traditions, or customs they were willing to tell her. Often the local elders were hesitant until she showed them what she had done for her own culture in the first edition of the book and then the stories would flow.\"\n\n\"How come I didn't know Grandma wrote a book? Don't answer, I can guess. Mom didn't want me to have my head filled with primitive superstitions.\"\n\n\"Sorry, kiddo. Your mom didn't talk to your grandma for several years after she saw the dedication of the book.\"\n\n\"The dedication?\" She opens the book and reads what's written, \"It says, 'Dedicated to Sharlene, may the spirits of your parents continue in you.' Grandma dedicated her book to me?\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he answers, \"That's right. The final copy was sent to the printer just a few months after you were born and shortly after we found out how your name was spelled on your birth certificate, otherwise the dedication would have read 'Sha-Lin'. By the way, keep that copy, but put it somewhere so your mom won't easily find it. You might take it with you when you see your grandma and have her autograph it for you. She would like that, especially if she knew you had read some of it.\"\n\n\"I would like that too. Either this class is going to be easy with so much of the research done, or it's going to be hard due to how much material I have available.\"\n\n\"I think you'll have fun with it. Since your current classes are winding down, you'll have some time before the term break to start reading the materials which may help you to direct your interviews with the grandparents.\"\n\n\"Do you have any preliminary information or research available about mom's parents?\"\n\nRobert shakes his head then answers, \"I don't know of any written documents. I think they have an online site, but you may know more than what's available there. Basically, when your grandpa Mak took over his father's farm he converted the farm to growing organic food years before it became popular. He and your grandma Lucy had a real struggle making ends meet since only very small health food stores were interested in providing organic food to customers and there were few of those. Most of their produce was sold at the local farmer's market. That's what your mom remembers most about growing up, how tough things were. For her, a luxury was a chocolate candy bar two or three times a year, usually in the fall when the produce was being harvested and sold.\n\n\"When organic food started to become popular, your grandparents were at the front of the curve and theirs was one of the few farms which could supply organic foods. As traditional farms were going out of business or being bought up by agricultural conglomerates, your grandfather borrowed heavily and bought a number of other farms all over and converted them to organic. For him to have farms scattered in the different quadrants and climate zones had two main advantages; one, it allowed him to get more produce to the seller in a fresher condition and at lower costs, and two, growing foods which naturally grew in those areas meant it cost less to produce the food and that more than offset the transportation costs of those particular foods. Your grandfather's gamble paid off and his chain of farms grew to become the largest producer of organic foods of almost every kind of food found in a grocery store.\"\n\n\"I had an idea they were doing pretty good, but they tend to follow Mom's lead and treat me as younger than I am, so I don't hear much in the way of specifics from them. I think I understand what you mean by growing foods where they naturally grow, but can you give me an example?\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he answers, \"Sure. What's your favorite berry?\"\n\nSharlene immediately responds, \"Blackberry.\"\n\n\"Do you see many blackberries growing around where your grandma Running Deer lives?\"\n\n\"No. I think I remember Great Uncle Running Bear tried to grow some since he likes them too, but he gave up because they were too much work for how little he got out of them.\"\n\n\"That's right, but if you go to the middle portion of the western coast of the Western Sector, blackberries grow wild there, sometimes so thick they're like bunches of grapes. So if your grandpa Mak wanted to raise blackberries, he would have a farm there instead of where your grandma Running Deer lives.\"\n\n\"I get it. So instead of babying the food to grow, he would go to where it grows wild and 'farm' it more in the sense of making it easier to harvest. If I remember my geography right, you're referring to the Tahoma Quadrant or those nearby. So blackberries need a mild climate and a lot of soft rain.\"\n\n\"That's right, Sharlene. The rain makes them fat and juicy and some warm sunny days in late summer ripens them quickly. You pick a couple of fat firm berries and pop them in your month, squish down on them, and the flavor explodes. In no time at all, your teeth, lips, and fingers are all purple and there are more berries in your belly than there are in your berry picking can.\"\n\n\"Quiet, Dad, you're making me want some.\"\n\n\"Me, too.\"\n\n\"Was that imagination or memory?\"\n\nRobert smiles then explains, \"Memory. When we were kids, one of the projects Dad was working on was in the Tahoma Quadrant and he took us along. We about lived off of blackberries when we were there. It's a wonder we didn't get sick of them or sick on them. Back to the subject. You'll probably have to wait to get to your mom's parents' to ask them about their history and traditions. I guess your next step will be to contact those you want to visit and find out when it's convenient for them. Hopefully, you won't have to do too much juggling of schedules. Then you'll need to make travel arrangements. If you need any help, holler, but give it a try on your own first. By the way, how's the debit card from your college fund working for you?\"\n\n\"Real well. It's a little strange to just keep using it and remember that it's real money which is being exchanged. Will it be a problem if there's a sudden jump in the amount of money being spent with traveling expenses?\"\n\n\"No. You review your statements. As long as you know where the money is going and keep your receipts, then everything is good. In the highly unlikely event that your trust fund comes under government scrutiny, they come to me as the trustee, I say 'yes, those were educational expenses,' and that's the end of it.\"\n\nSharlene thinks for a moment then grins and suggests, \"So I could go to fancy restaurants every night, buy fancy dresses, and have a chauffeur driven luxury vehicle as long as I could convince you they were educational expenses?\"\n\nRobert nods his head and answers while he tries to hide his own grin, \"That's right. Well, wouldn't it be an education to go to fancy restaurants and have a chauffeur? But then I might need to be bribed with a fancy dinner or two and a ride in that luxury vehicle. Did you have a particular luxury vehicle in mind?\"\n\n\"No, Dad. I just spouted the most ridiculous things I could think of off the top of my head.\"\n\n\"There's a sense of exaggeration in the child? I was beginning to despair that you wouldn't bribe an old man to get what you wanted.\"\n\n\"Oh, Dad,\" she gives him a big hug, \"I love you.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2136-07-27\n\nWhen she's handed a tiny infant, Angelisa automatically holds it properly, but in her self-induced fog of ignoring the unpleasantness of life, she has to wonder whose it is.\n\nMaria says, \"Angelisa, say 'hello' to your new brother Huleeoh.\"\n\nShe barely stifles the question of how she has a brother then she vaguely remembers that Maria married Yohseef who cooks for the restaurant. Angelisa looks down, half smiles at the infant, and says, \"Hello, Huleeoh,\" since she knows it's expected, but on the inside, she feels a deeper gloom settle in. This is just what she needs, another person to clutter up their tiny home and to take away more of her Mama's already sparse attention.\n\nAfter she passes the infant on to the next person at the ceremony, Angelisa slips away at the earliest possible moment to her latest undiscovered hiding place to hug a book and her one stuffed toy which is almost beyond repair. Just yesterday, she had had a wonderful surprise immediately followed by a huge disappointment. Her school class had taken a short trip to the public library for a tour and she was astounded at the hundreds of books which lined the shelves. While she looked at a few of the books, she had almost wept at finding they were all in that incomprehensible standard language. The librarian proudly assured her that they did have a few books in other languages, but they were even more incomprehensible.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-02-02\n\nAngelisa can speak standard quite well because she has a good ear, but she can't seem to find the key to reading the language, maybe they gave out the key in an earlier grade before she had to start going to school. The few times she had asked her teachers or others for the key, she just received blank expressions. Through sheer force of effort, she had memorized the shapes of a few commonly used words without understanding how the meaning of the lines built up the word. Rather than take the time to help her understand, her teachers thought it was easier to have her give verbal answers and sometimes assigned another student to read any assignments to her, as least enough for the teachers to think they could justify passing her onto the next grade. After all, the other young females of her culture dropped out of school and started having babies as soon as they could.\n\nOne day, she overheard one teacher tell another that even if Angelisa seemed smarter than the average, there wasn't any reason to help her to learn to read since she was destined to become a baby factory, Later that day, Angelisa asked her Mama what they meant. Maria hesitated, then because she realized Angelisa was probably old enough to enter puberty and that she had delayed long enough, Maria started to explain the responsibilities of a woman in their culture.\n\nAs soon as she understood, Angelisa reacted, \"No!! I'm not going to be a baby factory. I'm not going to let some man stick his . . . 'thing' in me. No way!\"\n\nMaria knew when Angelisa was in that kind of a mood there was no reasoning with her. Rather than argue, Maria dropped the subject, but it still came up from time to time, usually at the worst times. Once, in the midst of one of her hormonal swings during puberty, Angelisa had adamantly claimed she was not going to let any man touch her unless he was as safe, as gentle, and as caring as Papa had been. Angelisa wasn't the only one who was in tears after that 'discussion', because Maria remembered Pablo and how wonderful a man he had been.\n\nAs she was beginning to stabilize near the end of her puberty and didn't have to be watched so closely after she tried to steal her uncle's handgun on a few occasions in an attempt to commit suicide, Angelisa was sat down and given an ultimatum, either she improves her grades and demonstrates she's getting an education or she is to drop out of school and begin to have babies. She automatically dismissed the second option and exclaimed, \"But I can't read!\" and burst into tears.\n\nSince she was well aware of the problem, Maria had discussed the situation with a couple of Angelisa's teachers and the school counselor and gave Angelisa a possible option, \"There's an after school reading program at the public library. Maybe they can figure out what your problem is and help you.\"\n\nSo, after the first tutor gave up on her, here she is almost trembling in despair and desperation at being assigned a second tutor, then she has to try to wait patiently as he finishes with another student.\n\nWhen the other student steps away, she steps forward, hesitates, and softly asks, \"Mr. G?\"\n\nHe looks up at her and answers, \"Yes?\"\n\n\"I'm Angelisa. . . . Can you help me learn to read?\"\n\n\"Please sit down. What seems to be the problem?\"\n\nShe cautiously sits, hesitates some more then says, \"I can't read.\"\n\n\"Do you have any idea as to why you can't read?\"\n\n\"Nobody will explain what the lines in the words mean. And when I asked, I got blank looks or an answer like, 'it doesn't matter'. How can something that makes up a word not matter?\"\n\nShe's surprised when he seems to seriously consider her question before he responds, \"Humm. That's an interesting question. . . . When did you start going to school?\"\n\n\"When I was about seven and a half years old.\"\n\nMr. G guesses, \"So the other children were already reading and nobody explained the basics to you, they just expected you to catch on.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"What did you do before you went to school?\n\n\"I learned at home from Mama and my great aunt.\"\n\n\"Didn't that include reading?\"\n\nAlthough his question seems to be gentle and sincere, Angelisa still reacts, \"Of course, in my language.\"\n\n\"So, you can read your language, but you can't read standard.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"That narrows the problem down. How well do you read your language?\"\n\n\"Very well, or at least that's what my great aunt tells me. I've read a lot of what is available in our language, even some of the birth and death records.\"\n\n\"Interesting.\" Mr. G thinks for a moment then guesses, \"I assume there's a significant difference in how your language is written and how standard is written.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Can you give me an example of the difference? Maybe a common phase from standard translated into your language?\"\n\nSince she hadn't expected his question, Angelisa hesitates before she answers, \"I . . . I don't know if that would be allowed.\"\n\n\"I don't want you to break any cultural taboos. If you can ask someone in authority for permission, maybe a brief explanation of how your language is written might help me to understand why standard is difficult for you.\"\n\n\"I can ask.\"\n\nMr. G gently smiles as he says, \"You can't do much more than that. Why don't we have you take a brief test to see what your actual level of reading standard is before we decide how to proceed.\"\n\n\"It's really bad.\"\n\n\"That's okay. I have the impression that you're an intelligent young lady, so if you have a reading problem, it's not because you're dumb. We just need to figure out what the specific problem or misunderstanding is, then figure out a way to solve it or to work around it. Okay?\"\n\nBecause she senses his sincerity, Angelisa responds, \"Okay.\"\n\nWhile most tutors start where the student should be and work backwards which increases the frustration of the student at having their problem emphasized, Mr. G starts at the very basic reading level and advances the student until they start to have trouble. He struggles to control his expression at how soon Angelisa experiences difficulties so he hesitates a moment before he says, \"Thank you. Yes, you do seem to have a problem.\" When he notices her expression, Mr. G quickly assures her, \"Please don't blame yourself. If anyone is to blame, it's the school system for not taking the time to understand your difficulty and to do something about it instead of just pushing you on.\"\n\nSince she's astounded that he puts the blame on someone else instead of on her as everyone else has done, Angelisa almost stutters, \"It's . . . it's not my fault?\"\n\n\"I don't see how it can be, unless you're deliberately refusing to learn to read.\"\n\n\"No! I have to learn to read. I want to learn. I . . . I just have to.\"\n\n\"It's okay. I believe you. . . . Let's try something else.\" Mr. G hands her a simple children's book and requests, \"Try to read this, either out loud or silently, whichever you're comfortable with, and then hand it back when you're done.\"\n\nShe reads it to herself and hands it back.\n\n\"What was the story about?\"\n\nAngelisa tells him.\n\n\"It seems like you comprehend what you're reading.\" Mr. G thinks for a little while then he pulls out a book which is just above her tested reading level and requests, \"Read as far as you can, then show me the first word you don't understand.\"\n\nShe doesn't make it through the first paragraph before she turns the book around and points to a word.\n\n\"Have you ever seen this word before?\"\n\n\"It looks familiar, but there's no understanding connected to it nor do the lines help me to decipher the word.\"\n\n\"You're looking at the letters to tell you something about the word?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nMr. G points to the simple children's book as he asks, \"Do you look at the letters of these words to tell you about the word?\"\n\n\"I tried, but nothing made sense, nor would anyone explain it. I finally had to just memorize the sequence of the lines. In a book like this,\" she points to the simple children's book, \"the sequence of the lines mostly keep the same meaning, but in a book like this,\" she points to the higher level one, \"the sequence of the lines change their meaning, in ways which don't make sense.\"\n\n\"Humm, . . . so if I write this word,\" he writes 'the' on a piece of paper and turns it around to face her, \"you recognize it as . . .\"\n\n\"The.\"\n\nHe turns the paper back around, writes 'they,' says, \"But this word,\" and turns the paper to her, \"is . . .\"\n\n\"The, letter 'y'.\"\n\n\"Huh? Oh.\" He retrieves the paper, writes, 'theory,' and turns the paper back towards her and asks, \"So then this word would be . . .\"\n\n\"The, or, letter 'y', which doesn't make any sense.\"\n\nMr. G looks at it for a little while before he says, \"I see what you mean. Interesting. . . . I'm going to have to think about this.\"\n\nAngelisa hesitates to ask, \"Do I have that big of a problem?\"\n\n\"I don't think so.\" He thinks about it some more before he goes on, \"It appears to be more of a misconception that because the school system didn't make the effort to discover or correct for so many years, it's going to be harder for you to learn to adjust to it.\"\n\n\"What do I need to do?\"\n\n\"Nothing today. I need to find some materials which might help explain the basics of the standard language. If you're serious about learning to read standard, it's probably going to feel like you have to learn to read from scratch. I'll help as much as I can, but it's going to have to be your decision and your effort. You've taken a big courageous step to admit that you have a problem and to want to do something about it. Every day you work towards solving your problem will be more courageous steps, but it's all up to you.\"\n\nAngelisa quickly answers, \"Yes.\"\n\n\"You can take some time to think about it.\"\n\n\"I've thought about it long enough. I have to do it. I . . . I just have to.\"\n\nMr. G lifts his hand as he assures her, \"I don't need to know your reason, as long as it's important to you. If you want to tell me, that's your choice. Either way, I'll try to help you.\"\n\nSince she's quite surprised at his statement, she asks him, \"Why?\"\n\n\"Because you want to learn to read, because there is so much which can be learned from books, because I love books and can't imagine being deprived of them for what I can learn from them or be entertained by them, and because if a person can't read, they're almost certainly doomed to a life of poverty and I wouldn't wish that on anybody, especially a young person who is just starting out in life and has the potential to accomplish something positive for themselves and others.\"\n\nSince she's stunned that he would think about her in such a positive way, it takes Angelisa awhile to respond, \"Me? Potential?\"\n\nMr. G nods his head as though he has no doubt, \"Of course. I won't say that life will be easy or that opportunities will be available or that you'll always recognize them, but you seem to be intelligent, considerate towards others, honest about yourself, and think about your options instead of just going with the flow. With some work, courage, and positive stubbornness on your part, and some luck, you can do whatever you want with your life.\"\n\nWhile she's still trying to recover from what his unbelievable words might mean to her, Angelisa admits, \"I'm not sure what I want. I just know what I don't want.\"\n\n\"You have to start somewhere. You're young, you have time to figure out what you want to do.\"\n\nShe notices the time and says, \"I have to go. Thank you, Mr. G. Bye.\"\n\n\"It was my pleasure. Goodbye.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\nWhen there's a slowdown in the number of customers in the restaurant, Maria remarks, \"Angelisa, you seem happier. Did you meet a new boy at school?\"\n\n\"Mama! Yuck, no way. No, they assigned me a new tutor at the reading program at the public library and he thinks he may know what my reading problem is. If he can figure it out and help me solve it, maybe I can do better in school.\"\n\n\"He?\"\n\n\"Mama, I'll bet he's older than Grandfather and he didn't even look at me like all of the other men do.\"\n\n\"Oh.\"\n\n\"I told you, Mama, I'm not going to let a man touch me unless he's as safe and as gentle and as caring as Papa was. If I can't find a man like Papa, then I'll be an old maid.\"\n\n\"Don't say that, Baby. If you don't have a man to take care of you, how will you live?\"\n\n\"I'll go to work myself. And before you tell me I can't do that, I need to talk to Great Aunt Sohneetuh.\" She steps away to go into the house where she picks up the phone handset, dials a number, and says, \"Hello, Great Aunt, this is Angelisa.\"\n\n\"Hello, Little Dove. You sound happier.\"\n\n\"It's called hope. I was assigned a new tutor at the public library reading program and he thinks he might be able to figure out why I have a reading problem with standard.\"\n\n\"That is good. Did he say what it was?\"\n\n\"Not specifically. He thinks it may have something to do with the difference between how our language and standard are written.\"\n\n\"That could be. I never could make sense out of those lines and squiggles myself.\"\n\n\"What I was calling about is that he suggested a comparison between the two written languages might help him to understand what my problem is. I wasn't sure it would be proper for me to show him and he said he didn't want me to break any taboos, so he suggested that I ask someone in authority for permission to show him a little of our language. He suggested maybe a common phrase from standard translated into our language as a way to compare them.\"\n\nSohneetuh briefly considers that before she responds, \"Humm. If it might help him to identify your reading problem, then, yes, you have my permission to show him. By the way, do you know who he is?\"\n\nAngelisa shakes her head before she realizes it can't be seen through the phone then verbally responds, \"I don't know. I was just told to address him as Mr. G. What the 'G' stands for, I have no idea.\"\n\n\"I don't recall hearing of a Mr. G. What does he look like?\"\n\n\"He's pale, probably older than Grandfather, has long hair in a ponytail and a beard, is about average height for a man, but a little overweight.\"\n\n\"That narrows the possibilities unless someone moved into the area recently who I haven't heard about. Well, let me know how it goes. If he can help you with your problem, maybe you can teach me to read those squiggles.\"\n\nAngelisa automatically dismisses that possibility as she proclaims, \"Great Aunt, you're my teacher.\"\n\n\"Sometimes teaching goes both ways. Now get a good night's sleep and show our language with pride.\"\n\n\"Yes, Great Aunt. Thank you.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-02-03\n\nAfter she observes Mr. G work with some of the other students in the after school public library reading program and even gives some gentle advice to a couple of the high school student volunteers, Angelisa hesitates and shyly approaches him as he starts to put his things away for the day. She hesitates a little longer then asks, \"Mr. G?\"\n\nHe looks up and says, \"Yes, um, Angelisa.\"\n\nShe's a little surprised he remembers her name then she quickly recovers and asks, \"Do you have a little time? I don't want to interrupt, but my great aunt gave me permission to show you some of our language in the hope that you can figure out why I can't read standard.\"\n\n\"Of course I have time. Sit down.\"\n\nShe hesitates more before she asks, \"Are you sure? I don't want to interfere with your plans.\"\n\n\"The only plan I have is to go home, fix dinner, and read a book. Whether that happens now or two hours from now, makes no difference.\"\n\n\"Oh. Okay.\" She sits down across the table from him, but is still hesitant. Abruptly, Angelisa pulls out a piece of paper, hands it over to him, and explains, \"Here's a sample of our language. I tried to translate the part of the Cinderella story where the fairy godmother shows up. I don't know how good the translation is, but this is about what it would look like in my culture's language.\"\n\nMr. G looks at it for quite a while before he responds, \"Interesting. I'm certainly no expert at languages, but this seems to be almost pictographic.\"\n\n\"What's that mean?\"\n\n\"A pictographic language is a written language that was based on pictures which over time came to represent phrases or concepts. Yesterday, I think you said something about not being able to decipher the meaning of words in standard from their shapes. Can you explain a couple of these words or symbols to describe what is in your language, but missing from standard?\"\n\nAngelisa hesitates then realizes that's what she needs to do in order for him to be able to understand the differences. She hesitates a little longer then comes around the table to sit next to him in order to more easily point out the elements of her written language instead of working upside down. However, she does move the chair a little further away from him.\n\nAs she explains how each element of each symbol has meaning and how the interaction of the symbols enhance the meaning, he has trouble controlling his expression. It takes him a few moments to realize she's finished speaking and is looking at him with an increasingly worried expression before he responds, \"Fascinating. That's absolutely fascinating. Angelisa, I've had college professors who couldn't explain a language half as well as you just did.\"\n\nSince she's totally unable to accept what he said, she almost harshly says, \"Mr. G, please don't tease me.\"\n\n\"I'm not, I'm serious. You explained your language with more expertise and understanding than college professors who are considered experts in a particular language. You're obviously intelligent, interested in learning, and make the effort to understand what you're learning. I think I understand why you have trouble with the written portion of standard.\"\n\nShe stares at him in surprise and it takes her a few moments to be able to ask, \"Really? Already? What is it?\"\n\nMr. G gently smiles at her enthusiasm before he responds, \"You gave me the key when you explained about the elements of your language. If someone had explained the basic element of standard to you, you would have figured it out a long time ago. Unlike your language which appears to be based on pictures, written standard is based on phonetics.\"\n\n\"Phonetics? What's that?\"\n\n\"The symbols or letters of the language represent sounds.\"\n\n\"Sounds? Not ideas or concepts?\"\n\n\"Nope, just sounds. None of the lines which make up letters or words in standard have any meaning other than to represent sounds while some letters change their sound based on the letters next to them or nearby.\"\n\nShe can't believe that's the answer and has to ask again, \"Sounds? . . . Is it as simple as that?\"\n\n\"Well, I wouldn't call it simple, especially because some letter combinations can have various sounds depending on which language the word originally came from.\"\n\n\"But isn't standard its own language?\"\n\nHe nods his head then explains, \"It is now, but it developed over the centuries and has incorporated many words and concepts from other languages. Sometimes if those other languages used the same or a similar alphabet, then when the word was incorporated into standard, the spelling from the original language was retained, even if it didn't fit with the pronunciation typically used in standard. The traders who started to develop standard were ordinary merchants who were more interested in making money from satisfied customers than they were in making sure the words used consistent spelling or even pronunciation rules.\"\n\n\"Oh. If standard is based on sounds instead of the symbols having a meaning, is there a key that describes which letters make the various sounds?\"\n\n\"Yes. I'm sure you've seen it, but since nobody explained to you how standard is different, you probably didn't understand the purpose of the key.\" He turns and pulls a children's dictionary out from his box. \"This is a basic dictionary and here in the front is what they call the pronunciation guide. This works for most words, but there are always exceptions, so there are quite a few individual words which have to be memorized because they don't fit the patterns.\"\n\n\"I've seen this. So,\" Angelisa randomly opens the dictionary and tries to pronounce a word by flipping back and forth between the word and the pronunciation guide, \"this word is 'e-el-e-p-h-ah-n-t', but the picture is of an elephant.\"\n\n\"Yes. That's one example where the pronunciation guide isn't exact. Instead of looking back and forth between the word and the pronunciation guide, right after the word in parenthesis is the pronunciation of the word using defined letter combinations for specific sounds. Instead of the 'ph' of elephant having a 'puh' sound, it's an 'f' sound. One thing to note is that the pronunciation shown after a word may not always be consistent with how you hear a word used in daily speech because, over time, people tend to slur the sounds of a word.\"\n\nShe struggles to contain her growing hope as she realizes, \"But with the dictionary, I can find a written word I don't recognize, figure out the pronunciation and see if I already know and use the word.\"\n\n\"Yes, or to read the meaning of the word in order to add a new word to your vocabulary.\"\n\n\"Oh. Yeah.\"\n\nAs he recognizes the growing excitement in Angelisa's voice, Mr. G tries to add some realism to the conversation, \"This may be the key to understanding how standard is different from your language, but it's still going to be a lot of work on your part in order to recognize and remember the written words to be able to read well.\"\n\n\"I . . . I know. But without this, I had no hope. This may mean some work, but if it keeps the hope alive, then the work will be rewarded. In the meantime, maybe I can learn some more.\"\n\nHe nods his head as he says, \"That's the idea. Go ahead and hang onto the dictionary and start with . . . these books. When you feel comfortable being able to read these, we'll find you some other books, and if you need some help, don't hesitate to ask. I have lots of time and am always willing to help somebody who is interested in learning to read.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Mr. G. You have no idea how much this means to me. Maybe someday I can tell you.\"\n\n\"As long as you feel it's helpful to you, that's all that matters. As you gain in your ability to read and find types of books which you enjoy reading, let me know and I'll help you find some more along similar lines either here or out of my personal library.\"\n\nAngelisa looks at him in surprise then asks, \"You would share your own books?\"\n\n\"Of course, especially if it helps a young person learn how to read and to enjoy reading.\"\n\n\"I . . . I don't know if I would be allowed to borrow your books, but thank you for the offer. Oops, I'd better get going. Mama is going to expect me home soon.\"\n\n\"Enjoy the rest of your day and I hope you find reading enjoyable.\"\n\n\"I do enjoy reading, I just have to learn to do it in standard. Thank you for finding the key for me to learn standard. . . . Thank you so much, Mr. G.\" Angelisa quickly gathers up her things and leaves, and is both astounded and embarrassed because she feels the urge to hug him which is something she hasn't felt towards any male since her Papa died.\n\n* * * * *\n\nWhen she arrives at home and prepares to help in the restaurant kitchen, Angelisa doesn't even notice Maria's scowl at her being late. As soon as she can, she goes to the phone, dials a number, and as soon as it stops ringing, she says, \"Great Aunt Sohneetuh?\"\n\n\"Yes, Little Dove?\"\n\n\"He found the key.\"\n\n\"Give me a moment to catch up with you. Who's 'he' and what key did he find?\"\n\n\"Mr. G at the public library reading program. He found the key for me to learn to read standard.\"\n\n\"Oh? And what's the key?\"\n\n\"The standard language is . . . 'fo-neh-tik'.\"\n\n\"What's that mean?\"\n\n\"The lines and squiggles which are the letters in standard?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"They don't have individual meanings, they represent sounds.\"\n\nSohneetuh responds with surprise, \"Sounds?\"\n\n\"Yes. Each letter and some combinations of letters of the written language represent the sounds of the spoken language. Now I just need to learn which sounds go with which letter or combination, and I'll be able to read.\"\n\n\"How many sounds are there?\"\n\n\"I don't know, he even warned me that some letters and combination of letters aren't consistent and there will be lots of words to memorize, but it feels like somebody turned on the light switch in a dark room and I can finally see for the first time.\"\n\n\"Oh, Little Dove, I'm so glad. When you can, come show me how they make lines and squiggles talk. And if you can, quietly ask around. I'm even more curious about who this 'Mr. G' is.\"\n\n\"Yes, Great Aunt. Bye.\"\n\nWhen she's in bed, instead of hugging her pillow for comfort or even getting it wet with tears of despair, Angelisa takes some time to work with the dictionary and one of the children's books Mr. G gave her to use and she looks up each word, even the few which she's familiar with, and she sees them in a whole new light.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-03-15\n\nAlthough Mr. G claims that her reading has greatly improved, and her understanding of the written standard language is improving, Angelisa finds it frustrating to still be using children's picture books to learn to read while others half her age are reading stories without pictures. She tries to concentrate, but the voice of Mr. G who is reading to some children nearby keeps distracting her. She knows it's not his voice by itself since she's been able to concentrate on her own work at other times when he's read to the other children, even when they laugh at the story. Finally, she closes her book, closes her eyes, and listens. As he reads, the story seems to be projected on the back of her eyelids as though she can see it happening. When he's done reading, she waits until the others leave then she steps over and asks, \"Mr. G, what were you reading?\"\n\n\"Hi, Angelisa. I was reading the first story in The Chronicles of Narian.\"\n\n\"I couldn't help myself, I had to listen and it was as though I could see it like a movie in my head.\"\n\n\"The author does a good job of describing the scene without burying the reader in detail.\"\n\n\"Did the author write any other books?\"\n\n\"Several, but this set is the only thing he wrote for children. Some of his other books are rather philosophical and can be hard for adults to read and understand.\"\n\nAngelisa seems to automatically respond with disappointment, \"Oh.\"\n\nMr. G assures her, \"At the rate you're progressing, you'll be reading this level of book within a year or less. Most children have been reading for five years or more before they're ready to tackle something like this.\"\n\nShe looks at him in surprise then asks, \"Do you really think I'll get that far?\"\n\n\"If you keep working at your reading, you will. Was there something about the story which seemed to be more interesting to you than other stories you're heard?\"\n\n\"It seemed to be easier to picture it in my mind than others, but I think the thing which really made an impression on me is the idea of the children thinking an empty room was quite ordinary while the other characters thought of it as some magical place. Um, what's a wardrobe? I've always thought of a wardrobe as the clothes a person has, but the story made it sound like it was something physical, even with doors.\"\n\n\"What they refer to as a wardrobe in the story is a cabinet a person stores their clothes in, like a closet, except this kind isn't built into the house, but can be moved from place to place.\"\n\n\"Oh. I suppose that would make it more flexible to rearrange a room, but I guess something like that would be rather heavy and not easily moved.\"\n\nMr. G slightly smiles as he responds, \"That's good deductive reasoning.\"\n\n\"What's that mean?\"\n\n\"To take some stated facts and without being told more, to figure something else out which is related to the stated facts. For example, like figuring out that if a cabinet is built large and sturdy enough to hold clothes, especially fur coats as stated in the story, then it's going to be bulky, heavy, and not easily moved.\"\n\nAngelisa responds, \"Oh. Thank you. . . . I suppose I ought to be going. . . . Mr. G, thank you so much for all of your help, it really means a lot to me.\"\n\n\"I'm glad I could help you. Thank yourself. You've been doing all of the work, all I did was suggest something for you to try. You really should be very proud of yourself, first of all, for being willing to admit that you did have a reading problem and then to have the courage to step up and do something about it. Not just once, but day after day. Most people wouldn't make the effort.\"\n\n\"I know. . . . But I just had to.\"\n\n\"For your sake, I'm glad you found a reason to be motivated.\"\n\n\"Thank you again, Mr. G. I really do appreciate it.\"\n\n\"It's been my pleasure to give you a little help. Take care.\"\n\n\"Bye.\" Just before she steps out of the door, Angelisa glances back and marvels that an old man with just a few suggestions and some encouraging words was able to change her life around. How many other adults has she been around who didn't bother or gave up on her before they even tried, simply because of their stereotypical understanding of her culture or her gender. She has to admit that many of her relatives only reinforced that understanding.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-08-23\n\nMr. G had been right in his prediction that she would be reading Narian a few months after she had been introduced to it, not that she reads it or similar books well, but when she looks back at where she had been not even seven months ago, her progress is remarkable as she takes a moment to feel a little bit of pride. As she prepares to take another reading test to document her progress, Angelisa takes some time to think about the last year. Definitely one of ups and downs, with the most consistent up being her reading improvement which she thinks is largely due to Mr. G's continuing gentle encouragement.\n\nMaybe it's not bad to others, but the worst times for her are being required to attend the naming ceremonies as yet another of her cousins or other relatives has a child and most of them drop out of school to raise it. And they're starting to be some of her cousins which are the same age as she is or even younger and that means some of the adults are going to be less than subtle in their teasing about when she's going to start having babies. The boys have already started bugging her and offering to 'help' her produce the baby and sometimes describe the things they want to do to her to accomplish it. She just wants to be left alone so she can learn.\n\nAs she glances over at Mr. G who is reading to some of the little children, Angelisa can only feel gratitude and respect for the old man who has given her respect and encouragement. She almost hates to admit it, but he's also become her calm in the storm because he's always gentle, respectful, encouraging, and he always seems to be there, not just for her, but for the other children as well. She sighs and turns her mind back to the present, writes her name on the top of the test, and begins to work her way through it. Sometimes she marvels at how the lines and squiggles of the standard language seem to almost magically take on meaning.\n\n\"Get your hands off my baby!\"\n\nAs she looks up at the shriek, Angelisa sees expressions of confusion all around while Mr. G is just releasing one of the little girls who hugs almost anyone and freely kisses their cheeks. The woman 'protectively' grabs her daughter away from Mr. G while she continues to yell. When a couple of the librarians try to protest and claim that Mr. G is innocent of any wrong-doing, the woman threatens to have them arrested as accomplices. Soon the police arrive, handcuff Mr. G on the woman's accusation, and as he's led off with bowed head, Angelisa, like most of the others, can only stare in disbelief.\n\nAfter awhile, Angelisa numbly gathers her things and walks off without bothering to finish or turn her test in. By the time she arrives home and is unsure of how she got there, her tears have dried, but the cold hand of despair has firmly engulfed her. As she drops onto her bed, she just lays there while the tears come and go until she drifts off into a troubled sleep.\n\n* * * * *\n\nFor three mind numbed days, Angelisa is locked in her own mind and stays in bed and only gets up enough to go to the bathroom. Underneath the pleading voice of Maria who tries to encourage her to get up to eat and drink, Angelisa seems to hear the encouragement of Mr. G as he tells her that she can do anything she wants with some effort on her part which reminds her of the alternate option. She gets up and slowly starts to function while she continually repeats the gentle encouraging words of Mr. G in an effort to hold the despair at bay.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-08-29\n\nWhen she drags herself back to the public library for the reading program while she's hoping against hope that Mr. G and his encouragement will be there, Angelisa's despair comes rushing back to find out that he's not there and that nobody has seen or heard from him. Even though some of the others are trying to carry on, everyone is subdued. As she sits alone at one of the tables, Angelisa has to keep biting her lip to avoid yelling at a couple of people who are softly talking nearby about the possibility that Mr. G had committed some sort of child abuse. When she's on the verge of losing control, Angelisa feels something on her arm, lifts and turns her head to see one of the little children gently touch her and hold up a book while she asks, \"Read to me?\"\n\nAngelisa pauses a moment then numbly nods her head. When the child makes it clear she wants to sit on Angelisa's upper legs, she pushes her chair back, helps the child up, and wonders if she's going to be accused of child abuse and, if so, then maybe she can join Mr. G in jail. After she reads a couple of books to the child and a couple of the other children who had wandered over, one of them asks, \"How come Mr. G isn't here?\"\n\nAngelisa hesitates then answers, \"Somebody accused him of doing something bad and the police took him to jail.\"\n\n\"But Mr. G is a good man.\"\n\n\"I know, I know.\"\n\n\"Read 'nother book?\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\nShe reads a few more books to the little children and after they go home, Angelisa grabs hold of her courage and goes to the police station to ask about Mr. G. They tell her that he was released and that all charges against him were dropped because he was falsely accused. Angelisa goes home with a much lighter step and feels more like herself and looks forward to seeing Mr. G soon. As she remembers something from one of her history classes, she finds an old piece of black cloth and after she asks for Maria's permission, she cuts it into strips.\n\nThe next day at the public library reading program, when she finds out that Mr. G still hasn't returned, Angelisa ties one of the black strips of cloth around her upper arm. When she explains the reason for the black arm band to someone who asks her, she quickly runs out of strips of fabric in sharing with those who want to protest that Mr. G isn't there.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-10-16\n\nDays, then weeks pile up without Mr. G showing up at the public library reading program. Indeed, nobody has seen hide nor hair of him since that infamous day. After another day at the public library reading program where she's stepped into Mr. G's role of reading to the little children, Angelisa is trying to figure out how she can make it clear past the other side of town to where she's heard his home is, when she hears that he was seen at the grocery store. The momentary joy she feels at hearing he was seen is quickly dashed when she hears how despondent he looked and how he was barely civil while he paid for his purchase. Although her heart wants to go to him to give him a little of the encouragement which he's given to her, she can't summon up enough of whatever it might be called to go against her own cultural taboo and that of the larger society which says that a young woman shouldn't visit a single older man without a chaperon.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2142-10-30\n\nAfter she's finished her four years of academics at medical school, Sharlene visits home before she goes to her assigned one year internship which she needs before she can graduate. After several days of indecision, she tracks down her dad and finds him in his basement shop and asks, \"Dad?\"\n\n\"Yes, sweetheart?\"\n\n\"Do you have some time to talk?\"\n\n\"It sounds serious.\"\n\n\"Yes, it is. I think it's time I was told about what happened to Mom.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"When I was born.\"\n\nRobert hesitates before he responds, \"Oh. . . . Are you sure?\"\n\n\"I think so.\"\n\n\"What brought this on?\"\n\nSharlene explains, \"This last term, I attended a seminar on the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Shock. As the professor described the symptoms, I was thinking, 'That's Mom.' Shortly after that, I remembered that Alice had strongly warned me not to talk to Mom about events related to my birth and that my mother's death was a very tragic event for Mom. After Alice's warning, I directly asked Aunt Paula about it, but she refused to talk about it and said I wasn't ready to hear it. When I tried to talk to Grandma Running Deer and Grandpa Hienrik, they said it wasn't for them to tell. After that, I didn't dare bring the subject up to Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Mak. So I forgot about it for several years until the seminar.\n\n\"After I remembered Alice's warning and everyone's refusal to talk about it, I remembered a faint memory from my childhood where I asked Mom for a baby brother like one of my friends and she burst into tears and ran from the room. You came and said that Mom couldn't have any babies. When I asked if you could adopt a baby brother for me, you said something about Mom wanting to give all of her love to me. It seemed like Mom stayed in bed days longer that time then some of the other times. I figure something bad happened to Mom when my mother died. I can make several guesses, but I would prefer to be told the truth rather than go through life wondering which guess might be closest to right.\"\n\nRobert sighs and hesitates for awhile before he responds, \"I'm sure you can make several guesses and most likely one of them will be right. I suppose it is time to tell you. I don't want to be the one to tell you, but it's my responsibility more than anyone else's. Before I begin, Sharlene, I want to make it very clear to you that you were an innocent victim of everything which occurred. You didn't cause it. You didn't influence it. You have nothing to feel guilty about.\n\n\"You weren't told about it when you were younger, because of the very real possibility that you would feel unreasonably guilty about it. It's quite common for children and even teenagers to feel guilty about something bad which happened in their families even when they had nothing to do with it. We wanted to keep you from feeling guilty, so the family agreed not to tell you and that when I thought you were ready to hear it, I would be the one to tell you.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Dad. I appreciate it that the family was trying to shelter me from feeling unnecessary guilt. As I reviewed my guesses, I could imagine that when I was younger I might have felt guilty. I think I'm aware enough now that whatever happened, it occurred when I was a baby and I couldn't have caused it. If, for some reason, I do feel guilty after you tell me, then I need to deal with that myself. I can't rely on you guys to protect me from all of life's difficulties.\"\n\n\"You're right. I really do want to protect my little girl, but you're not a little girl anymore and I can't always protect you myself. Hopefully, we've given you the tools to protect yourself or to recover from whatever you can't avoid.\"\n\n\"I think you have given me the necessary tools. If not, then it's time for me to take the responsibility to find the right tools.\"\n\n\"Oh, Sharlene, I'm so proud of you.\" Robert tightly hugs her then says, \"If David and Soo-Lin could see you now, they would be bursting at the seams with pride. . . . Okay, here we go. Let me give you a little background to set the scene. When I asked your mom to marry me and she agreed, my family welcomed her with open arms. Her parents warmly welcomed me, but, as I had guessed, some of her extended family were less than welcoming and muttered about the mongrelization of good European stock.\"\n\n\"Mom's family?\"\n\nRobert nods his head as he answers, \"Oh, yes. Thankfully, your mom wasn't close to those family members, so it didn't really matter, but the undercurrent was still there. Your mom's sister, your aunt Paula, thought the scandal I caused to the extended family was absolutely delightful. She was kind of the rebel, the black sheep of the family, but she was your mom's strongest supporter. After we were married, I was busy with the company and your mom was involved as a volunteer with a number of charities. We were happy and decided to put off having children for awhile.\n\n\"About two years later, David met Soo-Lin and a few months later asked her to marry him. It didn't take long to get the paperwork settled to enable them to marry, although it seemed like a long time to your father. Right after they were married, they took a honeymoon which included visiting the extended families. Grandpa Thomas and Grandma Martha were delighted with Soo-Lin and according to their cultural traditions, they adopted her into the family which is a stronger cultural bond than marriage.\n\n\"After the honeymoon, they were both very busy with the company. It took a little time for me and your mom to get to know Soo-Lin because they were traveling so much, but soon your mom warmed up to Soo-Lin and not long after that, they were good friends. When your mom's extended family, who had never met Soo-Lin, started muttering in their righteous indignation about David marrying a whore's daughter, your mom told them to bug off, that Soo-Lin was a wonderful person and that it wasn't her fault what her mother had been forced to do.\n\n\"When Soo-Lin became pregnant, they were delighted. They had thought of waiting for a few years, but sometimes pregnancies just seem to happen. David almost quit his job to take care of Soo-Lin and set up a nursery, but Soo-Lin pointed him in the right direction and asked him how he would take care of them if he quit his job. While they were on their honeymoon, they had seen signs in hotels about famous people who had supposedly slept there. They had already picked out names and once they found out you were going to be a girl, your mother had several nightshirts and t-shirts made up which said 'Sha-Lin sleeps here'.\"\n\nHer eyes widen in surprise before she says, \"So that's the story behind the t-shirt in the picture.\"\n\n\"That's right. Your mother and father were so happy and looking forward to having you. Sometimes it took an effort to distract them and bring them back down to earth. A few months after Soo-Lin was pregnant, we found out that your mom was pregnant. We hadn't expected it, but we were happy. Your mom and Soo-Lin became even closer friends and did almost everything together. And then that dreadful night happened. After David called Doctor Chang to say he was taking Soo-Lin to the hospital, he called us and told us the baby was coming faster than expected. So we started to get ready to join them at the hospital. Just as we were about to walk out of the door, a policewoman came, verified who we were, said there had been an accident and would we please go with her. When we questioned her, she said she didn't know anything, except there had been an accident and to come get us.\"\n\nRobert takes a drink before he looks into the past to describe what happened:\n\nWhen we got to the hospital, Doctor Chang met us and wouldn't answer our questions until she led us to a quiet room. We knew she was Soo-Lin's obstetrician because we had met her before and so we assumed something was wrong with you. She held our hands, with tears in her eyes, and as gently as she could, she said, \"Robert and Sarah, I hate to say this, but . . . David and Soo-Lin are dead.\"\n\nThere was stunned silence for a moment, then your mom cried out, \"Noooo!!\" fainted, and miscarried. Almost immediately, the room was filled with people who were trying to save the baby and take care of your mom. It wasn't intended, but I was shoved to the back of the room where I fell into a chair and just sat there.\n\nI don't know how long I sat in that chair in that room in shock even after everyone else had left. Eventually, Doctor Chang found me, sat down next to me, took my hand, and said, \"Robert, Sarah is okay. She's sedated right now. I'm sorry, but we couldn't save your baby.\"\n\nWhat she said must not have registered, because I asked, \"Sarah?\"\n\n\"She's okay.\"\n\n\"The baby?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Robert, but we couldn't save him.\"\n\nIt registered then, because I start to cry. After I cried myself out, I asked, \"Him?\"\n\n\"Yes, Robert, your baby was a boy.\" Up until then, we didn't know the gender of our baby because it was too soon to tell from the scans. I think it was several minutes later before I finally asked, \"David and Soo-Lin? What happened?\"\n\n\"They were in a vehicle wreck at the hospital entrance.\"\n\nSince I knew how stormy the weather was, I asked, \"Did David . . . cause . . .\"\n\n\"No, Robert, . . . they were hit by a drunk driver.\"\n\nThe next thing I remembered was that I found myself strapped in a hospital bed with my hands bandaged. Apparently, Doctor Chang had recognized the symptoms and gave me a shot of a tranquilizer, but before it could take full effect, I had gone into a rage and put several holes in the walls of that room. Shortly after I woke up, your mom's obstetrician was there and asked, \"Robert, are you back with us?\"\n\n\"I guess so. What happened?\"\n\nHe told me what I did. I asked if I had hurt Doctor Chang. He said no, just scared her some even though she was somewhat prepared for it. When I asked about your mom, he said she was physically okay, but they were keeping her sedated to help her body heal. He didn't know how the shock would affect her emotionally. After he left, I just laid there and quietly cried.\n\nSometime later, Doctor Chang came to see how I was doing. I was embarrassed to see her and apologized for scaring her. She thanked me for the apology and said it wasn't necessary because rage can be a common reaction to such a shock. Several quiet moments passed before I asked, \"Doctor, are they sure it was David and Soo-Lin?\"\n\n\"Yes, Robert. I recognized Soo-Lin and made the official identification.\"\n\n\"What about David?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Robert, but David was too badly injured for me to identify. . . . Do you know if he had any distinguishing marks and scars? Or maybe some unique jewelry he always wore?\"\n\n\"I can't think of any marks or scars. Jewelry? He always wore a ring which Soo-Lin gave him. I'm not sure how unique it was.\"\n\n\"Okay, Robert, I'll tell the police that. Do you think you're up to talking to them?\"\n\n\"I suppose. Uh, Doctor, they couldn't save our baby?\"\n\n\"No, Robert, we tried. He was just too young to survive outside of the womb. I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Thank you for trying.\" She let me cry for awhile and when I felt a little better, I realized something, \"Uh, Doctor, I don't mean to take up your time, but nobody has said anything about David and Soo-Lin's baby.\"\n\n\"Robert, it's going to be hard for you to hear.\"\n\n\"Say it, Doctor, she's dead.\"\n\n\"No, Robert, she's alive.\"\n\nI was stunned and it took me awhile to react, \"Alive?\"\n\n\"Yes, she was about to be born, Soo-Lin's body protected her during the wreck, and a paramedic was there almost immediately and helped the baby out of the womb. So far, the baby appears to be perfectly healthy.\"\n\nI don't know how long I stared at her before I said, \"Doctor, you've got to be joking.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Robert, but I don't joke about babies. . . . Robert, I know you've had some tremendous shocks in a few short hours. Your brother and his wife died, your wife collapsed, your baby died. But you have to think about how you're going to respond to your new niece. How are you going to treat her? How is Sarah going to treat her? You're the only family Sha-Lin has in the area. I'm very sorry for your losses, but the living need you now, both Sarah and Sha-Lin. I need to leave to see other patients, but you have some serious thinking to do.\"\n\nRobert returns to the present, takes another drink, and tells what happened afterwards, \"Doctor Chang was right, I did need to set my losses aside and to take care of my wife and you. Later that day, I was able to get up and identify David by his ring which we saved for you. I went to the nursery to see you. Apparently, Alice had held you for hours before Doctor Chang had you taken to the hospital nursery and sent Alice home. While I visited your mom who was still sedated, her doctor came in to check on her.\n\n\"When he was done, he took me out of the room and told me that your mom was healing fine, but that she would never be able to carry a child because her womb was too badly damaged from the miscarriage. He asked permission to remove it. When I asked what would happen if they didn't, he said she was at great risk of infection and that if she miraculously didn't become infected and happened to get pregnant again, the new baby would kill her. So I told him to do what was needed to be done. Years later, when I did some research, I found that I had made the right decision. It was way too late to do anything about it, but I felt better to know I did the right thing.\n\n\"After the surgery and your mom's body had some time to recover, they finally let her wake up. One of the first things she did was to ask for her baby. When I told her that her baby had died, she said, 'Yes, I know, where's my baby?' After a couple of rounds of this, she started to become agitated, so I said, 'The only baby is Soo-Lin's baby.' She said, 'That's my baby. Where's my baby?' So we brought you to her and watched her very closely, but she simply held you, smiled at you, and kept saying, 'My baby,' and you've been her baby ever since. Even before she recovered enough to go home, it was obvious that her personality had changed. We've tried talk therapy, drug therapy, and I don't know how many other things, but nothing has helped. So we've learned to just accept her as she is and go on with life. That's the story.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Dad. I appreciate you telling me. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to go through all of that.\"\n\n\"To be honest, Sharlene, if I hadn't have had a lot of help, I never would have made it. Doctor Chang made me sit up and face reality. The police had contacted the lawyer on David's emergency contact list, who happened to be Klara, and she was so calm and thorough. She contacted both sets of parents who immediately flew in. Your mom's folks primarily took care of her, while my folks helped settle the estate and oversaw the lawsuit against the drunk driver's estate. There was so much going on that I was overwhelmed and there were times when I would slip into a blue funk. The family would leave me alone for a day or two and then Dad would come in and tell me, 'Achtung, Robert, yesterday you boy, today you man. Go to vurk.' And I would get up and get to vurk, at least for awhile.\n\n\"It took some time, but we were finally able to function on our own. After the lawsuit was settled and we were more or less operating on an even keel, your mom decided she couldn't tolerate living so near the scene of the tragedy any longer. We moved to near one of our branch offices in the European Sector which was also close to some of her more supportive family members. After a few years, it became obvious that our skin color was going to be a problem and since we didn't want you to be subjected to that kind of discrimination, we moved back here. You know the rest of the story.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Dad,\" Sharlene gives him a hug as she tells him, \"I hope the memory and retelling of the story wasn't too painful.\"\n\nRobert shakes his head as he assures her, \"No. You've been a wonderful daughter. I just wish David and Soo-Lin could have been here to watch you grow up and see the person you've become.\"\n\n* * * * *\n\n2143-09-12\n\nAs she takes a break from cooking and washing dishes in the restaurant after the lunch crowd has left, Angelisa is surprised to see an old white man walk in who looks somewhat familiar. When it dawns on her that it's Mr. G, she has to struggle to not stare at him as she thinks that he looks older and sadder than she remembers. She lets him finish his meal before she walks over and asks, \"Mr. G?\"\n\nHe looks up and seems to search his memory for awhile before he asks, \"Angelisa?\"\n\nShe can't stop the smile from blossoming on her face as she answers, \"That's right.\"\n\n\"You work here?\"\n\n\"It's Mama's restaurant.\"\n\n\"Oh. I didn't know that. She serves good food, but more than I can eat in a single setting.\"\n\n\"Mama doesn't like the idea of anyone leaving her table if they're still hungry.\"\n\nHis gentle smile is just like she remembers while he responds, \"I can believe that. So, how have you been?\"\n\n\"Okay. I'm doing much better in school since you helped me to learn to read. I . . . I can't thank you enough for figuring out my problem and finding the solution.\"\n\nHe drops his head and says, \"Thank you.\" After a little while, he lifts his head to look at her and tells her, \"You wouldn't have succeeded without making the effort yourself. Be proud of yourself. I may have made a suggestion or two, but you were the one who recognized the problem, had the courage to admit it and seek help, then you made the daily effort to improve. . . . Are you really doing better in school?\"\n\n\"Much better.\"\n\n\"That's good.\"\n\nAngelisa explains, \"I still have some more improvement which I need to do with my reading in order to reach where I should be then I'll need to backtrack and learn what I missed when I was just passed from grade to grade.\"\n\n\"I'm sure you can do it. Don't lose hope, keep up the effort, and you can be or do whatever you want in life.\"\n\n\"Thank you for your encouragement, it means a lot to me.\"\n\n\"Thank you for letting me know there's still a reason for hope in this world.\" Mr. G gets up, gathers his leftovers, and encourages her, \"Stay strong, Angelisa, and thank you for your kind words.\" He steps away to pay his bill and leaves her with a gentle smile and a big tip.\n\n* * * * *\n\n2146-04-12\n\nAs days roll into weeks, weeks drag into months, and months crawl into years, Angelisa keeps going while she tries to learn and catch up on all of the education she didn't receive because she wasn't taught how to read and write standard. What she had learned by listening makes a lot more sense when she can read more about the subject and tie the loose ends together which seemed to have been left dangling or not dealt with during the classroom lectures. In spite of her interest in learning new things, the daily routine for her to get up early to go to school and be around a bunch of other people while she tries not to be noticed, then rush home to work at the restaurant during the lunch hour, snatch some time between customers during the afternoon to do homework, work through the busy dinner hour, clean up afterwards, and finally try to do some more homework before she collapses into bed, really dulls the joy of learning.\n\nIt would be so easy to give up and follow the example of her cousins and other acquaintances who just float through school and have fun, even if her definition of fun is different than theirs. Then she reminds herself that the typical consequence for her female relatives is that they get pregnant, become the property through marriage of some male who cares little, have many children, then hope enough children survive to take care of them when life wears them out before they become grandparents.\n\nThankfully, Maria has been somewhat protecting her from the other adults in the culture who want to find a 'nice' boy to turn her into a baby factory. But Maria can't protect her from the girls at school who ostracize her for 'acting better than them' or the boys who, so far only verbally, express how they want to help her make the many babies she would have to take care of on her own. Maybe there is some advantage in having to work so much in the restaurant because there's no time for her to be involved in any of the social or even after-school activities where there is less adult oversight, not that she has any interest in typical social activities, but the restaurant is a useful excuse, except for the work involved and that it leaves her little time to herself.\n\nOccasionally, Angelisa can get away and visit her great aunt, but seldom is it a 'bake cookies and gossip' visit. Even if they bake some sort of treat, it's almost always a part of a lesson about her culture's history, traditions, and language. The best part of visiting her great aunt is the encouragement for her to be herself and to not give into the 'live for today' mind-set of almost everyone around her. She's sure there has to be more to life than mere survival, but she's not sure what it is or how to get it. She knows it won't be found in being a baby factory and it's been made very clear to her that getting an education is her only other option, even if it is only temporary.\n\nThe bright spot of her life is when Mr. G stops by for a meal and she has some time to talk with him. Although it only happens a few times a year, Angelisa treasures those moments as she soaks in his encouraging words. He's always gentle, always treats her as a full person with respect, never talks down to her, always listens to what she has to say, and if he does correct her, he explains why it isn't the way she thought, and usually it's something which wasn't fully explained to her to begin with. And he never looks at her like a man looks at a woman as though he wants to possess or simply use her which makes him virtually unique in her experience.\n\nIt had dawned on her quite a few months ago, when she thought about how much she liked to talk with such an old man, that he was the only person she could label as a friend, at least based on what she thought a friendship should be. But it's not as deep a friendship as she would like, especially with there being such a social stigma against them spending more time together. Even though Maria likes Mr. G and the encouragement he gives to Angelisa, even she frowns if their visit in the public view of the restaurant is more than a very few minutes.\n\nAngelisa knows Mr. G could give her good advice, if she could ask her questions without the risk of being overheard. As she shakes her head, Angelisa just doesn't understand why people seem to be afraid of her spending a little time with him. He's always polite and always maintains a socially proper distance between them. As she thinks back, she remembers that when she was in the reading program, some of the older girls tried to get his attention because they thought he had money, but he always kept his distance and sometimes went out of his way to do so. And that was before he was falsely accused of child molestation. Since then, he's made an even bigger effort to avoid contact.\n\nAs she reminds herself to quit daydreaming and get back to her homework, Angelisa picks up her pencil and starts to work on the next geometry problem. A little later when she hears the restaurant door open, she finishes writing an equation, looks up and restricts herself to a simple lifting of her hand in a greeting to Mr. G who had just walked in. He talks to Maria for a couple of minutes and gives his order and when he turns to look for a table, she waves him over to hers.\n\nWhen he gets close enough, he says, \"Hello, Angelisa. How are you doing?\"\n\n\"I'm doing fine, Mr. G.\"\n\n\"That's good.\" He starts to sit at another table.\n\n\"You can sit here if you want.\"\n\nHe hesitates then says, \"I don't want to interrupt your school work.\"\n\n\"I could use a bit of a break.\"\n\n\"Okay.\" He sits down across from her and asks, \"So, how's school going?\"\n\n\"It's getting better in the sense that I'm learning more and getting better grades. However, it's not fun when I have to interact with the other students who aren't interested in learning.\"\n\nMr. G nods his head as he says, \"Yeah, that can be difficult. Either you conform to some group and become like a puppet to the strongest personality in the group, or you try to be an individual and are considered to be an outcast by all of the groups. They think you're not good enough to be in their group, while they accuse you of acting like you're too good for them, yet the truth is, you just want to be left alone.\"\n\n\"That's it exactly.\"\n\nHe glances at her book and paper and asks, \"Geometry? How do you like it?\"\n\n\"It's interesting. It's taking me awhile to learn the formulas, but it helps me to understand how containers of very different shapes can hold the same amount of material.\"\n\n\"I hadn't thought about it from that perspective. I suppose that working in a kitchen with the various ingredients might raise the question of whether one container really does hold the same amount as another container.\"\n\n\"Yeah. It's funny how the shape of a container can give the impression that there's more product than another container. Excuse me for a moment.\" Angelisa gets up, is soon back with his food, says, \"Here you go. Enjoy,\" and sits back down.\n\n\"Oh, thank you. I can move to a different table so you don't have to watch me eat.\"\n\n\"Mr. G, I watch people eat all day long.\"\n\nHe thinks for a moment then says, \"Oh, yeah. Sorry.\"\n\nShe just grins at him as he slowly smiles then she tells him, \"Besides, I don't often get to talk to someone who is so willing to listen.\"\n\n\"I'm all ears,\" he picks up a fork full of food, \"and mouth.\"\n\nAngelisa chuckles and talks more about her other classes while she enjoys his encouraging words and thoughtful questions. A couple of times she gets up to refill his drink and then to get a takeout box for his leftovers.\n\n\"Thank you for listening to me, Mr. G, I really appreciate it.\"\n\n\"It was my pleasure. I always like to hear how you're progressing. I continue to be amazed at your effort and determination to get an education and at how well you've succeeded.\"\n\nShe assures him, \"If it wasn't for you being interested enough in helping me and to take the time to figure out why I couldn't read standard then encouraging me as I struggled, I would have dropped out of school a long time ago.\"\n\n\"I was glad to do what little I could, but you're the one who realized you had a problem, had enough courage to admit it, and then made the effort day after day to fix the problem.\"\n\n\"Why is it that we go back and forth on who deserves the credit for helping me to learn to read and be able to get an education?\"\n\nMr. G tries to look at her sternly as he tells her, \"Probably because a certain young lady refuses to listen to the wisdom of an ancient one.\"\n\nShe just laughs and enjoys his answering smile.\n\n\"I probably ought to be going and not interrupt you any longer.\"\n\n\"You weren't interrupting me. I enjoyed the opportunity to have someone listen to me and talk with me.\"\n\nHe stands up as he says, \"Angelisa, you have every right to be proud of yourself, and I'm proud of what you've accomplished. Thank you for being willing to tell me how you're succeeding. Keep up your hope and your future will be bright with opportunities.\"\n\nAngelisa stands up and struggles not to hug him as she responds, \"Thank you for your encouragement, Mr. G. The hope would be much harder to maintain without your support.\"\n\nHe blushes a little and lowers his head. A moment later, he lifts his head with a gentle smile and says, \"Thank you. Take care of yourself, Angelisa. Bye.\"\n\n\"Take care, Mr. G.\" She lowers her voice to a whisper and adds, \"my friend.\" She watches him pay for his meal then just before he steps out of the door, he turns and raises an arm in farewell. She quickly raises one of her arms in response then sits down. As before, she feels joy at having had a chance to visit with him and sadness at how long it will probably be before she sees him again. And as she's noted before, both feelings seem to be a little stronger than after his previous visit. Angelisa takes a few minutes to review their conversation then she has to force herself to finish her math homework. Before she can start on the homework for another class, it's time to help in the kitchen before the customers start arriving for the dinner hour.\n\nAbout the writer:\n\nAfter decades of doing office work from which he escaped to read books and occasionally write something in the evenings or on the weekends, this writer was finally able to retire and move back to the dry heat land of saguaros, Gila monsters, and bark scorpions (while they can be a low maintenance pet, they are not amenable to leash training).\n\nIf you liked this story, please tell your friends about it and leave a review. You can also contact this writer at geoff_schultz_01@yahoo.com.\n\n"], [" \nThe Offices of M. Coopersmith\n\nCopyright 2012 by James Hampton\n\nSmashwords edition\n\nAll rights reserved.\n\n# THE OFFICES OF M. COOPERSMITH\n\n1\n\nHow well do you ever really know somebody else?\n\nIt depends.\n\nWith some folks it might take years to understand them. Others you may not fully comprehend in a lifetime.\n\nBut where a few unique individuals are concerned, you can learn all you need to know in a single night.\n\nJust ask Christopher Taylor and Samantha Gibbons, two high school students from the small town of Summerville, Georgia. They'll tell you.\n\n***\n\n\"So, what does that guy actually do?\"\n\nAlmost any conversation regarding M. Coopersmith would include this question sooner or later\u2014usually sooner. But a lot of people have a hard time confessing they simply don't know something. They can admit they aren't sure, but clueless? That's not so easy.\n\nLet's say you were to visit the town of Summerville, Georgia, and ask the man or woman on the street just what sort of business went on at the Offices of M. Coopersmith. Here are some of the answers you would likely get:\n\n\"I heard he's a lawyer.\"\n\n\"I heard he owns a lot of real estate.\"\n\n\"I heard he's an accountant.\"\n\n\"I heard he's a stock broker.\"\n\nBut nobody would be able to tell you for certain. And how could they? M. Coopersmith himself was notorious for being vague. \"A little of this, a little of that,\" was his basic reply to the question of what he did for a living. Yes, he might throw in a bit of information on his past investments: maybe his onetime stake in a local feed store, or his former ownership of a tract of timberland in the northern part of the county. Good Southern manners usually kept the townsfolk from pressing him further. And probably for that reason, more than any other, the kindly M. Coopersmith remained a mystery. Even his first name was a matter of conjecture. Old timers remembered how a Maxamillien Coopersmith had once occupied the same small brick building, constructed circa 1898, at the corner of Bridgewell and Tanner Streets, in downtown Summerville. They just assumed this was his son or maybe his grandson now in possession of it. When these old timers were young, it seemed their parents had made reference to a certain Magnus Coopersmith who worked out of that building. So maybe this was a Max, Jr., or a Michael, or some other guy in the family whose first name started with M.\n\nMystery aside, there was nothing sinister in the aspect of M. Coopersmith, nor even odd. He was seldom seen in public, but longtime residents usually recognized him.\n\n\"I think that was M. Coopersmith,\" someone might say after he had passed by.\n\nAnd yes, maybe it was M. Coopersmith: a lean man with neatly-combed silver hair, greeting pleasantly all those whose gaze he met; the nice fellow who lived in a large white Victorian house in the old part of Summerville, and who conducted his business, whatever it was, from the unremarkable building at the corner of Bridgewell and Tanner. The casual observer could have been forgiven for not noticing his workplace at all. It looked like just another house, aside from one detail: on its oak-shaded front lawn stood a post with a thin wooden sign hanging from it; that sign read, in plain black lettering, \"Offices of M. Coopersmith.\"\n\n2\n\nIt's going to be a great night, thought Christopher Gerald Taylor as the final bell rang and the curtain fell on yet another monotonous day of school. He stuffed his Algebra book and all the papers that went with it into his backpack, then zipped it up and headed for the door.\n\nIt would be a great night because at long last his wish would be fulfilled. Not his wish to meet the mysterious M. Coopersmith; about this, he cared nothing at all. As a lifelong resident of Summerville, he was well aware of M. Coopersmith's penchant for secrecy. It just wasn't a burning desire of his, the way it seemed to be with the town gossips, to know how the man earned a living. No, what fired Chris' red-hot teenaged heart was the idea of going to the Offices of M. Coopersmith with Samantha Gibbons, the lovely junior who also happened to be his direct superior on the Summerville High School Yearbook Committee. For so very long he had dreamed of spending some quality alone-time with Samantha. And now, finally, he was on the verge of getting it. Chris had first seen Samantha in the hallway when he was a freshman and she was a sophomore. From that moment, he was smitten. Who was this beautiful girl with the long shiny auburn hair and the deep blue eyes? While there were a number of girls in his own grade who caught his attention, it was Samantha Gibbons to whom his thoughts returned most often, even though she hadn't known him at all until a few weeks ago. But Chris knew her, all right. Since that initial glimpse sixteen months ago, he had been collecting snippets of information on this alluring older woman: he had pored over his freshman yearbook and found her name; then he had looked in the section for club and team photographs and found her extracurricular activities. When he saw that she was on the Yearbook Committee, he hit upon, or at least thought he'd hit upon, a marvelous way of getting better acquainted with Samantha while at the same time padding his college application.\n\nHow did Chris rate his chances with her? Well, he wasn't unrealistic. Much to his chagrin, Samantha had a boyfriend, a handsome football player in his senior year, and Chris understood that the odds of him winning her over, at least initially, were pretty steep. Chris was tall and very thin, almost skeletal by his own reckoning, with shaggy brown hair and large dark eyes, and he bore a special burden of self-consciousness over what he considered an Adam's Apple that was much too big for his neck. He played no sports and was a solid but unexceptional student. So Chris had a pretty good handle on his shortcomings, real and imagined. But he had to try, didn't he? And there were other ways he felt he could compete with her football stud. For one thing, he thought he was a pretty funny guy. Other kids, or at least other sophomores, seemed to agree. He prided himself on being conversational. He treated people with kindness. Maybe, just maybe, if Samantha saw what a good person he was, and overlooked the insignificant difference in age, he would have a chance with her...slight, yes, but a chance.\n\nHere was the challenge: Chris would have to find an opportunity to show her just what a charmer he could be.\n\nAnd here, finally, was the solution: the Committee's faculty advisor, Mrs. Huggins, had suggested that the more experienced hands on the Committee, like Samantha, pair up with newer members, like Chris, to jointly solicit ads. Then, as if by magic, Chris and Samantha had been made into a team.\n\nYes, magic was the only explanation.\n\nChris had joined the Yearbook Committee a mere three weeks ago, and the Committee's meeting yesterday afternoon had been the first he attended. Never saying a word, Chris had taken a seat at the table around which sat the eleven members of the Committee. There had been one seat left open when the meeting convened: the seat next to him. Samantha had been late arriving; Chris feared for a moment that she had quit. But then she glided into the room, and, saying nothing to the boy, took the chair beside him.\n\nShortly thereafter, Mrs. Huggins made her proposal, which was accepted by the Committee (as if they had a choice) and then she simply went around the table, pairing compatible students together. She got to Chris and Samantha last.\n\nSo it was magic. It had to be.\n\nWhen the meeting was over, Chris turned to Samantha and stammered, \"I'm...looking forward to working with you.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" Samantha said, though her voice was non-committal, \"me too.\" Then she pulled out her cell phone and started on a text message...or acted like she was starting one, anyway. Chris didn't know. But even if she was trying to ignore him, they were going to have to work together. They were going to have to interact. And during these periods of interaction, Chris planned to do everything he could to get her interested in him.\n\nMost businesses in Summerville mailed a check to the Yearbook Committee. But a small minority preferred to have a representative from the Committee visit in person, to hand the money over. M. Coopersmith belonged to the latter group. It was a surprise to many people, given how reticent he seemed in dealing with the general public. But that was the way he liked to handle his contributions, and each year the Committee honored his request for at least one or two students to visit him in his office before any money was proffered.\n\n***\n\nSamantha had thrilled Chris earlier this morning by catching him in the hall and letting him know she would be going to the Offices of M. Coopersmith at four-thirty and that he was welcome, or at least she was giving him the option, to accompany her. She had barely gotten the words out before he took her up on her offer. Now he waited in the school parking lot, backpack at his feet, anxiously looking for Samantha and hoping she had not forgotten.\n\nToday was probably the first day that Chris Taylor had ever been glad not to own a car. Plans for getting one were in the works, of course. He was due to start his job as a bus boy at the Summerville Country Club next week, and if he could put a decent amount of money down, then his parents would help him with the monthly payments. Chris Taylor, Sr., was a tugboat captain; his mother, Francis, a Church secretary. The Taylors were a family of limited means, but Mom and Dad meant to give Chris and his two younger brothers the best life they possibly could. Although his house was close enough to school that he could walk each day, nevertheless his parents wanted him to have a car. And maybe there hadn't been one in the driveway on his sixteenth birthday, but someday, there would be. Together, Chris and his parents would make it happen.\n\nNo sweat, though, if it didn't happen today. His lack of wheels meant that Samantha would have to take him with her to the Offices of M. Coopersmith, rather than the two of them just meeting there. She hadn't raised the latter possibility; was that a good sign, a sign that she actually wanted them to ride together? Chris had no idea. But he wasn't about to let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Once he had made her laugh a few times, he believed she would be happy to cart him from place to place. Maybe she would even offer him a ride home tonight.\n\nHe dared to hope, anyway.\n\n\"Hi, Chris,\" Samantha said, finally emerging from the school's main doorway. \"Ready?\"\n\n\"Ready,\" the boy answered. \"How was your day today?\"\n\n\"Fine.\" She walked past him, no doubt expecting Chris to fall in behind her...which he did, without hesitation.\n\nAnd how was my day? Chris thought to himself. Oh, it was fine. Thanks for asking.\n\nSamantha's car was a red Ford Mustang, a sleek and splendid machine, the perfect automobile for her. A pretty expensive model too, but no problem for the Gibbons family to afford, what with her dad, Richard Gibbons, being President of the First Bank of Summerville.\n\nSamantha unlocked the doors and the two of them climbed inside.\n\n\"This is a really nice car,\" Chris told her, shutting the passenger side door.\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\nSamantha cranked up the Mustang; immediately, the air conditioner began shunting air into the cabin full blast.\n\nShe's barely talking to me.\n\nChris felt his heart sink, just a little.\n\nIs she going to be like this the whole time?\n\nBut maybe he was expecting too much, too soon. It would take about five minutes to get to the Offices of M. Coopersmith. There was still time to get her talking to him. He didn't want to overwhelm her with his personality. Maybe, here at the start, it was just as well that he be reserved.\n\n\"Have you ever met this guy before?\" Chris asked her after they were out of the parking lot and on their way.\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Do you know anybody who has?\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" she said, \"the girl who went to his office last year.\"\n\n\"Who was that?\"\n\n\"Her name was Molly. You don't know her.\"\n\nChris blinked in surprise. What's that supposed to mean? How do you know if I know her or not? I mean, it's a good guess. I don't know anybody named Molly at our school, but still...it sounds like you're trying to cut me off.\n\n\"Okay,\" he said, and looked out the window.\n\nHis heart was really sinking now.\n\nNo offer of a ride home tonight, he was pretty sure.\n\nA few minutes later the Mustang pulled into the four-space-wide, crushed-shell parking lot of the Offices of M. Coopersmith; no other vehicle was present, so maybe M. Coopersmith walked to work each day. But Chris barely noticed anything about the lot or the building. In the time elapsed since their initial exchange, no words had passed between him and Samantha; they had driven in silence. So Chris was borderline-despondent when he got out of the car. He had pictured the two of them talking and laughing on the way over. But the talking had been minimal and laughter, not even a possibility.\n\nAt this point, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to stay on the Yearbook Committee anymore.\n\nSamantha got to the front door of the building first, gave the knob a turn. Her brow furrowed. \"It's locked,\" she said.\n\n\"Locked?\"\n\n\"Yes. Locked.\" Her voice had a sharpness Chris resented. Amazing, how a crush that had built up over more than a year had evaporated in a matter of minutes. At the rate things were going, by the time they were done here at the Offices of M. Coopersmith he wouldn't be able to stand her.\n\n\"All right, so let's try this.\" Chris stepped forward, knocked. He felt Samantha's eyes on him but didn't look at her. \"Maybe he stepped out for a minute,\" he mused.\n\n\"Well, he said four-thirty.\"\n\nThen Chris heard footsteps behind the door. \"Here comes somebody,\" he said to her quietly.\n\nThe door unlocked from the inside, swung out to reveal M. Coopersmith, regal in his bearing yet without haughtiness. He wore a crisp white shirt and red tie. The smile on his cherubic face, with its prominent brow and fleshy cheeks, was not wide, but he wore it with such ease, such naturalness, that one could imagine smiling was something he practiced an awful lot.\n\n\"Had I locked the door?\" he said in a pleasantly deep and sonorous voice, as though his vocal cords were fashioned from oak. \"I'm so sorry. I must have locked it behind me when I came back from lunch.\" He held out his hand to Chris. \"I'm Mr. Coopersmith.\n\nHe went for my hand first, Chris mocked Samantha in his head as he shook with M. Coopersmith. Yeah, maybe it's just because I'm standing closest, but I'll bet you still don't like it. Good.\n\n\"I'm Chris Taylor,\" he said. \"We're the ones from the Yearbook Committee.\"\n\nI'm taking the lead here, Sammy baby. What do you think about that?\n\n\"Good to meet you, Christopher. Yes, I thought that's who you were.\" M. Coopersmith looked at Samantha now, as did Chris. The boy was delighted to see a reddening of her cheeks.\n\n\"I'm Samantha Gibbons,\" she announced, extending her hand.\n\nYou're really mad, aren't you? Well, too bad. You should have been nicer to me. I don't care about riding with you anymore. You can leave me after this. I can walk home even from here. I'd be glad to, actually.\n\n\"Samantha,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Please come inside.\" He bowed as the pair stepped into the lobby. \"And welcome to my office.\"\n\nSo this is how it looks in here, Chris thought, gazing around the lobby, which was minimally decorated to say the least. There were couple of chairs and some generic prints of shrimp boats and flowers. That was about it.\n\n\"Can I offer you any refreshments?\" M. Coopersmith, clasping his hands together. \"I have tea, fruit juice, bottled water...\"\n\n\"I'm fine,\" Samantha said. \"Thanks, though.\"\n\n\"I'm fine too,\" Chris answered.\n\n\"You know, it was a young lady named Molly who came here last year. A very nice girl,\" M. Coopersmith recalled. \"How is she?\"\n\n\"That was Molly Simpson,\" Samantha informed him. \"She graduated. She's at Georgia Southern now.\"\n\nSamantha was regaining control of the visit, which was fine with Chris. He didn't want to antagonize her any more than he already had. He just wanted to get this over with and go home. \"Ah! So glad to hear it,\" M. Coopersmith remarked, turning. \"Follow me, children. I have your check in my office.\"\n\n\"Children,\" Chris thought. Something struck him as old-fashioned, even antiquated, about M. Coopersmith's way of speaking. Maybe, being the reclusive type, he wasn't familiar with how ordinary people talked these days.\n\nThey followed M. Coopersmith into his office, which boasted even less warmth than his lobby. There were no pictures of any kind on the gray walls or the imperious mahogany desk. Humming tunelessly, M. Coopersmith went to that desk, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a plain white envelope with \"Summerville High Yearbook\" scrawled in blue ink on it.\n\n\"Here we are,\" he said, handing the envelope to Samantha. \"There's something you should know. I'm sorry to say that this will be my last year of contributing. I'm retiring, you see.\"\n\nRetiring from what? Chris wondered, but didn't ask.\n\n\"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Coopersmith,\" Samantha said. \"We've really appreciated all your support.\"\n\n\"I was glad to do it. But open the envelope and look at the check, will you? Just so I know it's made out correctly.\"\n\nSamantha complied and glanced at the check inside. She gasped. \"Oh, Mr. Coopersmith, this is way too much...\"\n\n\"I thought you might be surprised at the amount,\" said M. Coopersmith, grinning. \"But don't worry. There's a method to my madness. This check is enough to cover the next ten years of contributions for me, assuming ad rates remain the same for your Yearbook. The committee can use it in installments or all at once, whatever you please. It won't be my money after I hand it over, so feel free to decide what you want to do with it. That's because after tonight, I won't be living in Summerville anymore.\"\n\n\"You're leaving? Where are you going?\"\n\nM. Coopersmith winked at her. \"I'll be traveling.\"\n\n\"You're actually leaving Summerville permanently?\" Chris interjected; he hadn't liked being left out of the conversation so far.\n\n\"Oh, I may come back for a visit from time to time,\" replied M. Coopersmith. \"But yes, I think this will be a permanent move.\"\n\nSamantha asked him, \"Who's going to take care of your building?\"\n\n\"I've donated it to the county,\" said M. Coopersmith, \"and I've done the same with my house. I'm sure they'll find good uses for both. I hope they do, anyway.\"\n\nChris' iPhone chimed from his pants pocket: it had received a text message. He pulled it out and saw the message was from his mother. \"Excuse me just one second,\" he said to M. Coopersmith, purposely ignoring Samantha. \"I need to answer this.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" said M. Coopersmith. He and Samantha resumed their discussion, with M. Coopersmith providing some of the possibilities for what the County might do with his property.\n\nChris scanned his mother's text message: \"Stopping at McDonalds for everybody on way home. What you want?\"\n\nChris texted back: \"Nothing. Busy now. Will be home later.\"\n\nHe set the phone down on a small metal table against the wall opposite the desk. He thought she might text him back and didn't want to dig it out of his pocket again.\n\nChris now re-focused on the announcement M. Coopersmith had just made. At the first lull in the dialogue between M. Coopersmith and Samantha, he cut in: \"My grandfather told me this building has had an M. Coopersmith in it since before he was born.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith raised an eyebrow. \"What is your grandfather's name, may I ask?\"\n\n\"Bertrand Taylor.\"\n\n\"That's interesting,\" M. Coopersmith said, rubbing his chin. \"It just so happens that back in, oh, I think it was 1931 or thereabouts, a little red-headed fellow named Bertie Taylor put a baseball through the front window of this office. In those days there was a vacant lot across the street where the local children used to come and play baseball, stickball, and so forth. Quite by accident this happened, of course. But do you know what he did afterward?\"\n\n\"No, sir,\" Chris said.\n\n\"He marched right over and apologized to my grandfather, Magnus, face to face. Brave little boy, don't you think? He said he would pay for fixing the glass with his own money. He didn't try to run away or deny responsibility, as some other children might have done. He just owned up to his offense right then and there. And I have to tell you, my grandfather was highly impressed.\"\n\n\"He didn't get mad?\"\n\n\"Oh, he couldn't have gotten mad,\" insisted M. Coopersmith, \"not at an honest boy like that. He just told young Bertie not to worry about it. Accidents happen. This was during the Great Depression, remember. There was very little work to be had anyway, and he certainly didn't want the child's family to take financial responsibility, especially at such a dire time. So he just accepted the boy's apology and told him to get back to his game.\"\n\n\"That was nice of him.\"\n\n\"Well, it seemed like the right thing to do. At least I'm sure that's what my grandfather thought. Did your grandfather ever tell you a story like this?\"\n\n\"No, sir,\" Chris answered, \"not that I can remember, anyway.\"\n\n\"Tell you what,\" M. Coopersmith said, a sly look coming onto his face, \"next time you see your old grandpa, ask him if his friends ever called him 'Bertie' when he was a boy.\"\n\nChris bit his lip. \"I can't really do that, Mr. Coopersmith. He died three years ago.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith's smile vanished. \"Oh. Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that. Was it in the paper?\"\n\n\"I'm sure it was.\"\n\n\"I see. Well, please give my condolences to your family.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir,\" Chris said.\n\nAfter a moment's pause, Samantha said, \"Well, thank you for this check, Mr. Coopersmith.\"\n\n\"You're very welcome.\"\n\n\"I guess we shouldn't keep you any longer,\" she added, clearly looking for an exit. Chris nodded in agreement. Although M. Coopersmith seemed like a nice fellow, he also seemed to be the type who could talk for a long time about practically anything.\n\n\"You're not keeping me,\" said M. Coopersmith, confirming Chris' suspicion. Then, glancing out the window, he observed, \"But it is getting late, I see.\"\n\nAs they walked out of the office and back into the lobby, Chris asked him, \"So where will you be traveling to?\"\n\n\"Oh, here and there,\" responded M. Coopersmith, dashing ahead to open the front door for the two of them, \"everywhere.\"\n\nOf course, Chris thought.\n\nAfter a final round of goodbyes, they left M. Coopersmith standing in the doorway. \"Be careful driving home,\" he called after them.\n\n\"How are you getting home from the school?\" Samantha asked Chris as they got into her car. The thought, apparently, had never crossed her mind.\n\n\"I normally walk.\"\n\nShe turned the key in the ignition. \"Do you want me to give you a ride?\" Her tone was curt, businesslike.\n\n\"You don't have to. I mean, it'd be nice. But you don't have to.\"\n\n\"I'll give you a ride,\" she said.\n\nChris appreciated the gesture. Things had soured a bit, but maybe the night wouldn't end on a completely abysmal note. She didn't have to give him a ride, but she was willing to do it. That counted for something in the boy's mind. Even if his fixation on her was gone, there was a slim chance, Chris thought, they might end up liking each other a little bit after this.\n\nSo not a total loss, then, this trip to the Offices of M. Coopersmith...a trip from which, in hindsight, Chris had wanted way too much.\n\n\"Thank you,\" he said.\n\n\"No problem. Just tell me how to get there.\"\n\nAs they pulled out of the parking lot, Chris began giving her directions to his house. While he spoke, he noticed that M. Coopersmith was still standing in the doorway of his office, watching them. The old gentleman raised his hand in a final wave, and then disappeared back inside. The door closed slowly behind him.\n\n3\n\nA few blocks over from the Offices of M. Coopersmith lay the poorest section of Summerville: a sprawling neighborhood called Brickman. It was a sad stretch of cityscape, replete with shotgun houses, poorly maintained trees, wild shrubbery, packs of feral dogs, and half-collapsed wire fences. And at the same moment that Chris and Samantha were departing the Offices of M. Coopersmith, two more travelers were arriving...with the same destination in mind.\n\nEven at twilight these newcomers, given their size and lack of concern over being detected, would have been easy to spot\u2014that is, had anyone been around to notice. In the gloom of early evening they descended slowly, at once beautiful and terrible in appearance: gleaming, twirling, ribbon-like creatures that had dropped out of the sunset-tinged clouds moments ago and now drifted to the ground in a monstrous interlocking spiral. No doubt that, had pedestrians been present, a crowd would have formed to watch the extraordinary sight of the beasts reaching the surface. But the street onto which they sank was deserted at the moment, and it was a good thing too. For no human being who saw them, and did not flee at once afterward, would have lived to tell the tale...\n\n***\n\n\"I've forgotten my phone.\" As he spoke these words, Chris felt the back of his neck grow hot, flushed with embarrassment.\n\n\"Oh, Chris,\" Samantha groaned. \"Tell me you didn't.\"\n\nAgain the boy rifled through his pants pockets, but knew it wasn't there.\n\n\"I don't have it,\" he said, unable to keep the despair out of his voice. The iPhone was an expensive device. If he had lost it, he was going to take a major ass-chewing when he got home. Even worse, he wasn't getting a replacement phone. Worse still, he had all kinds of text messages on the thing right now, and whoever found the phone was bound to see them. But absolute worst of all, while Chris had text messages from many friends and even some girls, it would be easy for the same nosy person to see that the single largest exchange of text messages had been between Chris...and his mom.\n\nThey were \"mom-type\" messages too: When was he coming home? Here's what they were having for dinner tonight. Had he taken out the garbage that morning? He had left his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor again. Love you, baby.\n\nYes, mom messages, there for the world to see. He would never be able to show his face in public again.\n\nOnly a few minutes into their drive Chris had felt strangely lighter, less weighed down. He didn't realize at first what he was missing, just that he had less gear on his body than normal.\n\nAnd then it hit him. He reached into his pockets and clawed at emptiness.\n\nSo the slight improvement in the mood of the Mustang's cabin was now gone. Samantha was mad, he could tell. And no doubt she wanted him to be able to tell.\n\n\"I forgot it,\" he blathered. \"I'm sorry. I must have set it down in Coopersmith's office while we were talking. That's the only place it could be.\"\n\nSamantha shook her head. \"I can't believe this.\"\n\n\"Look, just stop the car and let me out here. I'll walk back to Coopersmith's office and get it. Then I'll walk home afterwards.\"\n\n\"That's stupid, Chris. It's after dark. You don't need to be walking the streets of downtown Summerville after dark.\" Then, her tone calibrated to show maximum irritation, she growled, \"I'll take you.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" Chris repeated after a moment.\n\n\"No, it's fine,\" Samantha said as she pulled into the parking lot of the local Hardees to turn around. Of course, she had made it obvious that things were not fine. Not remotely.\n\nAnd, of course, night was falling fast.\n\n***\n\nIt was almost dark by the time they returned to the Offices of M. Coopersmith. Chris clambered out of the car and went to the front door, knocked, got no answer. He knocked again and still got no answer. Expression pitiful, he looked back at Samantha, waiting for him in the idling car with the windows up and the radio playing. She saw him and rolled her window down.\n\n\"Is he not there?\" she called out.\n\nChris shook his head. \"No. He must have gone home.\"\n\n\"Maybe you can get it tomorrow.\"\n\n\"But he won't be here tomorrow,\" Chris whined, and then he heard the door unlocking for the second time today.\n\nWhat a relief, the boy thought.\n\nM. Coopersmith poked his head out, smiled down at the distraught teenager.\n\n\"Why hello, there,\" he boomed. \"Back again for another visit?\"\n\n\"I think I left my phone here,\" Chris said meekly, \"in your office.\"\n\n\"Ah! Well, come right in,\" said M. Coopersmith, opening the door fully and stepping aside for Chris to enter. \"We'll find it.\"\n\n\"I'm really sorry to bother you like this,\" a sheepish Chris said as he came into the lobby.\n\n\"You're not bothering me at all,\" M. Coopersmith assured the boy. Together they went back into the office, to have a look round.\n\n***\n\nSamantha adjusted the radio dial, settling on Summerville's local Top 40 Station. Then she leaned back and sighed.\n\n\"Hurry up, you idiot,\" she mumbled, glaring at the office.\n\n***\n\nTo his great joy, Chris spotted the phone the instant he set foot inside the back office, sitting right there on the table where had left it. He snatched the phone up, let out a great relieved sigh.\n\nM. Coopersmith came up behind him. \"Find it?\"\n\nChris turned. \"Yes, sir, this is it.\"\n\n\"I wish I had noticed it before you left.\"\n\n\"No, that's okay. It's my fault. I should have been more careful. I was just...stupid.\"\n\n\"Everybody loses things,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"We're only human.\"\n\n***\n\n\"What's taking so long?\" Samantha wondered aloud. She switched off the radio, then the car, and got out. Either the phone was in there or it wasn't. And since the phone was almost certainly in there, what was the holdup?\n\nMaybe Chris and M. Coopersmith had gotten to talking, with M. Coopersmith recounting yet another boring anecdote about Chris' grandfather Bertie or Herby or whatever the guy's name was. If so, she wanted their conversation ended now, or else M. Coopersmith could be responsible for taking Chris home, which would be fine with her. She'd had enough of this child.\n\nUncomfortable with the gloom and the sense of desertedness here in downtown Summerville tonight, she made her way quickly toward the front door.\n\n***\n\n\"Well, Christopher, once again I enjoyed meeting you and your partner tonight,\" said M. Coopersmith as he walked the boy back out into the lobby. \"Samantha, was it?\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.\"\n\n\"I always like to meet promising young people. That's the reason I force all of you to come out here. It's selfish of me, but I just can't help myself.\"\n\n\"We don't mind,\" Chris assured him. \"We go pretty much anywhere for money.\"\n\n***\n\nHalfway to the door, Samantha heard a sound.\n\nWas it a whisper? No.\n\nNot a whisper, more like a hiss.\n\nBut not a snake's hiss; it reminded her more of a person trying to imitate a snake's hiss, lips slightly open, air shunting over and under teeth...it lasted for a few seconds, then cut off abruptly, as if those same lips had suddenly sealed.\n\nShe stopped, glanced back into the deepening night.\n\nThat hiss, or whatever it was, had been close.\n\nKeep going, she told herself, and resumed her pace.\n\nShe felt a slight puff of wind against her cheek, enough to make her hair bounce. Then it was gone.\n\nWhat was that?\n\nAnother puff of wind, stronger this time, and coming at her from a different angle. From above her, it seemed. It was as if an invisible person had chopped his hand just inches away from her head...his very large hand.\n\nSamantha looked up.\n\nThen she screamed.\n\n***\n\nOn the other side of the door, in the lobby, Chris was just about to shake hands with M. Coopersmith again when he heard Samantha's cry. He jumped, but M. Coopersmith did not. Instead the older man immediately bounded for the door, with Chris, his initial shock overcome, following after. But the door burst open before they reached it and then Samantha barreled through, her face ashen, her eyes wild, into the arms of M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"Something's out there,\" she gasped. \"It's...I don't know what.\"\n\nShe disentangled herself from M. Coopersmith, who dipped around her and went on to the door. He peered outside, frowning with concentration.\n\n\"Are you okay?\" Chris asked Samantha as she tried to regain control of her breathing.\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. It just...I got scared.\" Chris thought she was on the verge of tears. He decided not to say anything more to her for the moment.\n\nM. Coopersmith looked back at Samantha. \"This thing,\" he said. \"Can you tell me what it looked like?\"\n\n\"No. It was so quick, I just...I just saw something and then I ran.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith closed the door. \"You don't suppose it was a large dog or something?\"\n\n\"No! No! It wasn't on the ground,\" Samantha protested. \"It was up in the air. It flew over me.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith's brow furrowed.\n\n\"It wasn't a bird either. It wasn't anything like a bird...\" And now she started to cry. \"I don't know what it was.\"\n\nChris noticed a box of Kleenex on a table across the room. He went over and got a few pieces for Samantha, brought them back. He was becoming deeply unsettled: the girl's distress, the sound of whatever it was she thought she'd seen...\n\nAnd there was something else that bothered him too: a subtle change in the demeanor of M. Coopersmith, who quickly locked the door and then took a step toward Samantha.\n\n\"My dear,\" he said gently. \"Please listen to me. I know you can't identify what you saw, but did it remind you of anything?\"\n\n\"What?\" Samantha asked, wiping her eyes.\n\n\"It's important that you answer me as best you can. Did it remind you of anything, this creature you saw?\"\n\n\"I don't know!\"\n\n\"An eel, possibly?\"\n\nBefore Samantha could answer, something heavy bumped against the door. M. Coopersmith spun round.\n\nThen a second bump, harder this time.\n\n\"Children,\" said M. Coopersmith, his voice controlled but tense, \"go into my office, please.\"\n\n\"What do you think it is?\" Chris asked, heart thrashing in his chest.\n\n\"I know exactly what it is,\" M. Coopersmith answered, his back to the kids and his eyes still fixed on the door. \"That's why I'm telling you to go to my office and wait for me there.\"\n\n\"Okay,\" Chris said, taking a step back.\n\nBut Samantha didn't move. \"Do you want us to call the police?\"\n\n\"No, thank you.\"\n\n\"Come on, Samantha, let's just go,\" Chris urged, taking her arm.\n\nShe jerked away from him, addressed M. Coopersmith again. \"Why not? Shouldn't we just\u2014?\"\n\nM. Coopersmith cut her off. \"You would be killing whoever you called here. There's not a human being alive who's a match for what's outside this office right now. And if you want to survive this night, you'll do as I say. Now go!\"\n\nChris had heard all he needed to hear. They could hold the Question & Answer session later. Apparently Samantha was now on the same program, for this time she did not argue. The pair scampered back into his office. As they crossed the threshold of that office, M. Coopersmith called out, \"And stay away from the window!\"\n\nIn the office now, silence: just the sound of Chris and Samantha breathing heavily as they stood there, awaiting the next command from M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"What do we do?\" Samantha asked him.\n\n\"I don't know,\" Chris answered. \"I don't know.\"\n\nHe glanced through the office's single window, saw only darkness, and then back at Samantha. \"What Coopersmith said just a minute ago...did it make sense to you?\"\n\n\"Did what make sense?\"\n\n\"About what it looked like. When he asked if it looked like an eel. Did that make sense?\"\n\n\"No. No, it didn't.\" But her answer lacked conviction.\n\n\"Okay,\" Chris said, and once again turned his attention to the window.\n\nThirty seconds passed...then a minute.\n\nChris moved toward the window.\n\nYes, M. Coopersmith had said to stay away from the windows, but it wasn't as if he were pressing his face up against it. He would just move a bit closer, see if he too could catch a glimpse of whatever ghastly apparition had so frightened Samantha and so concerned M. Coopersmith.\n\nThat would be all right, wouldn't it? If he just moved a bit closer...\n\nThe vista beyond the glass began to take shape as he made his approach. First it was solid black. Then the shapes of trees became visible, and part of Tanner Street. Outside it was the same world, yes, utterly the same but for the absence of sunlight...\n\nThen the window became black again.\n\nThe world beyond the glass had been blotted out. Something had come between Chris and that world.\n\nSomething large.\n\nSomething airborne.\n\nSomething in its shape and movement, the boy realized as he briefly went half-mad with terror, like an eel.\n\nThe window shattered on impact with the head of the terrible beast. Glass sprayed the room.\n\nChris screamed. Samantha screamed.\n\nBut louder than both their screams put together was the monster's awful hissing as it tried to wriggle in through the hole it had just made. Its eyes were the size of baseballs, bulging yellow but for the presence of black diamond-shaped pupils, and set deep in a wide, gray, domed shape head around which a full-grown man maybe, just maybe, could have wrapped his arms.\n\nBut screaming wouldn't protect the two teenagers from this levitating horror, whatever it was. The instinct for flight kicked in with both of them, and Chris snatched Samantha's hand or maybe she snatched his; regardless, together they raced out of the office and into the hallway.\n\nThey didn't make it far though; instead Chris collided with M. Coopersmith as he came from the lobby. The boy was thrown back; the older gentleman did not budge.\n\n\"Ah, there you are,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"I heard the commotion. It looks like they've got us surrounded.\"\n\nThey? Chris thought, but didn't have the breath or strength, frankly, to ask.\n\n\"It's...\" Samantha began, but words escaped her.\n\nM. Coopersmith nodded. \"Hideous, isn't it?\" There was a second crash from his office. \"It'll be all the way through in a moment. Not to worry, though. I've got an escape route. Follow me, please.\"\n\nHe led them up the hall, to the door of what appeared to be a utility closet. He yanked open that door, reached inside and began tossing things out: a broom, a bucket, a mop...\n\nA third crash, more hissing.\n\n\"Mr. Coopersmith, hurry!\" Samantha cried.\n\n\"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying,\" M. Coopersmith replied, still clearing out space in the closet.\n\n\"What, are we gonna hide in the closet?\" Chris demanded.\n\n\"Don't be silly, Christopher,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"We're going to escape through it.\" He stepped back, holding the closet door wide, and motioned for Chris and Samantha to enter. \"You two go ahead.\"\n\n\"In there?\" Samantha blurted out.\n\nM. Coopersmith grimaced. \"I'm sorry to have to do this,\" he said, \"but there's just no time to explain.\"\n\nHe grabbed the girl's arm and slung her into the closet. She cried out, but underneath that cry was a squealing, sliding sound; in seconds, both noises had faded to nothing.\n\n\"Now it's your turn,\" M. Coopersmith said, and before Chris could react he too had been snatched up and tossed into the blackness of the closet...\n\n...whereupon he found himself hurtling down a long metal chute about six feet in diameter, head-first with limbs flailing, moving too fast to correct or halt his descent, and howling the entire way.\n\nM. Coopersmith, back at the top of the chute, took a deep breath as he prepared to follow the two young people he had so unceremoniously flung toward safety. But he delayed just long enough to meet his adversary. There was something he wanted to say to it. Something he wanted it to know.\n\nThe beast floated out of his office, undulating through the air just as the aquatic eel undulates through water, followed by a second beast that had come in through the same broken window. They hissed at the sight of him. But M. Coopersmith met their hissing with a grin.\n\n\"Hah! You old monsters!\" he taunted. \"You're too late!\"\n\nThen, whooping, M. Coopersmith dove into the chute.\n\n4\n\nChris had only just picked himself off the ground and moved aside when M. Coopersmith tumbled onto the spot where the boy had landed. Without a word to Chris, now standing a few yards away, or to Samantha, huddled in a far corner with her knees drawn up to her chin, M. Coopersmith sprang to his feet and pulled a short metal lever next to the hole in the earth through which all three of them had just arrived. A steel door slammed down over the hole.\n\nThey were in a small room about eight by twelve feet in size. The walls, ceiling, and floor were composed of cold, moist, black dirt. There were no beams of support anywhere in sight, but neither Chris nor Samantha had noticed.\n\n\"There,\" said M. Coopersmith, slapping his hands together and admiring the now-closed entranceway. \"That ought to hold them for awhile.\"\n\nHe faced the two scared teenagers.\n\n\"Are you all right, children? Forgive me for being a bit rough with you just a moment ago. I only wanted us to move expeditiously. Discussing the matter would have slowed things down.\"\n\n\"Snakes,\" Samantha whimpered from her corner, \"giant flying snakes...\"\n\nChris, rubbing the back of his neck as he always did when under great stress, couldn't muster the ability to say anything yet. But M. Coopersmith seemed happy to fill the void.\n\n\"They remind me more of eels,\" their host said. \"But, yes, something like that.\"\n\n\"What is this?\" Chris finally managed. His voice was low and hoarse. \"What's happening?\"\n\n\"Well,\" M. Coopersmith began, obviously trying to choose his words with care, \"you might say a problem has arisen.\"\n\n\"A problem,\" Chris repeated numbly, \"has arisen.\"\n\nSamantha got up, came over beside Chris. \"What kind of a problem?\"\n\n\"A manageable problem,\" M. Coopersmith answered, \"easily handled, as long as we keep our heads.\"\n\nThey heard a thud at the metal door.\n\n\"That's them, isn't it?\" Samantha whispered. \"Those things...\"\n\n\"I'm afraid so. They know where to find us now, which means they've moved from search mode to pursuit. But not to worry, children: I have things completely under control.\" M. Coopersmith walked to the opposite wall and began scraping dirt with his hands. Another door soon appeared, about the size of a manhole cover.\n\n\"I anticipated this day,\" M. Coopersmith said as he worked, \"even if I wasn't sure it would ever come. As much time has passed, I was actually starting to think it wouldn't. But now it has. So I'm glad I was ready.\"\n\nThe last clumps of dirt had been removed. M. Coopersmith wrenched the door open and motioned for Chris and Samantha to climb through it. \"Don't worry. You won't have to do this many more times.\"\n\nThe teenagers hesitated at first, but a second thud against the chute door spurred them on. Saying no more, they dove through.\n\nOn the other side, the two found a long tunnel. They knew it was long because as far as they could see\u2014up until the tunnel started to bend\u2014sat small, sporadically placed lights glowing softly blue in the darkness. The bulbs were recessed within the walls, which, like the room they had just exited, were composed of damp dark earth.\n\n\"Caves,\" Chris mumbled as M. Coopersmith clambered through the aperture to join them.\n\n\"That's right,\" M. Coopersmith said, turning to close the door. After pounding it shut, he faced Chris and Samantha again, said, \"I'll bet you two didn't know there were caves on the Georgia coast.\"\n\n\"No,\" Samantha said.\n\n\"Well, there aren't! I made these caves myself,\" M. Coopersmith told them proudly. \"The high water table was a problem, but with the right materials and a little engineering know-how, I've been able to keep it at bay. What do you think?\"\n\nChris ignored the question, instead offered a question of his own: \"Could you please tell us what's going on and what those things are?\"\n\n\"Most certainly,\" M. Coopersmith answered. \"I'll explain while we walk.\" He took the lead as they started down the passageway. Chris and Samantha gave each other desperate looks, and then started after him.\n\n\"We're being chased by a pair of Sky Eels,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"That's roughly the English language translation of their name, which was given to them by another species called the Fere'n.\"\n\n\"What\u2014?\" cried Samantha, in despair.\n\n\"A truly marvelous species, the Fere'n.\" Adopting a wistful tone, M. Coopersmith continued, \"It's always been regrettable to me that homo sapiens never had a chance to interact with them. Such gentle creatures, very artistic and creative, renowned for their great comedies. They looked a lot like that little bug we have here on Earth\u2014what's it called again?\" He snapped his fingers. \"Oh, yes! The roly-poly! Only a mature one was about the size of a school bus. They also stood upright on their hind legs. And they had the most novel way of communicating too: they would drum their little feet up and down their bellies. That was how they formed words, you see...\"\n\n\"Mr. Coopersmith,\" Chris said, finding he was short of breath as he tried to keep up.\n\n\"Yes, Christopher?\"\n\n\"We just got chased by two flying monsters that were trying to eat us. I really think\u2014\"\n\n\"They weren't trying to eat you,\" M. Coopersmith corrected him gently. \"They were just trying to electrocute you. When they bite down, they transmit an electrical charge through their fangs. That's how they kill.\"\n\n\"Oh, nice,\" Samantha said, running her hands through her hair.\n\n\"Okay, but they're still trying to kill us, right?\" said Chris, uninterested in the distinction.\n\n\"Of course they are,\" M. Coopersmith replied. \"But they're not going to succeed.\"\n\n\"How do you know that?\"\n\n\"Because I'll be protecting you,\" M. Coopersmith said as they rounded a corner. \"Protecting people and things is what I do. And I'm very, very good at it, if I do say so myself.\"\n\nBack down the passageway, from whence they had come, a series of loud thuds were audible.\n\n\"Can those eel-things get through that door?\" demanded Samantha.\n\n\"Eventually.\"\n\n\"Then shouldn't we be running?\"\n\n\"I don't know about running. A brisk rate of speed should probably be enough. All the materials I used in these caves are alloys designed especially to withstand attacks from Sky Eels.\"\n\n\"But where do they come from?\" Chris demanded. \"I mean, what are they?\"\n\n\"They're alien to this world,\" M. Coopersmith said, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, \"just like me!\"\n\n\"What...?\"\n\n\"Let's get to the next door first. Then we can slow down. I'd like to have a couple of barriers between us before we take a breather.\"\n\nA second door came into view, and once again the trio climbed through it: Chris and Samantha first, followed by M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"You said something about aliens,\" Samantha reminded M. Coopersmith once he had shut the door and they were walking again, albeit at a much more comfortable pace.\n\n\"Yes,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"Neither I nor the Sky Eels hail from this world.\"\n\n\"I don't believe you,\" Chris said.\n\n\"Did you believe in flying eels ten minutes ago?\" M. Coopersmith asked him.\n\nGood point, Chris thought, and was silent.\n\nM. Coopersmith went on, \"Now, in fairness, the Sky Eels aren't really all that terrible in their natural state. I'd liken them to, say, the great white sharks of this planet's oceans. Enormous potential danger to the unprotected, but not driven by any sort of malignant intelligence. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the pair that's after us. If you were to perform a dissection on one of them, you'd find a number of computer implants around the brain. These Sky Eels have been modified by artificial means to greatly enhance their intelligence and cunning. But worse than that, they've been programmed with a mission.\"\n\n\"What mission?\" Samantha asked him. \"To kill us?\"\n\n\"Not to kill us, necessarily,\" M. Coopersmith replied, \"although they'll gladly do so. No, their mission is to destroy the Remnant...just as my mission is to protect it.\"\n\n\"What's the Remnant?\"\n\n\"I'll show it to you,\" M. Coopersmith promised her. \"It's easier to comprehend if you see it for yourself.\"\n\n5\n\nThe two Sky Eels pressed their snouts against the chute-door. Currents of electricity rippled through their long, sleek bodies. The alien alloy that M. Coopersmith had used to construct the door was strong, but very few minerals could withstand an assault of this kind from the Sky Eels for long. And none of said minerals were present in large enough quantities to slow them down forever. Accordingly, the metal began to glow\u2014and then to wither...\n\n***\n\n\"Let's take a rest,\" M. Coopersmith suggested.\n\n\"Can we afford to do that?\" Samantha asked. \"With those things after us?\"\n\n\"They'll be moving much slower now that they're in the caves,\" M. Coopersmith assured her. \"We have time.\"\n\nHe leaned up against the dirt wall, arms folded across his chest. Samantha and Chris plopped down on the ground. Both were exhausted.\n\nThen Chris looked up and asked of M. Coopersmith, \"How do we kill them?\"\n\n\"Oh, don't worry. I've got a nice trap waiting for them.\"\n\n\"How far are we from that?\"\n\n\"Not far at all. But our first priority is getting the Remnant. After that, we'll take care of the Sky Eels.\"\n\nChris gazed down at his knees. Samantha rested her head in her hands. Neither spoke.\n\n\"Boy,\" M. Coopersmith said after a moment's silence, \"you two seem awfully glum. What's the matter?\"\n\n\"What's the matter?\" Chris looked up again, and there was hostility in his gaze. \"What's the matter is that this is really scary, Mr. Coopersmith. It's really scary and it's really bizarre. We've got two gigantic flying snakes after us...\"\n\n\"I still say they're more like eels,\" M. Coopersmith interjected, \"but reasonable people can disagree.\"\n\n\"Yeah, whatever. Two flying eels and we've got a guy who says he's an alien responsible for getting us away from them. I mean\u2014put yourself in our shoes, why don't you?\"\n\nM. Coopersmith smiled, as if he were amused by the boy's outburst. \"You're right, Christopher. You're absolutely right. I'm the one who has actual knowledge of what's transpiring here. You and Samantha just came to pick up a check for the Yearbook Committee. I owe you far more explanation than I've given you so far, don't I?\"\n\n\"Just get us out of here alive,\" Samantha said to him. \"That'll be enough.\"\n\n\"No, it won't,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"I can do better than that. I want you two to know what's at stake. So let me tell you. Right now, the three of us hold the future of an entire civilization in our hands. And that future is housed here, in these caves.\"\n\n\"I thought you said something called the Remnant was kept here,\" said Chris.\n\n\"Oh, but it is. The Remnant is that future. It's our future and our past.\"\n\n\"I don't understand.\"\n\n\"Me, neither,\" said Samantha.\n\n\"I'll explain,\" replied M. Coopersmith. \"An epoch ago, my species along with many others went to war against a great and terrible Enemy; an Enemy who had held within its hand, or something like its hand anyway, the power to destroy not only entire planets, but entire solar systems. Even the fabric of Time itself was vulnerable to this Enemy. Together we defeated that Enemy. But the price of victory was high. A number of planets were destroyed during the battle.\n\n\"Mine was one of them.\n\n\"And with it not only was a majority of my own race lost, but many other beings native to our world perished as well. Some were rendered completely extinct\u2014among them the Fere'n I told you about earlier.\n\n\"We tried to evacuate as many as we could, but it was hopeless. There were not enough ships in the galaxy to rescue all our planet's inhabitants. A fortunate few of us were chosen to be saved, but we would carry two great burdens: first, the guilt of survival, which is by far the heaviest; and secondly, the directive to rebuild our civilization on a new planet. I frankly would have preferred to die.\n\n\"Instead, though, I lived. Now, with regard to second burden, how can we rebuild a civilization if the next generation doesn't know what that civilization was like? This, my young friends, is the task of the Remnant. It's the essence not only of our species, but of all the creatures that lived on that doomed world with us. Everything is there to re-construct what was destroyed by the Enemy; all, that is, but the lives lost. Those, of course, are gone forever.\n\n\"The Sky Eels now following us are servants of the Enemy. The Enemy itself is long dead, as are all the machines and monsters it brought into its service. All but two, that is, which went unaccounted for in our last, great conflict. We thought perhaps they too had been dispatched, but it seems we were mistaken. And the Sky Eels continue to operate under the same guidance as before, even if it's for nothing. They were charged with destroying us and they will work to fulfill that charge until either they're dead or we are. There's no other way it can end. And destroying the Remnant would be the equivalent of destroying us; ergo, they've come here to make that happen.\n\n\"Questions?\"\n\nM. Coopersmith glanced at Samantha, and then at Chris; he waited for them to speak.\n\n\"Can you prove to us you're an alien?\" Chris asked him.\n\n\"I could,\" M. Coopersmith answered, \"but I'm not going to.\"\n\n\"Why not?\"\n\n\"For starters, I won't be able to communicate with you verbally if I transform. Our kind doesn't have vocal cords and such the way that human beings do. And, besides, you may find my true appearance somewhat...unsettling.\"\n\nChris shook his head, but said no more.\n\n\"Anyway,\" M. Coopersmith went on, \"when you see the Remnant, I think your doubts about the truth of my story will be satisfied. I hope so, anyway.\"\n\nSamantha spoke this time. \"So what about when you find the Remnant? Are you going to move it to another place?\"\n\n\"Yes, but for the final time,\" asserted M. Coopersmith. \"You see, when the Remnant was first created, we agreed it would be better to hide it on a planet far away, with a single protector\u2014a protector who would be perfectly blended into that planet's native population, so as to avoid attracting the attention of the Enemy or his minions. As it turned out, that far-away planet was the Earth, and that protector was me. We're quite fortunate that we finally won our war with the Enemy. We're less fortunate in that it takes time for the wandering star ships that have become our temporary home to reach the Earth...which means I've been waiting here, in bucolic Summerville, for almost a century to be picked up.\n\n\"Not that I mind, of course. It's a wonderful place, full of wonderful people. But we've found a new planet, nearby, that's suitable for non-disruptive colonization by us. If all goes well, they'll soon be retrieving me along with the Remnant, and off we'll go to start all over again.\"\n\n\"So when do they get here?\" Samantha asked. \"Your own kind, I mean.\"\n\n\"Tonight,\" responded M. Coopersmith. \"In about a half-hour, I would think.\"\n\n\"That's why you said you were leaving,\" Samantha said. \"Because you were...\"\n\n\"Going home,\" M. Coopersmith concluded for her, \"just as you and Christopher will be snug in your beds not long from now. Tonight all three of us are going home.\"\n\nHaving listened to Samantha, Chris thought, I guess she swallowed his whole story. I just can't. Maybe I'm the weird one here, but even after everything that's happened so far, I can't make myself believe what this guy is saying.\n\nA bang echoed from farther down the passageway.\n\n\"Oops,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"I think we had better get moving again.\"\n\n6\n\nThe passageway split, and split again. It was yet another thing that made Chris nervous. M. Coopersmith seemed to know exactly where he was going, but did he really? What if his memory of the caves he had supposedly built was now faulty and they ended up lost in here with no water or food, just the company of these Sky Eels? And then there was the overall confidence M. Coopersmith claimed to have in the three of them making it out of here safely. Was that confidence justified? Or was he merely pretending to be confident, as much for his own sake as for those of his two young companions?\n\nToo much had happened. Too much was happening still. The boy could not process it all.\n\nTwo gigantic flying serpent-like (or eel-like, whatever) beings were in pursuit of them; creatures, claimed M. Coopersmith, from another world.\n\nAnd the same M. Coopersmith had stated that he too was from another world.\n\nJust too much.\n\nM. Coopersmith stopped, looked up and down at the length of their present cave. \"It should be about here,\" he said, feeling the dirt wall on their right. \"Yes, right here, I think.\"\n\nOnce more, he began digging with his hands in the earth. It didn't take long his efforts revealed a plain metal door, glimmering in the soft blue radiance of the cave's light fixtures. The door was about two feet vertically, one foot horizontally. It looked almost like an ordinary wall safe, save for a small keypad with unfamiliar symbols affixed to the front. M. Coopersmith tapped on a few of those symbols and then turned around as the keypad began to blink. He appraised the two teenagers kindly. \"Anybody know any good jokes?\"\n\n\"No,\" Chris said.\n\n\"None?\" To Samantha, now: \"What about you, my dear? You've been awfully quiet lately. Do you know any good jokes?\"\n\nThe girl cut her eyes at him. \"I can't think of any right now.\"\n\n\"Well, let me know when you come up with something.\" M. Coopersmith scratched the back of his head. \"There's one I heard some years ago, about a man who walks into a bar with a duck under his arm. I wish I could remember the whole thing....absolutely hilarious. Does that sound familiar to either of you?\"\n\nNeither of the two kids answered. Chris let out a sigh; Samantha just looked at her feet.\n\n\"It goes something like this,\" M. Coopersmith went on. \"A man walks into the bar with a duck under his arm. The bartender says, 'Hey, where'd you get the duck?' And the man says...\" M. Coopersmith frowned. \"Oh, it's gone. I just can't recall.\"\n\n\"Can I ask you a question?\" Samantha ventured.\n\n\"Of course.\"\n\n\"Can we just get this Remnant thing out and go?\"\n\n\"Not quite yet. There's a lag between when you enter the code to unlock the safe and when it actually opens. It would cause a fatal shock if I tried to get into it any sooner. It's a nice little booby trap I created in case the wrong individual got here first. We have about eight more minutes before it's safe for us to go in.\"\n\nSamantha blurted out, \"You mean we've got to sit here and wait for eight minutes?\"\n\n\"Don't worry. I'm keeping time in my head,\" M. Coopersmith replied. \"It won't take long.\"\n\n\"It won't take long before those Sky Eels get here either,\" snapped Chris.\n\nM. Coopersmith cocked his head. \"Yes. That does add a bit more urgency, doesn't it?\"\n\n\"We're all gonna die,\" Samantha moaned.\n\nM. Coopersmith threw up his hands in exasperation. \"No, we're not,\" he snapped. \"We're going to be just fine. And really, Samantha, I wish you'd try to enjoy yourself a little more.\"\n\n\"Enjoy myself?\" Samantha squeaked, aghast at his words.\n\n\"Yes. You're taking all this way too seriously.\"\n\n\"But those things are trying to kill us!\"\n\n\"That's true.\"\n\n\"How can I not take that seriously?\"\n\n\"You should take it seriously. What I said is that you're taking it too seriously. You're so wrapped up in staying alive that you've forgotten to appreciate being alive. We've made it this far, haven't we?\" He rubbed his chin. \"You know, there's a wonderful English-language phrase I'm trying to think of to say to you. Just a moment\u2014it'll come to me. Ah, yes, I remember it now: 'Lighten up.'\"\n\n\"Lighten...lighten up?\"\n\n\"Yes, lighten up. Try to enjoy the adventure.\"\n\n\"There's another English language phrase I'd like to say to you,\" Chris told M. Coopersmith. \"It's two words also.\"\n\n\"Really? What is it?\"\n\nChris sighed. \"Just forget it.\"\n\n\"I'm not sure if I understand the relevance of that one,\" M. Coopersmith mused. \"Besides, isn't that three words?\"\n\n\"Okay, here's a phrase, Mr. Coopersmith,\" Chris said, his patience gone. \"'You're crazy.' How do you like that one? This isn't an adventure. This is a nightmare. Don't you realize we could all get killed tonight?\"\n\n\"We could all survive too.\"\n\n\"Yeah, well, what's more likely?\" Chris retorted. \"It's one thing to be optimistic. It's another thing to be stupid.\"\n\nUnfazed by the boy's harsh words, M. Coopersmith answered, \"It's another thing still to embrace despair.\"\n\n\"I'm just being realistic.\"\n\n\"What you're doing, Christopher, is acting like a condemned man. Consider the situation rationally, why don't you? We have our lives; we have our wits; and, in a few moments, we'll even have a means to escape. Our chances of living, I think, are superb. But in the face of all this, what do you do? You shout at me about nightmares and dying. You're much too young to let your mind be filled with so much darkness. I know that darkness well. I know it far better than you do and far better, I hope, than you ever will.\"\n\n\"I don't know what you mean,\" Chris shot back. \"You're the most psycho-cheerful person I've ever met.\"\n\n\"Maybe,\" allowed M. Coopersmith. \"But I wasn't always, as you put it, 'psycho-cheerful'. In fact, when I first came to this planet a century ago, I was very sad. I had seen so much war, so much bloodshed, that I could hardly bear my own existence anymore. Every time I came into contact with another living creature, I was reminded of how fragile life was. And for that reason, I had no inclination to associate with any human being. All I wanted to do was sit in solitude and wait for the day when I would be able to return the Remnant to my own kind.\" As he spoke, his voice softened, and his militant cheerfulness began to recede. \"I was cold, you understand, bitterly cold. And I would blame my coldness on the war, but in fact the coldness came from inside of me. It was my own doing, and it's something I've observed in the human animal as well. It's perfectly understandable. Becoming cold is a means of survival in the face of trauma. But it's a terrible means. By your own choice, you grow numb to the sight of death and destruction. It becomes a simple fact to you, rather than some monstrous aberration. It becomes a thing as definite and fixed as the ground beneath your feet. And you hate it. You long to feel, but you can't\u2014because you deny yourself feeling. You have to deny it, just to preserve what little of yourself remains. And so, when I first arrived here, I sat in isolation, watching from a distance as the human race mutilated and tormented itself. It was all so familiar. It made me wish we had chosen some other world, but of course that decision was never mine. And yet, over time, something happened. This little town called Summerville, so tiny when I arrived, began to spread out all around me. And, in spite of myself, I became curious about it. So, in the late afternoons generally, I began to take occasional walks around this new town: long, observant walks. And on these walks, I often saw the same faces over and over again, and these faces never failed to greet me kindly. Before long, I found myself trying to match their kindness. I came to enjoy seeing people, and I took great pleasure in the belief that at least some of these people enjoyed seeing me.\n\n\"I remember one night, back in September of 1908, when a little puppet show came to town with the traveling carnival. And, of course, I had no knowledge of what the show was all about, but I'll never forgot the way the children of the town loved it; how they laughed at all the antics onstage. I was struck by the way their little faces just glowed when they laughed. And, incredibly, I began to laugh with them. It was something I didn't even know was possible for one of my kind. Perhaps it isn't possible at all, and it was just through magic that I came by the gift. I don't know. All I know is that, one night in 1908, I learned how to laugh\u2014and suddenly I began to heal.\n\n\"So now, Christopher and Samantha, I laugh all the time. I laugh every chance I get. I smile every chance I get. I fight back against the darkness and the despair. And I encourage the both of you to do the same. You may find it does more to keep you alive than anything else.\"\n\nBefore he could stop himself, Chris retorted, \"Did being happy keep those Fere'n things alive?\"\n\nHe was sorry the moment the question escaped his lips, but so filled with anger at M. Coopersmith\u2014and generally the entire situation in which he found himself\u2014that he couldn't contain it.\n\nM. Coopersmith frowned in response, but only briefly; then his face relaxed again, became serene. He answered, \"No, it didn't. But their works live on. And through those works, Christopher, the Fere'n survive. To this day\u2014on planets all across my native galaxy\u2014their plays are still being performed.\"\n\n\"I don't care about any of this,\" Chris said, turning away from him. \"I'd rather be alive than just have my plays performed or whatever.\"\n\n\"They had a wonderful convention, you know,\" M. Coopersmith went on, ignoring Chris' statement. \"Every story they told had to have a happy ending. No matter what happened elsewhere in the play, at its conclusion those who did wrong saw the error of their ways and asked forgiveness; and the ones who had been wronged granted it.\"\n\n\"I said I don't care!\" Chris shouted, still not facing him.\n\n\"Quarreling lovers reconciled. Friendships were repaired. Familial bonds were reaffirmed. The dead and the slain came back to life. The typical conclusion of a Fere'n play involved all of the characters sitting down for a banquet.\"\n\n\"Don't you ever shut up?\" Chris raged.\n\nBut M. Coopersmith was undaunted. \"They had a philosophy that real life was terrible enough, you see, so any work of fiction should end on a high and hopeful note. Now you can criticize the Fere'n for their lack of realism, and yet their works endure, because people are drawn to stories of hope. That's how they survive. And this is our story, Christopher and Samantha. Hope is how we're going to survive.\"\n\nA faint pinging noise emanated from the safe, like a microwave oven announcing that it had finished heating the Stouffer's macaroni and cheese. Christopher and Samantha watched as M. Coopersmith opened the door to the safe.\n\n\"Here we are,\" M. Coopersmith said, reaching inside.\n\n7\n\nWith great care, M. Coopersmith extended his arms deep into the safe. Then, gingerly, he extracted something. An item that looked like\u2014\n\n\u2014a sack.\n\nA plain, brown, cloth sack about the size of the one that held potatoes in the grocery store. It was tied up with a simple piece of twine on top, and bulging at the bottom.\n\n\"Wonderful,\" M. Coopersmith burbled over the little bag, clutching it to his chest like a newborn baby. Then he undid the twine and held out the bag to Chris and Samantha with the top wide open. \"Would you two sour pusses like to have a look inside?\"\n\nIgnoring the provocation, Chris and Samantha peeked over the rim of the bag.\n\nInside: a lump of fine, silver, twinkling sand.\n\nFor a full ten seconds, there was absolute silence in the cave.\n\nThen Chris sputtered, \"This is the Remnant? This is what the Sky Eels are chasing after?\"\n\n\"It most certainly is,\" M. Coopersmith answered proudly.\n\n\"But...it's a sack of dirt!\"\n\n\"It's very special dirt.\"\n\nChris placed his hands on either side of his head in disgust. \"It's a sack of dirt! We're risking our lives for a sack of dirt!\"\n\nM. Coopersmith closed the bag. \"Christopher, you need to calm down.\"\n\n\"But this is crazy. It's crazy! We're being chased by two giant flying snakes\u2014\"\n\n\"I really think they're more like eels.\"\n\n\"Who cares? All I know is that we've got two alien monsters chasing us, and all for a sack of dirt. Oh, man\u2014this has got to be the worst extracurricular activity I've ever had.\"\n\n\"Christopher,\" M. Coopersmith began, opening the bag again and extending it to him.\n\n\"What?\" the boy answered irritably.\n\n\"Put your hand in the sack.\"\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"Because I think you might gain some appreciation of what my work has been about.\"\n\n\"You've already told me what your job was.\"\n\n\"I've told you in words,\" M. Coopersmith answered. \"But if you were to place your hand in this sack, I think you'd get a much better idea\u2014just as I indicated before, if you recall. So put your hand inside and touch the dust with your fingertips.\"\n\n\"But that's alien dust. How do I know it won't poison me or something?\"\n\n\"I know human physiology very well. I've been pretending to be human for years, don't forget. Believe me, if I had any safety concerns over exposing you to the Remnant, I would never let you do it. You'll be fine.\"\n\nChris hesitated. \"I don't think I want to.\"\n\n\"Why not?\" M. Coopersmith pressed him. \"As you said, it's just a sack of dirt.\"\n\n\"Don't do it if you don't want to, Chris,\" Samantha said, touching the boy's back. Normally Chris would have been thrilled to have physical contact of any kind with Samantha Gibbons, but he was so emotional right now it barely registered.\n\n\"What's going to happen to me if I do this?\" he demanded.\n\n\"You'll see what was lost,\" answered M. Coopersmith.\n\nTen seconds, now, of pure silence.\n\n\"I'm not afraid,\" Chris said finally, although his voice was quavering. \"I'm not afraid of you, or what's in this bag, or anything else. Okay?\"\n\n\"I believe you, Christopher,\" said M. Coopersmith. \"Put your hand in.\"\n\nTaking a deep breath, Chris inserted his hand in the sack, felt the dust with his fingertips.\n\n\"I don't feel any\u2014\" he began.\n\nThose were the last words he got out for the next minute, so overwhelmed was he by the cascade of images suddenly flowing through his mind.\n\nIt began with a vision of space: stars swirling into clusters, and clusters sucked up into galaxies, and the galaxies rushing past him.\n\nI'm flying.\n\nAnd as he soared through space he felt hollow inside. The hollowness began in his stomach, then filled his torso, bolted through his arms and legs, and took his head, fingers, and toes last. He was no more, now, than an eddy in the current of the star wind.\n\nA planet spun into view: a blue world, like the one from which he came, but a good deal bluer than the Earth, with only a few small brown continents peeking out beneath the sheets of tumbling white cloud.\n\nDescending now, faster and faster...\n\nHe dropped below the water and saw massive clear-bodied animals, something like jellyfish but larger, more defined, with tremendous multi-colored fins to propel themselves through the shimmering depths. They were like massive, transparent birds, only birds that swam languidly beneath the sea.\n\nAbove the water again, and flying over it towards land up head: a stretch of terrain upon flatter areas of which grew long swathes of massive gold trees with leaves painted violet and orange and white. Among these fine trees walked tall, eight-legged creatures with vaguely horse-like heads, and yet they could not have been mere animals, Chris thought, for they wore purple robes and sashes studded with jewels, and carried themselves with great dignity as they promenaded through the woods.\n\nFlying on, with the sun setting behind him, Chris came to a broad flat lake, and at the center of the lake soaked three great, long-necked beasts, similar to giraffes, only instead of being land animals they appeared entirely aquatic, with long smooth white bodies and powerful flippers, and atop the skinny necks were vast heads with soulful bluish-pink eyes, and they raised those heads in unison and together sang in a baleful chorus to the three moons now becoming visible above the calm waters.\n\nIt was dark now; stars glittered in the dark blue celestial firmament. Beneath the stars was a fire, and around that fire sat a ring of eleven huge insect-like beings, shell-backed but sitting upright so that their gray bellies were fully exposed\u2014\n\n\u2014Fere'n\u2014\n\n\u2014and they were drumming those bellies excitedly, little disc-shaped feet pounding up and down their abdomens. And Chris realized they were having a conversation of some kind, and somehow he understood all the things they were saying, and it was absolutely hilarious, their conversation, ribald and witty but never mean, and he found himself laughing so hard at the stories they told that he thought his sides would burst.\n\nBut then it was time to move on: to a great city with high gleaming towers and terraced gardens, a place of learning and debate, filled with libraries and classrooms and, looking more closely, blue-skinned, dome-headed beings well over eight feet in height who processed slowly and seriously through the boulevards of the city. He wanted to study these beings more, but suddenly, in a blast of white light, all of it disintegrated.\n\nAll of it: the city, the lake, the forest, the ocean, the many strange and marvelous creatures...gone in a second.\n\nHis final vision was of an asteroid belt spreading out along an ancient orbit. Where once there had been life, now there were only rocks scattered across a silent void.\n\nChristopher Taylor did something, then, that he would never have expected himself to do in such a situation. He did something that would have shamed him under other circumstances, whether others witnessed it or not.\n\nHe cried.\n\nThere were only a few tears, but they would not be held back. What he had seen was so beautiful, and so tragic, that he knew any effort to restrain, let alone hide them, would be wasted.\n\nM. Coopersmith pulled the bag away, so that Chris' hand fell from it, dropped to his side. With his connection to the Remnant severed, he once again found himself in the same dark cave, standing before M. Coopersmith and Samantha, his shoulders sunk, his eyes wet.\n\n\"It's all gone?\" he whispered to M. Coopersmith as he wiped the tears from his face, gradually got a hold of himself.\n\n\"Yes\u2014all gone, except for this little bit of dust.\"\n\n\"Why? How could it happen?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" said M. Coopersmith. \"I've wrestled with that question for untold years. What can I say? The universe is a harsh place. It bestows life and retrieves it with impunity.\"\n\nSamantha once again put her hand on Chris' back, only this time she rubbed it instead. \"Are you all right?\"\n\n\"No,\" the boy said.\n\nM. Coopersmith had a guilty look on his face. \"That was cruel of me, wasn't it? I shouldn't have talked you into doing that. I apologize.\"\n\n\"No\u2014thank you, but no,\" Chris said. \"You don't have to do that, Mr. Coopersmith. I'm not embarrassed. I don't care.\"\n\n\"I still ought not to have shown you all that.\"\n\n\"Yes, you should have. I'm glad you did. Samantha, do you want to see?\"\n\nThe girl bit her lip. \"I don't know.\"\n\n\"I think you should see it,\" Chris advised her.\n\n\"I'm scared, though.\"\n\n\"Don't be. It's not scary. It's wonderful. It's sad, but it's wonderful too.\"\n\n\"You promise?\"\n\n\"I promise.\" He looked at M. Coopersmith. \"Go ahead and let her see. Please.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith re-opened the bag, held it out to Samantha; before reaching inside, she said to Chris, \"Hold my other hand.\"\n\n\"Sure,\" Chris said, \"absolutely.\"\n\nShe inserted her hand and saw all that he had seen.\n\nShe, too, cried when it was over.\n\nAnd she, too, was grateful for the sight.\n\n8\n\nThe Sky Eels had come much farther than M. Coopersmith would have expected in so short a time. They could sense the energies of the Remnant, detect its collected power, knowledge, history, and now, finally, its use. They had traveled across space packed inside a tiny metal capsule, ever tracking the distinctive energy signature of the Remnant, and understood, as much as their primitive brains would allow, that whichever planet they seized upon as the Remnant's home would have to be correct; for their transport capsule would be rendered useless for further travel once they emerged from it. But now they knew beyond all doubt that they had been correct: the Remnant was here, waiting for them to destroy it...and, along with it, all who stood in their way.\n\n***\n\nM. Coopersmith re-tied the little brown bag and hooked it to one of his belt loops. \"We have to go now,\" he said.\n\nAnd off they went.\n\n\"Mr. Coopersmith,\" Chris began after a few moments spent hurrying down the passageway, \"I want to ask you something.\"\n\n\"Of course, my boy!\"\n\n\"Out of all those creatures we saw, which one are you?\"\n\n\"Remember the big tall blue ones?\"\n\n\"That's what you really look like?\"\n\n\"Similar, anyway,\" said M. Coopersmith.\n\nWithin minutes they had arrived at what would be their next to last portal. M. Coopersmith once again yanked it open for Chris and Samantha to pass through first, only this time he remained on the other side. \"You two get on over and wait for me,\" he instructed them. \"We're almost at the surface again.\"\n\nChris glanced down and realized the ground had an upward slope, becoming steeper as the cave went on.\n\nSamantha said to M. Coopersmith, \"What about you, though?\"\n\n\"I've got my trap to set.\" He eyed her conspiratorially. \"Here's the beauty of it. These Sky Eels are some of the hardiest, most difficult to kill creatures known. But it can be done. Those little blue lights we've used to navigate are far more than just sources of illumination. In fact, that was never really their purpose. I built them to transmit energy, lots of it! There's enough in their power cells, I think, to kill those two Sky Eels dead in their tracks. And here's something that's almost as good. The Enemy designed the implants in their heads to self-destruct when the life functions of a Sky Eel cease. They disintegrate completely upon death. That was done to keep us from studying the technology the Enemy used to control them. I used to think it was a problem, but now I'm grateful for that feature. It means that when these two Sky Eels die, there will be no trace left of our Enemy at all. Its last foul vestiges will be wiped clean from the universe. Isn't that nice?\"\n\n\"That sounds great,\" Chris said quickly. \"I guess you should start working on it right now, huh?\"\n\n\"Good idea,\" M. Coopersmith said, chuckling when he realized Chris was trying to get him to hurry up and do what he promised, instead of just talking about it.\n\nM. Coopersmith disappeared back down the cave.\n\nWhen Chris could no longer see him, he turned to Samantha. She half-smiled at him in the gloom, but it was a nervous, fleeting smile, almost a tic.\n\n\"Hey,\" he said.\n\n\"Hey,\" she said back.\n\n\"Some night, huh?\"\n\nHe took a cautious step forward.\n\n\"Yeah,\" Samantha said, \"definitely some night.\"\n\n\"I really think we're going to be okay, though. I didn't at first...but now I do.\"\n\nShe nodded. \"I think so too.\"\n\nA long pause followed; then Chris said, \"I'm sorry about all of this.\"\n\n\"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault.\"\n\n\"Actually, it is. If I had just remembered my phone, none of this would have ever happened. To us, anyway.\"\n\n\"Yeah, you're right,\" Samantha agreed. \"It really is your fault.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n\"You know what, though? I'm glad you forgot it, Chris. I'm glad we had to come back...because if we hadn't, you're right. None of this would have happened. I wouldn't have had the scariest, most amazing night of my life.\"\n\n\"Are you serious?\"\n\n\"I'm serious. I've learned so many things tonight, all in just the last hour. I've learned about aliens and other planets and other ways of being and feeling. And I've learned about me. And you.\"\n\n\"What have you learned about me?\"\n\n\"That you're brave. Strong. All that good stuff.\"\n\nChris felt himself blush and hoped she could not see it in the darkness of the cave. \"That's nice of you to say.\"\n\n\"It's the truth.\"\n\nChris thought, I guess I might as well lay it all out.\n\n\"Do you know why I joined the Yearbook Committee?\" he asked her quietly.\n\n\"No. Why?\"\n\n\"Maybe I shouldn't tell you.\"\n\n\"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to.\"\n\n\"No, I want to. It's just that...if we don't survive this, I don't want to die with any secrets, you know?\" He paused. \"I joined the Yearbook Committee so I could meet you. There. I said it.\"\n\n\"To meet me?\"\n\n\"Yeah. I really liked you and I wanted to find a way to spend time with you. And this was it.\"\n\n\"But we didn't even meet until you joined.\"\n\n\"Well, you hadn't met me. But I had sort of met you. More like seen you around, actually. But that was all it took, I guess. I just wanted to get to know you better. Stupid, right?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Look, I know you've got a boyfriend and it probably wouldn't work anyway, so don't worry. If we live...\"\n\n\"Stop saying that. We're going to live.\"\n\n\"Yeah, well, either way, I won't bother you afterwards. I'll leave you alone.\"\n\n\"Chris,\" Samantha began, \"if you ignore me after all this, I'm going to be really mad at you.\"\n\n\"You are?\"\n\n\"Yep. Really, really mad. Because we're gonna be friends, Chris, you and me. You're right that I've got a boyfriend, but no matter what else happens, you're going to be a part of my life from now on. Do you hear me?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" He averted his eyes.\n\n\"Look at me, Chris. Do you hear me?\"\n\nHe met her gaze and smiled. \"I hear you.\"\n\n\"Good. Don't forget it.\"\n\n\"All right!\" M. Coopersmith hooted as he climbed through the aperture. He had arrived so softly that his return gave the two teenagers quite a start. \"The trap is set.\"\n\nChris and Samantha came forward.\n\n\"And this'll do it, you think?\" Chris asked. \"This'll kill them?\"\n\n\"Oh, yes,\" M. Coopersmith promised. \"They'll be dead as doornails. And the Remnant will be safe, and I'll be on my way to my new home, and the two of you will be asleep in your beds by midnight. Things will be absolutely fine.\"\n\n\"Good,\" Chris said. \"So we can go now?\"\n\nA humming noise filled the air. Then the dark earth surrounding them began to vibrate.\n\n\"Yes,\" M. Coopersmith said to Chris and Samantha. \"I think that would be a very good idea.\"\n\n***\n\nThe Sky Eels halted. Up and down the length of the passageway the blue lights were pulsing, brighter each time, almost flashing. The creatures felt heat on their skin, first only uncomfortable, but growing steadily more painful...\n\n***\n\nThe merciless incline of the cave floor made the trio's walk difficult. M. Coopersmith showed no sign of flagging, but Chris and Samantha, frightened though they were, kept falling back. Each time it happened, though, M. Coopersmith would reach out and gently pull forward whichever one they were leaving behind, so that both kids stayed even with him.\n\nThe shaking of the ground was getting worse. Clumps of dirt began to fall around them.\n\n\"What's happening?\" Samantha asked M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"I've deactivated the systems that kept the caves intact. Within a few minutes they should collapse entirely on themselves. There's no need for them anymore, now that I've got the Remnant and we're on our way out. And it wouldn't do at all, you know, for people to be poking around in here after I leave.\"\n\n\"No, I guess not,\" Chris said, trying to catch his breath.\n\n\"Funny. It took me a century to dig these caves,\" remarked M. Coopersmith as they neared the end of the passage, \"but only a few minutes to destroy them. Good riddance, though.\" He chortled. \"Who ever heard of caves in coastal Georgia, anyway?\"\n\n***\n\nThe two Sky Eels were in agony. Both were attempting to plunge ahead, but the pain from the invisible energy field now saturating the caves made it impossible for them to navigate. One of the Sky Eels became blind, ran into the collapsing cave wall. It tried to extricate itself, but failed; black earth rained down on its writhing, shimmering body. Its partner was similarly disoriented, though faring better physically.\n\n***\n\nThe passageway terminated at a narrow ladder, going directly up. M. Coopersmith led Chris and Samantha to the base of it, and Chris noted that the ladder was about ten feet high, ending at an aluminum hatch above them.\n\n\"Go ahead, Christopher,\" M. Coopersmith ordered. \"Use that strong back of yours to get the thing lifted. Samantha, you follow once he's got the hatch open. I'll keep watch just in case.\"\n\nSuddenly there was a screech from farther back in the tunnel, followed by a loud blast. Chris, about to clamber up, froze.\n\n\"Hear that? One of the Sky Eels just blew up. That's one down,\" said M. Coopersmith, grinning. \"The other should follow any minute.\"\n\nChris nodded, began to climb.\n\n\"Any minute now,\" M. Coopersmith said again, softly.\n\nBut there was only silence.\n\nReaching the top of the ladder, Chris strained to push the hatch open. It took some doing, but he got it. He shoved the hatch off and thrilled in the ambience of the moon and the bracing chill of the autumn air.\n\n\"Come on, Samantha,\" he called down to her, and then hauled himself onto the surface.\n\n\"Where are we?\" Samantha asked as she came up the ladder.\n\nBut the bright moon made it easy to see.\n\n\"We're at the port,\" Chris told her, reaching down to give her a hand. She took his assistance gratefully.\n\nAfter Chris had helped Samantha get above ground again, the pair took stock of where M. Coopersmith's tunnel had brought them. It was the industrial park adjacent to the Port of Summerville, about one hundred acres that had been cleared for distribution facilities, manufacturing plants, and whatever other business ventures the city fathers could bring. About five hundred yards away, visible between piles of industrial components and debris, were the dark blue waters of the Summerville River, a grand body shimmering under the moon's gentle gaze on its way to join with the Atlantic. Behind Chris and Samantha lay railroad tracks, a few newly-built warehouses, and vacant, grassy land. M. Coopersmith's hatch had been secreted away in a vast bed of weeds.\n\n\"We must have come two miles underground,\" Samantha marveled, scanning the area. \"At least two miles.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith finally joined them topside. \"Ah!\" He took a deep breath. \"Well, looks like we made it.\"\n\n\"The other Sky Eel,\" Chris said. \"Is it dead too?\"\n\n\"It will be soon, I'm sure.\" M. Coopersmith stared up at the night sky. That sky was pregnant with starlight, no clouds in sight. \"Lovely,\" he said.\n\nChris glanced down at the hole from which they had just emerged and saw that it was rapidly closing in on itself, dirt filling the empty space. They had barely made it out in time.\n\n\"So it's over,\" he said to M. Coopersmith. \"Now we just wait for your friends to get here, right?\"\n\n\"That's right,\" M. Coopersmith said. \"It shouldn't be but a few minutes more. You two can even go home now if you'd like, although I do think you'd both enjoy seeing our spacecraft when it arrives.\"\n\n\"So what you're saying,\" Samantha responded, \"is that you'd like for us to stay with you until they get here.\"\n\n\"Very much so,\" said M. Coopersmith.\n\nShe looked at Chris. \"Want to?\"\n\nChris nodded. \"Yeah, I would. I've never seen a UFO before.\"\n\n\"Oh, believe me, you'll like ours,\" M. Coopersmith told him. \"It's pretty snazzy.\"\n\n\"Snazzy, huh?\"\n\nM. Coopersmith blinked. \"People don't say that anymore?\"\n\n\"I don't hear it much.\"\n\n\"Ah. Well, look, since we have a few moments, I thought there was something we could do to pass the time. That is, if you're both open to the idea.\"\n\nSamantha began, \"What exactly do you...?\"\n\n\"I had told you that, in our normal form, my species doesn't communicate the way that yours does, what with using vocal cords to shape air into words and so forth. But we do have a way of communicating with one another, and, if it all possible, I'd like to try it with the two of you. I've met a lot of people in Summerville over the last hundred years or so, but I've never made any real friends. I couldn't afford to, you see, because there was too great a risk of my identity being exposed. Now, though, it doesn't matter. You two know all the essential things about me, but here at the end, I thought maybe we could take a moment to get better acquainted.\"\n\n\"What does this involve?\" Samantha asked him.\n\n\"Yeah,\" Chris said, \"I mean, I have no idea what do you want us to do.\"\n\n\"When two of my kind communicate with one another, Chris, we don't do talk to each other. Instead, to put it simply, we become each other.\" He tapped his right temple. \"We join our minds together, and, for a brief moment, we allow ourselves to become a single being. I would like to join with the two of you, and to have you two also join with each other.\"\n\n\"But I may not want you guys to see inside my head,\" Samantha replied, voice cautious. \"No offense.\"\n\n\"I completely agree,\" said Chris.\n\n\"You needn't be concerned about that,\" replied M. Coopersmith. \"The joining isn't complete. You join with your partner or partners only as much as you allow. It works exactly the same way as carrying on a verbal conversation. You reveal what you choose to reveal and nothing more.\"\n\nChris considered for a moment. Then he said, \"All right. I'll do it.\"\n\n\"You'll keep everything confidential, right?\" Samantha said to Chris.\n\n\"Sure I will. What are you looking just at me for, though?\"\n\n\"Because Mr. Coopersmith is going to another planet. I don't have to worry about him telling all my secrets in school.\"\n\n\"You'll still have all your secrets after this, Samantha,\" said M. Coopersmith. \"Trust me.\"\n\n\"Okay,\" Samantha sighed.\n\n\"Come a little closer together,\" M. Coopersmith urged them, \"so I can easily reach both of you.\"\n\nNervously, the two teenagers did as they were told.\n\nM. Coopersmith then held out his hands. With his right hand, he cupped Chris' head; with his left, Samantha's.\n\n\"And now,\" he said, \"just relax.\"\n\nChris closed his eyes; he didn't will himself to do so, it just happened. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, even as he continued to stand there.\n\nThe words belonged to M. Coopersmith, but Chris heard them in his own voice, in his own thoughts: \"It's a long time that I've stayed here, a long time spent watching this town and its people, and I must say that at the start, as I told you before, I had very little interest in being a part of this place. But after a while all you people just wore me down. There was no need for me to buy that building. I did it for the sake of the parades. Bridgewell is a big street for parades in Summerville. The Homecoming Parades, the Memorial Day and Veterans Day Parades, and all of them I watched from the windows of my office, unless it was a year that ended in zero, on which occasion I would walk outside to watch it in person, waving a little American flag on the patriotic holidays, so that I could feel a part, in the smallest way, of the world around me, a world that was not my own, in a town that was not my own, yet a world and a town that had welcomed me, made me feel I belonged...\"\n\nAnd now Chris heard words that were his, but spoken in the voice of M. Coopersmith: \"I had a dog named Buster and he was my best friend, even though I had other kids I claimed to be best friends with, but they weren't my real best friends and I wasn't their best friend either. Maybe we were good friends, but the thing about Buster that made him my real best friend was that, no matter what, he was always glad to see me. Whatever I wanted to do, he wanted to do. And sometimes I was mean to him, or I ignored him, or didn't treat him well, but each and every time he forgave me, and was ready to be my best friend again. And when he had to be put down, I cried really hard in front of my parents and the veterinarian because I knew I had lost my best friend forever.\"\n\nSamantha's words now, but in Chris' voice: \"When I was a little girl I used to go to my grandmother's house and I loved to sit down in front of her dresser and put on her costume jewelry and some makeup and then walk around the house with my jewelry and makeup and let everybody see me and my grandmother thought it was the funniest thing but I actually thought I was a beautiful, like a princess or a queen, until one day I walked into the living room on Thanksgiving, when we had all gathered at her house, and it just so happened that my older cousin, Denise, who must have been about sixteen or so, told me I looked like a prostitute and I knew what that word meant and I tried to laugh but I started to cry and I ran out of the room and into my grandmother's room and my grandmother followed me and she dried my eyes and said, 'Darling, your mascara's running,' and then she hugged me and laughed and I couldn't help it but I started to laugh too.\"\n\nSamantha's voice now; again, the words of M. Coopersmith: \"When at last I leave this place, I will feel a great emptiness. I stayed human for so long that, in the process, I think a part of me has become human. I never fought that, and perhaps I should have fought it but it wasn't a fight worth winning. When I go home, I will be different from the others. They would call me an alien here on Earth, but will I not be alien, in some regards, when I am back among my own? Funny, how geography and those who inhabit that geography can affect, even shape, one who is not native to it. I am ashamed to say so, but in some ways I fear returning to my own civilization.\"\n\nThe voice of M. Coopersmith; Samantha's words: \"A lot of times I feel like all I do is perform for other people. It's been that way from the beginning: first dance lessons, and then piano lessons, and recitals, and everyone telling me how good I did but lately I've started to think, 'Why?' Why did they make do all these things? Was it for me? Was it for my own good? Okay, maybe it was good for me, I don't know, but why so many things? And when do I get a break? I mean, now it's the drama club and the journalism club and the yearbook committee, but who is all this for? Can it only be for me, or was it just because my last name was Gibbons and a Gibbons girl had to be tops at everything and I was never supposed to have a choice, I had to perform, I had to excel and be as close to perfect as I could possibly be.\"\n\nAnd, last, Chris' words, spoken in Samantha's voice: \"What is it that I'm doing wrong? I feel like ever since I went past thirteen years of age everybody has been after me. It's not like I get into trouble. It's not like I'm disrespectful or mean. But whenever I do something wrong, no matter how small, I feel like people come down on me so hard. What did I do? I tried to be funny and maybe I said something I shouldn't have; maybe I don't want to go out and rake leaves, or make my bed as soon I get up, and suddenly I'm a juvenile delinquent. I mean, what is it about me? Is it the way I look, or talk? I'm just trying to make it here, okay? I'm just trying to make it.\"\n\nM. Coopersmith removed his hands from the heads of the two teenagers. Chris opened his eyes, saw Samantha open hers as well. He looked at M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"How was it?\" M. Coopersmith asked them.\n\n\"Different,\" Chris said.\n\n\"Strange,\" Samantha replied. \"But...not bad.\" She looked at Chris, smiled at him. \"Not bad at all.\"\n\n\"Good,\" said M. Coopersmith. \"I thought it would be helpful for all of us to get to know each other a little better, especially the two of you.\"\n\n\"Why us?\" Samantha asked him.\n\nM. Coopersmith shifted on his feet, put his hands behind his back. \"I'm going to say something completely inappropriate,\" he said.\n\n\"I'm not sure if I want to hear this,\" Samantha said.\n\n\"Me neither,\" Chris seconded.\n\n\"No, it's nothing bad. It's just that I eavesdropped on your conversation earlier and I actually think the two of you would make a lovely couple, if you just got a little more familiar with each other. The heck with being friends.\" He tickled Chris' chin. \"I mean, look at this face!\"\n\nChris jerked his head away from M. Coopersmith's hand, but he found himself chuckling afterward at this odd and exuberant alien, so human yet so not human. He looked at Samantha and saw that she was smiling too, at both of them.\n\n\"I'll think about it,\" she told M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"Good. That's all I can ask.\"\n\nSuddenly the ground jerked beneath their feet: a sharp, violent tremor.\n\n\"Was that the caves still falling in?\" Chris asked M. Coopersmith.\n\n\"No. That would have been over by now.\"\n\n\"So what is it, then?\"\n\nAnother tremor.\n\nSomething bad was happening. Chris could tell by the grim look on M. Coopersmith's face.\n\n\"I'm afraid I might have been a little too optimistic about my trap,\" said M. Coopersmith. \"I didn't want to say anything before, but in the back of my mind I was concerned there might have been some deterioration in the power cells. I still thought there would be enough to kill both of them, but, apparently, I only got one. And now it's burrowing its way to the surface, which means I'll have to deal with it...directly, let's say.\"\n\nChris' mouth opened, but it was Samantha who spoke first: \"So now what do we do?\"\n\nM. Coopersmith untied the bag that held the Remnant. \"Take this and run to the bank of the river. Our ship will be here soon. In the meantime, I'll handle the Sky Eel.\"\n\n\"What if your people think we're hostile?\" Chris asked him. \"Like we're trying to destroy the Remnant instead of protect it?\"\n\n\"They won't think that,\" M. Coopersmith replied. \"They can detect hostility and warmth and a million other emotions in human beings. You'll be fine.\"\n\n\"What about you?\"\n\n\"I'll be fine too,\" said M. Coopersmith. \"Now hurry on, both of you. I'll catch up as soon as I can.\"\n\nChris and Samantha, who held the bag close to her chest, turned to run. But just as they started off, M. Coopersmith called out, \"Children?\"\n\nThey stopped, looked back at him.\n\nM. Coopersmith bowed to them, a wide grin on his face. \"Thank you both,\" he said, \"for a splendid evening.\"\n\nChris and Samantha, despite their fear, found themselves grinning back at M. Coopersmith. Then, for the third time, they felt the earth move beneath them, and once more took off running; took off running through a maze of scrap metal, steel pilings, lumber, and discarded railroad ties on toward the Summerville River, with its vast waters shining darkly in the moonlight.\n\n9\n\nHad Chris or Samantha looked back they might have noticed that, as soon as they were off, M. Coopersmith's broad smile vanished. But that was only the beginning of the change that took place in his appearance. Turning away, he prepared to set aside the visage of M. Coopersmith, a mask he had worn for so long it felt almost\u2014but not quite\u2014like it was the real him. He had delayed transforming until now, but in order to do battle properly with the Sky Eel, he could no longer wait. All the while keeping his eyes trained on the patch of ground from which he expected the Sky Eel to emerge, M. Coopersmith allowed his human guise to dissipate. His legs and torso expanded, lengthened, until he stood more than eight feet in height; his skin darkened from white to pale blue; his thumb, middle, and index fingers combined to form a single digit, as did his pinkie and ring fingers. His clothing melted into armor of a slightly darker shade than his skin; an armor that was, in fact, organic to his tremendous body. His face narrowed even as his head enlarged to triple the size of a man's, in the process becoming domed rather than round; his eyes widened and blackened over, turning opaque; his mouth shrank to a tiny\u2014and, in fact, non-functional\u2014slit.\n\nAnd now, he thought, for the best part.\n\nFrom the joints of his elbows two long blades extended, curving around so that they ran parallel to his forearms and out past his hands, to end in sharp hooked tips. These blades, like the armor, were in fact a part of the alien's body. The skeletons of creatures such as M. Coopersmith were not kept wholly inside, like the mammals of Terra, nor outside, like the planet's insects, but instead were borne as a combination of the two, interlocking and blending with the hard blue flesh, sometimes exposed, sometimes not.\n\nLike the Sky Eels, M. Coopersmith and his kind were able to produce a powerful internal voltage. The only difference was that a Sky Eel administered the lethal energy through its jaws; for M. Coopersmith, it would be his elbow blades.\n\nNow, transformation complete, he waited.\n\nM. Coopersmith had not said so before, but he had an additional reason for staying in human form until the last minute. He had developed a set of personality traits as a human being that did not carry over to his true self. His desire to protect both the Remnant and the two young humans with him would have remained intact, but his expression of that desire would have been different, rougher, colder. Not good for dealing with young humans\u2014though for a Sky Eel, perfect.\n\nThe ground shook.\n\nIt was almost here...\n\n***\n\nChris and Samantha hurried toward the five-acre expanse that had been cleared along the Summerville River. Glancing back, they could no longer see M. Coopersmith, as their view was blocked by the cast-off materials of industry.\n\nPanting, Chris set down the Remnant.\n\n\"I hope this is the right place,\" he said to Samantha.\n\n\"Me too.\"\n\n***\n\nThe Sky Eel exploded from the earth in a whirlwind of dirt and torn roots, and the reaction of M. Coopersmith, armored alien warrior, was different from the one he would have had as M. Coopersmith, genteel Southern businessman. The present M. Coopersmith was glad to see the monster, thrilled even. He had yearned to kill a Sky Eel for a very long time now, almost as far back as he could remember, and disposing of it by means of a trap, as he had done with the other Sky Eel, brought only the barest satisfaction.\n\nBut to kill one personally...that would be superb.\n\nLimited in its faculties, the Sky Eel nevertheless recognized its quarry had taken on a new and fearsome visage. It also detected that the Remnant was farther out, and so it bolted into the sky, keen to avoid a confrontation with this far more formidable version of M. Coopersmith.\n\nBut it could not. Effortlessly, M. Coopersmith leapt a good one hundred feet into the air, meeting the Sky Eel in cold, empty black space, and slashed it across its snout with the sharp appendage arcing from his right elbow. The damage inflicted was twofold: physical injury, plus a tremendous shock.\n\nAnd an effective attack, too; the Sky Eel, shrieking, plunged to the ground. M. Coopersmith landed on top of it, went on to inflict a series of strikes upon the monster.\n\nAnd as he did this, he remembered.\n\nHe remembered the terraced gardens of his homeworld.\n\nHe remembered the great old warriors who had trained him when he was young.\n\nHe remembered the young warriors who had been his cherished friends.\n\nHe remembered that hardly any of those warriors, young or old, lived now, and that the terraced gardens of his homeworld were bits of sand floating in space.\n\nHe remembered legions of Sky Eels spilling down from the skies, overwhelming the tiny garrison that had represented his people's last outpost of resistance.\n\nHe remembered the shame of retreating before those legions.\n\nHe remembered the rage he felt at his own helplessness; the guilt of having survived the onslaught when so many others had not; he remembered vowing revenge for the atrocities of the Great Enemy that he could not bring himself to name even now, because to do so was to cause him a physical revulsion so great it bordered on pain.\n\nHe remembered watching his planet, the repository of all his history, the only home he had ever known, explode into a trillion barren fragments. He remembered wishing he had been on it when it was obliterated, and cursing those elders of his race who had chosen for him to be among the few who survived.\n\nRemembering all of this, he struck the Sky Eel again and again and again. And with every blow he honored that which he had lost.\n\n***\n\nChris and Samantha heard the Sky Eel's screeching, the crackling noises; they saw flashes from the ground rising into the night sky.\n\n\"What's happening?\" Samantha whispered.\n\n\"I don't know,\" Chris said.\n\n***\n\nThe Sky Eel's jaws closed on M. Coopersmith's right leg, and too late M. Coopersmith realized his error: he had allowed himself to enjoy the fight too much; had reveled in the sweetness of the monster's howls of alarm, of suffering, to the point that he had forgotten how dangerous and powerful it still was. So doing, he had given it the opportunity to inflict some damage of its own. His hardy alien constitution preserved him from a charge of energy that would have been sufficient to kill a hundred human beings, but just barely. He staggered, knocked the Sky Eel away, but it charged him and bit down again, this time on his shoulder.\n\n***\n\nChris looked up at the sky. \"Come on,\" he urged. \"Where are y'all? Come on.\"\n\n***\n\nThe tide had turned. M. Coopersmith was on his knees, still grappling with the Sky Eel, but he had received too many injuries in the last few moments to continue the fight successfully. Bite marks from the Eel riddled his vast body, yet these hadn't hurt him badly; rather, it was the multiple shocks he had received. He was disoriented, weakening fast. He could not mount an effective defense, let alone offense. And the Sky Eel sensed its advantage, hitting him with yet another bite, this time to the base of his neck. M. Coopersmith's tiny mouth froze in a silent \"O.\"\n\n***\n\n\"What if they don't come?\" Samantha said.\n\n\"Don't say that,\" Chris told her, desperately scanning the night sky. \"They've got to. They've got to.\"\n\nSamantha clutched his arm. \"Chris,\" she said. Her voice was very small. \"Look...\"\n\nAnd Chris looked, in the direction that she was looking, back in the direction they had come from, he looked and saw\u2014\n\n\u2014the Sky Eel.\n\nIt was burned and gashed and sliced open in a dozen places, and yet it was as frightening in appearance as ever, perhaps even more so. It spiraled toward them, hissing its dreadful hiss, its eyes wild with pain, with madness.\n\nNeither Chris nor Samantha could move. Instinctively they realized there was no point. They could not run from it. Even if they handed over the Remnant, it would still kill them, just as it had no doubt killed M. Coopersmith.\n\nHe failed, Chris thought as the Sky Eel loomed over them. He couldn't protect us.\n\nAnd now we die.\n\nWe die.\n\nAnd then a strange figure leaped high into the darkness behind the Sky Eel, high into the night air. It hovered for a moment and then descended, gravity hurtling it down, faster and faster, with terrible blades extending from both arms at the elbows, and the right blade trained directly on the back of the Sky Eel's head. Now Chris and Samantha dropped to the ground as that blade plunged into the Sky Eel's skull, splitting it in two, with the blade protruding grotesquely from the mouth of the monster as it sank to earth with the strange figure who they knew without knowing was M. Coopersmith lying astride it, like Captain Ahab on the back of Moby Dick.\n\nThen: a flash of light, followed by a boom, after which nothing remained of the Sky Eel's corpse but ashes and a sickly green haze.\n\nChris and Samantha picked themselves off the ground. Behind them lay the Remnant in its sack, all but forgotten at the moment.\n\nA figure was emerging from the fast-dissipating haze: a small, stumbling figure.\n\nSamantha identified him first. \"Mr. Coopersmith?\"\n\nThey waited for a moment, unsure if they should come forward.\n\n\"Are you okay?\" Chris asked him.\n\nM. Coopersmith made no response, only took a few more steps in their direction, and then dropped to his knees.\n\n\"Mr. Coopersmith!\" cried Samantha.\n\nHe fell onto his back as they hurried to him.\n\n\"Children,\" he whispered as Chris and Samantha took opposite sides of his now-unmoving body.\n\n\"Just hang on, Mr. Coopersmith,\" Samantha said, taking his hand. \"Your people are coming. They'll help you.\"\n\n\"No, it's all right,\" M. Coopersmith told her. \"Just as I promised...\"\n\n\"Please, Mr. Coopersmith, try to hang on,\" Samantha urged him. \"Help is coming. I know it is. You just have to hang on.\"\n\n\"Tonight...\" M. Coopersmith began.\n\nHis eyes were dulling now.\n\n\"...we all...\"\n\nHis grip loosened around Samantha's hand.\n\n\"...go home.\"\n\nThat was the end. His hand fell from Samantha's and he lay still. He drew no breath; his eyes held no light; he was gone in a moment.\n\nBut Christopher Gerald Taylor of Summerville, Georgia, refused to accept this.\n\n\"Wait, Mr. Coopersmith,\" the boy pleaded, leaning down so that their faces were inches apart, \"don't give up so easy. Try to laugh. You said it healed you before when you laughed. So please, try to laugh now. I'll help you, okay? I'll help you laugh. I'll tell you a joke. A duck walks into a bar\u2014oh, man. I've already screwed it up. I'll try again. A man walks into a bar carrying a duck. The bartender says to him, 'Hey, where'd you get that duck?' And the guy says...\"\n\nHis voice trailed off then, for suddenly M. Coopersmith began to change. His appearance was alien, but less so than Chris might have thought. The eyes were large, the forehead high, the mouth small...but there were many differences between the face of the being that had posed as M. Coopersmith and the alien face so often described by UFO abductees. There was wisdom in that face, to be sure, but also, somehow, deep kindness: the face of a compassionate, if alien, philosopher-king. Chris could not understand why M. Coopersmith had not shown him this face before. There was nothing the least bit startling about it. This was a good face, a noble face.\n\nIt was also the face he could hide so long as he was alive, Chris decided, which meant he was not alive anymore.\n\nAnd yet Chris urged the alien on in his mind, one last time: Laugh, Mr. Coopersmith.\n\nPlease, won't you laugh?\n\nBut there was nothing. They were kneeling beside a corpse. And still Samantha asked, \"Is he dead?\"\n\n\"I think so...yeah.\"\n\nBehind them now: light and heat, followed by a rush of wind. Almost in unison, Chris and Samantha looked back, and then up in the air.\n\n10\n\nWhere were you guys when we needed you? Chris thought as he watched the alien craft lower itself into the field.\n\nIt was a beautiful ship, triangular in shape rather than circular, about thirty feet in length, blue and gold with strange, hieroglyphic symbols running along its edges. It made no sound other than a low, soothing hum. It sank a few inches into the dirt and the humming stopped.\n\nA hatch opened on the side facing Chris and Samantha.\n\nHere we go, Chris thought. He looked down at the body of M. Coopersmith. Maybe we should run. What if they think we were the ones who killed him?\n\nBut somehow he knew they wouldn't think that.\n\nSomehow he knew the crisis was past.\n\nThis was just the mopping up.\n\nTwo beings identical in appearance to the body that lay before them descended from the hatch, then two more, and two more, and so on until there were fourteen such aliens. At last another alien appeared, with a single feature to distinguish it from the other beings: two gold bands down the side of its face, and another one across its forehead. It motioned to the body of M. Coopersmith, and immediately the phalanx of fourteen approached them. Chris and Samantha got to their feet, backed away as the aliens lifted M. Coopersmith off the ground, hoisted him onto their shoulders, and then turned to carry his lifeless form back onto the ship. The gold-banded alien\u2014the Fifteenth, as Chris instantly deemed it\u2014bent down and picked up the Remnant. Then it too turned away, started off behind them.\n\nChris had planned to keep his mouth shut. He had worked hard to do it. But he just couldn't help himself. He had to say something. He stared hard at the alien and called out, \"Hey!\"\n\nThe Fifteenth stopped, pivoted, and faced him.\n\nLooks like I really did it this time.\n\nBut Chris decided to keep talking anyway. \"Hey, listen to me. He died so you could have that.\" He pointed to the Remnant in the alien's arms. \"He died.\"\n\nThe Fifteenth appraised him dispassionately.\n\n\"I thought you should know.\"\n\nNow the alien was walking toward him.\n\nWhat did I just do? Chris wondered. Did I make it mad? What's it going to do to me?\n\nThe Fifteenth reached for the boy's head with its great hand. Chris flinched at first\u2014and then he realized what was about to happen.\n\nGently, the alien cupped its hand over his head; as he felt the warmth of its palm against his skin, so too did Chris hear, in his own voice, these words:\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\nThat was all.\n\nThe Fifteenth let its hand fall from Chris' head. Then it turned around and went back inside its ship. The hatch closed, and the craft began to hum again.\n\nTogether, Chris and Samantha watched it rise into the air. It lingered for a moment, high above them, and then zipped into space.\n\nAfter a few moments, still holding hands, they embarked on a slow shuffle back to the building\u2014now dark and vacant\u2014that they had fled in terror a mere ninety minutes ago. Of course, it was a much nicer trip this time, through quiet downtown Summerville with its glowing lamplights, clean sidewalks, and darkened storefronts: Crawford's Jewelers; Suzie's Sweet Shop; the Summerville Times; Barron's Fine Menswear; many others.\n\nOn the way, they spoke little.\n\nIn the days to come, there would be much excited talk in this fine old town about the strange mild earthquakes that had taken place tonight. Someone would report that a window had been broken at the now-vacated Offices of M. Coopersmith. Several others would report on a loud explosion heard that same night from the vicinity of the Port of Summerville. Then, of course, someone out fishing at night on the Summerville River would tell his friends he had seen a UFO land on the riverbank, but nobody would buy it because the guy in question was known for telling tall tales.\n\nAnd life would go on, yes, go on just like the stars that glimmered in the sky above; just like the moon that drew in the tides that, in turn, fed the vast saltmarshes gracing the coast of Georgia; just like the Earth that kept turning; just like the yellow sun, hidden now, that nourished and warmed and brought life to the forests and the plains of grass and the oceans stretching out below it.\n\nAll of it going on, going on...\n\nAs they prepared to cross Bridgewell Street, Chris glanced up at the night sky and thought: I never got to ask him what the M. in M. Coopersmith stood for. It was probably several different names, all for different times or different generations, just to keep up the illusion that it hadn't been the same guy for the last hundred years. Who knows how he pulled it off, all that time. He just did, I guess.\n\nSamantha's hand felt warm, felt good, in his. But for the moment Chris was lost in his own thoughts.\n\nAnd I think I understand now what the phrase \"Offices of M. Coopersmith\" really meant. \"Offices\" didn't refer to a building. It referred to the titles he carried: Protector, Warrior, Guide, lousy joke-teller, longtime resident, friend to young people and old people and everyone in between, even if they never knew it. Those were the real Offices of M. Coopersmith, not some old building.\n\nThey were almost there.\n\nBut I still wonder what the M stood for.\n\nChris glanced up again. It was clear enough for him to make out an arm of the Milky Way Galaxy gracing the sky overhead: billions of tiny stars, so faint they looked like celestial mist.\n\nI've got a suggestion, if anyone's interested.\n\nOnce more he looked straight ahead.\n\n\"Magnificent.\"\n\nChris and Samantha arrived at the crushed-shell parking lot of the Offices of M. Coopersmith. The pair had walked in silence for a while now, but as they came up to Samantha's car, she asked him, \"What kind of dog was Buster?\"\n\nAside from the dialogue that question launched, as well as the little bit of noise the two kids made as they got into the Ford Mustang to drive home, the only sound that could be heard nearby came from a small sign on the building's front lawn; swaying gently in the night breeze, that sign read, in plain black lettering, \"Offices of M. Coopersmith.\"\n\n***\n\nSo, then: how well do you ever really know somebody else?\n\nIt depends. With some folks you can learn all you need to know in a single night.\n\nJust ask Chris Taylor and Samantha Gibbons of Summerville, Georgia.\n\nThey'll tell you.\n\n"], [" \nDiary of a FRENCH academic\n\n(Summer 2010)\n\nJean-Philippe DENIS\n\nCopyright Jean-Philippe DENIS 2010\n\nWith Smashwords Edition\n\nLicense Notes\n\nThis ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.\n\nJuly 24, 2010\n\nSome reasons why it is (strategically) reasonable to sell the Apple stock\n\nIn early 2007, I took my course as a support strategy for the spectacle presented by S. Jobs at MacWorld January 6, 2007. With students, we looked at the virtual jewel every angle and listened to the words of the prophet Jobs. Nothing remained but to wait for the June 2007 launch of the actual device in the U.S. and October 2007 for his arrival in Europe.\n\nWait for what? But the answer, of course, about the review that I gave: \"Why the iPhone Will it be a success, why should you buy Apple shares if you do not?\". Some students sent me an email of thanks since. Not all. Ingrates.\n\nWe are now in July 2010. And Apple has announced an increase, a new time record quarterly profit. The stock market continues its meteoric rise logically ... after experiencing some failures in recent times. In any case, incredibly few years ago, Apple's market capitalization now finally seems to anticipate that of Microsoft.\n\nSo, I see the future about promotions from consideration this year: \"Why IPAD will fail and why should you sell, without waiting, the Apple stock?\". Sorry one side of the subject but rather peremptory with \"digital natives\" sometimes you have to know not to make gloves for attention and get them out of their nose MacBooks and smartphones.\n\nWhat would be the ideal content of the copy that I would wait to review a little cow? Obviously, that would include the professor of strategy expects students to engage in a stress test, specifically strategic case Apple. And there are a few reasons to drive.\n\nAs a strategist, an excellent copy would report some major warning signs of strategic issues affecting today's business and how very clever one who would know how it will reach the treat.\n\nThe first is the obviously missed that one refuses to hear from Apple: reception problems on the iPhone 4 disappointment of fans due to the lack of relevant connections IPAD, not to mention the explosion Claims related to SHIFT constant and does not work, or not well. This could justify the standard replacement of a MacBook Pro just over a year (this applies to yours truly) ...\n\nAnd we note that Apple, one yields to the temptation to ridicule well known, and then deny, then deny. Duress, we come to recognize their lips while blaming the messengers that were denounced as enemies of the new company. Such is the case with the press now, which would be ill-disposed vis-\u00e0-vis the company. A complete when we know how the press, specifically, has graciously served the communication of Apple in recent years and particularly since the launch of the iPad.\n\nThe second symptom that falls within the copy is more disturbing: it is the inability of the management team to evolve as a cult of secrecy and closed model. It was the strength of Apple, it became his major source of vulnerability. It was a force, certainly, as it was to play the alternative, to position itself as the \"cool company\" against IBM in the 1980s and Microsoft in the 2000s, the latter being of also forced to leave the company to grow while she herself was under the influence of a charge of abuse of dominant position. It was a force, too, since that opinion leaders saw their adherence to the world \"MacWorld\" a sign of distinction consistent with their status. It was a force, finally, because at the intangible, to bring customers into a closed MacWorld was the pledge to sell other products and services via the iTunes platform, the lung is only thing Apple has ever offered and who is the real heart of its business model.\n\nBut at a time when Apple took the shift to mass development, all this is likely to become major weakness. First, the model-specific constants SHIFT Apple unbearable for an audience just learning (see a client in an Apple retailer did not understand the need to connect their iPhone to a computer several months after the acquisition me personally left speechless ...). The \"easy to use\" turns into \"hard to use\", worse than Windows viruses. While the \"smart\" (design) is becoming commonplace, with each new acquisition by any consumer. This is how Apple, which has made the distinction makes the sign of, finds himself caught in its own trap: to have Apple is now the standard agonist, plus the sign copy of a singularity. The temptation will be great then quickly go elsewhere, to practice the \"exit\" with joy as today, it's Apple, which tends to symbolize the nightmare of Orwell. More IBM. More Microsoft.\n\nFinally, the third symptom, and perhaps most disturbing of all is the rise of stock prices. After Enron, after Vivendi, after all the scandals and a wide variety we have seen how this could be perverse revving due to unreasonable expectations of the market. And one can legitimately wonder if Apple will resist the temptation to over-exploitation of revenue on past success.\n\nA malicious mind could also condemn the fact that since 2007, the company has innovated little. So, what does the iPhone actually 4 compared to 3G, which added nothing - or little - under 3G ... which does not present itself in that the potential additional marketing from the Hedge? Similarly, who would dare say that IPAD is anything but a big iPhone, first generation in its basic version? No, really, nothing new under the sun in Cupertino, at least in terms of \"smart\" and \"easy to use\" to quote the two key skills demanded by Apple and it helped build the success of the Apple and the iPhone.\n\nWhat lessons learned from these symptoms?\n\nFinally, one can wonder if the result is not already written as it refers to things, unfortunately, well known to researchers in strategy. Thus, the temptation will probably be high to offset the lack of innovation in existing markets through the adventure to new lands, to new territories. But so far without realizing that it requires a significant development of key competencies and that automatically increases the uncertainty and vulnerability.\n\nThe IbookSotre is the perfect illustration of the difficulties of this type of \"adventures\".\n\n1 / Unlike the phone and music, literature is a fragmented industry of choice - many small niche publishers with significant editorial value - and multi-domestic in nature - the first national catalogs. Unlikely, therefore, to achieve great success in reproducing the \"iTunes\", where it was only to bring order in an industry devastated by illegal downloading.\n\n2 / Unlikely, too, to reiterate the \"deal\" with developers, this time with the publishers, as the stories, skills - and cost structures - houses that make up the publishing industry are different from those of \"developers\". As writers, it seems that Apple wants to provide a direct outlet, without exception, they know not only work with publishers unless simply mediocre productions.\n\n3 / IbookStore ultimately does not much compared to a physical distribution which has always played in publishing, a major limitation: the music can be surconsomm\u00e9e, played and replayed thousands of times, organized in playlists, alternatives to a DJ at a party with friends. We will agree: this has nothing to do with the time necessary to trigger the relationship, always unique, rarely beyond one shot, with a reader.\n\n4 / The book, finally, unlike music, is an experience that requires the active cooperation of the reader, where the music carries the listener and does not require his attention, possibly even passive. Take the test and try to read while driving or doing your jogging ... you'll be surprised!\n\nExcellent copy could then conclude that, yes, the risk is actually proved to be too harsh in iTunes and its reproducibility, and IbookStore iPad would end, all things being equal, lead to the same Waterloo that the water industry has been for Enron after the success in the energy industries (gas and electric). And, like Enron, faced with repeated failures with respect to predictions, Apple continues to run after new Holy Grail: after the publishing field, the press, today the Interactive Advertising ... All of this is still a lot of targets for a single arrow, and it's bad timing because the arrows, precisely, competitors of all these sectors to sharpen, and the least we can say is that they are serious : Amazon, Google, Microsoft's old enemy, lying in wait, while Chinese and Indian producers already unsheathed their weapons low cost.\n\nIt would continue encouraging small holders to be vigilant and without doubt, the precautionary principle, to sell everything they own and which resemble closely or remotely close to Apple stock. Make no mistake, these small shareholders curse the copy in the coming months seeing the price of Apple stock to continue to grow, but they also bless later when they see the price fall, if nothing changes ... risk is generally acknowledged in the examination of a much more complex than the view, as always, markets always too quick to bolt.\n\nLike any good copy, however it would propose a new openness to \"possible, likely to halt the fatal fall of Icarus dear to Prof. Danny Miller. First, it would propose to S. Jobs reread Clausewitz and his principle of self-destruction of any strategy beyond the \"climax\". In other words, and may shock a little, she would recall the good old African proverb that \"the more the monkey climbs up the tree, the more he shows his ass\".\n\nThen she would invite the company to change its attitude. Stop denying the first warning signals. Do not strive to convince that we can have confidence that the company is credible, it has proved itself: the trust does not control. Stop repeating the environment that we have succeeded with the iPod by failing to specify that the iPod without iTunes, it was nothing, and that in the case of IBookStore, no one knows for now how to solve the equation. Stop referring to the iPhone challenge by failing to specify that a key element of success was the first success among developers, and currently it is difficult with the publishers.\n\nIn short, the copy simply invite S. Jobs to say he is considering ways to replicate the miracle that IbookStore, kind of melting pot of the two upstream channels (the problem of the Iphone) and downstream (ITunes problem) that just mentioned, reaches reap the same results. For what is at stake is nothing less than the capacity of Apple, once again, to go beyond the logic of transaction costs to enter the investment transaction. Nothing less, once again, that heckle the economic logic that has led to his Nobel Prize for Economics in 2009 OE Williamson. Nothing less.\n\nAnd the copy to conclude by recalling the conclusion ... that the strategy is the one who dared confront uncertainty. In this area any certainty is futile, reasoning about probability needed, taking some reference copies. These precautions referred, it becomes possible to raise the risk concepts and the work being seen to try, anyway, some risk taking, and prescribe reasonable to transfer the shares Apple. For, lest we forget, Enron had transformed its identity to define SMEs energy company at the height of his fame and just before his fall by \"we are a cool Company. And Vivendi, in the late 1990s, first made the mistake of being right too early in announcing the merger of container and contents and in trying to rush, but too fast under the pressure of unreasonable expectations chewed .\n\nAnd the Professor to give 20/20 to this work which will dare take the risk, first, to be far off. To incorporate the possibility for Apple to respond, including taking into account the \"stress test\" developed in the copy. But the substantive arguments are sound, no doubt. Conclude that S. Jobs must be nothing less than to deprive a nobel economy and lay the blame 20 years of research in business strategy, yes, not bad. Having seen that the subject naturally invited to consider the fulfillment of the dream jobs of S could now take her straight to fall hat.\n\nWhat dream? But the one to beat IBM at the time, Microsoft since the mid-1990s. Like Messier, who wanted to live his dream of adloescence and be the first global communications company. Like Enron, which at its peak, was defined not only as a business revolutionary. With the success that we know in retrospect. Achieving her dream, the strategy research demonstrates with great confidence, is the best way that everything ends in nightmare.\n\nP.S: Sent from my iPhone.\n\nJuly 30, 2010\n\nWho's kidding us ?\n\n\"These are men who write history, but they do not know the history they write.\"\n\n(Raymond Aron)\n\nAfter a busy year, I'm taking some vacation days, with a promise to disconnect ... somewhat. Insomnia, which prevents ever, breaks the rhythm of a few days of \"vacation\" and lead me in the lobby of the hotel where I finally found the wifi and yields to the temptation to see how the world turns .\n\nI say that dozens of information has already been and will continue to be, the subject of some posts (case-Woerth Bettencourt example). And that new news - the prefects scolded by our President, the status of university considered by the sages of the Constitutional Council. - Will no doubt be future posts that fingers itch for a few months ...\n\nBut I remember most startling information that she does not wait: the real estate prices have resumed their ascent mad Ile de France. They are preparing to push the limits of 2008, before the crisis. Interest rates near zero and maintain the mad machine have to do it all again.\n\nSo, I think about this: http://www.journaldumauss.net/spip.php?article696. And when I wrote in early April, just before the crisis takes Greek dimensions we know, when reality had caught up with my fiction in a sprint just amazing.\n\nThen Eminem in the ears (when I'm gone \") - not the best way to get to sleep, I agree - I echo the\" just take another pill. \" And the question that torments me is wrong: what will it happen when the hard decisions will come to reduce the debt? And the value of assets will - suddenly, it goes without saying - to shrink by 30, 40, 50% - said that better? In short, when the market is price establish the truth ... off the pill EPO accommodative monetary policy that floods the world of liquidity since the Clinton era - and Greenspan, so proper staggering after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.\n\nIt finally takes the anxiety in the throat. It appears that growth makes them happy, and that stagnation is experienced as a loss, and feeds the despair when thinking of a brutal destruction of the rich heritage of their perceived by individuals who had forgotten they were first owners ... their debts?\n\nObviously, this is so new that the panic is around the corner in a well-oiled mechanism: higher interest rates, the collapse of the creditworthiness of borrowers and higher monthly payments for floating rate borrowings. Everyone will want to limit the damage, save his capital gain, fueling the spiral of disaster. And here is another example of abuse of trust characterized, one more. And this time, the bill could be really, really salty. So yes, who we kidding, when you think just the fact that such information comes the same week that the results of stress tests of banks in Europe have been published. Yes, that we kidding?\n\nIn the meantime, \"just take another pill\" because, unfortunately, confirms the news every day, tomorrow is another day, but the perennial simple \"back to the future\". And I choose another beautiful formula of Raymond Aron to feed my meditations while waiting for sleep: \"The man is a rational being, but men are they?\".\n\nAugust 3, 2010\n\n\"Who clears the table?\" - Reflections on the news of \"family business\"\n\nCase study example I love to take my first-year students: Mom, Dad and their three children finish dinner. Question: Who clears the table?\n\nStudent's response Fayol: careful planning should be developed by the head for each day of the week remains therefore only to monitor performance, reward may from time to time, and especially punishing for failure compliance. It should come to anyone to challenge (the chief said!). Fearing reprisals, the child concerned ruminating (in silence) and runs. This option usually works well until adolescence, after that may become more complicated and less subsided evenings ...\n\nStudent's response Coase, more subtle: Auction of the task. OK, so we give one euro to rid the child. Results: The parents are happy: 1 euro to rest without drama after a long day of work, this is small price to pay. Nobody wants to one euro? Well, 1.50? Still nobody? OK, so I'm (= I deale as \"employee\" Mom) and I keep the money. Funny one stroke, the children fight to rid. Magic of the market, when you hold us ... Freedom of the merchant agreement, therefore, rather than authoritarian coercion, well seen. Of course, to agree on the price and then takes time - thank you students Williamson - monitor compliance with the contract as well. A kid can indeed always be tempted by expediency! Another problem in adolescence, the discussion on the tariff can begin to drag on, especially if children think to point that there is indeed a table away, but also to store towels, cleaning a table and wipe, etc.. And yet we did not discuss the possible dishes to do ... In short, it will become costly and response fayolienne could then regain its relevance.\n\nStudent's response Mauss, more subtle: the kids to wrestle away thanking their mom (or dad) to have prepared the dinner. They are clever because they know they thus earn the right, in return, to 5 minutes more before going to bed and a nice bedtime story. As a teenager, that sort of joke eventually transform parents taxi drivers, but no doubt, the threefold obligation of giving-receiving-making march full.\n\nWhy this small example?\n\nBecause if the management sciences are the sciences of the allocation and coordination of property rights dismembered - thank you Jensen and Meckling students - then the family is probably the best way to examine and understand the issues. The family is it not, indeed, the place where relationships can not precisely be understood through the prism of grammar since there are economic in nature, first from the (parental) and the gift / gift-cons, especially in intergenerational relations.\n\nThey retort that the family, as opposed to other forms of collective action, this singularity which prohibit think it could be a subject of discussion relevant to management science: it is essentially \"natural\" as opposed to what the artificial form, for example, the company and is not finalized, since it can not a priori to have no other aim than that, Spinoza, to \"persevere in its being\". Indeed, research in management, when she became interested in the family has always chosen the subject of the family business and its possible features. In doing so, has been largely trapped in a reading in the form of coercion, dear to the student Fayol, pointing particularly to the pressure exerted by the \"clan\", the common culture, leading to spontaneous acrrue efficiency. Besides that we could point that the family business is a place, too, disputes, several factors justify pushing much further consideration.\n\nRarely has the news because all currently highlighted relations between worlds inbred domestic, commercial, industrial, civic to use forms developed by Boltanski and Thevenot: Business Fouquet's estate ambitions of the President's son Republic, settling of scores worthy of a bad B among U.S. members of the board of one of the largest French companies (case Bettencourt Bettencourt cons), the Ministers suspected of breach of trust for a couple of benefits (Case Woerth-Bettencourt), not to mention divorces and (re) marriages are the heyday of newspapers \"people\". Yes, this provides a little turnstiles to the researcher, and in any case, considering that the family falls within a confined space and boundaries are well identified did not withstand the test of reality. So, since it invests and public space, they manage the repeated crises, to use all the springs of marketing and communication to achieve this, we can reasonably assume that the family should become the subject of scrutiny?\n\nBut there is also a deeper reason: and if in reality the family as a form of organization, in its principle of organization, coordination, facilitation was not a limiting form, marginal, but form reference management? And if, after all, she had always been? And if after all, management - techniques - had only followed the developments which have always taken shape, first in family relationships and still bears the stamp of the triptych of three forms of human exchange: constraint, the price and the gift - thank you Perroux student?\n\nIf this problem intuition is correct, then one would expect nothing less than to give thought to the economic market place should always have been his, as a special case of encounters between agents whose property rights have been artificially Remembrance - Rid the table and you have a right (selfish) to use, and profit on sale of 1.5 euros. Artificially: the big word dear to Herbert Simon is released. Any action policy should then be reassessed and reevaluated in light of this trilogy - and the news media agenda of the presidential and \"business\" courses may give food for thought!\n\nAmong them, instructions carried out with the legal interpretation chart Family \"who clears the table?\", Including the student's response Mauss, could lead to some interesting examples of case law and lead to some surprises for the assessment that should be (managerial) to the concept of \"suspicion of conflict of interest.\" After all, the suspicion of opportunism did not he won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009 the student Williamson?\n\nAugust 4, 2010\n\nFrom the autonomy of french universities to the independence of french academics\n\nUniversity professor, like many of my academic colleagues, I finally decide. So I opened a blog for a few weeks.\n\nI want what I consider to be a \"newspaper\". I write tickets \"on the fly\", I try to reformulate the problems, I put online publications, I use certain media to feed my classes. Over time, therefore, emerges under the guise of an academic on the passing world. The dates, titles, reasons for publication of articles and pages are there to remind me.\n\nKeep a journal, the idea is not new. It has basically nothing original. But when it is held by a university professor, specialist in addition to management science, \"that perhaps deserves a little more explanation. There are three, which answer and justify this project which is now part of my business.\n\nFirst, it is a research project. The idea here is the daughter of a conviction that management may have something to say about social issues and contributions to make to public debate. I hear this show. It is indeed constantly confront reality and theory, to organize the dialogue and eventually the battle. Nothing less. And to see if new technologies can be in this area useful.\n\nThen there is an educational project sharing. How many students, how many teachers have felt at times that things were happening in the classrooms, the production of new knowledge? I have long recorded at the end of the course these \"productions\" in notebooks. I've rediscovered some months or years later, covered and buried under the mountain to treat emergencies. With such a journal, taking over the water, I hope so, over time, to bring out some new ideas of the enclosure of four walls in which they were created. Making them available in real time outside the walls and maintain, through shared-memory.\n\nOutside the walls ... It is precisely the third reason for this newspaper. An ethical reasoning. So, how many academics have had to respond to public curious about their use of time: you work tomorrow? Or again, but tell me, how many hours per week do you teach? And the University address, usually a little embarrassed, that \"it's more complicated than that ...\". This \"blog / journal\" aims to share, so of course completely subjective, a part of this \"it's more complicated than that ...\", what makes the daily life of a university. In my case, a university professor who has always attached great importance to this plural in its title. And that has always had a certain idea of what to strive to build its future academic means.\n\nOf course, this project is not without limits and we can discuss the relevance. Thus, this \"diary\" is not, for example, fully \"transparent.\" Indeed, it is excluded from them reveal things not to be: the jury deliberations, diplomas, selection committees and colleagues, reporting thesis reviews articles for academic journals, etc. . One could multiply the examples of these tasks, typically described as administrative, that are inherent to the \"status\" of mine: all control the privacy and occupy a certain time in the academic year. All must be ignored.\n\nSimilarly, the inspiration - and thus publications - are irregular. They depend on the time left free to delve in-depth articles, to renew a heart of skills that always needs to rest a thousand problems before finding one that is (perhaps) worth being shared .\n\nFinally, some may see in this newspaper a distraction in terms of count one thing: as many items as possible, as often as possible in the best international journals. Understood: Anglo-Saxon.\n\nYet I see, personally, a project of much higher importance: nothing less than to participate in the learning of young and old alike, to sharpen the critics, to lead public debate with my (meager) means and the top of my (little) expertise. This is one of the ways that I've chosen for the act of production that justifies the Company do me the honor to pay me to think.\n\nThen, of course, I understand the logic of a President self-proclaimed \"super-manager\" who would, at first I reduced to the status of employee of my university, and this, although I teach that in our world heritage, management as our President so his principles - objectives constantly reformulated, focusing solely on results, zapping managerial - is invalidated in its efficacy, with great regularity since the late 1980s by all the work serious research.\n\nI also understand the political interest it would be to see the university as being obsessed with results that could qualify to obtain a prime scientific excellence \", or else be interested only management \"means,\" the budget of the organization (independent) they are now, first, a kind of employees.\n\nBut whatever some with this newspaper, with ideas (managerial) criticism that vehicle - and will continue to convey - including vis-\u00e0-vis how those in power exercising its discretion, I hope to live up to our great Constitution. The Sages of the Constitution where the Constitutional Council will recall, Friday, August 6, it is demanding in terms of the independence I have to show.\n\nThis should serve, first, knowledge of its (re) creation, is shared. It must be in support of critical thinking and collective culture. In short, it has no objective other than to be in favor of a democracy is not based solely on the desire to maximize the \"performance\" as high as possible, as quickly as possible.\n\nWith hindsight, this opinion will make the Sages of the Constitutional Council published, I am sure all the wiser that a number of scandals (financial and managerial) have demonstrated over the past ten years, the dictatorship accommodates the result too often hidden defects. First and foremost, they have all been fueled by intolerance of actors orders vis-a-vis all forms of critical thinking.\n\nThus may this little \"newspaper\" to be modestly contribute to the height of this principle. And share with those who are not necessarily aware of the importance of academic courses, across all the speeches of demagogues and populists, protection in a democracy the independence of the University. This principle has a value. It is priceless, whatever the cost. It is the foundation of my status. And it is mainly those principles on which we can not safely deal.\n\nAugust 6, 2010\n\nIn defense of the shells ...\n\n\"I publish to stop correcting\"\n\nPaul Valery\n\nEveryone has probably experienced it countless times this experience unbearable: the \"shell\". Or perhaps I should say rather: the shells. These shells that mark a text (or email), even briefly. Because the idea is gone faster than writing. Because the head was already immersed in the following sentence when you wrote the previous. More simply still, because the fingers have ripped on the keyboard, this under the weight of the excitement of thinking that were believed valid.\n\nThe player usually thinks that the author would still have been read. That could have corrected. He laughs a little of the world. Then, the author, traumatized by the misadventures of the previous shells, and imagining a reader who discovered, spends his time to read, and reread again.\n\nProblem of reading and rereading: new ideas emerge, leading to revise phrases, to reformulate sentences, why not even change the dynamics of a paragraph. And that interfere, slyly, new shells. It is clear that the computing facilities of the \"copy paste\" does not help in this area that lead, endlessly, just to see, to wonder if that word would not be better here than there, if that paragraph is not more appropriately placed in seventh position rather than ninth ...\n\nAnd so, that faced with the shell, the authors fall into three categories:\n\n\\- First let rest, say they have yet to read after all the changes they have made, and finally recovering after the publication on which they have worked so hard, hoping they will not work again (but this does not fail, alas, to arrive);\n\n\\- The latter coming in, exhausted in advance to decide not to write, to live the nightmare of the \"shell\", sometimes not too severe (obvious typo), sometimes terrible (and if the reader thought that I 'I made a spelling error ??!!);\n\n\\- The third to say, after all, never mind if the shell is there, it stays there - the point is it not that the bottom is there, \"- and besides that the shell will be be overlooked.\n\nHaving published three subscriber in the World, which I discovered they were littered with shells, I realized that I would create a happy fourth category: those authors who do not care, or even are rather proud.\n\nFirst, because they have not been impressed by the risk of the shell, and do not be banned from writing to avoid, especially, to approach the feeling, horrible, ridiculous.\n\nThen, because they know that writing is much too serious and compelling to give more importance to it that these stories are nothing more than stories of ego rather comical.\n\nFinally, and importantly, because they plead guilty but not responsible: the Le Monde does not certify that it will be replayed reviews and validated before publication? I was wrong to believe and prefer to send three chronic imperfect in two days, rather than one for which I referred perfection. But it would seem that the race late and the maximization of benefit / cost ratio has been right up the good work that was called, in the past, the publishing trade. Indeed, I conclude that the newspaper industry is at its worst. This is good news for anyone.\n\nMy chronic subscriber in the world, in any case in this form, have been the first and last as it is now impossible to correct. To choose, I prefer the shape of the blog. For here, I can post first and then correct the faults. In this space of freedom, \"I publish to begin to correct,\" or even \"contradict me,\" to quote another great formula: the Baudelaire believed that this right should be included among the human rights.\n\nThen, finally, thank you for introducing me to the World reread my classics. They are good. And it confirms, once again, a good education management research: it is often more reasonable to act first and then understand.\n\nAugust 7, 2010\n\nFear, gasoline and symptoms of project failure (managerial) Sarkozyist\n\nFear Is a basic sense of human beings? Certainly. And just as certainly it is an object of investigation and research the most neglected by the sciences which are as yet proposed the conduct of the finalized collective action: management sciences.\n\nWhereas \"Sarkozyism\" is a project that continues to claim second - there is good management, based on performance in achieving the outcome - while playing with great regularity in this first sense, it is interesting to attempt to go beyond the observation that fear is fast in practice so ubiquitous that it would omniabsente in management theories, the problem certainly deserves a more careful inspection.\n\nFear of globalization, fear of loss of competitiveness, fear of job loss, fear of decommissioning, fear of others ... And then, of course, fear of death. The fears that are fractal objects, since they are at all levels in all areas and all times, whether institutional, organizational, and, of course, individual. And fear and its corollaries, or rather its reflection of loneliness and lack of confidence.\n\nSolitude, first: that rises and the first person who has never been afraid, and felt the immense pain of feeling unable to rely on oneself and the fear of not being able to exceed it. The loss of confidence, then, as fear always returns to a fear, a projection of unbearable pain that one can not say why but that paralyzes all, lack of confidence, of course, but also in the other, that other which simply to trust is a form of vulnerability because it assumes that its future is, if only for a small part, dependent on a (e) other.\n\nNothing but obvious in all this, will say it? Certainly. Nothing but the essentials? Absolutely, at a time when the fear and its corollaries, loneliness and loss of confidence are in various forms are the most characteristic and best shared, at least in our old Western societies. What do the scientific discourse, and especially managerial, this? Incorporating more human, consider the emotion. Yes, but why? But how? For what purpose? Serving what purpose? Acknowledge here, with the exception of marketing, perhaps - but in a rather distant and finally technology - a broad lack of thought that fear involves a managerial point of view: the loss of trust that paralyzes. Finally, this could be our old political economy that has advanced the most informative answers.\n\nWe forget how often and the Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments of vanity was the mainspring of human actions. And if the market is a marvel, it is primarily because it can contain the individual vanities, which can always degenerate into a war of all against all. The victory of liberalism has undoubtedly institutionalized the relationship between men, based on reciprocal compensation between individual owners of things. Fear to be driving while the famous confrontation of private interests which emerges as if by magic, in theory, the price for the exchange. This may for a time, although calm angst. That is now in crisis in the project \"Sarkozyist. Three ways.\n\n1. \"Work more to earn more and consume more .... Underlying the process of the sacrificial victim, Rene Girard has modeled perfectly logical mimetic desire that underlies the spiritual consolation to the act of market exchange. This logic of power and healing was found at once sursollicit\u00e9e tirelessly over the past two years while the technological conditions that they be allowed a continuous basis. All you can eat, all you can buy ... Certainly, the fear, so fear is still there: whether to give children what they want for fear of not being loved or having afraid to miss the bargain. The abuses are numerous. Obesity and middle classes of Western societies that run the balances on the net or in stores when the meal 1500 calories taken at MacDonalds. This constant search for calming fear leads, we know all too well, addictive behaviors, to a succession of phases of euphoria and depression are constantly fed by ever more aggressive marketing strategies and aggressive. The irony is that while too play with fire and fleeing into the consumerist illusion, the actors of globalization-tech market took the risk of sawing off the branch on which they established their power. Having formulated as unsurpassable horizon material growth alone, the battle for the conquest of property rights and a determination to defend them against all alone, the project won the 2007 election has taken the risk of a terrible backlash when the illusion would vanish.\n\n2. \"The tyranny of the sanction of the result.\" In 2007, it is reassuring, saying he would finally be a pilot in the aircraft, the ultra-rich, more and more, always had a vision, they were surd\u00e9dommag\u00e9s to reason, because that the world was very complex and that we had to accept that, to confront this complexity and protect us, they had to overpay. It was mostly (re) come to us. Especially. But that was before. Before the summer of 2007 and September 2008. Before we see that in our interconnected world, some are above the law because they suffer no penalty for end market (banks). They are \"too big to fail\". Or \"too high to bear, since they bear the so-called success (autonomy of universities), but have nothing to do in chess (\" the fault of the crisis, pauv'cons \"). So much the worse for \"growth with teeth.\"\n\n3 - \"The guilt of the performance.\" We know the logic of endless race after the performance: hard, return to individual responsibility for his actions lead him constantly in fear of not being efficient, prompt it to always be (re) drive forward to (re) construct its potential by inviting him to consider that the past is worthless because the only time to count. The logic has been completely dismantled by Richard Sennett. Note, however, how are (on) played now ancestral fears (\"overseas\") to regain control of the media agenda, and this with a solution (illusory) turnkey, of course. There may well overshadow the \"business\" as the obvious failings in light of the stated objectives behind - and that is still surprised that anyone could seriously think they could be achieved. And it also noted, more fundamentally, the astonishing paradox that being elected for five years, is by nature get out of the penalty system in the foundation of the ideology that is claimed.\n\nThe project was displayed in 2007 that a society based primarily on the fear and mistrust, feelings are intimately linked to a fear of others, in all its forms and to safeguard his individual interests, when referring tirelessly to the individual ego issues, for better or for worse.\n\nYou may not share this philosophy has merit, however it is consistent, and the results of democratic elections: respect the choice of many. But always call market ideology, as an engine of its actions, justification and legitimacy, without applying it to oneself, to say the least, the first principle, this is a very strange way of be exemplary. And count on a certain tendency to amnesia to continue, there is obviously a good short-term calculations (see IFOP poll on what measures would be acclaimed by the French) but could be dangerous in the medium / long term (see editorial in the New York Times).\n\nIn all cases, management sciences bear an ethical responsibility singular mind relentlessly leaders to their commitments and their results, and what the long term. For the exemplary only, held on this long term, creates the real confidence. No posturing tactics, stoking fears according to the interests and calculations of short-termist, and which are basically nothing more than an expression of helplessness ... managerial.\n\nAugust 9, 2010\n\nCreating Memories ...\n\nThe holidays are usually the time where you can indulge in some recreation leaving the nose sections of the handlebar \"scientific\". We took advantage of a few books to read while lighter, and indulge in some beach reading.\n\nI put this year three out of a suitcase, on loan from two friends with very different profiles. After having closed, here's how I think they are going to feed my classes this year, and some explanation of the reasons that will lead me to integrate them, for various reasons, in my bibliography for more complex (some) patterns mental students.\n\nThe first book I was loaned by an accomplice of some fiery exchanges tennis. Last December, he brought me so before a little \"game\" the biography of Andre Agassi, \"Open\" (Plon, 2009). That was several months she was lying on my shelf. And I confess that I was reluctant to plunge into, knowing that all I would probably never occurred to me to buy it.\n\nI did hear some echoes both banal and intriguing: the father's dreams projected onto his son, training to exhaustion since the age of three, taken drugs ... later. I saw everyone ciomme first few good reasons to orchestrate the marketing buzz. But some reactions were strong, and it seemed to go a little further. And above all, six months loan, now it was quite sufficient. It was therefore necessary to take the summer to read it ... and make.\n\nTo say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. There are flashes in this book worthy of a true strategist and best shape, a few \"examples\" of famous reflections on the essence of the paradoxical strategy and life, a few well-chosen formulas to share a conviction that is, for me, profound: the futility and the illusion of any hint of control beyond reasonable. Andre Agassi will probably not know, but it resembles that of the Chinese thought of the strategy (see the work of F. Jullien), we, researchers, operate far too little to renew frameworks of thought which would Yet as needed.\n\nFinally, the book closed, I thought we could certainly make him the usual criticisms: the transition to the industry \"business courts\" that Agassi was one of the most striking icons is largely ignored even if it transpires in some places. Equally, the biography does not resist the irresistible attraction of the American happy ending, even if it is here rather clever.\n\nMost importantly, I think I disagree with those critics who needed evidence. So, are evoked the anguish, tears, separation, pain, reconstruction, stops, despair, restarts, the reconquest, the euphoria, exhaustion, fear, despondency, withdrawals, redemptions .. .. and this, without ever falling into the AUO-contemplation. The challenge was for the least risky. All without talking about physical changes, properly astounding that our friend does not hesitate to mention, disassemble, diagnose. It is a rare intelligence and integrity in this beautiful sir. So much so that one sometimes wonders if he did not go looking for inspiration in \"Bad Lieutenant\" Abel Ferrara masterfully H. Keitel ...\n\nIf this book will remain the highlight of my three summer reading, but also because of its substantive problem: the share and to give up control and mastery in life. Tennis is in fact repeatedly called as a parable of life and can actually see some of the themes that occupy the professors of strategy or management control. Objectives and the shameless performance meet each shot, the uncertainty of other options that could be tried, and what each bullet, as forms of \"routinization\" and mental \"momentum\" where everything decides. And then there are the projects that meet the project-cons on the other. The other, ubiquitous simultaneously opponent and partner, who is always there, he called Connors Enroe Mac, Wilander, Sampras or the \"Poor Becker (whose ears hiss in many places). The alternative that we see and reach the top down, as they have been affected yourself ... before falling ... back then ... and down.\n\nAnd then, of course, remain etched these match points, he has only to win, you win sometimes, but we also lost, before losing the match itself, even though it was certain to have won. As these few bursts, data at the right time, in some decisive seventh game of the third or fifth rounds, the points that we ended up losing but we know they will bring the victory they have exhausted an opponent already tired. In short, tennis is a game, watched Agassi appears constantly in his non-linear dynamics (ah, the smoke cigars during a game, which at once paralyzed).\n\nThe man is as outsized as was the player. It is mainly a reflection of this beautiful passage from Kipling's poem: \"... if you can meet with triumph after defeat, and receive both liars an even front ...\". The book is certainly a rare and remarkable testimony. To put all hands, and particularly those of the \"managers\" who know no other words than performance.\n\nSecond novel were: \"How I wound up the century\" Flora Vasseur (Editions of Ecuador). As we do not duplicate, even on vacation, another friend \\- to my knowledge does not practice it, the courts - has slipped on my shelf this little book, obviously surprised that I would not be thrown over upon release . And as the \"open\", I left the \"novel\" slop lazily on my shelf for a few weeks. It must be said that I had better things to do than read a novel about one of my favorite research subjects since at least 2005. And then, without knowing why, I think he intrigued me.\n\nI started reading my holiday with him and soon I was amazed. This Madame Vasseur first that I deserve is suing him for \"plagiarism by anticipation\" in two respects: First, I have long cherished project of a novel that some of the popularization of research results into management - and finance - and who would thus play a few of the established genres, then, and especially, that Madame Vasseur was literally stung a few sentences that trailed in early writings. It's been quite a lot for a single lady ...\n\nBeyond the joke, the novel is remarkable. The refinement, reliability, style of writing make it captivating in every respect. Unable to discard, once entered into the dance. I must say that I was a player won ahead in view of the topic and all topics (trading rooms, the d\u00e9sencastrement finance over the real, widespread liquefaction processes, the haunting despair our affluent traders who have finally been the right men at the right place, that is to say, \"externalities\" of the dematerialisation of exchanges, to globalization, monetary policy of the Fed since the mid 1990s and the current displacement of the barycentre to Asia ... The human dimension naturally makes all this very lively, if not compelling.\n\nAnd then, with hindsight, two regrets anyway. The first is that it perhaps lacks the novel, the research funds that would have given him a whole other dimension and where I personally am curious to know the feeling of the author. The second corollary of the first, they are shortcuts, amalgam, some facilities - from the anorexia of the girl, through prostitution as commodification of the body that eventually leave the poorest in our capitalist society atrocious amoral together until the final redemption of the narrator.\n\nAnd I came away from this reading with a very personal question: Are these regrets deeply embedded in the novel form chosen by the author? If such is the case, it would perhaps explain that I decided, in advance, to abandon this project that I fed it some fifteen years ago already for him to prefer the horrors and risks of research and therefore PhD. In which case, I congratulate my choices: First, I would certainly not have the writing talent of Flora Vasseur then I feel I now have less certainty - and therefore a little no hope - that Flore Vasseur seems to me sometimes be.\n\nIn all cases, no remorse or regret for this summer event: the lady is always important to do things and I'll follow closely, and then his qualities are endless as I understand, from surfing the web, we shared common disinterest for the work of our new National dandy, Frederic Beigbeder.\n\nI turn now to the third holiday memories, slipped into my bag just before takeoff by the same friend who made me ill intentioned live the liquidation of the century: \"House and Philosophy - Everybody Lies\" edited by Henry Jacoby ( Blackwell). And I plead guilty immediately ignorance: I did not know the existence of this \"Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series.\n\nI admit I felt a certain satisfaction in thinking that the turning of an article published in our venerable French Review of Management, in a folder called \"balance finance and management\", I managed to slip a reference the Doctor played by Hugh Laurie try to get the message: that's what this damn diagnosis activity here and how it differs from the traditional analysis, which only delivers comments. This \"reference\" in writing was also due to some mobilizations during my course of episodes that I found that, after the surprise moment, it obviously aroused strong interest among students and presented a real virtue didactic.\n\nHowever, I am not sure that I will try to read the very short term the \"Batman & philosphy\" or the \"Simpson's & Philosophy\". Not that the book is bad, but I'm looking a little - and humbly - to the \"philosophy\" and I finally had the sense not to learn much. I am a little bored, except for the excitement of the introduction and interest in the topics of some chapters (\"Is There a Daoist in the house?\" For example). But almost all the titles of chapters, however, pulled a big smile ... such as biographies of the authors.\n\nAnd I think finally know why I was disappointed. The authors have clearly and deliberately, not closer to writers. They are thus missed out on the essential dimension of the series: a wonderful \"lesson\" of strategy, management, control. Because it is ultimately the management concepts that are missing from the book and make it so interesting series: identity, learning (individual and organizational) change and resistance, structures, behaviors, representations, rationality procedural with differential diagnoses, authority relations so complex in a professional bureaucracy, the tensions between expertise and authority, etc..). And then, of course, the fact that the series is, first, an extraordinary support to explain the difficulty and the art of diagnosis.\n\nAll this is finally tackled too disembodied, where it is. And it is actually quite rare. So I get out of this holiday with some ideas, including one on which I quickly put a copyright: the project is undoubtedly true in the design of a book to be entitled \"House & Management \\- Nobody changes\". I will quickly talk about some of my colleagues who would, I think, see an interest.\n\nP.S.: Thanks to F.H. and H.C.\n\nAugust 12, 2010\n\n\"The words and forms\" - Reflections on the paradox of \"presents\"\n\nI acknowledge the comments of Pierre Dubois, who writes a blog that I took a taste for several months - and I thank him without delay whether to read this letter. His action does not fail, in fact, generate, I am sure, many visits. I am delighted that the very fine article by Prof. Debeauvais know and echoes and have had the honor to participate in its dissemination.\n\nAs you now know if you browse the \"Articles\" on this blog, another text by Michel Debeauvais is online and a number of questions, designed to bring about exchanges and discussions. I will try to make my contribution to the future. Having, however, for the moment engaged in the development of chronic or texts on other topics, I prefer not too scatter me not to risk, not to tell that the trivialities that would not be worthy of the \"present\" and sent to me and entrusted for distribution.\n\nI therefore come under this \"ticket\", which builds on a nod to Michel Foucault to discuss \"the paradox of\" present \".\n\nThis blog, quickly opened many there are, I think, a year, was originally a simple personal page. A kind of CV improved.\n\nBy discovering, \"walking\", the trade potential that contains the Web 2.0 tool, I quickly turned into a teaching tool: it was, first, to put online a few links to make it accessible to my students references which I was requested. Gradually, I added some \"podcasts\" that I used to use in my classes (such as speeches or S. Jobs this wonderful material that is \"big talks of Paris Dauphine) .\n\nAnd then, little by little, the consultation of many fine blogs as diverse as those of Pierre Dubois and Paul Jorion, coupled with a visceral dissatisfaction regarding traditional methods of publication in my field, management, ended up my mind. Not, initially, for a Change \"blog\", but for different publications that would publish \"real time\".\n\nSo I embarked on a project, the project \"hyperbooks\" ripper that you can click on the tab in question. This allowed me to upload a manuscript that continues to toil to find which editor and I sweated for many months (euphemism). This manuscript was \"technoscience introduction to management\", which I give you below, and of course made \"anonymous\", a response received from a publisher who will give an idea about the reception he has known:\n\n\"Dear Sir,\n\nWe have received your e-mail and we appreciate the trust you place in us. We have reviewed your proposal with the greatest attention.\n\nDespite the quality of your work, we can not write your book in our publishing plan because even though it is very interesting and very high level, the sales potential is limited and does not return a paper edition .\n\nPlease accept, dear Sir, our sincere consideration.\n\nMs. XXXXXXX Assistant For the editorial board \"\n\nThe answer was probably legitimate. This project was perhaps unreasonable. I think that there are no fewer than twenty versions, very different. Then take the decision to publish the manuscript \"on line\" has finally released me, and it made me the most good.\n\nI could then work on another text, written during the holiday last April, and I put \"on line\" in the same way: Memoirs of Crisis (1): RAM - EXIT.\n\nAlain Caill\u00e9 friendship made me read it and the honor of publishing this text very quickly on the site of the ongoing review of Mauss, wonderful complement to this wonderful magazine he directs with such elegance. So I continued the adventure. I have published, always \"on line\", the other two volumes of this series which only the future knows what they will - they must be something such as \"objects\" are at least a bit strange.\n\nWith the third book \"Operating System - Voice\" I discovered the potential of new technologies. I therefore, a time, put \"on line\" on this blog with additional videos, inserted in the text. One time because I saw also the limit for the year could lead to a preference, ultimately, form over substance. I have therefore withdrawn. Such was the case, too, for a day or two I think, the second volume: \"ROM - Loyalty\".\n\nIn the end, these \"trial and error, and procrastination which they led, which decided the sequence of events. Because I was absolutely flabbergasted effects \"rack\" that allow the \"put on the public square\" without further consideration than trying to \"experience\" just for fun, just to see where they lead.\n\nAnd it's like this I saw the advantage to \"on-line publications that too often remain confidential and that I enjoyed the publication of information on several networks called\" social \".\n\nThe \"traffic statistics\" began to inform me that few people visit this blog - and I apologize here flatly with them for days spent testing several \"designs\" to conduct various tests and varied and even more so that they may still be others ...\n\nAnd then ... And then gradually released and questions about the future of traditional publishing in the \"review\", whose trials are so long, whose trade with the \"reviewers\" are sometimes so frustrating, I started to issue tickets mood about the world turning. I discovered that I could share some of my subscriptions through a few newspapers. I took interest and pleasure.\n\nI've seen mostly through experimenting with a profound conviction: the challenge of democratic and political science working conditions endogenous creating confidence in the face of uncertainty, management sciences. With all the ethical implications that entails, such as risk taking. So I continued.\n\nAnd I found that comments, often even encouragement, appeared. Some, from colleagues and friends, other people I do not know and that life may never give me the opportunity to meet. If I started to answer, I soon came to the conclusion that the most fun was simply to let these \"comments\" to live their own lives.\n\nAnd then there was this message from Prof. Debeauvais, inviting me to contact him. The consequences are well known now.\n\nThere were other, giving rise to exchange mails, criticism of some of these patterns in my publications, which will then in turn triggered - even (especially?) For criticism - some effects \"rack\". I did not expect so much and they could be the subject of upcoming publications on this blog when the author sees fit and he have me sent it wants to accomplish.\n\nBut the \"present\" by Prof. Michel Debeauvais was different, and like any \"present\" paradoxical.\n\nI was deeply touched and signs of interest and trust he has bestowed upon my little work, which'm (currently) a day, which does not last when the \"return\" will do its work. But I also measured, however, all the responsibility. For these \"present\" requires me.\n\nThe interest of the two texts he has sent questions posed in the mail that I published, logically arouse the interest of many. This therefore justifies the transformation of this blog in a space of exchange that greatly exceed the objectives I have this blog originally. The commentary reflects Pierre Dubois.\n\nSo, faced with this paradox inherent in these \"how to act?\n\nI leave the question nagging me since the receipt of mail from Michel Debeauvais. Should we return to more traditional practices, to simply participate in the running of a reflection - while participating - that was first and foremost devoted to the autonomy of universities? Or should maintain the original intent, which is a blog / journal enough staff, whose tickets are justified first by the idea that crosses at a time, the spirit, by the news Inconvenient and itch, the desire to share, beyond the classroom and traditional academic journals - which does not agree - some inspiration. And also, beyond belief, should we abandon the pleasure to know that I believe some work - not mine, of course, everyone else - and participating in their enjoyment of a wider audience.\n\nThe tone of this post shows that I chose the second option. I apologize in advance to those who would prefer that I retain the first. The invitation, however, is obviously always: if some wish to address contributions / responses to Michel Debeauvais, I will publish on receipt (jphdenis@free.fr)).\n\nIf I make this choice, also because I personally see an issue too important in this blog / journal and I do not want to waive for the moment, with its original intent. Therefore I will continue to maintain a high diversity in the productions.\n\nThis is about nothing less than to experiment, too, if new \"forms\" of action, thought, reflection, sharing, or \"transformation\" are thus made possible. \"Forms\" that my former supervisor, teacher and friend, Prof. Alain-Charles Martinet, judge they are at the root of my field of expertise, strategic thinking. For\n\n\"The form allows for the party to do under paradoxical strategy: general principles guide action necessarily contingent. For [...] it can be particularly careful not to miss the point and, according to Max Weber, to know what constellation impute a phenomenon (ideal-type). The shape is stable, invariant for a time, instructing the real. It is definitely an attractor, an operator of meaning, value, essentially heuristic.\n\nAs such, it does not exist is a set hollow to house the concrete (G. Durand). It works differently from the concept that defines, cutting, severed since polarized, agglomerates, attracts. It therefore has some flexibility while guiding spirit leaves the individual play, the uncertainty ... the imagination of the strategist. \"(Chapter\" Epistemology of the Strategy \", in Management Science and Epistemology, Oxford University Press, 1990, p. 228).\n\nDedicating this blog in one debate on university autonomy, do not feed as exchanges that will create the texts and questions of Au and Pr, it would take the risk of eventually being trapped in \"words and concepts, as powerful they are, on this topic alone.\n\nI prefer to continue to try to work this blog as a \"form\", perhaps inspiring to me and why not for others.\n\nConsidered together, the \"present\" by Prof. Debeauvais is the best encouragement that we can hope when we embarked on such \"adventures\" and \"experiences\".\n\nAnswer this short text on 'words and forms \"can be seen also as my first contribution to the issues it raises - how not to integrate the\" possible \"enabled by new technologies in our thoughts, both self- universities on the independence of universities?\n\nI understood your last post, dear Professor Debeauvais that across the years, we unite some attraction for the \"gay science\". Hopefully, by the ticket by the continuation of this project blog / journal, to show myself worthy of the trust you have placed in me by giving me some responsibility in the future of your productions. Just as I think you might find in the consultation blog in the future, some (good) surprises.\n\nAugust 13, 2010\n\nVariation on the topic : \"where do we go with the agency theory?\"\n\nAny person interested in the issue of corporate governance knows the role played by the positive theory of agency to investigate this subject. Similarly, it is known that all codes of good practice in corporate governance that have been produced over the last twenty years (reports Knob, Vi\u00e9not, etc..) Inspired. As we know that this conceptual framework is the very principle of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, drafted and adopted following the \"scandal Enron.\n\nCan be found in the following an excellent presentation of this conceptual framework, and what he owes to Michael Jensen: Charreaux G, \"Michael C. Jensen: the pioneer of corporate finance \"(in Mr. Albouy (ed.), The Great Authors in Finance, EMS Publishing, 2003). The author's website contains very detailed and impressive presentations, analysis and discussion of the positive theory of agency in general, its impact on management practices, and Jensen's work in particular.\n\nI now share an excerpt from a correspondence I had with several friends early in the academic year. I found that this extract deserved, perhaps, more widely, particularly for researchers interested in the topic of corporate governance. Happy reading.\n\n\"(...)\n\nSince few days, I walk on the net and I made some interesting experiments carried away with me sometimes hours late though.\n\nSo on Thursday I was walking on the SSRN network, and continuing to wonder why Jensen is at this point to work on integrity in his recent work, I was intrigued but this is Werner Erhard, presented as \"independent\", with which he now publishes and accompanying visibly in multiple locations (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=932255)?\n\nI confess my ignorance here and I am therefore directed to its website (http://www.wernererhard.com/).\n\nThen I am \"recovered\" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Erhard) to discover the past for less sulfur John. P. Rosenberg, seminars EST (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhard_Seminars_Training), held until 1984 ... but obviously very reactivated today (http://www.threelawsofperformance.com/).\n\nIt is, indeed, reading between the lines: http://www.wernererhard.com/threelaws.html\n\nAnd I found that this gentleman is still featured prominently, with landmark education, in the \"files\" of a commission of inquiry on sects (http://www.info-sectes.ch/landmark- education.html).\n\nSo I listened to his interviews, at length, found here and there on youtube or elsewhere.\n\nI am reminded that coaching is booming.\n\nAnd then I took a little scared, simply. \"\n\nAugust 15, 2010\n\nCreating a new category.\n\nSome may have noticed that I posted and then withdrew two \"items\": one that calls the action p\u00e9rsidentielle present, the other on \"new\" pyramid schemes, Ponzi. After having published, I decided to contradict a previous post (\"In defense of shells ...\") and thus subject them to this newspaper as chronic as I still enjoy both, although I sometimes rattle: The World .\n\nThis then prevents me from publishing these reviews on this blog, at least until they have been accepted or rejected. It's Sunday, and the response of the World will, I think, for Monday. So thank you to those who are directed to this blog to apologize for being wrong referrals. However they will be available soon. And thank you especially to see their interest.\n\nThese columns are worried about the news, and what theory coupled to some investigations and \"set link\" allows personal venture to decipher ... if nothing changes.\n\nWanted me now harness myself to a lighter note, dedicated to the \"future of the university\", wondering on the mobilization of expert academics. There is indeed some officials sometimes make me the honor of asking me to speak on topics of importance to their organizations or institutions, to seek my expertise so I would venture a few opinions. This was the case last week. I wanted to draw some lessons on \"expertise, advice and the academic\" and the comparisons between the \"sphere\" of the university and that which is in a class far too aggregated: that \"the company.\n\nI think that the weakness of this column may be off it is widely accepted that many academics spend a significant portion of their time to produce things for other institutions and organizations that the university which is attached to their ext. This column is also a way to begin to engage in debate with Prof. Debeauvais. But this column will wait a bit.\n\nBecause I'm immersed in reading since the incorrigible Pr Debeauvais sent me some new texts while accusing me of making constant reference to its title (\"Stop calling me Professor Debeauvais!\"). My answer has been that I am more familiar: the indiscipline prompted by respect. So, abandoning the \"title\" Professor of the mail exchanges, but keep them on this blog. In a world where everything would be, we must remind younger, dear Professor Debeauvais, the importance of certain \"titles\". It is my belief. Second way to begin to initiate debate on the \"future of the university '... who will question the concept of globalization seems to me that, in its most recent literature, but also from the \"memories of Vincennes,\" deserve to be questioned a bit more than it is. Naturally, this little \"side step\" concern, first and foremost, my discipline, the management sciences. I do not know if it would be for other fields of specialty ... But, again, this column will wait a bit.\n\nBecause these texts are first sent to me, the turning of \"attachments\". These dramatic lyricism. Some are still under development, but their publication is justified without waiting for the power they generate and the inspiration they generate, since the memories of the \"SLA\" interrupted through the memory of input resistance and camps, to memories of Avignon and Vilar.\n\nSince Pr Debeauvais suggested I consider them as free (re) production, so I do not \"resist\" not happy to share them by creating a category dedicated \"In memory (s )...\". At least that title does not suit him, what I know will not wait I'm sure, and in which case I disturb no qualms.\n\nThese texts taste first. They read and reread then, according to the affinities of each player, depending on the time required for each to penetrate the message. For this reason they will be put online gradually, rather than once (I program the publication each night at 20 pm, until Friday, August 20). This is to allow everyone the opportunity to take his time. And finally I only regret that my skills will allow me to better highlight that by publishing them as articles of this blog, which certainly does them no justice they deserve .\n\nYou will discover what is missing probably the most in our society today - cash, \"timeless\", quantophr\u00e8ne: the thickness of the memory that we have, more than ever, a huge need.\n\nPS: The evidence does not drag any control \"ticket\" or \"section\" of my hand until August 21. The texts mentioned at the beginning of this post will therefore be published Saturday, August 21.\n\nAugust 20, 2010\n\nIn search of \"new\" Pyramid Ponzi\n\nWe know the principle of Ponzi: in return for the windfall he made, one that affects the rivers of gold brought out by those entering the dance after him. It suffices to learn to wait a bit to get his jackpot. The principle is thus based on a double confidence: first in that no one will panic at the idea of being the butt of the joke and ask, therefore resume its implementation before the pyramid has done its work, then in that the newcomers will agree to return to dance, play the same game, to feed the pyramid.\n\nEverything is so famous in this trust, as it is, can yield very large, a minimum of high to a ratio of 8 to 1. But this pyramid, if it collapses, may also lose a lot, and usually in a panic quite staggering. That's why over the pyramid grows, the more time passes, the greater the risk of actually being the butt of the joke grows: the stakes are increasingly high, the patient becoming shorter, the uncertainty less and less tolerable.\n\nIn the case of Madoff, it has been amazed that people are also deemed to be fooled by this scam, as old ... Ponzi. We, common mortals, we smiled at the thought that many great fortunes will be made as any Peking pluck means. This satisfies our little egos individual appeased our taste of revenge on the more \"affluent\". At the extreme, we thought there were any justice in this world, since even the most privileged could ripped off like idiots. But we, common mortals, we are incorrigible. Because we, common mortals, we're just idiots.\n\nHow, indeed, did we not think? How could we believe that so many people so rich, so smart, so well trained and would be fooled? For what we have forgotten is that all good people know that a true Ponzi beautiful mountain is nothing more than a form of private bank, which surr\u00e9mun\u00e8re the capital invested by its investors. Who can multiply the new arrivals, attracted by the desire to grab a piece of cake, and so turn lead into gold, by sheer force of its attraction. And the more one contemplates, high, those poor who have no access. Because everything in this system is based on the selection of members into and that is all thanks to the confidence in the mechanism of co-option: Each entrant must bring two others who should get two others, etc.. And this with the sole principle to surr\u00e9mun\u00e9rer in polite company, safe from prying eyes, and - why not - to the tax.\n\nTherefore, rejoice before the scandal, which always happens at the end, it could also take his hat to this great invention that reduces the risk by playing on the trust and can afford to amass fortunes. The scams and scandals of small pyramids area, led by individuals who have never had either physical capital or cultural capital or financial capital to support its basic logic - the pyramid collapses when fast - are only small shrubs that hide the forest.\n\nThe real beautiful pyramids have always existed and will always exist. Moreover, the current outbreak of Apple stock, the incredible rise in real estate since the late 1990s, excess profits related to subprime before the fall of 2007 (to join the dance people can not afford the a priori what a beautiful pyramid pushed to the extreme) are the best evidence. And it should be noted that without the panic of 2007, B. Madoff sink now a happy holiday on his yacht, and its customers well. This game can be very positive-sum when everyone believes, but it becomes very negative sum when everybody panic.\n\nThe creation of a rating agency of China, which was quick to degrade the notes of the United States, Great Britain and France is the worst news that could happen to all the ponzi schemes that exist today in world. Because what did not understand China is that it is not transparent \\- unlike what we want - but the illusion that the reactor is the heart of growth in a market economy . Financial instruments are all based in fact, solely on trust. And in this area, it is to little.\n\nSo add a dash of pessimism about employment and growth in America, a hint of concern of the Fed ... You will have gathered all the ingredients for the cocktail explodes to the 30s again to FIG. Except that at the time, our grandfathers never imagined that one day could Hiroshima ... So glad I conclude this letter by writing that, for the first time, really, I have my research wrong.\n\nAugust 21, 2010\n\nMr. President, will you join me a few lessons of \"garagism\" ... ?\n\nThe French president was roundly criticized, even across the Atlantic for his speech at Grenoble, which followed the \"business\" for headline for several weeks.\n\nThe philosopher Benard-Henri Levy has seen in the action of the President of the Republic that prompted three errors to be corrected quickly. I thought I read here and there that some people in the entourage of the president, would consider his analysis of surveys which invalidated by his observations unconditional acceptance of French and his recent actions he proposes engage in September.\n\nI am not a philosopher. I have neither the wit nor the pen, nor the intelligence to point out the errors that might have occurred. I am a specialist in management sciences. Those sciences that I personally wish to be close up of the economy of \"plumbers\" that is often referred to my colleague, Esther Duflo, Professor at College de France.\n\nThese sciences, which I also personally like to define the \"garagism\" in a globalized and dematerialized society ... that \"managerialisation\" always more. The science which I believe, still personally that they are planning to work conditions endogenous creation (and / or destruction) of confidence in the face of uncertainty.\n\nAnd, as a \"garagist\", I can not bring myself to the idea that our President would be satisfied with a few polls that he knows the technical limitations such as versatility in duration. But what I fear most is any recurrence of some of the mistakes that research in management science was highlighted with great regularity for twenty years.\n\nSeen from the window of the \"garage\" that I am, I first tried to salute, before anything else, the triple talent of our president. Ability to survive \"the wilderness\", first, that are the lot of the great destinies. Ability to defeat, then, as a trap to itself as the sole candidate in presidential elections; talent to overcome so many obstacles to reach, finally, that a majority of the French decide to give him the highest of missions: one to embody the hope in our common destiny, which is played today in the world. How this would have been possible without quelqu'courage, quelqu'obstination, quelqu'intelligence situations? Certainly, if one ignores all the disputes, all disputes, all disputes, one is forced to acknowledge that this would not have been possible. And it is these qualities that are celebrated by exemplary management sciences as creating conditions of trust, so important in the face of uncertainty and complexity.\n\nBut the same confidence is still fragile, still evolving, still rebuilding. It also has the great defect of assets very perverse effects, to return the greatest forces in huge weaknesses. And I recognize the difficulties in the recent action of the Presidency of the Republic, the number of knowledge that has been developed by my fellow managers in France and elsewhere in searches in contact with these fabulous \"garages\" that are the directions General world's leading companies.\n\nOur president is indeed an extremely interesting case study for a professor of \"strategic garage. We can thus see a definite potential in him to integrate the importance of the paradox. This paradox strategist Edward Luttwak says that is the essence of the strategy (did he not deemed incorporated some ministers \"left\" ...?). Similarly, its action is felt in ways \"best\" to play with the effects of \"tension\" and \"leverage\" (\"a new policy of civilization ...\") to try to bring about breakthrough innovations, according to the precepts made by that other great strategist what Professor Gary Hamel. Finally, judge - perhaps too quickly - that President Sarkozy is a victim of \"zapping\" managerial \"would ignore that one can read in its action as hyper behavior are advocated by Professor Richard d'Aveni : to attack relentlessly those of his opponents ... and possibly learn precipitate the destruction of its own competitive advantages.\n\nThese authors and their works have played key roles to inspire some of the most important managerial innovations that have marked the end of our millennium and the beginning of our new century. They have the disadvantage of sometimes contradictory, which may explain, in part, some of the current difficulties. But they largely share the same premise: our twenty-first century is the century of innovation, thus the knowledge and therefore confidence. In short, they see our world first as intangible and feel that this changes everything for the management.\n\nIf I do not know if the management literature cited feeds presidential action, I am however sure of one thing: the work of Harvard professor Robert Simons, the new \"star\" of the research community in management control, are necessarily unknown to the presidential palace.\n\nR. Simons has spurred a revolution starting from the same premise: the era of innovation and the intangible, the best way to \"control\" is to accept a certain \"letting go\" ... and thus a loss of control. This is the prerequisite for free initiatives and unforeseen actions not envisaged a priori, and generate real (r) evolutions, that is to say those nourrissennt the real future growth.\n\nIf this system has literally revolutionized research in management control, because it took the cons-up vision, traditional, another Harvard Professor, RN Anthony. This view that the control should be designed as \"the process by which managers ensure that resources are used efficiently and effectively in fulfilling the objectives of the organization.\" Against this view, Professor Simons had words (very) hard. His main criticism could be summarized in a formula: \"Keeping Things on Track? Stupid! \". Understood: innovate, invent and create something new, the vision of Anthony is only to maintain the known. It can be a carrier of that disillusionment.\n\nOne of the best lessons we can draw is that of Robert Simons is the effectiveness of the action on the duration of control (re) question constantly ideologies - the \"values\" and \"standards \"- which are driven at the highest level by those responsible.\n\nManagement research has indeed shown, and again with great regularity, that faced with uncertainty the probability of success increases significantly by being \"dialogy\" between contradictory poles called for by his vows and Prof. Simons for which a militant, and for so long, Edgar Morin. Are not they indeed the principle of \"new politics of civilization\" that holds the same Edgar Morin?\n\nAnd the same search just as surely teaches that the probability of success declines when turning the old certainties and martingales of the past is the way in which you hope to address outcomes that are struggling or slow. Enron, Polaroid, Vivendi Universal ... are all examples of strategic and managerial failures that have their heart in the principle of believing in the quest (illusory) to reproduce the recipes that have a time success. In this area, the disaster are endless.\n\nThe most famous is perhaps now that Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Fed. Did he not acknowledged that his error has been essential for remaining a prisoner of his ideological belief in the ability of self-regulating market? We have paid a high price for this belief which became unreasonable and inefficient as it was fed balances. And yet we do at the beginning because the worse is, alas, to come. It would be good sometimes to think this beautiful form of Alexis de Tocqueville, the great \"garage\" if there is democracy in the Americas: \"The future, enlightened and honest judge but sometimes, alas, still too late \".\n\nWe advise so glad some nighttime visitors to consult the work of managers in the garage soon, not least when they go in search of keys to the success of the 2007 campaign of President Obama. For I know often the action of President Obama signs a perfect mastery of the management literature of the XXI century, which breaks through many respects with that of the twentieth. It is true that many of these major management researchers are of U.S. origin or nationality, many of them also come to us, one way or another, of the Harvard Business School.\n\nIt worries me so to think that our president could not to \"fight\" to weapons (managerial) equal. In sum, the American president would benefit from asymmetric managerial knowledge to his advantage. Or put another way, every time the two leaders meet, discuss and negotiate one with the tools (managerial) from the last century even though the other would comprise those of the XXI. \"The threat of deprivation of nationality\" cons \"a more perfect union\", search the error ...\n\nThe severity of the economic situation, the widespread distrust that has arisen in public opinion against all forms of authority, the situation is fraught with risks and dangers. The tragedies of history are there to remind them that they are still their best in climates harmful germs such as the one we know today. Because it feeds, first, the worst of renunciation. It is called despair.\n\nAugust 23, 2010\n\nOn Wall Street, \"Kerviel vs. SG, Wyser-Pratt vs. Lagard\u00e8re ... - Some thoughts on teaching and research in management.\n\nWe must believe that creating a blog maintained \"active attention\" (the \"heed\") dear to the psycho-sociologist organization Weick KE. Thus I discovered the blog of Philip Mouricou.\n\nI was delighted to discover his work proposed a typology of competitive strategies of imitation at the Congress of AIMS, held in June. It happens that I host the session at which he presented the information. This paper has also won the Roland Calori Prize achievement \"young researcher\".\n\nIf I got \"accidentally\" on his blog, because I planned to write a post about the movie \"Wall Street\" by Oliver Stone. I wanted to explain why I consider this film as a teaching and research of primary interest to the teacher-researcher in management. Having entered the keywords \"wall street\" and \"management\" in a famous search engine, so I was immediately redirected to their site. And I discovered that we share a common interest in this issue, which, with hindsight, is not very surprising.\n\nThis is actually quite logical, since I share his interest in the work on the imitation as a way of responding to uncertainty - particularly the school known as \"conventionalist\", which are constantly taking their distance from the economic-theories financial mainstream. But I put everything on a flat: where some see mimetic rivalry dear Rene Girard keystone we fail, I for one have no doubt that the mainstream ... to finally put their hands dirty in the real and go further.\n\nThe real question for management science is to work on the origin of the dynamic creation of the \"agreement\" to use the term mobilized by the \"conventionalist\" point I still think it is the angle -death theory. In the aim is that of management science - helping the confrontation with uncertainty - should therefore not be fooled by the feeling that gives greater intelligibility of the mimetic theory ... except at the risk of falling in exactly the same across ideological than those we described.\n\nThis will doubtless seem a bit obscure to the reader not familiar with the theories I have mentioned. And this justifies all the more that I book my own mobilization of the movie Wall Street \"situated\" education and / or research: it is, I think, quite different from that generally proposed. This will then give me the opportunity again to express certain beliefs about what it means to teach and look in my field, management sciences.\n\nThe work already done by Dr. Mouricou allows me to enter directly into the heart of the matter without making the film without making it abstract, without explaining the main points: this is all very well in the note he proposes . And so I can ask directly: the movie \"Wall Street\" Oliver Stone is a tool of education (but also research) as rich as, ultimately, little (evil?) Operated by the Management Sciences ?\n\nFinally, two quick apology, Introductory before starting.\n\nThe first concerns the character can sometimes be confused by this \"ticket\", especially for a reader uninitiated in matters of corporate finance, strategy and governance. It is complex to develop since it is here to offer A / R between video clips and written, without possibility to insert snippets into the body text.\n\nSecond point: sorry, too, do not always go into detail, this to better focus on the essentials. But it is difficult to write more tickets but to turn this into a real article. This could be considered full-term but would be inconsistent with the temporality that I assign to this \"adventure\" of \"blog\". I will return to the meaning of this \"adventure\" in a \"ticket\" for the end of the week ...\n\nThe apology prior asked, I proceed in three stages:\n\n1 / I will comment first extract the most famous film, the discourse of G. Gekko before GA Teldar Paper, and in proposing a personal reading;\n\n2 / I then propose that this film is primarily a tool of remarkable introduction to two of the most fundamental concepts of management science, intertwined and difficult to teach: the identity and uncertainty.\n\n3 / Finally, we illustrate the current problems within the film to understand the context of the business in 2010 by taking two examples: the trial Kerviel SG vs. the one hand, the \"case\" Wyser-Pratte Lagard\u00e8re vs. d other.\n\nI conclude by stopping on the implications for the management science of this \"replay\" that can make the movie Wall Street.\n\n1. Managers: forget \"Gekko\" and GA Teldar Paper?\n\nIf there is a \"thing\" in the collective unconscious generally, and especially managerial, film \"Wall Street\" which dates from 1987, is without doubt the words of Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) at the Annual General Teldar Paper.\n\nIt is here that the famous \"greed is good\" came out and it is defended with some mastery. This prompted the famous rat race \"greed\", as discussed since the implosion of subprime and elsewhere that haunts the beautiful introduction to the economy worries D. Cohen.\n\nThe thesis I will defend is, however, by the resumption of the relentless \"speech\", O. Stone has somehow transformed into Dr. Frankenstein where he wanted to withdraw, hindsight allows us to consider that this discourse draws on springs so powerful that he eventually served more the interests of the financial industry that it has not served (we will point elsewhere that this extract is the only film easily accessible on \"youtube\" it will be noted along with a special page is devoted to wikipedia ...).\n\nIt is true that, as has been described a thousand times, the rhetoric mobilized by Gekko worked just fine. Why the \"greed\" greed, would it not \"good\"? Is not the thesis of Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments to which the vanity is the heart of the action of men? Make a flat then leads invariably to be taxed to the best of \"naive boy\" (you need to grow up!), At worst awful collectivist \"anti-market\" and therefore \"anti-freedom\". The alternative market is, in fact, be deemed a form of \"dictatorship\" should be an authority to allocate resources \"rare\" when, as one would reject the premise founder of a spontaneous market efficiency due to exercise by each of his \"greed\" individual?\n\nBut this speech too out of context to comment on relentlessly, taking it as a typical example of principal-agent problem dear to the positive theory of agency, I think it makes a big mistake \" no matter that they talk about me good or bad, as long as they talk about me ...\". That's about the frame that you can borrow a few unsavory politicians (to me) to explain it would probably be good to stop talking, without further ado that the termination , this speech Gekko. For escape from this logic, and the nature of the man behind it, is not so simple. And you can not sweep it, I think he, with a wave of his hand: the information asymmetry to their advantage did not she allowed unscrupulous leaders to make abuse \" dominant position \"real? Similarly, the shareholder is not it sometimes be right to bearer of relevant policy choices?\n\nUnable to evacuate reasonably definitively that speech and his strength, I generally begin my mobilization of the film \"experiencing\" a rather different way: it is to disassemble and analyze the art of destroying the confidence to take power.\n\nThis requires the instillation of the doubt. Note also the intensity and emotion set by G. Gekko to call the \"big old\", and its fall on this beautiful country so mismanaged that are the United States. The parallel with the close-ups on the faces of shareholders, moreover, offers a striking contrast which gives the feeling of actually being in the presence of a political rally, with some listeners may be somewhat influenced.\n\nThis, of course, is not disinterested once instilled doubt, then it is to \"reclaim\" the trust his own benefit, according to the well-known strategy in politics - or elsewhere - the \"pyromaniac firefighter.\" That is why I personally like the dish needed to discuss this speech is that of a private detective.\n\nImagine indeed a detective who successfully enter your home and you would somehow forced to listen:\n\n\"Do you, sir (madam), what your wife (x) when you're not behind him (her)? Hypothesis: nothing. Perfect. So move along, nothing to see there. Second hypothesis and if (s) cheated on you, perhaps for years? Imagine the consequences: you have every chance of being the \"fall guy\" if he takes the urge to leave one day. It (she) has in effect an obsession with the bankruptcy of your union, you can pluck the more under the Divorce. And what will become, in the latter case? What is your future, Once you made you (e) account you have been fooled (e)? None. It will do more than your eyes and cry that your confidence and have demonstrated such naivete.\n\nTherefore, I suggest you monitor your wife (s) for you, for free. Just instruct me that I am committed. Besides, what have you got to lose? And can you imagine that if there is nothing to find, then you will be reassured (e) and that this will be at no cost because my services are free. Conversely, if there is something to find, so be sure (e) that I find. And in this case, my earnings will be painless for you: just a commission on what you return as part of the divorce settlement and heritage of those years where you were, first, blanketed (e).\n\nThis is the essence of the speech Gekko. Playing on fear and the fear of being cheated constantly. At the point of forgetting the motives which have led to marry one day. This manipulative rhetoric is well known, from unscrupulous doctors, veterinarians from the unscrupulous with their fees from vendors \"professional\" car used a little too greedy: it's always exploit the fear of the spring and trust, and since the dawn of time, the spring can amass fortunes. It must be recognized however, that recent events have not been on this theme, sparing some new examples ...\n\nSo although the meaning of the problem of governance, at least as it was defined by the positive theory of agency. By applying the \"greed\", the logic of confidence must logically take precedence over that, so fragile, \"trust\". Declare that there is a problem perhaps, is in fact already cracking confidence by pointing the risks inherent in it (cheating, betrayal ...). And that's how we play on the desire of possession to evoke fear of the future, and here is how this ends up degenerating into actual \"possession\" for fear of being possessed. This leaves more than provide a turnkey solution: surveillance, at best - that is to say in theory - to discipline, at worst - that is to say very concretely in practice - to punish . The implication take control and liquidate.\n\nWe can give credit to researchers, from naive to have believed too much in their assumptions may be developed to support today that it has worked for the \"good\" (see this paper that fail in the future, I am sure to fuel some debate in our academic communities). Recognize also that they were not necessarily wrong, that progress in governance were certainly to do. And that this has not been useless, far from it.\n\nBut in the field of management science, researchers, especially when they claim to speak the truth and forget to provide arms for uses tools unsavory and very distant from their initial beliefs. The \"corporate governance\" Business has been used for many purposes other than those that serve researchers thought: to safeguard the interests of owners who want, first, to invest their savings or pay for university studies their children. It could indeed be exploited by \"practitioners\" unscrupulous who saw a way to play the spring of fear and fear, so familiar to political science - GA-Teldar Paper does it not also think of a furiously political rally, at the limit of the sermon (\"mark my words would you\")?\n\nOnce this has been stated, one can argue the following: no general theory is possible in the field of management and only a good dose of general knowledge, knowledge of a few \"battles past, epistemology and history of ideas can avoid the excesses that lead all the bewildering theories when they are handled by a few talented illusionists.\n\nWe can then suggest to take a step back compared to citations \"mechanical\" in the 1976 paper by Jensen and Meckling. It may also invite suspicion vis-\u00e0-vis any theory \"isms\", including when she posed as an alternative. This is not (just) a matter of principle or ideological conviction, rather to seek to raise the debate, and we entered the real issue: the introduction that allows the film O. Stone basic concepts of management \"strategic\" that are the identity and uncertainty.\n\n2. \"The sun rises well to the east\", \"Lead is much heavier than straw. Wall Street or a wonderful introduction to the identity, uncertainty ... and thus the art of performance management.\n\nThe film deserves to be seen and reviewed. It is a treasure of monologues, dialogues, verbal jousting. Like a good book, we must invite him to watch several times in its entirety, and then cut out in pieces \", to grasp the subtlety and potential. Rather than \"starting from the beginning\", then you can experience a walk through history in order to detect some other issues.\n\nThus, the presentations of the film they are usually young Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) as a poor boy so naive, operated by the infamous Gordon Gekko. My reading is different: the meeting of Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko, is that of homo-strategicus face homo economicus-.\n\nI therefore consider that the real moment of the film must, it is this age-old question of the night time as there is the young \"Bud Fox\" Who I am? (See 1:08:55). The \"who I am?\", Which questions \"from whence it comes\" and \"where it goes\" is the best example I know of to pass this secret known to all managers: how strategy is first to want \"to watch them go\" to use a formula dear to Fran\u00e7ois Dalle - former CEO of L'Oreal. And this question of identity in the face of uncertainty, is one that is central to the work that leads homo-strategicus.\n\nThe main weakness of the face strategicus homo economicus-homo is to be constantly (re) question about his future, not to consider evidence, therefore being constantly in a dynamic of surprise. This posture is bad, the source of psychic tension. Homo strategicus is always a prey could be overtaken by the need to find some certainties ...\n\nHowever, homo-economicus is not stingy with those certainties. He, in fact, a definitive answer to the question of uncertainty and identity: to maximize what we can gather. We hear in this regard with pleasure his morality, brilliantly summarized from 0:32:20 (\"Gekko car ride). And homo-strategicus note can only accede to big, very big (see the scene from the purchase of the apartment \"(1:04:52)).\n\nIf the advice of homo economicus can give the impression to the young Bud Fox to \"free\" because he needs it. To understand the tensions he saw, he must indeed go back to the early debates with his father, 0:09:15 (the bar with the father \"), then go straight to the scene of the\" scuffle elevator (1:25:02), especially without stopping before the end of the \"arguing in the street.\" You do not resist, however, to make a special mention in the words of father 1:24:45; result show that has, unfortunately for the young romantic Fox is not completely wrong (see rupture from domestic 1:35:19).\n\nThe moment the most informative and most of the film to potential lessons for strategic management is probably one where homo-strategicus attempts to reconcile the irreconcilable, water and fire, labor and capital . He thinks convincing Gekko to accompany the adventure (1:16:48 stage, \"the airplane\"), scene ends with the final formula of Gekko: \"The falcon has heard the falconer.\n\nIndeed, only remains for the \"hawk\" to cover the range of \"private investigator\" mentioned above to board, upon the next scene, the various unions ... then let the young boss \"Bud Fox\", promoted CEO, exposing his plan ... Strategic alliance between capital and labor.\n\nIt seems possible, all seem convinced, except ... the \"blue collar\" pointing \"bag of tricks\" of the financier (from 1:23:22) in an absolutely brilliant game between Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen, that one wonders if it was not written by JK Galbraith. While there is indeed, from the incompetence of the boy to the famous: \"I defend these shitty bosses against the loan sharks.\n\nWe know the fall of this adventure of the \"Blue Star\", staggering truth when it reads it in terms of conceptual frameworks that have invaded the discourse and management techniques for 20 years and helped bring about a Office of Management strictly legal and financial. We must therefore watch over and listen and listen, the entire scene of \"lawyers and bankers, heard that by which it begins\" a CEO, it knows nothing \"(1:28:28), and then enjoy the company's financial performance in action: transforming the solid in liquid, \"the Mexican aircraft, for fairly weak in will,\" sheds, soon turned into amusement park, and then this valuation under IFRS pushed to typewriters! Can we finally better illustrate the work, and long ago by Prof. Colasse to update the logic underlying the IAS-IFRS and the issue conceptually, if not political, they wear?\n\nThis \"battle\" of labor and capital is finally assumed forcefully monstrosity of cynicism and realism when Bud Fox asked Gordon Gekko accounts (1:31:12). Again, everything is there. Since \"the story of Bluebeard,\" \"the mistake of opening the forbidden door\", the \"it has very bad end.\" And this company, the blue star, \"damn, poor bell!\". This company it must recognize that we so often forget to tell our students in the course of strategy it can also be seen first, actually, like: heritage, always for settlement, to which some have their eye actors driven by \"greed\" and that for them nothing less than the alliance of law and financial science (\"law and economics\"), without any real strategic theory also to oppose it, at least for now .\n\nI reproduce below then a table, photographed at the end of a course on Wall Street, taking as its starting point the son, including Martin Sheen and Gordon Gekko - the work of one hand, the capital of the other - consider similarly it is a poor \"blind\". That certain something to remember.\n\nMany other elements of the screenplay and dialogues can lend again, in-depth discussion. In particular confrontation with Sir Larry Wydman incarnation of finance probably responsible idealized his character (it must provide the \"happy ending\" end ...) but it is our duty to bet still on the possibility. Is not this also where funding C. Bebear been calling with great constancy?\n\nAlso, and perhaps most importantly, the mobilization of Sun Tzu in two places. And this memorable monologue Gekko that we can not think about that too (from 0:29:49, scene of \"sauna\" and the \"wardrobe\") and is reproduced here from memory: \"The small shareholders is like dart players in the pub. I'm not a player darts at the pub. You know why fund managers are always bananer by the index values? Because they are sheep and sheep are cut. Read Sun Tzu, the art of war. To win the battle you do not need to fire the cannon.\n\nThe young Fox read Sun Tzu, and we deduce homo economicus-is, first, a strategist. It has furthermore the great advantage of having a predetermined purpose and not be based on the calculation, ever, means of achieving it (see, again, the \"one day it goes up, goes down one day ...\", the \"illusion grows more and more your desire to possess it grows,\" or the \"they fired a hat top hat and the audience applauds,\" the \"you do not think we live in democracy ...\", but the simplest is to listen to these countless pearls of the best scene of the film, from 1:31:12).\n\nThis leads to the conclusion that the strategist is by nature a political animal: the uncertainty of purpose and identity that we will eventually be assigned that is the essence of any strategy. The rest of the film, turning the happy ending of course, has the merit to finish the main protagonists behind bars after a turnaround very \"strategic\" young Fox, now at last, perhaps boss.\n\n3. In the context of 2010 and the news of a film of 1987.\n\nOne could argue that the movie date. That these issues have been seen and reviewed. They are old as the hills. In short, why bother to write this note to tell such trivialities? I do not think arguments in support.\n\n2010 has been an extraordinary year for an observer (a little) warned. This is due to at least two highlights.\n\nThe first is naturally the trial Kerviel. I'll let you judge the similarity between the film's hero, the young Bud Fox played by Charlie Sheen, and I invite immediately draw a parallel line of defense chosen by J. Kerviel and his lawyers - that could be summed up in this wonderful formula that would wind into the sails of the hierarchical relationships of trading rooms, \"Gagneux you've been good today\".\n\nTo get an accurate picture, then go to 8:30:00 p.m. and then follow the evolution of Bud Fox, the office assigned to the evolution of its relations with coworkers, how it eventually becomes the boss, he can buy an apartment \"cash\". I was a lawyer, in charge of its plaidoierie, I probably mentioned in the text, some passages of Gordon Gekko. I probably forced the courtroom to watch some clips from the film ... And I noted that in the film, the young \"Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) ends up behind bars. But he knocked Gordon Gekko, too. But perhaps she did France import U.S. that what suited him, really.\n\nThe second highlight of this year 2010, the crusade led by financier Guy Wyser Pratte-cons group Lagardere. It gave me the opportunity to floor the second year students of \"Professional Master.\" I here the book about their year-end examination for the course Strategic Management:\n\n\"Subject:\n\nIn the late 1990s, the group Lagardere was present in three activities: Publishing, Military, Automotive. Its then leader, Jean-Luc Lagardere, the group defined as being present \"missals missile.\n\nYou are invited for an interview at the Directorate of Corporate Strategy group Lagardere, in the presence of Arnaud Lagard\u00e8re, General Partner of Lagard\u00e8re. The latter succeeded his father following the latter's sudden death occurred March 14, 2003 following a surgical operation.\n\nGiven your knowledge, you are asked to express your vision of issues facing the group and how it could seize it.\n\nWhat say you?\n\nP.J.: Excerpts from the newspaper \"Le Monde\"\n\n1. Lagardere announced strong results in fall LEMONDE.FR with AFP | 10.03.10 | 19h30\n\n2. Press and television: an end to dreams of \"acquisitions\", (edition of the World 27.03.10)\n\n3. \"The whole remains unclear about the strategy and the actual role of the boss of Lagard\u00e8re\" (edition of the World 27.03.10)\n\n4. \"The\" cowboy \"Inconvenient Lagard\u00e8re\" by Claire Gatinois (30.03.10 edition of the World) \"\n\nRespect copyright prohibits me from reproducing extracts that were used to support the work required but we will, as just reading the titles, they evoked. And, as an illustration, I can not resist reproducing the fall of the last proposed article in PJ:\n\n\"At Lagard\u00e8re,\" it does not mean that the initiators of these rumors have ambitions stock short term. If this is the case, we'll know soon. \"Regardless of suspicions, Mr. Wyser-Pratte has fulfilled its mission: to shake what he calls\" capitalism with the Father.\n\nA \"job\" he loves since 1974. In forty years he has chained the raids with varying success, the U.S. First, France and Germany next. He has left an icing in the Taittinger Group, where he was largely the cause of disengagement from the founding family for the benefit of the American Starwood. \"I think that Anne-Claire (Taittinger) always wants me,\" he says amusingly.\n\nBut it is in the shoe manufacturer that Andre has most struck the minds, having launched in the direction: \"Wake up, or you'll smell the napalm!\". \"Since then, I realized we could not say anything, he had to behave in France. Do not make the\" cowboy \", he said.\n\nSunday, March 28, the cowboy went back to New York, his \"hometown\", after helping to push up over 4% per share Lagard\u00e8re in a few days \"(from\" The \"cowboy\" Inconvenient Lagard\u00e8re, \"by Claire Gatinois, article in the edition of the World 30.03.10).\n\nNothing really new, so, actually, in sunny management: the case Wyser-Pratte / Lagard\u00e8re is nothing more than a way to rest the fundamental problem of governance as defined by the theory positive agency since the seminal article of Jensen and Meckling. And one can legitimately ask whether Wyser-Pratte operates differently from Gekko. But we are also compelled to recognize that the issues it raises and it raises the young CEO of the group are not without interest: the role and value of the group head, synergies between activities, whether certain transfers of Asset ... ability to carry on the legacy of a father, who was known for his vision.\n\nIn all cases, we can only admire the ability of reality to catch up with fiction, including 23 years later. And to think that the current CEO of Lagard\u00e8re not benefit him, fatherly advice and other \"disputes elevator\" that can be sources of some exemplary councils. So perhaps consulting firms have supplemented this absence and it will leave the reader, as we let the students (the examination was held, from memory, in the first days of April), discovered after his stroke line defense and the outcome (Provisional) \"fight\" (cf. \"shareholders Lagardere refuse to elect the financier Guy Wyser-Pratte, Le Monde, dated April 27, 2010).\n\nBut if we dared, one is tempted to write that it was probably possible to do a little better by mobilizing good literature. If we dared, we do deliver a good 16/20 for the provision of consulting firms for nothing, finally, is resolved to \"restore confidence without recant\" - a problem that I have proposed by way of corrected ... Because we could certainly do better by mobilizing good literature and with a little imagination. Come on, let's be nice, we would have 16.5: there is still this wonderful find, \"in tennis, I prefer boxing.\n\nConclusion.\n\nSome concluding remarks ...\n\nThe first is that, at this stage, I feel regret not writing this post \"earlier. If he had found, J. Kerviel could have it read to his lawyers. It would have been helpful, I think he, to take and argue the line \"responsible but certainly not (only) culprit.\" I preferred to produce a \"plea for a new covenant.\" But the adventure of this blog makes me think that to speak off, take the risk out of traditional patterns of communication. Pity, therefore, not having had neither the idea nor the time, in full academic year, giving it a try.\n\nThe second is that researchers may need to stop, if only from time to time, the crazy logic of trying to rehash the same articles and still not to be obsessed quantophr\u00e8ne that the ranking of the \"stars\" (see article by G. Charreaux and Mr. Gervais). The unintelligibility that results from the mass of publications leaves no other choice, especially for younger children, but to fall back on certainties always the same without further ado and no discernment their citation rates ... That is probably not safe.\n\nThe third point will be lighter. When I mobilize this film as part of my classes, I like to finish by participating in the teasing Wall Street 2, \"Money never sleeps\". The film is scheduled for September and I will go quickly. Because I have some haste to discover how W Stone has managed to capture two major strategic developments that marked the 1990s and 2000s - globalization and dematerialization of trade \\- and all those avatars that we as teachers and researchers in strategy, talking to my opinion far too little: relocation, outsourcing, asset widespread relief, weight off-Blian, the rise of emerging markets, etc.. Failure of extracts from Wall Street to raise two for now, I'm just generally not open for debate this interesting excerpt from a broadcast on Saturday night (although I do not, one suspects, many other interventions columnist \"star\" which earned him some \"one\" of our day) ...\n\nThen I mention all those who appreciate the emission of L. Ruquier but I fear they did not appreciate the subtleties of speech and references ... nor, even, the approximations (but we're on TV, moreover on Saturday evening). Then I invite students to look at the labels of their clothes. They usually discover \"made in\" fairly exotic: \"china\", \"bangladesh\", and a few others ... I conclude by saying that, not understanding what is going on too, everyone prefers, on Saturday night, thinking about something else. A bit like the old lady who has listened politely Gordon Gekko's speech at the AGM of Teldar Paper and which will eventually vote on its proposed resolution.\n\nThe discussions are usually quite sharp, quite interesting. Once the course ended, I told myself that I was right. That teachers and researchers in management must, first, to help raise the public debate by helping to open eyes with their own weapons theoretical and epistemological. In short, their primary mission is to remake, really, finally, the strategy.\n\nAugust 25, 2010\n\nFrom autonomy to independence Universities Academics (2): Lessons from ...\n\nThere are books you read and those we have read and reread it, and then those that did not read and can not read without a doubt. I maintain a relationship with Michel Houellebecq's strange: it is one of the few authors whose writings are, in my personal library, in all three categories.\n\nWhen I learned of the existence of \"extending the area of control\" via a television, there is probably more than fifteen years now, I am not rushed on, without really knowing why. However, I rushed to buy \"elementary particles\", a book that I devoured and I still hold in the highest esteem. So I rushed on Platform, upon its release. And very quickly, the fatigue began to emerge. I keep including the memory of being left completely cold front end to the slaughter, as indeed I was insensitive to the media debates on his stance vis-\u00e0-vis Islam.\n\nPerhaps in frustration, I then bought \"extended field of struggle\" which was, I think he left in his pocket. I have finally liked the convening of inequalities specific to the dynamics of the capitalist system to treat the desert sex of the author. I had already heard in the TV show mentioned above, and is, I think, what had attracted my \"heed\", my \"active consideration\". As for \"The Possibility of an Island\", the work may be behind, somewhere hidden in my library. I'm not sure. From memory, I have traveled a few leaves diagonally at my bookstore. But I think I've rested. And the probabilities is that I did not read and that I probably will not read it.\n\nNevertheless ... So qu'Houellebecq was a rather distant memory, although there has already revived not long ago, something changed yesterday.\n\nThe media buzz that always creates a literary season I had been informed that on September 9 was leaving the already famous \"The map and territory\". Houellebecq vs. Goncourt, Act III as the World title. But I paid a discreet attention, even if it revived the memory of the beautiful new U. Ecco on the same theme. And then, hyperlink hyperlink, I ended up falling relentlessly on our friend Houellebecq. Then I read the criticism, murders, his new album by Tahar Ben Jelloun. I also noticed that the privacy interests of Houellebecq's definitely a lot and I told myself that it should not be so obvious that it to bear. And above all, I landed on this text, \"die\", \"read on the internet\" as it is written in the newspaper article.\n\nWho knows why, \"are then\" returned \"my last two\" relationships \"with serious maintained Michel Houellebecq. The first is the use of extracts from the chapter \"competitive advantage\" platform as a subject of discussion for second year students of Masters (over \"strategic management and international). It must be said that students had indeed tried this little stab, they forced me, for the only time in my career, to give them a 20/20 oral collective strategy. They chose the case, \"Because group\" developed a scene showing an episode of House, to illustrate the whole set of dialogues with the millimeter scopes and limitations of traditional tools of strategy in the digital age. I was amazed this work, as had been the friend asked for the opportunity that would bring the eyes and judgments of the practitioner.\n\nWith a sample of \"platform\", they would be able to show what they were actually in the belly: it was nothing less than to find fault with Michael Porter and his \"competitive advantage\", mobilized by Houellebecq, for demonstrate the relevance of relative its conceptual framework in terms of field investigation chosen by the writer: tourism, and therefore the \"services\". Yes, the service, this \"thing\" that occurs at the same time it is consumed, so has no reality except in time of consumption, leaving only \"souvenirs\", which gives an absolutely fundamental to the front office, personnel in contact with the \"client\", which requires the activation of goodwill of both sides to happen anything ... The problem was therefore, obviously one of those that I like most: that of the intangible. In writing, the best score was, from memory, 17/20. It took us anyway to a 18.5 average for the student (e) question (e). Knowing me, hat!\n\nThe second banking relationship with Michel Houellebecq is not on about but on speeches, mobilized as support last year for my course on epistemology of management science. I have not read either - despite the interest aroused by the issue - their \"public enemies\". But I remember being very interested in the potential support of discussion and exchanges that could represent this program for a course in epistemology.\n\nSo I played it back all. And I remembered why I liked the beginning of Part 2. And Part 3, especially to 11'30 and 12'28. And then this part 4, and these moments are memorable 03'40, 05'55, 08'30 (I hope not to make mistakes). And what 13'43 Part 4 followed, in Part 5 of these \"moments\" to 01'00 and 02'50 and 03'28 jusqu'\u00e004'45s. Finally, the best is probably to listen to everything, without getting lost in the maze of seconds. Although, not to saturate the \"ticket\", I inserts the parties directly concerned (the eight parts that make up the show in its entirety are readily accessible by clicking here).\n\n Michel Houellebecq et BHL sur France 2 Part 2\n\nenvoy\u00e9 par nleoo. - Films courts et animations.\n\nMichel Houellebecq et BHL sur France 2 Part 3\n\nenvoy\u00e9 par nleoo. - Futurs laur\u00e9ats du Sundance.\n\nMichel Houellebecq et BHL sur France 2 Part 4\n\nenvoy\u00e9 par nleoo. - Futurs laur\u00e9ats du Sundance.\n\n Michel Houellebecq et BHL sur France 2 Part 5\n\nThe exemplary invites himself on many occasions, the concept dear to me. Setting an example is presented as a source of inspiration and courage, I agree. It has its origin in forms of \"gift that forces\", I agree. It would maintain a certain relationship with religion, I willingly concede.\n\nYes, although I am not interested usually very far to the work of Bernard-Henri Levy, then I remembered why this issue was represented to me a nice tool to do some teaching innovations, to introduce students to epistemology of management science, debates positivism / constructivism, presenting the issue of exemplary. Yes, the dialectic of \"positivism\" logic on one side and \"commitment\" based on the exemplary nature of the other is an idea that seemed very wise to dig.\n\nThen, once there, I tell myself that I will finally realize the promise I had made at the time ... before thinking about something else: read \"public enemies\". Because, basically, I think both, in their respective positions, in their references in their theses, my problem. And it will soon be time to try to think why.\n\nUntil this, I imagine that it will consider the nature of the link between what has been told and the title chosen for this post. Perhaps none. Maybe not. But since it is by writing a note in which I try to help (a little) to the thorny debate over the \"future of the university ...\" ; Because I want this ticket mark, somehow, an end (perhaps temporary) to the adventure blog, since it is on this occasion that awoke these \"memories Houellebecq,\" and then for a thousand other reasons ... So I told myself that it was not worth the blow to change the title of the ticket originally planned. And this, even though I've thought a moment and thought to integrate into the category \"passing ...\". Before judging it was definitely better here, in the \"future of universities ...\".\n\nSo, unless further setback the same order, which would justify another trip to unforeseen insert the text on which I worked initially with number 3.\n\nFrom August 29 to September 03\n\nThe autonomy of universities to the independence of academic: Act III, Scene 1-5\n\nThe academic year will be effective very quickly now, catching up with the defenses of memories, the second recruitment sessions, the first course for students already \"returned\" (alternate). So the time has perhaps come to look back on a wealth of lessons.\n\nIt is always difficult to date the beginning of an adventure. Perhaps the philosophy is well summed it by one of the first reviews on \"the independence of academics. I think especially that I already have quite faithfully traced the \"pathway\" at the ticket on the \"paradox of the present\".\n\nIt is true that in any \"adventure\" in any \"trip\" there are \"moments\", unpredicted come \"way\": the publication of the note on the university, relayed as a chronic \" lemonde.fr \"will therefore triggered the receipt of the text of Michael Debeauvais and its\" memories of Vincennes. Wonderful time, followed by several others over the arrival of his texts, now transformed into \"hyperbook.\n\nThe simple idea that if I spent my summer something else - writing the next article, for example - this meeting will probably never would have occurred, yes, all this confirms to me immediately that this experimental approach worth it. First return to a multitude of experiences and lessons.\n\nThis \"encounter\" with Prof. Debeauvais accompanied by four themes of questions on which I am committed to give my opinion ... so I thought, initially, that the time had perhaps come. The task also \"complicated\" by a comment from Pierre Dubois reproduced here: \"young researchers (PhD students and neo-docs) in humanities and social sciences, economics and management interest they have to immediately publish their results line (to make themselves known to participate in public debate), or do they benefit (of works) to wait to publish in a journal labeled AERES, even what their results are dated, obsolete? \"\n\nA note on the \"future of universities ...\" therefore became increasingly difficult to avoid. So I myself am attached.\n\nI started by asking some \"precautions\" as it should in our business - unable to deal with all issues, their eminently subjective, etc.. Then I tried to question the current trend of universities, I tried to formulate questions about their fate, all without losing the thread of my initial problem: the adventure of this blog and will to do this, too, some feedback on experiences.\n\nThe process is difficult, I decided to call to free the process of writing, a fellow with a thousand faces, a kind of \"peer\" imagination: I needed to be heckled, pushed into my corner, and shouted at criticized. I note also that I must speak of this \"formula\" than my PhD students who \"struggle\" to liberate their pen. It is over this \"argument\" with the \"peer\" I have (re) thought \"Houellebecq\" and said it deserved a ticket.\n\nAnd then, exchanges in trade, words into words, lines into lines, I started approaching 8000 words. No doubt, it was so unreasonable as to what ought to be, anyway, a \"ticket\" blog! I think especially as I wrote at length, many ... too. And then I finally find that, on the university, the points I raised issues that had already been better expressed elsewhere by others. So why not simply refer to these contributions: here, here, and here for example?\n\nTexts that know each other perhaps. Texts to be discovered, otherwise essential before it can commit serious reflections. Especially texts that open the debate more than they conclude. Texts that I consider important, particularly when establishing a few \"truths\" of common sense and thus contribute to the magnitude of the projects I've ever seen personally in the work of the intellect least provide answers that help raise the debate as Hirschman would say.\n\nWhat about my relationship with my \"pair\", became the most reasonable redoing everything, ie keep only a few \"good lines\" that can be found below, and know, as in the trial of any serious research, throw everything else into oblivion for more rework, again and again.\n\nWe therefore read below why this blog has been \"activated\", for which tickets, helping them back, will probably become more rare. Above all, why I want this blog becomes a \"medium\". All these points are discussed, with great pleasure. And as we said in our fields, they are those of the author. Could it also be reasonably different when it is the responsibility of working knowledge?\n\nTHE MEANING OF THIS \u00ab ADVENTURE \u00bb.\n\n\\- \"So what is this blog thing, my dear fellow? And this thing, the\" hyperbook? And this button to donate? \"You give charity now, hat,\" that is glorious! Z 'are gone crazy or what? Z'aviez nothing better to do with your summer? Password again the idea that they reflect the fact that in the field of management, the books may have value for scientific publication in spreading wider and perhaps more consistent with the epistemic project of the discipline of the traditional items ... But now you are and stuff! you we are playing at Debord ...? You want to Goffman scene to ...? Looking for your fourth hour of glory ...? You prefer to enter into a process of \"star system\" rather than playing the normal game of \"reviews\"? easy not to submit to the review! To refuse the contradiction and to better afford to say anything! Like your stuff on \"ponzi schemes\" '\"And do not give me the shot told me you wanted to practice some here lessons from the \"general course of mediology\" Debray! Ah no! Hein, because you know that \"play\" and the scientific convention is not without risk ...\".\n\nDear \"pair\", let me tell you that your similar admonitions furiously to \"hot issues\" of viva ... or HDR! So I would not insult you to forget my experiences of defense: First collect, exhibit, then, that we understand the criticism and it was based, of course, since it is issued by a \"pair\" distinguished, and then, especially, to strike back, always.\n\nSo, dear \"pair\", so let me answer you point by point, and this without entering into a substantive discussion about the general mediology: we are debating here that some experiments and lines produced on a blog I can not understand a reviewer for Administrative Science Quarterly!\n\nSo, point one, this idea of \"blog\". Post is already wanting to make public, right? Good. So I'll answer by force of numbers and you sprinkled some \"slides\" of \"defense\" ...\n\nYes, you saw 416 unique visitors on August 24, who viewed 865 pages, this is what I say the statistics ... Continuing: 1779 hits \"unique\" since 1 August 4973 page views. And yet the month of August is it not finished because my \"data\" stop at 24! Then I return the question: the experience she does not deserve to be at least attempted? That would it not once, anyway, despite all the limitations inherent in the exercise and on which I shall return, to try to share some articles and views of substance with the many?\n\n\\- Allow me, dear colleague, may interrupt immediately. And I will answer you immediately between other figures: Jorion, he enjoys several hundreds of thousands of monthly visits, I believe it! So, nothing to be so proud! And then you think I missed your ride, the biases that you have brought: a good number of those visits have not they been raised by some writings placed in the right places? Lemonde.fr I read, I'm connected! And playing on the topical to slip a few comments in the form of links Mediapart, here is a bit limited, is not it? Moreover, they were very kind not to cancel your subscriptions! This is what I did for them .. Finally, allow me to estimate that the problems you hope to address some of your texts were at least allusive, as in this \"family business\" ... Doesn't it invalidate all your approach?\n\nWhile I readily concede, in our attention economy, I went looking, sometimes the attention where it is. But something tells me that the \"game\" to which I am trying with this blog since mid-July, just to try a \"speaking\" a manager in the public debate, so this game could well have some effect. And this even if the players first came out of curiosity, a curiosity that I actually sharpened or shunted from time to time ... But, dear \"pair\", we are neither one nor the other choir boys! Just as we are not ignorant of the fact that research is primarily a combat sport. You contradict me on this very point that I was interested ...\n\nAnd let me also open a parenthesis here, take this opportunity you offer me to push one step further my \"defense shells ...\". This \"blog\" which I describe as super-blog, it does not participate in these forms of procedural rationality which is taught, according to H. Simon and J. March, to produce something a bit unpredictable channeling behavior, directing them, guiding them. Here, to publish, then go back, rework, to make corrections? The inverse of a simple contemplation egocentric - I knew you like I can reassure you - the book appeared in bookstores or article published in \"magazine\", is not it?\n\nAnd let me take this opportunity to finish the ticket on our \"best enemy\", Michel Houellebecq and Bernard-Henri Levy.\n\nAnd you say that is the reason why our two \"great\" writers, the best self-proclaimed enemies, then, bother me: both alike are probably too high in our virtual economy where the \"winner take it all \", to be considered truly\" exemplary \"in their remarks. Their lack of thought that publishing industry they are also products, which now is confined to debility most confounding, is the most crass cynicism. In both cases, on behalf of the exemplary managerial, would it not matter to sue them?\n\nSo, imagine Houellebecq watered bottle of champagne with her boyfriend Beigbeder \"cursed\" in some night clubs of Moscow, which now makes me wonder. And BHL, sunglasses on his nose in New York, which holds forth endless boasting of her bundle of references - it looks like a bibliography of doctoral thesis of a young \", that leaves just as dreamy ...\n\nWriting this post will therefore initially not been useless for me: I just save a few euros for the acquisition of \"public enemies\". For this is a good book that I will not buy. No way to play the game - I know too well - to bring together the \"value\" in a publishing industry which they are first \\- and besides with a persistent refusal of the critical me is so expensive - the \"hyper-winners\" ...\n\nI hope this leads, at least sometimes, a few ethical contortions. This would be the least of things. And let me tell you a secret: if I ever chance to meet our writer Michel Houellebecq, who calls the \"Stooges\" in the excerpt that I presented, I would remind him happy attitude of the leader group at the time, dear Iggy Pop.\n\nIf we were in this place that I respect so much, this beautiful French university, if not decency forbade me, I would say that I would gladly do what the singer was the hippies of the time, sprawled at his concerts by saturating some smoke illegal: he jumped from the stage, down into the \"pit\", and hitting them - sorry again my words are being displaced, I agree, but what else? - Some of those good old kicking ...... that challenge the ideas clear. As for BHL, I note that some have already occupied him a few cream pies to bring it down to earth and remind him that existence precedes essence, these are acts that underpin the exemplary , not words ...\n\nI also note that both alike, prefer to avoid the beautiful logic of the legal confrontation. How I wish, however, be assigned by them ... For having a bit of experience in this area, I would take a real pleasure to make them taste the subtleties of legal reasoning that they look so much fear, one as the other. I am convinced that it would give them the most good. But I might as well give them a little of the manager that I like psychotherapy may dispense from my office to our friends at the Versailles Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00e9s districts and other \"favored\".\n\n\\- You get lost, my dear colleague ...\n\nWithout doubt, please forgive me this digression, I fear, however, to forget if I shared it.\n\nSo, back to your questions instead. And since my \"subscriptions\" look of worry, know that I made a bet that seems reasonable in the newspaper industry, the bargaining power of actors is it still so high that newspapers could afford to cancel a subscription without other forms of trial? And then, in these comments that I addressed, was there no bottom?\n\nNow, I grant you that you ask of course the real issue: the \"quality\" of these \"visits\" and, especially, the degree of attention of \"visitors\". Have they read the entire blog? Do they come as they are quick to look elsewhere then bring, without consulting the links without reading the other articles, without consulting the pages? In short what is the quality of their attentiveness to what is written? Good question, so - thank you for helping me to make you ask me!\n\nGood question, therefore, to which I hasten to answer bluntly: have you ever felt the same questions with the articles you've published in magazines? How do you think, seriously, there are articles that have referred a transformative? Is there not also some quotes from convenience, staged at the Goffman? The real question seems to me there is to know if this is the essence of the content, or if it is a way to mask the emptiness of the way, the issues and projects?\n\nAnd let me continue being politically incorrect: we do not, researchers in management, things too important to share with the public to stop, if only from time to time with this game Widgenstein considered - but I am speaking from memory - it only served us entregloser in polite company? At least, I judge that we change the \"slides\" powerpointis\u00e9s ...\n\nIn short, you will understand, I played the probability - which I hope can be at least 0.5 - the volume of hits that would end a few will, perhaps, been intrigued. And this little number will, perhaps, is the effort to active attention to read the links, listen to videos, take a little of what we miss so much time at all.\n\nSo yes, I think that this adventure can play a complementary rather than the traditional format of publications. Probably not better. Maybe not so well. Just another way to \"go public\". But you're right, the risk is not negligible. And it allows me to give you a clarification: I will not enter this blog every day, or even necessarily every week. I think it could become, first, in support helpful. And in this aim, the overabundance of items, continually awaiting the \"next\", so this could prevent the previous consultation. But the news is so provocative that I am afraid in the future on some occasions not to meet this commitment.\n\nBut I believe that the \"mission\" that I assign to this blog / journal is now complete: I have shared many ideas I never would have otherwise publish in this long time is that of the scientific intent. And I look forward now, who knows probably more than you and me about the value of a blog to encourage the active attention ... But at least I can start working on new ideas. Is not it more interesting than rehashing always the best way to publish my ideas? The risk of not longer than stuttering seemed, in any case, significant enough that I undertake, the course of a summer, otherwise.\n\nON THE \"HYPERBOOKS.\n\nI turn now to item 2: \"hyperbooks.\n\nThere you will have noticed that the world is spinning as fast as he finally bit ahead. This did not deserve it not be said without waiting for a publisher to publish deign by traditional means my impositions, including \"memory crisis\"? Moreover, on this last little, you've noticed the title of \"Volume 2? \"ROM - loyalty. With the problem \"racism\" as extreme loyalty ... Written in June, I do not think the news of the summer I would like a nose-thumbing its such a joke, such a set of \"words\" and \"evil\". Staggering, no?\n\nSo yes, I am more convinced than ever that it has been good to make it public immediately ... And for once, the transmission dates Smashwords versions will witness what all this was pretty much a foregone conclusion! But this does not now, a possible transition from the traditional publishing channels. I just decided at the beginning of summer, not only revive the issue of \"return\". Is not my right to do so?\n\nNow, I also recognize that many questions remain: Do we really read a book \"on line\"? Without having first desired, carried away with itself, without the leaves in a related subject, the book? Can one read \"really\" - implying, as it should read, that is to say, pencil in hand? Yes, I admit, this question remains open. I note however that I am not the only one affected by the problem ... I imagine that this same question all those involved in the publishing industry is the pose, as these \"new entrants\" from Cupertino, or elsewhere ...\n\nBut I would also remind you of something. Impossible, environmentally speaking, to maintain our consumption of paper: the trees of the world be enough to power two years of Chinese reading at the rate of the average reading of French. And even as we read far too little in France ... As a good strategist, \"you know like me that is the dynamic\" environment \"necessary to the arguments, which are also constraints that must know (to) play, which calls for new forms of experimentation.\n\nLet therefore consider that, if all this is beyond us, even expensive, this does not constitute a reason that would justify inaction. Can we test some of these strategic innovations that we love to teach? Why not work on new ways of creating value (s) to see if the horizon, approaching leave some \"blue oceans\"? After all, the shoe should they always be the worst shod?\n\nESSAY ABOUT (E-)DONATION.\n\nAnd I am therefore quite natural to item 3, the \"donate\".\n\nI note that this seems to cause you pain. I understand, of course, your anxiety, which probably justifies the irritation that you experience and allow me to rephrase as follows: is there a risk, not least, this may be misinterpreted? I could give here the feeling that a university professor would alms?\n\nTo this I answer, perhaps ... Except that I do - which does not seem to be your case (!) - The challenge of culture readers. Those who understand that we are to see what gives \"Mauss\" in the XXI century, in practice. And do not tell me that the game would not do the candle, the news you bring a scathing denial!\n\nI am confident because you know perfectly that the two problems are on one side, bulimia gorge illegal downloads hard drives of computers well beyond what can be read or listened to in a life and , on the other hand, the general lack of curiosity which show more and more \"young\" and less \"young\", including among our students.\n\nWith respect to the research, so that curiosity is the first quality, I am amazed these articles now available in real time. I can not help but think back to that time that I knew - excuse the side (already) Veteran! \\- Which was required for the texts, namely the expected, desired, this brief time, not so old that the consultation was not easy ... This effort contributed to the work of (trans) formation of the young researcher. I see less and less to produce.\n\nThis, at the risk of sounding reactionary, I think dramatic. The brief stay at the ENS that traces Debeauvais Michael is a pretty introduction to share this problem, this desire for knowledge that we must return. For we see every day in our operations caused damage at all levels by all-free, fully available all the time, immediately: shameless plagiarism, bibliographies extension, multiplication references \"bracketing\" and finally , general loss of critical thinking. Journals Anglo-Saxon \"starred\" are also, in my view, not free from reproach in this area, helping to drive the dynamics of mimetic rivalry drama. So my idea is quite simple: can we help educate? The gift paradigm is it an effective tool to achieve this? Give first, thus creating the conditions of the obligation to receive and spread, through the \"gift-cons\", that of \"surrender.\"\n\nI see an imperative in our ability to resurrect these forms of learning among young generations, just as it is important that despite the legitimate democratic aspirations through our societies, the importance of an aristocracy of knowledge represented by \"securities\" and \"status\" is assumed and reaffirmed. We are far away. The copyright should continue to mean something ... We must teach it again, I am convinced, out of the idea that everything could be free, perhaps r\u00e9impulser logic compensation inherent in commodity exchange by making practice through the prism of gift-cons and recreate the relationship of trust.\n\nWe know only too well how the populism all were first drawn their strength from ignorance and misunderstanding. Should we not do anything against it? And even that would not disown guerrilla D'Aveni is conducted after all forms of \"expertise\", all cons-powers at all levels? You know me as though things do not apply. We must reaffirm, higher, stronger in the age of technoscience.\n\nYou tell me that I did not invent anything, only a few cynics anarcho-capitalists believe that a society based on the exchange could only merchant. That in fact it will never be nothing, since the exchange between people will always bear the stamp of relationships based on price, coercion and the gift. That's all about the respective roles that are granted, politically, these three terms. That too believe in a form of relationship to the exclusion of others, we always end up flirting with some dangerous ideological drift. I admit, but one thing to say and teach, that's another thing to do practice. And in any case I note that the policies have seen the interest to update this logic ...\n\nI also see an issue potentially \"therapeutic\" in this exercise of gift / gift-cons. Something that might approach the payment of its meeting by the patient during a \"psychoanalysis\". For reading, is it not also engage in a desire to put at risk what we think? And I note that this is, indeed, one of the great strengths of strategy consulting firms: they know that they are more expensive, more likely they are to be listened to and heard, the more their expertise is followed up. Without going that far - the abuses are obvious - the gift / gift-cons can not recreate this kind of logic?\n\nThe beauty of this book have meaning only if the active cooperation of the reader. This requires, as we know, an effort of concentration and thinking we are all becoming less and less capable. Then, return the gift / gift-cons can participate in dynamic impetus to others? I do not know and finally offers to Tocqueville, to expect this judge \"informed\" and \"integrity\" is the future.\n\nI finish my argument on this point by stressing that the issue of donation found a very new news related to technology. It fits clearly into new practices (platforms \"gift\"). The risk that new \"smoke and mirrors\" are thus created is obvious, but this return to the news of the gift seems significant enough in practice for a researcher in strategic management from taking, in turn, the risk of some experiments .\n\nFar from being of judging the risk of displeasing you, allow me to confess my curiosity rather morning impatience with the results of this \"experience\" of the (e-) Don: You know how much I try on vouchers and experimentation is, whatever happens, the source of knowledge. Basically, we do not so easily rebuilt the \"superego\" 'the scientific intent that you know, dear \"par\", so represent.\n\nAnd let me finally emphasize that experiments are already numerous enough to justify trying out new ways to generate knowledge that could not be without impact on our scientific intention itself.\n\nNote: Learning technical possibilities ... is made by walking.\n\nThe \"donate\" has been replaced, thanks to smashwords by a \"reader set the price. The logic is, in my mind, identical.\n\n\"BLOG AND ADVERTISING.\n\n\\- \"At least you will not fall into the trap of display advertising ...\"\n\nIt amazes me that this has escaped you. And I discovered that you have not visited this blog with the attendance that I thought ... At different times of this \"experiment\", I sometimes inserted advertisements ... before making them disappear. I actually preserved ad links at the bottom of articles. So, as I am sure you will check this minute, let me give you without waiting for some explanation.\n\nOn the \"flyers\" advertising, first, my question has been simple: how advertising is likely to create as \"income\" for keeping a blog? Advertising Is not the current issue, and clearly assumed, as google the iPad? And to understand the issue, what better research protocol than to insert myself?\n\nWhen the first ads appeared, it was humanitarian foundations, and this has not caused too many ethical questions. But when institutions have emerged as \"revolving credit\" when the screen was saturated with \"online poker\", the \"video games on-line and playing on other sites rencontre des solitudes,\" so my protocol research was a bit complicated.\n\nOf course, I credit my \"players\" not to be fooled by this kind of bad jokes. But credit revolving \", poker and video games, anyway, it was a bit much ... So when in doubt, I preferred to suspend the operation, at least the time to explain (but this introduces quite a \"bias\" as we like to say in our communities).\n\nHowever, I allow myself to reproduce in the future experiences of this kind, having failed to present satisfactory answers to my original questions: what the trade refers to a blog based on the business model of some free dailies ?\n\nOf course, there is information on the Internet, of course it seems that, again, the \"winner take it all\". But I'm curious as hopeless, I'll start at different times, over periods of longer or shorter. To see, know, understand. I hope my readers will therefore understand the credit process and why I consider it appropriate for them to undergo a few commercials and sometimes questionable taste ...\n\nHowever, this will give a small side \"offbeat pop art\" in this adventure: to appear in advertisements inviting \"revolving credit\" when reading a text on \"new Pyramids Ponzi\" or the mood of anxiety that permeates my \"who mocks Does it?\" Yes, all this will end up oscillating between comedy and provocation. My discipline is natural that this is not entirely displease me ...\n\nThe researchers in my discipline, strategic management, will perhaps also in these ads as invitations to work on research issues renewed: when researching the \"online poker\"? For when, finally, integration aspirations to play, recreation, madness in the general business policy?\n\nAs for the \"Links\" below the articles, the problem is different: since it is possible to choose the theme of advertising - choose not to refer, for example, that works - so I've kept stateless soul: it helps to know what \"fate\" of the algorithms in relation to what was written. The \"discoveries\" turn out occasionally surprising ...\n\nIn terms of blogging and advertising, it will consider perhaps on the \"results\" that I could already get. None yet. 1.32 euros at the end of August. Since my protocol \"various research and publication\" will be expected to pay 30 euros to get started all this, the ethical questions about my income supplements start so when I exceeded that amount. I will not fail to devote a note and asked, in the meantime, it makes me that appropriation that greed could not being the motive of my first advertising inserts ...\n\nFinally, above all, dear colleague, rest assured, I'm like you: I exercise a profession, I understand the value of my expertise, I know how to recognize when I deem legitimate. In the area of income, I have neither need nor particular needs of this \"adventure\". This perhaps deserved to be clarified without you to sink into the indecency to bring you proof of the amount I pay in taxes.\n\nLast but not least, let me tell you one last point: I believe that I did wrong end of having so many moods about the insert advertisements. Its removal on public television is under debate. This only is it not primarily the interests of those who oppose what the advertising make his return between 20 pm and 6 am? I cherish the immense lack of pragmatism, the truth. Which j'adjoint willingly ethics. Take on the grounds that the absence of advertising would best serve the culture, this is a clever political maneuver, but so flimsy. Then insert ads on a blog added to high culture, what a beautiful walk its nose so it would ...\n\nIf I did not know the scams that flourish in the \"fairs throne\" many and varied, so glad I invite all the \"bloggers\" talented that I enjoyed reading in this experiment - the \"nov\u00f6visions\" and others \" Thierry Crouzet \\- they should be above the point of mood if this helps to give them a share of the guaranteed minimum income with the best specialists in cognitive capitalism believe it is one way of future work very seriously.\n\nIt may well disagree with the call for political ecology, do not share the idea that the end of the wage would be the promise of a great night - even if, initially, the worst nightmares? - And still support the quality of the bottom of what is discussed and that is, who would dare challenge it, a real \"work.\" But I know, alas, latent defects that contain this kind of illusion, and I know too much \"business\" not to know that all this is first the best interests of some players in oligopolistic industries where bargaining powers are totally unbalanced.\n\nHere's a tip: the authors pick up all the income they can, that's all the evil we can wish them. But they do not expect too much when even one day be able to live decently well: O. Stone teaches them why.\n\nTHE LRU AND (BEAUTIFUL) UNIVERSITY OF OCCUPATION.\n\n\\- \"Minute\" Time out! I interrupt you! What is this story? You can not just here to kick into touch, so, on the issue of income ... It is entirely your right evoke your personal situation as a very allusive. I agree also glad your history of experiences with the advertisements on your blog, as I recognize that in any way, you are the author and that this \"experience\" as you qualify, after all belongs to you. But the question of university income has she not been at the heart of the rationale, also, the LRU? The questions asked by Pierre Dubois do they not also on the careers of academic publications referenced AERES, any inconsistency between the scientific publication which takes time and we know the eventual obsolescence of the results, particularly in the field of economics and management ? And even Prof. Dubois animates Does it not a blog where he is currently being debated in premiums for university presidents, some of which apparently militate for recognition of a status akin to that of CEO ? Is there not also, with the LRU, fundraising issues, merit award for the teacher-researchers, premiums for scientific excellence? Since you raise the question of income, talk back! And then you Alchian and Demsetz know: the baker does not feed its customer-cons gift! \"\n\nYou'll notice yourself the magnitude of the issues and unable therefore to respond. And this without even discussing the sensitive nature of these I do not, after all, for what reasons - nor with what legitimacy - should I put on all these points. But since you have brought on this ground, I would close with a confession willingly and testimony. Before we begin, let me take a sample to the debate and discussion of future issues. And to tell you that my confession and my testimony I will go on to stimulate discussion on current developments in universities driven by the LRU and take positions that I allow myself, as always, at any of judging tomorrow.\n\nSo, confession, first. I was fortunate to have past lives at the university, including being confronted with the daily life of a large consulting firm in strategy and then, once entered the university, have continued from time to time, in part, because the honor done me in asking me to bring my expertise.\n\nThe question that was so often asked me was: should he, first enter the university with a salary several times smaller than suggested to me elsewhere, and even where I was still a good distance from my thirty years? Then later, he was leaving the university in view of the poverty that prevails in many cases, the languid and administrative opportunities that hinted elsewhere?\n\nTo these questions, I always answered in favor of the university course, but more generally, especially, the \"world\" academic. Because in no other field is not such a concentration of individuals as competent and diverse. Because nowhere else, I have learned much and continue to learn as much. Because nowhere else, the talents are so powerful and so many in our fine academic communities.\n\nSo allow me to infer from the confession that if young researchers to think only \"career\" without any further questions, then I would advise them that this is probably not to the university, or even perhaps to the academic world, they should turn their gaze.\n\nLet me refer here to the extract of wall street (from 1:30). For a researcher who did not understand where it stands between capital and labor - even if it is rather special in this area, if the situation is really rather enviable one - yes, a researcher in economics, management did not understand what interest there would initially by an obsession of publications and starry desire exclusive career, yes, the researcher then, I dare say, might do better to stop Research at once: his naivete does not she could eventually make it unsafe?\n\nBut the testimony before, not entirely unconnected indeed with the confession.\n\nSome details first for those who are not aware of university life. Much has been discussed that the status of university has three sets of tasks. Teaching, of course. The research then, often - and wrongly, I will return - regarded publications. And then the paperwork.\n\nOn this last point of administrative tasks, details are needed immediately. It is, in fact, two kinds: those who are in contact with students (in the direction of diplomas, teaching team building, organization of the year, chairing panels, etc..) And those which are more connected \" policy (management of departments, laboratories, mission variety of charges, Vice-President, etc..). This second category is divided itself into sub-categories: political priority-oriented internal to the institution (Board of Faculty, Scientific Advisory Board or university life, etc..) Shot and politics to \"external\" to participation in the life of its own scientific community, whether it be a jury member of thesis or habilitation to direct research to evaluate the \"papers\" and articles, attend conferences, including the other end of the world. All without forgetting of course that these two sub-categories can be confusing when it comes to organizing a \"Symposium\", for example, which combines issues of internal but also external radiation.\n\nThese clarifications raised, I can get to the heart of my testimony.\n\nI knew very closely, for having been in office, three universities. I've attended - and continues to do so \\- many others in the Paris region or province. And I note that throughout the responsibilities of \"administrative\" from my colleagues - but also mine - ride \"mechanically\" power over the career because of the attractiveness of training for management skills as students' managers \"for tasks to be dominant domestic policy. This in a context of lack of \"logistical support\", to quote Mintzberg. All this without forgetting the \"progress\" that we must realize and renew it as the essence of the profession and that we would have chosen another path if they had made someone happy to see progress of students, to contribute to training future colleagues, to share and give back what we had the chance to receive.\n\nThese tasks are obviously consuming. They are part of the job I chose. I was acutely aware that I should choose the exercise. I did not complain as they were also an opportunity to practice my profession in many respects, all extremely rewarding. I simply note that in this context, research activity - but also of thinking - always ends up being the poor relation: the moments that are spent are more difficult to \"squeeze\". Even when it holds itself to a certain discipline, when one takes a good hygiene, especially those moments proved less productive: it is the researcher in search of new ideas such as sports high level, only the regular training - if not daily - pays.\n\nWe also understand that all these easy tasks do not require similar skills and gladly accept the idea that other than I could have been more effective in carrying out each. Wanting to take all notes in all cases the feat, close to impossible when it comes to take seriously. Yet through all these tasks in their diversity, I learned things. Yet, as surprising as it may seem, I always felt that, far from being opposed, it could be conjugated to each other and be a source of mutual enrichment. So much for the testimony.\n\nI infer from the confession and testimony two brief points in response, though, the question raised by Professor Dubois. This question posed and waving all meals thesis, all the corridors of Congress, which relates to the best \"strategy\" to adopt publication.\n\nThe first is that wonder, it is understood, the concept of career in our fields. This concept suits me wrong. A \"career\", after all, is not first choice of all \"strategic\" personnel who have been made, and this according to the \"sense\" that everyone puts in his work? So maybe the lines that precede and follow those they betray some of my feelings on the issue and engage only me ... Similarly, the \"audio-video\" that's a blog post he says a lot about what I think is essential and that remains my view quite unthought when one thinks that \"strategy \"Publication for a\" career \".\n\nThe second is that a follower of Edgar Morin, I wonder: why think in exclusive (vs. public debate magazines \"labeled\")? After all, if, in the humanities, all the \"results\" are probably bio-degradable - and this is true particularly in management - they therefore will become obsolete so quickly? My weakness is that no estimate of the articles, book chapters and more generally written as I tried to commit have been called to obsolescence as fast.\n\nOf course, I could make mistakes, omissions by fish, first be condemned in my company by the extent of my ignorance. Sure. But never, I think I would have had the courage to undertake each of these \"publications\" If I had not seen a direction other than the benefit it could bring me solely in terms of \"career\". So I claim unreasonable to believe that if the results would be obsolete so quickly, then this may be the research questions which should be (re) raised.\n\nIs it not therefore the primary responsibility of the researcher - young or old - constantly questioning the very relevance of the objects it takes for investigation and knowledge projects it develops? In short, before thinking about the best way to publish, should we not more often (re) pose the question of the meaning of the project that drives us? This would also, perhaps, younger people to cope better with the journals refusal \"labeled\" Let us not forget that a high rejection rate is used to improve a \"ranking\"! I conclude therefore that answer by saying that it is also for young researchers to this training and then to understand what game they at times could be just the puppets.\n\n\\- \"With you it's like in Mozart, my dear colleague : there are too many notes, I do not understand anything. You do not respond to questions, such as Au and Pr! You will eventually make only chat ...\".\n\nThat's a boast that brings back memories familiar! However, I have always considered the reference to Mozart as unmerited as flattering ... Mozart! Let's be serious all the same! And let me take a few seconds to indicate that I, as a researcher in management, \"I think the experience makes sense because the devil often lies in the details ... But as you invite me so, I continue without waiting for entering the heart of the matter and questions ... as in those who are not me.\n\nLong time - too long perhaps, I do not know - at the university, as elsewhere, the logic of cooperation that prevailed was a sense of authority mingled with a sense of giving. The authority was of course the one that first gave the title: assistant professor, professor, each with specific missions - and we could still talk of \"big schools\" because the distinctions between \"teacher assistant\" \"Associate Professor\" and \"full professor\" include those generally in use within the university.\n\nThe donation was made which shows that all these \"classes\" who hoped to which each concern, a gift-cons. As the gift-cons of the wealth of trade first with teachers, then with colleagues from that of the infinite joy of having a sense of progress, to be better today than yesterday thanks to those who fail less than oneself, the joy of constantly renewed to participate in discussions where we try to imagine the world where we try to understand where the real source is first s'insatisfactions visceral, always (re) discuss, never taken for granted. And then, in the long run, this gift-cons, it was that, of course, have the satisfaction of seeing his own \"progress\" backed by those we respect most and who decided one day, then that you seek, accept, make you a \"pair\".\n\nThe authority thus conferred gradually over the \"career\" showed a strong sense of responsibilities: it came from the successful conquest of happiness but also losses to the enemy so hard is knowledge cultivated. This does not guarantee, but greatly promoted an ethic of expertise and capacity, most of which was that both of them are, first, some mornings \"culture\": one who had received both knew how important it was for him to giving his turn because the ordeals made aware that in the areas of knowledge and culture, nothing is simple - the teacher could not he even sometimes, oh oddity of knowledge, students learn?\n\nThis logic combines authority and Don have seemed insufficiently productive, require too much patience, sometimes be a source of too much injustice, too much to tolerate differences, insufficient reward good will, being too rigid, too authorize overflows (the \"co-options \"decried both the university part-time non-sanctioned, etc..). It was based mainly, I think, on a whim, a trust and, dare this word that has lost so much meaning today on compliance: the others, the diversity of those who are known primarily we had so much to learn. Something that belongs in a sense, a form of family spirit in crisis today largely ...\n\nThat all this is that the organizational logic is that the LRU is (deliberately) undermined. This double sense of authority and giving, we know - and the university is not an isolated case here - finally seems very low compared to the attraction \"natural\" that can cause a market exchange based on compensation individual, the feeling of freedom it can give the happiness of the acquisition instant he can (give the illusion of) purchase. In this sense, the LRU under his mask of evidence and common sense, is first, I think it a symptom of something much deeper.\n\nThus, gradually at first, then so incredibly fast and brutal since the mid-1990s, emancipation promised by learning at school, college, high school, in higher education has given way to an argument utilitarian happy that we can summarize in a hope to \"cash flow\" in the future. The selection rate - and therefore refusal - to entry, network quality of \"old\" and \"dating\", \"Pay\" output, the time before that employability is not transformed into concrete jobs have become synonymous with the highest places on the podium first national rankings.\n\nGlobalization and international competition have assumed no longer to satisfy national rankings. It should be visible everywhere, process since long and the ranking of Shanghai was not caused but simply confirm \\- is it not also very instructive that we come to the same China that is being establish its own credit rating agencies ... ? Even the \"Grandes Ecoles\", which formed the elite of the Republic, have undergone the shock wave of research that would be equal to \"star\" and figures, as it had now simple indicators to allow \"benchmarks\".\n\nWhile the race has begun, the stars began to flourish everywhere, and it still awaits the test, the true, the ultimate one that pays the payroll (the \"capital\" invested) to assess the classification the relevance of reorganizations or, dare I say, possible to consider liquidation. In research, the citation rate of journals in which researchers publish eventually, like it or not, prevail. It will of course be \"weighted\" by an \"H-index\" to assign individual premiums equally individual, but at the institutional level, it is this that lies in wait.\n\nThe LRU is she to be condemned these developments? And rewriting the status of teachers and researchers which was governed by a decree dating from 1984 - and has attracted the ire is known among those most concerned - is also to blame?\n\nIt is understood, I think all this is the first symptom of deeper dynamic, and I content myself with some background information related to my surprise (De) \"professional\" training which prompts me to think that the problem deserves, perhaps, be re-examined and reformulated. Not to plead for a return to a previous situation that I am too young and too old to regret not having seen the possible abuses. Not just to help ensure that these areas are so dear, knowledge and culture, is not confused, once again, speed and haste.\n\nFirst, I see in the evolution towards more autonomy of universities logic that tends to lose its independence from the university - was he \"be\" more independent pre-LRU? - Since now turns into \"teacher-scholar-administrative\". This logic modifies the profession that I had originally chosen and which I associated the idea of a freedom that was worth a few sacrifices, at least in the short term. Because, as it must look, then we would find. Because, since we teach, then he should \"spread\". Because, since we lead, then it should manager.\n\nNote that this is all wildly think the medical metaphor of \"infusion\" we fill by the \"findings\" of research, we disseminate the results \"intravenous\" by teaching the \"doctor- supervisor \"ensuring that the tube runs at a good pace ... Logically, it was assumed that the critical issue is the incentive / penalty. And it was mistaken as the image of a university that would qualify a company for this development - and even that is not a unique form of business organization!\n\nIt seems important to recall some evidence that managers and managerial skills would be good to put up any other time and I see all too rarely made in a coherent whole. This, perhaps through lack of knowledge in depth by scholars not familiar with the management science of how businesses are organized, at least those that are not only obsessed with cost control and also wonder about this that means building the future.\n\nLet's start with the question of incentive / penalty, positive as negative, a problem that the LRU must be coming strong resolve. In activities by definition immaterial, the question is always difficult. Academics are like surgeons, such as judges and, ultimately, like all the \"professionals\" of the \"Personnel\" to \"front office\" known inability to take proper responsibility for \"results\" even though that they do not control the state of arrival of the \"clients\" or \"users\". In their field, immaterial, nothing has, knowledge is anything but a heritage that could be \"transferred\" ... even if the \"powerpoint\" has been well designed.\n\nHow, then, want to engage on the objectives and r\u00e9sutlats? A lawyer, a surgeon, a judge would they else than the obligation of means? In all areas that carried out by \"professional\", the problem is the expertise and culture of the diagnosis. This only comes with time and patience, trial and error. The learning can be naturally faster in some people. Some will also make use of leading surgeons, while others will first be excellent GPs ... Those who know a little Mintzberg know yet why, in any case, we can not reasonably believe can be \"standardized\" results \"as one of the other.\n\nThe consequence is immediate: we can not seriously defend the university publish too little - or would not be smart enough politically to negotiate some administrative discharge - should teach more. This surprising according to the logic that could lead to a surgeon to operate more, to plead more a lawyer, a judge to try more ... because they are not sufficiently \"good experts\" in their respective fields. Yes, so, it brings to a problem the worst solution failing to detect the nature of the disease.\n\nContinuing on the issue of \"performance\". The issues here are too numerous and not unrelated to the previous points: who evaluates the evaluators? Scientific publishing is not it also an industry \"the Porter\" competitive rivalry with his analysis, his \"threats\" of new entrants to take into account its bargaining power to diagnose ... and barriers to entry which may make it very profitable for incumbents? In other words, wanting to integrate with the big \"dance\" of the international scientific publication, to better compete in the race, climbing the rankings so-called serious, is it not also be willing to jump over a few barriers to homogenising entry: English, train travel (s) plane (s) to participate in international conferences where he should be considered to begin to exist, address' into the air time?\n\nAnd dare I ask, to take the language of the economist, all this does not it, though, much of transaction costs in Williamson? The opportunity cost is not it too high? The investment could not be better spent reading something else, take the time to write what we think, to take advantage of new technologies to share with many of the questions we try to renew as to feed the democratic conversation? Worse, our academic communities abroad they expect first to be aped? Or do they want more of a French thought that would be the height of his reputation? For besides our medals \"Fields\" and our \"Nobel\" is too often forgotten that the humanities disciplines have also produced some of the most cited authors in the world: Foucault, Bourdieu, Deleuze and so on. Imagine also hurt these big names have to be allowed to set \"goals\" by managers keen on results ... Some ill-meaning perhaps, would also possibly be a link between decommissioning on disciplines interested in \"humanities\" and \"logic\" of research performance: it is true that in field of \"humanities\", research and teaching have always been seen as a \"system\".\n\nContinue. How can we judge the university presidents and their teams solely responsible for the management of \"talent\" and that even a university, a hospital, a court will never be the owner of such talents in the field the intangible, never belong to the individuals who compose it and accept (or not) to make their active participation. At best, a university may be endowed with a heritage, indeed, to maintain (hence the question of devolution estate ...).\n\nBut the knowledge that bears the body of academics, He will never know the boundaries thereof; because beyond the disciplines that separate each other, educational institutions, let alone the higher are all huge \"professional bureaucracies\". And Friedrich Von Hayek, the Nobel Prize - which was not a horrible collectivist, I think he - said there are over 65 years of knowledge can not be mobilized without the active assistance of individuals. It is well to remember in our areas where the temptation might be tempting to equate, erroneously, the university teacher-researcher administrative become a sort of \"provider\" of \"services\" in these three areas . Imagine Dr. House does one become the property of any organization whatsoever?\n\nFor this reason, in the world's intangible knowledge, only qualifications can be \"standardized\", and never otherwise than by the \"peers\". It is also because the intangible is not material, that nothing is decreed that the incentive and achim are complex phenomena without which no innovation takes place. Is not it is for this reason that J. Schumpeter noted that innovation called situations of stability free from competition (listen to this magnificent conference Alain Cotta should bring all our masters research ...)? and then also some \"slacks\", these forms of waste which bristled as quantophr\u00e8nes Managers of the last century? without forgetting the need in the field of creating and sharing this knowledge to capitalize on different disciplinary knowledge ...\n\nFor all these reasons, more competition, more competition can not be the only incentive, unless deviations that cause we already know too: work on the topics of fashion, preferential use of large samples and methods nomoth\u00e9thiques; loss of views of social and societal implications of research products to consider only the implications ... pour la recherche. These are real dangers. And do we not know enough already that the obsession with maximizing the ratio on which it is held sometimes leads to take risks, to be tempted by cheating, just once, just like that, then from time to time sometimes ... At the risk of waking up then a little later and make the observation that the body of publications \"starred\" masked some hidden defects (plagiarism, sample a bit biased, etc..). The news has already provided examples. They will grow.\n\nAnd I note that \\- but is this a coincidence? - The reform of university governance has never addressed the issue of power-cons could exercise the university by his thought. A bit like the question of the relevance of the existence judge, all things being equal ...\n\nIt is true that, beyond their diversity, all those who profess to believe and therefore teach, share, enhance expertise in love, beyond all understanding for action, action to understand. The reality comes to them, so always filtered through theoretical glasses. This gives the show \"symptoms\" of \"possible\" to try and for this it is necessary to have \"data\" to try to find \"laws\" the better to defy.\n\nDiagnosis is the art of possible requirements based on scientific intentions ... no insurance of any kind, ever, not to make mistake or do not fail. It was the opposite of all the logic that underlies the evolution of university governance. Worse, it is the exact antithesis of what those are believed to be models but for which I am concerned that we did not understand much: the actual practices of firms.\n\nIt has taken the risk against which to import the best research in management are fighting every day: the illusion of control for the controller to one side management \"indicators\" controlled by the other . And, of course, the introduction of competitive dynamics in preparing the \"egocentric\" against each other. This in a world where resources are scarce, where to qualify for the allocation of such resources will almost certainly know more now than ever \"connive\" politically to the right places, bypassing formal channels, practice good old logic of \" Night Visitors \".\n\nSo two points to finish this reflection could occupy us for hours as the subjects for discussion would be many - whether the dynamics of concentration currently at work, organizational reforms in progress, competition between universities but also intra-university cooperation between each of the disciplines that attempt to fight for their survival, etc..\n\nThe first of these remarks is that I can see clearly how the quantophr\u00e9nie at all levels of the various tasks of our faculty members and administrative can lead to flirt with what the Anglo-Saxons call \"burnout . I know of no equivalent in French, except mental exhaustion. It is an evil that lurks, I believe all scholars at all stages of their career, and whatever the status under which they operate.\n\nThe risk of over-investment has been fully pointed, for example, on the famous \"publish or perish\". And I note that despite all the criticism, there is nothing: it is unclear on what grounds this \"publish or perish\" has not yet bright future research. I conclude therefore that the news of the \"suffering at work\" which is becoming natural-administrative faculty members. We measure every day, alas, it begins to be the best thing a shared world, and particularly in organizations where \"employees\" do not see much sense in their actions. For academics, this would be detrimental to the exercise of thought and work to learning. This would be nothing less than dramatic for our democracy.\n\nThe second of these remarks is that what is at stake in our fields, it is non-quantifiable, non-measurable, short the intangible thought, its creation, its sharing, its influence. So many \"things\" that are not very profitable and well \"politically\" in the short-term election campaigns. And above all, by dint of seeing only the obsession of \"result\" are encouraged to go where it results, specifically, are much more recognized and rewarded. I note with dismay as many years that many of my colleagues, among the best, go to other horizons, and I see how the new \"premium\" will lead to primarily manage the indicators, and at all levels.\n\nAnd what I see too often, it's a real conversation instead of democratic culture and the university in society, such as a policy planning. In this field as in others the \"propensity of things\" could well take us into walls - even if I dream of being wrong. However, we still have the chance, until further notice, paid by taxpayers to think, then I am convinced that we need to all those involved in that culture represents \"scholar\" - and beyond Naturally the only universities and includes all educational institutions - a thousand times more ambitious projects of investigation and in the ethics of public speaking. It does not run forever without risks when it comes to play \"power against power.\" This puts the issue of university academics and prominently alongside that of hospitals, courts, etc.. Which are all institutions that are now coming under massive shock waves.\n\nThe academic profession is the exercise of thought. The thought that it was deemed necessary, a day of constitutionally guaranteed independence \\- but which has well have come this crazy idea ... ? Then, to finish convincing that it would be wrong to regard my words as nostalgic about old times, I do not regret anything in the previous situation, I just do not see what makes the new improvements, then I Allow others to outline some ideas ...\n\nI readily plead and that academics of all disciplines, and especially mine, are structured into \"orders\". They claim that power, and that even they know the end connoisseurs of Michel Foucault that a society without power relations can only be an abstraction. They assume and mostly take risks, such as issuing opinions when discipline is called upon to justify the reforms. When they speak fortunes too amazing to be perfectly honest are made. Let them dare, particularly in my discipline (re) express opinions on actions of \"hypermanagers\" sometimes known as the order to account for physicians. They reflect, too, some tests of \"bar\" while the responsibility that will assume the \"managers\" that we train are, in our modern societies, absolutely huge.\n\nThis brings me closer, perhaps, of that for which militates Pierre Dubois institutes rather than LRU, but nearly flat in the said institutions are unified by orders, managed peer disciplines that are considered of equal importance , leaves that are judged fit to accommodate several real estate in the same enclosure to logistics or better \"sharing\" of this money must first remain public.\n\nThis also he never comes to the idea of a university president to dare to claim the equivalent of a CEO ... At least he understood that it mean today to be a conductor, and therefore know, first, draw back rather than on the front of the stage ....\n\nOf course, you will retort that this is probably not simple. That the implementation of such a measure would probably not without question. It would be impracticable in a globalized world. Sure. So I quickly, having made to withdraw this proposal impracticable, and I confine myself to practice, at least individually, each time as I think helpful. And this, independently.\n\nDear \"pair\", let me finish here our little exchange. With a bit of poetry that will be worth temporarily summary of responses to questions that were asked. And then with a little bit of this music that enchants too, which helps pass the time when doubt, research elsewhere is sometimes so difficult, when the day is cruel. That question returns, nagging sense of \"adventure\". That some lessons and then crutches prove more useful than words. When doubts could justify the sacrifices and why not, the worst evil that threatens the university: self-censorship. What say you, dear \"pair\"? Not bad, not to explain the horrors but also the pleasures of uncertainty in research as elsewhere, is not it?\n\nI see at least in this passage a wonderful summary of what I believe in: the responsibility that goes - but for how long? \" - With the status of university professors that the company has done me the honor of giving me by the hand of our former president. DES and no A, and regardless of the attachment that I can get to it, irrespective of the affection that I can relate to colleagues who are now in charge of directing. But nothing is written: the more dynamic heteronomous are flimsy, the more they stimulate healthy reactions of autonomy, and then, still, you can always (will) play the constraint, an occasion to reaffirm its identity and singularity.\n\nAnd then there is the independence of the university. I hope to be worthy, as far as I can. I will continue, as far as I can, trying to stay. Some will perhaps naive, I am a matter of honor. This honor is in the field of culture and knowledge, the most powerful incentive to continue. This honor comes first, examples which we adhere, inspiration bequeathed by those who preceded him. This honor, which feeds the passion, the passion is so important in my profession, that passion that no satisfaction of interest will never be replaced.\n\nTHE END\n\n*\n\n***\n\nAbout the author :\n\nJean-Philippe DENIS is Professor of Strategic Management at Paris Ouest Nanterre la D\u00e9fense University (Paris X)\n\nWith Smashwords.com :\n\nIntroduction to Management Techniques, Theories and Ideologie\n\ns\n\nMemoirs of Crisis\n\nConnect with Me Online:\n\nhttp://www.jphdenis.com\n\n*\n\n***\n\n"], ["\n\nElle and The Escape\n\nThe Hero Chronicles\n\nBy Tim Mettey\n\nCopyright \u00a9 2016 by Tim Mettey\n\nAll rights reserved.\n\nPublished by Kenwood Publishing Group.\n\nKENWOOD PUBLISHING GROUP\n\nwww.kenwoodpublishinggroup.com\n\nCincinnati, Ohio\n\nIf you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as \"unsold and destroyed\" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment from this \"stripped book.\"\n\nNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For more information regarding permission, write to Kenwood Publishing Group, Attention: Permission Department, 11060 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.\n\nISBN-10: 0-9977292-3-6\n\nISBN-13: 978-0-9977292-3-8\n\"We are the music-makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.\"\n\n\u2014 Arthur O'Shaunessy\n\nQuoted by Gene Wilder\nACKNOWLEDGEMENTS\n\nI would like to thank all of the talented people who help make my books sound and look good.\nTABLE OF CONTENTS\n\nChapter 1: Search\n\nChapter 2: Speak\n\nChapter 3: Escape\n\nChapter 4: Keeper\n\nChapter 5: Forecast\n\nChapter 6: Saved\n\nChapter 7: Death\n\nChapter 8: Wheelbarrow\n\nChapter 9: Cellar\n\nChapter 10: Ghost\n\nChapter 11: Purpose\n\nChapter 12: Keeper Siegel\n\nChapter 13: Scared\n\nChapter 14: Clean up\n\nChapter 15: Color\n\nChapter 16: Journey\n\nChapter 17: Leave\n\nThe 2016 Hero Chronicles Writing Contest\n\nGRAND PRIZE: Not in the Pink of Health\n\nFIRST RUNNER UP: A Spark of Hope\n\nSECOND RUNNER UP: Finding Mom\n\nConnect with the Author\n\nAbout the Author\n\n\"Let's do one more circle. I thought I saw Xavier's Sil hanging around Ester's vault earlier. And since we struck out with your sister, Livi, I need . . .\" I paused, and then, trying not to sound desperate, said, \"I want to try to get some information Nicholas can use.\"\n\n\"I bet Zane and Courtney are heading down for the challenge,\" Noel responded, ignoring how pathetic I sounded. She was good at that, because I sounded pathetic most of the time. Well, maybe not as often anymore, because I was trying to remind myself I was actually needed. \"So there isn't really anything we can do,\" Noel said in a patronizing tone.\n\nI didn't really care how she felt about any of this. She reminded me constantly I didn't have anything to prove to anyone, but that was easy for her to say. She was an elite Thusian bodyguard trained by Walter. I was just an average nobody.\n\n\"And now, if everyone could head down to the arena for the second challenge.\" James Caldwell's voice rang out all around us. It was as if he was on my shoulder or right behind me, which sent chills down my spine.\n\nNoel put her hands out as if to say, \"See, I told you so.\"\n\nI was tired of not being useful. Nicholas needs a partner who can contribute equally, someone like Genevieve who can take care of him and be useful. A sinking feeling started to well up in my stomach. Maybe I had been right all along thinking Nicholas and Genevieve would end up together; maybe it was their destiny or something.\n\n\"Elle, we should go down to the challenge now. We'll have plenty of time to search later; I promise.\"\n\nI didn't move or even acknowledge what she had said. I was too distracted by the thought of Genevieve and Nicholas being together.\n\n\"Elle, did you hear me?\" she questioned quietly but firmly.\n\n\"Let's look for just a little longer and then we can head down,\" I said, unwilling to give up on the chance of finding some useful information. I was also not willing to give up on being with Nicholas, at least not yet.\n\nWe circled back around toward Ester's vault. Everyone was gone from the floor already, making it feel like some underground medieval castle that had been abandoned for a thousand years. I was expecting a ghost to come down the middle of the corridor.\n\nAfter searching for another ten minutes, we found no Sils or any other sign of life. Everyone must have been at the Trial. We heard a lot of commotion coming from the center of Valcary Hill, down on the ground floor. The Second Trial had begun.\n\n\"Come on, let's go down there and wait for them to be finished,\" Noel said from behind me.\n\nI began to walk in that direction, but I stopped suddenly. A cracking sound made me flinch. I spun around only to see a black bag being forced over my head. I instinctively remembered what my dad had taught me. I kicked straight ahead and my foot landed between the knees of the person who was trying to take me. My assailant groaned, making me believe I had hurt whoever it was badly. I tugged at the bag and tried to run but something struck my head. Stars flashed and then nothing.\n\n***\n\n\"Well, what do we have here?\" Xavier's question was the first thing I heard as I regained consciousness. I couldn't see anything, and now my hands were bound behind my back. I was helpless, again.\n\nHis voice was cold, but there was a slight excitement in it, as if he was getting an early Christmas present or something.\n\n\"Ashlyn alerted me that these two were looking around and asking questions about us,\" a man's voice answered.\n\n\"Very good job, you two,\" Xavier said, pulling off the bag and removing my hood.\n\nAt first the light was blinding, and my head was pounding from having been hit. After a minute, Xavier, Grey and Ashlyn came into focus, and next to me was a badly beaten and battered Noel, slumped over on the ground.\n\n\"Noel, are you okay?\" I leaned down to her to see if she was still alive.\n\nI saw her take a labored breath, so I stood back up and I turned my attention to our three vile captors. \"How dare you attack us? You have no right. While we're here, we're all protected.\"\n\n\"You're half right, my dear,\" Xavier's cold voice purred. \"We aren't allowed to act against fellow Thusians, and Grey has already been punished for what he did to Noel.\"\n\nI glanced over at Grey and noticed right away he had a bandage on his right hand and it was bloody, as if the wound hadn't stopped bleeding yet.\n\nXavier continued, \"But where you're wrong is this: the rule doesn't apply to a Non, and that's what you are, a non-Thusian. There are no rules against hurting you. On the contrary, there is one rule which permits the extermination of any non-Thusians who find their way inside Valcary Hill . . . and you, my little dove, are clearly here.\"\n\n\"What about saving others? You know, the very reason Thusians were put on this earth in the first place. Your Final Sacrifice. Isn't that why you go through your Realization?\"\n\nAt first Xavier didn't say a thing. He brushed his blond hair to the side, thinking for a moment. Maybe he was shocked I knew so much.\n\n\"Impressive, but that's only what the Council wants you to believe. Anyway, enough of this talk. If you want to die quickly and painlessly, then answer my questions. But if you prefer not to answer, you will suffer at the hands of Grey for everyone to see.\"\n\nHe began to circle me like a lion sizing up its prey. \"So tell me, little dove, what are you interested in learning? What are you all trying to find out?\"\n\nNoel sprang to her feet. She head-butted Grey hard and used her shoulder to drive him to the ground. He gasped for air, falling backward. Xavier was there so fast, I didn't see him move. He backhanded Noel, sending her off balance. She fell face first onto the ground and didn't move.\n\n\"Really, Noel, why try? I think you and my little dove know there's no way to escape,\" Xavier said. Then he looked back at me and warned, \"Don't make me hurt you. I don't want Nicholas to think I mistreated you, because that would not send a good message.\"\n\n\"You're half the man Nicholas is,\" I spat out, leaning over again to see how badly Noel was hurt.\n\n\"I may have at one time agreed with you, but what he has done to the Thusians and our way of life has been a mockery, and for that he will pay, along with the rest of The 4.\"\n\nI needed to buy us some more time, hoping someone from Walter's security team might be watching the three of them and would find us before Xavier could follow through with his plans.\n\n\"Ashlyn, how could you do this after everything your sister has done for you?\" I questioned loudly, looking around for anyone who may have heard me.\n\n\"Trying to get someone's attention? So smart, little dove. But as you can hear, things are getting really intense down there,\" Xavier said, holding up a hand to his ear.\n\nSure enough there were more oohs and ahhs from the arena and a lot of chatter.\n\n\"Grey, you and Ashlyn take these two down to the floor and wait off to the side. And then bring them out front and center when I motion to you. Ashlyn, once they're in place, you and Steel need to go and prepare for our departure. Steel is good but doesn't always use common sense when it comes to dealing with others. We'll be ready to leave as soon as we take care of the new Keeper and The 4.\"\n\nWe were being dragged down a long set of stone stairs I had never seen before. Several times I tried to yell or scream, but it was no use. The Trial was growing louder and louder. Ashlyn had a tight grip on my arm so I couldn't even look back or around. Noel was hitting each step with a thud. The sound of it was making me sick, because of the continual injuries she must be sustaining. Grey didn't care who was hurt; he just did what he was told.\n\n\"Ahh,\" Noel groaned like she wanted to say something once we got to the bottom.\n\nI jerked my arm to be able to see her. She had a strange look on her face. What was wrong with her?\n\nShe groaned again but this time it turned into a laugh, \"Hahaha.\" In a broken, but not defeated voice, she said, \"You two are so pathetic. Do you honestly think you're upholding the Thusians' way of life or even the life of a Seeker? You two are just Xavier's errand boys, oh and girl.\"\n\nGrey struck her jaw with his fist and blood splattered onto the ground, but it didn't faze her a bit.\n\n\"Is that all you got, big boy?\" she said, spitting blood at him. \"You're a joke. All you're doing is proving my point you mindless, bald albino.\"\n\nHe pulled his hand back to hit her again but stopped immediately when Ashlyn said, \"Enough.\" Her unwavering voice froze him in mid-swing, as if she had spit invisible ice at his arm and it couldn't move forward. Was Grey that scared of Ashlyn? Or was she somehow in charge?\n\nI looked at her face. She didn't seem to have anything else to say; she had said all that was needed. It was amazing how much she and Genevieve looked like one another.\n\n\"Stone. Diamond. Blood.\" Those words shook all of us where we stood. Grey and Ashlyn's faces looked not scared, but unsure of what was happening. There was a sound like hundreds of elephants charging, but it quickly died down. Then a lone voice declared, \"And because I'm the Keeper, I dismiss the Council and confirm that The 4 has been completed.\"\n\nThere was no doubt in my mind that Mark was the one talking, but what was he thinking? Was this part of a plan that hadn't been shared with me? Did Nicholas know this was going to happen with Mark? Did he not trust me?\n\nSomeone else began to talk at the Trial, but I didn't pay attention because my mind was spinning. I wasn't sure what to think now. Did Nicholas not trust me enough to tell me about Mark taking on the Council? No, he was telling me everything now\u2014wasn't he? Then a voice inside me said, You aren't Genevieve. She's the one for him. It was that little voice of doubt everyone has, but this time it sounded a lot more convincing. My surroundings melted away. Even though I was pretty sure I was about to die, the doubt I had about everything was now the only thing that mattered, spreading like a poisonous plague in me.\n\nGrey was ushering us out to somewhere, and one of them threw the shroud hood over my head again.\n\nBy the time I was able to focus on my surroundings again, I realized I was in the midst of all the Thusians and in front of me were Mark, Cora and Nicholas. I wanted to shout to them, but couldn't.\n\nXavier was out in front of us, pacing around and talking to everyone, obviously loving being the center of attention. His words were muted. That little voice was making me numb, not allowing me to hear, but I still had my sight so I could see everything. I watched Nicholas, committing his face to memory. If this was going to be the last time I ever got to see him, then his face was the only thing I would want to see once I closed my eyes for the final time in this life.\n\nThe hood was pulled off my head. Nicholas' face had the same expression I had seen many times before. His face tensed up, exposing the muscles in his jaw. His eyes widened, showing me his beautiful blue eyes I had gazed into so often and fallen in love with each time. He was about to use his Thusians talents, and I could see his entire body stiffen. I was not sure if he would succeed in saving us, but if anyone could do it, he could.\n\n\"Someone should pay for the sins against our forefathers,\" Xavier was saying, as my hearing became clear again.\n\nGrey put a sharp blade of some sort up to my neck. I could feel the cold steel pressing harder, slowly working its way into my skin.\n\n\"We're going to kill this non-Thusian in just a minute, but we'll spare the Thusian because we can't act against a Thusian inside these walls. Rules will be rules. This girl will be the sacrifice that is necessary.\"\n\nI closed my eyes and pictured Nicholas' face. We were under the stairs at Winsor High School. He was watching me eat as he did so often. My stomach swirled with love and care. He had a smile on his face, laughing at me\u2014it was perfect.\n\nI hoped Heaven would be like this for me, with Nicholas. \"I love you Mom and Dad,\" I whispered. \"I'll be waiting for you, Nicholas, in Heav\u2014\" Before I could finish what I was saying, I was thrown to the side, free of Grey's grip. I was able to turn back to see a blurred Nicholas in mid-air, shoving his knee into Grey's jaw, sending him backwards.\n\nThe wind was whipping all around us, causing my hair to become matted to my face. My head was humming, making it hard to figure out which way we needed to go to get out of here. I was still stunned by the fight going on behind us, but I had to be strong for Noel right now. She needed me. As we were fleeing Valcary Hill, she had immobilized several Seekers with ease, even in her injured state. Now I had to come through for her, and at the same time, protect myself. Most importantly, I wanted to do what was best for Nicholas, so I had to get as far away from him as possible.\n\nI realized that Noel was hurt even worse than I had thought, and who knew what we would face out in the open?\n\n\"Please, you need to stay with me,\" I pleaded to Noel, who was barely able to climb. She continued to stumble, getting tripped up on the stairs as we passed the rock to the outside.\n\nI had both of my arms around her, trying to drag her forward toward the bridge. If I could just get us into the woods, we would have some cover and might have a chance to escape. Her legs gave out, nearly pulling us both to the ground.\n\n\"Please God, give me strength,\" I prayed, pulling her up and dragging her to the other side of the bridge.\n\nMy plan was to get away from Nicholas, but the farther I went, the lonelier and more unsure I felt about any of this. I knew Noel had a safe house in Ohio, because she had told me a million times, trying to convince me to go. It had never been the right time before, but now it was. I felt like we had to get there. We had no other choice.\n\nI looked back and forth for any Seekers, but luckily there wasn't anyone else around yet. Just then I heard the croak of a large bullfrog, and one of my many childhood fears rushed back to me. What if there were a lot more frogs out here? I shook my head, trying to forget my silly phobia. \"Elle,\" I said. \"There are real, life-threatening dangers out here, and you're worried about a little frog.\" I had to be strong and continue on.\n\nA slow trickle of people began to run out of Valcary Hill, but they were far away from us. I didn't pay any attention to them, because we weren't safe yet. Once we made it to the edge of the forest, I propped Noel up against a large tree, which easily hid both of us from the masses of people now pouring over the bridge. Several Seekers still in their shrouds descended upon the crowd like vultures going after fresh meat. I turned away as the screams for help became deafening. These Seekers were out for blood and would kill anyone in their path. We couldn't stay here much longer; they would eventually find us. But what chance did we stand? I wasn't a Thusian. I couldn't do what any of them could.\n\n\"Be calm,\" I told myself. \"Think.\" I looked around to see what our options were. There had to be some way to escape this chaos.\n\nBehind us, deeper in the woods, were thick vines covering the ground where it began to slope up. And farther on was the way to the little chalet where we had waited before coming down for the Trials. I pulled Noel up. She seemed to have gotten back some of her strength, trying to stand. It was just enough to move us toward the safety of the vines. We ended up in a particularly dense and overgrown part of the vegetation. She collapsed, so I pulled off my shroud and put it under her head. The thicket made her immediately vanish. I laid down too, away from her a little bit. I immediately covered my ears so I wouldn't hear the screams and cries, but it was no use. The despair and hopelessness of all this death were overwhelming. The Seekers were slaying people just a stone's throw away, and there was nothing I could do about it. Tears welled up in my eyes. How I wished Nicholas was here to protect these innocent people. He would make sure no one died at the hands of the Seekers. And here I hid, completely useless, as usual.\n\nMy head began to hurt more and more. A stabbing pain behind my right eye began to pulse, making my vision blur. The branches above me were becoming a great big green blob with black and blue spots. I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Then I heard Xavier's voice calling me his little dove. I grabbed my head, squeezing it, hoping for some relief from everything. It did help a little, but nothing could force out the cold, cruel voice of Xavier.\n\nThe four of us followed the Sils up a series of stairs leading higher and higher inside Valcary Hill. I was barely hanging on. All I could think about now was Elle and where she might have gone. I kept asking myself if going into hiding was the right thing for Elle after she and Noel were almost killed by Xavier and Grey. I guess it made sense, but I still couldn't help thinking it wasn't the best idea.\n\n\"Up ahead,\" Aldara said, stopping as soon as we entered a large chamber. It looked old and neglected. Several different Sils were on ladders, cleaning cobwebs off of the thousands of books lining the walls. The shelves that housed these books were random and haphazard. The person who had made this room had cut directly into the stone, creating these unbalanced bookshelves. In the center of the room was a skinny tree which reached up and out through the ceiling.\n\nMark was up ahead, and on either side of him were the large Sils who had been at Ester's vault entrance when Riley and I had gone to gather information. Mark didn't have any expression on his face, just a vacant stare. Actually, he looked as if he had aged twenty years; his face was very gaunt. He was holding a slim metal sheet similar to the one Zane had used down in the TABs headquarters on Vanderbilt's campus. He was swiping back and forth on it.\n\n\"Before you come any closer,\" Mark said, holding up his hand, \"you need to know that no matter what you do to us, things have already been set in motion.\" He began pacing back and forth, looking frightened.\n\n\"What are you talking about?\" Riley questioned in a thick Irish accent, making sure everyone knew he meant business. No one moved. Mark stopped pacing.\n\n\"I have Elle and Noel, and if Nicholas doesn't do exactly what I ask of him, they'll be executed.\"\n\nOnce again, my body was consumed by fire, but this time, I didn't act on it. I controlled my body, which was screaming and yearning for me to take out everyone in here including Mark, but something stopped me.\n\n\"Are you kidding? This has to be a joke,\" Genevieve said with rage in her voice.\n\n\"This is no joke, and the fact that Nicholas hasn't stopped us means he knows I'm serious.\"\n\n\"What do I have to do?\" I spit out, still controlling my body, hoping I wouldn't break.\n\n\"Follow me.\" He motioned for us to follow him.\n\nThe large Sils surrounded him and followed closely, and Aldara appeared and joined us. She was looking at me constantly as we walked, sizing me up, I guess trying to see if I was planning to do something.\n\nI knew Mark, or at least I hoped I did. He would never hurt Elle, or anyone for that matter. He might be the new Keeper, but he was still the same scared roommate who didn't know what he was doing half the time and the same kid I had rescued during the 10-10 Earthquake.\n\nWe ventured through a series of corridors of polished stone. The passage was dimly lit, but the reflective nature of the stone made the walls seem as if they were glowing and alive, moving with each step. As we walked on, the walls lost their shine and became dull and very jagged. The corridor became narrower, with only room for two to walk side by side. Genevieve was right beside me and found my hand, holding on tight. Her hand was clammy and cold. I wasn't sure if her nerves were for Elle, me, herself or all of us. But whatever the reason was, I felt the same way.\n\nMark stopped in front of a small wooden door with rusted metal crisscrossed across it like crust lattice on a homemade apple pie.\n\n\"Nicholas,\" he said to me, \"you need to go into the next room. I cannot tell you what is in there or what you have to do. But this is what must be done. Once you're finished, Elle and Noel will be released.\"\n\n\"You expect him to go in there?\" Cora uttered, sounding like she was now about to act on her motherly instincts.\n\n\"I'll do it,\" I said, trying to reassure her and myself at the same time. My talents were still aching to take over, but for Elle's sake, I had to focus on doing whatever was on the other side of that door.\n\nOne of the large Sils took out a massive key ring filled with old metal keys, each one different from the next. He picked a shiny red one, stuck it into the center of the door, and turned it with a jerk. The door groaned as if it hadn't been opened in centuries.\n\n\"Once inside the room, you'll sit,\" Mark said.\n\nRiley grabbed my arm and whispered, \"We'll be right outside. If you need any help, say the word and we'll get you out.\"\n\nI nodded and went into the room. The door shut. I blinked several times, and the white fire I had experienced so many times before descended over everything, illuminating the room. It was small, no bigger than a walk-in closet. There was a wooden bench to the left of the door, and across from it was a wall filled with holes. Something was familiar about the different openings covering the wall. I sat down and began to wait. I counted the holes, which were emitting a white light. There were nine of them\u2014three on top of three on top of three\u2014laid out in a grid, but not evenly spaced.\n\nOther than the seat, there was nothing else in here. Then a loud sound burst through one of the holes like a fog horn with a deep rattling tone. A variety of sounds started coming at me, mixing together like one big soup of noise. It continued to get louder and louder as if each of the holes were a mini speaker blaring its own music.\n\nI tried to cover my ears, but it didn't help. Everything was too loud. What was I supposed to do now? What if I couldn't do whatever was expected? Would Elle still be\u2014? But before I finished that thought, the sounds ceased except for a single one. It was in the form of a lady's voice. She was singing a beautiful, angelic melody. I had never heard anything like it. She sounded like an opera singer, each note clear and precise. My mind calmed, and my surroundings fell away. I was in a different place with the notes holding me there; I felt bliss. A burst of bright red blobs exploded in front of me, like a firework filled with paint. When she hit and held another note, the splatter became blue. As she continued, different colors burst around me. If the note was quick, so was the color, and if it was louder and more intense, the color was too. It was remarkable, and I felt empowered.\n\nThen a second voice, a male one, accompanied her. A duet. This produced double the amount of colors, mixing in large swooping swirls. After what seemed like hours, I began to notice a scene like a black and white photo coming through the colors, taking on a life of its own. It was Elle and Noel. They were safe, but something was wrong. Before I could focus on them, I saw Zane, Livi, and the TABs sitting at Vanderbilt in some sort of meeting. Then another scene appeared showing Ester and the Divine Council meeting in the Thusian Vault in West Virginia; everyone looked scared. Next, I saw Mark and the Sils walking around the room I had just come from, looking at different screens and constantly talking to each other. Scene after scene appeared and then disappeared. My head felt like it was being filled with information. It went on for so long. Right when I thought I couldn't take any more, there was nothing. The music and the visions stopped as abruptly as they had started.\n\nI relaxed and found myself lost in all I had seen. I leaned back against the cool wall behind me and the room went quiet and dark, void of anything. My body was sore, and each muscle made its presence known. I must have been in here for hours. I stood and the door opened next me.\n\nMark, Cora, Riley and Genevieve were peering in.\n\n\"Elle and Noel are not here,\" I said. Everyone smiled, including Mark, who was nodding his head. I walked out of the room, rubbing my stiff neck.\n\n\"Nicholas, I'm sorry I lied to you about Elle\u2014they were the first to leave Valcary Hill\u2014but it was the only way I could convince you to go in there and come out okay. Bernard warned me not to let you experience that room unless you had your Thusian Talents on the surface, and this was the only way I knew how to do it.\"\n\n\"Are you okay?\" Genevieve asked, coming in and putting her arm around me, bringing me out of the room.\n\n\"Yes, I feel fine. A little sore from how long I was in there, but besides that I'm doing\u2014\"\n\n\"What do you mean, how long you've been in there for?\" Cora asked.\n\n\"You know, for the hours I was in there,\" I said, rubbing my neck.\n\n\"You've only been in there for five minutes,\" Riley said.\n\n\"It feels like you've been in there for hours, Nicholas, but it's only been seven minutes and twelve seconds, to be exact,\" Mark said. \"You've just used a different talent called Forecasting, and this room helped you use and focus it. But before I explain more about that, we should go up and relax and get the latest report on what havoc the Seekers have caused and are causing outside of Valcary Hill.\"\n\n\"Wait, you said Bernard warned you?\" I asked.\n\n\"All in good time. Nicholas, I promise I'll tell you what I can, but not yet.\"\n\nI knew Noel and I weren't safe; we had to move. The screaming had died down a little bit, so I sat up just enough to look around. I saw a cloaked figure very close to us. The figure spotted me. Now what do I do? I thought, panicked.\n\nI quickly got to my feet and moved steadily away from Noel, hoping the person wouldn't spot her. Wherever I went, the cloaked figure followed slowly and methodically. What was I going to do? I couldn't take on a Seeker or even a wanna-be Seeker. I ran to the tree line at the edge of the clearing leading back to the drawbridge. I tried to calm my breathing, sliding down behind a tree that luckily had large roots which allowed me some cover. I still felt as if I was going to hyperventilate and pass out. I peeked out and saw the person was no more than ten feet away from me. I leaned back under a thick root, and suddenly the person grabbed my hair and pulled me out of my cover, sending pain shooting through my scalp like it was on fire. I pulled away, breaking myself free, and got to my feet, stumbling.\n\n\"Hm, hm, hm,\" the cloaked figured laughed, sounding pleased.\n\nI grabbed for whatever was closest to me on the ground. My fingers wrapped around a rock, and I swung it, making contact with the person's head.\n\n\"Owwwww,\" a man yelled with a deep booming voice, pulling off his shroud. I had hit him right below his eye. It was turning a nasty purple color with a couple of trickles of blood coming down. He kicked me, catching me on my side, knocking me to the ground. It felt as if a rib or two had cracked. I grabbed my side, hoping it would help me breathe.\n\nI was now in the clearing closer to the bridge. My head was spinning from the pain, and I could see my assailant was bearing down on to me.\n\n\"Please don't,\" I pleaded as I crawled away. Nicholas, where are you?\n\n\"I can't believe it. I have Nicholas Keller's beloved right here,\" the man hissed, sounding more like a weasel than an actual man. \"You caught Fleming with his guard down, hitting him with that rock. That's not an easy thing to do to Fleming McGregor. Xavier will for sure ask Fleming to be part of The 3 now, especially after his pet, Grey, failed so miserably.\"\n\nThe fact that he was talking about himself in the third person was creepy and scaring me more than I already was. I turned around and began to crawl away as fast as I could. I needed to make my way back to Valcary Hill. I needed Nicholas.\n\nHe stepped on my leg, stopping me in my tracks. I let out a cry. My muscle felt like it was being separated from the bone.\n\nHe kicked me again, flipping me over. His face resembled a pit bull, wrinkled with a large jaw. His smile revealed he had several missing teeth, but a single gold one stood out.\n\nHe pulled out a Belos from under his shroud and grinned. \"This is going to hurt a lot,\" he laughed.\n\nHis hand went into the sky and I closed my eyes. My parents and Nicholas flashed into my head once again. \"I love you all,\" I whispered.\n\nI heard a sound like someone cracking their back, and then there was a thud. Someone picked me up gently. The smell of this person was familiar, like old pipe smoke, but I wasn't sure who it was. I couldn't lift my head to see who my savior was, but I could see behind us. Fleming McGregor's lifeless body was lying right where he had fallen.\n\nI was carried back into the forest and laid down next to Noel. My rescuer took my shroud from under Noel's head and covered us both.\n\nMy injuries prevented me from looking around, which was probably a good thing because it kept me from getting caught again. I blacked out minutes later, my body forcing me to shut down for repairs.\n\nEverything I had absorbed while I was Forecasting was at the front of my mind, but I couldn't separate all of it. So I concentrated just enough to push it all to the back of my mind, allowing me to stay here in the present. I tried several times to see Elle and Noel, but it was no use.\n\nWe arrived back at the room where we had been talking to Mark, and it had been transformed. It was lit up now by crystal clear screens of varying sizes and locations. Different Sils were monitoring and pressing on them as if they were playing some type of video game. Some of them were talking into small boxes similar to the one I had seen Ester use when she was speaking with Sidney and Michelle. One of the female Sils approached Mark to give a report.\n\n\"Keeper Siegel, we have confirmed the number of deaths at 77: 5 Sils, 15 suspected Seekers and 57 Thusians. No one who died has any true significance to us. Just\u2014\"\n\n\"Are you kidding?\" Cora broke in. \"No significance? Try telling that to their families.\" She was livid, angrier than I had seen her in a long time. Why wouldn't she be? The Sil had just finished saying that 77 people had died and that they didn't really matter. This was all because of Xavier and his Seekers.\n\n\"I think you all should go back to your family vault and take some time,\" Mark said, motioning for Aldara, who came right over to us.\n\n\"Please show them down to their family vault and make sure they have anything they need. We'll catch up after things have died down,\" he said. Then he shook his head, realizing what he'd just said.\n\n\"Mark David!\" someone screamed from down the stairs. A few seconds later, Mark's dad and mom appeared. Mayor Siegel's shroud had been ripped in several places, and he had a noticeable cut on his left cheek, which seemed to be weeping. His mom appeared to be untouched, but her eyes were bloodshot and mascara was running down her face.\n\n\"What have you done?\" Mayor Siegel barked. \"You need to call back your guard dogs and get everyone back in here to safety. The Sils keep pushing more and more innocent Thusians outside, and it's a bloodbath. The Lands family and the Clarks are out there right now. I was with them, and the only way I got back inside was to tell the Sils your brother Ryan is in the Med Vault. How can you do this?\" He dropped to his knees.\n\n\"Please, son, drop the defenses.\" His mom came up to him, placing her hand on his face. \"You need to help all of us,\" she pleaded motherly.\n\nMark's face twisted, showing that he realized what he had done.\n\n\"I never meant to hurt anyone. I wasn't thinking clearly. Bernard said . . .\" He stopped and walked over to one of the large glass screens, gazing into it, looking upset.\n\nBoth Cora and Genevieve were watching the screen closest to them. They too looked shocked and upset by what they saw. I saw Grey's pale white skin flash by on one of the nearest screens. Somewhere above us he had cornered a small group of Thusians in the ruins, maybe the Clarks or the Lands. He was on the drawbridge over the moat, daring them to try to get past him. Behind Grey were several mounds littering the ground. They were people, his latest victims that had tried to escape to freedom but didn't make it.\n\nManeuvering through Valcary Hill was easy on my way to confront Grey. My body was on cruise control, happy to be able to let loose going after him. I entered into the round ornate room where hundreds of people were standing, huddled together, surrounded by Sils, probably waiting to be pushed out to their deaths. I exited by the large boulder we had used to get into Valcary Hill on our first day here and stood outside. A small group of people saw their chance and fled back inside behind me.\n\nThe sun was bright, several beams piercing through some clouds; I squinted and, as if my eyes knew what I needed, the light became muted everywhere. The colors were vivid, taking on a luminous quality, as if it was a color-enhanced picture. I was discovering new talents, but this was not the time to marvel.\n\n\"So the One's heeere,\" Grey yelled to me from the bridge, slurring the last word, which brought a smile to my face.\n\n\"Yes, I will always be in your way, no matter where you are.\"\n\n\"You didn't get here quite in time,\" he said smugly, looking back at the death he'd left.\n\n\"I want to say sorry about your jaw. I'm sure it didn't feel good when my knee met it. I'm here to finish the job.\"\n\nHe growled at me, but he didn't advance, sizing me up, waiting to see what my next move would be. My Thusian talents were completely at my disposal and I was in control of my body and the situation. I closed my eyes for a split second and it felt as if the world stopped. When I opened my eyes, the familiar white fire had engulfed everything around me. All of my senses were in harmony with my mind, recording everything from the wind direction, the smell of burning wood and even a feeling that Cora, Genevieve and Riley were about to join me. Also, I was able to see how truly hurt Grey was, from the broken jaw I had given him earlier to the large gash on his right thigh. Several small drops of sweat were on his brow. He was in agony. It felt amazing to be able to gather all of this information, and so quickly.\n\nIf you can do all of this, then where's Elle? Are you sure she's safe? a small voice asked from somewhere inside me. And that's when the first wave of nausea hit me, as if I was hit by some invisible force right in the gut. I reached for my Tic Tacs, but I didn't have any. My surroundings returned to normal; the sun once again blinded me. I rocked backward, taking a few steps before regaining some composure. Grey took a step forward, sensing something was wrong, but Cora was behind me, and Genevieve and Riley took their places in front of me. They started to talk to Grey, but I didn't understand what they were saying. The voice asking about Elle was now growing louder and louder. I began to have a panic attack. I bent down to one knee and dozens of Sils came pouring out onto the bridge.\n\nThrough the group of them, I saw Grey retreating backwards, not willing to try anything with the added support. I stood up, feeling better now with them beside me.\n\n***\n\nOnce we were back in the large round room, hundreds of Sils were taking care of those who remained, escorting many of them back into Valcary Hill past the acacia tree. Mark saw me and rushed over.\n\n\"I'm so happy you're okay, Nicholas,\" he said, sounding apologetic.\n\n\"Mark, why did you\u2014\" I began to ask, but was interrupted when he held up a hand to make me listen to what he was about to say.\n\n\"Why did I have the Sils push everyone out? I wasn't thinking clearly. I only had what Bernard had told me to do in those damn journals. I was trying to show the Council what power I had. I now know it wasn't the best idea.\"\n\n\"No kidding, you idiot,\" Genevieve said. \"You got a lot of people hurt and killed.\"\n\nI took a deep breath. \"This isn't on Mark. It's my fault. My actions have led us to this point. The only other person to blame now is Xavier.\"\n\nIn a thick rich Irish accent Riley said, \"It's not your fault. This is the life of a Thusian. Do we honestly think this situation is any worse than when my parents were alive or back a thousand years ago? This war was waged a long time ago and now we finally have a chance to end it.\"\n\nI was being jerked back and forth, kind of like being on a roller coaster, but I was pinned down, and it was completely dark, each turn and bump catching me off guard. A thick earthy substance was covering me, as I jostled along. I tried to move it off me but I didn't have the strength. The pressure on my body was too much to bear. It was crushing me slowly, like being buried alive. As I tried to see what was weighing me down, I realized I was next to someone else. I listened for a moment and the person next to me was groaning every so often when we hit bigger bumps. I knew those sounds of agony; it was Noel. We both were being moved somewhere by someone.\n\nI tried several times to move some part of my body but still wasn't able to. I tried to scream out, \"Help me,\" but my voice was unable to make a sound, which frightened me. The weight on my chest kept me from making any sound. I began to hyperventilate until silver and gold stars appeared in front of me, then my skin was covered in sweat, and then nothing.\n\n***\n\n\"Where do you think you're going?\" A hoarse male voice exclaimed, pulling me out of my darkness. I took a shallow breath.\n\n\"I'm doing my chores. What's it to you?\" a girl's voice answered sarcastically, just like Genevieve would have.\n\n\"Grey wants to make sure no Thusians in the vault get any help from you little Sils here at home. He doesn't care what you think you are now and who you report to. You are still nothing, just property, and you will serve us Seekers. Don't forget that, or we will liquefy the rest of you.\"\n\n\"Really, you idiots couldn't take care of yourselves without us. You go get Grey right now then, if that's how you are going to be,\" she said defiantly, waiting for a response.\n\nHe hesitated, then said, \"You want me to go get him?\" He stumbled over the question, sounding baffled.\n\n\"Yes, I do. And then you can explain how you stopped me from completing my chores in the cellar.\"\n\n\"You are her? The one who works down there? Ghost Girl?\" He said, sounding alarmed.\n\n\"Yes, I am. Now go get him,\" she demanded.\n\n\"No, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Please go ahead, and do what you . . .\" His voice trailed off because he was getting away from her.\n\n\"That's what I thought, you idiot,\" she shouted and then we began to move again.\n\nI wasn't sure if I should be scared or happy that we were being helped by this Sil. Especially one named Ghost Girl?\n\nWe began to move more quickly. Noel groaned loudly, reminding me that I could barely breathe. And I doubted Noel was doing well under these circumstances.\n\nMy heart began to pound, my skin felt as if pins were poking me everywhere, kind of like when my foot would fall asleep after a long car ride, but this was excruciating. The next thing was the onset of severe nausea. I began to gag but I couldn't get a breath to completely purge. Instead, the acid was trapped in my throat, burning. A thought of Nicholas made me find the strength to endure it all, at least for the moment.\n\n\"I suggest you stop squirming like a little worm, unless you want us to get caught. I have to get you both to the cellar, and then we can go from there.\"\n\nWe began to bounce up and down faster. But then we came to a halt and Ghost Girl said, \"I'm sorry for this, but I will come and check on you as soon as I can. If anyone comes down the stairs, hide. I have laid a sack with some supplies in the corner; hopefully it's all still dry. And no matter what, be brave. Nothing will hurt you down there, I promise.\"\n\nWe were flung forward and slid down a chute of metal. I reached back, hoping to slow myself down, and caught my ring fingernail on something. It bent backwards, feeling as if it was being pulled off. I grabbed hold of my hand as we continued down into a sludge. Water definitely was the main part of the gooey substance. The smell was like rotten eggs and a skunk. I got to my knees and pulled Noel up out of it so she wouldn't drown. I looked up the chute right as the door was being shut and locked with a series of chains. It was dark down here; only a couple of rays of lights came from the door. This wasn't a cellar. It was more like a dungeon where people are tortured. And what did she mean by nothing could hurt us down here? Why would she say that?\n\nI stood up, still holding my hand to keep my throbbing finger from hurting any worse. I tried to see around us. My ribs and leg were still hurting, but I was not as bad off as Noel. When my eyes started to get used to the darkness, I noticed several pairs of beady eyes looking back at me. I was surrounded by rats.\n\nIt took all of my will power to keep from screaming. Suddenly I couldn't feel any pain. I began to shake violently, and my arms started to itch. I looked down, and I was covered in white bumps, hives. I was frozen. I couldn't move. Where was Nicholas when I needed him? Why was I more scared of frogs and rats than getting caught by Xavier?\n\n\"Noel,\" I whispered urgently, hoping she would respond to give me some needed courage, but nothing.\n\nI took my eyes off the growing number of vermin and looked around the room, hoping to find something to distract myself.\n\nThe cellar was massive, at least two stories tall. Above us were long wooden beams spanning the whole ceiling, holding up the floor above us. Almost the entire room's floor glimmered a little, showing it was covered by the goo. Maybe one of the far corners was dry, and I hoped that was where the supplies were. But first I had to face my fear.\n\nI looked back at the rats. None of the little statues had moved yet. Out of the corner of my eye, I checked to see how Noel was doing. The cut above her right eye was bleeding again, and her nose was caked in dried blood. She jerked, like when you fall asleep and wake up suddenly. She slid off to the side, back into the goo. I needed to move her to a safer spot.\n\n\"Elle,\" I said out loud to myself, \"you need to help your friend.\"\n\nUnfortunately my body didn't react to my words. But a thought did the trick: This was my idea to leave Nicholas, and for us to go to Noel's safe house. If I want to see my family, Nicholas or anyone else, I have to be brave. Would Genevieve be scared?\n\nI took a deep breath and pictured the mice from Cinderella. That story was in one of the books my mom used to read to me when I was little. I pictured the chubby little mouse and the thin one helping Cinderella make her dress for the ball. My foot moved a little and then so did my other one. The sludge that clung to my shoes dripped off the side as I moved slowly with high steps. I grabbed Noel underneath her arms. Before I moved her, I wanted to see where there weren't as many rats. I slowly looked around and thankfully they were gone\u2014well, maybe not entirely gone, just out of sight.\n\nI tried to pull Noel up out of the goo, but she was dead weight, unable to do anything to help me. So I had to drag her toward the other side of the room, hoping to find a dry spot or ledge that we could use to get up and out of the wetness. Surprisingly, the liquid made it easier to drag her to the other side, kind of like sliding on wet ice.\n\nAbout halfway across the room, the floor began to slope up gradually, which caused the goo to become shallower. A little farther on, the ground was just a wet surface. Noel groaned as I pulled her along. Was I hurting her more? Maybe, but I had to get her out of this, and then I could deal with her wounds and mine. In the corner to the right I could see a rotting wooden staircase. If there was any space behind it, it would make an excellent hiding spot for me to think and take care of us, because who knew if Ghost Girl would actually come back. Did I want her to? The way that Seeker sounded when he found out who she was made it seem like we should avoid her. Regardless, I needed to focus on what I was doing now.\n\nIt was completely dry behind the stairs, luckily, the highest point down here. Everything sloped up to this point. And in front of us was a burlap bag.\n\n\"Okay, let's hope there is something in here we can use,\" I said to Noel, as if she were conscious.\n\nI pulled out some clothes: simple gray dresses and blouses. The clothing was identical to what Aldara and the other Sil women always wore. I reached into the bag again and pulled out a brush, some fabric strips and a bottle of clear liquid with no label, which looked like water. I set these items on the ground next to Noel, who still hadn't moved. There was also a large loaf of bread and a big chunk of cheese wrapped in wax paper. The last thing I found in the bag was a jug with a label showing two snakes wrapped around a staff. It looked like the medical symbol, but this was slightly different. It had a rough circle behind it that I had seen a couple of times when Mark was reading Bernard Weathers' journals.\n\nI wish she had given us some sort of light. Would it have been too much to ask for? I wanted a candle or flashlight. It would've allowed me to see around the entire room better, and it would've helped keep those rats away.\n\nA loud thud came from above, sending me to the ground next to Noel. A light cascaded down into the room from the top of the stairs. Then someone began to walk slowly down the long flight of stairs. Each step creaked and groaned as if the staircase was going to fall down at any moment.\n\nI pulled Noel against the wall closer to me. I held my breath, hoping whoever it was wouldn't hear us. My heart was in my throat; I could feel it beating so hard. I closed my eyes, hoping we hadn't come this far only to be discovered.\n\nA person as wide as half the staircase was descending. The light from above cascaded down the stairs as the large round body moved slowly to the bottom. At the last step, the person bent over. I leaned forward to get a better look at what was happening. The person had a bottle and was sticking it down into the sludge, apparently collecting it.\n\nWhy would anyone want this nasty sludge? I was surrounded by it and couldn't wait to escape. I closed my eyes again, afraid that if I looked too long, this person would feel my stare and it would be over for us. Then a loud groaning sound like a wounded animal came from the far corner of the room. I opened my eyes and saw large flashes of light fill the room and then vanish. The person ran back up the stairs panting the whole time, moving faster than I thought possible. The door slammed shut and the room went dark. We were alone again in the pitch black with our only companions, the rats and whatever was in the far corner.\n\n\"I'm not going back down there ever again; no one can make me. I don't care what we need. We should send down the Ghost Girl,\" a voice whined from above.\n\n\"You will do what Xavier asks, Chester, and\u2014\" someone with a much deeper voice commanded.\n\n\"Asks? Ha! It's more like a threat, and you know it, Morris,\" he interrupted. \"Aren't you like a brother to Grey? Can't you do anything to get someone else to do these chores? We are doing nothing but sitting around. We should be out there setting up Thusians to die or at least trying to get into Valcary Hill to stop The 4,\" Chester wheezed, getting worked up and gasping for air.\n\n\"Let me remind you of who you are. You aren't part of the 100 Seekers, you are just a Thusian who wants to be, a pawn. If you play your cards right, you may get invited to be part of the 100. And I would never go to Grey to ask him anything, ever. I'm next in line to be part of The 3 and I won't do anything to mess that up. So you'd better bite your tongue,\" Morris said with his voice going even deeper and sounding resolute.\n\nA door opened and closed.\n\nA familiar voice said, \"I hope you didn't go down into the cellar. I would really hate to lose one of you to the flash. Once you see the light she puts out, your days are numbered,\" she warned.\n\nI couldn't tell if Ghost Girl was serious or joking.\n\nNeither of them said anything.\n\n\"Ahhhhhh.\" Noel let out the loudest groan, scaring me. I grabbed her, putting my hand over her mouth. Her eyes were fixed in the direction of where the light had come from and she had a horrified look on her face. She looked petrified, and for Noel to look this way was in itself frightening. She was one of the bravest women I knew, not scared of anything.\n\nThen she fell to the side unconscious again.\n\n\"Oh boy,\" Ghost Girl said, \"You must have made her extra mad when you took some of her elixir without permission. She doesn't like that, you know. I feel sorry for you. Your days are numbered. You might as well fill out your will and go down and face The 4 alone.\"\n\n\"Enough, child,\" Morris warned. \"That's superstition, and you know why we have to go down there.\"\n\n\"Yes, to steal from the Sils. The elixir is only to be used in emergencies. The lot of you go down there all the time to fill up your bottles. You don't need it that often, do you? If anyone abuses it or stores it for later use, the people who use it will die and so will the ones retrieving it.\"\n\n\"Go do your chores, Sil, and leave us be,\" Morris said.\n\nA door shut and after a minute or two Chester's high-pitched voice whined again, \"There's no way I'm going down there again. You can do it yourself; you heard her.\"\n\n\"You better do as you're told. Don't cross them.\"\n\n\"I've figured out another way to gain favor with Xavier,\" Chester said, walking toward the far corner. I could hear the floor boards creak with each step, as he and Morris walked away, talking in hushed voices as they too left out the door.\n\nFor the moment there was no risk of us being discovered. We were alone. Well, maybe not completely alone. We still had the rats around us and whatever had caused that flash. I didn't believe in ghosts, so I knew whatever was causing that blinding light could be explained. At the moment, I didn't really care what it was as long as it kept the Seekers upstairs.\n\nNoel hadn't moved since her freak out. I took out the bottle I thought was some type of medicine. I uncorked it and put some of it on a strip of cloth that was in the sack of supplies Ghost Girl had left us. I wasn't sure if it was for internal or external use, so I used caution and used it externally.\n\nThe liquid was thick, like corn syrup, but didn't have any smell to it. I was able to spread it over each of Noel's cuts, which covered most of her body. Some of them probably needed a couple of stiches, but for now I would just have to make sure they didn't get infected and keep them covered.\n\nAfter I was done with her, I began to clean my own cuts. I wrapped my fingernail that had almost been ripped off in a piece of gauze soaked in the liquid. It made it feel numb and tingly, which was an improvement over the throbbing pain. I then moved onto the rest of my cuts.\n\nI started to feel warm all over. Then a sound like someone whispering in my ear came from the far corner of the room. I looked up and saw a yellowish bright light revealing a silhouette. Were we alone?\n\nLying in bed was neither pleasurable nor restful. The covers felt like sandpaper and the pillow might as well have been a brick. The only thing I could do was try to think about everything I had learned from Forecasting. The darkness that often surrounded me in my nightmares was present, making me relive a multitude of horrors: everything from Elle's limp body at the quarry to the recent scalding hot water of the spring. All of this was brought on by the panic attack I had begun to have facing Grey, making me unsure of myself again. And when I would finally fall asleep, I would awake alone with no help. I refused to go back to see Mark. I just sat in my room.\n\nTime was in slow motion; days and nights blurred together. My hopelessness became a constant reminder that Elle was gone and I didn't know where she was.\n\nAldara kept me supplied with food and Tic Tacs. I guess she hoped I would eventually snap out of it. Genevieve didn't visit; she had disappeared entirely. Cora and Riley only came in when they wanted to get information from me, mostly about the Forecasting. Now I knew how Mark must have felt, only useful when people wanted something from me.\n\n\"Do you want to see what else you can do?\" a small voice asked. It was Logen; he was standing just inside my door, as if he was unsure if he was allowed in here with me. I sat up and smiled at him.\n\n\"What are you talking about, buddy?\" I asked, and when the word \"buddy\" passed my lips, I realized it was what my dad used to call me sometimes.\n\nLogen inched closer.\n\n\"Logen, you can come in,\" I said, throwing my legs to the side of the bed, waving him over.\n\nHe skipped over to me, leaning in next to me, at ease now.\n\n\"People are saying you should be doing more than just sleeping the days away. So... are you going to see what talents you have?\" he asked.\n\n\"Logen, I'm not sure what they are talking about.\" Even though I knew, I didn't feel like discussing it with a little kid. \"And to be honest, I don't think I want to do much right now. Sometimes grownups need some time to just think, and that's what I'm doing.\"\n\nHe didn't say anything. He put his little finger up to his mouth and tapped it like he was in deep thought, which was pretty cute. I'm sure he was imitating someone he had seen.\n\n\"If I was a hero like you, I think I would do hero stuff. Don't you think? You know, so you can save us all?\" Then, he bounced out of the room.\n\nI got up and followed him out in the main area of the vault and Cora, Riley and Genevieve were in there eating and talking about something.\n\n\"It's so good of you to join the living,\" Genevieve said, taking a bite of her sandwich.\n\n\"Aldara, can I see you?\" I said, sitting down and grabbing a sandwich from a platter. Before I had a chance to begin eating, she came into the room.\n\n\"What can I do for you, Nicholas?\" she asked, sounding formal.\n\n\"I need to talk with the Sils who are responsible for the Forecasting Room.\"\n\n\"Why do you want to talk to them?\" Cora asked.\n\n\"It's time for me to start acting like part of The 4. We need to stop just waiting for things to happen. We need to be proactive in getting prepared to face Xavier, Grey and Ashlyn. We need to train.\"\n\nI glanced at Genevieve to see if she flinched when I said her sister's name, but she didn't. She was stone faced, staring at me, slowly chewing.\n\n\"Wouldn't you rather talk to Mark first?\" Aldara questioned.\n\n\"No,\" I said. She didn't move at first. She was processing something, but she didn't say what; she simply turned and left the room.\n\n\"Nicholas, I'm glad you think we should start being proactive. I think there's a treasure trove of information here for us to learn. I mean, that Forecasting Room has to only be the tip of the iceberg,\" Riley said.\n\nHe was always in favor of training; it was his go-to. If everything else seemed to go wrong or if we were at a standstill, he would suggest we train more.\n\n\"Just so I'm clear,\" I said to them, \"we're going to find Elle first. We'll get her back and then, and only then, will we go after Xavier. People look to us as heroes, which is good, but we need to be a complete team before we can be successful. We're only at our best when we're surrounded by our loved ones. Think about all those times we've had to deal with danger\u2014who has been there? It hasn't always been just the four of us.\"\n\nCora stood up and came over next to me.\n\n\"I'm so proud of the man you've become,\" she said, and then turned to face the others. \"He's right. We need to find Elle and Noel. We also need Walter, Dane, Piet, and we can't forget about Chase.\"\n\n\"Sure, I guess we should include Chase too,\" Riley sighed with a smile. \"We're stronger all together.\"\n\nI closed my eyes and images went flying by me, as if I was watching a movie, but every frame was a different picture. Once I opened my eyes, I knew without a doubt we needed to do this. We needed to complete our team, and we would start by finding Elle. She needed me.\n\n\"Noel, I hope you can hear me. I need you. I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm broken, my heart aches, and my head is spinning,\" I said, putting some more water into her mouth, hoping she was swallowing it. She didn't move. Her wounds had healed shockingly fast over the past several days, as had mine. Even my fingernail had reattached. We were almost out of both food and water though, and Noel desperately needed to eat. She had to wake up, because it was beginning to seem like we had been left down here, forgotten by Ghost Girl. And without Noel, I wouldn't dare try to escape this place. How much longer could she really last with only getting caps full of water? Was I really helping, or was she slipping away, further into this coma-like state?\n\n\"I'm not a Thusian and I'm not brave like you,\" I continued whispering to her. \"So what now? I told you I wanted to go to your safe house, but if you aren't here with me, what am I to do?\" I pulled a stray hair out of her face, hoping she would just open her eyes. \"You need to wake\u2014\"\n\nSeveral loud footsteps stopped me from saying anything else. It was the first movement I'd heard above us in days.\n\n\"Did you hear?\" a monotone male voice asked.\n\n\"About what? You need to be more specific, you idiot,\" a deep female voice responded.\n\n\"Mark Siegel, you know, Jacob Siegel's son, has invoked full Sil security. Xavier has instructed that no Seeker should go near Valcary Hill.\"\n\n\"Yeah, so? That doesn't mean anything. Those little Sils wouldn't stand a chance against The 3 if they weren't barricaded in a fortress.\"\n\n\"Maybe,\" he said. \"But the point is: only a Keeper can activate the Sils' defenses, which means everything Mark said about the Divine Council being dissolved is true. The 4 has been formed! The Great War has begun!\"\n\n\"That's amazing!\" she squealed, sounding like a child on Christmas morning.\n\n\"Amazing, are you kidding? Bran Shuster's family members were all historians, used by the Seekers for a very long time. He said the war in the 1700s killed hundreds of thousands of people, and this time, who knows how many will die? Maybe millions once it gets ramped up. He thinks it's going to be worse than before. There are now four groups of Thusians trying to gain power: Ester and the Council, Keeper Siegel and the Sils, The 4, and Xavier. We are going to see so much death. A lot of us have been talking, and we aren't sure what to do or where to send our families.\"\n\n\"You coward,\" she said. \"This is what needs to happen: we have to purge the Thusians, and if some Seekers get offed in the process, who cares? It just means they are weak and need to be thrown out with the rest of the bad blood. And the insignificant little Nons don't matter, like the Sils. They die so easily anyway, like little lambs,\" she said.\n\nI wanted to yell at her. I closed my eyes and a smile came to my face, because some of the Seekers were scared, and maybe there were even more who were frightened by what this meant. And if that was the case, then Nicholas, Cora, Genevieve and Riley could easily gain the upper hand. If Ester and the Council, Mark and the Sils, and the rest of the Thusians were smart, they would realize this and support and help The 4.\n\nMy chest was feeling heavy; it was becoming hard to breathe. A black cloud was all around me. I was trapped in it, unable to move. I opened my eyes as wide as I could. Where was I? What was happening? I tried to move my head to look around, but I couldn't. I tried to move my legs and arms, but with no luck.\n\n\"Noel,\" I said, trying to stay calm and not panic. \"Can you hear me? Can you hear me?\" What was happening to me?\n\nThe thought of her lying face down in the goo came to me. What if I couldn't move? How would I be able to help her? The more I tried to move, the more I felt like I was being squeezed. The feeling of being trapped was taking over, as I became more claustrophobic.\n\nMy body began to try to break free using all of my might, as if I was convulsing. I had no control over it. But with one big jerk of my arm I felt something give way; just enough to give me hope I could escape. My mind continued to say, I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here. What if Noel needs me?\n\nI awoke immediately to the sound of people upstairs. To my horror and shock I was in front of the stairs, completely submerged in the muck. The water must have come up and pulled me out of hiding while I was asleep.\n\n\"You can't make me go back down there,\" a familiar voice whined. It was Chester, and he wasn't happy.\n\nBut this time a familiar voice said, \"You will do it now, or I will show you what happens to those who don't obey Xavier. Do I make myself clear?\" It was Ashlyn; her voice was cold. And then I heard a door shut above.\n\nThe door opened, and the bright white light cascaded down upon me. I heard Chester take the first step, and with that sound and the thought of him finding me stuck there, I pushed myself deeper into the thick muck to hide.\n\nI was completely submerged, and my head was only halfway in with my mouth just barely out of the sludge, allowing me to take some shallow breaths. But as Chester came closer, I held my breath.\n\n\"Hey, Steel, why don't you come down too? He commanded us both, not just me. You heard him, and what Ashlyn said to us before we left,\" he screamed up from one of the top stairs.\n\n\"He said for you to go down there, and Ashlyn was looking at you,\" a woman's voice answered.\n\nHe dropped the bottle, and it came bouncing down the stairs. If he came down to get it, he would surely see me. My heart sank. The only comfort I had was that Noel was actually in a shadow, not easy to spot, so at least she had a chance behind the stairs. I moved, trying to slide down deeper into the muck, which had become more like a swamp, allowing me to move a little bit farther away and into it.\n\nI heard Chester quicken his pace down the stairs. It seemed like he was down there forever, but eventually I heard him go back up, and then the door slammed shut. He hadn't seen me. For now we were safe.\n\nI pulled my arm out and began the process of freeing myself, once I heard them leave.\n\n\"Where are we?\" Noel's strained, broken voice pulled me away from looking at the stairs, still cleaning the gook off of myself.\n\n\"Oh, thank God you're okay.\" I went to her, relieved to see she was awake.\n\n\"Elle, where are we?\" she asked again.\n\n\"I'm not sure. I think it's the cellar in the...\n\n\"We're in the cellar?\" she quizzed like she hadn't heard me clearly.\n\n\"Yeah, and a Sil has helped us.\"\n\n\"All of my injuries are better, right?\"\n\n\"Actually, you're right, how did you know?\"\n\n\"The Sil who has helped us is The Guardian of the Cellar. She's a good friend of us Thusian Guards,\" she said slowly, examining herself and stretching. \"Aubriana is the one who comes down here and retrieves the spring water that comes up out of the ground. It has incredible healing properties. Some say it's the fountain of youth because it can be consumed in addition to being used externally. She put us down here to make sure we were healed. After the beating I took, I'm grateful she dumped me down here with you to watch after me. That's the only way I would have survived. So how long have we been down here?\"\n\n\"I'm not sure. Maybe a couple of days or even a week. With very little light, I lost track of time.\"\n\n\"Let's signal her, so she'll know we're okay,\" Noel said, standing up and grimacing.\n\n\"How do we do that?\"\n\n\"We need to go to the stairs and pull the lever that's attached to the bottom of the handrail. I remember Walter talking about how he brought Chip here. Remember him? He was the one who got sliced up by Grey while protecting Nicholas and Cora. Walter laid him down here and when Chip felt better he pulled the lever to let her know to come and get him.\"\n\n\"How do you know all of this?\" I asked. Sure, she was part of Walter's security and he had talked about Chip, but it seemed like she knew the process intimately.\n\n\"Because, I came here right after . . . after I got injured at Vanderbilt. Chase had done everything he could for me. He had put me back together, but I wouldn't have been the same person. So Walter flew me out here for a couple of days. The Cellar made my wounds heal very fast, making it more likely that I would be able to continue protecting you. And it worked. It makes sense why the Seekers want this place. In a battle, having this spring would be a great asset.\"\n\nI helped her up and she slowly walked over to the bottom of the staircase and pulled a small lever. Then a loud hiss and a flash happened in front of us.\n\n\"What's that?\" I asked pointing in the direction it came from, noticing that it lacked a person silhouette this time. \"The Seekers are scared of it. Aubriana told them it was a ghost.\"\n\n\"Of course she did. She nick-named herself Ghost Girl to scare Thusians. The lever releases swamp gas and once it hits the air, it ignites. She has a lever up in her room too, which can do the same thing. She'll come down here soon.\"\n\n\"Really, swamp gas?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nRight then the door opened. \"Are you two ready to come up? It's three in the morning and those two Seekers went back to their quarters to sleep. There's no one awake here at home. You can follow me up and bring the supplies I left for you. I don't want any evidence left behind.\"\n\n\"Wake up, wake up,\" a small voice pleaded with me. I couldn't tell if I was in a dream or not.\n\nI wiped my eyes and was now lying in a bed. I looked over to my side and Noel was there right next to me.\n\n\"I'm so happy you're awake.\" Aubriana stood in front of me. She had long red hair and freckles. She looked younger than her voice sounded.\n\n\"How did we get here?\" I asked. I could only remember coming up the stairs, but after that nothing.\n\n\"When you and Noel got to the top of the stairs, you passed out. It's common, if you've been down in the cellar for more than two days. The increase of oxygen and lack of light usually makes your body need time to adjust. You two had been down there for five days. So I carried you both up here.\n\n\"And how long have we been up here?\"\n\n\"Three days.\"\n\nI rubbed my head, not sure how I could have been out for so long.\n\n\"Who knows we're here?\" Noel asked, sitting up.\n\n\"No one except for me and Mrs. Penny Childs, our senior Sil.\n\n\"Do you know who I am?\" I whispered to her.\n\n\"Of course I do. You two are Thusians who need our help,\" she said with a wink.\n\n\"Are you sure you haven't even told the Keeper or his guest?\" Noel questioned further.\n\n\"The Sils here are serving the Seekers and Thusians who occupy this area. Keeper Siegel requested for it to be this way. Mrs. Penny and I both agreed you two would be safer if no one knew, not even the Keeper. So what are your plans now?\"\n\n\"We have to get as far away from this place as we can. For starters we need to get back to the United States,\" I said.\n\n\"I may know a way to make that happen. A certain friend knew you were going to need to get back to the United States, but only if you're interested.\"\n\n\"Friend? What friend?\" I said, trying to rack my brain. Who knew we needed to get out of here? This had to be a trap.\n\n\"Not really sure. A boy came here with a message saying if any one needed a ride, a boat would be waiting for them on the coast, but they would have to clean the toilets and cook for him.\"\n\nNoel and I looked at each other. John Maker was waiting for us. I wasn't sure how he knew we needed his help, but I was glad he did. I pulled my hair back to the side and began twirling it in my fingers. We needed to get to his boat.\n\n\"Do you have any hydrogen peroxide?\" I asked. \"And I will also need scissors.\"\n\nAubriana stared at me, and a moment later her head began to nod, understanding what I wanted to do. She hurried out.\n\n\"So what now?\" Noel asked, as if she had no idea what I was doing.\n\n\"Here you go, Elle,\" Aubriana said, walking through the doorway with the items I wanted in hand.\n\n\"So, do either of you know how to cut hair?\" I asked.\n\nLooking into the mirror made me feel like hyperventilating. My hair was now blonde, bleached blonde. I had left the peroxide in my hair for over two hours, and then both Aubriana and Noel had helped me cut it short into a pixie haircut. I resembled a full grown Tinker Bell. If I hadn't known who I was looking at in the mirror, I wouldn't have recognized myself.\n\nNoel had also changed her appearance. She had used some type of polish or stain to turn her brown hair to jet black. She had also applied heavy black make-up. She was unrecognizable also.\n\n\"Wow, I have to say you both completely transformed. I wouldn't recognize you in a million years,\" Aubriana said.\n\nNoel gave a small smile, which she didn't do often, so I knew we had done a good job.\n\n\"I've already arranged for you to get to the boat. I'm going to get you into the back of one of our supply trucks on its daily route to the port. The Seekers won't think anything of it. It's a two-day drive, and they stop over in a small town. Hemsworth, the driver of the truck you will be in, will get out of the truck and go into the pub once he arrives in town. That's when you should look for a place to stay. There are several barns in and around the area. Just make sure you are back in the truck by 7:30 the next morning. He's a stickler for time. He will leave exactly at 7:38. No sooner, no later. He's been driving this route for over 25 years and has the same routine.\"\n\n\"Go wait outside,\" Noel said, sounding kind of mean.\n\nAubriana gave us an uncertain look.\n\n\"What Noel is trying to say is we need a couple of minutes to talk things over first.\"\n\nAubriana stood up and walked out of the room.\n\n\"That was rude,\" I said.\n\n\"Your pleasantries take too much time and plus, she's a Sil. She doesn't...\"\n\n\"Really? She's a person, just like all Sils. You sound no better than Ester Theasing, or even Xavier. Quit being so blind to your ignorance.\"\n\nShe rolled her eyes, but nodded her head, knowing I was right, or at least placating me.\n\n\"We just need to get back to the United States. Her way has too many variables and involves too many things I can't control, and that's not good. My safe house in Cincinnati is easy to get to. We can't let anyone else know what we're doing, not even Aubriana,\" she said.\n\n\"Aubriana, come back in, you're coming with us. Noel, put your shroud on, with the hood up. We're leaving now,\" I said, agreeing with Noel and knowing exactly how we were going to get to Cincinnati.\n\n\"Really, Elle, weren't you listening to me?\"\n\n\"I was. You're right.\" I grabbed the jug of the elixir from the night stand and went out the door.\n\nNoel and Aubriana hurried after me, but I was already down the first flight of stairs before they caught up with me.\n\n\"El...\" but Noel's voice faded when she saw two Seekers up ahead. They were both big. The man had to be Chester. I had seen him go up and down the stairs a couple of times. There was no way it could be anyone else.\n\n\"Chester, haven't you gone down and gotten the jug full yet?\" I asked, walking up to the two of them.\n\nHe spun around and had a blank look on his face. The girl was equally as big as Chester. I was hoping it was Steel. We would have to wait and see.\n\n\"Who are you and\u2014\"\n\nI cut him off. \"Really, you buffoon? You're going to question me when you have failed Xavier so many times already? He gives you a simple task and you can't even complete it.\"\n\nThe woman walked over to me. She was easily a foot taller and had one hundred pounds on me. If she wanted to, she could squash me like a bug.\n\n\"What do you want?\" I barked at her with as much confidence as I could, remembering how Cora and Genevieve sounded when they were wanting something to happen.\n\n\"I've never seen you before. Answer his question. Who are you?\" It was Steel.\n\n\"First of all, I don't answer to you,\" I said, pushing her shoulder. \"And secondly, Steel, Xavier sent you both here to get a simple task done. And what did you do? You left it up to Chester. He's not even a Seeker.\"\n\nI could see a little doubt in her eyes. I had to push further. I thrust the jug of elixir into her gut, catching her off guard. \"The next time he asks you to do something, do it yourself.\"\n\nShe nodded, which was a relief, holding tightly onto the jug. But now I had to get us out of here without any questions.\n\n\"You two are lucky I was sent to check on you without Ashlyn, because it could have easily been time for both of you to make your Final Sacrifice if she had been here.\" Both of their faces turned pale, scared at the thought of being confronted by Ashlyn. I walked over to the door. Noel and Aubriana followed. I pushed it open and turned back.\n\n\"There won't be another warning. Do I make myself clear? Because Xavier's Little Dove won't be as kind the next time.\" And I slammed the door shut behind us.\n\nThe three of us hurried along, away from the house toward the river, to a dock with several boats tied to it. We were going to escape. And for once I was the reason why I was okay.\n\nEND OF ELLE AND THE ESCAPE\nCongratulations to the Winners of  \nThe 2016 Hero Chronicles Writing Contest!\n\nGRAND PRIZE:\n\nNot in the Pink of Health\n\nby Deeya Prakash\n\nFIRST RUNNER UP:\n\nA Spark of Hope\n\nby Jonathan Waldmann\n\nSECOND RUNNER UP:\n\nFinding Mom\n\nby Marissa Riehm\n\n\"Bread, cheese, dish soap, yogurt, light bulbs, oh yes, we need butter!\" exclaimed Miranda as she walked through the aisles at MegaMart. Since they were going on a trip to Hawaii in two weeks, the week's shopping list wasn't as long. She picked up two sticks of butter and refocused her eyes on her list.\n\nBread, dish soap, cheese, butter, yogurt, light bulbs, bug spray.\n\nAll she needed now was the bug spray. She knew how much her dad hated mosquitoes and how bad they bit this time of year. She picked up the can labeled KeepAway. She hummed as she proceeded to check out. This was the first time her mother had let her go to the grocery store for the weekly shopping. But, Miranda understood why.\n\nA few weeks ago, there had been a huge scare all over the West Coast due to the outbreak of a deadly disease called the Pink Fever. It was all over the news channels and Internet, and people couldn't stop talking about it.\n\nIn the middle of July, an airport security guard at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport started developing symptoms of the Pink Fever. The authorities had spent countless days searching for the individual suspected of bringing the disease into the country, and finally identified him as a man who had arrived from a remote African town. But, before they could find him, he had disappeared.\n\nGradually, more people became infected. Doctors and researchers worked day in and day out to contain the spread of the disease and find a cure. During this period of time, no child was allowed out of the house, and many adults didn't leave either, fearing that they might catch the fever and pass it on to their family.\n\nThe Pink Fever was a contagious condition consisting of five stages. During the first stage, your body temperature rises to scorching levels. Then, you start developing pink rashes all over your body. Third, the pink spots expand, covering your entire body from head to toe. Fourth, you become incredibly weak, barely able to lift even a sheet of paper. The fifth stage is the last and final stage\u2014death. The first few stages normally last for about a week or two each, but once you develop the fourth stage, it could be only a matter of hours before the disease takes you away. The fatal fever was caused by a virus, and it had already claimed dozens of lives.\n\nFinally, after immense research, a scientist discovered an antidote. Immediately, doctors and nurses set to work, trying to cure as many people as possible. The only problem was that the first dose of the antidote had to be given within 48 hours of coming in contact with the virus. The infected person had to also take the antidote every day for the next five days in a controlled environment, such as the Research Center Laboratories at the Medical Center of Nevada (RCLMCN). For good measure, even those who had no trace of the Pink Fever could take one dose of the antidote if their doctor thought it was necessary.\n\nAs she waited to checkout, Miranda shivered. She just kept telling herself that no one in the city of Los Angeles had the Fever anymore, and even if it did break out again, the scientists now had an antidote. But, since the original carrier hadn't been found yet, Miranda still felt slightly uneasy. Some said that he must have died, while others believed he was still on the run. As for Miranda, she thinks he's still out there, lurking in the alleys, just waiting for\u2014\n\n\"Next!\" barked the grumpy woman behind the counter. Miranda snapped out of her daze and quickly began loading her merchandise onto the conveyor belt. Once all of her products had been bagged, she slapped a twenty dollar bill on the counter and quickly left the shop with two bags on each arm, determined not to catch the grumpy cashier's eye.\n\nAs soon as Miranda was safely outdoors, she heaved a big sigh and started for home. She lived in a medium-sized house with her mother, father, and her older brother, Caleb. It was about two blocks away from MegaMart, which came in handy when they had to make quick, last minute trips.\n\nHalfway down the road, she started to feel itchy on her right elbow. Stopping to investigate, she noticed that she had gotten a bug bite. She dug her hand into one of the grocery bags and fished around. Unable to feel the familiar cylindrical shape of the KeepAway bottle, she shoved her hand into another bag. It wasn't in that one either. Another itch developed on her left knee, and another on her cheek. Frustrated, she peered into each bag. Bread, dish soap, cheese, butter, yogurt, light bulbs......no bug spray!! Dad would never forgive me if I forgot bug spray! She thought, Hang on. I never heard it drop out of my bag, and I'm sure the lady bagged it......so where could it be? Baffled, Miranda retraced her steps back toward MegaMart.\n\nShe hurried back inside the grocery store and checked the counter. Still nothing. She approached the grumpy cashier who was currently bagging items for an old lady. Miranda waited for her to finish and then approached the cashier.\n\n\"Excuse me,\" she said politely. The woman turned her head and glared at Miranda.\n\n\"Can I help you?\" she asked, chomping on a piece of gum. Miranda held out her receipt and handed it to the lady.\n\n\"Well, I paid for this can of bug spray, but it seems to not be in my bags. Did it get left on the counter?\" she asked.\n\n\"I bagged it all right!\" snapped the woman, shoving the receipt back at Miranda. Startled, Miranda fell over. She hit the tile with a loud thud and scratched her elbow on the side of the counter. Seething, Miranda hoisted herself up off of the ground and went to pick up her fallen bags. What's wrong with this lady? She peered inside each of them to make sure nothing had broken, and luckily, her lightbulbs had survived. But before she turned away, she noticed a hole, the size of her fist, in one of the bags. The bread must have been in front of it the whole time! How could she have missed it? It was getting dark, and she knew she should be heading home before her parents started to worry. She shrugged off the lost bug spray and decided to leave.\n\nShe began to walk out of the store, when she heard a rattling noise coming from outside the automatic doors. \"No time for distractions,\" she said, with an uneasy smile. When she stepped outside, she noticed a man behind the ice freezer. Before he could turn away, Miranda spotted her bug spray can, with the price tag still visible, peeking out of a brown, tattered sack that he was holding.\n\n\"Hey!\" she shouted. The strange man turned toward her. He had dark brown eyes, dark skin, no hair, and was holding a sack. He was wearing some type of cloak that was covering him head to toe, and one glove only on his right hand.\n\n\"You iz talk to me?\" he asked, in a thick accent.\n\n\"You stole my bug spray bottle, mister,\" she stated.\n\n\"Oh, I iz very sorry,\" he said, lifting the bug spray bottle out of his sack. Miranda noticed that he used his left hand. \"You see, I iz trying to collect lost items, since I haz no money.\" He quickly handed her the now grimy bottle, and she put it into one of her shopping bags.\n\n\"Well, you're lucky that I won't be reporting you to the police,\" she shouted, and the man took off. She scolded herself. Why did she snap at him? He was, after all, just a poor man scrounging for lost items. This is when she should feel grateful for her blessing. She sighed.\n\n\"Hey, mister!\" she called back. He stopped abruptly, and turned himself to face her.\n\n\"Hay iz for horsez, miss,\" he said, and laughed at his own joke.\n\n\"Here,\" she said, hands shaking as she pulled out a five dollar bill from her pocket. His eyes widened as he sprinted back towards her and snatched it from her hand.\n\n\"You iz nice girl,\" he said. Smiling, he turned and ran.\n\nEven though he seemed like a nice man, Miranda couldn't help feeling a little scared about handling the bug spray bottle. Maybe he had replaced it with poison, or maybe a potion that caused death or\u2014\n\nMiranda shook her head, clearing her mind. Stop thinking about it, she thought, although she was still a bit suspicious, so she quickened her pace. If she didn't get home in time to catch part of the World Series, her dad would make sure Miranda never stopped hearing about it.\n\nWhen she arrived in her neighborhood, she removed the bug spray bottle from the shopping bag. She studied it, and noticed that it had become quite sticky and some of the wrapping had begun to peel off. Given the circumstances, she decided that she wouldn't let anyone use it, and walked around her house towards the community garbage bin. She tossed it in. Feeling much better, Miranda hummed all the way home.\n\nAs usual, her mother had left the garage door open. As carefully as possible, she weaved her way through all of Caleb's sports stuff, her mom's gardening tools, and her dad's lawn equipment until she finally reached the door. She pulled it open. Comforted by the familiar sound of her mom cooking, and her dad and Caleb cheering for their favorite baseball team, she smiled and walked into the house.\n\n\"Oh Miranda, honey, thank goodness you're back! We were starting to get a little worried!\" her mom said, taking off her oven mitten to wrap her in a hug.\n\n\"No, we weren't. Just mom was. Besides, I was enjoying the peace and quiet without you,\" yelled Caleb over the blaring of the TV.\n\nPeace and quiet? Sure... nice one Caleb, thought Miranda, but she didn't bother to reply. Miranda's mom let go and went back to her cooking.\n\nBut Dad came to the rescue. \"Caleb, don't bully your sister. We've talked about this a million times. Apologize,\" said her father, putting up the recliner. He paused the TV and then turned it off.\n\nCaleb groaned. \"Dad, come on, we need to finish the World Series,\" he whined, walking into the kitchen.\n\n\"The World Series can wait. Come, set the table. Let's not allow TV get in the way of the one family meal of your day,\" he said. Spoken like a true parent.\n\nMiranda began to unload the groceries. She stuck the cheese, yogurt, and bread in the fridge and emptied the bottle of dish soap into the sink soap dispenser. After she was done with that, she handed the light bulbs to her dad.\n\n\"Here, Dad. I'm pretty sure I got the right kinds. You wanted the white kind, not the soft white, right?\" she asked.\n\n\"Yep. These are the ones,\" he said taking them from her.\n\n\"Did you remember the bug spray?' he asked.\n\nUh oh. She hadn't thought about what to do if one of her family members noticed it missing! Should she tell her father what happened, or should she keep it to herself? She didn't want to worry him, or her mom either. But, she had never lied before. Caleb was always the one who lied, not her. She kept arguing with herself until her father brought her back to Earth.\n\nHe cleared his throat.\n\n\"Oh, the bug spray bottle! Right, um, well I um, forgot it. I'll bring it tomorrow, I promise!\" she stammered, developing a quick cover story.\n\n\"I don't get it, Miranda. You made a list. Unless you can't read, you should be able to follow your own directions,\" Caleb teased from the dining room.\n\n\"Just shut up, Caleb,\" Miranda spluttered. If only he knew.\n\n\"Sorry, can't shut up. My award-winning micro-processor brain can only shut down,\" he said laughing. Gosh, he could be so annoying sometimes.\n\nThe family gathered for dinner and said their prayers. After that, they began to eat. The gooey lasagna warmed Miranda's stomach. Mom's cooking was the best!\n\n\"Just think, Miranda. What if there was a machine that would know exactly what you needed from the grocery store? Kind of like a grocery GPS. You would walk in, and it would tell you where your product was located. That way, you would be able to spend barely anytime at the store looking through a bunch of stuff, and scatter-brains like you would never forget an item!\" Caleb said.\n\n\"You know, it could happen. I just finished a science-fiction book with robots and cyborgs and androids and\u2014\"\n\n\"Miranda, honey, don't you think it's time for you to start reading some non-fiction? You know, to help you learn something useful instead of daydream?\"\n\nNo way mom, she thought. She hated non-fiction and preferred a book that provided somewhere into which she could escape, like fiction and fantasy.\n\nOnce everybody had finished their dinner, Miranda and her mom went back to the kitchen to clean up, and she followed her dad and Caleb back to the TV to watch the remainder of the game. She curled up in her favorite chair and opened her sci-fi novel and began to read, glancing up at the TV once in a while. Finally, around 9 pm, the game ended, and switched to the daily 9 o'clock news, which they watched every night.\n\nClosing her book she noticed that the scratch that she had gotten on her elbow from when she fell in MegaMart had started to bleed.\n\n\"Mom, I'm going to grab a Band-Aid,\" she said, approaching the staircase. Her mom nodded. Miranda walked up the stairs and was almost at the top when she heard her mom and dad gasp loudly. She quickly ran back down the stairs and barreled into the living room. There, she found her mom, dad and Caleb gaping at the TV in silence. The heading read BREAKING NEWS... ORIGINAL PINK FEVER VICTIM SPOTTED...\n\n\"He-He's been spotted\" said her dad, fingers shaking, and pointing to a black and white picture. She directed her eyes toward it. There stood the fuzzy outline of a man, covered in pink spots, with dark brown eyes and no hair . . . standing in front of MegaMart.\n\nShe scanned the scrolling news banner. Taken on May 1st, 2100 at 18:00. That was 3 hours ago.\n\nMiranda shook with fear. The man she had met not too long ago looked very similar to the man in the picture. Were they from the same town? Were they related? If either of those things were true, then the two men would at least look a little different, wouldn't they? I just met another random man on the street, that's all, she told herself. There's no connection between him and the wanted man at all.\n\nShe looked back at the picture. It was blurry, so she couldn't be certain. She was about to turn away when something caught her eye. Clutched in the man's hand was a five-dollar bill.\n\nNo. Absolutely not. He couldn't be. How could he?\n\n\"D-D-Dad,\" she stuttered.\n\n\"What is it, honey?\" he asked with a look of concern on his face.\n\n\"I gave him that five dollar bill,\" she whispered.\n\nHer dad's look of surprise and confusion was the last thing Miranda saw before she fainted.\n\n**\n\nShe woke up in a wheelchair.\n\n\"Mom,\" she whispered in a shaky voice.\n\n\"Miranda, honey, I'm here,\" she said in a voice that didn't suit her at all. Miranda knew that voice. It was her mom's I'm-going-to-pretend-that-everything's-alright voice. She had used it the time Caleb had fallen out of a tree and broke his wrist. She waved the thought away. Miranda's aching body jogged her memories. She remembered that she had fainted, and checked to see if anything was broken. She checked her right arm. No damage. Then she checked her left arm. Nothing. Then, she turned her arm over. Right over her wrist joint, there was a faint pink blotch. She tried to scrub it off with her knuckles, but it wouldn't budge. Gradually, her memories of the day before flooded back.\n\n\"Mom, where are we going?\" she asked, in a rather tense voice. She gripped the edge of her wheelchair, knuckles turning white.\n\n\"I'll explain on the hovercraft, sweetheart. You've been out for quite some time. Almost a day,\" she said.\n\nWow, the hovercraft? Miranda knew that the Los Angeles government was the first in the country to purchase two hovercrafts. They hadn't been used yet and were supposed to be saved for only extreme medical emergencies. Miranda didn't think she had even seen one before! Where were they taking her?\n\n\"Don't worry,\" her mother soothed. That voice she was using was really bothering Miranda. Miranda sighed and looked around. She was being wheeled through a patch of grass. The sun was shielded behind a cloud, and there was a slight breeze. Miranda inhaled, smelling the sweet aroma of nature.\n\nSuddenly, she felt the ground shake. She looked around. At first she thought it was an earthquake. Growing up in an earthquake-prone town, Miranda had learned all about them. But there wasn't just rumbling. A dark shadow appeared on the patch of grass in front of them. Then she heard the soft, slow whirring of an engine, and glanced up into the sky. Miranda's eyes widened as she gaped at the beautiful vehicle descending upon them. Almost as if they had taken an image from one of Miranda's science-fiction novels, the hovercraft appeared almost exactly like a flying saucer. It looked as if it were made entirely out of glass with different shades of blue and gray. The propeller at the rear of the craft spun without sound. Miranda pinched herself several times before she actually believed she was conscious. This is the coolest thing I have ever seen, she thought. But she was in for more. As soon as the hovercraft had come to a complete stop, she felt her wheelchair moving again. A silver ramp with swirled handrails extended from the craft's door and landed with a light thud on the grass. Miranda sat in stunned silence as she was wheeled up into the hovercraft by her mother, followed by another woman, whom Miranda hadn't noticed until just now.\n\n\"That's your doctor,\" her mom said, after noticing Miranda's look of confusion. The doctor had on a loose pair of scrubs and a white coat. She had red pointed glasses and hair pulled into a tight bun. Miranda noticed that both her mom and the doctor had on latex gloves. The doctor caught her eye and smiled. Miranda managed a thin smile back and turned away. She looked around the craft. There were stunning mosaics decorating the walls made of shiny multicolored tiles and glittering lights lining the aisles. Her mom helped her out of the chair and into a seat. The seats felt as if they were made from velvet and the windows were crystal clear. Miranda couldn't help but grin. She wanted her own hovercraft! She let her eyes wander more, and noticed a sign light up above the cockpit. It read: \"15 minutes.\" She gazed out the window. The craft lifted off, and her ears filled with pressure. After about five minutes of sitting and thinking, she decided that her confusion couldn't stay bottled up forever.\n\n\"Mom, tell me,\" she said, with a look of determination.\n\n\"What do you want to know?\" she said, with an unreadable expression.\n\n\"Everything,\" she replied.\n\n\"All right,\" said her mom, and heaved a big sigh. \"As you have probably noticed, you have developed symptoms of the Pink Fever, and you're in stage one as of now, so we're trying to rush you to Research Center Laboratories at the Medical College of Nevada for the antidote treatment,\" she said. Miranda shivered, despite her high fever. Her mom continued.\n\n\"Weeks ago, the antidote had been transferred to the RCLMCN. There was a minor outbreak of a different viral infection that had similar symptoms to the Fever. Thinking it was the Pink Fever, the scientists from the Southern California University took all of the antidote they had with them and flew to Nevada. When they found out that it was a different infection, they were able to treat it without the antidote. As they were leaving, they left the antidote with the scientists. So the closest place near Los Angeles where the antidote can be administered is the RCLMCN,\" she finished, with a deep breath.\n\n\"So that's where we're going,\" said Miranda.\n\n\"Yes, dear. Now don't worry, you're going to be fine.\"\n\nShe glanced at the sign above the cockpit. It now read, \"Prepare for landing.\"\n\nThe craft started to descend. This was Miranda's least favorite part (at least while riding on an airplane), and the added fatigue and dreadful throbbing all over her body didn't help at all. Her ears filled up with pressure and her arms plastered to her cushion seat. When the hovercraft finally hit the ground, Miranda yawned, and her ears instantly popped. That works in a hovercraft too, she thought. She heaved herself out of the chair and slowly walked out of the craft. She observed her surroundings. They were in another grassy patch, but this grass was brown and withered, and the air smelled like sand and heat.\n\n\"Miranda, sit in the wheelchair. We need you to conserve your energy,\" said her doctor. Obediently, she sat down.\n\nShe was wheeled into the laboratory building. Miranda noticed that almost all of the rooms were made of glass, and there were scales and scientific equipment in every one. She could see people in white lab coats and gloves bustling around vibrantly-colored liquids, examining each and every one carefully. All of the doors were closed, except for one at the end of the hallway. This room had a bed and a window, and wasn't made of glass. Her mom wheeled her into it and Miranda painstakingly heaved herself up and sat on the bed. On the bedside table, there was a sheet that said her full name and a bunch of scientific words she didn't understand. On the other table, there was a syringe full of purple liquid. Miranda had always wondered what the antidote looked like. She had pictured it pink, not purple. Her doctor left the room, but her mom, stayed right next to her bed.\n\n\"Ah, hello Miranda!\" said a warm, welcoming voice. Miranda turned her head. In the doorway was a rather skinny young man, with glasses and a crooked nose. He was wearing a white coat with his name embroidered on it, but he was too far away for Miranda to read it.\n\n\"Um, hi,\" she said.\n\n\"I can see that you've been a victim of the Pink Fever, but no matter! We have the antidote ready and after a few day's treatment and lots of rest you'll be as good as new,\" he said jovially. She gave a weak smile back, trying very hard not to explode with rage. How could he be so happy? She was in pain here!\n\n\"Now, without further ado, Miranda, I would like you to please hold out your right arm, facing up,\" he said. Trembling, she obeyed.\n\n\"Mom,\" she whispered. Now she was nervous.\n\n\"I'm right here, lil' turtle. I love you.\"\n\nMiranda loved that name.\n\n\"Okay, I want you to take a deep breath. I'm going to insert the antidote into your vein on your right arm, and it will hurt a little. But I know you're a brave girl. Are you ready?\"\n\nAt least he was honest about pain. Miranda mustered a slight nod, bracing herself.\n\n\"You're going to have to hold your daughter's hand tightly, she may flail,\" he said to my mother. How's that supposed to make me feel better? She wondered.\n\n\"After she receives the antidote, she'll sleep for about 30 minutes, so don't be alarmed if she doesn't wake up right away,\" he said, and picked up the syringe.\n\n\"On three: one, two, three!\"\n\nPain like no other coursed through her body and she let out a loud scream. Then, as soon as it had started, it ended. Miranda fell asleep.\n\n***\n\nThis process continued for five more days. Every day after taking her supplement, Miranda would drift off into an uneasy sleep and would wake up unrefreshed and weak. She couldn't move a muscle and didn't have an appetite. She was beginning to think that she wouldn't make it. She slowly started losing hope. But after her last dose of antidote, things started to turn around.\n\n\"Miranda, Miranda, wake up darling. Come on sweetheart, you can do it.\"\n\nMiranda eased her eyes open. It was her mom. Caleb was standing on the other side of the bed, along with her dad.\n\n\"Hey,\" said her dad.\n\n\"Hay is for horses,\" she said and chuckled, but quickly stopped, as she remembered. She decided that her favorite part of the day was that moment, right when she woke up, when she didn't remember anything. She wished the moment could last longer.\n\n\"How are you feeling?\" asked Caleb.\n\n\"Better,\" she confessed. Her body had stopped aching as much and she felt a little more like herself.\n\n\"I've got something to tell you,\" Miranda started, but Caleb shook his head, smiling.\n\n\"We already know. After you were diagnosed, we went back to MegaMart and checked for evidence. Sure enough, some really grumpy woman behind the counter had witnessed the whole scenario and reported it to the police. You're safe now.\" Miranda couldn't help but laugh. Even her brother thought that woman was grumpy. She averted her gaze to her wrist. There was a huge bulky bandage over the joint. She looked away.\n\n\"What happened to the man?\" she asked.\n\n\"He was found the day you gave him the money. Apparently the only reason he hadn't admitted himself sooner was because he didn't have any money. Because he was discovered late in the advanced stages of the Pink Fever, he couldn't take the antidote. But, the doctors are working hard to try to get him healthy again,\" replied her mother.\n\nHer dad's eyes met hers. \"C'mon, kiddo.\" he said. \"Let's put all this behind us and think happy thoughts. You need to rest and gain your energy back for our upcoming vacation, right?\" He smiled. Miranda had almost forgotten! Hawaii! Her paradise!\n\nShe lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes. As she pictured the turquoise waters and the cream-colored sand, she sighed, and slowly drifted off to sleep.\n\nEND OF NOT IN THE PINK OF HEALTH\n\nThe sun begins its brilliant ascent from below the horizon. It is a warm summer day; a soft breeze accompanies the heat. A figure stands looking off into the distance, as if contemplating something important. He turns, revealing his light blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He is a slender man. He holds his hands in his pockets as he casually gazes at the dawn of the new day.\n\nHe begins to walk away from where he's standing, raising his hands from his pockets to his hips. This motion reveals that he is wearing a pair of gloves, but these are no ordinary gloves. The gloves are made from light black cloth, and the tips of the gloves' fingers seem to have been hardened. He holds a piece of paper in his hands, reading it closely as if to remember something important. He drops the paper and continues on.\n\nThe paper flutters to the ground, revealing its inscription. \"Do what is right.\"\n\n***\n\n\"What a nice store you have here, don't you think?\" The hero stands inside the entrance of a shop, looking around at the stock. The store is dotted with many colored wires, as if he just walked into an electricity hub.\n\nThe shopkeeper looks up at him with a smile. \"Why, thank you. I try my best. Now, what brings you here, young man?\"\n\nThe hero moves from the doorway to the counter where the shopkeeper stands. \"By any chance do you have high insulation copper-alloy wiring in stock?\"\n\n\"Yes, I think so. Let me go check.\" The shopkeeper dashes through a door leading into a back room.\n\nAfter a few minutes go by, he comes back in, holding a box full of colored wires bunched inside. \"Don't usually get such a specific order. How much do you want?\" The shopkeeper sets the box on the counter and waits for an answer.\n\nThe hero looks down into the box, gazing back up at him with a smirk on his face. \"I'll take all of it.\"\n\nThe shopkeeper looks up at him with aghast. He laughs. \"That'll cost you a pretty penny; this wiring doesn't come cheap.\"\n\nThe hero, with an even smugger look on his face, responds calmly, \"That's fine. I have plenty to spend on it.\" He grabs a piece of paper from his pocket and, with a pen conveniently on the counter, scribbles a note on it. He hands the note to the shopkeeper. \"Here, take this to the City Treasury and have them take the money out of my research fund.\"\n\nThe shopkeeper opens the note, and a look of shock crosses his face. \"Wait! You're the Paul Crowell? That explains why you would need so much wiring.\"\n\nPaul laughs and responds, \"Yup, they don't call me 'The Conduit' for nothing. Thanks for the wires, man. It'll help.\"\n\nThe shopkeeper smiles. \"No, thank you. Haven't had business all day. You just became my best customer.\"\n\nPaul laughs and grabs the box, starting to walk away. \"I'm flattered.\"\n\nSuddenly, they hear a crash from across the street.\n\n\"Whelp, that doesn't sound good.\" Paul runs quickly out of the store and into a chase scene in front of him on the street. A man runs down the street, holding a gun and a bag under his arm. He is pursued by the police who look as if they cannot contain him, even with their best efforts. The police desperately fire shots at him, but their bullets seem to deflect off his clothing. Paul runs in front of him, as if running in front of a pack of bulls. The police stop shooting, and the man stops in his tracks. Paul sifts through his pocket, revealing a badge. The police look shocked, and one of them shouts into a Walkie-Talkie.\n\n\"Do not send back up! A specialist has appeared out of nowhere and\u2014\"\n\nThe criminal starts to sprint, trying to push past Paul. Paul pushes him back to where he was standing, making him stumble to the ground. The criminal jumps up, anticipating an attack from Paul.\n\n\"Save me the trouble and stop trying to run away.\" Paul throws the box of wires on the ground and looks the criminal in the eye with a glare that would make any person step back. The criminal laughs and raises his gun at Paul, ready to pull the trigger.\n\nPaul interrupts him first. \"I wouldn't do that if I were you.\" Paul shifts his intensity to a smirk. \"If I get hit by one of those bullets, I'll explode. Think of it as an equivalent exchange. You kill me, I kill you.\"\n\n\"Really? You think I'm going to believe something so wild?\"\n\nPaul chuckles at him. \"Why don't I let you in on a little secret, shall I?\" Paul unzips his jacket slowly, revealing a mass of wires resting on him. \"Why don't I introduce myself? My name is Paul Crowell, known to many as 'The Conduit'.\"\n\nThe criminal looks unimpressed. \"Never heard of you.\"\n\n\"I'd think twice about shooting me. The wires around my body are constantly conducting electricity in a current. I can switch it from different types of currents at will.\" The criminal clutches his gun, which is still aimed at Paul, and pulls the trigger.\n\nThe bullet flies and hits Paul right in the stomach. He steps back, staggering from the shock, but the wires are acting oddly. Electricity jumps from his body, conducting into the criminal's body. The criminal falls to the ground, paralyzed.\n\nPaul stands over him, holding the wound where he was shot. \"I made the current a direct current and connected my palms. That means if the current is disrupted, the electricity leaps out and disperses. Luckily, you were wearing steel-lined clothing; don't think I didn't notice it. Your clothes acted as a lightning rod for it.\" He takes a step back, his hand still on his wound.\n\nThe man on the ground laughs with what little strength he has left. \"Did anyone ever tell you giving away your plans is always a bad idea?\"\n\nSuddenly, a shooting pain goes throughout Paul's stomach. A blade protrudes from him. Another attacker stands behind Paul.\n\n\"How does it feel to be the hero now?\" The attacker twists the blade, making it increasingly more painful.\n\n\"It feels great, especially when I rid the world of scum like you two.\" Paul grabs the blade going through him and his gloves begin to give off electricity. The electricity jumps through the blade, traveling through the thug, leaving him on the ground like the first criminal with the gun.\n\n\"I must say, don't surprise a person like me who startles easily.\" He holds his hand to the wound, using his other hand to signal to the police in pursuit of the criminals. They rush in, looking over the scene.\n\n\"Thank you for your help, Crowell. We'll take it from here. We've called an ambulance to tend to your wounds.\"\n\n\"I don't need an ambulance, I'm just fine.\" He continues on. He begins to walk away, removing his hand from his stomach. Blood stains his hand. The color drains from his face. He falls over, disoriented. He lies there, incapacitated by the side of the crime scene.\n\n***\n\nPaul springs awake, shocked that he is resting in a hospital bed. He is connected to an IV, and bandages are wrapped around his stomach and arms. A doctor stands next to his bed, talking to a man in a dark blue uniform stitched with golden stripes and stars.\n\n\"Well, what do you know? He's awake. How are you feeling, Mr. Crowell?\"\n\nDisoriented, Paul sits up in his bed. \"Terrible! I just realized I left a whole box of wires on the ground at the crime scene.\"\n\nThe room erupts with laughter. The man wearing the uniform opened his mouth to speak. \"Just what I thought you'd say. I had them sent to your home.\"\n\nPaul smiled. \"Good. I don't know how I would repair my uniform without them, General.\"\n\n\"I'll have you know the higher ups were impressed by what happened. Those two crooks were some of the most wanted villains in the country.\"\n\nPaul attempts to stand up, but the IV holds him back. \"Glad I could help. There's nothing more satisfying than getting those kinds of people off the streets.\"\n\nThe general laughs. \"I'm glad you think so, because the higher ups were so happy they bumped you up a rank. Congratulations, Lieutenant.\"\n\n\"Why, thank you, General. Couldn't have done it without everyone's help, especially my wife. She passes me encouraging notes every day, even this morning.\"\n\n\"What a wonderful person she must be. Make sure to tell her I said hello,\" says the general.\n\n\"Will do, sir.\" Paul says, and with that the general is off. Paul lies back down in his hospital bed and sighs.\n\n\"I'll be back later to check on you,\" says the doctor, and he leaves as well.\n\n\"Now, how long 'til I leave this place?\" Paul asks out loud as the doctor walks out, but the doctor ignores him. \"Not too long I hope. I have to use those wires!\" He laughs to himself, any other worries escaping him. Soon though, there would be more things to worry about.\n\nEND OF A SPARK OF HOPE\n\n\"Are we doing anything on Saturday? I have a friend's birthday party to go to.\"\n\n\"It's your mom's birthday. You know that. We're going to look through the family scrapbook and make a cake\u2014\"\n\n\"That no one will eat,\" I interrupted. \"Why do we even celebrate her birthday? She abandoned us when I was three.\" I was annoyed. It had been twelve years since I'd last seen my mother and I wasn't really into the whole \"celebrating a stranger's birthday\" thing.\n\n\"I was going to say that we would make a cake for us to enjoy. But anyway, you're not going to that other birthday party. We're going to spend the day together. And Callie, that's final!\" yelled John, my dad.\n\nI groaned. Instead of calling my dad \"Dad,\" I call him by his first name, John. I guess I just think of him as more of a friend than a parent.\n\nI remember very little of my mom. She has brown hair and bright blue eyes. I remember staring up at them when I was young. She used to sing me to sleep every night, at least that's what I'm told. I love her because she is my mom, but I hate her for leaving John and me alone. I don't know how it's possible to feel two completely different feelings at once. John said Mom had a good reason for leaving, but I'm not sure I fully believe him. What could possibly be a good enough reason? People say my mom was a wonderful person. But I don't understand why my mom would just abandon John and me if she was such a good person. There is so much I don't know and so much I don't understand.\n\n***\n\nIt was after dinner and I was sitting in my room. Everything was black and images started to appear. I was seeing something like a vision. A guy was chasing someone who looked like my mother. A ball of fire appeared in midair; it looked like it came from the guy's hand. Then, the woman held her hand up as a ball of water deflected the fireball. The man threw a second ball of fire and it hit the woman and she fell to the ground. The guy started sprinting away. As the woman turned around I could tell it was definitely my mother. In the distance, I could see a sign that said \"Welcome to The Cincinnati Zoo.\"\n\nI could see normally again and the vision-like scene seemed to be over. I was freaked out and surprised by what I had seen. I had never experienced this vision-like scene, but I felt like it was believable and I had to act on it.\n\nI immediately ran down the stairs, knowing John was sleeping, and hopped into the car. I was only fifteen years old and had just gotten my driving permit, but I felt like this was worth the risk. The zoo was close, only five minutes away. I knew the way.\n\nAs I arrived at the zoo I saw my sobbing mother. I was so relieved to see that the vision was real and I was actually seeing my mother. I ran up to her full of questions but kept quiet and put my hand on her back, patting her gently.\n\nWhy? Why did I have a vision? Why does my mom have special powers? Why was my mom ambushed? I had so many questions, but I knew I would have to wait for the answers.\n\nWe talked the rest of the night. I filled her in on what was happening in my life. And she explained to me why she left. I was not filled with hatred for my mom but hatred toward myself, for expecting the worst from her.\n\n\"When I was younger I was blessed with powers. I don't know who gave them to me or how I got them. My powers are made up of the four elements: Earth, Water, Heat and Air. Once I had gained a basic understanding of my powers, I chose to show my brother. At first he had fun with me, and the powers were like something ordinary to us, but then we grew older and he started wanting my powers. He would spend hours in his room. I imagine he was finding ways to take my powers. At the time I was the only person with power and his jealousy grew. He became more angered and he was always in his room. Some nights I would hear him throwing items in his room. My parents always worked late, so they never noticed.\n\n\"I was married and pregnant with you when my brother finally figured out how to take my powers. He attacked me one week after you were born and I was not strong enough to hold him back. After two months of worry for you and John, I decided I must leave and it was the hardest thing, it truly was,\" Mom explained.\n\n\"I'm so sorry, I had no idea,\" I said.\n\n\"Ever since then, I've been on the run, but trying to stay close,\" Mom mentioned.\n\n\"Thank you for explaining. I love you,\" I replied.\n\n\"I love you too,\" Mom said.\n\n\"When I gave birth to you, my Air and Earth powers transferred to you. My brother grew jealous of me and found a way to take my powers away. If my brother could take my powers, he could take yours or hurt you. This is why I left you and John, I would not let myself endanger you. My brother ended up taking my powers of heat. Now all I'm left with are my water powers. Unfortunately, as my powers weakened, I myself weakened.\"\n\n\"Are you saying that I have powers?\" I asked.\n\n\"Yes,\" Mom replied.\n\n\"Wow,\" I said. I was surprised and excited. How was it possible?\n\nI stared at the ground, feeling ashamed of myself. Why would I judge someone by just one thing they did? It wasn't like me. My mom's fingers brushed through my tangled hair. I laid my head down on my mom's knee, and then she started singing a lullaby to me. Instead of denying the babyish song, I enjoyed it and let the lullaby put me to sleep. The next thing I knew, it was morning.\n\n\"You'd better get going. I should too.\"\n\n\"But what if your brother comes back?\" I asked, scared to be left alone again without her.\n\n\"I'll be fine. You'll know where to find me if you need me,\" Mom replied.\n\n\"Why can't you come home and stay with us?\" I questioned.\n\n\"How about we meet here every Saturday at two o'clock? Okay?\"\n\n\"But Mom, can't you come home for your birthday?\"\n\n\"I told you this already. The second I go home, you and Dad will be in danger. I won't let myself do that to you. I am truly, very sorry,\" she explained.\n\nI lifted up my head and she held my hands. I stared into her eyes as she did with mine. She made me feel warm. Her skin was so soft and I enjoyed it. I really did not want her to go, but I knew I had to trust her if we were going to have any type of relationship. I was so ashamed of myself for not seeking the truth earlier.\n\n***\n\nWe both started walking back to our cars. She turned toward me and I faced her too. She was only an inch taller than me. Her eyes were full of sadness. I opened my arms, thinking she would run up and hug me. I was mistaken. She just stood there and stared without expression. I was still in shock from having powers and finding my mother. I got in my car and turned the key. By the time I looked up Mom had already left with smoke trailing behind her car.\n\nWhen I got home, John was on the couch. He was unhappy.\n\n\"Where have you been?\" he asked.\n\n\"Discovering things,\" I replied.\n\n\"What does that mean?\"\n\nI could tell he wasn't happy with me being gone the entire night with no explanation. It was breakfast time, so hopefully food would calm him down. I didn't know how I was going to get out of this mess.\n\n\"I was finding Mom.\"\n\n\"Did you find anything?\"\n\n\"Yes!\" My face was wet. I was crying. I was happy to have found Mom. I was also scared of what was going to happen next.\n\nJohn got up and walked over to me. He hugged me and I felt better. I felt like I could take on the world, or at least I could take on my crazy family. Now I would have a relationship with my mom, and John would have a relationship too, even if it was secret. Now I would learn more about super powers and about defending myself, my, mom and John. Now I could know the truth.\n\n\"I love you, Callie,\" John said.\n\nI smiled and closed my eyes. \"I love you most.\"\n\nEND OF FINDING MOM\nAre you a fan of  \nTHE HERO CHRONICLES?\n\nBe the first to get fan exclusives and insider Thusie information by engaging with The Hero Chronicles' author online.\n\nVisit the links below to talk directly to Tim Mettey, stay up-to-date on his writing process, get insight into the world of The Hero Chronicles, and even catch some sneak peeks of future books.\n\nJoin other Thusies around the world on:\n\nFacebook.com/tim.mettey  \nTwitter.com/TimMettey  \nPinterest.com/timmettey\n\n#Thusies #TheHeroChronicles\nABOUT THE AUTHOR\n\nTim Mettey serves as CEO at Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian and disaster relief organization. Tim uses his many experiences and expertise in responding to disasters around the world to set the background for his The Hero Chronicles series. Tim struggles with and has overcome multiple learning disabilities with reading and writing to create this series. Tim advocates for literacy and education worldwide and hopes his journey can be an inspiration to others. He says, \"Our disabilities do not define who we are, they make us stronger.\"\n\nTim is the father of four beautiful daughters: Olivia, Cora, Noel and Ashlyn.\n\n"], [" \n## How Putin and Assad Created the Islamic State\n\n## Iakovos Alhadeff\n\n### Smashwords Edition\n\n### Copyright \u00a9 2016, Iakovos Alhadeff\n\n## Table of Contents\n\nPutin and the Islamic State\n\nPutin and Hitler\n\nArticles\nPutin and the Islamic State\n\nA very good article from Reuters about al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. See \"Syria's Nusra Front may leave Qaeda to form new entity\", March 2015.\n\nAccording to Reuters in 2015 Qatar was trying to convince al-Nusra to quit Al-Qaeda in order to start cooperating with Qatar against Assad.\n\nQatar is trying to bring al Nusra closer to it, but the Americans have designated al-Nusra as a terrorist organization. Qatar wants to isolate al-Nusra from Al-Qaeda, because Iran has a lot of influence in Al-Qaeda, and Qatar and Iran are fighting each other in Syria. Qatar is with Turkey and Iran is with Assad.\n\nIran, Sudan and Hezbollah trained Osama bin Laden's men in Sudan in the early 90s. The Arabs of Al-Qaeda i.e Saudis, Egyptians, Libyans, Sudanese, Iraqis etc, were giving money to Hezbollah, and Hezbollah was giving them training and weapons. Al-Qaeda had plenty of money and Hezbollah had plenty of expertise and weapons from Iran. See \"The Al-Qaeda-Hezbollah Axis\".\n\nQatar would also like to convince al-Nusra not to target the Americans and the French, as al-Qaeda does, but instead focus on Assad and the Islamic State (ISIS). Note that the top people of the Islamic State are the ex-officers of Saddam Hussein, who were trained by the Soviets and KGB, who were selling oil to Turkey, and who were hunting the Kurds of Iraq and Turkey together with the Turks. Today the Islamic State is using the same trade routes that were used by Saddam in order to sell oil to Turkey in the black market.\n\nIn September 2015 the ex-director of CIA, General Petreaus, said that maybe the United States should cooperate with the moderate elements of al-Qaeda i.e. al-Nusra in Syria, in order to fight ISIS. See Guardian \"David Petraeus' bright idea: give terrorists weapons to beat terrorists\", September 2015.\n\nThe Americans still consider al-Nusra a terrorist organization, and they know that sooner or later they will have to fight al-Nusra too. But maybe they could have a limited cooperation with al-Nusra without providing it with sophisticated weapons. For example the Americans can provide air-coverage to al-Nusra when al-Nusra fights ISIS, or when al-Nusra fights Assad.\n\nOn the other hand the American Foreign Minister John Kerry said that the United States must cooperate with Russia against al-Nusra and ISIS, which means that the Russians and the Americans will jointly target al-Nusra, which is attacking Assad, and Russia will allow the Americans to attack ISIS, which is targeting the Europeans and the Americans. See CNN \"Kerry: US, Russia to cooperate against al Qaeda in Syria\", July 2016.\n\nThe Russians are making it very difficult for the Americans to target ISIS. Very often the Russians say they attack the Islamic State, but they don't. They rarely target the Islamic State, mostly when they want to put Assad's or Hezbollah's men in a post held by the Islamic State. But they are normally letting them know before they attack. Remember that the Russians and the ex-Saddam people know each other very well since the Soviet times, which is not the case with al-Nusra, which is an enemy of Russia and Assad, and that was more so from the time al-Nusra was bought by Qatar.\n\nPutin and Assad know very well that in the Sunni part of Syria they will have some opponents, and they do not want opponents who can cooperate with NATO. ISIS and al-Qaeda are ideal opponents for Assad and Putin from this point of view, because they both target NATO too, and therefore they can be supported by the Turks and the Arabs, but they cannot be supported by NATO.\n\nISIS is not attacking Assad, but even if it does at some point attack him, the Americans and the French will not be able to provide ISIS with any weapons, and that's the same for al-Qaeda, which is attacking Assad though.\n\nThat's the reason the Russian, the Iranian, Hezbollah, al-Nusra and ISIS, all target the Syrian soldiers who are trained by NATO. They make sure that when the Arabs and the Turks fight Assad they cannot have NATO on by their side. If there was a NATO friendly opposition in Syria NATO would provide tons of weapons in order to open the Qatar-Turkey pipeline.\n\nNote that the Qatar-Turkey Pipeline is the true pipeline. The Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline is more of a propaganda from Russia and Iran, in order to say that they have something to put in the place of the Qatar-Turkey pipeline. Otherwise it would be very difficult for Assad to explain to his people why he does not want the Qatar-Turkey pipeline.\n\nThe Qatar-Turkey pipeline could go straight from Qatar to Europe, while the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline would have to liqyefy the gas in Syria, then ship it to Europe with the very expensive LNG carriers, and regasify it there. That does not make economic sense. Iran can simply liquefy the gas in Iran and ship it from Iran without construction a multi-billion dollar pipeline which will beconstanly sabotaged by the Arabs.\n\nMap Sunni VS Shia Pipelines\n\nMap Pipelines\n\nIt is not a secret that Assad and Putin helped the ex-people of Saddam Hussein to create the Islamic State. The predecessor of the Islamic State was Al-Qaeda of Iraq, which was created in 2003 by the Arabs and the Iranians to attack the Americans, when the Americans attacked Iraq without their approval. The ex-officers of Saddam were in al-Qaeda of Iraq and they were trained by the Soviet. See \"Turning to Kurdistan\".\n\n<https://iakal.wordpress.com/2016/07/26/turning-to-kurdistan/>\n\nWhen the Muslim Brotherhood attacked Assad in 2011, with the support of Turkey and Qatar, Putin and Assad supported the ex-people of Saddam Hussein, most of whom were already in Al-Qaeda Iraq, and they created the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Two great articles which explain how Russia, Syria and Iran created the Islamic State and al-Nusra in Syria are the following:\n\nSpiegel \"The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State\", April 2015.\n\nand\n\nThe Atlantic \"The Short, Violent Life of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi\", August 2006\n\nThe Spiegle is the largest European magazine, and the Atlantic is an American magazine with almost two hundrend years in circulation.\n\nThe Arabs and the Iranians were supporting for years the Al-Qaeda of Iraq, because in Iraq Assad and the Arabs of the Persian Gulf were allies. But when the war in Syria broke out things got more complicated, and they found themselves in opposite sides, and there were problems with Al-Qaeda too.\n\nThe Russians, the Syrians, the Iranians and the Arabs of the Gulf had different priorities in Syria, and there was a civil war in the Jihadist who were fighting the Americnas in Iraq.\n\nIn the beginning the Americans were very enthousiastic about attacking Assad in Syria, but now they have improved their relations with Iran and they are open on the Assad question, because the Iranians want Assad to stay at any cost.\n\nIn Syria the Arabs and the Turks are trying to buy as many terrorist gasgs as possible, whether from ISIS or al-Nusra, in order to use them against Assad. The Turks and the Arabs were not happy with the Americans, because they expected more support from NATO in Syria, and the Americans let them down, so they started supporting tetrorists against Assad, even if that strained their relations with NATO.\n\nWhen I say that ISIS consists of the ex-officers of Saddam Hussein I am reffereing to the top people and not every little group that cooperates with ISIS. At the following picture you can see the terrorist groups of Syria. They are all for hire, and gourps are based on tribal or geographical connections.\n\nGangs of Syria\n\n https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_armed_groups_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War\n\nWhen the Americans conqured Iraq in 2003, they dissolved the army of Saddam Hussein, which was a Sunni army, in order for the Shia majority of Iraq (65%) to build a Shia army and run the country. The Saddam officers, who had been fighting the Americans for decades, and who were trained by the Soviets, were beated in the war and later they were fired too. They really hated the Americans. Many of them joined al-Qaeda Iraq, and later on Putin and Assad used them to create the Islamic State, in order to have an enemy that could not align with NATO. You really need to read the Spiegel article. It is a great article.\n\nBy creating ISIS Assad and Syria were not hopping to create a friend. They knew they were creating an enemy. Bus since they could not create a friend in Sunni Syria they created an enemy that NATO could not supply with arms.\n\nThe Iranians, for the same reasoning that Assad and Putin did, supported Al-Qaeda in Syria. The Iranians knew that eventually al-Qaeda would attack them in Syria, and it did it when al-Nusra was bought by Qatar, but they knew the Americans could not supply al-Qaeda in Syria with weaons that would be used against Assad.\n\nThe Turks, very disappointed by NATO, did not recognize al-Nusra as a terrorist organization, even though they knew how sensitive the Americans are with al-Qaeda. The Turks did that because al-Nusra was also killing Syrian Kurds, and because they wanted to pay the Americans back for not recognizing the Syrian Kurds (YPG) as a terrorist organization.\n\nIn 2014 the Turks recognized al-Nusra as a terrorist organization, but later it was mainly with al-Nusra that the Turks and the Qataris would attack Assad. Terrorism is always state funded, and it is a living organism. It changes whenever international relations change. People think that the Americans are funding the terrorists, but it is the Islamists, the Russians and the communist dictators of Latin America who are funding terrorists. The Americans have a very powerful army. They don't need terrorism. The weaker parties need terrorism.\n\nThe United States now have two choices. They will have to cooperate with Russia, in order for Russia to let them fight al-Nusra and ISIS in Syria, which has been Russia's back yard for the last decades, or they will have to send army in Syria, in order to attack Russia and Assad. The American political system is divided.\n\nBut what you should keep in mind is that the main enemy of Putin and Assad is not the Islamic State but al-Nusra. The Islamic State might become their enemiy at some point, but for the moment the Islamic State does not attack Assad, and therefore it does not support the Qatar-Turkey pipeline. Moreover the the Islamic State makes the Americans very reluctant in providing arms to the opposition, because these arms might end up in the hands of ISIS as many times has happened in the past few years.\n\nI must also say that the Arabs and the Turks were initially united against Assad, but at some point there was a divide between Turkey and Qatar on one hand, and Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates on the other, because the Turks and the Qataris were supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a threat for Saudi Arabia. Therefore the Turkey and Saudi Arabia started fighting each other in Syria.\n\nIn Syria Saudi Arabia can communicate with Russia because Saudi Aabia does not care much about natural gas. At least not as much as Turkey and Qatar do. But in 2015, with the new Saudi King, the Turks and the Saudis reached an agreement, and the Saudi King accepted a role for the Muslim Brotherhood in the Syrian opposition.\n\nYou have to remember that Assad is very important for Turkey and Qatar. Qatar and Turkey do not care too much about ISIS. But ISIS is very important for the United States. The United States care a lot more about ISIS than they care about Assad, especially after they reached a deal with Iran about the Iranian nuclear program.\nPutin and Hitler\n\nI want to say one last thing. One of the articles that follow says that the alliance between Putin and ISIS is like the alliance between the Nazis and the Communists in 1939, and at some point they are going to stab each other in the same way the Nazis stabbed the Communists in 1941. See \"Bashar al-Assad and the Devil's Endgame\", September 2015.\n\nImage Hiter and Stalin \u2013 The Nazi-Communist Alliance of 1939\n\nI think what the article says is correct, because geography will not change. Syria will still be a corridor in the future. Putin and Assad spread ISIS on Syria and they did block NATO for now. But ISIS and the Turks might join their forces against Russia at some point. Erdogan is not very different from ISIS. He played it nice to bring Turkey in the European Union, in order to do demographic Jihad.\n\nBut look what he did once the Germans and the French did not let him in. He cooperates with the Greek Communists in order to flood Europe with Muslim illegal immigrants. He wants to do violent demographic Jihad. See \"Germany's Defeat by the Turkish Islamists and the Greek Communists\".\n\n https://iakal.wordpress.com/2015/12/08/germanys-defeat-by-the-turkish-islamists-and-the-greek-communists/\n\nErdogan and ISIS will always want to send the natural gas of the Persian Gulf to Europe. If at some point they feel strong enough they will bite Russia.\n\nMap The War for the Pipelines\n\nMaybe Putin plans to quickly destroy the European Union, maybe with the help of Donald Trump, in order to go ahead with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and one of the South Stream or the Turk Stream pipeline.\n\nNow the European Energy Union blocks the Russian pipelines because they violate the anti-monopolistic rules of the EU. If Russia builds these two pipelines maybe there will be no economic sense for the Qatar-Turkey and the Trans-Saharan pipelines, and then Putin might lethatly attack ISIS. Maybe that's how he is thinking about it. But if the European Union brakes the French and the Germans might go to a war.\n\nOn the other hand If Hilary is elected she is thinking about bringing the American army in Syria, which still might cause a war.\n\nThese are interesting times.\n\nArticles\n\n\" **Syria's Nusra Front may leave Qaeda to form new entity\", March 2015**\n\nLeaders of Syria's Nusra Front are considering cutting their links with al Qaeda to form a new entity backed by some Gulf states trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad, sources said.\n\nSources within and close to Nusra said that Qatar, which enjoys good relations with the group, is encouraging the group to go ahead with the move, which would give Nusra a boost in funding.\n\nThe exercise could transform Nusra from a weakened militia group into a force capable of taking on Islamic State at a time when it is under pressure from bombing raids and advances by Kurdish and Iraqi military forces.\n\nIt could also boost the influence of Qatar and its allies in the campaign to oust Assad, in line with the Gulf state's growing diplomatic ambitions in the region. Qatari officials were not available for comment.\n\nWhile it awaits the final word from its decision-making Shoura council, Nusra is not wasting time. It has turned on small non-jihadi groups, seizing their territory and forcing them to disarm so as to consolidate Nusra's power in northern Syria and pave the way for the new group.\n\nIntelligence officials from Gulf states including Qatar have met the leader of Nusra, Abu Mohamad al-Golani, several times in the past few months to encourage him to abandon al Qaeda and to discuss what support they could provide, the sources said.\n\nThey promised funding once it happens.\n\n\"A new entity will see the light soon, which will include Nusra and Jaysh al Muhajereen wel Ansar and other small brigades,\" said Muzamjer al-Sham, a prominent jihadi figure who is close to Nusra and other Islamist groups in Syria.\n\n\"The name of Nusra will be abandoned. It will disengage from al Qaeda. But not all the Nusra emirs agree and that is why the announcement has been delayed,\" said Sham.\n\nA source close to the foreign ministry confirmed that Qatar wanted Nusra to become a purely Syrian force not linked to al Qaeda.\n\n\"They are promising Nusra more support, i.e. money, supplies etc, once they let go of the Qaeda ties,\" the official said.\n\nThe Qatari-led bid to rebrand Nusra and to provide it with new support could further complicate the war in Syria as the United States prepares to arm and train non-jihadist rebels to fight Islamic State.\n\nThe Nusra Front is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and has been sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council. But for Qatar at least, rebranding Nusra would remove legal obstacles to supporting it.\n\nFIGHTING ISLAMIC STATE\n\nOne of the goals of the new entity would be to fight Islamic State, Nusra's main competitor in Syria. IS is led by Iraqi jihadi Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who helped create Nusra before falling out with Golani.\n\nOnce the most powerful group fighting Assad, Nusra was weakened when most of its commanders and fighters left with Baghdadi to form Islamic State. IS then killed many of Nusra's remaining leaders, confiscated its weapons, forced its commanders to go underground and seized its territory.\n\nBut recently Islamic State has come under pressure from air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition. It has also lost ground to Kurdish fighters in Syria and to the Iraqi armed forces. But the group is far from collapse.\n\nBut if Nusra splits from al Qaeda, some hope that with proper funding, arming and training, fighters from the new group will be able to tackle Islamic State.\n\nJihadi sources said that Golani suggested to the group's Shoura Council that it should merge with Jaysh al-Muhajereen wel Ansar, a smaller jihadi group composed of local and foreign fighters and led by a Chechen commander.\n\nThe announcement has been delayed due to objections from some of Nusra's leaders who reject the idea of leaving al Qaeda. But this was seen as unlikely to stop Golani.\n\n\"He is going to do it, he does not have a choice. Those who are not happy can leave,\" said a Nusra source who backs the move.\n\nIt seems Golani is already establishing the ground.\n\nNusra wants to use northern Syria as base for the new group. It launched offensives against Western-backed groups who have been vetted by the U.S. to receive military support.\n\nIn the northern province of Idlib it seized territory from the Syria Revolutionaries' Front led by Jamal Maarouf, forcing him to flee. Last week it went after another mainstream group, Harakat Hazzm in Aleppo province, forcing it to dissolve itself.\n\nThe U.S. State Department said the end of Harakat Hazzm would have an impact on the moderate opposition's capabilities in the north.\n\nBut if Nusra is dissolved and it abandons al Qaeda, the ideology of the new entity is not expected to change. Golani fought with al Qaeda in Iraq. Some other leaders fought in Afghanistan and are close al Qaeda chief Ayman Zawahri.\n\n\"Nusra had to pledge loyalty to Sheikh Zawahri to avoid being forced to be loyal to Baghdadi but that was not a good idea, it is time that this is abandoned,\" said a Nusra source in Aleppo. \"It did not help Nusra and now it is on the terrorist list,\" he said.\n\n http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-nusra-insight-idUKKBN0M00G620150304\n\n\" **David Petraeus' bright idea: give terrorists weapons to beat terrorists\", 2015**\n\n https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/02/david-petraeus-bright-idea-give-terrorists-weapons-to-beat-isis\n\n\" **Russia not planning to send troops to fight ISIS in Syria \u2013 Putin's spokesman\", 2015**\n\n1, 2 Paragraphs\n\n\"No, this isn't being discussed in any way. This issue isn't on the agenda,\"Peskov told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the possibility of Russian military involvement in Syria.\n\nThe press-secretary also told the media that Syrian President Bashar Assad, had never asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to send troops to battle IS (formerly ISIS/ISIL).\n\n<https://www.rt.com/news/311583-russia-troops-syria-isis/>\n\n\" **Nusra Front split from al-Qaeda 'imminent', sources claim\", May 2015**\n\n1st-8th Paragraphs\n\nThe Nusra Front will imminently announce an official split from al-Qaeda, several sources confirmed on Monday.\n\nOpposition activists in southern Syria have told Middle East Eye that they expect the news to be announced very soon, with Arabic media reports suggesting that the group's leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani will now make a very rare appearance to signal his independence from the militant group.\n\nSources within Nusra, one of the most effective anti-government factions in Syria's civil war, said that the new group would change its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. They also stressed the group would lose access to al-Qaeda funds, although analysts have disputed the claims.\n\nMohamed Okda, an expert on Syrian issues who has been involved in negotiating with Syrian groups, told MEE that the money would keep flowing because the bulk of the group's funding came from private Gulf donors who would not abandon the Syrian cause as Nusra was unlikely to renounce its ideological heritage.\n\n\"Nusra is doing this to force the other rebel groups like Ahrar [al-Sham] and others into a corner, and push them into joining the new Shami front that Nusra will announce,\" Okda told MEE.\n\n\"They might be severing relations with al-Qaeda as an organisation,\" he said, adding that he knows both foreign and Arab al-Nusra Front fighters.\n\n\"[But] they are not breaking up with the ideology of al-Qaeda. [They are] firm believer[s] of al-Qaeda ideology, and a firm believer of attacking the West. They have huge respect for [former leader Osama] Bin Laden. So the separation is not ideological, it's organisational.\"\n\nRumours of a split have been circulating since Saturday when Charles Lister, a Syrian analyst, tweeted that Nusra's Shura Council had voted to sever its ties with al-Qaeda, although Nusra's official media channels have yet to comment.\n\nThey come amid reports of a supposed pact between the US, which supports elements of the Syrian opposition, and Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to target Nusra alongside the Islamic State (IS) group. Nusra split from IS in 2014.\n\n11-14th Paragraphs\n\nIt has also clashed with other opposition rebel groups, especially those they view as having received American support.\n\nA noted researcher of Islamic militancy told MEE that he believed the reports of a split were credible and that the move had been approved by al-Qaeda leaders.\n\n\"Nothing definitively confirms it but the impression I am getting is that this is something being done with al-Qaeda's approval,\" said Aymenn al-Tamimi, research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a US think-tank.\n\nTamimi said the split was likely driven by the threat of the new US-Russia agreement to target the group inside Syria and had been orchestrated with a local audience in mind.\n\n http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nusra-front-split-al-qaeda-imminent-sources-claim-411085001\n\n\" **Kerry: US, Russia to cooperate against al Qaeda in Syria\", July 2016**\n\n1-3 Paragraphs\n\nSecretary of State John Kerry said Friday that the U.S. and Russia had agreed to cooperate in Syria against the al Nusra Front, al Qaeda's Syrian branch, in an effort to \"restore the cessation of hostilities, significantly reduce the violence and help create the space for a genuine and credible political transition\" in Syria.\n\nBut Kerry, appearing alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, declined to provide details of the cooperation, saying \"the concrete steps that we have agreed on are not going to be laid out in public in some long list because we want them to work.\"\n\nProposals to deepen military cooperation with Russia in Syria have sparked a rift at the highest levels of the Obama administration, with the Pentagon openly challenging the idea that Russia could be trusted to uphold its end of the bargain.\n\n7 Paragraph\n\nThe agreement does not necessarily pertain to ISIS, with the draft saying that each country would reserve the right to strike ISIS independently.\n\n http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/15/politics/kerry-us-russia-syria-al-nusra/\n\n\" **New Russian Air Defenses in Syria Keep U.S. Grounded\", December 2015**\n\n2\n\nRussia's military operations inside Syria have been expanding in recent weeks, and the latest Russian deployments, made without any advance notice to the U.S., have disrupted the U.S.-led coalition's efforts to support Syrian rebel forces fighting against the Islamic State near the Turkey-Syria border, just west of the Euphrates River, several Obama administration and U.S. defense officials told us. This crucial part of the battlefield, known inside the military as Box 4, is where a number of groups have been fighting the Islamic State for control, until recently with overhead support from U.S. fighter jets.\n\n5\n\n\"The increasing number of Russian-supplied advanced air defense systems in Syria, including SA-17s, is another example that Russia and the regime seek to complicate the global counter-Daesh coalition's air campaign,\" said Major Tim Smith, using another term for the Islamic State.\n\nThe increasing number of Russian air defense systems further complicate an already difficult situation over the skies in Syria, and do nothing to advance the fight against the Islamic State, which has no air force, Smith said. He added that Russia could instead be using its influence with the regime to press President Bashar al-Assad to cease attacking civilians. \"Unhelpful actions by Russia and the Syrian regime will not stop coalition counter-Daesh operations in Syria, nor will such actions push the coalition away from specific regions in Syria where Daesh is operating,\" said Smith.\n\n8, 9\n\nIn Washington, top officials are debating how to respond to Russia's expanded air defenses, said another administration official who was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. The administration could decide to resume flights in support of the rebels fight Islamic State, but that could risk a deadly incident with the Russian military. For now, the U.S. seems to be acquiescing to Russia's effort to keep American manned planes out of the sky there and \"agree to their rules of the game,\" the administration official said.\n\nWith U.S. planes out of the way, Russia has stepped up its own airstrikes along the Turkey-Syria border, and the Obama administration has accused it of targeting the rebel groups the U.S. was supporting, not the Islamic State. The Russian strikes are also targeting commercial vehicles passing from Turkey into Syria, the administration official told us. The Washington Post reported that the Russian strikes have resulted in a halt of humanitarian aid from Turkey as well.\n\n http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2015-12-17/new-russian-air-defenses-in-syria-keep-u-s-grounded\n\n\" **Russia, Turkey and the rise of the Islamic State\", December 2015**\n\nTurkey concluded its biggest investigation to date into Islamic State (IS) operatives on its territory on Friday, and blacklisted 67 people. This provides a good moment to review what Turkey's role has been in the rise of IS, especially amid the escalating accusations from Russia that Turkey is significantly responsible for financing IS. The reality is that while Turkish policy has, by commission and omission, made IS stronger than it would otherwise have been, so has Russia's policy - and Russia's policy is far more cynical than Turkey's, deliberately intended to empower extremists to discredit the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad.\n\nTurkey's focus on bringing down Assad and Ankara's fear of Kurdish autonomy led it into these policies, and now, having seemingly found the will to act to uproot IS's infrastructure on Turkish territory, there is the problem of actually doing so, when IS can (and has) struck inside Turkey. The concerns about these external funding mechanisms for IS, while doubtless important, obscure the larger problem: IS's revenue is overwhelmingly drawn from the areas it controls and only removing those areas of control can deny IS its funds.\n\nTurkey shot down a Russian jet on 24 November, the first time since 1952 a NATO member had brought down a Russian military aircraft. Ankara claimed that its airspace had been violated and that numerous requests to withdraw were ignored. The Russian plane landed in northern Syria: one pilot, Oleg Peshkov, was killed in the descent by the Turkoman rebels of Alwiya al-Ashar (The Tenth Brigade) and one, Konstantin Murakhtin, was later rescued. In the wake of this, Moscow took retribution with economic sanctions against Turkey, including limiting tourism and banning charter flights to Turkey and also trade in certain foodstuffs.\n\nRussia's ruler, Vladimir Putin, then raised the stakes on 30 November by accusing Turkey of perpetrating the shoot-down in order to protect IS, with which the Turkish government has commercial interests, notably oil but also weapons. Moscow subsequently accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being a personal profiteer from the criminal trade in oil with IS. The reality is quite otherwise, of course. As David Butter of Chatham House put it, given Turkey's reliance on Russia for energy, \"if oil was a consideration for the Turkish authorities... it would have had good reason to hold fire.\"\n\nRussia attempted to buttress its claims of an IS-Ankara oil trade by having its Ministry of Defence publish a map, among other \"evidence,\" purporting to show the three border crossings through which this trade takes place.\n\nThe problem is that not a single one of the border crossings is controlled by IS. Bab al-Hawa in Idlib is controlled by rebels at war with IS; Hasaka is controlled by a mix of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) that Turkey is bombing inside Syria and the Assad regime; and Zakho is in Iraqi Kurdistan, where IS has been unable to penetrate. After forces led by the PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK, pushed IS out of Tal Abyad in June, the only border crossing left solely to IS is Jarabulus.\n\nWorse, from Russia's perspective, Moscow's accusations against Turkey were not only untrue but had the feel of projection. IS sells nearly half of its oil to Russia's client, the Assad regime, through Russian businessmen, and Russian weapons bound for the regime are a \"top source\" of IS weaponry.\n\nRussia has also helped the Assad regime in its efforts to strengthen extremist forces to overpower the nationalist rebels, including by sending IS fighters from the Caucasus to the Fertile Crescent and most recently by preventing US air strikes against IS in northern Aleppo while bombing the rebels fighting against IS, essentially providing IS with air cover.\n\nThat said, it is true that Turkey has pursued policies that have strengthened IS, driven primarily by the desire to see Assad overthrown - and finding that the United States was effectively on the other side, Turkey had to go it alone. From 2011 until shortly after IS stormed into Mosul in mid-2014, Turkey maintained effectively an open border with Syria. Anecdotal reports abounded of visiblly foreign jihadi-Salafists heading for IS-held areas of Syria via Turkey being waved through customs.\n\nThere was a Turkish crackdown against IS later in 2014, with border crossings closed and some vetting taking place of who was crossing between Syria and Turkey; some would-be IS holy warriors were even arrested. Turkey, however, still has not closed down a 60-mile stretch of its 565-mile border with Syria that is held by IS.\n\nAnd the accusation that IS is - or at least, was - trading oil in Turkey is undoubtedly true. In October 2014, David Cohen, the US undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, gave a speech in which he said: \"According to our information, as of last month, ISIL [IS] was selling oil at substantially discounted prices to a variety of middlemen, including some from Turkey, who then transported the oil to be resold.\n\n\"It also appears that some of the oil emanating from territory where ISIL operates has been sold to Kurds in Iraq, and then resold into Turkey. And in a further indication of the Assad regime's depravity, it seems the Syrian government has made an arrangement to purchase oil from ISIL.... We estimate that beginning in mid-June, ISIL has earned approximately $1 million a day from oil sales.\"\n\nThe evidence is that by late 2014 and early 2015, under the pressure of the US-led coalition airstrikes, IS's oil income was severely diminished. But IS's oil revenue appears to have crept back up later in 2015. Treasury sanctions at the end of September 2015 disclosed that Sami al-Jabouri, an Iraqi who had been IS's shari'a council chief and deputy in southern Mosul, was IS's supervisor of oil and gas, antiquities, and mineral resources operations beginning in April 2015.\n\nAt that time al-Jabouri had, in collaboration with Fathi at-Tunisi (Abu Sayyaf), IS's \"oil minister,\" \"worked to establish a new funding stream for ISIL from increased production at oil fields held by the organisation\" (italics added). It might well be that IS's oil income is now decreasing again: US military officials said at the beginning of December that over the previous 30 days, more than 40 percent of IS's income from oil had been \"affected\".\n\nAs to official Turkish complicity in the IS oil trade, the first direct evidence that this had occurred came in May 2015 when at-Tunisi was struck down by a US Special Forces raid, and captured data provided some details:\n\n\"[At-Tunisi] was almost unheard of outside the upper echelons of the terror group, but he was well known to Turkey. From mid-2013, the Tunisian fighter had been responsible for smuggling oil from Syria's eastern fields... and Turkish buyers were its main clients.... One senior Western official familiar with the intelligence gathered at the slain leader's compound said that direct dealings between Turkish officials and ranking Isis members was now 'undeniable'.\"\n\n\"There are hundreds of flash drives and documents that were seized there,\" the official told the Observer. \"They are being analysed at the moment, but the links are already so clear that they could end up having profound policy implications for the relationship between us and Ankara.\"\n\nStill, whatever was previously the case, the current level of oil transactions between IS and people even in Turkey is believed to be minimal, not least because IS's ability to refine fuel has been reduced by the air strikes and there is little market for crude oil in Turkey. There is also the fact, though, that Turkey has \"clamped down on key supply routes\" to IS:\n\n\"Long before Islamic State took root in Iraq and Syria, local smugglers ferried oil, gas and other supplies in and out of Turkey.... For a small cut of the action... poorly paid border officials in the region sometimes looked the other way. But... Turkey started stepping up its campaign against oil smuggling from Syria in 2012... In 2014, according to Turkish government officials, efforts intensified... The operations 'suffocated the illegal fuel trade,' said one official in the Hatay provincial governor's office....\"\n\n\"Turkey has doubled the number of troops on the Syrian border to 20,000, erected hundreds of miles of razor-wire fencing, installed powerful floodlights and dedicated 90% of its drone flights to border surveillance, according to one Turkish government official.... \"It's like the US-Mexican border, where, despite America's war on drugs and all its preventative enforcement, narcotics from Mexico continue to enter the country,\" the Turkish government official said....\n\n\"US officials dismissed Mr Putin's allegations that Turkey was backing Islamic State... as unfounded.... One former US government official who worked with Turkey on efforts against Islamic State also challenged the Russian claims. 'We knew that there was illicit oil smuggling activity along the Turkish border, but Turkey was actively seeking to contain the smuggling,' the official said.\"\n\nThere had been and to an extent remains a question about Turkey's willingness to challenge IS's operations on its soil given IS's boasted-of capacity to inflict \"civil and economic chaos\" inside Turkey, something that need not be doubted given the precarious state of sectarian relations in Turkey for many years. With Turkey's need for tourist dollars and its government relying on economic growth for legitimacy as it imposes some ugly authoritarian strictures, this was a serious threat.\n\nNot all of this can be blamed on Turkey's recent policies - some of the networks IS is using to smuggle oil across borders date back to the Saddam Hussein regime's effort to evade the sanctions \\- but it is clear that Turkey has laid the foundations for what would be called, if it happened to Westerners, \"blowback\".\n\nWell-placed Western observers have worried about the \"level of... support\" for IS among the Syrian refugees in Turkey, and Syrian rebels at war with IS have noted that IS \"has many spies... in Turkey, and not just spies but killers\". The full force of that fact was brought home at the end of October when an IS spy who had infiltrated Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), the activist group working in IS-held areas to expose the caliphate's crimes, murdered two RBSS journalists, Fares Hammadi and Ibrahim Abd al-Qader, in Turkey.\n\nThe IS terrorist strikes - the 6 January suicide bombing in Istanbul, which \"only\" killed one person; the 5 June bomb attack on the Kurdish rally in Diyarbakir that murdered four people; the bombing of the largely Kurdish peace rally in Suruc on 20 July in which 33 people perished; and finally the bombing at the Ankara railway station on 10 October that massacred 102 people, essentially Turkey's 9/11 - do seem to have stiffened Turkish resolve. When Turkey concluded its investigation two days ago, it is notable that of the three named major IS agents operating on Turkish soil, two had already been arrested.\n\nHalis Bayancuk (Abu Hanzala), a senior IS leader based in Istanbul, was rounded up in late July, and Asaad Khelifalkhadr (Abu Suhayf), a key provider of logistics and supplies to IS foreign fighters arriving in Turkey, had also been taken into custody (admittedly on charges related to his fake passport rather than terrorism, though this seems to be more an Anatolian Al Capone strategy than Turkey soft-peddling the criminal case against Khelifalkhadr.)\n\nThe man still at large, Ilyas Aydin, is undoubtedly more important than the other two - he is IS's leader in Turkey - but one has to assume he got the position on some kind of merit, so it is hardly surprising he should have proven more elusive. Dismantling the networks IS established inside Turkey while the government effectively turned a blind eye will be a massive undertaking, even with the will to do so.\n\nAs the conflict has worn on, another fact has become salient: Turkey fears the internal effects of a Kurdish State on its border more than the caliphate. The Turks joined the anti-IS coalition in August, but it quickly became apparent that Turkey's primary goal was constraining the PYD/PKK, against which the majority of its force was targeted.\n\nAnkara had been spooked by the PYD linking up their Jazira canton with Kobani in June by punching across northern Raqqa Province, and has made clear that any effort by the PYD to move west of the Euphrates River and connect with the Efrin canton will trigger a direct military response. One of IS's great survival skills has been to make itself an enemy of everybody and priority of nobody.\n\nSome of the most serious accusations against Turkey to date are of direct support, in the form of weaponry supplied by Turkish intelligence, to Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria). Turkey's support has helped make Ahrar a-Sham, the most extreme majority-Syrian insurgent group that has links to al-Qaeda, one of the most powerful forces in northern Syria. Turkey has not been coy about this.\n\nDuring an effort to construct a unified list of vetted insurgents, the US used a colour code: green (trusted allies), red (enemies), and yellow (those somewhere in the middle). America put Nusra and Ahrar in the red category; Ankara put Nusra and Ahrar in the yellow category, \"gambling that they could build a moderate rebel force by nudging groups in the middle toward the green, friendly category\".\n\nDespite American protestations, \"We ultimately had no choice but to agree to disagree,\" said Francis Ricciardone, the US ambassador to Turkey until August 2014. Moreover, since the formation earlier this year of Jaysh al-Fatah, an insurgent coalition that includes both Nusra and Ahrar, Turkey has openly provided it support. In short, Turkey's government has a deeply problematic view of the insurgent landscape in Syria, quite apart from its view of and policies toward IS.\n\nSo Turkey has played an unhelpful role in IS's rise. But the problem with saying that Turkey - or Saudi Arabia, or Qatar - is really behind IS is not just distortion; it's intellectual laziness. The wish is father to the thought; if IS is just being bankrolled by some nefarious foreign actor, then the solution is simply to shut down the funding and watch IS wither. Unfortunately, defeating IS will not be that simple.\n\nSmuggling to the outside world, including through Turkey, of oil and antiquities, has been important, as has been the importation of foreign fighters, who have no social connections to the local areas and thus no compunction in obeying orders to commit the most appalling atrocities that help to suppress any inkling the population might have to revolt. The foreigners are largely unskilled and get used as suicide bombers and cannon fodder, but as Stalin noted: quantity has a quality all its own.\n\nAnd there really are underexplored areas of IS's finances. Nibras Kazimi had a very interesting investigative report recently on the possible earnings IS was receiving from money laundering through Iraq's banking system - a revenue stream in amounts to dwarf anything being talked about from oil - and the unwillingness of the Iraqi political class to tackle this because unravelling IS's holdings would unravel everybody else's and potentially leave people vulnerable to charges of funding terrorism.\n\nThere is also the problem that Iran, the real power behind the throne in Baghdad, uses the same system to help finance its own operations, notably the war against the Syrian population.\n\nBut, helpful as all these revenue streams are, focus on them obscures the self-sustaining nature of IS's statelet.\n\nIn terms of weapons, IS has gained some weapons from careless shipments to the Syrian rebels and even confiscated some weapons from rebels, but these are negligible. IS's weapons are largely taken from the Iraqi military, as well as from the Assad regime directly and the above-mentioned Russian and Iranian weapons shipments to the regime.\n\nThere is no credible evidence that Saudi Arabia has ever funded IS - nor Qatar, come to that, despite the clear funding Doha provides to Hamas and Ahrar, and the deniable mechanisms Qatar at least has operated in letting supplies get to Nusra.\n\nForeign donors do contribute to IS, but the amount they contribute has never mattered: between 2005 and 2010 - which includes the period when IS was at its absolute nadir, driven from controlling any territory, forced underground, and its leadership shattered - documents show that IS never received more than five percent of its budget from abroad. IS has only gained in strength since then, gathering to itself the real source of its wealth: captive populations.\n\nThe population over which IS's 80,000-square-mile statelet rules is estimated at around 10 million. The extraction of zakat from the population and a sophisticated system of \"taxes\" \\- extortion - charges the population on everything from agricultural profits and livestock to the jizya (poll tax) against non-Muslims and the confiscation of property and assets of people marked as IS's enemies.\n\nDestroying the caliphate's finances, effectively and sustainably, means denying it control of territory. Any other conclusion is an attempt to circumvent the difficult task of finding a way to roll back IS's territorial control.\n\n http://www.middleeasteye.net/essays/russia-turkey-and-rise-1639783717\n\n\" **The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State\",April 2015**\n\n1 , 2, 3\n\nSamir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi was the real name of the Iraqi, whose bony features were softened by a white beard. But no one knew him by that name. Even his best-known pseudonym, Haji Bakr, wasn't widely known. But that was precisely part of the plan. The former colonel in the intelligence service of Saddam Hussein's air defense force had been secretly pulling the strings at IS for years. Former members of the group had repeatedly mentioned him as one of its leading figures. Still, it was never clear what exactly his role was.\n\nBut when the architect of the Islamic State died, he left something behind that he had intended to keep strictly confidential: the blueprint for this state. It is a folder full of handwritten organizational charts, lists and schedules, which describe how a country can be gradually subjugated. SPIEGEL has gained exclusive access to the 31 pages, some consisting of several pages pasted together. They reveal a multilayered composition and directives for action, some already tested and others newly devised for the anarchical situation in Syria's rebel-held territories. In a sense, the documents are the source code of the most successful terrorist army in recent history.\n\n5\n\nFor the first time, the Haji Bakr documents now make it possible to reach conclusions on how the IS leadership is organized and what role former officials in the government of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein play in it. Above all, however, they show how the takeover in northern Syria was planned, making the group's later advances into Iraq possible in the first place. In addition, months of research undertaken by SPIEGEL in Syria, as well as other newly discovered records, exclusive to SPIEGEL, show that Haji Bakr's instructions were carried out meticulously.\n\n8\n\nThe story of this collection of documents begins at a time when few had yet heard of the \"Islamic State.\" When Iraqi national Haji Bakr traveled to Syria as part of a tiny advance party in late 2012, he had a seemingly absurd plan: IS would capture as much territory as possible in Syria. Then, using Syria as a beachhead, it would invade Iraq.\n\n21\n\nIt seemed as if George Orwell had been the model for this spawn of paranoid surveillance. But it was much simpler than that. Bakr was merely modifying what he had learned in the past: Saddam Hussein's omnipresent security apparatus, in which no one, not even generals in the intelligence service, could be certain they weren't being spied on.\n\n24 , 25 , 26\n\nIn 2010, Bakr and a small group of former Iraqi intelligence officers made Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the emir and later \"caliph,\" the official leader of the Islamic State. They reasoned that Baghdadi, an educated cleric, would give the group a religious face.\n\nBakr was \"a nationalist, not an Islamist,\" says Iraqi journalist Hisham al-Hashimi, as he recalls the former career officer, who was stationed with Hashimi's cousin at the Habbaniya Air Base. \"Colonel Samir,\" as Hashimi calls him, \"was highly intelligent, firm and an excellent logistician.\" But when Paul Bremer, then head of the US occupational authority in Baghdad, \"dissolved the army by decree in May 2003, he was bitter and unemployed.\"\n\nThousands of well-trained Sunni officers were robbed of their livelihood with the stroke of a pen. In doing so, America created its most bitter and intelligent enemies. Bakr went underground and met Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Anbar Province in western Iraq. Zarqawi, a Jordanian by birth, had previously run a training camp for international terrorist pilgrims in Afghanistan. Starting in 2003, he gained global notoriety as the mastermind of attacks against the United Nations, US troops and Shiite Muslims. He was even too radical for former Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Zarqawi died in a US air strike in 2006.\n\n28 , 29 , 30\n\nBakr gradually became one of the military leaders in Iraq, and he was held from 2006 to 2008 in the US military's Camp Bucca and Abu Ghraib Prison. He survived the waves of arrests and killings by American and Iraqi special units, which threatened the very existence of the IS precursor organization in 2010, Islamic State in Iraq.\n\nFor Bakr and a number of former high-ranking officers, this presented an opportunity to seize power in a significantly smaller circle of jihadists. They utilized the time they shared in Camp Bucca to establish a large network of contacts. But the top leaders had already known each other for a long time. Haji Bakr and an additional officer were part of the tiny secret-service unit attached to the anti-aircraft division. Two other IS leaders were from a small community of Sunni Turkmen in the town of Tal Afar. One of them was a high-ranking intelligence officer as well.\n\nIn 2010, the idea of trying to defeat Iraqi government forces militarily seemed futile. But a powerful underground organization took shape through acts of terror and protection rackets. When the uprising against the dictatorship of the Assad clan erupted in neighboring Syria, the organization's leaders sensed an opportunity. By late 2012, particularly in the north, the formerly omnipotent government forces had largely been defeated and expelled. Instead, there were now hundreds of local councils and rebel brigades, part of an anarchic mix that no one could keep track of. It was a state of vulnerability that the tightly organized group of ex-officers sought to exploit.\n\n42, 43\n\nTrue to Haji Bakr's plan, the phase of infiltration was followed by the elimination of every person who might have been a potential leader or opponent. The first person hit was the head of the city council, who was kidnapped in mid-May 2013 by masked men. The next person to disappear was the brother of a prominent novelist. Two days later, the man who had led the group that painted a revolutionary flag on the city walls vanished.\n\n\"We had an idea who kidnapped him,\" one of his friends explains, \"but no one dared any longer to do anything.\" The system of fear began to take hold. Starting in July, first dozens and then hundreds of people disappeared. Sometimes their bodies were found, but they usually disappeared without a trace. In August, the IS military leadership dispatched several cars driven by suicide bombers to the headquarters of the FSA brigade, the \"Grandsons of the Prophet,\" killing dozens of fighters and leading the rest to flee. The other rebels merely looked on. IS leadership had spun a web of secret deals with the brigades so that each thought it was only the others who might be the targets of IS attacks.\n\n47, 48\n\nUntil the end of 2013, everything was going according to Islamic State's plan -- or at least according to the plan of Haji Bakr. The caliphate was expanding village by village without being confronted by unified resistance from Syrian rebels. Indeed, the rebels seemed paralyzed in the face of IS' sinister power.\n\nBut when IS henchmen brutally tortured a well-liked rebel leader and doctor to death in December 2013, something unexpected happened. Across the country, Syrian brigades \\-- both secular and parts of the radical Nusra Front -- joined together to do battle with Islamic State. By attacking IS everywhere at the same time, they were able to rob the Islamists of their tactical advantage -- that of being able to rapidly move units to where they were most urgently needed.\n\n52, 53, 54, 55, 56\n\nHaji Bakr stayed behind in the small city of Tal Rifaat, where IS had long had the upper hand. But when rebels attacked at the end of January 2014, the city became divided within just a few hours. One half remained under IS control while the other was wrested away by one of the local brigades. Haji Bakr was stuck in the wrong half. Furthermore, in order to remain incognito he had refrained from moving into one of the heavily guarded IS military quarters. And so, the godfather of snitching was snitched on by a neighbor. \"A Daish sheik lives next door!\" the man called. A local commander named Abdelmalik Hadbe and his men drove over to Bakr's house. A woman jerked open the door and said brusquely: \"My husband isn't here.\"\n\nBut his car is parked out front, the rebels countered.\n\nAt that moment, Haji Bakr appeared at the door in his pajamas. Hadbe ordered him to come with them, whereupon Bakr protested that he wanted to get dressed. No, Hadbe repeated: \"Come with us! Immediately!\"\n\nSurprisingly nimbly for his age, Bakr jumped back and kicked the door closed, according to two people who witnessed the scene. He then hid under the stairs and yelled: \"I have a suicide belt! I'll blow up all of us!\" He then came out with a Kalashnikov and began shooting. Hadbe then fired his weapon and killed Bakr.\n\nWhen the men later learned who they had killed, they searched the house, gathering up computers, passports, mobile phone SIM cards, a GPS device and, most importantly, papers. They didn't find a Koran anywhere.\n\n58\n\nHaji Bakr's state continued to work even without its creator. Just how precisely his plans were implemented \\-- point by point -- is confirmed by the discovery of another file. When IS was forced to rapidly abandon its headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014, they tried to burn their archive, but they ran into a problem similar to that confronted by the East German secret police 25 years earlier: They had too many files.\n\n63, 64 , 65 , 66, 67, 68, 69\n\nBut in the first months of 2014, yet another legacy from Haji Bakr began playing a decisive role: His decade of contacts to Assad's intelligence services.\n\nIn 2003, the Damascus regime was panicked that then-US President George W. Bush, after his victory over Saddam Hussein, would have his troops continue into Syria to topple Assad as well. Thus, in the ensuing years, Syrian intelligence officials organized the transfer of thousands of radicals from Libya, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia to al-Qaida in Iraq. Ninety percent of the suicide attackers entered Iraq via the Syrian route. A strange relationship developed between Syrian generals, international jihadists and former Iraqi officers who had been loyal to Saddam -- a joint venture of deadly enemies, who met repeatedly to the west of Damascus.\n\nAt the time, the primary aim was to make the lives of the Americans in Iraq hell. Ten years later, Bashar Assad had a different motive to breathe new life into the alliance: He wanted to sell himself to the world as the lesser of several evils. Islamist terror, the more gruesome the better, was too important to leave it up to the terrorists. The regime's relationship with Islamic State is -- just as it was to its predecessor a decade prior -- marked by a completely tactical pragmatism. Both sides are trying to use the other in the assumption that it will emerge as the stronger power, able to defeat the discrete collaborator of yesterday. Conversely, IS leaders had no problem receiving assistance from Assad's air force, despite all of the group's pledges to annihilate the apostate Shiites. Starting in January 2014, Syrian jets would regularly -- and exclusively -- bomb rebel positions and headquarters during battles between IS and rebel groups.\n\nIn battles between IS and rebels in January 2014, Assad's jets regularly bombed only rebel positions, while the Islamic State emir ordered his fighters to refrain from shooting at the army. It was an arrangement that left many of the foreign fighters deeply disillusioned; they had imaged jihad differently.\n\nIS threw its entire arsenal at the rebels, sending more suicide bombers into their ranks in just a few weeks than it deployed during the entire previous year against the Syrian army. Thanks in part to additional air strikes, IS was able to reconquer territory that it had briefly lost.\n\nNothing symbolizes the tactical shifting of alliances more than the fate of the Syrian army's Division 17. The isolated base near Raqqa had been under rebel siege for more than a year. But then, IS units defeated the rebels there and Assad's air force was once again able to use the base for supply flights without fear of attack.\n\nBut a half year later, after IS conquered Mosul and took control of a gigantic weapons depot there, the jihadists felt powerful enough to attack their erstwhile helpers. IS fighters overran Division 17 and slaughtered the soldiers, whom they had only recently protected.\n\n72, 73, 74\n\nAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi may be the officially named leader, but it remains unclear how much power he holds. In any case, when an emissary of al-Qaida head Ayman al-Zawahiri contacted the Islamic State, it was Haji Bakr and other intelligence officers, and not al-Baghdadi, whom he approached. Afterwards, the emissary bemoaned \"these phony snakes who are betraying the real jihad.\"\n\nWithin IS, there are state structures, bureaucracy and authorities. But there is also a parallel command structure: elite units next to normal troops; additional commanders alongside nominal military head Omar al-Shishani; power brokers who transfer or demote provincial and town emirs or even make them disappear at will. Furthermore, decisions are not, as a rule, made in Shura Councils, nominally the highest decision-making body. Instead, they are being made by the \"people who loosen and bind\" (ahl al-hall wa-l-aqd), a clandestine circle whose name is taken from the Islam of medieval times.\n\nIslamic State is able to recognize all manner of internal revolts and stifle them. At the same time, the hermitic surveillance structure is also useful for the financial exploitation of its subjects.\n\n http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/islamic-state-files-show-structure-of-islamist-terror-group-a-1029274.html\n\n\" **The Short, Violent Life of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi\", 2006**\n\n1,2,3,4\n\nOn a cold and blustery evening in December 1989, Huthaifa Azzam, the teenage son of the legendary Jordanian-Palestinian mujahideen leader Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, went to the airport in Peshawar, Pakistan, to welcome a group of young men. All were new recruits, largely from Jordan, and they had come to fight in a fratricidal civil war in neighboring Afghanistan\u2014an outgrowth of the CIA-financed jihad of the 1980s against the Soviet occupation there.\n\nThe men were scruffy, Huthaifa mused as he greeted them, and seemed hardly in battle-ready form. Some had just been released from prison; others were professors and sheikhs. None of them would prove worth remembering\u2014except for a relatively short, squat man named Ahmad Fadhil Nazzal al-Khalaylah.\n\nHe would later rename himself Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.\n\nOnce one of the most wanted men in the world, for whose arrest the United States offered a $25 million reward, al-Zarqawi was a notoriously enigmatic figure\u2014a man who was everywhere yet nowhere. I went to Jordan earlier this year, three months before he was killed by a U.S. airstrike in early June, to find out who he really was, and to try to understand the role he was playing in the anti-American insurgency in Iraq. I also hoped to get a sense of how his generation\u2014the foreign fighters now waging jihad in Iraq\u2014compare with the foreign fighters who twenty years ago waged jihad in Afghanistan.\n\n9\n\nAbu Musab al-Zarqawi, barely forty and barely literate, a Bedouin from the Bani Hassan tribe, was until recently almost unknown outside his native Jordan. Then, on February 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell catapulted him onto the world stage. In his address to the United Nations making the case for war in Iraq, Powell identified al-Zarqawi\u2014mistakenly, as it turned out\u2014as the crucial link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime. Subsequently, al-Zarqawi became a leading figure in the insurgency in Iraq\u2014and in November of last year, he also brought his jihadist revolution back home, as the architect of three lethal hotel bombings in Amman. His notoriety grew with every atrocity he perpetrated, yet Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials remained bedeviled by a simple question: Who was he? Was he al-Qaeda's point man in Iraq, as the Bush administration argued repeatedly? Or was he, as a retired Israeli intelligence official told me not long ago, a staunch rival of bin Laden's, whose importance the United States exaggerated in order to validate a link between al-Qaeda and pre-war Iraq, and to put a non-Iraqi face on a complex insurgency?\n\n16\n\nEveryone I spoke with readily acknowledged that as a teenager al-Zarqawi had been a bully and a thug, a bootlegger and a heavy drinker, and even, allegedly, a pimp in Zarqa's underworld. He was disruptive, constantly involved in brawls. When he was fifteen (according to his police record, about which I had been briefed in Amman), he participated in a robbery of a relative's home, during which the relative was killed. Two years later, a year shy of graduation, he had dropped out of school. Then, in 1989, at the age of twenty-three, he traveled to Afghanistan.\n\n22, 23, 24\n\n\"He was an ordinary guy, an ordinary fighter, and didn't really distinguish himself,\" Huthaifa Azzam said of al-Zarqawi's first time in Afghanistan. \"He was a quiet guy who didn't talk much. But he was brave. Zarqawi doesn't know the meaning of fear. He's been wounded five or six times in Afghanistan and Iraq. He seems to intentionally place himself in the middle of the most dangerous situations. He fought in the battles of Khost and Kardez and, in April 1992, witnessed the liberation of Kabul by the mujahideen. A lot of Arabs were great commanders during those years. Zarqawi was not. He also wasn't very religious during that time. In fact, he'd only 'returned' to Islam three months before coming to Afghanistan. It was the Tablighi Jamaat [a proselytizing missionary group spread across the Muslim world] who convinced him\u2014he had thirty-seven criminal cases against him by then\u2014that it was time to cleanse himself.\"\n\nA Jordanian counterterrorism official expanded on al-Zarqawi's time in Afghanistan for me. \"His second time in Afghanistan was far more important than the first. But the first was significant in two ways. Zarqawi was young and impressionable; he'd never been out of Jordan before, and now, for the first time, he was interacting with doctrinaire Islamists from across the Muslim world, most of them brought to Afghanistan by the CIA. It was also his first exposure to al-Qaeda. He didn't meet bin Laden, of course, but he trained in one of his and Abdullah Azzam's camps: the Sada camp near the Afghan border inside Pakistan. He trained under Abu Hafs al-Masri.\" (The reference was to the nom de guerre of Mohammed Atef, an Egyptian who was bin Laden's military chief and, until he was killed in an American air strike in Afghanistan in November 2001, the No. 3 official in al-Qaeda.)\n\nAbu Muntassir Bilah Muhammad is another jihadist who spent time fighting in Afghanistan and who would later become one of the co-founders of al-Zarqawi's first militant Islamist group. \"Zarqawi arrived in Afghanistan as a zero,\" he told me, \"a man with no career, just floundering about. He trained and fought and he came back to Jordan with ambitions and dreams: to carry the ideology of jihad. His first ambition was to reform Jordan, to set up an Islamist state. And there was a cachet involved in fighting in the jihad. Zarqawi returned to Jordan with newfound respect. It's not so much what Zarqawi did in the jihad\u2014it's what the jihad did for him.\"\n\n26\n\nBut perhaps as important as anything else, it was in Afghanistan that al-Zarqawi was introduced to Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi (whose real name is Isam Muhammad Tahir al-Barqawi), a revered and militant Salafist cleric who had moved to Zarqa following the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Kuwait in the aftermath of the Gulf War. The Salafiya movement originated in Egypt, at the end of the nineteenth century, as a modernist Sunni reform movement, the aim of which was to let the Muslim world rise to the challenges posed by Western science and political thought. But since the 1920s, it has evolved into a severely puritanical school of absolutist thought that is markedly anti-Western and based on a literal interpretation of the Koran. Today's most radical Salafists regard any departure from their own rigid principles of Islam to be heretical; their particular hatred of Shiites\u2014who broke with the Sunnis in 632 A.D. over the question of succession to the Prophet Muhammad, and who now constitute the majority in Iran and Iraq\u2014is visceral. Over the years, al-Maqdisi embraced the most extreme school of Salafism, closely akin to the puritanical Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia, and in the early 1980s he published The Creed of Abraham, the single most important source of teachings for Salafist movements around the world. Al-Maqdisi would become al-Zarqawi's ideological mentor and most profound influence.\n\n28, 29\n\nAl-Zarqawi and al-Maqdisi left Afghanistan in 1993 and returned to Jordan. They found it much changed. In their absence the Jordanians and the Israelis had begun negotiations that would lead to the signing of a peace treaty in 1994; the Palestinians had signed the Oslo Accords of 1993; and the Iraqis had lost the Gulf War. Unemployment was up sharply, the result of a privatization drive agreed to with the International Monetary Fund, and Jordanians were frustrated and angry. The Muslim Brotherhood\u2014the kingdom's only viable opposition political force, which had agreed to support King Hussein in exchange for being allowed to participate in public and parliamentary life\u2014appeared unable to cope with the rising disaffection. Small underground Islamist groups had therefore begun to appear, composed largely of men who had fought in the Afghan jihad, and who were guided by the increasingly loud voices of militant clerics who felt the Muslim Brotherhood had been co-opted by the state.\n\nAfter the two men returned home, al-Maqdisi toured the kingdom, preaching and recruiting, and al-Zarqawi sought out Abu Muntassir, who had already acquired a standing among Islamic militants in Jordan. \"We talked a lot, over a couple of days,\" Abu Muntassir told me. \"He was still pretty much a novice, but very willing, very able, and keen to learn about Islam. I was teaching geography at the time in a government school, so it was easy for me to teach Islam as well. After some time, Zarqawi asked me to work with him in an Islamic group; al-Maqdisi was already on board. The idea was there, but it had no leadership and no name. First we called it al-Tawhid, then changed the name to Bayat al-Imam [Allegiance to the Imam]. We were small but enthusiastic\u2014a dozen or so men. Our primary objective, of course, was to overthrow the monarchy and establish an Islamic government.\"\n\n31, 32,33\n\nIn another botched operation, al-Maqdisi (according to court testimony that he denied) gave al-Zarqawi seven grenades he had smuggled into Jordan, and al-Zarqawi hid them in the cellar of his family's home. Al-Maqdisi was already under surveillance by Jordan's intelligence service by that time, because of his growing popularity. The grenades were quickly discovered, and the two men, along with a number of their followers, found themselves for the first time before a state security court. Al-Zarqawi told the court that he had found the grenades while walking down the street. The judges were not amused. They convicted him and al-Maqdisi of possessing illegal weapons and belonging to a banned organization. In 1994, al-Zarqawi was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. He would flourish there.\n\nSwaqa prison sits on the southern desert's edge, sixty miles south of Amman, and its political prisoners, both Islamist and secular, are housed in four wings. Al-Zarqawi embraced prison life in the extreme\u2014as he appears to have embraced everything. According to fellow inmates of his with whom I spoke, his primary obsessions were recruiting other prisoners to his cause, building his body, and, under the tutelage of al-Maqdisi, memorizing the 6,236 verses of the Koran. He was stern, tough, and unrelenting on anything that he considered to be an infraction of his rules, yet he was often seen in the prison courtyard crying as he read the Koran.\n\nHe was fastidious about his appearance in prison\u2014his beard and moustache were always cosmetically groomed\u2014and he wore only Afghan dress: the shalwar kameez and a rolled-brim, woolen Pashtun cap. One former inmate who served time with him told me that al-Zarqawi sauntered through the prison ward like a \"peacock.\" Islamists flocked to him. He attracted recruits; some joined him out of fascination, others out of curiosity, and still others out of fear. In a short time, he had organized prison life at Swaqa like a gang leader.\n\n36\n\nWhen Abu Rumman entered Swaqa, al-Zarqawi was in isolation following a prison brawl. \"It was quite extraordinary,\" Abu Rumman said. \"My first glimpse of Zarqawi was when he was released. He returned to the ward as a hero surrounded by his own bodyguards. Everyone began to shout: Allahu Akhbar! By that time Zarqawi was already called the 'emir,' or 'prince.' He had an uncanny ability to control, almost to hypnotize; he could order his followers to do things just by moving his eyes.\"\n\n41, 42, 43\n\nIn 1998, three or four of al-Zarqawi's tracts were posted on the Internet, after heavy editing. Soon they came to the attention of Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan. It was the first time he had ever heard of al-Zarqawi.\n\nIn May of the following year, Jordan's King Abdullah II\u2014newly enthroned after the death of his father, King Hussein\u2014declared a general amnesty, and al-Zarqawi was released from Swaqa. He had made effective use of his time there. As he had done nearly a decade before\u2014when he befriended wealthy Saudi jihadists in Khost\u2014he had expanded his reach and his appeal during his prison years. Among the fellow inmates he had converted to Salafism and brought into the Bayat al-Imam were a substantial number of prisoners from Iraq.\n\nAfter returning for a few months to Zarqa, al-Zarqawi left again and traveled to Pakistan. He may or may not have known that Jordan was about to declare him a suspect in a series of foiled terrorist attacks intended for New Year's Eve of 1999. The plan, which became known as the \"Millennium Plot,\" involved the bombing of Christian landmarks and other tourist sites, along with the Radisson Hotel in Amman. Had it succeeded, it would have been al-Zarqawi's first involvement in a major terrorist attack.\n\n45 , 46, 47,48,49\n\nIn December 1999, al-Zarqawi crossed the border into Afghanistan, and later that month he and bin Laden met at the Government Guest House in the southern city of Kandahar, the de facto capital of the ruling Taliban. As they sat facing each other across the receiving room, a former Israeli intelligence official told me, \"it was loathing at first sight.\"\n\nAccording to several different accounts of the meeting, bin Laden distrusted and disliked al-Zarqawi immediately. He suspected that the group of Jordanian prisoners with whom al-Zarqawi had been granted amnesty earlier in the year had been infiltrated by Jordanian intelligence; something similar had occurred not long before with a Jordanian jihadist cell that had come to Afghanistan. Bin Laden also disliked al-Zarqawi's swagger and the green tattoos on his left hand, which he reportedly considered un-Islamic. Al-Zarqawi came across to bin Laden as aggressively ambitious, abrasive, and overbearing. His hatred of Shiites also seemed to bin Laden to be potentially divisive\u2014which, of course, it was. (Bin Laden's mother, to whom he remains close, is a Shiite, from the Alawites of Syria.)\n\nAl-Zarqawi would not recant, even in the presence of the legendary head of al-Qaeda. \"Shiites should be executed,\" he reportedly declared. He also took exception to bin Laden's providing Arab fighters to the Taliban, the fundamentalist student militia that, although now in power, was still battling the Northern Alliance, which controlled some 10 percent of Afghanistan. Muslim killing Muslim was un-Islamic, al-Zarqawi is reported to have said.\n\nUnaccustomed to such direct criticism, the leader of al-Qaeda was aghast.\n\nHad Saif al-Adel\u2014now bin Laden's military chief\u2014not intervened, history might be written very differently.\n\nA former Egyptian army colonel who had trained in special operations, al-Adel was then al-Qaeda's chief of security and a prominent voice in an emerging debate gripping the militant Islamist world. Who should the primary target be\u2014the \"near enemy\" (the Muslim world's \"un-Islamic\" regimes) or the \"far enemy\" (primarily Israel and the United States)? Al-Zarqawi was a near-enemy advocate, and although his obsession remained the overthrow of the Jordanian monarchy, he had expanded his horizons slightly during his prison years and had now begun to focus on the area known as al-Sham, or the Levant, which includes Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and historic Palestine. As an Egyptian who had attempted to overthrow his own country's army-backed regime, al-Adel saw merit in al-Zarqawi's views. Thus, after a good deal of debate within al-Qaeda, it was agreed that al-Zarqawi would be given $5,000 or so in \"seed money\" to set up his own training camp outside the western Afghan city of Herat, near the Iranian border. It was about as far away as he could be from bin Laden.\n\nSaif al-Adel was designated the middleman.\n\nIn early 2000, with a dozen or so followers who had arrived from Peshawar and Amman, al-Zarqawi set out for the western desert encircling Herat. His goal: to build an army that he could export to anywhere in the world. Al-Adel paid monthly visits to al-Zarqawi's training camp; later, on his Web site, he would write that he was amazed at what he saw there. The number of al-Zarqawi's fighters multiplied from dozens to hundreds during the following year, and by the time the forces evacuated their camp, prior to the U.S. air strikes of October 200l, the fighters and their families numbered some 2,000 to 3,000. According to al-Adel, the wives of al-Zarqawi's followers served lavish Levantine cuisine in the camp.\n\nIt was in Herat that al-Zarqawi formed the militant organization Jund al-Sham, or Soldiers of the Levant. His key operational lieutenants were mainly Syrians\u2014most of whom had fought in the Afghan jihad, and many of whom belonged to their country's banned Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood's exiled leadership, which is largely based in Europe, was immensely important in recruiting for the Herat camp, although whether it also supplied funds remains under debate. What is clear, however, is that al-Zarqawi's closest aide, a Syrian from the city of Hama named Sulayman Khalid Darwish\u2014or Abu al-Ghadiyah\u2014was considered to be, until his death last summer on the Iraqi-Syrian frontier, one of al-Zarqawi's most likely successors.\n\n53, 54 ,55 , 56, 57, 58 , 59\n\nAt least five times, in 2000 and 2001, bin Laden called al-Zarqawi to come to Kandahar and pay bayat\u2014take an oath of allegiance\u2014to him. Each time, al-Zarqawi refused. Under no circumstances did he want to become involved in the battle between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban. He also did not believe that either bin Laden or the Taliban was serious enough about jihad.\n\nWhen the United States launched its air war inside Afghanistan, on October 7, 2001, al-Zarqawi joined forces with al-Qaeda and the Taliban for the first time. He and his Jund al-Sham fought in and around Herat and Kandahar. Al-Zarqawi was wounded in an American air strike\u2014not in the leg, as U.S. officials claimed for two years, but in the chest, when the ceiling of the building in which he was operating collapsed on him. Neither did he join Osama bin Laden in the eastern mountains of Tora Bora, as U.S. officials have also said. Bin Laden took only his most trusted fighters to Tora Bora, and al-Zarqawi was not one of them.\n\nIn December 2001, accompanied by some 300 fighters from Jund al-Sham, al-Zarqawi left Afghanistan once again, and entered Iran.\n\nDuring the next fourteen months, al-Zarqawi based himself primarily in Iran and in the autonomous area of Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, traveling from time to time to Syria and to the Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian refugee camp in the south of Lebanon\u2014a camp that, according to the former Jordanian intelligence official, became his main recruiting ground. More often, however, al-Zarqawi traveled to the Sunni Triangle of Iraq. He expanded his network, recruited and trained new fighters, and set up bases, safe houses, and military training camps. In Iran, he was reunited with Saif al-Adel\u2014who encouraged him to go to Iraq and provided contacts there\u2014and for a time, al-Zarqawi stayed at a farm belonging to the fiercely anti-American Afghan jihad leader Gulbaddin Hekmatyar. In Kurdistan he lived and worked with the separatist militant Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, ironically in an area protected as part of the \"no-fly\" zone imposed on Saddam Hussein by Washington.\n\nOne can only imagine how astonished al-Zarqawi must have been when Colin Powell named him as the crucial link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime. He was not even officially a part of al-Qaeda, and ever since he had left Afghanistan, his links had been not to Iraq but to Iran.\n\n\"We know Zarqawi better than he knows himself,\" the high-level Jordanian intelligence official said. \"And I can assure you that he never had any links to Saddam. Iran is quite a different matter. The Iranians have a policy: they want to control Iraq. And part of this policy has been to support Zarqawi, tactically but not strategically.\"\n\n\"In the beginning they gave him automatic weapons, uniforms, military equipment, when he was with the army of Ansar al-Islam. Now they essentially just turn a blind eye to his activities, and to those of al-Qaeda generally. The Iranians see Iraq as a fight against the Americans, and overall, they'll get rid of Zarqawi and all of his people once the Americans are out.\"\n\nIn the summer of 2003, three months after the American invasion, al-Zarqawi moved to the Sunni areas of Iraq. He became infamous almost at once. On August 7, he allegedly carried out a car-bomb attack at the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad. Twelve days later, he was linked to the bombing of the United Nations headquarters, in which twenty-two people died. And on August 29, in what was then the deadliest attack of the war, he engineered the killing of over a hundred people, including a revered cleric, the Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim, in a car bombing outside Shia Islam's holy shrine in Najaf. The suicide bomber in that attack was Yassin Jarad, from Zarqa. He was al-Zarqawi's father-in-law.\n\n63\n\nOf course, no one did more to cultivate that image than al-Zarqawi himself. He committed some of the deadliest attacks in Iraq, though they still represent only some 10 percent of the country's total number of attacks. In May 2004, he inaugurated his notorious wave of hostage beheadings; he also specialized in suicide and truck bombings of Shiite shrines and mosques, largely in Shiite neighborhoods. His primary aim was to provoke a civil war. \"If we succeed in dragging [the Shia] into a sectarian war,\" he purportedly wrote in a letter intercepted by U.S. forces and released in February 2004, \"this will awaken the sleepy Sunnis who are fearful of destruction and death at the hands of the Shia.\" (The authenticity of the letter came into question almost immediately.)\n\n65, 66, 67 , 68 69\n\nRegardless of his growing notoriety in Iraq, al-Zarqawi never lost sight of his ultimate goal: the overthrow of the Jordanian monarchy. His efforts to foment unrest in Jordan included the 2002 assassination of the U.S. diplomat Lawrence Foley, and, on a far larger scale, a disrupted plot in 2004 to bomb the headquarters of the Jordanian intelligence services\u2014a scheme that, according to Jordanian officials, would have entailed the use of trucks packed with enough chemicals and explosives to kill some 80,000 people. Once it was uncovered, al-Zarqawi immediately accepted responsibility for the plot, although he denied that chemical weapons would have been involved.\n\nLater that year, in October 2004, after resisting for nearly five years, al-Zarqawi finally paid bayat to Osama bin Laden\u2014but only after eight months of often stormy negotiations. After doing so he proclaimed himself to be the \"Emir of al-Qaeda's Operations in the Land of Mesopotamia,\" a title that subordinated him to bin Laden but at the same time placed him firmly on the global stage. One explanation for this coming together of these two former antagonists was simple: al-Zarqawi profited from the al-Qaeda franchise, and bin Laden needed a presence in Iraq. Another explanation is more complex: bin Laden laid claim to al-Zarqawi in the hopes of forestalling his emergence as the single most important terrorist figure in the world, and al-Zarqawi accepted bin Laden's endorsement to augment his credibility and to strengthen his grip on the Iraqi tribes. Both explanations are true.\n\n\"From the beginning, Zarqawi has wanted to be independent, and he will continue to be,\" Oraib Rantawi, the director of the Al-Quds Center for Political Studies in Amman, said to me. \"Yes, he's gained stature through this alliance, but he only swore bayat after all this time because of growing pressure from Iraqis who were members of al-Qaeda. And even then he signed with conditions\u2014that he would maintain control over Jund al-Sham and al-Tawhid, and that he would exert operational autonomy. His suicide bombings of the hotels in Amman\"\u2014in which some sixty civilians died, many of them while attending a wedding celebration\u2014\"was a huge tactical mistake. My understanding is that bin Laden was furious about it.\"\n\nThe attacks, which represented an expansion of al- Zarqawi's sophistication and reach, also showed his growing independence from the al-Qaeda chief. They came only thirteen months after he had sworn bayat. The alliance had already begun to fray.\n\nThe signs were visible as early as the summer of 2005. In a letter purportedly sent to al-Zarqawi in July from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian surgeon who is bin Laden's designated heir, al-Zarqawi was chided about his tactics in Iraq. And although some experts have cast doubt on the letter's authenticity (it was released by the office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence), few would dispute its message: namely, that al-Zarqawi's hostage beheadings, his mass slaughter of Shiites, and his assaults on their mosques were all having a negative effect on Muslim opinion\u2014both of him and, by extension, of al-Qaeda\u2014around the world. In one admonition, al-Zawahiri allegedly advised al-Zarqawi that a captive can be killed as easily by a bullet as by a knife.\n\n76\n\n\"Not at all,\" he replied. \"Zarqawi had the ambition to become what he has, but whatever happens, even if he becomes the most popular figure in Iraq, he can never go against the symbolism that bin Laden represents. If Zarqawi is captured or killed tomorrow, the Iraqi insurgency will go on. There is no such thing as 'Zarqawism.' What Zarqawi is will die with him. Bin Laden, on the other hand, is an ideological thinker. He created the concept of al-Qaeda and all of its offshoots. He feels he's achieved his goal.\" He paused for a moment, then said, \"Osama bin Laden is like Karl Marx. Both created an ideology. Marxism still flourished well after Marx's death. And whether bin Laden is killed, or simply dies of natural causes, al-Qaedaism will survive him.\"\n\n http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/07/the-short-violent-life-of-abu-musab-al-zarqawi/304983/\n\n\" **Al-Qaeda could be preparing to launch own 'Islamic State' in Syria after exploiting world's focus on Isis\", 2016**\n\n1, 2, 3\n\nAl-Qaeda could be preparing to declare its own sovereign state in Syria after quietly gathering strength in the shadow of the international campaign against Isis, an analyst has warned.\n\nCharles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that after five years building its power base in the midst of the civil war leaders are moving to create a new \"Islamic emirate\".\n\nWriting in Foreign Policy magazine he said Jabhat al-Nusra \\- the al-Qaeda affiliate that was linked with Isis until a bitter split in 2013 - had been building local support and influence in its territories.\n\n14\n\nResearchers concluded that it had also been more successful than Isis in attracting impoverished and unemployed youths with the promise of security, education, structure and, most importantly, victory.\n\n http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/al-qaeda-could-be-preparing-to-launch-own-islamic-state-in-syria-after-exploiting-worlds-focus-on-a7015461.html\n\n\" **Qatar and ISIS Funding: The U.S. Approach\", 2014**\n\n1 to 4\n\nAmerica views its close ally, Qatar, as a terrorist funding trouble spot. Washington has gone so far as to call the small Persian Gulf state a permissive environment for financing terrorist groups.\n\nThe United States says it does not have evidence that the government of Qatar is funding the terrorist group now known as the Islamic State (ISIS). But it does believe that private individuals in Qatar are helping to finance this group and others like it. And it thinks the Gulf state is not doing enough to stop this.\n\nTo influence Qatar's policies, the United States has employed a carrot-and-stick approach. It heaps praise on its ally for developing new anti-terrorist financing regulations, while privately discouraging and sometimes publicly admonishing its support for terrorist organizations.\n\nYet the fundamental problem is that America's counterterrorism agenda sometimes conflicts with what Qatar perceives to be its own political interests. Qatar's security strategy has been to provide support to a wide range of regional and international groups in order to bolster its position at home and abroad. This strategy has involved generously supporting Islamist organizations, including militant ones like Hamas and the Taliban. Allowing private local fundraising for Islamist groups abroad forms part of this approach. Closing channels of support to militant Islamists -- i.e., what Washington would like Doha to do \\-- would be inimical to Qatar's basic approach to its own security.\n\n http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/qatar-and-isis-funding-the-u.s.-approach\n\n\" **Sorry, America: Iran Won't Defeat ISIS for You\", 2015**\n\n1, 2 , 3 , 4, 5, 6\n\nISIS's persistence has led some analysts to conclude\u2014most recently Harvard's Stephen Walt\u2014that ISIS's \"state\" will be a long-term reality in the region and one that Washington may soon have to come to terms with. From developing its own currency to managing a system of governance and terror wrapped in ideological fervidity, the Islamic State certainly has shown its resilience, despite its morphing geography since it captured Mosul in the summer of 2014.\n\nSince the finalizing of the Iranian nuclear agreement, Iran has been touted in Washington in some policy circles as the best partner in fighting ISIS. Potential common interests between Washington and Tehran\u2014as well as Iran's military capabilities\u2014could make Tehran an effective ally in rolling back ISIS at a time when the United States is wary to commit to another ground war in the Middle East. This assessment has three substantial blind spots:\n\nFirst, Tehran's strategy in Syria and Iraq has been focused more on containing and managing ISIS than defeating it. This strategy is driven by different considerations in both countries. In Syria, ISIS is seen as an effective tool in both weakening the U.S.- and GCC-backed opposition militias and buttressing the argument that President Assad is a most amenable alternative in Syria. Iraq, on the other hand, presents a difficult balancing act for Tehran that consists of both managing ISIS as a security threat to Iran's heartland and Iraq's Shi'a communities and avoiding empowering Sunni communities to such a degree that they could later pose a credible challenge to Iran's influence in the Iraqi state. Tehran will prefer to keep Iraq unstable until its dominant influence is assured. Iran has been less than effective in pursuing this strategy as evidenced by its recent poor performance in Al Anbar Province and its difficult recapture of Tikrit in the spring.\n\nSecond, the best partners in defeating ISIS are Sunni Arab states and communities. ISIS's resilience in the region has been sustained both by the effective use of military tactics and organizational strategy, but also, by a deepening ideological resonance amongst disenfranchised Sunnis in communities worldwide from Afghanistan to the banlieues of Paris. Without a sustained buy-in from leading Sunni states on both the governmental level and on the civil-society level to counter ISIS's ideology, the Islamic State will continue to be a feature in the region's body politic. As a senior Gulf official once noted, the responsibility of defeating ISIS isn't an American or Iranian responsibility, but the responsibility of the Muslim community worldwide to reject this violence.\n\nThird, Iran's endgames in Iraq and Syria are in complete contrast to the United States' objectives. While Washington and Tehran may share a few common interests in weakening ISIS, Tehran is seeking to both push the United States out of the region and to curtail the influence of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. A political solution in Syria or Iraq, which gives the United States and the GCC a further foothold in these states, would be an outcome that Iran would vigorously oppose.\n\nWashington policymakers should be wary, then, of embracing Iran as such a partner as it considers recalibrating U.S. strategy in countering ISIS.\n\n http://nationalinterest.org/blog/sorry-america-iran-wont-defeat-isis-you-13407\n\nWhat ISIS Owes Iran, and Vice-Versa\n\n http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_print=1&x_context=7&x_issue=94&x_article=3080\n\n\" **Bashar al-Assad and the Devil's Endgame\", 2015**\n\n2 , 3 , 4 , 5\n\nAssad's plan, it seems, is to deliberately aid the rise of ISIS\u2014what I call the devil's gambit. The logic is simple and ruthless: radicalize the opposition so that the Syrian dictator looks like a lesser evil to domestic and foreign audiences. Here, Assad benefits from the inherently polarizing nature of civil war, as a cycle of atrocities and revenge pushes all sides to the extreme. He has further spurred radicalization by focusing the regime's fire on moderate enemies, while reportedly releasing jihadists from jail and purchasing oil from ISIS. In recent months, the Syrian military allegedly used air strikes to help ISIS advance toward the city of Aleppo. Khaled Khoja, a Syrian opposition leader, claimed that Assad's fighter jets were acting as \"an air force for ISIS.\"\n\nIn the widening gyre, the center cannot hold. Back in 2011, the relatively moderate Free Syrian Army seemed a plausible candidate to lead the resistance against Assad. Now the leading rebel factions include ISIS, the Islamic Front, and the al-Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda. The U.S. effort to train a moderate Syrian force has proved to be a pitiful and quixotic quest. After 10 months and millions of dollars, the United States has created a rebel army that is five strong. Not 5,000 strong, or 5 percent of the opposition. But literally five guys\u2014barely enough to run a burger joint.\n\nThe tyrant and the terrorists have a symbiotic relationship. While ISIS rails against the secular regime, its focus is on building the caliphate, not getting rid of Assad. Meanwhile, ISIS's advance in Iraq in 2014 was a godsend for the Syrian regime. The insurgents headed away from Damascus. And the group's capture of the city of Mosul and much of Anbar province terrified the West. A reluctant Barack Obama could not accept the fall of Baghdad, and authorized extensive air strikes against ISIS.\n\nThe tyrant and the terrorists have a symbiotic relationship. While ISIS rails against the secular regime, its focus is on building the caliphate, not getting rid of Assad. Meanwhile, ISIS's advance in Iraq in 2014 was a godsend for the Syrian regime. The insurgents headed away from Damascus. And the group's capture of the city of Mosul and much of Anbar province terrified the West. A reluctant Barack Obama could not accept the fall of Baghdad, and authorized extensive air strikes against ISIS.\n\nFor both Western countries and Assad's Alawite constituency at home, the choice is stark: the devil you know, or a pack of rapacious demons. If Assad were to fall, the chief beneficiary would be the very Islamist forces that the United States is bombing. To be reminded of the dangers of toppling a dictator, U.S. officials need only look to Libya, where the overthrow of Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011 led to anarchy. Assad is the TINA candidate: There is no alternative.\n\nThe devil's gambit, then, appears to have succeeded. The Obama administration has recently backed away from insisting that Assad must relinquish power, and signaled instead that the dictator could stay in power for a transitional period as part of a peace settlement.\n\nBut the key word here is \"appears.\" As with the pact between the Nazis and the Soviets in 1939, the partners in Syria's dance of death will happily stab each other when the moment is opportune.\n\n http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/assad-syria-devil-endgame-putin-obama/407635/\n\n\" **Bashar al-Assad and the Devil's Gambit\", 2014**\n\n10 , 11, 12\n\nFor Assad, ISIS is priceless. The Sunni extremist boogeyman holds the key to his political survival. As ISIS continues its assault in Iraq, employing tactics that include beheadings, crucifixions, and systematic torture, Assad has cemented his alliance with Baghdad, as well as with Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia.\n\nEven Assad's enemies are rethinking their strategy. European countries worry about the thousands of Europeans who have traveled to Syria to fight Assad\u2014and their potential return as violent militants. Meanwhile, the United States has dispatched hundreds of advisors to join the battle against ISIS in Iraq. Members of the Obama administration are backing away from the goal of toppling Assad. \"Anyone calling for regime change in Syria,\" said one official, \"is frankly blind to the past decade; and the collapse of eastern Syria, and growth of Jihadistan, leading to 30 to 50 suicide attacks a month in Iraq.\"\n\nThe devil's gambit is a chancy maneuver, since the resulting radicals could grow too powerful to control. For a dictator, the sweet spot is an extremist force that's strong enough to inspire fear abroad, but not capable enough to topple the regime\u2014which is roughly where ISIS is right now. If the militants become too potent, Assad will probably turn on them with a vengeance.\n\n http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/assad-and-the-art-of-the-devils-gambit/374501/\n\n\"As long as there is an Assad, there will be an Isil - he'll make sure of it\", 2015\n\n2 , 3\n\nSo it is with Bashar al-Assad in Syria. From the very beginning of his country's insurrection, Assad has done his best to help Islamist zealots hijack the Syrian opposition; he worked particularly hard to create ideal laboratory conditions for the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). His supremely cynical aim was to convince the West to accept him as an essential bulwark against the very threat he helped to conjure into being. Put bluntly, Assad is an arsonist posing as a fireman.\n\nThis is an old trick. Every Arab dictator since Nasser has sought to confront his people and the world with a stark choice: either support me or watch the jihadists take over. The ruse is obvious, time-honoured \u2013 and remarkably effective.\n\n6, 7 , 8 , 9, 10\n\nSo for as long as there is an Assad, there will be an Isil. He will make sure of it. Why? Because for as long as there is an Isil, some in the West will argue that we need Assad to defeat it.\n\nThe conclusion should be obvious: the man who needs Isil more than anyone else is not best qualified to cause their demise. Assad's role in engineering Isil's ascendancy is well-documented. Back in 2011 and 2012, he emptied Sednaya prison outside Damascus of its most dangerous Islamist prisoners. He must have known that these outlaws would use their liberty to infect the rebels with the jihadist virus \u2013 and they duly did so. An excellent book, Isis: Inside the Army of Terror by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, names three Isil commanders who were carefully released from Assad's jails.\n\nHelped by the talent that the dictator had set free, Isil captured the oilfields of eastern Syria in 2013. But there is no point possessing oil unless you can sell the stuff. Fortunately for Isil, Assad bought their oil and funded their advance.\n\nToday, Syria's regime remains the largest single buyer of Isil's oil and one of the biggest donors to the terrorists' coffers. These facts are not seriously disputed, indeed the businessman accused of negotiating the oil deals between Isil and Assad \u2013 one George Haswani, the owner of HESCO engineering \u2013 has been named and subjected to EU sanctions.\n\nMeanwhile, observers of the war have noticed a pattern. Assad strains every sinew to fight the non-Islamist rebels, but Isil has generally been immune from his barrel bombs and poison gas. Last year, only six per cent of Assad's military operations targeted Isil, according to a study by IHS Jane's, a defence consultancy. The other rebels felt the fury of 94 per cent of Assad's military effort.\n\n12\n\nThere is a bitter irony here. Without the threat posed by Assad's forces and Russian air power, many Sunni rebels in Syria would indeed take up arms against Isil. The way to turn them against Isil would be to stop the depredations of Assad. So the idea that the dictator is indispensable to the fight against Isil is the exact reverse of the truth. In fact, getting rid of Assad would be the key that unlocks a Sunni army to defeat the terrorists.\n\n http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12038032/As-long-as-there-is-an-Assad-there-will-be-an-Isil-hell-make-sure-of-it.html\n\n\" **How Assad helped the rise of his 'foe' Isil\", 2014**\n\n2, 3, 4, 5 , 6 , 7\n\nLogic would suggest that Mr Assad and Isil are out to destroy one another. But logic works in curious ways in the Middle East. As he wages a ruthless struggle to hold power, the evidence suggests that Mr Assad has quietly cooperated with his supposed enemies and actively helped their rise.\n\nThe thinking behind this apparently perverse strategy is simple. Mr Assad wants to force his own people and the West to make an unpalatable choice: either he stays in place, or Syria falls into the hands of Isil's fanatics. When push comes to shove, Mr Assad thinks that most Syrians and the Western powers will back him over the fundamentalists.\n\nBut this plan will only work if Isil is the most powerful rebel force. The signs are that Mr Assad has done his best to make this come true.\n\nAs recently as 2012, Isil was a marginalised movement confined to a small area of Iraq. Then Mr Assad emptied Sednaya jail near Damascus of some of its most dangerous jihadist prisoners. If he hoped that these men would join Isil and strengthen its leadership, then that aspiration was certainly fulfilled. A number of figures in the movement's hierarchy are believed to be former inmates of Syrian prisons, carefully released by the regime.\n\nBy 2013, Isil had managed to capture oilfields in eastern Syria. But to profit from these assets, they needed to find a customer for the oil. Mr Assad's regime stepped in and began buying oilfrom Isil, thereby helping to fund the movement, according to Western and Middle Eastern governments.\n\nHaving provided Isil with talented commanders, courtesy of his prison amnesties, and filled its coffers with oil money, Mr Assad then chose to focus his military campaign on the non-Islamist rebels. Every town and suburb held by the Free Syrian Army was relentlessly pounded from the air and ground. A year ago, the regime even used poison gas against insurgent strongholds in Damascus.\n\n10\n\nThe signs are that Isil has returned the favour. Instead of trying to bring down Mr Assad, Isil has concentrated on fighting the non-Islamist rebels. When the movement reached what may prove to be the apex of its military strength earlier this year, Isil did not advance on Damascus and try to overthrow the regime. Instead, it chose to invade northern Iraq and trigger the current crisis.\n\n http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11051566/How-Assad-helped-the-rise-of-his-foe-Isil.html\n\n\" **Why Bashar Assad Won't Fight ISIS\", 2015**\n\n2\n\nThe regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has long had a pragmatic approach to the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), says a Syrian businessman with close ties to the government. Even from the early days the regime purchased fuel from ISIS-controlled oil facilities, and it has maintained that relationship throughout the conflict. \"Honestly speaking, the regime has always had dealings with ISIS, out of necessity.\"\n\n7, 8 , 9 , 10\n\nAssad does not see ISIS as his primary problem, the businessman says. \"The regime fears the Free Syrian Army and the Nusra Front, not ISIS. They [the FSA and Nusra] state their goal is to remove the President. But ISIS doesn't say that. They have never directly threatened Damascus.\" As the businessman notes, the strikes on ISIS targets are minimal. \"If the regime were serious about getting rid of ISIS, they would have bombed Raqqa by now. Instead they bomb other cities, where the FSA is strong.\" That said, the businessman does not believe that the regime has a formal relationship with ISIS, just a pragmatic one. \"The more powerful ISIS grows, the more they are useful for the regime. They make America nervous, and the Americans in turn see the regime as a kind of bulwark against ISIS.\"\n\nA senior Western diplomat who specializes in the Syrian civil war agrees that ISIS is seen as an asset by Assad. \"They will do whatever it takes to devalue the opposition, even if it means strengthening ISIS. They know that if it comes to choosing between the black flag [of ISIS] and Damascus, the international community will choose Damascus.\" And the strategy has worked extremely well. \"The way it's going now, it's a matter of months, not even a year, that the moderate opposition is so weakened that it won't be a factor anymore. So in just a few months from now the regime will be able to achieve its strategic goal of forcing the world to choose between Damascus and the black flags.\"\n\nSo by ignoring the conflict between the Syrian opposition and the Assad regime to focus purely on ISIS may solve problems in the short term, says the diplomat, \"but there will be more problems to come. These are the ingredients for a further escalation of the conflict \u2014 alienating large parts of the Sunni population, so that they have no choice but to join ISIS. Not for ideological reasons, but because they will do whatever it takes to overthrow the regime in Damascus.\" Not only that, it will widen the geographical boundaries of the conflict by making this a fight of all Sunnis. \"It's a clear recipe for further escalation well beyond the geographical boundaries of the current conflict.\"\n\nHowever, Damascus believes that once it has neutralized most of the opposition, it can then defeat ISIS with ease. \"ISIS alone, the regime can deal with them. What Assad wants is international recognition of his legitimacy as Syria's President,\" says the businessman. \"When the war is over, he can easily handle ISIS with the help of Hizballah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.\"\n\n<http://time.com/3719129/assad-isis-asset/>\n\n\" **Turkey-ISIS Oil Trade\", 2015**\n\n1, 2, 3\n\nThe sale of oil products by ISIS garners about $500 million/year. The US led multinational coalition has pledged to destroy ISIS. Its strategy includes depriving ISIS of financial support. Allegations abound that Turks are engaged in oil trade with ISIS. Additionally, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are allegedly implicated. Erdogan takes these charges seriously. He promised \"to vacate his post of Turkey's presidency if the claims are substantiated by concrete evidence.\"\n\nThe Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University's Institute for the Study of Human Rights appointed a team of researchers in the United States, Europe, and Turkey to investigate the allegations. Researchers focus on secondary media sources. This research paper cites relevant reports.\n\nSmugglers transport oil using a variety of means, generating significant revenues for ISIS. Smuggled oil finds its way into Turkey's export facilities and onto tankers in Ceyhan bound for international markets. There is no \"smoking gun\" linking the Government of Turkey or Erdogan directly to ISIS oil sales. It is apparent, however, that Turkey turned a blind eye to ISIS oil trade. Turkey failed to seal its border, facilitating ISIS oil exports. Turks have profited at stages of the supply chain.\n\n http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-l-phillips/research-paper-turkey-isi_b_8808024.html\n\n\" **Islamic State oil is going to Assad, some to Turkey, U.S. official says\", 2015**\n\n1\n\nIslamic State militants have made more than $500 million trading oil with significant volumes sold to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and some finding its way to Turkey, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Thursday.\n\n5, 6 , 7\n\n\"ISIL is selling a great deal of oil to the Assad regime,\" Szubin, acting under secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence with the Treasury, told an audience at Chatham House in London.\n\n\"The two are trying to slaughter each other and they are still engaged in millions and millions of dollars of trade,\" Szubin said of Assad's government and Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.\n\nThe \"far greater amount\" of Islamic State oil ends up under Assad's control while some is consumed internally in Islamic State-controlled areas. Some ends up in Kurdish regions and some in Turkey, he said.\n\n11, 12\n\nAfter Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had intelligence that large amounts of oil and petroleum products were moving across the border from Islamic State territories to Turkey.\n\nThe son of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has denied Russian allegations that he and his family were profiting from the illegal smuggling of oil from Islamic State-held territory.\n\n http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-oil-idUSKBN0TT2O120151210\n\n\" **An Energy Mogul Becomes Entangled With Islamic State\", 2016**\n\n1, 2\n\nIn Syria, George Haswani sees himself as a patriot. In the West, he is a wanted man.\n\nMr. Haswani acts as a middleman between Islamic State and the Syrian government, the terror group's largest customer, Western security officials allege. Islamic State controls much of Syria's energy infrastructure and sells stolen oil and natural gas at a discount\u2014even to the regime it is ostensibly battling.\n\n7, 8\n\nButtressing Mr. Hawsani are his strong ties to Russia. He teamed up years ago with one of President Vladimir Putin's closest associates to build the sprawling gas-production facility in Syria's Tuweinan region that caught the attention of the Obama administration.\n\nAdministration officials said Moscow's military and economic alliance with Damascus makes it clear Russia knows of the dealings between the Assad regime and Islamic State.\n\n13\n\nMr. Haswani built the Tuweinan gas facility in partnership with a company owned by Gennady Timchenko, a Russian businessman and confidante of Mr. Putin's. Mr. Timchenko's firm, OAO Stroytransgaz, has provided Russian engineers for the project over the past decade, the company said.\n\n35\n\nThe U.S. has long accused Mr. Timchenko of serving as a front for the business interests of Mr. Putin, particularly in energy. Mr. Timchenko declined to comment. He has said in the past that he was a self-made businessman, independent of the Russian leader.\n\n37\n\n\"Timchenko's activities in the energy sector have been directly linked to Putin,\" the Treasury Department said at the time.\n\n http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-energy-mogul-becomes-entangled-with-islamic-state-1462734922\n\n\" **Kerry: Assad and ISIS Have 'Symbiotic' Relationship\", 2014**\n\n4\n\nThe Obama administration's strategy against the Islamic State initially focused on stopping the militants' advances in Iraq but recently the U.S. and its partners have realized that without degrading ISIL's stronghold inside Syria, the group can't be defeated inside Iraq. The anti-ISIL coalition is also seeing that moderate rebel groups fighting the Islamic State and who could potentially be an alternative to Assad are facing mounting attacks by both the Syrian regime and ISIL militants.\n\n6\n\nSyrian rebels being trained and equipped by the CIA were routed by al Qaeda-affiliated groups including Jabhat al-Nusra, the Washington Post reported. The Free Syrian Army was losing its stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Idlib and that may complicate U.S. efforts to ramp up a program to recruit and train thousands of rebels, the Post stated. As a result, the Obama administration is assessing whether it should step up covert aid to rebels while an overt Pentagon plan to train opposition groups gets underway, the Post reported.\n\n http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/11/17/kerry-assad-and-isis-have-symbiotic-relationship/\n\n\" **Turkey proposes cooperation with Russia in fighting ISIS\", 2016**\n\n1, 2 , 3\n\nTurkey has proposed cooperating with Moscow to combat ISIS in Syria, suggesting it could open its Incirlik Air Base to Russia - comments that highlight a revival in ties strained by Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.\n\nMoscow pledged to rebuild relations after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan last week expressed regret over the shooting down of the aircraft, with the loss of the pilot, near the Syrian frontier. Moscow had broken off virtually all economic ties and banned tourists from visiting Turkish resorts.\n\n\"We will cooperate with everyone who fights Daesh. We have been doing this for quite a while, and we opened Incirlik Air Base for those who want to join the active fight against Daesh,\" Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview on state broadcaster TRT Haber on Sunday, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.\n\n http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/07/04/Turkey-proposes-cooperation-with-Russia-in-fighting-ISIS.html\n\n\" **How the Russian Fighters of ISIS Became a Terror Threat in Turkey\", 2016**\n\n2\n\nAt the time, thousands of other young men from across the former Soviet Union were flooding into Syria, mostly from the predominantly Muslim regions of southern Russia and the formerly communist states of Central Asia, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In the last few years, volunteers from this part of the world have distinguished themselves as some of the fiercest fighters\u2014and some of the top commanders\u2014in the terrorist army known as ISIS. And according to Turkish authorities, these Russian-speaking militants may now have started going on missions outside of their self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq.\n\n<http://time.com/4390090/istanbul-attack-russian-isis-militants/>\n\n\" **ISIS is the symptom. Assad is the disease\", 2015**\n\n2 , 3\n\nThe Syrian regime has avoided large-scale fights with the Islamic State. Assad wants the Islamic State to remain an imminent threat so the international community will see two options: Keep Assad or let terrorists take over Syria. Assad created the chaos that allowed the Islamic State to rise. His regime now has a strategy that bolsters the Islamic State's hold on northern Syria: The U.S.-backed Syrian rebels who are supposed to be fighting the Islamic State are being slaughtered by the Syrian Army and by Assad's Iranian and Russian allies. Assad's brutal campaign against Sunni communities drives thousands of young Syrians to join the jihadis.\n\nAnd now that the Islamic State has pulled off a series of devastating attacks in Paris, Western governments are promising a \"ruthless,\" \"merciless,\" \"pitiless\" war against the group. But none are mentioning Assad.\n\n9\n\nAssad himself tried to spin the Paris attacks into a justification for the international community to support his government. France has long been a supporter of the Syrian opposition, a policy Assad says has encouraged terrorism.\n\n13, 14\n\nFormer White House official Dennis Ross tweeted a response: \"Bashar Assad is not the answer to defeating ISIS; he helped produce them, buys their oil, is the cause that draws foreign fighters to them.\"\n\nAt Saturday night's Democratic debate, each candidate promised to fight the Islamic State but none mentioned Assad. Even Republican candidates who have been staunch advocates of arming the rebels fighting Assad, such as Sen. Marco Rubio, focused their reactions to the Paris attacks on the Islamic State instead.\n\n16\n\nSome experts warn that even if you completely destroy the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, if Assad is allowed to continue his campaign of terror, another ruthless organization will just appear and take its place. That's why Kerry's drive to replace Assad, despite a low chance of success, is crucial.\n\n http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-paris-bashar-assad-syria-islamic-state-20151116-story.html\n\n\" **Russia Needs the Islamic State to Save Assad\", \u0399\u03bf\u03cd\u03bd\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 2016**\n\n2\u03b7, 3\u03b7, 4\u03b7, 5\u03b7 \u03a0\u03b1\u03c1\u03ac\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03bf\u03c2\n\nDespite Moscow's claims that its mission was fighting IS or \"terrorism,\" Russia's real goals can be summarized as three:\n\nRescue the Assad regime, which was assessed to be in mortal peril\n\nDamage the mainstream armed opposition, especially those elements supported by the West, in order that Russia can...\n\nRehabilitate the Assad regime internationally by inter alia leaving only extremists as its opponents, depriving the international community of credible interlocutors, and therefore strengthening the Russian hand to make peace talks an instrument for re-legitimizing Assad, rather than removing him\n\n https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/russia-needs-the-islamic-state-to-save-assad/\n\n\" **Qatar bankrolls Syrian revolt with cash and arms\", 2013**\n\n1,2, 3, 4\n\nThe gas-rich state of Qatar has spent as much as $3bn over the past two years supporting the rebellion in Syria, far exceeding any other government, but is now being nudged aside by Saudi Arabia as the prime source of arms to rebels.\n\nThe cost of Qatar's intervention, its latest push to back an Arab revolt, amounts to a fraction of its international investment portfolio. But its financial support for the revolution that has turned into a vicious civil war dramatically overshadows western backing for the opposition.\n\nIn dozens of interviews with the Financial Times conducted in recent weeks, rebel leaders both abroad and within Syria as well as regional and western officials detailed Qatar's role in the Syrian conflict, a source of mounting controversy.\n\nThe small state with a gargantuan appetite is the biggest donor to the political opposition, providing generous refugee packages to defectors (one estimate puts it at $50,000 a year for a defector and his family) and has provided vast amounts of humanitarian support.\n\n7\n\nAccording to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks arms transfers, Qatar has sent the most weapons deliveries to Syria, with more than 70 military cargo flights into neighbouring Turkey between April 2012 and March this year.\n\n9\n\nQatar's support for Islamist groups in the Arab world, which puts it at odds with its peers in the Gulf states, has fuelled rivalry with Saudi Arabia. Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar's ruling emir, \"wants to be the Arab world's Islamist (Gamal) Abdelnasser\", said an Arab politician, referring to Egypt's fiery late president and devoted pan-Arab leader.\n\n15\n\nA supply route across Jordan's border to southern Syria has opened up in recent months. The Jordanian government, which is terrified of jihadis getting the upper hand in its neighbour, has been reluctantly allowing Saudi deliveries.\n\nThe west's reluctance to intervene more forcefully in Syria has all but left Bashar al-Assad's opponents reliant for support on Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey though since late last year, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have joined the rebels' backers as junior partners.\n\n http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/86e3f28e-be3a-11e2-bb35-00144feab7de.html#axzz4FN2QV1yJ\n\n\" **The Islamic State\", 2016**\n\n12\n\nSyria's 2011 uprising gave the Islamic State new opportunities to expand. Some analysts have even described a tacit nonaggression pact between Islamic State militants and President Bashar al-Assad's regime, with each focused on fighting the main antigovernment opposition forces for territorial control. As extremists came to dominate territory in Syria's north and east and overran more moderate forces, Assad claimed it validated his argument that only his government could mount an effective opposition to \"terrorists\"\u2014a term he has applied to opposition forces of all stripes.\n\n14 , 15 , 16 , 17\n\nAfter rapid expansion through Iraq in much of 2014, the Islamic State seemed to run up against its limits as it pushed up against majority Kurdish and Shia Arab regions, where it faced greater resistance from Iraqi forces and local populations, along with U.S.-led air strikes. Its militants have failed to advance on Baghdad or the Kurdish capital, Erbil.\n\nThe group became an al-Qaeda franchise by 2004, but has since broken with bin Laden's organization and become its rival. The split reflects strategic and ideological differences. Al-Qaeda focused on attacking the United States and its Western allies, whom it held responsible for bolstering Arab regimes it considered apostate, like those in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, rather than capturing territory and establishing a state. Bin Laden also envisaged the establishment of a caliphate\u2014but for him, it was a goal for future generations.\n\nIn 2005, bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri castigated AQI's Zarqawi for indiscriminately attacking civilians, particularly Shias. Zawahiri believed that such violence would alienate Sunnis from their project. That was indeed the case, as many Sunnis allied with the government during the Awakening movement.\n\nA more thorough rupture came after the start of Syria's uprising. Zawahiri, who succeeded bin Laden as al-Qaeda's chief, privately ruled that the emergent Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, remain independent, and Baghdadi's organization restricted to Iraq, a move Baghdadi publicly rebuffed. Since then, the two groups have at times fought one another on the Syrian battlefield\n\n27 , 28 , 29\n\nU.S. President Barack Obama's administration has assembled a coalition of some sixty countries to \"degrade and ultimately defeat\" the Islamic State, but has privately expressed frustration that many of these countries, particularly Sunni Arab states distracted by a Saudi-led conflict against Houthi rebels in Yemen, have contributed little more than rhetorical support. As of late February 2016, the coalition has carried out more than ten thousand air strikes, three-quarters of them by U.S. forces, in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said..\n\nIn Iraq, the United States has deployed more than three thousand uniformed personnel and armed the Kurdistan Regional Government's paramilitary, the peshmerga. Meanwhile, Shia militias known as Popular Mobilization Forces have done much of the fighting on the ground, making up for the hollowed-out Iraqi army. Those backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps played a critical role in Iraq's March 2015 push to oust Islamic State forces from Tikrit. Another militia involved in the fight against the Islamic State is loyal to the nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army battled U.S.-led forces early in the occupation.\n\nThe Obama administration insisted that Maliki step down and be replaced by a less polarizing politician as a condition of military assistance. His successor, Haider al-Abadi, assumed office in September 2014, pledging to practice more inclusive politics and bring Shia militias aligned with Iraqi security forces under the state's control. But rights groups allege that these militias have evicted, disappeared, and killed residents of Sunni and mixed neighborhoods in the wake of operations to root out Islamic State militants. Acknowledging these abuses, Sadr temporarily froze his militia.\n\n<http://www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811>\n\n\" **Four-fifths of Russia's Syria strikes don't target Islamic State: Reuters analysis\", 2015**\n\n1, 2\n\nAlmost 80 percent of Russia's declared targets in Syria have been in areas not held by Islamic State, a Reuters analysis of Russian Defence Ministry data shows, undermining Moscow's assertions that its aim is to defeat the group.\n\nThe majority of strikes, according to the analysis, have instead been in areas held by other groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which include al Qaeda offshoots but also fighters backed by Washington and its allies.\n\n5, 6\n\n\"If you look at the map, you can easily understand that they are not fighting Islamic State but other opposition groups,\" said Alexander Golts, a Moscow-based defense columnist and deputy editor of online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal.\n\nThe data supports assertions from Washington and its NATO allies that Russia's intervention in Syria, its biggest military deployment abroad since the collapse of the Soviet Union, is designed to prop up Assad, who flew to Moscow on Tuesday to thank Putin for his support.\n\n8, 9, 10, 11\n\nRussian officials have rejected the accusations and repeatedly stressed that they are targeting Islamic State, alongside other groups they classify as Islamist terrorists. They say Moscow and the West are fighting a common enemy.\n\nHowever, the pattern of the strikes in Syria suggests a different picture.\n\nRussia's air force has flown over 780 sorties against almost 800 targets in Syria since Sept. 30. As recently as Monday, its jets hit targets in six named locations, none of which were in areas held by Islamic State, the Reuters analysis showed.\n\n\"The main goal of these air strikes is supporting ground offensives by the Syrian army,\" Golts said.\n\n http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-strikes-idUSKCN0SF24L20151021\n\n\" **More than 90%' of Russian airstrikes in Syria have not targeted Isis, US says\"**\n\n1, 2\n\nA large majority of Russia's military strikes in Syria have not been aimed at the Islamic State group or jihadists tied to al-Qaida, and have instead targeted the moderate Syrian opposition, the US State Department said on Wednesday.\n\n\"Greater than 90% of the strikes that we've seen them take to date have not been against Isil or al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists,\" said spokesman John Kirby.\n\n https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/russia-airstrikes-syria-not-targetting-isis\n\n\" **Putin's Target Is Not Islamic State\", 2015**\n\n1, 2 , 3\n\nAnybody who hoped Russian President Vladimir Putin would have the key to defeating Islamic State or bringing peace to Syria just got their answer: The first airstrikes in Russia's air campaign in that benighted country didn't target the terrorist group at all.\n\nInstead, Putin followed President Bashar al-Assad's playbook. The Syrian leader's forces have rarely taken on Islamic State unless forced to do so. Indeed, Assad has seen the fanatical Islamist force as a useful ally in persuading the international community that Syria's war consists of a choice between him and barbarians, with nothing in between. As Putin put it in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly this week, Assad is \"valiantly fighting terrorism face-to-face.\"\n\nNo, he is not. To create the binary choice Assad seeks, and to eliminate any opposition that the U.S. and Europe might consider acceptable, Syria's president has directed his fire power against rebel groups other than Islamic State, making him an ally of opportunity for the terrorist organization. By contrast, the groups that Assad attacks, and which Russia struck on Wednesday, do routinely fight Islamic State.\n\n https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2015-09-30/putin-s-goal-in-syria-helping-assad-not-stopping-islamic-state\n\n\" **Putin not likely to target Islamic State soon, says Obama\", 2015**\n\n1\n\nUS president Barack Obama told a press conference in Paris that he does not expect his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to begin targeting Islamic State (ISIS) soon, but hopes the Vienna negotiations led by secretary of state John Kerry and the Russian foreign minister Serguei Lavrov will transform the war in Syria.\n\n7\n\nRussia has \"invested for years now in keeping Assad in power. Their presence (in Syria) is predicated on propping him up,\" Mr Obama said. \"I don't think we should be under any illusions that somehow Russia starts hitting only ISIL targets. That's not happening now. It was never happening. It's not going to be happening in the next several weeks.\"\n\n http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/us/putin-not-likely-to-target-islamic-state-soon-says-obama-1.2450687\n\n\" **Russia Launches Airstrikes Against Islamic State's Syrian Stronghold\", 2015**\n\n1 , 2 , 3\n\nU.S. defense officials said Tuesday that Russia had begun an aggressive air campaign against sites in Raqqa, the Islamic State's stronghold in Syria, following Moscow's acknowledgment of evidence confirming a bomb downed a Russian airliner over Egypt last month.\n\nThe Russians used sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers to target Islamic State in Raqqa, according to a senior defense official.\n\nThe airstrikes represent the first significant effort by Russia to target Islamic State after announcing over the summer that it would fight the extremist group when it entered the fray in Syria.\n\n http://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-has-begun-airstrikes-against-islamic-states-syrian-stronghold-u-s-says-1447767698\n\n\" **Assad reportedly struck an ominous deal with ISIS to recapture Palmyra\",2016**\n\n1, 2, 3, 4 , 5 , 6\n\nForces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad flash victory signs and carry a Syrian national flag on the edge of the historic city of Palmyra in Homs.\n\nNew documents obtained by Sky News revealed that the Syrian government's recapture of the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State militants was apparently part of a pre-arranged deal that allowed ISIS to remove its heavy weaponry from the city before withdrawing.\n\nSky News reported that the documents came from a Free Syrian Army group comprised of ISIS defectors originally from Raqqa, ISIS' de facto capital in Syria.\n\n\"Withdraw all heavy artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns from in and around Palmyra to Raqqa province,\" read one document that was dated just before the Syrian Arab Army recaptured Palmyra at the end of March.\n\nStuart Ramsay, Sky News' chief correspondent, said he asked one of the defectors if ISIS was coordinating its movements directly with forces loyal to Assad \u2014 and even with Russia, which backed the assault on Palmyra with heavy airstrikes.\n\n\"Of course,\" the ISIS defector told Ramsay.\n\n8, 9, 10\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reported last month on files uncovered during a raid on the home of Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic State \"oil minister\" who was killed by US Special Forces at his compound in Syria's Deir Ezzour province last May. The files revealed deals the Assad regime supposedly made with Sayyaf that, at one point, contributed up to 72% of ISIS' profits from natural resources.\n\nAbu Sayyaf's division had successfully negotiated agreements with the Assad regime to allow Islamic State trucks and pipelines to move from regime-controlled fields through territory controlled by the group, which is also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh. The division helped the jihadists bring in roughly $40 million a month in oil sales alone, according to documents seen by The Journal.\n\nThe natural-gas fields surrounding Palmyra were a particularly important source of revenue for the jihadists. They turned the gas into fuel which they then sold to Assad,according to Matthew Reed, the vice president of Foreign Reports Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm focused on oil and politics in the Middle East.\n\n http://finance.yahoo.com/news/assad-regime-reportedly-struck-ominous-191347084.html\n\n\" **U.S. finds Russia focusing fight on Syrian rebels, not Islamic State**\n\nTop of Form\", 2016\n\n1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6\n\nRussian forces are not attacking the Islamic State in Syria unless its terrorist army is battling troops of President Bashar Assad, the U.S. military said Wednesday.\n\nThe assessment from Operation Inherent Resolve directly contradicts claims by the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has repeatedly claimed its warplanes are unleashing strikes on the Islamic State, including its headquarters in Raqqa in central Syria, along with strikes on anti-Assad rebel groups backed by the West.\n\nArmy Col. Seven Warren, the top U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said 90 percent of Russian airstrikes are directed at rebel groups opposed to Mr. Assad, a longtime Russian ally. The Assad regime has been charged with indiscriminately killing civilians with chemical weapons and, more recently, with unguided \"barrel bombs.\"\n\nCol. Warren said the few strikes against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS, occur when Russia needs to protect Mr. Assad.\n\nUnder criticism for its selective targeting practices, the Russians a month ago released a video of what it said was an airstrike on an Islamic State oil truck. But Col. Warren said there have been few if any such sorties since then.\n\n\"Ten percent, I think at the most, would be against ISIL targets,\" he said.\n\n http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/3/putins-forces-refuse-attack-islamic-state-syria/\n\n\" **Turk Compares U.S. to Hitler\", 2004**\n\n1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6\n\nThe head of Turkey's parliamentary human rights group has accused Washington of genocide in Iraq and behaving worse than Adolf Hitler, in remarks that underscore the depth of Turkish opposition to U.S. policy in the region.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy rejected the comments and said they were potentially damaging to Turkish-U.S. relations.\n\n\"The occupation has turned into barbarism,\" the Friday edition of newspaper Yeni Safak quoted Mehmet Elkatmis, head of parliament's human rights commission, as saying. \"The U.S. administration is committing genocide ... in Iraq.\n\n\"Never in human history have such genocide and cruelty been witnessed. Such a genocide was never seen in the time of the pharaohs nor of Hitler nor of [Benito] Mussolini,\" Italy's World War II-era fascist leader, Elkatmis said.\n\n\"This occupation has entirely imperialist aims,\" he was quoted as saying.\n\nElkatmis does not speak for Turkey's government but is a prominent member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, a center-right group with Islamist roots.\n\nForeign Minister Abdullah Gul played down Elkatmis' comments but defended Turks' right to speak freely.\n\n<http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/27/world/fg-turkey27>\n\n\" **Turkey after the Iraq War:Still a U.S. Ally?\", 2003**\n\n1\n\nA year ago, it would have been difficult to question Turkey's status as a staunch U.S. ally. Much has changed. The Iraq war was the biggest test for the U.S.-Turkey relationship since the end of the Cold War. It followed the election of a new Turkish government in November 2002, led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a party rooted in Turkey's Islamist Welfare Party. When the AKP came to power there were many questions about whether the victory marked a fundamental shift in Turkish politics. Today Turkey's political structure is changing. Significant new reforms have been implemented. Turkish citizens have gained a significant increase in rights and liberties, and the military's role in Turkish society has been reconfigured.\n\n3, 4 , 5\n\nWhen I look at the factors underlying Turkey's unwillingness to open up a northern front in March 2003, I come to a pessimistic conclusion, because some of those factors still loom large. There has first of all been a move to align Turkish foreign policy with that of the European Union (EU), including Turkey's Iraq policy. That would mean there must be UN authorization before Turkey can send any peacekeepers.\n\nFrom Ankara's perspective, another of Turkey's concerns -- that Iraq remain united -- was not adequately addressed before the war, and that partly undermined Turkey's ability to commit itself fully in prewar planning. The Kurdish issue remains a factor but with a new twist: the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). We have not heard much about the PKK for the last three years. It declared a ceasefire in 1999 after its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured. With the ceasefire, Turkey entered a period of peace and quiet, and the PKK fell off the radar screen. Now it is back, with the September 2003 renunciation of its ceasefire. There has been a limited amount of PKK-led violence and terrorism since, though not on the previous scale. Still, now that the organization has renounced its ceasefire, it is a concern in the Turkish mind.\n\nThe PKK figures in the debate over Iraq because the organization's main base is in the northern part of that country, along the Turkish border. Northern Iraq has had weak central authority since the end of the 1991 Gulf War. The PKK uses its bases there to launch attacks into Turkey. When the organization was under ceasefire, its 4,000 to 5,000 militants in northern Iraq did not attract much attention. But now that the ceasefire has been renounced, many in Ankara believe that the PKK is Turkey's most pressing security concern.\n\n23\n\nThese sentiments reached a peak when U.S. forces, with the help of Kurdish peshmerga fighters, captured Turkey's special forces in Sulaymaniya on July 4, 2003, and covered their heads with hoods -- the kind of treatment usually reserved for members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. It was ironic that NATO Supreme Commander Gen. James Jones, who was sent to resolve this unfortunate predicament, used the occasion to make a sounding as to whether Turkey could contribute forces in Iraq.\n\n http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/turkey-after-the-iraq-war-still-a-u.s.-ally\n\n\" **Why we shouldn't let Russia fight the Islamic State\", 2015**\n\n1, 2\n\nDonald Trump says: \"Let [Russia] get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?\" It is a fair question. What harm could come from letting Russian President Vladi\u00acmir Putin take on this fight for us in Syria?\n\nThe answer is: plenty.\n\nFirst, Russia is not fighting the Islamic State. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Russian strikes have been mainly in areas controlled by other Sunni groups that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sees as a threat, including rebel groups trained by and aligned with the United States. That is because Russia's strategic goal is not to destroy the Islamic State, but to prop up the Iran-backed Assad regime \u2014 and to force the West to back him as well. By destroying the moderate opposition, the world will be left with a choice between Assad and the Islamic State. President Obama does not seem to understand this. Last week, he naively declared that Russia should not be targeting the U.S.-backed rebels because we need a moderate opposition to have a transition from Assad's rule. That is precisely why Putin is targeting them.\n\nSecond, Russia's intervention will actually strengthen the Islamic State. By eliminating moderate opposition, Russia is driving all Sunni groups into the arms of the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-backed Jabhat al-Nusra \u2014 making them the only game in town for the majority of the population opposed to Assad, even if they do not share the terrorists' radical ideology. This will radicalize the conflict and make Syria into an even greater magnet for jihadists. That helps Assad, who needs the Islamic State threat to justify his regime's continued existence as a bulwark against them.\n\n https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-we-shouldnt-let-russia-fight-the-islamic-state/2015/10/05/ad77beda-6b6c-11e5-aa5b-f78a98956699_story.html\n\n\" **Why is Jabhat al-Nusra no longer useful to Turkey?\", 2014**\n\n1\n\nReluctantly perhaps, given the time it took it to do so, Turkey on June 3 finally designated al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra a terrorist organization. The decision was seen as further proof of Turkey's failed Syria policy, which has left the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan little choice but to fall in line with the United States with regard to radical groups fighting in that country.\n\n5, 6 , 7, 8\n\nIt is no secret among diplomats in Ankara that this group was initially considered by Erdogan and Foreign Minster Ahmet Davutoglu as the most effective force against the Assad regime that they wanted to see toppled.\n\nAnkara was reportedly annoyed when the United States declared the group a terrorist organization in December 2012, arguing that this was a \"hasty\" decision, given the headway the group was making against the Syrian army.\n\nThere was also speculation that Ankara was using Jabhat al-Nusra against Kurdish groups in Syria aligned with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), to prevent them from controlling regions adjoining the Turkish border abandoned by Assad's forces.\n\nJabhat al-Nusra's self-declared jihadist ambitions and the brutal tactics it employed against its enemies, however, moved the UN to also blacklist it in May 2013, increasing pressure on Ankara to distance itself from the group.\n\n11 to 23\n\nResponding to a parliamentary question by a deputy from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in August 2013, Davutoglu was more direct. He referred to Jabhat al-Nusra as a group that supported extremism and which is on the US' and the UN's list of terrorist organizations.\n\nDespite such indirect acknowledgements of Jabhat al-Nusra's status as a terrorist group, it took nine months for Ankara to finally designate it as a terrorist organization by a government decree published in the Official Gazette.\n\nThe question arises as to why the Erdogan government decided to blacklist Jabhat al-Nusra now, after having resisted doing so for so long. The simple answer seems to be that its Syria policy is in tatters, after all the horses it bet on lost one by one.\n\nSyrian President Bashar al-Assad has proved to have staying power, and his latest election gambit shows that he will remain in place for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, it has become apparent that there will be no direct Western-led military intervention against the Syrian regime, which continues to get major backing from Russia and Iran.\n\nThe Erdogan government has no choice at this point but to also accept that as far as the United States and Europe are concerned, the emphasis in Syria has shifted from toppling Assad to combating the al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist groups in that country.\n\nLooked at in retrospect, these groups have posed the most important obstacle to Ankara's policy of pushing for international military action against Assad. They have also prevented the Syrian opposition from being armed with the necessary weapons to fight the Syrian army.\n\nThe United States and some Western countries, like France, were not averse at first to arming the Syrian opposition with sophisticated weapons. These countries even appeared willing to start a bombing campaign against Assad's forces after chemical weapons were used in that country.\n\nThey pulled back, however, not only because it could not be established conclusively who used the chemical weapons, but also because of the fear that jihadist groups could fill the political vacuum left by the Assad regime if it were to be ousted by a military intervention.\n\nThe idea of providing the Syrian opposition with heavy and sophisticated weapons was also overridden by fears that these could fall into the hands of radicals and be turned against the West in the future.\n\nPut in a nutshell, the groups that the Erdogan government may have once seen as providing an advantage against Assad turned out in the end to be serious liabilities for Turkey's ill-fated, and in hindsight ill-considered, Syrian policy. This liability increased after Syria-related terrorist attacks started to take place in Turkey.\n\nThe main attack of this sort, which concentrated Turkish minds and turned the public even more against the government's Syria policy, was the Reyhanli twin car bombing on May 11, 2013, which left at least 50 dead. Although the government was quick to blame Assad loyalists, the opposition in Turkey still insists that it was jihadist groups that carried out the attack.\n\nMeanwhile, the so-called \"Sunni Axis\" against Syria, comprising Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, fell apart without having influenced the course of events against Assad. Today, members of this \"axis\" not only bear grudges against each other, but are also deeply suspicious of each other's intentions, for a variety of reasons.\n\nThis has limited Ankara's options further, and forced it not only to coordinate its Syria policy more closely with Washington, but to also remain open to fresh regional overtures from Iran, which appears the winner today, given developments in Syria and the crumbling of the \"Sunni Axis.\"\n\n http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/idiz-turkey-syria-opposition-nusra-terrorist-unsc-erdogan.html\n\n\" **Obama: I don't expect Putin to do a '180' to help fight Islamic State\", 2015**\n\n1, 2\n\nPresident Obama expressed fresh doubts Tuesday about Russia's willingness to turn away from a military campaign in Syria focused on \"propping up\" President Bashar Assad and instead joining efforts to battle Islamic State, saying that he doesn't expect a \"180 turn\" in the near future.\n\n\"I don't think we should be under any illusions that somehow Russia starts hitting only ISIL targets,\" Obama said, using his administration's preferred term for Islamic State. \"That's not happening now. It was never happening. It's not going to be happening in the next several weeks.\"\n\n http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-obama-russia-turkey-isis-20151201-story.html\n\n\" **Syria's al-Nusra 'more dangerous' than ISIS\", 2016**\n\n1 , 2, 3 , 4\n\nAl Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, is a greater threat to the United States in the long term than is ISIS, making the United States' current single-minded focus on the latter group misguided, a new report is charging.\n\nAl-Nusra is \"much more dangerous to the U.S. than the ISIS model in the long run,\" according to the authors of a report labeling both groups \"existential\" threats. The report was released last week by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute.\n\nThe report criticizes the administration's ISIS-centric strategy, saying, \"Any strategy that leaves Jabhat al-Nusra in place will fail to secure the American homeland.\"\n\nHowever, the chief of staff of the U.S. Army, Gen. Mark Milley, in a speech Wednesday said that only Russia constituted a potential \"existential\" threat due to its possession of a large nuclear arsenal capable of striking the U.S.\n\n7, 8, 9\n\nThough for now al-Nusra hasn't undertaken attacks in the West like ISIS has, Kagan said it's just as potent.\n\n\"While ISIS is flashier ... both represent an existential threat, both wish to attack the homeland, both seek the mobilization of Muslim communities against the West,\" she said.\n\nIn fact, Kagan warned that al Qaeda's Syrian branch represented a longer-term and more intractable threat than ISIS and that targeting al-Nusra would be more difficult than targeting the other group, both of which take advantage of the chaos of the Syrian civil war to expand their reach.\n\n12\n\nAl-Nusra, like ISIS, won't be participating in the talks, but the report argues that al-Nusra is \"a spoiler that will almost certainly cause the current strategy in Syria to fail.\"\n\n14, 15, 16\n\nAl-Nusra emerged in late 2011 during the early days of the Syrian civil war and was initially largely made up of battle-hardened Syrians who had traveled to Iraq to fight U.S. troops during the American engagement there.\n\nIt has emerged as one of the most effective groups fighting the Syrian regime and currently controls swaths of northwestern Syria. The group holds \"coercive power\" over several opposition groups, serving as a sort of \"kingmaker,\" Heras said.\n\nAl-Nusra does \"not have the same capacity as ISIS, but its greatest usefulness is as a base of operations\" to other elements of al Qaeda that may seek to strike Western targets,\" Heras said.\n\n19, 20\n\nKagan said she believes al-Nusra has made a tactical decision not to attack the West for the time being.\n\n\"Right now, al-Nusra has decided not to overtly host attack cells because the al Qaeda leadership's priority is preserving success in Syria and avoiding being targeted by the U.S.,\" she said.\n\n http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/25/politics/al-qaeda-al-nusra-isis-threat-experts/\n\n\" **What's the difference between ISIS, al-Nusra and the Khorasan Group?\", 2014**\n\n27, 28\n\nLike ISIS, al-Nusra Front is trying to establish an Islamic state -- though primarily in Syria.\n\nIt's been a formidable force against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. But even though it has helped the Syrian opposition by taking out regime fighters, it has also hurt the moderate opposition by making world leaders hesitant to help rebels.\n\n http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/24/world/meast/isis-al-nusra-khorasan-difference/\n\n\" **Erdo\u011fan to EU: Al-Nusra also fighting ISIS, why are you calling it terrorist?\", 2016**\n\n1\u03b7\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan criticized the European Union (EU) for not designating the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as \"terrorist,\" and said \"So al-Nusra [Front] is also fighting Daesh [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)], then why do you call it a terrorist organization?\"\n\n https://www.turkishminute.com/2016/06/22/erdogan-al-nusra-also-fighting-isis-call-terrorist/\n\n\" **Behind the Syrian War, Al-Qaeda and ISIS Fight for Control of Jihadi Movement\", 2016**\n\n2 , 3 , 4\n\nThe Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) started as a more extreme offshoot of al-Qaeda, but al-Qaeda's central command officially announced in March 2014 that ISIS has no relationship with the leadership of al-Qaeda. The two groups also began fighting around that time, with conflicts taking place both on the ground and ideologically.\n\nIn their fight for legitimacy over the jihadi movement, the groups will continue to fight each other, fight for control of Iraq and Syria\u2014and experts warn that these rival extremists could soon turn their attention to launching attacks on the West in attempts to display their capabilities.\n\nThe two men behind this fight are Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS; and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, and according to author and terrorism researcher Jere Van Dyk, while ISIS is putting on an aggressive show, al-Qaeda still commands more influence.\n\n6, 7 , 8\n\nVan Dyk recently finished researching his upcoming books on the links of al-Qaeda and its affiliates throughout the Middle East and South Asia. While traveling through the region, he found \"al-Qaeda has a lot of influence in the rural areas and among the very poor,\" and \"among the deeply religious elements.\"\n\nThe perceptions of ISIS were much different, however. He said ISIS is seen as a \"flash in the pan.\" They view its leader as just a remnant of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard\u2014and when compared to al-Zawahiri, they see al-Baghdadi as having \"no intellectual standing\" and no moral authority.\n\nThis view is part of the reason why ISIS is having trouble spreading beyond the conflict zones in Iraq and Syria. Outside of that, it has only managed to find some influence in the destabilized environment in Libya, and in Afghanistan where it was able to lure some former members of the Taliban with money.\n\nElsewhere, the situation is much different. Whether it's the jihadi networks in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, or even Sudan\u2014ISIS has had little luck shaking the foundations laid by al-Qaeda.\n\n12\n\nAl-Qaeda, on the other hand, brings in less cash, but its black market income is more stable. With al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, alone, Van Dyk said he was told by a high-level source in Yemen that the extremists had $35 million at their disposal, which they had gained mainly through kidnappings in North Africa.\n\n18\n\nAl-Qaeda also has a much different approach than ISIS. He said that while ISIS uses harsh violence for social control\u2014something that has damaged its influence among many local populations\u2014the approach al-Qaeda uses \"is more about working by, with, and through local populations.\"\n\n31\n\nIf Assad falls and free elections are held in Syria, Kan said, the Al-Nusra Front will likely be \"elevated to the political class.\" Since they actively fought against Assad, they will likely not be seen as \"bad guys\" in the broad society, and instead will be seen as \"patriots and heroes.\"\n\n http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2018524-behind-the-syrian-war-al-qaeda-and-isis-fight-for-control-of-jihadi-movement/\n\n\" **Qatar Is a U.S. Ally. They Also Knowingly Abet Terrorism. What's Going On?\", 2014**\n\n1\n\nIn a televised interview on September 25, CNN's Christiane Amanpour confronted the emir of Qatar about allegations that his country is not a true ally of the United States. Doha hosts America's largest military base in the Middle East, and at the same time allows private fundraising for American adversaries Al Qaeda and ISIS. Qatar has also been a big source of funding in recent years for U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas, a spinoff of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The 34-four-year-old emir replied to Amanpour: \"I'm not in a camp against another camp.... I have my own way of thinking.\"\n\n4 , 5 , 6, 7\n\nThe second objective has been to preserve the security of the ruling family and state. Qatar juts out into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia, its much larger, more powerful, and sometimes hostile neighbor, with whom it shares its only land border. Iran, with whom Doha shares the world's largest gas field, is a short distance across Gulf waters. Another large and challenging state in the neighborhood, Iraq, is across the Gulf to the north. Hosting a major U.S. military base since 2003 has provided existential security for Qatar. Courting Islamists from the Muslim Brotherhood to Salafi groups has served as a power amplifier for the country, especially vis-\u00e0-vis Saudi Arabia.\n\nQatar supported Muslim Brotherhood organizations in countries across the region during the Arab uprisings in 2011, believing they represented the wave of the future. From Qatar's perspective, being at the front end of this trend would showcase the country's supposedly progressive leadership.\n\nBacking the Brotherhood represented a continuation of a strategy that was already in place. Doha had hosted Egyptian and, later, Syrian Brotherhood members for decades, including the maverick Egyptian cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi who has lived in Qatar since the 1960s. Qatar had also provided Brotherhood personalities an important means for disseminating their views via the state-funded media channel, Al Jazeera, since the mid-1990s.\n\nQatar's relationship with the Brotherhood has functioned as an important bulwark against Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has viewed the Brotherhood as a significant domestic irritant since the 1990s, and designated it as a terrorist group in March of this year. Qatar's patronage of and influence over some parts of the group have served as a stick to wield against its more powerful neighbor.\n\n11\n\nQatar is believed to have directly supported some of the most radical groups fighting in the Syrian war through much of 2013. This may have included Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front. Doha would have adopted this approach in order to advance its foreign policy goal of defeating the Assad regime.\n\n14, 15, 16\n\nAccording to the U.S. Treasury, a number of terrorist financiers have been operating in Qatar. Qatari citizen Abd al Rahman al Nuaymi has served as an interlocutor between Qatari donors and leaders of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI, later renamed ISIS). Nuaymi reportedly oversaw the transfer of two million dollars per month to AQI for a period of time. Nuaymi is also one of several of Qatar-based, Al Qaeda financiers sanctioned by Treasury in recent years. According to some reporting, U.S. officials believe the largest share of private donations supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda\u2013linked groups now comes from Qatar rather than Saudi Arabia.\n\nThere has been support among the royal family for radical Islamist groups, including ISIS's predecessor network and Al Qaeda. According to The New York Times, one royal family member, Abdul Karim al Thani, operated a safe house for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who eventually established and led AQI, when he was traveling between Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s. Abdul Karim also provided Qatari passports and more than one million dollars to finance Zarqawi's network. Another royal family member, Shaykh Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani, who held top ministerial posts over a period of two decades through mid-2013, sheltered on his farm other al-Qaeda members including Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, and welcomed Osama bin Laden there twice, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Khalid Shaykh Mohammad eventually became the mastermind behind September 11.\n\nThere has been support among the royal family for radical Islamist groups, including ISIS's predecessor network and Al Qaeda. According to The New York Times, one royal family member, Abdul Karim al Thani, operated a safe house for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who eventually established and led AQI, when he was traveling between Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s. Abdul Karim also provided Qatari passports and more than one million dollars to finance Zarqawi's network. Another royal family member, Shaykh Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani, who held top ministerial posts over a period of two decades through mid-2013, sheltered on his farm other al-Qaeda members including Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, and welcomed Osama bin Laden there twice, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Khalid Shaykh Mohammad eventually became the mastermind behind September 11.\n\n https://newrepublic.com/article/119705/why-does-qatar-support-known-terrorists\n\n\" **Intelligence Break Led U.S. to Tie Envoy Killing to Iraqi Qaeda Cell\", 2003**\n\n11 to 18\n\nMr. Powell said that after Mr. Zarqawi fought against the Soviets, he returned to Afghanistan at the peak of Mr. bin Laden's influence in 2000 and ran a training camp. His leg injury during the allied military campaign in 2001 may have been serious enough for amputation by the time he reached Baghdad.\n\nAn expert in poisons and chemical weapons, Mr. Zarqawi is believed to have been providing training to the extremist group Ansar al-Islam. The group is based in northeastern Iraq in territory that is neither under the control of the Baghdad regime nor the main Kurdish groups that have divided up most of northern Iraq.\n\nSoon after Mr. Zarqawi arrived, Mr. Powell said, \"nearly two dozen extremists converged on Baghdad and established a base of operations there.\"\n\nHe continued, \"These Al Qaeda affiliates, based in Baghdad, now coordinate the movement of people, money and supplies into and throughout Iraq for his network, and they are now operating freely in the capital for more than eight months.\"\n\nCoalition officials said that no group could operate in this manner without deep engagement with Iraq's ubiquitous intelligence services.\n\nMr. Powell withheld some critical details today, like the discovery by the intelligence agencies that a member of the royal family in Qatar, an important ally providing air bases and a command headquarters for the American military, operated a safe house for Mr. Zarqawi when he transited the country going in and out of Afghanistan.\n\nThe Qatari royal family member was Abdul Karim al-Thani, the coalition official said. The official added that Mr. al-Thani provided Qatari passports and more than $1 million in a special bank account to finance the network.\n\nMr. al-Thani, who has no government position, is, according to officials in the gulf, a deeply religious member of the royal family who has provided charitable support for militant causes for years and has denied knowing that his contributions went toward terrorist operations.\n\nPrivate support from prominent Qataris to Al Qaeda is a sensitive issue that is said to infuriate George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence. After the Sept. 11 attacks, another senior Qaeda operative, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who may have been the principal planner of the assault on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, was said by Saudi intelligence officials to have spent two weeks in late 2001 hiding in Qatar, with the help of prominent patrons, after he escaped from Kuwait.\n\nBut with Qatar providing the United States military with its most significant air operations center for action against Iraq, the Pentagon has cautioned against a strong diplomatic response from Washington, American and coalition officials say.\n\n http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/06/international/middleeast/06QAED.html\n\n\" **Qatar and Terror\", 2014**\n\n7\n\nQatar is one of the world's smallest states with a miniscule population. A Saudi prince once said that it is made up of \"300 people and a TV Channel\" (referring to Al Jazeera, based in the capital, Doha). Qatar has only 278,000 citizens and 1.5 million expatriates who make up 94% of the workforce. Qatar, the world's wealthiest country per capita, also has an unsavory reputation for the mistreatment and effective slavery of much of its workforce.\n\n10\n\nIn other spheres, Qatar is the single largest donor to the Brookings Institution, a major U.S. think tank. Payments included $14.8 million after the former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, blamed Israel for the failure of the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks; and it has given money to many universities in the U.S. and Europe.[3] Qatar also hosts eight international university campuses near Doha (Virginia Commonwealth, Weill Cornell, Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, HEC Paris, University College London, Calgary), and finances the RAND Policy Trust. It owns expensive properties in London, the Barcelona Football Club, and dabbles in other areas worldwide.\n\n14\n\nNowhere is this tendency clearer than in Qatar's support for international networks of terrorist organizations. While U.S. planes bomb outposts of ISIS from their Qatar airbase, Qatar is reputed to be sending money to ISIS, Hamas, Libyan jihadists, and others. Of course, the Qataris deny this. Standing beside German Chancellor Angela Merkel on September 27, Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani declared that, \"What is happening in Iraq and Syria is extremism and such organizations are partly financed from abroad, but Qatar has never supported and will never support terrorist organizations\".\n\n16, 17, 18\n\nThe fundamentalist anti-Semitic Islamic preacher, Shaykh Yusuf 'Abd Allah al-Qaradawi, regarded by many as the leading scholar of the Muslim Brotherhood, has been living in Qatar on and off since the 1960s, while preaching a fundamentalist and often pro-terrorist message there through his website, Islam Online, and his Shari'a and Life television show on Al Jazeera. The Qatari government has never sought to rein him in.\n\nQatar's major international charity, the Qatar Charitable Society (now simply Qatar Charity) has acted as a financier and agency for terrorist outfits in several countries. It has funded al-Qaeda in Chechnya, Mali and elsewhere, was a key player in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and funded Syria's Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade. Qatar has also financed terrorists in northern Mali operations, including Ansar Dine, alleged to be linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb [North Africa]; and it retains contacts with (and no doubt still funds) al-Qaeda.\n\nAccording to David Blair and Richard Spencer, writing for London's Daily Telegraph, four branches of the Qatari government handle relations with armed groups in Syria and Libya. These are the Foreign and Defense Ministries, the Intelligence Agency, and the personal office [al-Diwan al-Amiri], of the Emir, who, as we have seen, flatly denies financing terrorism. The Amiri Diwan, as in Kuwait, appears in the lists of government ministries and offices.[5] Of course, Qatar does nothing directly. It prefers to use middlemen and to permit private individuals to do the work for it. Large sums are passed to middlemen in Turkey (itself no stranger to support for terrorism), and this money is used for the purchase of weapons from other countries (notably Croatia). The weapons are then transferred to rebel groups in Syria. It has also been claimed that money owed to British companies operating in Qatar has been siphoned off to Islamic State. This may require some ingenious application of the dark arts of bookkeeping, but it does provide another means of evading condemnation of the state.\n\n21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26\n\nPrivate fundraisers who coordinate donations from individual or corporate donors in Qatar are never detained or subjected to restrictions in Qatar, a privilege that means the transfer of considerable sums to al-Qaeda, Islamic State, Hamas, Jabhat al-Nusra and other Syrian Islamist groups.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury has given details of terrorist financiers operating in Qatar. The best known is 'Abd al-Rahman al-Nu'aymi, an academic and businessman who is a key link between Qatari donors and al-Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor of today's Islamic State. At one time, Nu'aymi transferred $2 million per month to the organization. He has also sent around $576,000 to Abu Khalid al-Suri, al-Qaeda's Syrian representative, and $250,000 to the Somali jihadist group, al-Shabaab.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Nu'aymi and other Qatari financiers in recent years. U.S. officials reckon that Qatar has now replaced Saudi Arabia as the source of the largest private donations to Islamic State and other al-Qaeda affiliates. The Qatari government has taken no steps to detain or punish al-Nu'aymi or anyone else, even though Islamist politics are, in theory, illegal in Qatar.\n\nBritish Prime Minister David Cameron was warned by many people, before his meeting with the Emir of Qatar, that he had to tackle the issue of Qatar's funding of terrorism. The two men met on October 29. Here is part of the official government news briefing on the meeting:\n\nOn international affairs, they discussed the role both countries are playing in the coalition to tackle ISIL, and the importance of all countries working to tackle extremism and support to terrorist organisations. The Prime Minister welcomed the recent legislation passed in Qatar to prevent terrorist funding and looked forward to the swift implementation of these new measures. They also agreed that both countries should do more to share information on groups of concern.\n\nNeed one add that among the matters discussed by these world leaders was Qatar's recent \u00a320 billion investment in the U.K., and Cameron's offer of British expertise in construction to assist the Emirate in building the 2022 World Cup events? Money talks, and in supine Western countries just coming out of a major recession, it talks very loudly. Al-Thani walked away from his meeting with Cameron covered in glory for his country's supposed work to defeat Islamist terrorism worldwide.\n\n<https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4898/qatar-terrorism>\n\n\" **Islamist uprising in Syria\"**\n\n4, 5\n\nFollowing the Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 1976, a number of prominent Syrian officers and government servants, as well as \"professional men, doctors, teachers,\" were assassinated. Most of the victims were Alawis, \"which suggested that the assassins had targeted the community\" but \"no one could be sure who was behind\" the killings.[9] The Muslim Brotherhood which had disdain for the Alawites and considered them non-Muslims was most likely responsible for the terror.\n\nIt was speculated that the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq provided logistical and military support to the Brotherhood.[10]\n\n<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamist_uprising_in_Syria>\n\n\" **Haji Bakr\"**\n\n1\n\nSamir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi, better known by the nom de guerre Haji Bakr, was a senior leader of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), heading its Military Council and leading its operations in Syria, prior to his killing by Syrian rebels in January 2014.[2][4] Previously a Colonel in the Iraqi Intelligence Service, papers found after his death indicated that al-Khlifawi played a key role in devising the plans ISIL used to conquer and administer territory in Syria and Iraq.[2]\n\n<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haji_Bakr>\n\n\" **Most Turks Do Not Support Erdogan's Syria Policy\", 2013**\n\n13\n\nThe United States, as well as Britain and France \u2014 which have been keen to arm the secular opposition \u2014 also remain concerned that any sophisticated weaponry sent to Syria might fall into the hands of jihadists there and be turned against the West in the future. Much to Ankara's annoyance, its initial support for radical Islamist groups like Jabhat al-Nusra has thus, in effect, turned into a handicap for the Erdogan government, because the fear that sophisticated weapons might go to the jihadists is limiting Western support to the opposition. If Davutoglu had not been so keen in his support of these groups, and instead had concentrated on the secular and democratic elements in the opposition, he might have made more headway in convincing the West to help the opposition in a meaningful manner.\n\n17\n\nPresident Obama has, after all, to consider the opposition by the American public to getting involved militarily in Syria. NBC reported on June 17 that a \"whopping 70% of Americans\" said in a Pew Research Center poll that they opposed the United States and its allies sending arms to anti-government forces in Syria.\n\n http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/turkey-erdogan-syria-policy-qusair.html\n\n\" **Senior Western official: Links between Turkey and ISIS are now 'undeniable\", 2015**\n\n4\n\nNATO member Turkey has long been accused by experts, Kurds, and even Joe Biden of enabling ISIS by turning a blind eye to the vast smuggling networks of weapons and fighters during the ongoing Syrian war.\n\n http://www.businessinsider.com/links-between-turkey-and-isis-are-now-undeniable-2015-7\n\n\" **Assad regime cooperating with Islamic State in Syria\", 2016**\n\n http://www.timesofisrael.com/report-assad-regime-cooperating-with-islamic-state-in-syria/\n\n\" **IS Files Reveal Assad's Deals With Militants\", 2016**\n\n1\n\nIslamic State and the Assad regime in Syria have been colluding with each other in deals on the battleground, Sky News can reveal.\n\n http://news.sky.com/story/is-files-reveal-assads-deals-with-militants-10267238\n\n\" **Why Assad may be helping Islamic State's offensive\", 2015**\n\n6, 7, 8, 9\n\nThere are two main reasons. The first is the region's importance to the rebel forces. Aleppo's northern countryside is considered to be one of the largest rebel strongholds with access to Turkey, as well as the rebels' only gateway to the city of Aleppo.\n\nOn Feb. 17, the regime tried hard to isolate the northern countryside from the rest of the areas that are under rebel control to blockade the city of Aleppo by attacking the towns of Hardatneen, Retyan and al-Mallah. But, regime forces were met with stiff resistance by the rebels, who considered the battle to be a matter of life and death. As a result, 300 regime troops were killed, according to statements made to Al-Monitor by the former military commander of al-Jabha al-Shamiya (Shamiya Front), Lt. Col. Abu Bakr.\n\nIS' advance in Aleppo's northern countryside is sure to weaken the rebels there; as a result, the regime will achieve, with minimal losses, its goal of besieging the rebels in Aleppo city, as the only supply route to it is the Castello road.\n\nThe second reason for the recent strikes against rebel areas is that the Assad regime faces two main foes in Syria: IS, against which the United States is leading an international coalition, and rebels backed by a variety of regional powers, most notably Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In that context, it is only logical that the regime would prefer eliminating an enemy that receives backing, weapons and funds from regional sources, and leave the task of weakening its primary enemy, IS, to the international coalition. Consequently, the regime's presumed elimination of Syrian rebels would force the international community and the factions that back those rebels into allying themselves with Assad to finish off IS.\n\n http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/06/syria-aleppo-regime-army-assad-support-isis-marea-tlalin.html\n\n\" **Syria's Muslim Brotherhood is gaining influence over anti-Assad revolt\", 2012**\n\n1, 2, 3 \u03a0\u03b1\u03c1\u03ac\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03bf\u03c2\n\nAfter three decades of persecution that virtually eradicated its presence, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has resurrected itself to become the dominant group in the fragmented opposition movement pursuing a 14-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.\n\nExiled Brotherhood members and their supporters hold the biggest number of seats in the Syrian National Council, the main opposition umbrella group. They control its relief committee, which distributes aid and money to Syrians participating in the revolt. The Brotherhood is also moving on its own to send funding and weapons to the rebels, who continued to skirmish Saturday with Syrian troops despite a month-old U.N.-brokered cease-fire.\n\nThe revival marks an extraordinary comeback for an organization that was almost annihilated after the last revolt in Syria, which ended in the killing by government forces of as many as 25,000 people in the city of Hama in 1982. Only those who managed to flee abroad survived the purge.\n\n5\n\nBrotherhood leaders say they have been reaching out to Syria's neighbors, including Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon \u2014 as well as to U.S. and European diplomats \u2014 to reassure them that they have no intention of dominating a future Syrian political system or establishing any form of Islamist government.\n\n8, 9, 10, 11, 12 , 13 , 14\n\nOf far greater concern to the United States and other Western countries are recent indications that extremists are seeking to muscle their way into the revolt, said Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East policy. The double suicide bombing in Damascus last week, in which 55 people died in circumstances reminiscent of the worst of the violence in Iraq, bore the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda attack, deepening suspicions that militants have been relocating from Iraq to Syria.\n\nOn Saturday, a group calling itself the al-Nusra Front asserted responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on a jihadist Web site.\n\nThe Brotherhood is eager to distance itself from the jihadists, whose radical vision of an Islamic caliphate spanning the globe bears no resemblance to its philosophy.\n\nAs the Brotherhood starts distributing weapons inside the country, using donations from individual members and from Persian Gulf states including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, it is going to great lengths to ensure that they don't fall into the hands of extremists, Drobi said.\n\n\"We have on the ground our networks, and we make sure they don't distribute arms to those who are not within the streamline of the revolution,\" Drobi said.\n\nOther leaders also stress the moderation of the group's policies, even by comparison with the original Brotherhood movement in Egypt, to which the Syrian branch is very loosely affiliated.\n\nSyria's Muslim Brotherhood would support NATO intervention to help the opposition topple Assad, and it has published a manifesto outlining its vision of a future democratic state that makes no mention of Islam and enshrines individual liberties, said Mohammed Farouk Tayfour, who is the movement's deputy leader, vice president of the Syrian National Council and head of the council's relief committee, making him perhaps the most powerful figure in the opposition.\n\n16, 17,18\n\nSyria's long history of secularism and its substantial minority population also make it unlikely the Brotherhood would ever achieve the kind of dominance it appears to have won in Egypt or Tunisia, analysts and activists say. Drobi predicted that the Brotherhood would win 25 percent of the vote if democratic elections were to be held.\n\nEven that could be optimistic, experts say. A third of Syria's population belongs to religious or ethnic minorities, among them Christians, Alawites, Shiites and Kurds, who share concerns about the potential rise of Sunni Islamism.\n\nIt is in large part a measure of the dysfunction of the rest of the opposition that the Brotherhood has managed to assert itself as the only group with a national reach, at a time when most of the uprising's internal leadership is atomized around local committees that don't coordinate, said Yezid Sayigh of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.\n\n26, 27\n\nThe Muslim Brothers have resources, and they get help from Saudi Arabia and the gulf states,\" said Mousab al-Hamadi, an activist in Hama with the secular Local Coordination Committees. \"They have a long history behind them, whereas other groups like us are newly born.\"\n\n\"From the point of view of religion, most Syrians don't accept political Islam,\" he added. \"But the people here are still Muslim, and they are still conservative, so I think the Muslim Brotherhood will become the biggest political power in Syria after the departure of the Assad regime. And I will be the biggest loser.\"\n\n https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrias-muslim-brotherhood-is-gaining-influence-over-anti-assad-revolt/2012/05/12/gIQAtIoJLU_story.html\n\n\" **Governmental positions on the Iraq War prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq : Turkey\"**\n\nTurkey originally showed reservations, fearing that a power vacuum after Saddam's defeat might have given rise to a Kurdish state [14] On 1 March 2003 the Turkish parliament failed narrowly to approve a government motion to permit the deployment in Turkey for six months of 62,000 US troops, 255 jet aircraft, and 65 helicopters.[15]\n\nIn December 2002, Turkey moved approximately 15,000 soldiers to its border with Iraq.[16] The Turkish General Staff stated that this move was in light of recent developments and did not indicate an attack was imminent. In January 2003, the Turkish foreign minister, Yasar Yakis, said he was examining documents from the time of the Ottoman Empire in order to determine whether Turkey had a claim to the oil fields around the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk.\n\nIn late January 2003, Turkey invited at least five other regional countries to a \"'last-chance' meeting to avert a US-led war against Iraq. The group urged neighboring Iraq to continue cooperating with the UN inspections, and publicly stated that \"military strikes on Iraq might further destabilize the Middle East region\".\n\nIn the end, Turkey did not grant access to its land and harbours as asked for by U.S. officials because the Grand National Assembly of Turkey voted against this proposal.[17] Nonetheless, Turkey was named by the Bush Administration as a part of the \"Coalition of the Willing.\"\n\n https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governmental_positions_on_the_Iraq_War_prior_to_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq#Turkey\n\n\" **How Isis came to be\", 2014**\n\n3, 4, 5, 6, 7\n\nPrincipally, Isis is the product of a genocide that continued unabated as the world stood back and watched. It is the illegitimate child born of pure hate and pure fear \u2013 the result of 200,000 murdered Syrians and of millions more displaced and divorced from their hopes and dreams. Isis's rise is also a reminder of how Bashar al-Assad's Machiavellian embrace of al-Qaida would come back to haunt him.\n\nFacing Assad's army and intelligence services, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraq's Shia Islamist militias and their grand patron, Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Syria's initially peaceful protesters quickly became disenchanted, disillusioned and disenfranchised \u2013 and then radicalised and violently militant.\n\nThe Shia Islamist axis used chemical weapons, artillery and barrel bombs to preserve its crescent of influence. Syria's Sunni Arab revolutionaries in turn sought international assistance, and when the world refused, they embraced a pact with the devil, al-Qaida.\n\nWith its fiercely loyal army of transnational jihadis, al-Qaida once again gained a foothold in the heart of the Middle East. Fuelled by the hate and fear engendered by images of dismembered children or women suffering from the effects of chemical weapons, disaffected youth from around the world rushed to Syria, fuelling an ever more violent race to the bottom.\n\nNext door in Iraq, an emboldened Nouri al-Maliki waged his own sectarian campaign to consolidate power, betraying promises to his political partners to share it around. Within days of being welcomed at the WhiteHouse and praised by Barack Obama for his leadership, Maliki returned to Baghdad to mastermind the arrest of his principal Sunni rival, vice-president Tariq al-Hashimi.\n\nSupported by Iran and armed with US-made Humvees, M-16s, and M1A1 tanks, Maliki's forces closed in on Hashimi, only to see him flee to Kurdistan. Dozens of his guards were imprisoned on terrorism charges. At least one of them died under interrogation.\n\n9\n\nFacing mass unrest, Iraq's Sunni Arab provincial councils voted for semi-autonomous rule like that of the neighbouring Kurdistan region. Maliki blocked the implementation of a referendum through bureaucratic ploys, in contravention of Iraq's constitution.\n\n12\n\nDespite pleas from the highest levels in Washington, Maliki's government did virtually nothing to halt the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' flights to resupply the Assad regime with thousands of tons of military hardware and ammunition. Meanwhile, a Shia Islamist ally of Maliki privately conceded to me last year that senior officials in the Iraqi government were turning a blind eye \u2013 or even actively supporting \u2013 the dispatch of thousands of Iraqi Shia fighters to participate in the spiralling Shia-Sunni holy war in Syria.\n\n14, 15, 16, 17\n\nIronically, al-Qaida's wholesale introduction into Iraq came at the hands of Assad's regime. From 2005 until the end of the American occupation of Iraq, Assad's military intelligence services and their Iranian backers sought to defeat the US forces by training, financing and arming al-Qaida operatives inside Syria and dispatching them across the border to foment chaos and destruction.\n\nGeneral David Petraeus and other senior American officials warned Assad that he was igniting a fire that would eventually burn his house down, but Damascus did nothing to stop the flow of fighters, culminating in a crippling blow to Maliki's government the day Iraq's foreign and finance ministries were bombed. Maliki publicly condemned his future ally in Damascus for the attack.\n\nAnd so, Syria's unravelling spilled into Iraq, and vice versa. Powerful regional tribes such as the Shammar and Anezah, faced with countless dead and persecuted members in both countries, banded together with former Iraqi and Syrian military officers, embracing Isis jihadis as their frontline shock troops. Cash poured in from sympathetic donors around the region.\n\nIraq's four Sunni Arab provinces fell within days, entire Iraqi army divisions evaporated, and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of advanced American military equipment was seized by Isis and its allies. Fuelled by what was increasingly a regional Sunni-Shia proxy war, Iraq and Syria had become incubators for transnational jihad and religious hate.\n\n https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/syria-iraq-incubators-isis-jihad\n\n\" **Russia's approach to ISIL: the hidden benefit of evil\"**\n\n1, 2\n\nMany Western observers relate ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) with the resurrection of medieval barbarians. But it could actually be more usefully compared with revolutionary movements of the past, notably the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. ISIL shares with the Bolsheviks the peculiar \"internationalism\" that implies it could absorb people regardless of ethnicity, race or place of origin. Paradoxically, this aspect of ISIL has had positive implications for Russia.\n\nIt has served to stimulate the disintegration of Russia's homegrown Islamists' resistance with many members moving to the Middle East, reducing the internal threat. Moreover, it has provided Moscow with the opportunity to engage in the Middle East where \u2013 despite the Kremlin's proclamations \u2013 its interests are only indirectly related to the fight against ISIL.\n\n http://www.nato.int/docu/Review/2015/ISIL/Russia-Syria-Putin-ISIL-Chechnya-Middle-East/EN/index.htm\n\n\" **Syria: Russian PM warns of world war if troops sent in\", 2016**\n\n2, 3, 4, 5\n\nMedvedev was quoted as saying in an interview published late on Thursday by the German newspaper Handelsblatt that \"a ground operation draws everyone taking part in it into a war\".\n\nWhen asked about a recent proposal from Saudi Arabia to send ground troops into Syria, the Russian prime minister answered that \"the Americans and our Arab partners must consider whether or not they want a permanent war\".\n\nAl Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said Medvedev's comments were an explicit warning to the United States and its regional allies, including Saudi Arabia.\n\n\"He basically told them to back off on sending troops because if they did, this might result in some sort of interminable or even a world war,\" Challands said.\n\n7, 8\n\nUS defence chief Ashton Carter, meanwhile, welcomed a commitment from Saudi Arabia to expand its role with ground troops in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.\n\nAt a gathering of more than two dozen defence ministers at NATO headquarters, Carter said on Friday that the United Arab Emirates, a key ally, agreed to send special forces soldiers to Syria to assist in the development of local Sunni Arab fighters focused on recapturing Raqqa, ISIL's de facto capital.\n\n http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/syria-russian-pm-warns-world-war-troops-160212074839609.html\n\n\" **ISIS and the 'Loser Effect'\", 2016**\n\n5\n\nAnd then Islamic State's Icarus flight suddenly stalled. By one estimate, since January 2015, ISIS has lost 22 percent of its territory, including the cities of Tikrit and Ramadi in Iraq, as well as strategic areas of northern Syria, which has limited the group's capacity to sell oil across the Turkish border. In recent months, ISIS has largely been playing defense: It hasn't launched a major offensive since last summer. It has been hit by the death of key commanders and an uptick in defections. U.S. officials claim that ISIS's ranks are at their lowest level since 2014.\n\n http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/is-isis-losing/480336/\n\n\" **BIRTH OF THE ISIS\"**\n\n4\n\nIn Saddam's days the Armed Forces, made up almost exclusively of Sunnis, counted roughly 500 thousand men in their ranks. Additionally, Baath party supporters in Ministries and other public structures were in the millions. Bremer's directives landed a few million Iraqi families on the sidewalk and \u2013 this is the dangerous part \u2013 forced many to join the ranks of the opposition while the ones with military know-how tried to find a military solution to the social conflict. These are the premises for the birth of the warfare against the new Shiite leadership in Baghdad.\n\n9, 10\n\nZarqawi's terrorist experience ended on June 7, 2006, when a US airplane targeted his refuge in Baquba, north of Baghdad. Together with him died his fourth wife and some of his lieutenants. The killing of Abu Musab al Zarqawi would not, however, remove the founding element of the Jihadist rebellion: the resentment of the Sunni, who were by then united under a Salafite flag against the Shiite administration in Baghdad. This is why in 2006 the ISI (Islamic State in Iraq) was born. Only later, in April 2013, will the final \"S\" be added; the \"S\" that stands for Syria or \"Sham\": Damascus.\n\nThe ISI was initially headed by Abu Omar al Baghdadi, aka Hamid Dawud Mohamed Khalil al Zawi. His vice was an Egyptian national, Abu Ayyub al Masri, who also went by a pseudonym, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. The ISI was not made up of Zarqawi's group alone, it had absorbed several smaller factions, such as the \"Council of the Shura of the Mujaheddin\" and the \"Jund al Sahaba\" (The army of the companions of the Prophet). Abu Bakr al Baghdadi became a member of the ISI in virtue of his militancy in the Coordination Committee of the Council of the Shura of the Mujaheddin and thanks to the people he had met in Camp Bucca. Al Baghdadi's strengths were an in-depth knowledge of the Islamic doctrine, which he had studied in a doctorate at the Islamic University of Baghdad, and a strong background in Jihadist theory, which was the fruit of his mingling with the Muslim Brothers and of his reading the works of the \"bad teachers\" of the holy war: Abu Mohammed al Maqdisi, Sayyid Qubt, Abu Mohammed al Mufti al Aali.\n\n12\n\nOn April 18, 2010, a joint US-Iraqi operation in the region of Anbar put an end to the lives and times of the leaders of the ISI, Abu Omar and Abu Ayyub. It is then that Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who went by the name of Abu Dua, took over. Not everyone was agreeable with his promotion, but then again, he did descend from the tribe of Quraish, just like the Prophet.\n\n<http://www.invisible-dog.com/isis_birth_eng.html>\n\n\" **DID GEORGE W. BUSH CREATE ISIS?\", 2015**\n\n1, 2\n\nThe exchange started like this: at the end of Jeb Bush's town-hall meeting in Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday, a college student named Ivy Ziedrich stood up and said that she had heard Bush blame the growth of isis on President Obama, in particular on his decision to withdraw American troops from Iraq in 2011. The origins of isis, Ziedrich said, lay in the decision by Bush's brother, in 2003, to disband the Iraqi Army following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's government.\n\n\"It was when thirty thousand individuals who were part of the Iraqi military were forced out\u2014they had no employment, they had no income, and they were left with access to all of the same arms and weapons.... Your brother created isis,'' she said.\n\n4\n\nJeb replied by repeating his earlier criticism of President Obama: that Iraq had been stable until American troops had departed. \"When we left Iraq, security had been arranged,\" Bush said. The removal of American troops had created a security vacuum that isis exploited. \"The result was the opposite occurred. Immediately, that void was filled.\"\n\n6\n\nHere is what happened: In 2003, the U.S. military, on orders of President Bush, invaded Iraq, and nineteen days later threw out Saddam's government. A few days after that, President Bush or someone in his Administration decreed the dissolution of the Iraqi Army. This decision didn't throw \"thirty thousand individuals\" out of a job, as Ziedrich said\u2014the number was closer to ten times that. Overnight, at least two hundred and fifty thousand Iraqi men\u2014armed, angry, and with military training\u2014were suddenly humiliated and out of work.\n\n7, 8 , 9\n\nThis was probably the single most catastrophic decision of the American venture in Iraq. In a stroke, the Administration helped enable the creation of the Iraqi insurgency. Bush Administration officials involved in the decision\u2014like Paul Bremer and Walter Slocombe\u2014argued that they were effectively ratifying the reality that the Iraqi Army had already disintegrated.\n\nThis was manifestly not true. I talked to American military commanders who told me that leaders of entire Iraqi divisions (a division has roughly ten thousand troops) had come to them for instructions and expressed a willingness to co\u00f6perate. In fact, many American commanders argued vehemently at the time that the Iraqi military should be kept intact\u2014that disbanding it would turn too many angry young men against the United States. But the Bush White House went ahead.\n\nMany of those suddenly unemployed Iraqi soldiers took up arms against the United States. We'll never know for sure how many Iraqis would have stayed in the Iraqi Army\u2014and stayed peaceful\u2014had it remained intact. But the evidence is overwhelming that former Iraqi soldiers formed the foundation of the insurgency.\n\n11, 12, 13\n\nDuring the course of the war, Al Qaeda in Iraq grew to be the most powerful wing of the insurgency, as well as the most violent and the most psychotic. They drove truck bombs into mosques and weddings and beheaded their prisoners. But, by the time the last American soldiers had departed, in 2011, the Islamic State of Iraq, as it was then calling itself, was in a state of near-total defeat. The combination of the Iraqi-led \"awakening,\" along with persistent American pressure, had decimated the group and pushed them into a handful of enclaves.\n\nIndeed, by 2011 the situation in Iraq\u2014as former Governor Bush said\u2014was relatively stable. \"Relatively\" is the key word here. Iraq was still a violent place, but nowhere near as violent as it had been. The Iraqi government was being run by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a fervent Al Qaeda foe and ostensible American ally.\n\nBut, as the last Americans left Iraq, there came the great uprising in Syria that pitted the country's vast Sunni majority against the ruthless regime of Bashar al-Assad. Syria quickly dissolved into anarchy. Desperate and seeing an opportunity, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, dispatched a handful of soldiers to Syria, where, in a matter of months, they had gathered an army of followers and had begun attacking the Assad regime. Suddenly, Baghdadi's group\u2014which had been staggering toward the grave only months before\u2014was regaining strength. In 2013, the I.S.I. became the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria. isis was born.\n\n15, 16, 17, 18\n\nIn this sense, Ziedrich is right again, at least notionally: some of the men fighting in isis were put out of work by the American occupiers in 2003. Still, it's not clear\u2014and it will never be clear\u2014how many of these Iraqis might have remained peaceful had the Americans kept the Iraqi Army intact. One of the Iraqis closest to Baghdadi was Ibrahim Izzat al-Douri, a senior official in Saddam's government until 2003. (Douri was reported killed last month\u2014it's still not clear if he was or not.) It's hard to imagine that Douri\u2014or any other hardcore member of Saddam's Baath Party\u2014would have ever willingly taken part in an American occupation, whether he had a job or not. So, in this sense, Ziedrich is overstating the case. While it's true that George W. Bush took actions that helped enable the creation of the Iraqi insurgency, and that some leaders of the insurgency formed isis, it's not true that he \"created\" isis. And there's a good argument to be made that an insurgency would have formed following the invasion of Iraq even if President Bush had kept the Iraqi Army together. He just helped to make the insurgency bigger.\n\nBut let's get to Governor Bush's assertion\u2014that Iraq went down the tubes because of President Obama's decision to pull out all American forces, and that Obama could easily have left behind a residual force that would have kept the peace.\n\nI took up this issue last year in a Profile of Maliki, the Iraqi leader we left in place. Maliki didn't really want any Americans to stay in Iraq, and Obama didn't, either. But\u2014and this is a crucial point\u2014it seems possible that, if Obama had pushed Maliki harder, the United States could have retained a small force of soldiers there in noncombat roles. More than a few Americans and Iraqis told me this. They blame Obama for not trying harder. \"You just had this policy vacuum and this apathy,\" Michael Barbero, the commander of American forces in Iraq in 2011, told me, describing the Obama White House.\n\nSo, on this, Governor Bush isn't entirely accurate, but makes a good point: the Obama Administration might have been able to keep some forces in Iraq if it had really tried.\n\n20\n\nThis much is clear: after 2011, with no Americans on the ground, Maliki was free to indulge his worst sectarian impulses, and he rapidly and ruthlessly repressed Iraq's Sunni minority, imprisoning thousands of young men on no charges, thereby radicalizing the Sunnis who weren't in prison. When, in June, 2014, isis came rolling in, anything seemed better than Maliki to many of Iraq's Sunnis.\n\n http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/did-george-w-bush-create-isis\n\n\" **Syria: The story of the conflict\", 2016**\n\n1, 2, 3\n\nPro-democracy protests erupted in March 2011 in the southern city of Deraa after the arrest and torture of some teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on a school wall. After security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing several, more took to the streets.\n\nThe unrest triggered nationwide protests demanding President Assad's resignation. The government's use of force to crush the dissent merely hardened the protesters' resolve. By July 2011, hundreds of thousands were taking to the streets across the country.\n\nOpposition supporters eventually began to take up arms, first to defend themselves and later to expel security forces from their local areas.\n\n<http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868>\n\n\" **U.S.-backed Syria rebels routed by fighters linked to al-Qaeda\", 2014**\n\n2, 3\n\nModerate rebels who had been armed and trained by the United States either surrendered or defected to the extremists as the Jabhat al-Nusra group, affiliated with al-Qaeda, swept through the towns and villages the moderates controlled in the northern province of Idlib, in what appeared to be a concerted push to vanquish the moderate Free Syrian Army, according to rebel commanders, activists and analysts.\n\nOther moderate fighters were on the run, headed for the Turkish border as the extremists closed in, heralding a significant defeat for the rebel forces Washington had been counting on as a bulwark against the Islamic State.\n\n6, 7\n\nJabhat al-Nusra has long been regarded by Syrians as less radical than the breakaway Islamic State faction, and it had participated alongside moderate rebels in battles against the Islamic State earlier this year. But it is also on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations and is the only group in Syria that has formally declared its allegiance to the mainstream al-Qaeda leadership.\n\nA Jabhat al-Nusra base was one of the first targets hit when the United States launched its air war in Syria in September, and activists said the tensions fueled by that attack had contributed to the success of the group's push against the moderate rebels.\n\n11, 12\n\nAmong the groups whose bases were overrun in the assault was Harakat Hazm, the biggest recipient of U.S. assistance offered under a small-scale, covert CIA program launched this year, including the first deliveries of U.S.-made TOW antitank missiles. The group's headquarters outside the village of Khan Subbul was seized by Jabhat al-Nusra overnight Saturday, after rebel fighters there surrendered their weapons and fled without a fight, according to residents in the area.\n\nHussam Omar, a spokesman for Harakat Hazm, refused to confirm whether American weaponry had been captured by the al-Qaeda affiliate because, he said, negotiations with Jabhat al-Nusra are underway.\n\n https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-backed-syria-rebels-routed-by-fighters-linked-to-al-qaeda/2014/11/02/7a8b1351-8fb7-4f7e-a477-66ec0a0aaf34_story.html\n\n\" **Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria\",2015**\n\n1, 2 , 3\n\nTurkey and Saudi Arabia are actively supporting a hardline coalition of Islamist rebels against Bashar al-Assad's regime that includes al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, in a move that has alarmed Western governments.\n\nThe two countries are focusing their backing for the Syrian rebels on the combined Jaish al-Fatah, or the Army of Conquest, a command structure for jihadist groups in Syria that includes Jabhat al-Nusra, an extremist rival to Isis which shares many of its aspirations for a fundamentalist caliphate.\n\nThe decision by the two leading allies of the West to back a group in which al-Nusra plays a leading rle has alarmed Western governments and is at odds with the US, which is firmly opposed to arming and funding jihadist extremists in Syria's long-running civil war.\n\n6, 7, 8, 9\n\nRelations had been fraught between the Turkish president and the late King Abdullah, primarily because of Turkey's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Saudi monarchy considers a threat. But Mr Erdogan stressed to Saudi officials that the lack of Western action in Syria, especially the failure to impose a \"no-fly zone\", meant that regional powers now needed to come together and take the lead to help the opposition.\n\nThe Army of Conquest \u2013 which also numbers the extremist groups Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa among its seven members \u2013 has a command centre in Idlib, northern Syria. Turkish officials admit giving logistical and intelligence support to the command headquarters. Although they deny giving direct help to al-Nusra, they acknowledge that the group would be beneficiaries.\n\nThey also acknowledge links with Ahrar al-Sham, which is held to be extremist by the US, but has fought against Isis, as has al-Nusra in some parts of Syria. Turkish officials claim that bolstering Ahrar al-Sham will weaken the influence of al-Nusra.\n\nMaterial support \u2013 arms and money \u2013 have been coming from the Saudis, say rebels and officials, with the Turks facilitating its passage. The border villages of Guvecci, Kuyubasi, Hacipasa, Besaslan, Kusakli and Bukulmez are the favoured routes, according to rebel sources.\n\n11, 12\n\nThere have been complaints from the Saudis that the US, needing the support of Shia Iran against Isis in Iraq, and hopeful of an accord over Iran's nuclear programme, is becoming less interested in the removal of Tehran's client regime in Damascus.\n\nFurther evidence of dissatisfaction over the US approach among Sunni states came yesterday with the news that King Salman has withdrawn from a summit with Barack Obama at the White House on the Iran nuclear talks this week: he will be represented instead by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Of the six heads of Gulf States invited, only the emirs of Qatar and Kuwait are now due to attend.\n\n17, 18, 19\n\nA key sign of rapprochement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia has been over the Muslim Brotherhood. The Saudis welcomed the coup against Mohamed Morsi's government in Egypt, but the group has been staunchly supported by Turkey since Mr Erdogan came to power. Now, say diplomats and officials, Saudi Arabia has accepted a continued role for the Brotherhood in the Syrian opposition.\n\nRebel fighters in Syria claim that after Western-sponsored groups lost ground to al-Nusra last year, Washington began to cut off funding for most of the supposedly moderate groups. Harakat al-Hazm, originally the most favoured of these, had its cash funding halved; the rebel Farouq Brigade had all funds cut off.\n\nAbdulatif al-Sabbagh, an officer with Ahrar al-Sham, said: \"The Americans backed people who said they were revolutionaries, but these people were corrupt and incompetent... Jaish al-Fatah is successful is because we all fight together. But we are all against Daesh [Isis] just as we are against Bashar. The Americans are bombing Daesh but doing nothing against the regime, that's why we have got together to fight them.\"\n\n http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-turkey-and-saudi-arabia-shock-western-countries-by-supporting-anti-assad-jihadists-10242747.html\n\n\" **ISIS leaders remain in close contact with Ankara \u2013 Lavrov\", 2016**\n\n2 , 3\n\nThe leaders of Islamic State maintain a constant liaison with the Turkish government, working out a new approach to the war in Syria as the Russian Air Force cuts off traditional smuggling routes, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.\n\nThe airstrikes of the Russian Air Force in Syria have severely disrupted \"traditional smuggling routes,\" so the Turks are discussing in all seriousness creation of \"IS-free zones\" in Syria.\n\n<https://www.rt.com/news/332026-turkey-talks-isis-lavrov/>\n\n\" **Turkey to propose cooperation with Russia on fighting ISIS\", 2016**\n\n1, 2, 3 , 4\n\nTurkey said on Monday it wanted to cooperate with Moscow in combating Islamic State in Syria but denied having suggested it might allow Russia to use its Incirlik Air Base, near the Syrian frontier.\n\nTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan last week expressed regret over last year's shooting down of a Russian warplane, with the loss of the pilot.\n\nMoscow, which had broken off virtually all economic ties and banned tourists from visiting Turkish resorts, pledged in return to help rebuild relations.\n\nIn an interview with Turkish state television on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had appeared to suggest Ankara could open up Incirlik to Russia, a move that could raise concern among Turkey's NATO partners already using the base, including the United States.\n\n http://uk.businessinsider.com/turkey-to-propose-cooperation-with-russia-on-fighting-isis-2016-7\n\n\" **Into the Quagmire: Turkey's Frustrated Syria Policy\", 2012**\n\n https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/Middle%20East/1212bp_phillips.pdf\n\n\" **Al-Nusra Front : Split with ISIL 2013\"**\n\nBy January 2013, Nusra was a formidable force with strong popular support in Syria,[91] and it continued to grow in strength during the following months.[102] On 8 April 2013, the leader of the then Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, released a recorded audio message on the Internet, in which he announced that Jabhat al-Nusra was part of his network,[103] and that he was merging Jabhat al-Nusra with ISI into one group, \"Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham\" (ISIL ), under his command.[91][104] Al-Baghdadi also said that Abu Mohammad al-Julani had been dispatched by the ISI to Syria to meet with pre-existing cells in the country and that the ISI had provided Jabhat al-Nusra with the plans and strategy needed for the Syrian Civil War, and had been funding their activities.[104]\n\nThe next day al-Julani rejected the merger and affirmed the group's allegiance to al-Qaeda and its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.[91] Al-Julani was quoted as saying, \"We inform you that neither the al-Nusra command nor its consultative council, nor its general manager were aware of this announcement. It reached them via the media and if the speech is authentic, we were not consulted.\"[105] Nusra then split, with some members, particularly foreign fighters, followed Baghdadi's edict and joined ISIL, while others stayed loyal to Golani or left to join other Islamist brigades.[91][106][107]\n\nIn May 2013, Reuters reported that al-Baghdadi had travelled from Iraq to Syria's Aleppo Governorate province and begun recruiting members of al-Nusra.[108] Sometime in May 2013, al-Julani was reportedly injured by an airstrike conducted by the Syrian government.[109] In June 2013, Al Jazeera reported that it had obtained a letter written by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, addressed to both Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Abu Mohammad al-Julani, in which he ruled against the merger of the two organisations and appointed an emissary to oversee relations between them and put an end to tensions.[110] Later in the month, an audio message from al-Baghdadi was released in which he rejected al-Zawahiri's ruling and declared that the merger of the two organisations into the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was going ahead. This sequence of events caused much confusion and division amongst members of al-Nusra.[107]\n\nIn November 2013, Al-Zawahiri ordered the disbandment of ISIL and said al-Nusra should be considered the (only) al-Qaeda branch in Syria,[49]and bestowed the title \"Tanzim Qa'edat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Sham\" (\"the Qae'dat Al-Jihad organization in the Levant\") on them, officially integrating Nusra into al-Qaeda's global network.[47]\n\nSome units of al-Nusra began taking part in clashes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in late 2013.[111]\n\nIn February 2014, after efforts to end the dispute between ISIL and Nusra had failed, al-Qaeda formally dissociated itself from its onetime affiliate ISIL, leaving Jabhat al-Nusra the sole representative of al-Qaeda in Syria.[112] In the same month, al-Julani threatened to go to war with ISIL over their suspected role in the killing of senior Ahrar ash-Sham commander Abu Khaled al-Souri. Al-Julani gave ISIL five days to submit evidence that they were innocent of the attack to three imprisoned Jihadist clerics, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Abu Qatada al-Falastini, and Suleiman al-Alwan.[113] On 16 April 2014, ISIL killed al-Nusra's Idlib chief Abu Mohammad al-Ansari together with his family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.[114] In May 2014, open fighting broke out between ISIL and al-Nusra in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, leaving hundreds dead on both sides.[115]\n\nBy July 2014, al-Nusra had largely been expelled from Deir ez-Zor Governorate.[116] Also in July, an audio recording attributed to al-Julani appeared online, in which he said that al-Nusra planned to establish an Islamic emirate in the areas of Syria where they had a presence. A statement issued on 12 July 2014 by al-Nusra's media channel affirmed the authenticity of the recording, but stated that they had not yet declared the establishment of an emirate.[117][118][119][120]\n\nIn June 2015, al-Julani stated in regards to ISIL: \"There is no solution between us and them in the meantime, or in the foreseeable future [...] We hope they repent to God and return to their senses ... if not, then there is nothing but fighting between us.\"[64]\n\nOn 12 February 2015, SITE Intelligence Group cited rumours that Nusra leader al-Julani had plans to disassociate from al-Qaeda.[121]\n\nOn 4 March, \"sources within and close to al-Nusra\" reportedly had said to Reuters that in the past months Qatar and other Gulf states had talked with Nusra leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani and encouraged him to abandon al-Qaeda, promising funding to Nusra once that break-up was carried out. An official close to the Qatari government had confirmed to Reuters that Qatar wanted Nusra to become purely Syrian and disconnect from al-Qaeda, after which Qatar would start to support Nusra with money and supplies. Muzamjer al-Sham, reportedly a 'prominent jihadi close to Nusra' had said that Nusra would soon merge with Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar and other small jihadi brigades and disengage from al-Qaeda, but that not all Nusra emirs had yet agreed to that.[53]\n\nOn 9 March 2015, in a statement issued on Twitter, al-Nusra denied \"completely all reports of a meeting with Qatari\" and reports of a break-up with al-Qaeda. Expert Thomas Pierret at the University of Edinburgh assumed that Qatar was trying to force the hand of Al-Nusra with this \"leak\" about a split, and said a break with Al-Qaeda was very unlikely. French expert on jihadism Romain Caillet agreed: \"The overwhelming majority of Al-Nusra members want to stay in al-Qaeda, particularly foreign fighters who represent at least one-third of the organisation\".[54]\n\nBut Abu Maria al-Qahtani, the commander of al-Nusra in Deir ez-Zor province, still strongly advocated a split with al-Qaeda.[56] Muhamed Nabih Osman, leading a charitable organisation for former Assad prisoners, said to website The Daily Beast on 4 May 2015: \"I think it will happen soon. You have to understand that al-Nusra consists of two very different parts and that one part, mostly local fighters, are not interested in global jihad\".[56]\n\nOn 7 May 2015, a Turkish official said that Turkey and Saudi Arabia were bolstering Ahrar al-Sham at Nusra's expense, hoping that al-Sham's rise puts pressure on Nusra to renounce its ties to al-Qaeda and open itself to outside help.[122]\n\nA \"well-connected Syrian Islamist\" cited in May 2015 by The Huffington Post said: \"There are now two main currents... the conservatives are keen on keeping ties to Al-Qaeda and the others are more inclined towards the new Syria-focused approach\". Another \"Islamist official from Damascus\" is cited: \"Nusra's disengagement from al Qaeda would be good for the revolution, but Jabhat al-Nusra will always be in dire need of al Qaeda's name to keep its foreign fighters away from IS. Most Jabhat foreign fighters will never accept to fight and die for what looks like an Islamic national project.\"[55]\n\nIn late July 2016, through various sources, the Middle East Eye claimed that an organizational split from al-Qaeda is \"imminent\", with the proposal reportedly been approved by AQ leaders and proposed a new name called \"Jabhat Fatah al-Sham\", or the \"Conquest of the Levant Front\". However, the sources claim that the move will not affect al-Nusra al-Qaeda ideology and its plan to commit attacks on the West.[123]\n\nExternal Support\n\nAt least one Arab government[192] has accused Qatar of helping al-Nusra.[193]According to the Al-Ahram Weekly, \"The Saudis and Qataris are to provide funding for 40 per cent of the [Army of Conquest] coalition's needs\".[194] JaN has been cited as an example of groups in the Syrian Civil War that Saudi Arabia has supported that are \"most in line with Wahhabi beliefs\".[2] The US Government has been sending weapons to rebels in Syria since at least late 2013,[195] and perhaps as early as 2012,[196]during the beginning phases of the conflict. These weapons have been reportedly falling into hands of extremists, such as al-Nusra and ISIL.[197][198][199]\n\nal-Nusra has also been materially supported by multiple foreign fighters. Most of these fighters are from Europe and the Middle East, as pipelines to Syria from those locations are better established and navigable.[200] However, as of November 2013, there were also 6 publicly disclosed cases of American citizens and permanent residents who joined or attempted to join al-Nusrah in 2013 alone.[201]\n\nThe Independent reported that Saudi Arabia and Turkey \"are focusing their backing for the Syrian rebels on the combined Jaish al-Fatah, or the Army of Conquest, a command structure for jihadist groups in Syria that includes Jabhat al-Nusra.\"[202]\n\nThe Pentagon confirmed in September 2015 that a small group of US-trained New Syrian Forces rebels gave six pickup trucks and a portion of their ammunition to al-Nusra Front in exchange for safe passage.[203]\n\nQatari Support\n\nThe Emir of Qatar publicly admitted, in an interview with Christiane Amanpour, that he doesn't always see eye to eye with American terrorist designations: \"I know that in America and some countries they look at some movements as terrorist movements. ... But there are differences. There are differences that some countries and some people that any group which comes from Islamic background are terrorists. And we don't accept that.\"[204] It has been suggested that one of the designated groups that the Emir spoke of in this interview at CNN was the Al-Nusra Front.[205] According to the Consortium Against Terror Finance (CATF), Qatar has been able to get away with funding Al Nusra, despite their terrorist designation, through Kidnapping for Ransom.[205] Al Nusra has, thus far, kidnapped a diverse group of people from nationalities that span the globe. They have been involved in kidnapping people from Turkey, Fiji, Lebanon, Syria, and Italy among others. In each occasion, Qatar engages in a substantial financial agreement with Al Nusra in exchange for hostages. CATF suggests that the U.S. turns a blind eye to Qatar's funding of Al Nusra because Al Nusra is one of the only groups that poses a plausible threat to both ISIS and Assad.[205] According to the Institute for the Study of War, the reason why Al Nusra is the only plausible threat is because of Qatar's funding: \"Jabhat al-Nusra has become the best-armed force among the opposition groups. It has been at the tip of the spear in operations in Eastern Syria, Aleppo, and Damascus. Its combat proficiency and relatively greater access to materiel and funding have led other opposition groups to tolerate its participation in military operations across the country.\"[206]\n\nQatar even managed the negotiations with al-Nusra Front that ultimately led to American writer Peter Theo Curtis's release. Suggesting how happy the country is with its relationship to Al Nusra, Qatari Intelligence Chief Ghanim Khalifa al-Kubaisi was said to have sent a contact a text with the words \"Done,\"\u2014 and a thumbs up emoticon \u2014 after Curtis's release was completed.[207]\n\nAccording to The Fiscal Times, Qatar has great influence over the group that goes beyond ransom payments. In many cases, Qatar acts as a political mediator between Al Nusra and other countries like Lebanon:[208] \"A prisoner swap between the Lebanese government and al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, Al-Nusra Front in early December showed how powerful the group has become on the ground. The deal released 16 Lebanese soldiers and police officers who were captured during a joint ISIS-al-Nusra operation along with 29 civilians, some of whom are known terrorists.\"[208] Indeed, Qatar's mediation between Al Nusra and Lebanon ultimately guaranteed al-Nusra freedom of movement inside what was once a safe haven in Lebanon's Hamid valley, bordering Syria, giving Al Nusra access to the Lebanese town of Arsal.[208]\n\nBut one Diplomat goes so far as to suggest that, beyond the scope of mediation and paying ransom, \"They [Qatar] are partly responsible for Jabhat al-Nusra having money and weapons and everything they need.\" The diplomat even goes on to say that while Qatar hasn't directly funded ISIS, it is responsible for the fact that ISIS gained Al Nusra weapons as members of Al Nusra are known to defect to ISIS.[209]\n\nQatar's support of Al Nusra has been highly criticized in both U.S. and U.K media. Indeed, Foreign Policy goes so far as to suggest that Qatar's support for Al Nusra is just one more example of its hand in further destabilizing the entire region.[207] As a result, Qatar had to suppress some of the more overt Al Nusra fund-raising efforts launched publicly by its citizens. It has been suggested that while Qatar supports Al Nusra, it does so in a way to try and not alienate its Western allies.[210] Fellow Gulf countries Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have publicly rebuked Qatar for its support of political Islamists like Al Nusra across the Middle East.[207]\n\n https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front#Split_with_ISIL_.282013.29\n\n"], ["\n\n### Casanova Killer\n\n### An SSCD Crime Thriller\n\n### By Tallulah Grace\n\nCopyright 2012 Tallulah Grace\n\nSmashwords Edition\n\nThe names, places and events contained within this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.\n\nAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording, photocopying or any other information storage and retrieval system without prior, written permission of the Author.\n\n**Visit** this page **to subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to learn of new releases, contests and giveaways.**\n\nCasanova Killer takes place a year before the Timeless Trilogy. So many readers wanted to read more about Dylan, that I created this book to offer a peek into his life as an FBI agent. This step back in time also showcases Jerry as his partner, showing us why she's a little in love with Dylan and gun shy about men in general.\n\nJerry (Jeri) takes center stage in the remaining novels of the SSCD Series.\n\n# Table of Contents\n\nPrologue 2\n\nChapter One 4\n\nChapter Two 6\n\nChapter Three 11\n\nChapter Four 13\n\nChapter Five 20\n\nChapter Six 21\n\nChapter Seven 26\n\nChapter Eight 28\n\nChapter Nine 33\n\nChapter Ten 40\n\nChapter Eleven 45\n\nChapter Twelve 54\n\nChapter Thirteen 71\n\nChapter Fourteen 78\n\nChapter Fifteen 84\n\nChapter Sixteen 90\n\nChapter Seventeen 97\n\nChapter Eighteen 103\n\nChapter Nineteen 107\n\nChapter Twenty 116\n\nEpilogue 119\n\nPrologue\n\nThe sapphire waters of the Pacific churned into frothy white spray against the rocky coastline of Muir Beach.\n\n\"It's like a painting,\" Jenna remarked as she removed her strappy sandals. The planked boardwalk, outlining the cliff ridge high above the shore, did not appear friendly to stiletto heels, especially ones that cost more than most monthly mortgage payments.\n\n\"Wait until you see the view from the point.\" The man she knew as Robert smiled and held out his hand. She took it.\n\nThe first coral streaks of sunrise complemented the ever-brightening blue water as they strolled along the snaking walkway. The majesty of the landscape was theirs alone, for the moment.\n\nJenna sighed. It had been a magical evening; dinner at a new bistro followed by dancing at the exclusive Portman Lounge. Robert knew how to treat a woman. His impeccable manners and attention to her every whim reaffirmed her decision to cheat on John, her lover of several years.\n\nLong used to the finer things in life, courtesy of her married lover, Jenna especially enjoyed being visible on a man's arm in the city that she loved. John gave her the lifestyle she craved, but hidden rendezvous and trysts tailored to his schedule soon grew tiresome. Meeting Robert changed all of that.\n\nThe timing couldn't have been better, she marveled once again. John had no sooner left on a weeklong business trip than Robert had appeared by her side. His natural charm, movie-star good looks and British accent drew her to him immediately. The Rolex shining from his wrist and the Maserati he left parked at the curb didn't hurt either. The past week had been a whirlwind of sightseeing adventures, prosaic phone calls and romantic evenings. Jenna was head over heels.\n\nAs the blunt end of the walkway came into view, Jenna's Robert congratulated himself on a flawless execution. The past few days had been perfect; the woman beside him practically oozed her adoration.\n\n\"Ooh, I wish I'd brought my camera,\" Jenna skipped the last few feet, pulling Robert along behind her. \"The view is stunning!\"\n\n\"It certainly is,\" Robert's voice warmed her even as his breath tickled her neck. Standing close to her back, he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She wiggled against his erection, just enough to let him know that she noticed.\n\nThe sound of the waves, crashing against the rocks below and the ever-constant wind masked the snap of the stiletto blade opening.\n\n\"Till we meet again, my sweet,\" he murmured, quickly drawing the blade in a single line across her throat. With no more effort than tossing garbage into a pail, he flung Jenna's body over the wooden rail to the sea below.\nChapter One\n\n\"Get your size fifteens off my desk, Dawes.\" Nate Banks scowled at the man lounging in his office.\n\n\"Sorry, Boss,\" Dylan Dawes replied automatically as he passed a hand over his eyes and slowly straightened. \"Just catching a few winks.\"\n\n\"You can sleep on the plane.\" Nate tossed a file into Dylan's lap as he passed. \"We leave for California in an hour.\" The desk phone beeped loudly as he depressed a single digit. \"Jerry, my office,\" he barked into the speaker, not waiting for a reply.\n\n\"What's up?\" Dylan asked, opening the folder, his fatigue forgotten at the prospect of a new case. The team had just wrapped the nasty business of chasing one Michael Phillips across three states. The self-proclaimed Phantom had eluded them for two months, killing sixteen teenagers in the process.\n\nThey were due for a break, but as one of the few teams the FBI trained in profiling and tracking serial killers, the Special Serial Crimes Division rarely knew any downtime.\n\n\"What's up, Boss?\" The female voice echoing Dylan's question preceded the woman into the room by scant seconds. Jerry Forbes, Dylan's partner and friend, dropped into the second chair facing Nate's desk. Dylan, long accustomed to her striking beauty, shook his head at the bright sparkle in her eyes.\n\n\"How can you be so perky? We've been up for three nights straight!\" He grumbled, then grimaced when she poked him in the arm.\n\n\"One of the benefits of youth, old man,\" she teased, even though Dylan was only a few months older than her. Turning to Nate, she became serious. \"What've we got?\"\n\n\"Three women murdered, in and around San Francisco. Throats slashed, bodies left in remote areas. All of the victims were affluent brunettes, aged twenty-five to twenty-nine.\" Nate recited the facts. \"The last one was found yesterday, much quicker than the others. She'd only been dead for six to eight hours. The other two went undiscovered for seven and twelve days, respectively. No DNA evidence on any of the victims, thanks to the time lapse and the weather conditions in the area. Finding the latest victim so quickly gave us our best shot at DNA, but it rained most of the day, washing away whatever might have been present on the body.\"\n\n\"Was the discovery a lucky fluke, or do you think he's getting bored with waiting for notoriety?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"Hard to say. He tossed her over a cliff leading down to the Pacific. The spot is a popular viewing point for tourists and locals alike, but theoretically, she could have lain there for weeks without being noticed.\"\n\n\"Who found her?\" Dylan asked.\n\n\"A local news team doing a touristy-type puff piece flew over the area in a helicopter. A flash from a crystal on the dead woman's shoes caught their attention. Before they realized it, they'd broadcast the woman's body live to three counties.\"\n\n\"Let me guess, now it's viral,\" Jerry spat out in disgust.\n\n\"You know it. Never underestimate the public's fascination with a gruesome murder. Anyway, it establishes the pattern, so we're on it.\" Nate sat back, templed his fingers and looked at Jerry. \"We need you undercover on this one.\"\n\n\"How so?\"\n\n\"You're his type: tall, beautiful, brunette. Now we just have to turn you into a socialite. Oh, and a mistress.\" He tried to hide his grin as he watched the meaning of his words sink into Jerry's consciousness.\n\n\"Socialite? Me?\" Jerry shook her head. \"Mistress I can handle, no biggy, but a socialite?\" She leveled an incredulous gaze at first Dylan and then Nate. \"I don't really have to go to parties and all that stuff, do I?\"\n\n\"You'll have to live your cover, you know this.\" Nate stood, bringing the meeting to an end. \"Don't worry, you'll be fine.\"\n\n\"Easy for you to say, you grew up fancy, I didn't,\" Jerry grumbled as she walked to the door.\n\nDylan laughed. \"I find it curious that you're more comfortable playing a mistress than you are in the role of a social butterfly. Anything you want to confess, Forbes?\"\n\n\"Bite me, Dawes. At least you don't have to get all dressed up and make small talk with highfalutin strangers, or does he?\" she asked Nate.\n\n\"As a matter of fact, yes, he does. Every mistress needs a keeper.\" Nate's eyes crinkled at the expression on Dylan's face.\n\n\"Come on, Boss, you know I hate that crap. With your background, you'd be perfect as Jerry's keeper.\" Dylan flashed a grin at Jerry, knowing that she'd hate the terminology. \"You grew up in that world, tossing Jerry and me into it is like serving hot dogs at the opera.\"\n\n\"My background is the problem. I know people in the circle you'll be infiltrating. They know me. The unsub is likely part of that group; we don't need to spook him before we get a handle on his identity.\" Nate stopped before entering the hallway and turned to face his agents. \"You'll both be fine. Don't let the cover get in the way of the mission. The unsub thinks he's untouchable; he's already stalking his next victim.\"\n\n\"You said the victims were affluent. Do you mean they're wealthy in their own right, or wealthy thanks to their benefactors?\" Jerry looked pointedly at Dylan.\n\n\"The latest victim was solidly middle class, but her married 'benefactor' kept her in style, complete with a six figure bank account. The first victim's expenses were covered by a corporation, one that her companion owned. He's not married, she came from old money, so their arrangement could have been a social tit for tat.\" Nate nodded at the folder Dylan held. \"Uncover the circumstances for the second victim's lifestyle. We should know if 'mistress' is truly part of the victimology or if it's a by-product. Good question, Jerry.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Boss.\"\n\nNate nodded. \"Get packed, guys. Wheels up in forty-five.\"\nChapter Two\n\n\"We appreciate the assist, thank you, sir.\" Nate raised the window shade on the Learjet as he disconnected the call. So much for sleeping their way across the country. His one-sided conversation with the FBI Director of International Relations had already awakened Jerry and Dylan. At least they had made it to Colorado before the call came in.\n\nNate tossed his cell onto the table separating the four captain's chairs. \"Change of plans, guys. Better get some coffee.\" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Dylan accommodated the three of them, bringing back three steaming mugs from the kitchenette in the rear of the cabin.\n\n\"Thanks,\" Nate told him and sipped the warm liquid. \"Seems like our unsub has been busy across the pond,\" he began.\n\n\"Europe?\" Jerry felt the cobwebs slowly melt from her brain.\n\n\"England, Central London specifically, and the Italian Riviera.\"\n\n\"Both are playgrounds for the rich and fabulous.\" Dylan said wryly. \"Our boy likes the finer things.\"\n\n\"Interpol is sending an agent to work the case with us. Ethan Barnes has been tracking the unsub across Europe, he'll meet us in San Francisco.\" Nate nodded to Jerry. \"He'll be your partner for this one. Dylan and I will work behind the scenes.\"\n\nJerry didn't care for the idea of pretending to be the mistress of an agent she'd never met before. Living in close quarters with a man she knew, respected, and yes, even had a small crush on, was enough of a challenge. Now she had to get cozy with a stranger. She knew better than to complain; Nate would not be putting her in this position if he had a choice.\n\n\"Whatever you say, Boss.\" Nodding in Dylan's direction, she grinned. \"He can't be any worse than this one.\"\n\nGrateful for her easy acceptance, Nate nodded. \"Barnes has already established a cover as a wealthy playboy. No point in duplicating efforts.\"\n\nDylan, thrilled with the turn of events, decided not to tease Jerry about being an international plaything. \"I take it the unsub's signature is the same?\"\n\n\"Identical, down to the right to left slice across the neck. His victims are all beautiful brunettes, loaded or wealth-accessible. They spend their time shopping, being pampered, or otherwise occupied with the man paying their bills. He killed three in Central London and four in Italy.\"\n\n\"What about the drop zones, Central London is not exactly filled with remote locations.\" Dylan questioned.\n\n\"He left the bodies in warehouses, south of the city. That's all I know, at the moment. Barnes can fill us in on the details, but the Director says he's confident that our unsub and the 'Casanova Killer' are one in the same.\"\n\n\"You're kidding, right? Casanova Killer? Jeez, sounds like a bad Gothic novel.\"\n\n\"Exactly, but that's how he's known in Europe. Courtesy of the press, I'm sure. Apparently Barnes was closing in when the unsub disappeared, two months ago.\"\n\n\"Lucky us, he surfaced in San Francisco.\" Dylan gathered their coffee cups for a refill.\n\n\"What's his timeline?\" Jerry flipped open her laptop and began making notes.\n\n\"Six months in London and two months on the Riviera.\"\n\n\"Three kills already in San Francisco in less than a month. He's escalating.\" Jerry's fingers flew over the keys.\n\n\"He may be compensating for the time he laid low, between Italy and here.\" Dylan offered his opinion along with the fresh coffee.\n\n\"It's not unusual for a serial's initial kills to be spaced farther apart, while they perfect their technique,\" Jerry added.\n\n\"True. It's also possible that San Francisco offers a more fertile hunting ground for his preferences.\" Nate opened the manila folder housing the bulk of the information they'd received from the San Francisco Police Department. \"Let's make a quick profile, based on what we know of his US kills.\"\n\n\"All three victims are white females, in their mid-to-late twenties, with similar socio-economic circumstances, though their backgrounds differ. All were brunettes, between five feet ten inches and six feet tall.\" Nate read from the police reports.\n\n\"Hopefully, the victimology of his European kills will clarify whether or not being a mistress is a crucial part of his signature.\" Dylan remarked.\n\n\"Any restraint marks?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"No ligature marks present on any of the bodies. The toxicology report isn't back yet on the latest victim, but the first two revealed no signs of drug use. If he's restraining them, his methods leave no trace.\"\n\n\"Did he kill them at the disposal site?\" Jerry stopped typing as Nate flipped through the pages.\n\n\"Yes, and no. All three women had their throats slashed at the top of a steep incline. They were still bleeding out when he tossed them down the hill.\"\n\n\"He must be well over six feet and in good shape, or he wouldn't be able to maneuver them over the edge so easily.\"\n\nJerry added Dylan's observations to the list.\n\n\"Assuming they were not restrained, they must have gone with him voluntarily.\" Jerry mused.\n\n\"Gives credence to the term 'Casanova Killer.' Maybe he romances them before he kills them.\"\n\n\"Possibly, but let's focus on what we know about these murders, charming European moniker notwithstanding.\" Nate passed Dylan the coroner's reports. \"No defensive wounds on any of the women. Most likely, they didn't see it coming\"\n\n\"So he stands behind them, close enough to slice their throats, without them putting up a fight. No restraints and no defensive wounds suggest that the victims were comfortable with him, unless he surprised them somehow.\" Dylan reclined his seat, closing his eyes to aid his concentration. \"Did the victims have vehicles on site?\"\n\n\"Good question.\" Nate shuffled the papers again. \"The victim's cars were all found at their residences. So, he must have taken them to the kill site.\"\n\n\"What about interviews with friends and neighbors? Any man, other than their 'keeper,' on the scene?\" Jerry wrinkled her nose in distaste. \"We really need a better word than 'keeper.'\"\n\nDylan grinned, but his eyes remained closed. \"Take your pick: Sugar Daddy, Main Squeeze, Companion, John...\" his voice trailed off.\n\n\"'John is inaccurate, they're not prostitutes, not in the strictest sense of the word. These women were not doing anything illegal.\" Jerry protested.\n\n\"One of the men paying the bills was not married, so 'mistress' is also inaccurate across the board. Let's not get hung up on semantics. Call the boyfriends 'companions.'\" Nate looked up at Jerry. \"To answer your question, no, the first two victims did not have a new man in their life, at least according to the few interviews that the police conducted. No info on the latest victim.\"\n\n\"We should dig a little deeper. Chances are good that at least one of the women confided in her best friend, if she was seeing someone other than her companion.\" Jerry made a few notes.\n\n\"Good idea. We'll re-interview their closest friends.\" Nate nodded at Jerry. \"Though you'll probably have better luck getting close to them while you're undercover.\"\n\n\"What, you think there's some sort of club, or local hangout, for mistresses?\" Dylan laughed.\n\n\"No, smartass, but Jerry will be new in town. She'll need to join a yoga class, frequent the same spa, or whatever it is these women do all day.\"\n\n\"Yoga. Yuck.\" Jerry made a face. \"I could get behind spa visits, though. It's been awhile since I've been pampered. This assignment may not be so bad after all.\"\n\n\"You'd better hope that none of the besties are into dancing. I've seen your moves.\" Dylan nudged Jerry with his toe.\n\n\"Besties? What are you, thirteen? And, I'll have you know, I can cut a rug with the best of them. You're just jealous that I'll be spending my days with the ladies who lunch, while you'll be hitting the pavement, or twiddling your thumbs on surveillance.\" Jerry sneered at him, but he missed it.\n\n\"Cut a rug? What are you, sixty?\" Dylan chuckled, but still didn't open his eyes. He knew that keeping them closed would only make Jerry more aggravated. \"Besides, I'd much rather investigate Casanova than attend fancy-schmancy parties, or work on my tan.\" Dylan peeked at Jerry beneath his lashes, smiling at the thundercloud covering her face.\n\n\"At least I've got sense enough to fit into those fancy-schmancy parties. It's a good thing Interpol is sending their own agent, maybe now we won't blow the cover.\" Jerry sniped.\n\nNate was accustomed to Dylan and Jerry's back and forth. It was easy for him to ignore their banter as he scanned the remaining contents of the police files. There seemed to be a lot of information missing, either by a transmission mistake, or through shoddy police work. Surely the locals interviewed more than one neighbor, and one friend, of the first two victims. He made a mental note to request the complete files when they landed.\n\n\"Okay, if we assume the victims go with him willingly, and are comfortable being close to him, then he's either part of their social circle, or he meets them through their daily activities.\" Nate tapped his fingers on the armrest.\n\n\"He could be anything from a valet at a restaurant they frequent, to the guy installing their cable.\" Dylan sat up and reached for his laptop. \"We should check for any overlap during the last month of their lives.\"\n\n\"Sure, check, but I doubt that a woman who's living a life of luxury, courtesy of one man, would be willing to risk that falling apart for the cable guy.\" Jerry knew in her gut that she was right. \"However, she might be willing to trade up.\"\n\nDylan and Nate both looked at her.\n\n\"Trade up?\" Nate voiced their common question.\n\n\"Sure. Better looking, more money, maybe even marriage material, so she can get the whole enchilada, not just the peripheral pocket change.\" Jerry considered her theory before continuing. \"Maybe our guy is not only part of her circle, but the cr\u00e8me of the crop. Or at least he's making it appear so, to her.\"\n\n\"So, the unsub infiltrates her world, entices her to date him with a bigger bank account and his single, ready for marriage status, then goes in for the kill. Literally.\" Dylan nodded his head. \"I like it, it fits.\"\n\n\"It's definitely a possibility.\" Nate agreed. \"We'll know more when we get Interpol's profile.\" Nate stroked his chin absently, a sure tell that he was in deep thought. \"That scenario also fits the unsub's European moniker, Casanova Killer. You may be onto something, Jerry.\"\n\n\"Based on that theory, I think we should extend the age range of the standard profile, in a case like this, from a white male in his mid-to-late thirties, to one in his mid-to-late fifties.\" Dylan stretched his long legs into the aisle.\n\n\"Agreed.\" Nate nodded. Jerry typed as Nate continued. \"We know that his signature here is the same as for his kills in Europe. Selecting victims with similar physical characteristics, leaving them in plain sight in remote locations, killing them with a left to right slash across the throat, and his socio-economic preferences are the primary factors that led Barnes to believe he's relocated to San Francisco.\"\n\n\"He's either simulating wealth, or he is wealthy. If he's playing a role, the props for that lifestyle are not cheap. He'd need a lucrative source of income, just to buy the wardrobe and transportation to pull it off.\" Jerry stopped typing and considered the situation. \"His source of funds could be from other criminal activities. I mean if your passion is killing, then what's to stop you from robbery or dealing drugs?\"\n\n\"Barnes may shed more light on that, but it's a valid point. We've caught more than one serial by following the money trail.\" Nate nodded. \"But if he's dealing, it's high end. I doubt we'll find this one on the street corner.\"\n\n\"That brings up another point. How sure is Interpol that his first kills are the three in London? It's rare for a serial to start off without leaving a trace. He could have begun with prostitutes, or other high-risk victims, in order to perfect his craft.\" Dylan yawned and stretched.\n\n\"Surely they thought of that.\" Jerry commented. \"It's textbook profiling.\"\n\n\"I'm not so sure Interpol is big on psychological profiling. They're more into following concrete leads than insolating character traits and tracing patterns.\" Nate answered.\n\n\"No wonder they haven't caught him yet.\" Jerry mumbled. \"What do you know about Barnes?\"\n\n\"Not much. He's based in London and he's been with Interpol for eight years, primarily undercover. That's it, other than the fact that he's already established a cover we can use.\"\n\n\"Speaking of, what about my cover?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"You have a bay front condo, very posh, I might add.\" Nate grinned at her raised eyebrows. \"A personal shopper is filling your closet as we speak. You're all set to be the perfect pampered princess.\"\n\n\"Sounds great, do I get to keep the clothes?\" Jerry looked hopeful.\n\n\"Not hardly. We're doing this on San Francisco's dime. They're very eager to put this to rest sooner, rather than later.\"\n\n\"Serial killers don't exactly inspire tourist traffic,\" Dylan scoffed, \"but this one is so specific, that the average person is exempt.\"\n\n\"His target victim pool is one of the reasons we have such a large budget on this assignment. Who do you think donates to the arts, and helps make the city what it is, in order to attract the tourists? The people he's targeting. Don't forget that two of the victims had married lovers. The killer's actions caused an investigation that put a serious kink in their extracurricular activities.\"\n\n\"So, our investigation is also funded, in part, by an element of the elite private sector.\" Jerry grinned. \"Somehow, that makes me happy.\"\n\n\"Hey, you play, you pay.\" Dylan quipped.\n\nNate ignored his remark. \"You'll also have a limo at your disposal. The driver is one of ours from the San Francisco office. That way, you'll have backup when Barnes isn't around.\"\n\n\"If our theory holds, the killer will likely make contact when I'm alone. Do we know the three victim's routines?\"\n\n\"Jimmy's working on it. Only two of the women had a driver, the third drove herself around. He's pulling the GPS info for the month before her death, to try and establish some sort of routine. He should have something for us by the time we land.\"\n\n\"I still can't believe the agency hired someone so young for tech support. What is he, twelve?\" Dylan had been waiting for the newbie to screw up, but so far his support had been invaluable.\n\n\"Age is just a number, old man.\" Jerry teased. \"Besides, Jimmy's legal, barely, and he's a helluva lot better than the last tech guy they gave us.\"\n\n\"True, but he still seems too young for the job.\"\n\n\"You're just jealous that you didn't graduate from MIT when you were eighteen.\" Jerry poked Dylan's outstretched leg with her toe.\n\nDylan rolled his eyes at her, then continued. \"Maybe it's not the women he's targeting, as much as the men. Jimmy should look for overlaps in their lives as well.\"\n\n\"He's doing it as we speak.\" Nate commented, pleased that Dylan made the connection. These two were the best of the best, in spite of their constant back-and-forth nonsense. He was proud to have them on his team.\n\n\"Doesn't seem like there's anything we can do until we land.\" Dylan moved to a seat at the back of the plane. \"Wake me when we get there.\"\nChapter Three\n\nEthan Barnes flashed the flight attendant his most charming smile as he exited the plane. It was habit, more than a conscious effort to captivate, even though the effect was decidedly beguiling.\n\nEthan's rakish good looks, and slightly dangerous swagger, were never wasted on any female who crossed his path. He looked a bit like he'd just stepped off the cover of a decadent romance novel, complete with longish black hair, and muscles rippling beneath his tailored shirt. Accustomed to the attention, Ethan had learned to take the unwanted admiration in stride.\n\nStepping into the early morning haze that hovered over the bay, he was suddenly grateful for the side benefits of his wealthy playboy cover, specifically the sleek black town car propping up the driver, holding a sign that read, \"Ethan Bennett,\" his cover for the assignment. Exhausted from the thirteen hour flight, he was in no mood to try and navigate an unfamiliar city during rush hour.\n\nHanding his bag to the driver, with a nod in lieu of a handshake, he slid into the backseat. Momentarily surprised to find it occupied by a lanky stranger, holding a steaming mug of something that smelled like heaven, he quickly regrouped and held out his hand.\n\n\"You must be Nate.\" The stranger took his hand, nearly crushing it, until Ethan gave back as good as he got.\n\n\"Dylan Dawes. Nate's busy coordinating with the locals. Nice to meet you, Barnes.\" Dylan had studied the man's profile, so he knew what to expect, but the agency photo did not capture the aloof, I'm-so-much-better-than-you attitude of the man who climbed into the car.\n\nThe expression on the stranger's face belied his words. His scowl told Ethan that he'd taken his measure, and he'd somehow come up lacking.\n\n\"Pleasure. Are you with the FBI?\"\n\n\"SSCD, Special Serial Crimes Division.\" Dylan took pity on the foreign pretty boy and handed him a coffee. \"It's black, cream and sugar are in the bag.\" He tossed a paper bag across the seat, silently amused when Ethan missed it.\n\n\"Thanks. Didn't get much sleep on the plane.\" Ethan read the other man's disapproval and accepted it. Men didn't immediately warm to him. Whether he inspired fear, jealousy, or something in between, he was used to a chilly reception from his male counterparts. He wondered briefly which part of his person the surly man sitting across from him objected to the most.\n\nIgnoring Dylan's continued assessment, Ethan prepared his coffee with three sugars and two creams. The man would come around eventually. Or not. At the moment, he couldn't care less about Dylan Dawes' opinion. He only wanted to solve this case, before another woman was killed.\n\nThe driver eased away from the curve before lowering the privacy glass between the front and back seats. Ethan, eyebrows raised, looked questioningly at Dylan.\n\n\"That's Rodney, he's one of us. He'll be one of your drivers, as well as part of your back-up team.\"\n\n\"Nice to meet you, Rodney.\" Ethan nodded at the man wearing the chauffer's cap. \"Any news on the case?\" He asked both men.\n\n\"No news on Casanova, and no new victims. Jerry's set up at the condo, she's your undercover partner. We have a video conference scheduled with Nate and the team in thirty minutes.\"\n\n\"Is Jerry local FBI, or is she SSCD?\"\n\n\"SSCD, one of the best.\" Dylan's scowl deepened as he leveled his eyes at Ethan.\n\nEthan read the warning shot from Dawes' expression. So, that was the problem, he thought. They were a couple and Dawes' didn't like the idea of Ethan barging in on his territory. It was jealousy that prompted his mistrust.\n\n\"Good to know. She'll have to be, to catch this guy. He's slick.\" Ethan sipped his coffee, glancing out the window at the majestic span of orange metal in the distance. He'd always planned to visit San Francisco, but for pleasure, not business. Still, the city made a good first impression.\n\n\"We're anxious to hear what you know about him, the file was pretty slim.\" Dylan studied the ease with which Barnes lounged on the plush leather as he surveyed the city. Slick was exactly the word he would use, and not just for Casanova.\n\n\"That's because there's not much to report. The guy's a ghost.\" Ethan preferred to give the details to everyone at once, no need to repeat himself, just to satisfy Dylan Dawes.\n\n\"And you're sure that we're after the same unsub.\" Dylan's statement was more of a question.\n\n\"Looks like. The signature is the same. His trail went cold in Italy two months ago.\" Ethan settled back into his seat. \"Tell me about Jerry. What does she look like?\"\n\nSon of a bitch, Dylan thought, we're chasing a serial and this one wants a little something on the side. Well, not if he had anything to say about it. The last thing Jerry needed was Pretty Boy Slick to mess with her head. Holding his tongue, but determined to warn Jerry, he responded simply.\n\n\"She fits the profile.\"\n\n\"Tall, brunette, gorgeous? Hard to imagine an FBI agent that looks like that. No offense, but all of the blokes I've met from your agency are more nondescript. By blokes, I mean female agents as well.\" Ethan enjoyed the anger that flitted across Dylan's face, but he couldn't say why.\n\n\"You won't have to imagine it for long. We're nearly there.\" Dylan did not rise to the other man's bait. Hiding a smirk, he thought that he probably wouldn't have to say anything to Jerry. She would see straight through this asshat.\nChapter Four\n\nJerry snapped the laptop closed after perusing Ethan Barnes's profile for the tenth time. The man's background gave her confidence in his abilities, but there was much more to being a partner than the blurbs and highlights captured in a personnel file. If he looked anything like his profile picture, Jerry knew she would have no trouble pretending to be enamored with him.\n\nPictures and recommendations aside, Jerry's biggest concern was that he would not respect her as an equal. Without fail, every male the agency had partnered her with, had assumed that her biggest asset was her looks. She invariably spent the first few weeks proving that her appearance took a backseat to her sharp mind and her skills in the field. Trouble was, she didn't have weeks to prove her abilities to Barnes. They needed to hit the ground working as a team, if they had a prayer of stopping Casanova before he killed another woman.\n\nJerry glanced at the oversized clock hanging above the onyx bar top. They should be here any minute. Her gaze touched on the opulent furnishings that filled the expansive living area, before landing on the incredible vista of the bay and the city. The fifteenth-floor, corner condo was wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass. She could easily get lost in the views, as well as the luxuriously appointed, and slightly intimidating, living spaces. Her humble upbringing, and modest government salary, had not prepared her to live in such lavish elegance, in the heart of Nob Hill. Part of her was afraid she would get used to it.\n\nThe soft chime of the doorbell signaled her new partner's arrival. Jerry smoothed her hands over crisp linen pants, took a deep breath, and made her way to the door. Pasting on a smile that she hoped was welcoming and confident, she opened the door.\n\nInterpol's profile picture did not prepare her for the flesh-and-blood Adonis standing in the hall. Words of greeting lodged in her throat and her pulse rate soared, as she stood, and stared at, the most gorgeous man she'd ever met.\n\n\"What's the matter, Jer, cat got your tongue?\" Dylan smirked as he came up behind Ethan. \"You gonna let us in?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" Jerry found her composure and stepped aside, allowing the two men to enter.\n\n\"Jerry Forbes, Ethan Barnes.\" Dylan made the introduction on his way to the kitchen, leaving Jerry standing with her hand on the doorknob, and Ethan standing just inside the doorway, gripping a suitcase in each hand.\n\n\"Come in, please.\" Jerry swept her arm in an unconscious gesture of welcome, without removing her eyes from his piercing, green gaze. He seemed to look straight through her. Jerry felt a shiver run down her spine, but tried not to show it. \"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ethan.\"\n\n\"Likewise, I'm sure.\" Grateful that the speech portion of his brain managed to function on auto-pilot, Ethan couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the vision standing before him. In a split second, he clearly understood the meaning of the phrase \"struck by lightning.\" Tall and slender, with thick waves of caramel hair falling over both shoulders, Jerry Forbes stood nearly as tall as he, with sparkling blue eyes, shot with spears of green, set wide apart in a face that he could only think of as angelic. When her perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted in a silent question, Ethan realized that he'd been standing in the doorway, staring like a dumbstruck fool.\n\n\"Thank you,\" he murmured and stepped into the room, placing both cases on the shiny hardwoods. Stepping forward, he held out his hand.\n\nJerry still had not managed to look away from his intense gaze. From out of the blue, she imagined curling up against him on a rainy day, resting her head on his chest as his arms closed around her. She took his hand without hesitation, but as soon as their fingers touched, the comforting image morphed into one filled with white-hot passion that nearly took her breath away.\n\nEthan saw the flash of heat that deepened the blue, and brightened the green, in her eyes. He was having trouble masking his own reaction. Touching Jerry was like reaching his hand into a flame.\n\n\"You guys gonna stand there all day?\" Dylan came from the kitchen, coffee and muffin in hand. \"Nice digs, Jer. Damn site better than the Motel 6 we stayed in last week. What a dump.\"\n\nDylan's voice startled Jerry from her fantasy. She quickly retrieved her hand. \"So glad you approve. Ethan, would you like coffee?\"\n\n\"I would, thanks. What a spectacular view.\" Flashing a smile that sent Jerry's pulse into overdrive, Ethan moved to the windows.\n\n\"Stunning, isn't it? Wait until you see it at night.\" Jerry busied herself making coffee, and arranging a plate of pastries. \"Dylan, will Nate be joining us?\"\n\n\"Not in person. We'll video conference when Barnes is ready to share.\" Dylan propped his feet on the pewter and glass coffee table.\n\n\"I'm ready.\" Ethan ignored the barely disguised sneer in the other man's voice, and joined Jerry at the dinette table.\n\nDylan reached for the television remote, pressed a few buttons on his hand-held computer, and within seconds, Nate appeared on the oversized wall monitor.\n\n\"Nate Banks, meet Ethan Barnes.\" Dylan leaned back against the plush sofa, determined to take full advantage of the luxury while it was available.\n\nEthan raised his coffee cup to Nate. \"Pleasure. Thanks for letting me join your investigation.\"\n\nNate nodded, appreciating the fact that Barnes respected his position, even though both men knew that the decision to bring him in was out of Nate's hands.\n\n\"Glad you could join us. Morning Jerry. How's everything?\"\n\n\"Couldn't be better, Boss.\" She knew Nate was really asking if she was comfortable with Ethan.\n\n\"Good. Okay, Barnes, tell us what you know.\"\n\n\"You have the file, so you know the basics.\" Ethan began. \"As far as we know, Casanova began killing in Central London, ten months ago.\"\n\nJerry listened attentively as Ethan recapped the basics, adding his impressions of the killer, and outlining Interpol's efforts for identifying Casanova. She was captivated by his melodious tone and lilting accent, despite the horrendous crimes he was describing. As he spoke, she tried to place his home country without success. His speech contained hints of Australia, with an overtone of something exotic. As his file had not included background information, prior to his joining Interpol, she'd just have to find out on her own.\n\n\"So, you've been mingling with the rich and famous, hoping this guy will fall in your lap. Meanwhile, he jumped over here and started killing our women.\" Dylan knew he sounded surly, but he didn't care. Ethan Barnes rubbed him the wrong way.\n\n\"Not exactly, but I can understand why _you_ might take that approach.\" Ethan remained unruffled, smoothly turning Dylan's insult back on him. \"His last victim, Carolina Agave, was one of my informants. I approached her because she fit his profile to the letter, and I wanted her to be on guard.\" Ethan lowered his eyes and took a sip of cold coffee. \"The night before she was killed, she left me a message describing a new man, who had struck up a conversation with her, that evening, at a local nightclub. Her lover had not accompanied her, she was out with a few friends.\"\n\nEthan paused briefly and took a deep breath. No one interrupted him. \"I didn't get the message until the next day. As soon as I received it, I called round to her flat. According to a watchful neighbor, and a very hungry cat, she had not come home at all from the night before. We found her the next day, on the cliffs, just outside the city.\"\n\n\"What was the description?\" Nate asked.\n\n\"Tall, 6'3\" or 6'4\", she thought. Caucasian, blond hair and dark brown eyes. British accent, but he looked like a Nordic God. Her words, not mine.\"\n\n\"That's something to go on, at least, but he could easily change both his hair, and his eye color, if he thinks you're onto him.\" Jerry could tell that Ethan was disturbed by the story. Every instinct called for her to reach out to him, but she refrained.\n\n\"He knew we were onto him, all right.\" Ethan's eyes darkened in anger. \"Best we can figure, he overheard her leaving the message. She disappeared from the club, shortly after making the call, according to her friends, none of whom saw the man she met.\" Ethan took another deep breath and continued. \"From everything we know about his other kills, she was the only one he didn't romance, for at least a week, before the murder. She also had defensive wounds on her arms. She put up a fight.\"\n\n\"What about surveillance at the club?\" Dylan asked.\n\n\"It was ultra-private, no surveillance whatsoever.\"\n\n\"If he overheard her phone call, he could track it from her cell. How do you know you're not made?\" Nate leaned closer to the screen, his face filling the monitor.\n\n\"We used a disposable phone, I believe you call them burner phones. To answer your next question, I spoke with her, but she actually only ever met my partner. Any description she might have given him was of a petite, blond female she met at the gym.\"\n\n\"Where's your partner now?\" Dylan narrowed his eyes when he looked at Ethan.\n\n\"She's now a redhead on assignment in Ireland. We rarely work with the same team on consecutive cases.\" Ethan explained. \"She left the Riviera before we found Carolina's body. I stayed for another month, but he never resurfaced anywhere in Europe.\"\n\nJerry warmed Ethan's coffee, then passed him a muffin. \"We'd already concluded that he romances his victims, but we don't know if he exclusively selects mistresses. Is any wealthy brunette traveling in these elevated social circles fair game, or does he enjoy the power of taking another man's woman?\"\n\n\"Thanks.\" Ethan smiled. \"I can't say what he enjoys, but all of his victims have been in an exclusive relationship with a very wealthy, often married, man. I understand that the same holds true here.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Jerry began. \"Two of the local victim's companions are married, the other is just filthy rich.\"\n\n\"If he knows that the authorities were onto him in Europe, wouldn't any new player with an accent, raise a red flag in San Francisco?\" Dylan directed his question to Nate.\n\n\"Possibly, but wealthy Europeans visit the city all the time. Casanova would need more information in order to make Ethan as an agent.\" Nate quickly scanned a file. \"Besides, his cover story is impeccable. What prompted you to spend the last few weeks in Greece? Did you have any leads at all?\" Nate asked Ethan.\n\n\"No leads, but I wanted to maintain my cover. I also spent time in Paris, prior to sailing the Mediterranean. I knew the bastard would resurface, I just didn't think it would be in the states.\"\n\n\"His coming here is probably your best chance to catch him. It's obvious that whatever you were doing in Europe wasn't working.\" Dylan stared at Ethan, practically daring him to argue.\n\nJerry shot Dylan a pointed look, designed to get him to back off. \"What Dylan means is that we work a little differently than Interpol. SSCD teams are trained to create a profile of the killer based on victimology, personality, and other identifying characteristics, such as their signature. Profiles help us reduce the number of available suspects, and sometimes, predict an unsub's next move.\"\n\n\"The psychology of the killer is just as important to your group as the who, what, when, where and how.\" Ethan nodded. \"I can see where that would be helpful. Have you profiled Casanova?\"\n\n\"Partially. The socio-economic patterns of his victims tell us that he's accustomed to wealth, either through his business relationships, or his own social network. My guess is that he visibly has all the trappings; flashy car, nice clothes, and so on, or these women would not risk their current relationships. He's educated, intelligent, and has the social skills necessary to fit in with the lifestyle.\"\n\n\"From everything we've learned so far, I'd say you were spot on. As adept as he is in infiltrating his victims' social circles, he's equally savvy about avoiding surveillance cameras or meeting friends of his targets.\"\n\n\"It's hard to believe that, in this age of candid camera, he could be invisible.\" Dylan stood, stretched, and headed for more coffee.\n\n\"Just another indicator that he has enough money at his disposal to change his appearance, his vehicles, and his home base, at will. Add to that the fact that we discovered the bodies of most of his victims, long after he killed them. Any surveillance vids available were either erased, or destroyed, in the meantime. The only two exceptions are Carolina, and the woman found on the cliffs, two days ago, Jenna.\" Ethan ran his hand through his hair. \"All of the victims here have been discovered more quickly than his other kills, except Carolina. If we've any chance at surveillance footage, I'd say we work backwards, starting with Jenna Pierce.\"\n\n\"We're already on it. For a socialite, Jenna led a relatively quiet life, from the bits and pieces we've unearthed so far. Her companion, John Meadows, had taken his family on two-week vacation in the South of France. He returns home tomorrow. I spoke with him earlier this morning, but he knew little of Jenna's daily routine. Our tech department is going over her credit card statements to try and form a pattern of her activities.\"\n\nJerry stood and began to pace, a sure sign that the wheels were turning. Ethan watched as she moved along the span of windows, openly admiring the unconscious grace with which she moved.\n\n\"Three kills in less than a month doesn't leave a lot of time for romancing his victims, even if he's working more than one at a time. He'd have to stalk them before hand, at least a little, to find the perfect intro into their lives.\" Jerry had no idea of the picture she made as she paced.\n\n\"He did disappear for two months. He could have been stalking them during that time, now he's picking them off, one by one.\" Dylan added as he surreptitiously watched Ethan watch Jerry. He didn't like the gleam in the other man's eye.\n\n\"You think he made a list, now he's working it? It's plausible, but that means that he could strike again, sooner than we initially calculated.\" Nate's phone buzzed as he spoke.\n\n\"I'd say the scenario is more than plausible, it's highly likely. Serials do not typically go dormant, unless they're dead or in prison. He had to be getting his kicks, even if he was only planning, and stalking.\" Jerry stopped and looked out the window, in the direction of the bridge. \"Stalking and creating a list could also be part of his process. How sure are you that he was in London for the entire six months when the bodies were found?\" She turned to face Ethan. \"Could he have already been on the Riviera, stalking his next group?\"\n\n\"Absolutely, even if he flew over for a few days at a time. It's only a little over one thousand kilometers between Portofino and London. The four bodies were strewn on the cliffs between Portofino and San Remo, but he met Carolina in a Portofino night club, so we think that was his base.\"\n\n\"If this holds true, he's already \"dating\" his next victim, maybe even the next two.\" Jerry started pacing again. \"We need to get me on that list.\"\n\n\"Jimmy should have a game plan for us by lunch today. Dylan, I need you to begin re-interviewing friends and neighbors. Check your email for the list.\" Nate looked straight at Ethan, but spoke to Jerry. \"Jerry, you and Ethan spend the morning getting to know each other. When you appear in public, you have to be convincing.\"\n\nEthan read between the lines of Nate's message. 'Hands Off, Keep it Professional' came through loud and clear. Jerry didn't seem to notice the innuendo, so Ethan nodded once at Nate to show he understood. What in the hell did these Americans think he was? Ethan thought. Between Dylan's barely disguised animosity, and Nate's private warning, the two men must think him as bad as Casanova.\n\n\"Will do, Boss. Thanks.\" Jerry smiled at Nate's face on the monitor as she turned.\n\nDylan switched off the television and searched his email for names and addresses. \"Looks like I'll be in the neighborhood most of the day. Call me if you need anything.\" He, too, addressed Jerry but stared at Ethan.\n\n\"Sure, sure. We'll be fine. Come back by for lunch, if you like. The fridge is stocked.\" Jerry stopped pacing long enough to say goodbye to Dylan.\n\n\"I may do that. Barnes.\" Dylan's unsmiling nod was a warning in itself.\n\nEthan was glad to see the man go. His attitude was beginning to get under his skin. After a long flight, and even longer few months, being scrutinized by Dylan Dawes was the last thing he needed. Turning his attention to Jerry, he leaned back, letting himself admire the focus and energy she was already devoting to this case. He could practically see her brain spinning as her long legs ate up the floor. Ethan's mind was moving almost as fast as Jerry's appeared to be, only his thoughts centered on her, not the case.\n\nDamn, had he ever seen such a beautifully enigmatic creature? Everything about her spoke of quality, but he'd sensed the fire inside of her. Hell, he'd almost been burned by it.\n\nRemembering the touch of her skin, he felt his own begin to tingle. What the hell was happening to him? No wonder Dawes and Nate were protective of her. If every man who met her had the same reaction he did, she had to be one special woman.\n\nAnd what about Dawes? He'd assumed that Dylan's attitude was due to him and Jerry being a couple, but they sure didn't act like it. He'd never touched her, hardly ever looked at her, the whole time he'd been here. Could it be that they were just friends and partners, not lovers?\n\n\"Tell me about the women in Europe.\" Jerry's demand broke through his musings, none too soon as far as he was concerned. He didn't like the direction his thoughts were traveling.\n\n\"What would you like to know?\" He focused on her eyes; they were back to a bright shade of blue with hints of green, totally clear as she stopped and looked into his.\n\n\"How did they dress, how did they wear their hair, how did they carry themselves?\" Jerry began pacing again. \"Were they classy, slutty or something in-between?\"\n\n\"Primarily classy, but not stuffy. Their wardrobes were the edgy side of couture; I guess you'd say they dressed appropriately for their age. Each of the women had long brown hair, similar to yours.\" But nowhere near as beautiful, he thought. \"Each woman was strikingly beautiful, as are you.\" Ethan stopped before he said too much. He wouldn't have her thinking he was already smitten, even if he did feel like a love-struck puppy.\n\nJerry blushed, but turned away from him to hide it. He thinks I'm beautiful, she thought, then swiftly brushed the thought away. She knew she was beautiful, hadn't her looks been a curse for as long as she could remember? No one took her seriously growing up, she'd been fending off unwanted male attraction for as long as she could remember. Shuddering slightly, she pushed those thoughts away as well.\n\n\"What did they do all day?\" She asked. \"When they weren't busy entertaining their companions?\"\n\n\"They were all incredibly fit, but none belonged to the same gym, or used the same personal trainer. Aside from keeping themselves beautiful, they shopped.\"\n\n\"That's it? No charity work, no hobbies, just shopping?\" Jerry's look of incredulity made him laugh.\n\n\"That's about it. Though they surely had other interests, but none that we've uncovered. One woman in England liked to paint, but for the most part they pampered themselves, when they weren't trying to maintain their beauty.\" Ethan stood, gathered the coffee cups, and went to the kitchen. \"What would you do if you were in their shoes?\"\n\n\"I am in their shoes, sort of. But to answer your question, I would have to find some other way to stay busy. Maybe I'd travel.\"\n\n\"Not possible. Part of her job description is 24-7 availability. When he calls, she's there.\" Ethan came back in the room and moved to stand at the window, near Jerry.\n\n\"You're right. Okay then, I would at least find a hobby. Not painting, I can't draw a straight line if my life depended on it. I love to read, so I could do that for part of the day. Maybe I'd take up needlepoint, or beading, or gardening. Who knows? I can't imagine _not_ being productive in some way.\" Jerry glanced at Ethan, noticing that he'd stepped closer to her.\n\n\"No idle hands for you, then?\" His voice was softer than before, probably because he was suddenly so close.\n\n\"No. What are you doing?\" Jerry turned to face him, but didn't step away. She believed in holding her ground, but she doubted she could move, even if she wanted to.\n\n\"You heard Nate. We have to get comfortable with each other before we go out in public.\" He stepped even closer, tilting her chin up with one long finger. \"I think I'll kiss you,\" he murmured, his eyes boring into hers.\n\n\"You think you'll...\" Jerry's words disappeared as his lips met hers, gently, sweetly, with barely an ounce of pressure. As quickly as he touched her, he pulled back. His eyes, softer now, were nearly covered with long black lashes. Instantly dizzy, Jerry braced her hands on his waist to keep from falling.\n\n\"Did you mind?\" His eyes were smiling now, almost as if he could see the erotic images racing through her mind.\n\n\"Only if you stop,\" she told him and raised her lips to his. It's just a kiss, she told herself, even as he folded her in his arms, taking them both deeper. Swirls of light filled her head, competing with the fireworks she swore she heard in the background.\nChapter Five\n\n\"What time is he picking you up?\" Kim's voice came through the speaker as Sonja placed the phone on her dressing table.\n\n\"He said one, so I have to hurry. He's always so punctual.\" She began smoothing moisturizer on her face.\n\n\"Must be a British thing. Charlie couldn't be on time if the house was on fire.\" Kim sighed. \"Where are you going today?\"\n\n\"He said to dress for an outdoor adventure, and to wear comfortable shoes, but he wouldn't tell me where we're going. There're so many hiking trails around here that it could be anything.\" Sonja inspected her nails as she waited for the moisturizer to soak into her face.\n\n\"When's Randall coming home? Aren't you worried that he'll find out about your English suitor, Mr. Wonderful?\" Kim giggled.\n\n\"He'll be back on Friday, so I'm not worried. Besides, he'll have to make nice with Charlotte before he sees me.\" Satisfied that she could get by without a touch-up, she dropped her hands, and began applying color to her eyelids.\n\n\"I know how that is. Charlie used to come straight to me, but now he always placates his wife first. Doesn't matter to me, as long as he pays the bills.\" Kim laughed.\n\n\"I hear that.\" Sonja's laugh was like a child's; high-pitched and free. \"If I play my cards right with Oscar, I'll be the one in the big house.\"\n\n\"Oscar. Who names their child Oscar?\" Kim asked.\n\n\"Old money, baby, that's who. It's a family name, handed down for generations to the first-born son. Along with all of that lovely green stuff. Or gold. Or whatever.\" Sonja applied her face like a pro. Within minutes she stared back at the improved version in the dressing mirror. \"He makes me feel like a princess. I really do like him, so much,\" she confided.\n\n\"You're so lucky. Finding a young, rich, gorgeous man who isn't already taken, or gay, is such a coup. When do I get to meet him, and does he have any friends?\"\n\n\"I know, right? It's such a pleasure to be with someone close to my own age, no little blue pills for Oscar!\" Sonja's laugh rang through the phone line, sounding more genuine than she felt. Truth was, Oscar had not made a move towards the bedroom, but she couldn't tell Kim that. His steamy kisses told her how attractive he found her, but that was the extent of their physical relationship. Perhaps today would be the day he took it to the next level. \"Sorry, babe, I've gotta bolt. He'll be here any minute, and I need to get dressed.\"\n\n\"Have a great time, call me tomorrow!\" Kim enthused.\n\n\"Thanks, I will. Say hi to Charlie for me. Remember, you can't say a word to him, or anyone, about Oscar. I can't risk Randall hearing about us before I'm ready to tell him.\"\n\n\"Don't worry, I won't spoil your fun. Just remember your friends when you land the whale.\"\n\nSonja giggled. \"From your lips.\"\nChapter Six\n\n\"I can't imagine why anyone would want to go out in public in this getup.\" Jerry grumbled walking into the great room of her Nob Hill condo. \"I look like a rainbow Popsicle.\" She pulled the colorful leotard higher on her shoulders.\n\nBoth men stared as she entered the room, Dylan's sandwich poised halfway to his mouth, and Ethan's coffee cup suspended in midair. Dylan found his voice first.\n\n\"I can tell you why, you look amazing. Make sure you wear a coat, or else you'll stop traffic.\" Dylan grinned at Jerry's blush.\n\n\"Yes, ummm, yes.\" Ethan's tongue wouldn't work, and his thoughts were all jumbled. Seeing Jerry dressed in a body sculpting leotard and matching tights nearly caused his heart to stop.\n\n\"Shouldn't there be more to it than this? I'm doing yoga, not ballet.\" Self-conscious, but determined not to show it, Jerry moved towards the kitchen. \"What's wrong with a decent pair of sweats? I can downward dog with the best of them, just fine, in my old clothes.\"\n\n\"Check the dresser, there should be coordinating pants.\" Dylan told her, then went back to his sandwich. \"Katherine took yoga.\" He answered Jerry's unspoken question.\n\n\"Thanks, I'll look after I eat. How is the ex, by the way? You haven't mentioned her lately.\" Jerry went about preparing her lunch.\n\n\"Things are good. We're finally on speaking terms again. How about bringing some chips to the table when you come.\"\n\nJerry grabbed a bag from the stocked pantry and joined the men. Ethan was looking everywhere but at her.\n\n\"That's good. What's it been, three years since the divorce?\" Jerry handed Dylan the chips.\n\n\"Something like that.\" Tearing open the bag, he chose to change the subject. \"So, yoga this afternoon, then an appointment at the salon. Sounds exhausting.\" He grinned.\n\n\"Bite me. So what did you find out this morning?\"\n\n\"Not much. The neighbors were useless. Apparently, people keep to themselves around here. The latest victim, Jenna, had a doorman. I'm meeting him this afternoon. He's been on vacation since she disappeared, the cops haven't even talked to him yet. Maybe he can shed some light.\"\n\n\"Doormen can be excellent sources. Bring cash.\" Ethan finally found his voice.\n\n\"Got it covered.\" Dylan nodded, then attacked his lunch.\n\n\"You're not eating?\" Jerry asked Ethan. Since their searing kiss earlier, they had both been careful not to touch the other. She wondered if it had affected him, as much as it had affected her. The kiss cemented their chemistry, no one would doubt they were a couple. They had spent most of their free time chatting, getting to know likes and dislikes that meant nothing to the case, but everything to their supposed romance. Jerry liked knowing that he loved dogs, enjoyed reading, and played rugby. She'd also found that opening up to him about her own life was effortless.\n\n\"Not yet, I'll get something later. My body thinks it's in Europe.\" His answering smile warmed her heart, and made her toes curl, just a little.\n\n\"Sorry, forgot. Nate asked me to tell you that you've got eight o'clock reservations for dinner tonight, at Quincette.\" Dylan noticed the energy change between Jerry and Ethan, and wondered if she was taken in by the slick bastard. He made a mental note to talk to her later.\n\n\"Thanks. Any particular reason for that restaurant?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"Nope, just that it's high end, and popular among the beautiful people.\" Dylan grinned at her again. \"I'm sure you'll fit right in.\"\n\n\"The idea is for us to be seen, we'll be dining out a lot in the next few days. It's better if we have drinks at one location, then move on to another for dinner. We can cover more ground that way. We should also attend the opera one night, and obtain an invitation to any important events in the next week.\" Ethan snagged a chip from Jerry's plate.\n\n\"That shouldn't be too difficult, considering the city is rolling out the red carpet for our investigation. I'm sure Nate is already working on it.\" Jerry slid a sideways look at Ethan, imagining how he would look in a tux. She couldn't wait. \"Is there anyone in particular that I should make friends with in the yoga class? Nate's text was pretty generic.\"\n\n\"I'm not sure. Rodney may have more info. He's with the local office, and will be your driver this afternoon.\" Dylan picked up his empty plate and headed for the kitchen. Keep your phone handy, I'll let you know if the doorman knows anything.\" Turning to face Ethan, Dylan continued. \"Why don't you hang here, get some shut-eye. You look like you could use it.\"\n\n\"Thanks, I think I will.\" Ethan took Dylan's comment in stride and didn't rise to the bait. \"Let me know if you find out anything.\"\n\n~~~\n\nWithin minutes of Dylan and Jerry leaving the condo, Ethan crashed on top of the bed. Dreams of a certain caramel-haired beauty peppered his sleep, until the insistent buzzing of his phone broke through.\n\n\"Yeah.\" He muttered into the phone.\n\n\"Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, Barnes, but I thought you'd want to hear this.\" Dylan's voice boomed through the phone, jarring Ethan awake. Glancing at the clock, he realized that he'd only been sleeping an hour.\n\n\"What've you got?\" He asked.\n\n\"The doorman remembers a man in a red Maserati Gran Turismo convertible picking Jenna up a few times last week. He never saw his face, but the car was unforgettable. Brand new, custom rims, with black interior.\"\n\n\"That should narrow down the suspect pool. How many red Maserati convertibles could there be in this city?\"\n\n\"You'd be surprised, but we're on it. Question is, is our guy stupid enough to keep driving that car, after Jenna's body was found? I doubt it.\"\n\n\"Casanova is definitely not stupid. Still, it's a good lead.\"\n\n\"It could be. Go back to sleep.\" Dylan disconnected.\n\n~~~\n\n\"That was intense.\" Jerry struck up a conversation with the twenty-something, buxom, blond, standing next to her at the athletic club's juice bar. The woman had managed the routine seamlessly, Jerry was a little envious of her flexibility.\n\n\"Always is, Sinjen really knows his stuff.\" The blonde smiled and struck a pose, one elbow on the bar.\n\n\"You were great. With your moves, you could be teaching the class.\" Jerry assumed that flattery would ingratiate her into the woman's world.\n\n\"Thanks. I'm here nearly every day, I should be good at it by now.\" The blonde's smile deepened, becoming more genuine. \"I haven't noticed you here before.\"\n\n\"It's my first time. I'm Jerry.\" Jerry briefly wondered about the protocol for meeting after a yoga class, should she extend her hand? She opted for a relaxed pose, as both hands were filled.\n\n\"I'm Kim, nice to meet you.\" Kim motioned to a nearby table. \"Care to sit? I'm always so relaxed after class, standing is a chore.\"\n\n\"Sure, thanks.\" Jerry followed her to the small table. \"I'm afraid I'll be paying for the class tomorrow. It's been awhile since I've stretched my body that way.\" She laughed.\n\n\"Yeah, you'll be paying for it.\" Kim laughed. \"Are you new in town, or just new to the club?\"\n\n\"New in town. My friend has business in the area, so we'll be here for at least six months. I couldn't just shop, or sit home all day, you know? So, I joined the club.\" Jerry slid easily into the role. \"I mean, a girl's gotta stay in shape, right?\" She winked and hoped it looked natural.\n\n\"Definitely. I see my body as one of my biggest assets.\" Kim sat up a little straighter. \"Charlie, my _friend_ , sees it that way too.\" Kim laughed as she emphasized the word 'friend.'\n\n\"I can see why. It definitely pays to stay in shape.\" Jerry laughed, tossing her hair back.\n\n\"I'll say. You seem to stay fit, what's your secret, if it's not yoga?\" Kim felt an instant kinship with Jerry. They were obviously cut from the same cloth.\n\n\"I box, at least, I used to.\" Jerry frowned slightly. \"No, really,\" she responded to Kim's raised eyebrows. \"It's a great way to maintain all this,\" she indicated her body with a sweep of her hand, \"and release frustration at the same time.\"\n\n\"That's something I've never considered. Boxing. Why did you stop?\" Kim was intrigued, she knew something about frustration.\n\n\"My sparring partner became too aggressive, and I got bruised. Ethan, my _friend_ , didn't like it. So I stopped.\" Jerry tossed her hair again. \"We moved here a week later. This is the first opportunity I've had to work out at all.\"\n\n\"We do have to keep our _friends_ happy.\" Kim smiled in sympathy. \"You have beautiful hair, it reminds me of my friend, Sonja's,\" she added.\n\n\"Thanks. It's a job keeping it long, but Ethan likes it. I'd have it short, like yours, if it were up to me.\" Jerry preened a little, as was expected. \"Does Sonja take classes here, too? I need to find a good stylist in the area, one who can deal with long hair.\"\n\n\"Yes, but she had other plans this afternoon. She'll probably be here tomorrow. You can meet her then, if you come back.\"\n\n\"If I can get out of bed, you mean.\" Jerry laughed.\n\nKim looked at her watch, a white gold Rolex Cellini Cellissima. \"Oops, I've gotta run. Charlie's dropping by after work today. It was nice talking with you, Jerry. I hope you make it back tomorrow.\" Kim's smile was as genuine as the diamonds encircling her watch.\n\n\"Thanks, Kim, I'll try. It was nice meeting you, too.\" Jerry raised her orange juice and nodded, grateful that she didn't wear her old, reliable Timex to class. As Kim left, Jerry found her phone and sent a text to Dylan, asking for an update. She hoped Ethan was sleeping; he'd looked dead on his feet when she'd left the condo.\n\nWhile waiting for Dylan's response, she sipped her juice and let her mind shift to the roller coaster ride of emotions she'd felt since meeting Ethan Barnes. To say that he was a surprise was a gross understatement. Up until that very morning, Jerry had secretly harbored a crush on Dylan. She was biding her time, until he seemed ready to move on, after his divorce. She knew how crazy it was to fall for a coworker, and she didn't sit idly by, waiting for the phone to ring. She enjoyed dating, but thoughts of Dylan were always in the back of her mind. He was the measuring stick she used to judge all other men. Until this morning.\n\nIt occurred to her that she hadn't compared Ethan to Dylan once. In fact, whatever romantic feelings she thought she had for Dylan, seemed to vanish, as soon as she opened the door to Ethan. Strange.\n\nAnd that kiss, she thought, feeling an involuntary shudder race through her. That kiss was like nothing she'd ever experienced, and she'd kissed her fair share of men. \"None who looked like that,\" she muttered aloud. Her physical reaction to him had been startling, but the attraction had only deepened as she'd gotten to know him.\n\nHe'd shared a little of his childhood, growing up on the Gold Coast of Australia. His father was a Diplomat, his mother was a pediatrician. Shades of loneliness had crept into his voice when he talked of being an only child, but they were soon overshadowed by the obvious love he felt for his family. \"They gave me everything,\" he'd said, \"a solid foundation, education, travel, and most of all, their time. As busy as they were, I always knew that I came first.\" Jerry envied him that, and had managed to quickly change the subject when he asked about her childhood. For some reason, she didn't want to lie to Ethan, but she was also not ready to tell him the ugly truth, especially in the face of his idyllic upbringing.\n\nDylan's detailed text came through, just as she rose to leave the club. A red Maserati, she read. Could Casanova be more conspicuous? Stepping outside into the damp day, she wished she could be investigating with Dylan, rather than going to a stupid nail appointment.\n\nRodney stood ready to open the back door of the shiny black town car. He looked as bored as she felt.\n\n\"Thanks,\" she said and slid onto the cool luxury of the beige leather seats.\n\n\"Home to change?\" Rodney asked as he started the car.\n\n\"Nope, no time. They'll have to take me as I am.\" Luckily, Dylan had been right about the matching pants to the ridiculously colorful leotard. She'd also found a jacket to complete the camouflage.\n\n\"Any luck?\" Rodney was a man of few words.\n\n\"Maybe, I made a new friend who may have a friend fitting Casanova's type. We'll see tomorrow.\" Jerry relaxed as Rodney maneuvered his way through the crowded streets. \"What about you, see anyone interesting hanging around?\"\n\n\"You mean did I see anyone driving a red Mas? No such luck. Nate thinks he's stashed the car, too smart to drive it around now.\"\n\n\"I agree with Nate. This guy's no dummy, but doesn't it seem odd to you that he would be so conspicuous in the first place? Most serials blend in; this guy is practically thumbing his nose at us. He's either too cocky, or he has more than one luxury vehicle at his disposal.\"\n\n\"Nate thinks he's got a private garage somewhere. It's the only way he could disappear in the city. Traffic cams are everywhere.\" Rodney brought the car to a smooth stop in front of a trendy-looking salon.\n\n\"Too trendy.\" Jerry wrinkled her nose in distaste as she waited for him to open the door. \"Back in an hour or so,\" she told him with an apologetic smile. She knew that one of the worst things a good agent could experience was downtime. She could tell that Rodney was not a fan of being a glorified bodyguard.\n\n\"I'll be here.\" He smiled back at her in understanding. \"At least I've got a scanner.\"\nChapter Seven\n\n\"Oh, Oscar, what a beautiful spot for a picnic. The sun will set directly in front of us. However did you find it? It's so far from civilization.\" Sonja walked to the edge of the deserted cliff, peeking over at the churning Pacific below.\n\n\"Anything for you, my dear. I wanted today to be special, just the two of us.\" The man calling himself Oscar spread a blanket near the edge of the cliff. He considered actually going along with the picnic, the sunset promised to be spectacular.\n\nIt had taken him days of hiking to find this spot. After the last debacle, he needed to be certain that this one's body would not be discovered too soon. He liked San Francisco, and would prefer to settle in for a bit.\n\n\"Come sit with me, Os.\" Sonja settled onto the blanket, holding out her hand.\n\nHe managed not to cringe at the insipid nickname she insisted on using. Instead, he took her hand and settled beside her. Her use of the nickname clarified his decision. He would enjoy the picnic, after he'd taken care of her.\n\nThis one reminded him the most of his fianc\u00e9, Elizabeth. There was something about the way she raised her eyebrows when she spoke that sent him rushing back to the most idyllic time of his life. Even now, as the one beside him prattled on about the scenery, his thoughts drifted to his one and only true love, his Beth.\n\nTheir time together had been much too brief, but it had been perfect. At least until the end. Beth was everything he'd ever imagined his wife to be; beautiful, statuesque, cultured and accomplished. She complemented him in every way.\n\nHad Sonja bothered to look at Oscar just then, she might have mistaken the light in his eyes as love for her. Instead, Sonja leaned back against him, continuing her tale of childhood adventures on the rocky beaches of Maine. The man she called Oscar continued to remember his Beth, with the slanted perspective that only one with his particular delusional disorder could conjure.\n\nBeth loved him, of that he was certain. He never understood why she tried to hide from him near the end, or how she could lay in another man's bed.\n\nThe man's eyes darkened as he remembered the rage he felt, walking in on his Beth, opening her legs for that nouveau riche peasant. He could still see the fear, and pain, in her lover's eyes, as he stripped him of his skin, and smell the scent of burning flesh, as he made the man pay for his sins. It surprised and pleased him that, even now, he could hear his Beth screaming as he forced her to watch her lover's punishment.\n\nIt was a point of honor for him that he'd been merciful when he killed Beth. Honorable though it was, her death had not been as satisfying as it should have been. Thus began his quest to duplicate the experience, in hopes that he would finally find true satisfaction.\n\nGlancing down at the woman who'd plastered herself against him, 'Oscar' took a deep breath. Maybe this one would give him what he needed.\n\n\"Let's take a walk,\" he invited, as soon as she stopped talking long enough to take a breath. \"The sun will be setting soon, and I'd like to find the perfect spot to watch.\" He gently pushed her away from his body, stood, then held out his hand to her.\n\n\"Sure, Os, but I don't know where we'll find a better spot than this one.\" Sonja smiled and let him pull her to her feet.\n\n\"Let's get closer to the edge,\" he suggested, leading the way. As docile as a kitten, she followed him.\n\nMinutes later, his task complete, the man settled back on the blanket and reached into the picnic basket. The sun was a large, orange, orb that deepened in color with every passing second. As it dipped below the watery horizon, he enjoyed a sip of champagne, and a taste of goose liver, while he considered his next move. Though he had enjoyed the kill, this one had not brought the peace he'd been searching for. Without a doubt, he knew that she was out there, the brunette beauty whose death would be enough.\n\nHe would simply have to keep looking.\nChapter Eight\n\nEthan struggled from sleep as a shaft of light fell across his face. Someone had opened the curtains.\n\n\"Ethan,\" Jerry prodded softly. \"Wake up. We have to get ready for dinner.\" She hated to wake him, but it couldn't be helped.\n\nGroaning, Ethan opened one eye to see Jerry standing in front of him, still wearing her yoga outfit. He felt his body respond automatically, partially from the dream he'd been having about her, and partially from the memory of the way she'd looked without the pants and jacket. In that second, he was grateful to be lying face down.\n\n\"I'm up. What time is it?\" His eyes were open, but he made no move to sit. Having her in his bedroom was disconcerting, and felt much too intimate. Jerry turned to leave.\n\n\"It's nearly six. I'm sorry to wake you, but I need the room.\" Jerry reached the door and glanced back to see him, still lying down, but watching her intently.\n\n\"Of course, I'll be in out in a sec.\"\n\n\"I'll put on some coffee.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\" He waited until she closed the door before daring to sit up. \"Damnation,\" he whispered. I'm acting like a teenager, raging hormones and all. She probably thinks I'm daft.\" Staring down at the evidence of his arousal, he growled. \"Stop thinking about her, or you'll never be able to move.\"\n\nJerry placed a coffee cup on the table, just as Ethan stepped into the great room.\n\n\"Thanks, that smells wonderful.\" She could swear she saw his color heighten as he spoke to her.\n\n\"You're welcome. I'm heading for the shower. There're plenty of snacks, if you're hungry.\"\n\n\"I'm famished, thanks. Sorry I slept so long, any news?\"\n\n\"No, nothing important since you spoke with Dylan. I won't be long.\" Jerry disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.\n\nThe cavernous bathroom was large enough for a family of four, but Jerry still hated sharing it with a stranger. Especially a stranger that made her pulse race, with his sleepy bedroom eyes, and hair that begged her to touch.\n\nThe powder room was also generous, with plenty of room for Ethan to get dressed. It didn't have a shower, so they had no choice but to share the one in the master bath.\n\nJerry surveyed the variety of pots, bottles, and colorful containers that lined the vanity section of the bath. She had no idea what to do with half of that stuff, couldn't imagine why anyone would need so many different powders and lotions. The stylist left them here for a reason; she would just have to suck it up, and learn what was what.\n\nThirty minutes later, Jerry left the bathroom covered in creams and lotions, and a slinky bathrobe designed to leave little to the imagination. Thankfully, she had a few of her own belongings in the go-bag she kept at the office. She rummaged through it now, searching for a pair of old sweats that would be more presentable than the silky bit of fabric, molding her every curve. No way was she facing Ethan dressed in next to nothing.\n\n\"You look nice, very shabby chic.\" He teased moments later, as she entered the great room. \"I especially like the turban. Is that new this season?\" He motioned at the fluffy towel covering Jerry's hair.\n\n\"Thanks, I'm starting a trend.\" She teased back. \"I thought you might appreciate the shower, before I begin getting dressed.\" Jerry poured a cup of coffee.\n\n\"Yes, I would. I've been in these clothes for over twenty-four hours.\" He ran his hand over his chin, feeling the stubble that made him look more rakish than usual.\n\n\"It's all yours.\" Jerry joined him at the table.\n\n\"I hope this isn't too awkward for you, living with a virtual stranger.\" Ethan met her gaze and felt another punch of attraction. What the hell was happening to him? How could a woman, dressed in ratty sweats, with no makeup, and her hair piled beneath a bulky towel, hold any appeal, much less make him want to taste every inch of her beautiful body? It was nuts and definitely a first.\n\nJerry thought she read desire in his eyes, and nearly shook her head. She had to be getting her signals mixed up. There was no way he could possibly think she was attractive at the moment.\n\n\"It's fine. You're not the worst roommate I've had. During my six years with the agency, I've learned to roll with the punches.\" She smiled. \"It's not exactly a hardship, living here. My apartment in Virginia would fit in these two rooms.\"\n\n\"If your job is anything like mine, I doubt that you spend much time there.\" Ethan stood and cleared his dishes.\n\n\"Not much, but it's nice to have a place to come home to.\" Jerry shrugged.\n\n\"I haven't seen my flat in London for months. I know what you mean, though. It's good to have a place to call home. My parents moved back to Australia last year; Dad retired and Mom set up a new practice. They'd tell you that my home is wherever they are, and it's true. But I do require my own space.\"\n\n\"Umm, it's nice that you're so close to them.\"\n\n\"Yes, but it's difficult to see them as often as I'd like. Are you close with your family?\" Ethan leaned against the kitchen doorway, still holding an empty plate and coffee mug.\n\n\"Not really.\" Jerry answered, then hastily changed the subject. \"Oooh, look at the time,\" she glanced up at the massive clock. \"You'd better claim the shower before I start to transform this mess.\" She indicated herself with a wave of her hand.\n\n\"You're beautiful, just as you are.\" The sincerity in Ethan's voice was unmistakable.\n\n\"And you need your eyes checked, in addition to a shower.\" Jerry laughed. \"But thanks.\"\n\nEthan winked, then disappeared into the kitchen.\n\n~~~\n\nJerry was pleasantly surprised to see that Ethan had left the bathroom as neatly as he'd found it; no wet towels lying on the floor, no hair in the sink, and, best of all, the toilet seat was down. He's either a neat freak, or he's trying to impress me, she thought with a smile. \"I'll take either one,\" she said aloud.\n\nLeaving half of the pots and potions lining her dressing table unopened, Jerry applied self-proclaimed miracle creams that made her skin feel like silk, and makeup that cost more than her monthly car payment. She couldn't remember the last time she had to primp this much for an assignment, including the time she worked undercover as a high-class call girl to help break up a drug ring.\n\nThe silk floral cocktail dress she'd already selected to wear that evening, hinted at a classic, fifties-era design, with its tight fitting bodice, sweetheart neckline, and full, fluffy skirt. She'd always loved the style, but dressing for dinner in her world usually meant slacks and a sweater, or, at best, a simple skirt and blouse. Living, eating, and breathing the SSCD left no room for exploring her secret passion for vintage clothing, and all things girly. She'd never admit it to Dylan or Nate, but this assignment spoke to her innermost desires on so many levels.\n\nLetting the dress fall over her head, she was pleased to see that it stopped, just above her knees, though she suspected that it was designed to land below the knee on a woman of average height. Still, it was acceptable, classic and more than a little flirty.\n\nShe left her hair long, as that was Casanova's preference, and attached a sapphire studded clip to one side as her only accessory. With one last glance at her reflection, she grabbed a matching pashmina and headed for the door.\n\nEthan's reaction as she entered the room told Jerry everything she needed to know. \"Wow, you look wonderful.\" She was made to satisfy every man's fantasy, he thought. The perfect combination of classic beauty, and sultry sensuality. He wondered how he'd gotten so lucky.\n\n\"Thanks. You clean up pretty good yourself.\" She smiled approvingly at his deep blue suit, paired with a crisp, white shirt.\n\nThe three-inch pumps she'd chosen brought her to within an inch of Ethan's six-foot-four stance. Together, they made a striking pair, and would surely turn more than one head tonight.\n\n\"Are you ready for our debut?\" Ethan's dimples deepened when he smiled at her.\n\n\"As I'll ever be.\" Jerry took his proffered arm, feeling a jolt race through her system. \"By the way, Dylan called to remind us that the society editor from the Chronicle will be there tonight. Plans are to plaster our photo and a brief \"look who's here\" article in the paper tomorrow.\"\n\n\"That should help get his attention.\" Ethan made a grand gesture of opening the door. \"Your kingdom awaits, m'lady.\"\n\nJerry couldn't help but smile. She really did feel a little like Cinderella. \"Why thank you, kind sir,\" she responded and swept out the door.\n\n~~~\n\nWord that a photographer from the Chronicle would be at Quincette that evening had spread to at least a dozen paparazzi, all of whom were waiting when Ethan escorted Jerry from the car. Doing her best to appear aloof and disinterested in the face of so many flashing cameras, Jerry held onto Ethan's hand, letting him lead her into the restaurant.\n\nThe beautifully appointed dining room was both modern and relaxed. Tables, set with candlelight and crystal, beckoned diners to sit and enjoy. As the hostess led them to a two-top in the middle of the room, Jerry tried not to look impressed with the ambiance. The woman she portrayed would be accustomed to such beautiful surroundings. She would also be used to the admiring glances she felt directed at both her, and Ethan.\n\nShe could hardly blame the women. Ethan looked like a walking dream. Some were watching him covertly, others openly stared. She sat up just a little straighter, knowing that he was hers, even if it was only for work.\n\n\"You're creating a sensation.\" His words surprised her, the only 'sensation' she could see was the women's reactions to him.\n\n\"I think you mean _you're_ stirring things up.\"\n\n\"Maybe a little, but every man in the room wishes he were me tonight.\" Ethan reached across the table and took her hand. She felt an instant tingle race along her spine.\n\n\"Isn't that a line from a movie?\" Jerry tried not to appear affected by his touch.\n\n\"Probably, but it fits. You're truly stunning.\" His fingers held hers lightly as he looked deep into her eyes.\n\nHe's just playing a role, Jerry reminded herself. It's all part of the game. \"Thank you. It's all for you, darling.\" The endearment rolled off of her tongue, even though she'd never remembered calling anyone 'darling' before tonight.\n\nEthan raised his eyebrows slightly, then relaxed. This had to be the best assignment he'd ever landed. At this moment in time, he was grateful that Casanova had led him to this place, to this woman. The wave of guilt that followed his thought was not enough to make him regret it.\n\n\"Tell me about your day, my sweet.\" Ethan waited until the waiter had left with their drink order before opening the conversation. \"Did you do anything amusing?\"\n\n\"Oh, yes. It was wonderful.\" Jerry launched into a description of the yoga class, and her participation in the same, that had Ethan genuinely laughing.\n\n\"I really don't think you should laugh at me until you can hook both ankles behind your head.\" Jerry tone dripped sweetness, but Ethan saw the daggers in her eyes. It made him laugh harder.\n\n\"I'm sorry, love, but you make it sound a treat. I really think I'd like to join you tomorrow, just to see it for myself.\"\n\n\"Don't you dare,\" Jerry's eyes flashed, even though her smile remained warm.\n\n\"We'll see,\" he teased. \"So, did you make any new friends?\"\n\n\"Yes. I met a lovely girl who attends the same class every day. She's as good as the instructor.\" Jerry accepted the menu from the waiter, noting that he only had eyes for Ethan.\n\n\"Thank you,\" Ethan told him, after hearing the specials. \"We'll let you know when we're ready.\"\n\n\"Yes, Sir.\" The waiter looked disappointed that he had been dismissed.\n\n\"Who knew that oysters on the half shell could sound so sexy?\" Jerry teased. \"I think he has a crush.\"\n\nEthan ignored her comment. \"I'd like to hear more about your day.\"\n\n\"Of course, I haven't even made it to the most exciting part.\" Jerry enthused, much as she imagined her character would. \"You know how I've been worried about finding someone who could deal with my hair? Well, Kim, that's the girl from yoga, has a friend with the same long, thick, mass that I do. Hers is brown, too, by the way, so I won't be introducing you. I know what a fondness you have for long, brown, hair.\" She tossed hers for emphasis.\n\n\"Makes me weak in the knees.\" He quipped with a grin.\n\n\"I know. Anyway, Sonja, that's Kim's friend, should be in class tomorrow, so she can tell me which salon she uses.\" Jerry finished with a flourish, glee shining in her eyes, along with a smile that would light up Texas. To those nearby who were watching, and listening, it appeared that the most important thing in the world to Jerry, was to find the right hairdresser.\n\n\"That's wonderful, my sweet. I know you've been very concerned about it.\" Ethan made his voice seem serious.\n\n\"I have, I really have.\" Jerry batted her eyelashes and it was all Ethan could do to keep from bursting with laughter.\n\n\"But that's enough about me, what did you do today?\" Jerry decided to let Ethan entertain her for a while.\n\n\"Oh, the usual. I had a few meetings, and spent some time at the track. I should take you, I think you'd enjoy it.\"\n\n\"I enjoy anything and everything I do with you.\" Jerry's smile made Ethan's heart do a flip-flop in his chest.\n\n\"Thank you, love, the feeling is mutual.\" Ethan's answering smile was equally devastating.\n\nSlow down, girl, Jerry told herself. It's a game, a role. Do not fall for his charming fa\u00e7ade. Even as she mentally chastised her runaway emotions, her heart began to melt.\nChapter Nine\n\n\"Good morning, Princess. Nice of you to join us.\" Dylan's grin took the sting from his sarcasm.\n\n\"It's not even eight, what are you doing here?\" Jerry stifled a yawn and glanced over at the sofa. As Ethan was not at the table with Dylan, she fully expected to see him lounging on the makeshift bed.\n\nSurprisingly, the sofa bed they'd made up together last night was tucked neatly away. There was no sign of linens, or Ethan, in the room.\n\n\"The coffee's better here. Plus, I brought the paper. They caught your good side.\" He winked and tossed the paper onto the table.\n\n\"Not before coffee.\" Jerry turned towards the kitchen and almost ran into Ethan, carrying two steaming mugs.\n\n\"Good morning.\" The simple phrase, spoken in his hybrid Australian/English/Italian/French accent, got her senses moving better than a gallon of caffeine. He handed her a mug.\n\n\"Morning.\" Jerry tried not to blush at the direction of her thoughts, but it was like stopping the tide. \"Thanks.\" She accepted the mug, turning back towards the table.\n\nDylan watched the exchange with a little amusement, and a lot of trepidation. It looked like Jerry was smitten with Slick, and vice versa. Dammit, I thought she was smarter than that, he nearly growled aloud.\n\nEver since Jerry had become his partner, Dylan felt protective of her, sort of like a big brother. She'd more than proven her ability to handle the job, but he still looked out for her. At one point, about a year after his divorce, he'd felt the beginnings of attraction, but he quickly squelched it. For one thing, she was his partner. For another, he never intended to spend more than a few-night's with any one woman, ever again. Jerry deserved better than that. Just like she deserved better than Slick. Dylan knew his kind; love 'em and leave 'em. It was just like him to take advantage of the situation, and mix a little pleasure with business.\n\nNot if I can help it, he swore silently.\n\n\"Did you sleep well?\" Jerry asked, her gaze still on Ethan.\n\n\"Like a babe,\" he answered with a smile that made her heart trip.\n\n\"I slept great, too. Thanks for asking.\" Dylan interjected.\n\n\"That's nice, but you didn't sleep on a sofa bed.\" Jerry tossed at him.\n\n\"No, but have you heard Nate snore? The man sounds like a freight train.\" Dylan lied. The truth was that Nate had awakened him last night, thanks to a nightmare, not snoring. But that was Nate's business. \"Luckily, I still had earplugs from the last time you and I shared a room.\" He teased.\n\n\"Funny man.\" Jerry glanced at Ethan. \"I so do not snore.\" She told him, emphatically.\n\n\"How would you know? You sleep like the dead.\" Dylan teased.\n\nEthan observed the pair and felt more than ever that they were _not_ romantically involved. Jerry's reactions to him yesterday, and last night, had all but convinced him. Watching her interact with Dylan this morning reminded him more of siblings than lovers.\n\n\"Let's see the paper,\" Jerry reached for it, just as Ethan did. Their hands brushed, the touch sending shivery tingles, straight to her core. She'd be surprised to know that Ethan felt them, too.\n\n\"Mmmm, nice. How did they get it so big? None of the other pictures are this large.\" Jerry looked down at the image of her and Ethan, smiling at each other, as they left the restaurant. A few, smaller, images of them arriving, lined the bottom of the frame.\n\n\"Ask the Prince.\" Dylan left to refill his cup.\n\n\"Prince?\" Jerry looked puzzled.\n\n\"No, technically my title is Duke. It's part of my cover.\" Ethan was suddenly very interested in selecting a muffin. He had no intention of confessing that the royalty aspect of his cover was not far from the truth. \"Supposedly, I'm something like 1,676th in line for the English throne. On my father's side,\" he explained.\n\n\"And someone made sure to mention that to the press.\" Jerry nodded.\n\n\"Yes. You Americans are so enamored with anything royal, we thought it would garner more publicity.\" Ethan looked sheepish.\n\n\"And so it did.\" Jerry studied the image, noting how happy they both looked. Anyone would think they were a real couple.\n\n\"Not all Americans are royal-crazy,\" Dylan said as he returned. \"I couldn't give a rat's ass about titles. Titles don't mean diddly squat when it comes to character.\" He leveled a warning look at Ethan.\n\n\"Agreed.\" Ethan said smoothly, ignoring the daggers Dylan aimed his way.\n\n\"Ethan Bennett, Duke of Davenborrough, and his companion, Jerry Smythe, enjoyed a delightful dinner at Quincette, a local favorite. The Duke and Ms. Smythe are visiting San Francisco on an extended working holiday.\" Jerry read. \"At least they got our cover names right.\"\n\n\"It's good coverage. If our guy reads the society section, he can't help but be intrigued.\" Dylan added.\n\n\"Let's hope. What's on my agenda today? Besides yoga.\" Jerry snagged a muffin and bit in.\n\n\"Jimmy put together a list of places frequented by all three victims in the last month. Aside from your favorite yoga class, there's a caf\u00e9 around the corner, a juice bar two blocks over, and a Pilates studio downtown that might be helpful. You can drop by the juice bar on your way to Pilates, then stop by the caf\u00e9 on the way home.\"\n\n\"I'm taking Pilates _and_ yoga today?\" Jerry dropped her muffin. \"I thought the point was to keep me alive so Casanova can take his shot. If I keep this up, I'll be dead in a week.\" She complained.\n\n\"Suck it up, Forbes. You can do this in your sleep.\" Dylan wanted to laugh at Jerry's expression, but didn't risk it. \"Just think of how good your body will look, after a few days of torture.\"\n\n\"You really are annoying,\" she tossed back. \"What else is going on today? I assume that we're going out again tonight?\"\n\n\"Of course. See and be seen, doncha know.\" Dylan grinned in anticipation of dropping his next bomb. \"Tonight, you're going to the opera. You have tickets to La Traviata, the heart-wrenching tale of a fallen woman's sacrifice for the love of her life. Or so I'm told.\"\n\n\"Oh, man,\" Jerry dropped her head on her arms. \"This day just keeps getting better. Why don't you go spread sunshine somewhere else?\" She peeked up at Dylan.\n\nEthan and Dylan both laughed, but Ethan spoke. \"I take it the opera is not your cup of tea?\"\n\n\"No,\" Jerry replied instantly. \"I mean, I've never been, but I can't imagine that it would be anything but boring.\"\n\n\"You Americans and your preconceived notions.\" Ethan shook his head. \"La Traviata is arguably one of the best-loved operas of all time, and you imagine it to be boring. Opera allows emotions to transcend language. Whether or not you understand the words, if you pay attention to the characters, and the music, you _will_ feel the emotion.\" His passionate words surprised Jerry. \"I challenge you to give the stage your undivided attention tonight, and then tell me that you were bored.\"\n\nEthan's speech left Dylan silent and Jerry impressed.\n\n\"I accept your challenge.\"\n\nEthan nodded and changed the subject. \"Any luck on locating the Maserati?\" He asked Dylan.\n\n\"Nothing, yet. We're running down the registrations, but you'd be amazed at the number of red Maserati's registered in California. By and large, the owners all fit the broadest part of our unsub's profile; white male, in his thirties to fifties. We need more to go on.\" Dylan broke apart another muffin.\n\n\"Maybe I'll get lucky today with Kim's friend, Sonja. I know it's a longshot, but it could turn into something.\" Jerry wrinkled her nose at the muffin tray. \"I'm making a real breakfast. God knows, I'll work it off later today. Who wants pancakes?\"\n\n\"So, Slick, what are your plans today?\" Dylan asked Ethan, after placing a double order of pancakes with Jerry.\n\nEthan chose to ignore the jibe. It appeared that Dylan's opinion of him hadn't changed yet.\n\n\"I have appointments at two brokerage firms this morning, both of which are used by the three previous victim's paramours. This afternoon, I'm joining a gentlemen's club preferred by two of the men, and then I'm off to the track. See and be seen, right?\"\n\n\"Right. Nate and I will continue to interview neighbors and friends of the victims, and of their _paramours_. Jeez, who talks like that?\"\n\nEthan simply raised his eyebrows, not deigning to rise to the bait.\n\n\"Anyway, that's about all we have to go on, until something else happens.\"\n\n\"You mean until another woman is murdered.\" Ethan's voice was low and slightly menacing.\n\nDylan took offense. \"Hey buddy, if you have any better ideas, I'd like to hear 'em.\"\n\n\"Sorry, I know you all are doing what you can. It makes my blood boil, thinking of him getting by with these murders, right under our collective noses.\"\n\n\"I know what you mean.\" For the first time, Dylan felt a kinship with Ethan. He didn't want it to take root. Standing, he called to Jerry. \"Hey Princess, you need any help in there?\" He moved to join her, without waiting for a reply.\n\n~~~\n\nJerry plastered a smile on her face as she walked into the yoga class. The very last thing her body needed was to be bent like a pretzel for an hour. Spotting Kim standing alone, intent on her cell phone, Jerry made her way over to her.\n\n\"Hi, Kim,\" she greeted the other woman warmly. \"It's nice to see you again.\"\n\nKim appeared distracted as she glanced up at Jerry. \"Oh, hi, Jerry. It's nice to see you, too.\" She shut off her phone and placed it in her bag. \"Hey, I saw your picture in the paper this morning, va va va voom!\" She grinned. \"If you get tired of the Duke, let me know, and I'll take him off of your hands. He's gorgeous!\"\n\nJerry actually blushed. \"He's a keeper, but thanks for the offer.\"\n\n\"Anytime.\" Kim began stretching.\n\n\"Is your friend Sonja here? I really wanted to speak with her about a recommendation for a hair stylist.\" Jerry began stretching as well, ignoring her body's silent protests.\n\n\"She's not here, yet, but I hope she makes it. I'm a little worried. She was supposed to call me this morning, but I haven't heard from her. My calls to her go straight to voice mail.\" Kim shrugged. \"Maybe she got tied up with her new friend. If she doesn't show up for class, I'll stop by her place.\"\n\n\"I'm sure she's fine.\" Jerry lied. Every warning bell she had was going off in her head. \"Breaking in a new _friend_ can be time consuming.\" She winked.\n\n\"It's not really like that. I mean, she has a _friend,_ but she thinks this guy could be the real deal.\" Kim frowned. \"I'm sorry, she asked me not to talk about it.\"\n\n\"Sure, sure. No worries. My lips are sealed.\" Jerry smiled and unrolled her yoga mat.\n\n~~~\n\nClass was as excruciating as she'd thought it would be, but Jerry pushed through. She didn't want to jump the gun, but her instincts told her that Sonja would not show up in class that day, or any other day. She approached Kim again as they were leaving.\n\n\"Still no luck getting Sonja to answer?\" Jerry asked, as Kim frowned into her phone.\n\n\"No. She rarely misses yoga, especially not two days in a row. I'm going over there.\"\n\n\"If you're worried, I could join you. My driver's right outside.\" Jerry offered hopefully.\n\n\"I hate to put you out,\" Kim hedged. \"She's probably just holed up with him, and I'm being ridiculous.\"\n\n\"You're not putting me out at all. If she's really in trouble, you'll need someone there with you. If everything's fine, then I can drop you back here, or anywhere you'd like to go.\" Jerry smiled warmly. \"I have an hour before my dress fitting, so you'd be helping me fill the time.\"\n\n\"If you're sure,\" Kim suddenly looked eager for Jerry to join her.\n\n\"I'm sure. Let's grab a juice to go. I'll text Ronald to pull the car around.\" Jerry sent two texts, one to Ronald, and one to Dylan. By the time they were riding towards Sonja's home, Dylan was already en route as well, following the GPS signal on her phone. Jerry's text was brief, but the message was enough to make him drop everything and go. He'd worked with her long enough to have full faith in Jerry's instincts.\n\nSonja's apartment comprised the top floor of a restored Victorian, less than three miles from the yoga studio. With stop and start traffic, it took them fifteen minutes to arrive.\n\n\"What a lovely home,\" Jerry remarked, as they glided to a stop across the street from the painted lady. \"Do you see her car?\" Two cars were parked on the street, directly in front of the old home.\n\n\"Yes,\" Kim sighed with relief. That's it, there.\" She pointed to a late model BMW, parked in the narrow driveway. \"Sonya has the top floor apartment, _and_ assigned parking.\" Kim waited for traffic to pass before opening her door. \"I'll just be a moment.\"\n\n\"I'll come to the door with you, just in case.\" Jerry followed her out of the car.\n\nClimbing to the third floor of Sonja's home gave Jerry's legs a workout they didn't need. Her adrenaline was pumping so that she hardly noticed the pain.\n\nThe top floor landing was lit with the colors of an oversized stain glass window that appeared to be original to the house. A small table with a Tiffany lamp stood outside the apartment door.\n\nJerry stood to the side as Kim knocked repeatedly, calling Sonja's name.\n\n\"Do you have a key?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Call her again, maybe we can hear the phone ring if she's inside, and can't answer the door.\"\n\nKim dialed Sonja's number while Jerry looked over her shoulder, committing the number to memory. Both women listened intently for any sound inside the apartment.\n\n\"She must still be out with Oscar.\" Kim disconnected and turned back towards the stairs.\n\n\"I'm sure that's it.\" Jerry hurriedly agreed. \"Does she often disappear like this?\" She kept her voice casual. \"A friend of mine back in Maine disappears all the time. Says she needs her space.\"\n\n\"Not Sonja. I've known her for years, she's as dependable as the sunrise. She'll probably call later. She knows I'll worry if I don't hear from her.\" Kim glanced back at Jerry as they walked down the stairs. \"We sort of look out for each other.\"\n\n\"That's good. We all need someone.\"\n\nBy the time the two women exited the home, Dylan had found a parking spot, one block up. He waited as the town car disappeared from sight before making his way inside.\n\nHe already knew that Sonja Jenkins lived in an apartment owned by Rockstone Promotions, LLC. According to Jimmy, the resident geek in tech support, the BMW was leased by the same company. Following protocol, he took the stairs, two at a time, and knocked on Sonja's door. After a few minutes, he went to the second floor landing, intending to do an impromptu interview with her neighbors.\n\nThe twenty-something redhead who answered the door was dressed like a bohemian in a long, flowing dress. She gave him a once over, from head to toe, before speaking.\n\n\"Well hello there.\" Her southern drawl was unmistakable. \"Are you lost?\"\n\nThe distinctive aroma, pouring into the hall from her open door, reminded Dylan of his college days. Deciding to play it cool, he relaxed his stance.\n\n\"Why, no, sugar, I'm not lost. I'm looking for Sonja,\" he nodded towards the stairs, \"have you seen her this morning?\" He gave the girl his lopsided grin, the one that always worked for him.\n\n\"Where does she find you guys?\" The redhead tossed her head and leaned against the doorjamb. \"No, I haven't seen her since she left yesterday afternoon. He was a looker, too.\"\n\n\"Oh, really?\" Dylan leaned against the wall, closer to the girl. \"Should I be jealous?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" she winked at him. \"He looked pretty good.\"\n\n\"Mmmm,\" Dylan appeared concerned. \"I bet my car's better than his.\" He winked back at her.\n\n\"I seriously doubt it. Do you have a red Italian sports car?\" She asked, warming to the stranger.\n\n\"No. Mine's black.\" He told her with a smug smile, even as his heart sank. \"So, did you ever meet my competition?\"\n\n\"No, he always waited in the car for Sonja to come down.\"\n\n\"Can you describe him for me, just so I know what I'm up against?\" Dylan looked appropriately hopeful.\n\n\"Sure, handsome. He looked tall, at least I think so. It's hard to tell from my window.\" She whispered conspiratorially. Dylan nodded. \"He had longish, black, hair, and a thick mustache, which I normally don't like, but on him, it looked good. Broad shoulders, sort of like yours, and high cheekbones. His face reminded me of Rock Hudson, you know, an actor from ancient movies.\"\n\n\"You saw a good bit from your window.\" Dylan smiled again. The girl moved closer.\n\n\"Would you like to come in?\" She invited. \"We could get to know each other while you wait on Sonja.\"\n\n\"Thanks, sugar, but I'll have to pass today. I'm sure I'll see you again, though.\" Dylan straightened and moved away from the door. He was beginning to feel like he had a contact high.\n\n\"Your loss.\" She breathed and slowly closed the door.\n\nDylan sent a text to Ethan and Nate with the description of the unsub. He also suggested that Nate order a helicopter to scour the surrounding cliffs. He knew in his gut that Sonja was dead.\n\n\"Where's my damn clairvoyance when I need it?\" He mumbled as he walked down to the first floor. Ever since Dylan was a small boy, he'd had visions of events as they happened. Most often, the visions only concerned those closest to him. His grandmother had explained that he had a gift, that he should be grateful that God considered him to be so special. Dylan considered it a curse, and evidence that God either had a sense of humor, or didn't like him very much. The worst vision to date was of his wife, cheating on him with his best friend. Former wife and former best friend, he clarified to himself.\n\n\"Just once, couldn't the damn _gift_ help me solve a case?\" He whispered as he knocked on the door. No one answered. Pressing his ear against the wood, he heard no evidence of noise, or movement, inside the apartment. Knowing he'd be back later, he dialed Nate as he left the building.\n\n\"Feels like we've got another one.\" He told him.\n\n\"It definitely does. Wait until you see her DMV photo; she's a dead ringer for the first victim in London, no pun intended.\" Nate's voice was grim. \"Sounds like the neighbor got a decent look at him. Any luck with the occupants on the first floor?\"\n\n\"They're not at home, I'll come back later. I'm not sure how reliable the girl's description is, she was pretty stoned when I talked to her, but at least it's something.\" Reaching his car, Dylan paused. \"Are you working on a warrant for her apartment? Should I hang here?\"\n\n\"Yes, it should be ready in a few. Working with the city government certainly expedites things. I'm on my way there now, so just sit tight.\"\n\n\"Will do. Do we have choppers in the air?\"\n\n\"Two, though the miles of coastline present a challenge. Would be nice to have a clue to help narrow down the location.\"\n\n\"Tell them to look for circling buzzards. I don't expect we'll find Sonja alive.\" Dylan kicked the tire on his car. It felt good to let off a little frustration.\n\n\"I don't expect so, either. Maybe we'll find something in her apartment. I'm almost there.\" Nate disconnected.\n\nDylan texted Jerry, asking her to call when she was free. His phone rang almost immediately.\n\n\"What did you find?\" she asked in greeting.\n\n\"The girl living on the second floor saw Sonja get into a red Italian sports car, yesterday afternoon. She gave us a description, but I'm not sure how accurate it is, she was pretty high when we spoke.\"\n\n\"What's the description?\"\n\n\"Tall, longish, black hair, mustache, reminded her of Rock Hudson.\"\n\n\"The actor?\"\n\n\"You know another Rock Hudson?\"\n\n\"Smartass. Ethan didn't say anything about a mustache, that's new. It could be fake, or he could have grown it in since Europe. If it's him, he's also changed his hair color.\"\n\n\"What do you mean, if? Are you having doubts?\"\n\n\"No. It's him. My gut's telling me that Sonja's dead.\"\n\n\"We agree. Nate's got two choppers searching the cliffs along the coast. Did Kim tell you anything else that would help us with the search?\"\n\n\"No, she never met the guy. All she knows is that he's young, rich, gorgeous, and calls himself Oscar. He told Sonja to dress for an adventure yesterday, but she didn't know where he was taking her. I couldn't really ask a lot of questions without making her suspicious of my cover.\"\n\n\"That fits in with everything we already know about him. I'm sure the name's an alias, but it could be helpful.\" Dylan raised is hand as Nate drove by. \"Nate's here with a warrant. We're going into Sonja's place. Maybe we'll get lucky.\"\n\n\"Let me know.\"\n\n\"Of course. I'll drop by later and brief you and Ethan.\"\n\n\"See you then.\"\nChapter Ten\n\n\"Her place was clean. No mention of Oscar, her date, or anything about him.\" Dylan placed a laptop on the dining table. \"Hopefully, I can get into this thing and find out something more.\"\n\n\"It makes sense that she wouldn't have anything about Oscar written down at her place. Mustn't let her current companion know about her side interests.\" Jerry dropped into the chair beside Dylan. \"Any news on the search?\"\n\n\"Nothing yet, and it'll soon be dark. If they don't locate her, they'll pick it up first light.\" Dylan began attacking the keys on Sonja's laptop. \"If I were a beautiful young woman, living the high life, what would my password be?\"\n\n\"Any pets?\" Ethan asked as he entered, his hair still wet from a shower.\n\n\"Nope, and it's not her birthday, either.\" Dylan kept working.\n\n\"Try Namaste, and other yoga terms. According to Kim, she loved that stuff.\" Jerry told him and watched as he tried several more times to open the program. \"You could overnight it to Jimmy, I'm sure he has ways of getting inside.\" Jerry hid her grin.\n\nDylan narrowed his eyes at her, as she knew he would. \"The day a snot-nosed kid can beat me into a laptop is the day I'll hang up my hat. Just back off and give me a minute, dammit.\"\n\nWhile getting under Dylan's skin was one of her favorite things, Jerry hoped he was right this time. She'd hate for his ego to cost them precious time. \"Alright, alright.\" She held up her hands. \"Shutting up now.\"\n\n\"Are you two related?\" Ethan asked with a straight face and nearly lost it when they both turned on him, eyes blaring.\n\n\"Of course we're not related. Why in the world would you ask something like that?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"Because you bicker like siblings, that's why. Sorry.\" He gave her a sheepish grin. Jerry thought he looked good enough to eat.\n\n\"Hey, I'm in.\" Dylan exclaimed. \"Told ya.\" He raised his eyebrows at Jerry.\n\n\"Okay, okay, you're good. Now find us something.\"\n\n\"Quit looking over my shoulder,\" Dylan commanded. \"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your big night out?\" He waggled his eyebrows.\n\n\"I'm going. Ethan, have you finished in the bathroom?\"\n\n\"It's all yours, just let me get my tux from the closet.\"\n\n~~~\n\nBy the time Jerry came back into the living room, Dylan and Ethan had their heads together over the laptop, peering at the computer screen.\n\n\"Did you find something?\" She asked as she came through the door. Both men turned to look at her. Dylan's reaction tickled her, but it was the sudden gleam in Ethan's eyes that had her heart fluttering.\n\n\"Damn, Princess, you clean up good.\" Dylan nodded approvingly.\n\n\"Thanks.\" Jerry threw him a glance, then went to stand beside Ethan.\n\n\"You look wonderful.\" He told her and touched her arm. \"That shade of blue is perfect with your eyes.\" The sincerity of his compliment made her pause. She had fallen in love with the sapphire blue gown as soon as she'd seen it hanging in her closet. Secretly, she was nervous about tonight, and hoped that she'd at least chosen the right dress.\n\n\"Thank you, Ethan. You look nice, too.\" It was an understatement if there had ever been one. The man looked like sin on a stick. She was suddenly grateful for Dylan's presence. Otherwise, she might have given in to the urge to reach up and taste him. \"What did you find?\"\n\n\"An image, possibly, of Oscar. It's grainy, looks like it was taken at night from a distance. See the red Mas in the background?\" Dylan pointed to the screen.\n\n\"Yes, can you enhance it?\"\n\n\"I'm trying, but Jimmy's got the good toys, I sent it off to him. It's time stamped four days ago, taken with a Canon, but we didn't find one in the apartment.\"\n\n\"She would have taken it with her, in anticipation of the adventure he promised.\" Jerry's voice was sour. \"Son of a bitch couldn't know about this picture. No way would he let her keep it.\"\n\n\"That's probably why it's such a bad shot. Maybe by tomorrow, we'll have his face.\"\n\n\"From your lips.\" Jerry added.\n\n\"We should go.\" Ethan took Jerry's arm; she hoped he didn't feel the goose bumps that suddenly appeared.\n\n\"Text us if you find anything else.\" Jerry told Dylan. \"And lock up when you leave.\"\n\n\"Yes, Ma'am. Have fun.\" He told her with a wicked grin.\n\n\"We will.\" Ethan assured him, guiding Jerry through the door.\n\n~~~\n\n\"But why would Alfredo humiliate Violetta in front of everyone, even if it were true that she loved the Baron? He was an idiot to believe that, by the way.\" Jerry spoke in hushed tones, even though the curtain had fallen on the second Act.\n\n\"He was so devastated by her betrayal that he couldn't see past his ego. His need to crush her in front of their peers is not an uncommon knee-jerk reaction, I suppose, even in the eighteen hundreds.\" Ethan was pleased that Jerry had honored her word to give the performance a fair shake, and secretly thrilled that she was getting into the story.\n\n\"But how could he not see that she was lying? The love between them was palpable, how could he believe that she was in love with anyone else? Especially such a pompous ass. Alfredo had to know that his father was behind Violetta's sudden change of heart. If nothing else, the timing made it obvious.\" Jerry's anger at the storyline amused Ethan in that it echoed his own whenever he managed to catch a performance.\n\n\"Obvious to us, but not so much to a love-sick Alfredo. I believe that he'd never really gotten over the Baron's influence in Violetta's former lifestyle as a courtesan.\"\n\n\"Maybe so. At least the guests at the party turned on him for treating a woman so poorly. Another thing I don't understand is why Violetta begged him to see the love in her heart, after he'd treated her like crap.\"\n\n\"I take it you've never been in love?\" Ethan asked quietly.\n\nThe question surprised Jerry, but not as much as the way Ethan's eyes suddenly narrowed. They seemed to reach right into her soul, searching for the answer.\n\n\"No, I haven't,\" she said softly. \"I've had crushes and mini-relationships, but I've never experienced the all-consuming power of the kind of love that Violetta and Alfredo share.\"\n\n\"Neither have I. I'm not sure how many people have been lucky enough to find the real thing. I've seen enough operas, read enough Browning, and the like, to know that pride goes out the window when true love is involved. Even though Violetta used Alfredo's insecurities to try and do what his father insisted was right for the family, she really wanted him to see past the ruse, and rely on her love for him. But he failed.\"\n\n\"Men can be such idiots.\" Jerry's expression caused Ethan to laugh out loud, eliciting raised eyebrows from the patrons seated in the surrounding boxes.\n\n\"I suppose you're right, but can you really fault Alfredo for believing Violetta's lies?\"\n\n\"I don't know, I suppose not. There's one more Act, right? Maybe they'll come to their senses.\" Jerry relaxed back in her seat as the house lights flickered.\n\nEthan didn't want to spoil the ending, but he suddenly wished he'd taken her to a predictable romantic comedy, or anything with a feel-good ending. As invested as she was in the plot, she would surely feel the pain of the Third Act acutely. He wanted to spare her that. Resisting the urge to take her hand and lead her out of the theater, he settled back and felt inside his pocket for a handkerchief.\n\n~~~\n\nDylan clicked the link that Jimmy had just sent and waited for the image to come into focus. The graininess was gone, but the man's face was in shadow, giving them precious little more than they already had on him.\n\n\"Dammit,\" he shoved away from the table situated beneath the window in his hotel room. Throwing open the door, he walked a few feet and pounded on Nate's door.\n\n\"I thought we were going to meet downstairs,\" Nate greeted him.\n\n\"Have you seen the best your boy wonder, Jimmy, can do with the pic we found on Sonja's computer?\" Dylan ignored Nate's greeting, moving past him into the room.\n\n\"Not yet. I take it that it's less than satisfactory.\" Nate closed the door gently and followed Dylan into the space.\n\n\"That's an understatement.\" Dylan growled. \"We can't even see his face. Our first decent lead, and tech drops the ball. I thought the kid was supposed to be some kind of computer genius, but you can't prove it by me.\" Dylan waited as Nate found Jimmy's email and opened the picture.\n\n\"His face is in shadow,\" Nate commented after studying the image. \"I'm sure that if it's possible to enhance it, Jimmy's on it.\" Nate peered intently at the screen. \"He's a big bastard, must be six-four, if he's an inch. Look at his stance, and the width of his shoulders. Looks like a body builder.\"\n\nDylan joined Nate at the computer. \"If that's so, he'll need a place to work out. We should check the gyms in the area, check out any new members in the past two months. With a ride like that, he'll be remembered.\"\n\n\"He won't use the Mas for day-to-day crap; too conspicuous, especially since Jenna's body was found so soon. Nope, our boy has another ride, something luxurious, but not as flashy.\"\n\n\"Agreed, but in this city, a private residence with an attached two-car is pricey. No way he'd use street parking, or a public facility.\"\n\n\"We already know he has money. I'll have Jimmy narrow the search for rental homes with a minimum of a two-car attached. Should help some.\" Nate began sending a text.\n\n\"I hope he knows how to perform a search better than he knows how to fix a picture.\" Dylan grumbled. \"Are you ready to eat? I'm starved.\"\n\n~~~\n\nEthan sat patiently for Jerry to compose herself, after the house lights went up at the end of the performance. He could see tears sliding down Jerry's face, and he wondered if she was even aware of them. She was moved, of that he was certain. How could she not be? Alfredo discovering Violetta's sacrifice, returning to her just in time to witness her death, was heart wrenching for the most seasoned aficionado, even more so for a virgin opera-goer.\n\nJerry knew the lights were up, and that anyone could see, but she couldn't stop the flow of tears. She could barely understand her emotional reaction to Violetta's death, and Alberto's resulting heartbreak. She couldn't possibly explain it to Ethan.\n\nAs the theater cleared out, she felt his hand cover hers as it lay on her lap. Turning to face him, she was met with complete understanding, and a touch of moisture at the corner of his expressive eyes. No explanation was necessary.\n\nHe kept hold of her hand as they made their way to the door, tucking it through his arm, pulling her close amid the remaining patrons and pedestrians along the bustling street. Beautiful people, dressed to the nines, stepped into a line of waiting cars as couples, out for an evening stroll, wove their way between them. Cameras flashed as paparazzi captured personal moments and smiling faces, in hopes of a payoff. Three or four more industrious homeless held out tins and hands towards anyone who glanced their way. Ethan slid a folded bill into a woman's hand, just before helping Jerry into the car. Neither had spoken a word to each other since Act III began.\n\nA comfortable silence filled the back of the town car as it slowly pulled away from the curb. Ethan had not let go of Jerry's hand, neither did she try and remove it from his grip. He felt warm and familiar, an anchor in the storm of emotion that flooded her during the performance, especially the final act.\n\nFor the life of her, Jerry couldn't come to grips with her reaction to the sadness enacted on stage. It wasn't as if death was a stranger to her, she'd made it her business. A woman cut down in the prime of her youth, wasted potential, and love lost, were not uncommon elements of the life she had chosen. Why, then, did a centuries old skit, depicting a similar scenario, trigger such deep, soul-wrenching pain?\n\nEthan watched Jerry from the corner of his eye. The tiny lines between her brows told him she was struggling with something. He wished she would share her thoughts. Opera was known for dredging up powerful emotions, often jarring long forgotten memories, or touching places in the soul that hadn't seen the light of day for years. He wondered which parts of Jerry La Traviata had stirred.\n\nJerry closed her eyes and let her mind wander. As soon as she relaxed, a woman's face appeared in her memory, making her gasp with recollection. The woman was beautiful, young, and vibrant, with the same high cheekbones and long brown hair that framed Jerry's face. Her mother.\n\nTears came again, unbidden, and filled with the pain of losing her beloved mother when she was barely three years old. She had no real memories of the time they had together, only fleeting images of her mother's face, and the lilting sound of her laughter. She had laughed a lot with her mother, Jerry was certain of that much. Just as certain as she was that the laughter had stopped, on the day her mother died.\n\nJerry never dwelled on her childhood. Being raised in a series of foster homes, one worse than the last, had prompted her toward a career with the FBI. Witnessing first-hand the cruelty that people chose to inflict on each other, and on their children, fueled a burning desire for the power to make things better. She also liked carrying a gun and possessing the knowledge of just how to use it. More than once during the horrors of her youth, she wished for a gun, a knife, anything she could use for protection.\n\nRefusing to probe the wound, she focused on recalling her mother's face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd pictured her. Circumstances had taught her to block out most of her upbringing. The happy times with her mom fell victim to the mental blackout. Remembering her face tonight made the evening more special, even though her heart ached with the memory.\n\nEvery instinct Ethan possessed screamed at him to wrap his arms around Jerry and pull her close. Whatever she was thinking brought a sadness to her eyes that broke his heart. Throwing professionalism to the wind, he gently released her hand, draped his arm around her shoulders, and nudged her towards him. She came willingly.\nChapter Eleven\n\n\"You made the papers again.\" Dylan stated, slapping the thick roll of black and white against Ethan's chest when he opened the door.\n\n\"Good morning to you, too.\" Ethan was groggy from lack of sleep and in no mood for Dylan's attitude. He'd tossed and turned half the night, concern for Jerry, and whatever demons haunted her, warring with his ever-increasing emotional connection to the woman who should be no more than his partner.\n\n\"What, no coffee?\" Dylan ignored Ethan, but was secretly pleased to finally see the man ruffled. He set about making a pot that could double as motor oil.\n\n\"There's a Starbucks on the corner, help yourself.\" Ethan grumbled and headed for the bathroom.\n\nDylan chuckled, mostly to himself, and began whistling as he worked. The day had potential if he could start it off getting under Slick's skin.\n\n\"Have you seen the email I sent last night?\" Dylan asked when Ethan reappeared.\n\n\"No, did you find something?\" Ethan was instantly alert.\n\n\"Our tech department enhanced the image we found on Sonja's computer. Not a lot of help, but you may recognize something about him.\" Dylan set the pot to perk and joined Ethan at the table.\n\n\"Is that the best they could do with his face?\" Ethan asked as he enlarged the image on his tablet.\n\nDylan prickled at the perceived insult, even though it echoed his own feelings. It was okay for him to criticize Jimmy; it wasn't okay for Slick to do so.\n\n\"If it could be better, it would be. Does his body seem familiar? Nate and I think he may be a body builder, or at least someone who works out frequently. We're checking gyms in the area for new members.\"\n\n\"It doesn't ring any bells,\" Ethan stared at the image, studying the man's carriage. \"He's big, imposing. Seems to me I'd remember him if I'd ever met him.\"\n\n\"We also think he has a second car, not as flashy as the Mas. We're checking rental houses in the area with a two car garage minimum. At least it's something to go on.\"\n\n\"That's good, but it may not help. Also check suitable homes with owners away on an extended trip. When people in these circles travel, they often stay in friend's homes, rather than rely on public accommodations. Our boy would definitely prefer his privacy.\"\n\n\"Makes sense If you've already got money, why spend it when you can freeload off of your friends?\" Dylan barely disguised his disgust with the upper echelon.\n\n\"Exactly. Better lodgings, often with built-in servants, more privacy, and no expenses. It is what it is.\" Ethan shrugged.\n\n\"Morning, boys,\" Jerry breezed into the room looking refreshed and cheerful.\n\nEthan scowled briefly, wondering how she could look so good after the near emotional breakdown she suffered last night.\n\n\"Morning, sunshine,\" Dylan replied. \"You look chipper this morning. Did you get a little shut-eye at the opera?\"\n\nJerry's smile nearly faltered, but she held it in place. She was a pro at blocking out unpleasantness, and was determined to behave as if last night's emotional turmoil had never happened. At least in front of Ethan and Dylan.\n\n\"The opera was wonderful, thank you.\" Jerry told him as she moved into the kitchen, stopping short just inside the door. \"Who made that sludge?\" She leaned back to look at them accusingly. \"It's practically standing on the counter on its own.\"\n\n\"I made it. Slick here looked like he could use a jolt.\" Dylan tossed his thumb at Ethan.\n\n\"What a waste.\" Jerry grumbled and poured the thick coffee down the drain. \"What are you two looking at? Did you find something?\" She called as she prepared a fresh pot.\n\nDylan brought her up to speed, sharing the image of the unsub when she came back into the room.\n\n\"He's big.\" She echoed Ethan's comment. \"Fits the description that Sonja's neighbor gave you. His clothes look high end, maybe even tailored.\"\n\n\"You're right,\" Ethan finally spoke up. \"How did I miss that? There can't be too many tailors in town, and a man accustomed to the finer things will always go for the best.\"\n\n\"It's another avenue to explore,\" Dylan punched in a text to Nate. \"Can't have too many of those. Of course, who's to say that he'll need anything new? He could have brought a sufficient wardrobe with him.\"\n\n\"True, but it's worth checking out.\" Jerry hovered near the kitchen doorway, waiting for the coffee to brew. The makeup she'd applied this morning hid the evidence of her sleepless night, but she still felt the effects. She needed coffee, badly, and she needed it now. \"What's on the agenda today?\"\n\n\"You two made a splash again,\" Dylan nodded at the paper lying open on the table. \"Nate wants you to go out together, shopping, and to lunch. Give the paps something to do, following you around.\" He grinned up at her.\n\n\"I should also check in with Kim, see if she's heard from Sonja.\" Jerry moved into the kitchen, grateful that the coffee was finally ready.\n\n\"If she's heard from Sonja, it'll be a bloody miracle.\" Ethan growled.\n\n\"Still, I should keep in touch.\" Jerry agreed.\n\n\"If Sonja's dead, and we know she is, he's either already romancing another victim, or he's on the prowl.\" Dylan joined Jerry in the kitchen.\n\n\"We need to step it up, somehow make him notice me.\" Jerry prepared two cups, bringing one to Ethan.\n\n\"Agreed.\" Ethan gave her a smile of thanks, noticing the carefully hidden dark spots beneath her eyes. It made him feel slightly better, knowing that she'd had as difficult a time sleeping as he.\n\n\"That's pretty much what Nate thinks, so you two should prepare for a day of it. Sightseeing, shopping, hobnobbing wherever you can. I'm sure you know the drill.\" He looked pointedly at Ethan.\n\nEthan ignored the jibe. \"Our boy wouldn't be caught dead at typical tourist traps, but he may be trolling coffee shops, bistros, and the like, in the neighborhood.\"\n\n\"Do you have any idea how many bistros, caf\u00e9s, bakeries, juice bars, and coffee shops are in Nob Hill? We could hit a different one every ten minutes and be busy into next week. We should start with Sonja's favorites, I assume Jimmy's already checked for overlaps with the other victims.\" Jerry questioned Dylan.\n\n\"Probably, but I haven't seen the report.\" He picked up his phone and began texting, this time to Jimmy, with a copy to Nate. \"I know he requested her credit card statements, but I don't know if he has them yet. Everything is in her companion's business name. She doesn't have even a single account in her name.\"\n\n\"What an idiot,\" Jerry spoke without thinking, then felt bad. \"Sorry, I mean what woman puts herself in that position? No bank account, no credit history, no property. She's totally dependent on the good graces of her companion.\"\n\n\"What about the companion? Has anyone spoken with him?\" Ethan asked.\n\n\"He's out of town, but we're on it. I seriously doubt he knows more about her daily activities than her credit card statements will give us.\" Dylan slid the newspaper over to Jerry. \"You two look good together.\" He teased.\n\nShe wrinkled her nose and then glanced down at the photo. The camera had caught her between crying jags. She was grateful that the angle was from the side, rather than straight on. She was standing close to Ethan, just before getting into the car. The homeless lady he'd helped was visible in the background.\n\n\"At least we're getting press.\" She threw back at Dylan. Feeling her face becoming flushed at the memory of riding home, snuggled against Ethan, she attempted to change the subject.\n\n\"You should speak to Kim, officially. If anyone knows more than the credit trail, it'll be her. She and Sonja were close.\"\n\n\"Good idea. I need a reason for the inquiry, so as not to blow your cover. Sonja didn't have any close family, so who else might report her missing?\" Dylan mused aloud.\n\n\"Say it was the neighbor.\" Ethan offered. \"Did you ever speak with the one on the first floor?\"\n\n\"Not yet. A Miss Abigail Collins lives there, alone, with her two cats. That's my first stop today, then I'll hunt down Kim. I spoke with the landlord last night. He was no help at all; lives in Los Angeles, never even met Sonja.\"\n\n\"I'll call her after you speak with her.\" Jerry added. \"She may tell me more than she'll tell you.\"\n\n\"It's possible. I'll call you after I find her. You two have fun today. Smile pretty for the cameras.\" He stood and headed for the door.\n\nWhen they were alone, Jerry struggled to find words for Ethan. She'd spent the night thinking of him as much more than a partner, but she didn't want it to show.\n\n\"I suppose I should get dressed,\" Ethan began, perplexed at Jerry's sudden shyness.\n\n\"Okay, I'm ready whenever you are. We can go to breakfast, and then meander around the area, I suppose.\"\n\n\"Sounds like a plan.\" Ethan disappeared, leaving Jerry alone with her thoughts.\n\nIf she allowed it to intrude, the night before was crystal clear in her mind. The memory of her mother's face, and the feel of Ethan holding her close, meshed into one warm feeling of being cared for, cherished, loved. The feeling was as foreign to her as the lavish luxury of her current situation.\n\nJerry avoided reliving the pieces of her childhood at all costs. She blocked out much of the horrors, most of the time, but found that she could recall any event at will. Groping hands reaching for her at night, days of terror when she waited, as quietly as possible, to be let out of the closet, moments so terrible that she prayed for death to take her away. She'd considered her beauty a curse then, attracting more attention than she ever wanted, in ways that no little girl should ever experience.\n\nBeing consigned to a group home at the age of sixteen was the best thing that ever happened to her. Meals were regular, school was a must, and the matrons in charge of her floor had no interest in her body at all. During the last two years of high school, her natural aptitude blossomed, earning her a scholarship to college, far away from her home state. She had no desire to ever return to Louisiana, nor did she claim it as her own. She fashioned her life as she wanted, during the four years it took her to graduate, suppressing memories best forgotten, and focusing on the life she had never dared dream of, as a child.\n\nYet here she was, years later, remembering the woman who gave her life, only to leave her to face it on her own. Logically, she knew her mother's death was not her mother's fault, but she'd spent so many years placing the blame for her miserable existence squarely on her mother's shoulders, that it felt odd to associate her memory with love. Even odder still was the fact that Ethan had become part of it; he was her partner, no matter how convincingly he played the role of lover and friend. She could not afford to blur the lines.\n\nJust then, Ethan appeared, dressed in slacks and a button down shirt tailored to fit his frame. Did the man ever look bad? Jerry wondered, as she admired the way he moved into the room with confidence. Casual elegance suited him to a tee.\n\n\"Shall we?\" He waited by the door with an inviting smile.\n\nLogic fled as Jerry rose to join him.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Why are you asking so many questions? Has something happened to that girl? Who's gonna take me and Percy to the vet?\" The crotchety octogenarian eyed Dylan as if he was the devil incarnate.\n\nPasting on a smile to hide his impatience, Dylan tried to reassure the woman. \"She's been reported as missing, but we don't know that anything has happened to her. Do you remember seeing the man she left with two days ago?\"\n\n\"Humph. The only man I ever seen her with was Mr. High and Mighty, Randall something or other. Drops by every other night, like clockwork, up until this past week. Must be out of town 'cause he sure wouldn't miss what that girl's giving him, if you know what I mean.\" The woman raised her chin and gave her best holier than thou impression.\n\n\"Did you see the man she left with, two days ago?\" Dylan asked again, his polite demeanor was beginning to wear thin.\n\n\"Oh, I saw him alright. Didn't even have the decency to come inside, waited for her out by the curb, like he was picking up an order at a drive-thru window or something. He's been coming around ever since the other one's been gone, but I never seen him come inside.\"\n\n\"Can you describe him for me?\"\n\n\"Big fella, black hair, fancy clothes, fancy car. Other than that I didn't pay much mind. What that girl chooses to do with her life is her business, no matter how wrong it is. Like my mother always told me; men won't buy the cow, if they get the milk for free.\" The woman's grey head bobbed up and down for emphasis.\n\n\"Yes, Ma'am. Did you see the man's car?\" Dylan asked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.\n\n\"It was red, one of them convertibles. That's all I know.\" The woman turned away from the door. \"Percy, get down off that counter,\" she called to the unseen animal. Turning back to Dylan, she put her hands on her hips. \"Look, if that girl got herself in trouble, I'm not surprised. Nothing good comes from cavorting with men that way. Still, she was nice enough; always spoke to me, even ran errands for me on occasion, and promised to take us to the vet tomorrow. Now, I guess I'll have to call a cab. Anyway, I hope you find her.\" She began pushing the door closed, but Dylan slipped his card through in the nick of time.\n\n\"I'd appreciate it if you'd call me, if you think of anything else that might help.\" The card disappeared, just before the door clicked shut.\n\n~~~\n\n\"These scones remind me of my housekeeper's specialty as a child. I've never found any anywhere that could rival hers, but these come close.\" The delight in Ethan's eyes made Jerry want to buy out every scone in the place, just for him.\n\n\"I've never had scones before, but these are good.\" Jerry smiled at the expression of pure joy on Ethan's face.\n\n\"That's a crime, never having had scones.\" Ethan placed another one on her plate. The small bakery, just around the corner from the condo, enticed them inside with the delicious aroma of baked goods, but the quaint atmosphere kept them at a small caf\u00e9 table in the corner. Even though the table was adjacent to the front window, a prime location to see and be seen. It felt intimate, as if they were alone in the city, immune to the constant stream of sightseers, and city dwellers.\n\n\"I'd have to agree, these things are a little taste of heaven.\" Jerry followed Ethan's lead, spreading strawberry jam onto the soft center of one steaming slice of bread. \"But you say your housekeeper makes better?\" Jerry's gave him an incredulous look.\n\n\"Hard to believe, but yes, just a bit. She adds something that takes the fluffiness to a whole new level.\" He took another bite and audibly sighed. \"I've tried to bribe the recipe from her, but she'll have none of it. Tells me that if she gives me the recipe, I'll never come back to see her.\" He grinned.\n\n\"So, she still works for you, or your family?\"\n\n\"Yes, where she'll likely stay, even after she can no longer perform her duties. She _is_ family.\" Ethan unabashedly licked the jam from his fingertips. \"My parents worked quite a bit when I was young. Ella practically raised me.\"\n\nJerry pushed down the twinge of jealousy before it could flourish. She would've been happy with one loving mother; Ethan had two. \"Sounds like you love her very much.\"\n\n\"I do. She's a second mum.\" He smiled at Jerry warmly. \"I've told you scads about my family. Tell me something about yours.\" He invited.\n\n\"Not much to tell. I have no living relatives.\" Through the years, Jerry had learned to smile when she made that statement, to avoid any unwanted sympathy.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\" Ethan covered her hand with his. \"That must be difficult.\" He felt Jerry stiffen, and decided to back off. \"There're all kinds of family, though. Take Dylan, for example. The way you two go at each other, it feels like you're brother and sister.\"\n\nJerry laughed, grateful for the new direction of conversation. \"It's a pleasure to give Dylan a hard time, I'm sure he feels the same. We've worked some pretty tough cases together, I guess the jibes became an alternative to tension, then they stuck.\" Jerry shrugged her shoulders. \"No matter how much I like to aggravate him, there's no one else I'd rather have on my side.\"\n\n\"Good to know.\" Ethan turned to watch the passersby. \"I suppose we should get out there, walk around the neighborhood.\"\n\n\"Good thing, too. I need to walk off these scones.\" Jerry began tidying the table.\n\n\"You're perfect, I doubt a hundred scones would change that.\" Ethan's eyes bore into hers for a brief second, before his expression became guarded.\n\n\"Why, thank you, kind sir.\" Jerry tried to lighten the tone as they stood to leave. \"But if I ate a hundred of those things, I wouldn't fit through the door, much less into all those fancy new clothes hanging in the closet.\"\n\n\"I'll get some to go, we'll test your theory.\" Ethan grinned as Jerry poked him in the ribs.\n\n~~~\n\n\"But who called you? Sonja's family lives on the east coast, and they're not at all close. What do you think happened to her?\" Kim peppered Dylan with questions as she stepped aside, allowing him entry to her apartment.\n\n\"A neighbor became concerned after seeing a news article about the woman found on the cliffs several days ago. She said that Sonja resembled the lady. I'm sure it's nothing, but it's best that we investigate.\" Dylan attempted to relax Kim with a smile. The young woman was pacing the floor and wringing her hands.\n\n\"What lady? I haven't watched the news lately. Show me.\" Kim demanded.\n\nDylan scrolled through several screens on his phone before presenting Kim with the image of Jenna, alive and well. The photo was taken from her apartment during the sweep.\n\n\"Oh, my God, she does look like Sonja. Her hair color is practically identical and her eyes have the same almond shape. What happened to her?\"\n\n\"This woman was found murdered on the cliffs above Muir woods. We believe she was killed by someone she knew, and trusted. Someone she was dating.\"\n\nKim sat down hard on the sofa, as if her feet had suddenly become jelly. \"Sonja was dating someone new. It was supposed to be a secret.\" Her voice was barely above a whisper.\n\n\"Have you ever met him?\" Dylan sat across from the obviously distraught woman.\n\n\"No. Sonja told me his name was Oscar; apparently he had money and an English accent. They'd only been seeing each other for about two weeks.\" She paused and looked up at Dylan. \"Sonja's boyfriend, Randall, is married. He wouldn't like knowing that Sonja was seeing someone else.\"\n\n\"I'm sure he wouldn't. What else can you tell me about Oscar?\" Dylan's voice was gentle, not at all judgmental.\n\n\"Nothing. Sonja was very closed-mouthed about their relationship. It's odd really, she tells me everything about Randall. I just thought it was new, you know? And good. That she didn't want to jinx it.\" Kim wrung her hands together repeatedly. \"Do you think Oscar hurt her? Is that why you're here?\"\n\n\"We just want to find her. I was hoping you could tell me more about her habits, where she liked to go, what she liked to do, other friends that she might have confided in.\"\n\n\"Sure, that's easy.\" Kim was relieved to be able to help. \"Most of the time, Sonja kept to a schedule. Randall liked to know how to find her on a moment's notice, if you know what I mean.\" Kim wrinkled her nose. \"Since he's been out of town, and she started seeing Oscar, her schedule went by the wayside.\"\n\n\"How did she meet Oscar?\"\n\n\"She met him at a juice bar, near her apartment. Kim would go there at least four times each week, after her power walk.\"\n\n\"When was this?\"\n\n\"Nearly two weeks ago, right around the time Randall left town. Don't get me wrong, Sonja was loyal to Randall. I've never known her to step out on him before, but Oscar just swept her off her feet.\"\n\n\"How so?\"\n\n\"He took her on the town, you know, fancy dinners, nightclubs, all the good stuff that Randall couldn't do with her. She told me he was very romantic.\"\n\n\"So, she thought they had a future?\"\n\n\"I think so. At least she hoped they did. Sonja was tired of the lifestyle. She wanted a family. Randall would never offer her anything more than a place to live, and a platinum card.\"\n\n\"I understand.\" Dylan flipped open a notebook. \"Why don't you tell me about Sonja's schedule, start with the name of the juice bar where she met Oscar.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"If I drink another coffee, or eat another pastry, I'll explode.\" Jerry hooked her arm through Ethan's as they strolled past trendy shops selling overpriced must-haves.\n\n\"Too much of a good thing?\" Ethan smiled down at her, then turned his attention to a particularly fashionable window. \"That dress would look smashing on you.\" He nodded.\n\nJerry followed his gaze and nearly sighed with admiration. The emerald green, beaded. gown shimmered with sparkling crystals in the midday sun. The simple cut, a sweetheart neckline and long, straight, skirt would hug her in all the right places.\n\n\"It's beautiful, but I can't imagine where I'd wear it.\" They both stopped to admire the twinkling beauty.\n\n\"We'll find a place, trust me. Let's go in.\" Ethan was pulling her towards the boutique's door.\n\n\"Ethan, no.\" Jerry told him in hushed tones as she pulled back slightly. \"My closet is filled already.\" She doubted her checking account could handle the purchase, and she knew that Nate would never approve it as a business expense.\n\n\"Let's just see how it looks on you,\" he coaxed, giving her a killer smile.\n\nWhen Jerry emerged from the dressing room, Ethan nearly swallowed his tongue. She was a vision; the dress fit her like a glove, emphasizing her small waist, elongating her already slender neck, and creating an alluring d\u00e9colletage that beckoned him to bury his face in her smooth skin.\n\n\"Amazing.\" Though standing was suddenly difficult, he couldn't help but go and touch her. Placing both hands on her shoulders, he turned her towards the three-way mirror. \"Just look at how lovely you are.\"\n\nHer shoulders tingled beneath his touch, and his hot breath brought goose bumps to her neck, but it was the hungry look in his eyes that had Jerry's knees wanting to buckle. She managed to stay upright, heeding his request to look at their reflection.\n\nThe couple in the mirror was sophisticated, polished, and gorgeous. Jerry very nearly did not recognize the woman as herself, when she finally pulled her eyes away from Ethan's.\n\n\"The dress is lovely,\" she breathed, still in awe of the perfection of their reflection.\n\n\"Yes, but it's you who brings it to life. Simply stunning.\" Ethan trailed his hands down her arms, pleased when he heard her breath hitch at his touch.\n\n\"I'm not buying it.\" Jerry tried to keep her cool, but the feel of his warm fingers, and the closeness of his body, made it difficult.\n\n\"Of course not.\" He inched closer until he could smell the light scent of strawberry that drifted up from her hair. They stood there for a long moment, staring into each other's eyes in the mirror.\n\n\"Aren't you two the ones in the paper?\" A nasally voice broke the spell of the moment.\n\nWith obvious effort, Ethan let go of Jerry, stepped back, and turned towards the intruder. \"Our picture was in the newspaper this morning.\" He said politely to the short woman holding a purse almost as wide as she was.\n\n\"It thought it was you. See Maude, I told you we'd see some celebrities on this street.\" She nodded to her friend, barely visible over the clothing display.\n\n\"Excuse me,\" Jerry made her escape back into the dressing room, leaving Ethan to handle the women's curiosity.\n\n\"So who are you?\" The woman continued, unconcerned with the rudeness of her question.\n\n\"We're nobody, just a couple who happen to enjoy the opera. If you ladies will excuse me,\" Ethan gave them both a smile, before heading over to the cash register, discreetly tucked into the corner of the boutique.\n\nArrangements to send the dress to their condo were completed before Jerry ever exited the dressing room.\n\n~~~\n\nDuring dessert at the third caf\u00e9 they'd patronized, Jerry received a text from Nate. Her smile froze in place as she read the cryptic message. It took effort to make it genuine as she raised her face to Ethan and the crowded room.\n\n\"Ooh, look honey, the dealer can deliver our painting this afternoon. I'm so excited, can we leave now?\" She handed the phone to Ethan.\n\n\"Found her. Meet back at your place\" was the message that sent a shiver of dread along Ethan's skin. \"Sure, sweetie, let's go.\" Handing her the phone, he tossed several bills on the table and stood to take her hand.\n\nThe tall, black haired man in the corner watched them leave. He'd been watching them since they came in, from his perch behind an oversized palm tree. She was perfect; tall, stunning with the same luscious brown hair as his Beth.\n\nHe'd come out today in hopes of running into the new couple, having seen their image plastered on the society section of the newspaper for the past few days. He wondered if she was as lovely in person as the camera suggested. He was not disappointed.\n\nHis sweet Sonja had proven to be a disappointment. Watching the life drain from her eyes had not given him the satisfaction he'd anticipated. It was because her Randall left town too soon, he thought, forcing him to move up the seduction timetable before he'd had a chance to adequately get to know her. He'd only been following Sonja a week before Randall left, giving him the opening he needed. He'd rushed the whole thing, not even taking time to find a replacement.\n\nAs soon as he'd seen Jerry's image in the paper, he'd known she was the one. Now that he had found her in person, he was certain. The way she moved her head when she laughed at the supposed Duke, reminded him of Beth. When she walked away from the table, her hips swayed with natural provocation, just like Beth's.\n\nHe would take his time with this one, he thought, taking a last sip of coffee. No matter if he had to romance her from underneath Bennett's nose, he would make this one special. Keeping his eyes on the pair as they waited at the crosswalk, he casually stood and followed them down the street.\nChapter Twelve\n\n\"A chopper spotted her on a ledge, miles from nowhere. There are a few hiking trails in the area, but it's not a very populated spot. Forensics is searching for tire tracks, footprints, and anything else, on the landing above the cliffs. We could get lucky; it hasn't rained in a few days, so the freshest ones could be his.\" Nate's image on the monitor looked weary.\n\n\"There's no doubt that it's Sonja?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"No, it's definitely her. Time of death is roughly forty-six hours ago. She's remarkably well-preserved for being left in the wild for two days.\"\n\n\"Same M.O.?\" Dylan's long gait was eating up the hardwoods in front of the wall of windows.\n\n\"Clean slice on her neck, right to left. Tossed her over the cliff like she was a ragdoll. Sucker's powerful; Sonja was not a petite girl.\"\n\n\"None of them have been petite. He likes his women tall.\" Ethan interjected.\n\n\"Did you guys spot anyone fitting his description this morning?\" Nate asked.\n\n\"Not really. Men with longish black hair are not exactly a phenomenon in this part of the country. San Francisco has its share of hippies. But no one matching the description, and also resembling a linebacker, wearing designer clothing, stood out. And he would.\" Jerry left the pacing to Dylan; she'd already done her share of walking for the day. Instead, she and Ethan sat together on the sofa.\n\n\"What about you, Dylan, did Kim, or the neighbor, know anything useful?\"\n\n\"Actually, yes. The neighbor confirmed the description of the red Mas, but she didn't offer much else. Kim gave us a list of places that Sonja frequented, said Sonja was a stickler for her schedule, up until Oscar came on the scene. She confirmed what she'd already told Jerry, the guy had money and a British accent. Other than that, she didn't have many details. Sonja was uncharacteristically private about their relationship.\"\n\n\"Matches what we already know.\" Nate began scribbling something on the pad in front of him. \"Dylan, go back to Kim and let her know that we found Sonja. Jerry, call Kim soon afterward, to check in. Try to get close to her, be a friend. She may know something more than what she's told Dylan, even if she doesn't remember it now. She's the closest link we've got to his latest victim.\"\n\n\"Will do, Boss.\" Dylan and Jerry spoke in unison.\n\n\"Ethan, meet me at the drop-kill zone. I'm sending the coordinates and a car. Maybe you'll notice something similar to his other drop zones.\"\n\n\"On my way.\" Ethan nodded.\n\n\"Jerry, watch your back. Just because you didn't see him this morning, doesn't mean that he didn't spot you.\" Nate's stern warning filled the room.\n\n\"Yes, sir.\" Jerry gave him a reassuring smile, just before the screen went black.\n\n\"He's right. We could have missed him, especially if he was behind us. Neither of us were very observant when we left the caf\u00e9.\" Ethan frowned.\n\n\"I'll be fine. I'll be here until Rodney takes me to Kim's, assuming I get an invitation.\"\n\n\"Get an invitation.\" Dylan growled and stopped pacing. Nate's right, she's the best link we have to Sonja, at the moment.\"\n\n\"I know.\" Jerry looked up at Dylan. \"Get out of here, would ya? The sooner you make notification, the sooner I can do my thing.\"\n\n\"I'm going.\" Dylan tweaked her head as he walked by the couch. \"Be careful, princess.\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah.\" Jerry answered.\n\n\"Yes, please be careful.\" Ethan turned to her as Dylan closed the door. \"He could already be watching you.\"\n\n\"Jeez, you'd think that I was a shrinking violet. You do remember that I'm a trained agent, right?\"\n\n\"Yes, I remember. But I still want you to be careful.\" Ethan leaned over to squeeze her hand. Just then, his phone buzzed. \"Looks like the car's here. I'm off.\"\n\n\"You be careful, too.\" Jerry grinned up at him, surprised when she saw Ethan's face lean down to hers. The kiss he dropped on her forehead was both friendly, and filled with promise.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Call Kim now, Jerry. She's a mess.\" Dylan's voice was terse over the phone, but Jerry understood. Notifications were never easy. \"I'm sure she can use a friend.\"\n\n\"I'm sure she could.\" Jerry's voice was filled with sympathy. \"How about you?\"\n\n\"I'm not the one to worry about, but that was rough.\" Dylan conceded.\n\n\"I know. Those two were close. Are you coming back here?\"\n\n\"Not yet. I think I'll join Nate and Ethan at the crime scene. I'll see you later. Be careful.\"\n\n\"Will do.\" Jerry tried to hide her irritation at the men's constant warnings to be careful. She knew how to handle herself; Dylan and Nate damn well knew it.\n\nKim answered on the first ring, tears evident in her voice.\n\n\"Kim? It's Jerry. Are you okay, what's wrong?\" Jerry didn't have to pretend concern. Her heart broke for the young woman who'd just lost her best friend.\n\n\"It's Sonja. She's dead.\" Kim wailed through the receiver.\n\n\"Dead? Are you alone, can I come over? You shouldn't be alone.\" Jerry's innate sense of compassion overtook any agency training.\n\n\"Could you? The FBI agent just left, and I don't know what to do.\" Kim sounded so grateful, Jerry nearly winced at the deception. But it couldn't be helped.\n\n\"I'm on my way.\" Jerry disconnected, grabbed her purse, and bolted for the door.\n\nShe didn't notice the shiny, dark blue sedan, pull away from the curb as she and Rodney drove by. Rodney picked up the tail almost immediately.\n\n\"Looks like we've got company.\" He told her, glancing in the rearview mirror.\n\n\"Someone is following us?\" Surprised, Jerry nearly turned to look out the back window, but she stopped in the nick of time. \"Can you see the driver?\"\n\n\"No, he's staying too far behind. I'm gonna do an experiment. Sit tight.\" Rodney told her just before he swerved sharply to the left, making an unannounced turn. Jerry skidded halfway across the seat.\n\nIs he still there?\" she asked.\n\n\"Yep, still with us. What should I do, keep going to Kim's?\"\n\n\"No, pull over at the first coffee shop you see. I'll jump out and grab a few things to take to Kim's. If he stays with us, we'll know it's him.\"\n\n\"There's one up ahead, but I can't find a close park. I'm not letting you walk down the street by yourself.\"\n\n\"Don't be silly, Randall. Grabbing a woman off the street is not his M.O. He likes to wine and dine his victims, lull them into a relationship. Besides, I know how to protect myself.\" Jerry's tone was more exasperated than it would normally have been, but she was fed up with the males in her world thinking she needed their protection.\n\n\"Okay, okay. Don't get so snooty. I'm just following orders. It's a moot point, anyway, a space just opened up.\" He guided the large car into a parallel parking space.\n\nJerry didn't even look around as she exited the car, even though the desire to do so was palpable. She took her time walking to the coffee shop, stopping to admire the display in the adjacent boutique. The reflection of a shiny blue sedan passed smoothly beside her town car, driving slower than necessary. She strained to see the driver's reflection, but couldn't for the tinted windows.\n\nRodney was busy jotting down the license plate numbers as the blue sedan passed by. He called it in as he watched the car stop at the next stop sign, before making a left turn.\n\nJerry came back to the car laden with two large coffees and a box of pastries. The dark blue sedan was nowhere to be seen.\n\n\"Did you get the license?\" She asked Rodney as she slid into the backseat.\n\n\"They're running it now.\" He told her.\n\n\"Where did he go?\"\n\n\"Turned left at the next corner. If he's going around the block, he should be coming up on us again, soon.\"\n\n\"Let's sit a moment and find out.\"\n\nBefore Jerry had finished the sentence, the dark blue sedan turned left onto the street behind them. Rodney spotted it immediately. \"There he is. Time to go.\"\n\nManeuvering the town car back into traffic in front of the sedan was a challenge, but Rodney managed it. Soon, they were headed to Kim's, the sedan maintaining a discreet distance behind them.\n\n\"He's definitely following us. What do you want to do?\" Rodney looked at Jerry in the rearview mirror.\n\n\"Go to Kim's. For all he knows, I'm visiting a friend. How soon before we have the license plate information?\"\n\n\"Didn't say, but they know it's a priority. What's our next move?\"\n\n\"I visit Kim, as planned. Even if we have him, she's expecting me, and she needs a friend right now. You keep an eye on him, try to get a visual on his face. Oh, and contact Nate, bring him up to speed.\" Jerry gathered the pastry box and coffee cups, as Rodney pulled to the curb in front of Kim's building.\n\n\"We're not going to arrest him?\" Rodney was surprised.\n\n\"On what charge? Driving around in San Francisco? He's left no DNA evidence, of any kind, on any of the bodies. He's changed his appearance since Europe, so we can't legally tie him to those murders. The only evidence we have is the description from a stoned woman, who saw him drive away with Sonja on the day she was killed. That's not enough to get an arrest warrant, much less a conviction.\" Jerry paused with her hand on the door handle. \"At this point, we have to catch him in the act, in order to pin the other murders on him. So we play the game.\"\n\nRodney's eyes grew wide. \"So you really are bait, not just a lure. You're gonna let him try to kill you?\"\n\n\"That's the plan.\" Jerry nodded. \"Call Nate. He'll want to get a tail on him right away. See ya.\" She jumped out of the car before Rodney could ask any more questions. The thoughts of getting close to a killer made her skin crawl, but someone had to do it. The good news was that he was focused on her now, but it disturbed her that she wasn't aware of when she'd caught his eye. Had her attraction to Ethan interfered with her powers of observation?\n\nJerry's musings stopped when Kim opened the door. The woman was obviously distraught and still a little in shock. Jerry made herself at home, tending to her as if she were an old friend.\n\n\"I can't believe that she's gone.\" Kim placed her uneaten pastry on the plate in front of her. \"I saw her just the other day, we went to the new boutique opening in the mall. And I talked with her the next day, the day she died,\" a sob broke through her words.\n\n\"You said you spoke with her on the phone, just before she met Oscar?\" Jerry patted Kim's hand to comfort and encourage her to continue. She hated probing for answers, but Kim could help their case by providing details she may not be aware that she knew.\n\n\"Yes. She was so excited, she really believed that Oscar could be it, you know?\" Kim blew her nose loudly. \"She said he was so kind and attentive, he made her feel like a princess. What kind of man does that? Makes a woman fall for him, then kills her?\"\n\n\"A sicko, that's for sure.\" Jerry commiserated before prodding further. \"What else did she say about him? It might help you to talk about it, and it might help the cops catch him.\"\n\n\"I know, I've been trying to remember ever since that nice FBI agent, Dylan something or other, left. She said he was punctual, wealthy, and British. He was close to our age, I think, maybe in his early thirties. Sonja joked that he didn't need little blue pills.\" Kim turned to Jerry to explain. \"Randall is a good bit older than Sonja.\"\n\n\"Got it.\" Jerry smiled and nodded. \"Did Sonja mention the places they liked to go?\"\n\n\"That was one of the things she really liked about him, he wasn't afraid to be seen with her in public.\" Kim shook her head. \"One of the worst aspects of dating married men is the isolation. We can do whatever we like, on our own, or with friends. The majority of our time together is spent inside the condo, unless we go out of town.\" Kim didn't appear at all embarrassed to discuss her situation.\n\n\"I know what you mean. Before Ethan, I was seeing a married man. It can suck, at times.\" Jerry tried to guide Kim back to Sonja and Oscar's outings. \"It's nice that Sonja was able to enjoy herself these past few weeks.\" Jerry winced when she realized what she'd said. Sonja may have enjoyed herself, but she did so with her killer.\n\nKim didn't miss the connection. \"I know, at least she had fun, and fell in love. That's always such a nice feeling. Why couldn't it have been real? Sonja deserved better than that.\" Fresh tears began to flow.\n\n\"I agree, but let's focus on the good. Sonja had fun, she was excited about new possibilities. Where did they go?\"\n\n\"He took her to dinner, fancy ones, you know? Once to The Arbors, and once to Patron's, but she didn't mention the others. He also managed to get tickets to that new club, Diablo's. She loved that, getting all dressed up, and going on real dates.\" Kim sniffled.\n\n\"Did you ever meet him?\" Jerry asked softly.\n\n\"No. Sonja said he wanted to keep their relationship private, special. Just between the two of them. That suited her as well. If Randall found out about Oscar, Sonja would be looking for a new place to live, among other things. She wanted to make sure that she had a future with Oscar, before she told Randall anything.\"\n\n\"That's understandable.\" Jerry offered.\n\n\"Oh, my God, Randall. Does he know that Sonja's dead? Does he know that she was seeing someone else? I should have asked that nice FBI agent. Sonja wouldn't want Randall to know about Oscar. She really did care for him. She just wanted something of her own, you know? Marriage and a family.\" Kim began searching for Dylan's card. \"He said I could call him. Do you think I'm being silly?\"\n\n\"No, you're not. You're simply looking out for your friend's wishes. It won't hurt to call the agent.\" Jerry glanced down at the pastry Kim had left on the plate. \"Have you eaten anything today? I'm happy to order lunch, or fix something for you, before I leave.\"\n\n\"I can't think about food right now, but Charlie's coming over in a couple of hours. We're having dinner together. Maybe by then, I'll feel like eating.\"\n\n\"Is there anything else I can do for you? I can only imagine what you're going through, I wish I could be of more help.\"\n\n\"You've been great. We hardly know each other, yet you ran right over here when I needed someone. I really appreciate that.\" Kim looked at her gratefully. \"It's time I called a few friends who need to hear about Sonja from me, not on the news.\" Kim sighed audibly.\n\n\"Would you like me to stay while you make the calls?\"\n\n\"No, thanks. I really think I need to be alone for a while, you know?\"\n\n\"Sure. You've got my number, call me if you need anything.\"\n\n\"I will.\" Kim gave Jerry a quick hug, before walking her to the door.\n\n~~~\n\n\"What's the word on our friend?\" Jerry asked Rodney, as soon as she closed the car door. \"I see he's still parked down the street.\"\n\n\"The plates are registered to a Sarah Besher, but they don't match the car he's driving. He must have switched them, so no help there. Nate put a tail on him, even though I haven't been able to get a good look at his face.\" Rodney pulled away from the curve into traffic and watched as the blue sedan followed suit. \"It has to be him, though. Who else would be following us around?\"\n\n\"No one that I know of.\" Jerry sat back in the seat and closed her eyes, glad to be away from Kim's grief. \"If it is the son-of-a-bitch, I hope he makes his move soon.\" Rodney read the anger in her voice, loud and clear.\n\n\"Nate said to tell you that Casanova left no DNA, or fingerprints that they could find, but they did get a decent tire track near where the body went over the cliff.\"\n\n\"That's something, at least.\" Jerry sighed. \"Take me home, please, Rodney. And park in the garage. Let's see if our shadow can talk his way into a secured building.\"\n\n\"Sounds like a plan.\"\n\n~~~\n\nEthan's impatience nearly got the best of him in the bumper to bumper traffic on the way back to the condo. He'd left the crime scene as soon as Rodney had let them know that Casanova was following Jerry. The site was only thirty minutes out of the city, but at the pace they were traveling, it would take him nearly an hour and a half to get home. He didn't want Jerry there alone, no matter what she said about taking care of herself.\n\nThe ride gave him a chance to inspect his feelings, without the distraction of her presence. He still couldn't get over how attached he felt to her, after knowing her for such a short time. The attraction was elemental, primal, and something he couldn't explain if his life depended on it. The need to protect her grew stronger with every passing moment; he didn't know how to stop it, or if he even wanted to.\n\nHis mother always told him that one day he'd meet a woman who would bring him to his knees. Amused by his flippant attitude towards dating and marriage, she often used the old adage, 'the more stubborn they are, the harder they fall' when discussing his love life, or lack thereof. She was frustrated that his career meant more to him than settling down and starting a family, and she never missed an opportunity to remind him that he wasn't getting any younger.\n\nHe wondered briefly what she would think of Jerry, then decided that she'd probably love her. Being a strong, independent, woman, his mother would appreciate those same qualities in Jerry. The fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous, and would give her beautiful grandchildren, wouldn't hurt either. Ethan smiled at the thought of his mother's delight, if he told her he'd finally fallen in love.\n\nLove. Children. Where in hell had those thoughts come from? He'd known Jerry less than a week, and he was already thinking about marriage? Ethan's smile turned into a scowl. What in the name of sense was happening to him? Sure, he felt a connection with Jerry, more so than he'd ever felt with anyone. But couldn't the connection stem from the unusual circumstances? He was chasing a killer, one they hoped would target her, that alone could be the reason for his protective instincts. He was living with her after all, pretending to be in love. Maybe he was experiencing nothing more than transference. He'd had female partners before, but none had elicited such intense feelings. Jerry made him want to slay dragons, and tame lions, just in case they crossed her path.\n\nNow that the killer had noticed her, he wanted nothing more than to never leave her side. But that wasn't part of the plan. At some point, he had to let Jerry be alone with the monster. It was the only way they could hope to nail him. His gut rolled at the idea of deliberately placing her in danger.\n\nIt was simple, he thought. They'd have to come up with a better plan. No way could he allow Jerry to go off with Casanova on her own, no matter how many agents followed their every move. Feeling better about his decision, Ethan relaxed against the plush leather, letting his thoughts drift to images of caramel-haired children, with almond shaped eyes.\n\n~~~\n\nThe man Sonja called Oscar drove past the building that his new love called home. The driver entered the parking garage, which likely meant that she would be home for a while. It was just as well, the day had gone better than he'd hoped, surely a sign that she was meant for him. Running into the couple at the caf\u00e9 was divine intervention, as far as he was concerned. Discovering her place of residence, and getting a description of her car, was another coup. Everything was falling into place.\n\nIt was time for him to make preparations, the first being to change his appearance. Hair color was so easy to alter; maybe he'd go red this time, or reddish brown. He'd have to give it some thought.\n\nHe also needed a new car. The Mas was a bit too conspicuous, but it had done the job in helping to attract his victims in the bay area. San Francisco; who knew that this old city would provide such a plethora of beauties for his pleasure?\n\nAs he made his way up the hills near the Presidio, he congratulated himself on his selection. It was a stroke of luck that the Forresters happened to be summering in Monte Carlo, and offered him their lovely home. Reminding himself to send them a bottle of champagne, he turned the blue sedan into the steep driveway of their ultra-modern home. The garage door was whisper quiet as it closed behind him.\n\n~~~\n\nEthan came through the door with a look of determination that Jerry had yet to see on his chiseled face. He further surprised her by marching directly towards her, as she stood by the wall of windows.\n\nTaking her by the arms, he searched her face. \"Are you okay?\" The earnestness in his voice would have been endearing, if the circumstances were different. As it was, his concern served to piss Jerry off.\n\n\"Oh. My. God. I am sick to death of you all treating me like I'm some incompetent female, who needs a big strong man to take care of her. May I remind you that I am a trained FBI agent, top of my survival class at Quantico, and perfectly capable of kicking your collective butts, all the way to that bridge.\" Jerry nodded towards the Golden Gate as she maneuvered her arms from Ethan's grip. \"Where do you guys get off reminding me to be careful with every other breath, or telling me to stay inside until one of you is with me?\" She tossed her phone towards the sofa, Dylan's text message telling her to stay put still visible on the screen.\n\nJerry dressed in formal finery for the opera was stunning. Jerry ready to tackle a yoga class made his blood boil. But Jerry in a full-blown snit was magnificent. Ethan lowered his arms, trying not to smile in appreciation as she continued her rant.\n\n\"First, Rodney doesn't think I can walk down the block alone. Then, Nate tells me to go straight home, Dylan texts me to \"stay put\" and now you come in all concerned for my welfare. Who are you people? Do I need to wear my badge around, just to remind you that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself?\" She began pacing the length of the wall, Ethan moved out of her way.\n\n\"So we caught his attention, that's a good thing. That was the plan, was it not? Now, we let him make contact.\"\n\n\"No!\" Ethan caught Jerry by the arm as she walked by. \"We find another way get him, one in which you are not the bait.\"\n\nSurprised by the vehemence of his response, Jerry allowed Ethan to hold onto her arm. \"What do you mean, we find another way? This was the plan all along, attract him, then catch him in the act. It's the only way we're sure of a conviction. It's the only way we can absolutely get him off the streets.\"\n\n\"There has to be another way. I will not let him get close to you.\" Ethan turned her around to face him. \"No matter how competent you are, no matter that you received top honors at Quantico, no plan is foolproof. I will not risk you.\" Ethan grabbed her by both arms and hauled her to him, his eyes sending sparks, straight into hers.\n\nJerry was taken off guard by the passion she saw reflected in his face, but the fire in his eyes kept her from pushing him away. She wanted his arms around her, longed to feel his lips on hers once again, this time with meaning. She got her wish.\n\nThe first time she'd tasted him was sweet, and caused butterflies to take flight from her center. Now, as he crushed her lips to his, she couldn't help but be possessed by an all-consuming passion that obliterated any thoughts, leaving room only for a rush of emotion that charged her senses, and melded her to him. Her first and last coherent thought was that 'you really do see stars.'\n\nEthan felt her surrender in the small part of his mind that still worked. She tasted like honey, and heat, and the first dew of springtime. As her body molded to his, he tilted her head and took the kiss deeper, blocking out all reason, giving himself to the pure pleasure that swirled around him.\n\nNeither knew how long they kissed, neither cared. It was difficult to say which one held up the other; both were balanced against each other, as they fell into an abyss filled with psychedelic colors, shooting stars, and the pounding of one heart.\n\nIt was no wonder they missed the front door opening.\n\n\"Ahem,\" Dylan cleared his throat loudly, taken aback though he was, by the scene he'd walked in on.\n\nEthan broke the kiss long enough to glance over his shoulder, but he never loosened his grip on Jerry. She didn't even try to move. \"Not now, Dawes,\" he growled, then tightened his hold, as Jerry came back to her senses, and began pulling away.\n\n\"Sorry Slick, but I have news about Casanova. You remember, the case we're working? The reason that you're here?\" Dylan tried to keep it light, but inside he was seething. He knew Slick would try to weasel his way into Jerry's heart, but he thought she was smart enough to block him. Apparently, he needed to rethink the situation. If what he'd walked in on was any indication, they were either already sleeping together, or soon would be. Jerry deserved better than a player like Barnes, but she was also stubborn enough to have to find out for herself. He'd just have to help pick up the pieces when the son-of-a-bitch walked away.\n\nJerry placed her hand on Ethan's heart, shaking her head slightly. He dropped his arms, and let her go. Stepping away from him was like throwing ice water onto a raging inferno, but she put as much distance between them as was possible. From the look on Dylan's face, he had pretty strong opinions on her getting involved with Ethan, but that was his problem. She'd had enough of men thinking they could tell her what to do.\n\nAs casually as possible, she walked past Dylan and into the kitchen. \"What's up?\" She asked as she surveyed the fridge.\n\n\"It's possible that our boy got careless with Sonja. The M.E. found a partial fingerprint on her arm. The bad news is that it could be Sonja's, he's checking to be sure. I thought you'd like to know, didn't mean to interrupt.\" If looks could kill, Ethan would be lying dead on the floor.\n\nEthan ignored the other man's scowl, he'd grown accustomed to Dylan's attitude. \"That's good, because we need a new plan. There's no way Jerry should be alone with him.\" He stated his opinion as if it were fact.\n\nJerry came back into the room with three bottled waters. She tossed one to each of the men, then settled on the sofa. \"I thought we discussed this already. Acting as bait is not only my job, but it's the only way to convict him. Up until now, and this possible fingerprint, every piece of evidence we have on him is circumstantial. If we arrest him and he walks, how many more women will he kill, before we find him again?\"\n\n\"Yes, but if the fingerprint is viable, and it's not Sonja's, we could arrest him right now.\" Ethan argued.\n\n\"Maybe in Europe, but here we play by the book, it's the only way charges will stick. We'll have to get his prints legally, like from a discarded drink, then match them up. Now that he's noticed Jerry, she's our best way to accomplish that without disturbing the chain of evidence.\" Dylan perched on the arm of the sofa.\n\n\"So, it's okay if Jerry gets killed, as long as you preserve your chain of evidence?\" Ethan's stance indicated that he was ready for a fight.\n\n\"Who said anything about Jerry getting killed? We'll be on her every minute. No way Casanova will get a chance to take her into the woods, if the print is good.\" Dylan crossed his legs and waited for the explosion. Ethan was playing the protective lover to the hilt, he had to hand it to him. If he didn't know what a scum the man was, even he would be impressed.\n\n\" _If_ the print is good?\" Ethan stalked towards Dylan. \"I don't care about the stupid print, she's not getting into a car with that maniac, much less going into the woods with him. We need a new plan.\" Ethan fumed, leveling his eyes at Dylan. \"One that doesn't include Jerry being alone with him.\"\n\n\"Hold on a damn minute!\" Jerry stood and glared at Ethan. \"I decide what's an acceptable risk, not you, or you,\" she shared the glare with Dylan, \"or anyone else. Me. The sooner you get that straight, the smoother this operation will be.\" Jerry paused to take a breath, then softened her tone. \"I appreciate your concern, Ethan, but I understand the dangers, and I'm confident that I can handle them.\" She held up a finger to stop Ethan from speaking. \"The only time he presents any danger to his victims is right at the end, when he kills them. If being part of an attempted murder is the only way to get this guy, then I'm game.\"\n\n\"No, you're insane.\" Ethan had heard enough. \"What are you going to do, let him come up behind you with a knife, then turn the tables on him, just in the nick of time? That's crazy. We know he keeps his victims in the dark about their final 'adventure', so we won't even be able to set up in the area to protect you. We can follow, but what if we get there too late? It only takes a second to sever the carotid artery, then you're dead.\"\n\n\"You're assuming he'll get close enough to me to use the knife.\" Jerry's eyes gleamed. \"Not gonna happen.\"\n\n\"I think he needs a demonstration.\" Dylan interjected, barely concealing his amusement.\n\n\"I don't want to hurt him.\" Jerry's tone was serious.\n\n\"He can take it, can't you Slick?\" Dylan all but wrung his hands in glee. \"There's lots of room, right there in front of the window. Go on, Ethan, try to sneak up on her.\" Dylan discreetly aimed the camera on his phone at the perplexed man.\n\n\"What, you want me to try and hurt her?\" Ethan glanced between Jerry and Dylan. \"You've both lost it.\"\n\n\"You could try,\" Jerry scoffed. \"As if.\" She rolled her eyes and began to pile cushions on the floor. \"May as well give you a soft place to land,\" she winked at Dylan, then smiled sweetly at Ethan.\n\n\"You seriously think you can take me?\" Ethan balked at even thinking of harming Jerry, but if he could prove his point with a gentle demonstration, he'd give it a try. Besides, he didn't like the competitive gleam in her eye. Maybe it was time for a lesson in humility.\n\n\"We'll never know unless we try.\" Jerry deliberately turned her back on him. \"Whenever you're ready.\" She spoke to the opposite wall. \"I'll even close my eyes.\"\n\nDylan hit record button on his phone.\n\nEthan slipped off his shoes in order to help silence his approach. Jerry shook her hands out to the sides, limbering up. She waited, alert for even the slightest movement. Dylan didn't bother to hide his grin any longer, as he checked to make sure the camera was positioned correctly to capture Slick's embarrassment.\n\nJerry was not the only one who had passed rigorous training with flying colors; Ethan knew how to be stealthy, and moved up behind her without making a whisper of a sound. His intention was to grab her arms, with the utmost care, of course, and hold them behind her back, effectively proving his point.\n\nJerry felt the air move as he came closer to her. She'd always had the senses of a cat, and she used every one of them now. Without outwardly moving, she braced herself as she felt him reach for her.\n\nEthan never saw her move. One second, he was reaching for her arms, the next he was lying flat on his back, looking up into her beautiful face.\n\n\"You were saying?\" Jerry's voice held the slightest hint of a taunt as she held her arm out towards him. The stunned look on his face was reward enough, so she did her level best not to laugh.\n\nDylan was not as circumspect. Lying sideways on the sofa, holding his sides from laughter, he still managed to keep the cell phone aimed at Ethan, sprawled on the floor.\n\nEthan took Jerry's hand, more from a desire not to be rude, than from necessity, and let her help him up. His breath was coming back, slowly. He couldn't remember the last time he got the wind knocked out of him.\n\n\"Impressive.\" He told her when he was upright. \"Thanks for thinking of the pillows.\"\n\n\"My pleasure.\" Jerry told him sweetly. \"I hope I didn't hurt you.\"\n\n\"Not at all; I'm just a little winded, that's all.\" Ethan felt more pride in Jerry than humiliation that she had bested him. \"How did you know I was there?\"\n\n\"Shut up, Dylan,\" Jerry admonished him, before answering Ethan. \"I just knew. My reflexes have always been pretty good.\" She didn't bother elaborating on the fact that, all too often, her survival as a child had depended on her quick instincts.\n\n\"I'd say that was more than reflexes; it's as if you have eyes in the back of your head.\" Ethan turned his back to Dylan, effectively ignoring him.\n\n\"Do you see, now, why I'm not worried about Oscar, or whatever he's calling himself? I really am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.\"\n\n\"I never doubted your capabilities, but things don't always go according to plan. What if he changes his M.O. and surprises you? You'll have to be on guard every second you're with him.\"\n\n\"Ethan, I've done this before, many times. I know how to operate undercover. Please stop worrying 'cause you're really starting to piss me off.\" Jerry's voice was kinder than her words.\n\n\"Maybe he needs another demonstration.\" Dylan looked, and sounded, hopeful.\n\n\"Shut up, Dylan.\"\n\n\"Shut up, Dawes.\"\n\nJerry and Ethan spoke as one. Ethan continued.\n\n\"Don't you have somewhere else to be?\" He growled.\n\n\"Nope, right here is just fine.\" Dylan wasn't about to admit that he didn't want to leave Jerry alone with Ethan. \"Besides, Nate should be calling with an update soon.\"\n\n\"Could we speak privately?\" Ethan asked Jerry.\n\n\"Of course, but it won't make a difference. I see no reason to alter the plan, unless the situation changes.\" Jerry answered Dylan's scowl with a look of exasperation, as she led Ethan to the bedroom. At the moment, she'd like to toss both men over her shoulder.\n\nEthan touched her arm as soon as they were alone, turning her to face him. \"I know you're insulted that I want to change the plan, and I'm sorry,\" he began. \"The truth is that I've never felt this way about a partner, or anyone, and I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants, as my housekeeper used to say.\"\n\nJerry's heart began to race, but she played it cool. Could he feel for her the way she felt for him? They barely knew each other. \"Sounds like your housekeeper was from the South.\" She smiled.\n\n\"As a matter of fact, she was.\" Ethan returned her smile, stepping closer. \"I have no idea what this is between us, but I know you feel it too. Bottom line, I would rather walk into a hungry lion's den than watch you ride off with a killer. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to protect you, whether you need it or not.\" He hastened to add.\n\nJerry held his gaze, then relaxed, and leaned closer. \"I do feel it, and I don't know what it is either. It's almost as if there's a thick cord connecting us. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I've known you forever.\"\n\n\"I feel the same. It's as if you're a part of me, even though I hardly know you. I'd like to rectify that.\" Ethan leaned towards her as Jerry pulled away, a look of surprise on her face. \"No, I'd like to get to know you, not change the way I feel,\" he explained and she relaxed again.\n\n\"I'd like that, too. But it won't change the fact that I _will_ do my job. You'll have to come to terms with that, one way or another.\" Jerry leaned towards Ethan, but this time he pulled away.\n\n\"I'm not sure that I can do that.\" He told her honestly. \"I picture you in danger, and my head nearly explodes.\"\n\nJerry tried an experiment, picturing Ethan in a life-threatening situation. Her gut clenched. \"Okay. I get it. But we have to work through this. I'm an agent, you're an agent. Danger comes with the territory.\"\n\n\"Of course, I know that. This could be one of the reasons that fraternization is frowned upon at Interpol.\"\n\n\"Could be.\" Jerry agreed. \"Fraternization,\" she grinned at him, \"sounds like fun.\"\n\n\"Could be.\" He agreed and drew her into his arms.\n\n~~~\n\nThe pair returned to the living room several minutes later, to find Dylan in a heated conversation.\n\n\"If that's the best you can do, maybe you should look for another job.\" His frustration was tangible as he disconnected the call, before throwing the phone across the sofa.\n\n\"Who licked the red off your candy?\" Jerry asked, trying to appear calmer than she felt. Ethan's kisses, and their mutual declaration, had her emotions in a tailspin.\n\n\"The damn fingerprint is apparently 'too smudged to be of use',\" Dylan quoted. \"They can't even tell if it's Sonja's or the unsub's.\"\n\n\"We knew it was a longshot. Whose head did you bite off?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"Some techy guy in the local lab. Why Nate didn't send it off to Quantico, I'll never know.\"\n\n\"Are you finally ready to admit that Jimmy knows what he's doing?\"\n\n\"He's gotta be better than these yahoos.\" Dylan scowled. He knew that he'd overreacted, and he also knew why. It was obvious from the kiss he walked in on, and from the private confab in the bedroom, that Jerry and Ethan were more than partners, a situation that he despised. Jerry deserved better than Slick would ever give her, he knew it in his gut.\n\n\"Did Nate call? What's the word on Oscar?\" Ethan asked.\n\n\"They tailed him to a home near the Presidio. Very posh. They're running down the owners now.\" Dylan hated to give Ethan his due, but right was right. \"Looks like you were spot on about him staying in a friend's house; the owners of record are James and Ellen Forrester; an elderly couple with a penchant for travel.\"\n\nEthan acknowledged the compliment with a nod. \"What about the cars? Did the agents see the Mas?\"\n\n\"No. The home has a three car garage with separate openings for each bay. We do know that the Mas is not registered to the home, but the blue sedan is. There's also a Prius registered to the owners. We can only assume that it's parked in the third bay.\"\n\n\"Nate's arranging for tracking devices to be placed on all of the cars, I presume.\" Jerry dropped down in a chair across from Dylan.\n\n\"Of course. As soon as we get a court order for the security code, we can go in overnight.\"\n\nEthan busied himself with replacing the cushions that broke his fall, back on the furniture. \"I hope the agents tagging the cars are more competent than the fingerprint tech.\"\n\n\"I'll handle it myself. There's no room for error on this one.\" Dylan assured him, just as his phone rang. He retrieved it from the other end of the sofa by the second ring. \"It's Kim.\" He told them and placed the phone on speaker.\n\n\"Dylan Dawes.\" He sounded very professional.\n\n\"Agent Dawes? This is Kim, Sonja's friend.\" Kim choked up on the word 'Sonja.'\n\n\"Yes, Kim. What can I do for you?\"\n\n\"I was hoping you hadn't already told Randall about Oscar. Sonja wouldn't want him to know.\" Her voice caught on a sob.\n\n\"I understand, Kim, but I'm not sure how we can avoid telling him. Randall could shed some light on this Oscar, something that could help us catch him.\"\n\n\"I don't know how, Sonja only met Oscar after Randall left town. He couldn't possibly know anything about him.\"\n\n\"There's still the matter of exactly how Oscar knew that Randall was leaving town. Randall may know more than you realize.\" Dylan paused. \"I'm sorry, Kim, but catching this guy is more important than one person's feelings.\" He hated to tell her that Randall already knew about Sonja, and had done everything he could to wash his hands of the whole mess. The man had about as much concern for his dead girlfriend as he would a tree stump in Indiana.\n\n\"Oh, well when you put it that way, I suppose it's more important to catch the guy.\" Kim's voice trailed off.\n\n\"I'll be sure and let him down easy,\" Dylan assured her. \"If you think of anything else that might be helpful, don't hesitate to call.\"\n\n\"I will. Thank you.\" Kim disconnected the call.\n\n\"Poor girl, she actually believes that Randall gives two cents about her friend. The bastard was more concerned with getting her things out of the apartment than he was with how she died.\"\n\n\"Must have another one lined up to take her place.\" Jerry's voice was filled with disgust.\n\n\"That's quite likely.\" Ethan threw her a sympathetic look. \"You brought up a good point, Dawes. How did Casanova know when to target Sonja? Or the other three victims here? Maybe we should focus on finding that connection.\"\n\n\"So far, there doesn't seem to be one. The best we can deduce is that Oscar watches the apartment, follows the boyfriend to discover his identity, and somehow gets his schedule.\"\n\n\"We should show a composite drawing to the men's secretaries. They are the ones who likely make travel arrangements, maybe Oscar got to them somehow.\"\n\n\"Good point.\" Dylan punched a button, and soon Nate's voice came over the speaker.\n\n\"Dawes, what in hell did you say to piss off the lab? I've been putting out fires for the last thirty minutes.\" Nate said by way of a greeting.\n\n\"Sorry, Boss, I guess I lost my temper. But there's no excuse for incompetence.\"\n\n\"There's also no excuse for your behavior. I expect that you'll undo whatever you've done with a dynamite apology. Today.\" Nate's tone brooked no argument.\n\n\"Will do.\" Dylan sighed. \"Believe it or not, that's not the reason I called. Where do we stand on the composite drawing of Casanova? Jerry had the idea to show it to the victim's companion's secretaries. We've hit a dead end on discovering how he determined when the men would be away, maybe he charmed the info out of their assistants.\"\n\n\"Good point. We should have something in about an hour. You can take it with you and do an interview, after you square things with the local lab.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir. I'm on my way.\" Dylan clicked off. \"Well, looks like you two are on your own.\" He said as he stood. \"Don't do anything I wouldn't do.\" He looked pointedly at Jerry.\n\n\"Well, that leaves the field wide open.\" She teased.\n\n\"Very funny,\" Dylan responded, then tossed a sideways scowl at Ethan. \"I'll be in touch, after I speak to the assistants.\"\n\n\"Take your time.\" Ethan told him, then moved to stand next to Jerry.\n\nAs the door closed behind Dylan, Ethan took Jerry's hand and led her to the sofa. \"Now that we're alone, what do you say we get to know each other a little?\" He noticed her slight frown, but also noticed that she quickly covered it with a polite smile. So the lady was reticent to talk about her past, he thought, and felt his curiosity level rise.\n\n\"Sure, we can do that.\" Jerry tried not to sound as uncomfortable as she felt. Something told her that lying to Ethan about her childhood would be next to impossible. It was as if the man could see straight through her. Determined to direct the conversation away from the distant past, she chose to ask him about work. \"You start. Tell me what led you to Interpol.\"\n\nSettling beside her on the sofa, Ethan turned sideways to face her. \"It was a natural fit, really. We traveled so much when I was growing up, that I couldn't imagine settling down in one place, for very long. I've always had an innate sense of justice, starting with Alice McDougal's missing lunch in the second grade.\" He paused, noting how Jerry had relaxed into the story.\n\n\"I take it you solved the case of Alice McDougal's missing lunch?\" Jerry smiled as she pictured a young Ethan, stalwart and serious, as he searched for clues.\n\n\"Absolutely. Turns out that her brother preferred her sandwich over his own.\" Ethan grinned back at her. \"I got a black eye and my first kiss for my troubles. I've been hooked on righting wrongs ever since.\"\n\n\"Did Alice give you the black eye, the kiss, or both?\" Jerry asked, laughing.\n\n\"Young Alice gave me the sweetest kiss, right here,\" Ethan tapped his left cheek, \"after her brother had punched me in the eye. I'll never forget it.\"\n\n\"And look at you today, chasing serial killers around the globe, fighting the good fight.\"\n\n\"That's right. I still get the same rush when we put one away, as I did back in the second grade, only now it's much more satisfying. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that.\"\n\n\"No, it's amazing, the feeling I get when we take one off the street. You'll probably think I'm crazy, but I always feel a little deflated after we've solved a case. Part of me loves the thrill of the hunt, trying to think like they do, and outsmart them at their own game.\"\n\n\"I get it,\" Ethan nodded. \"If you didn't enjoy that part of the job, you wouldn't be very good at it.\" He glanced at her before asking his next question. \"Seems like the SSCD is a good fit for you, too. How did you find your way there?\"\n\n\"Nothing as exciting as Alice MacDougal's lunch,\" Jerry lied and felt an instant pang of guilt. \"I took a criminal justice course in my first year of college, and loved it. I haven't looked back since.\"\n\n\"I bet your parents were proud.\" Ethan prodded gently. His instincts told him Jerry was avoiding any discussion of something painful in her past.\n\n\"I wouldn't know. I grew up in the foster system.\" She replied curtly.\n\nEthan knew by the way her shoulders tightened that he'd hit a nerve. \"I imagine that was difficult.\" He said softly.\n\nFor some reason, Jerry's pat answers wouldn't come. The sudden need to share everything with Ethan was overwhelming. But why? She'd never told anyone about the horrors she'd endured as a child. There was nothing anyone could do to change it, and she didn't want sympathy. So why did she want, so much, to open up to Ethan?\n\n\"It was,\" she closed her eyes as he took her hand. \"It really was.\"\n\n\"Would you like to talk about it?\" Ethan saw the debate rage across her face. He hoped the desire to share would win; somehow he knew that she needed to talk it through.\n\n\"No, I'd like nothing more than to forget about it.\" Jerry sighed. \"But it's always part of me, deep down.\"\n\n\"Just because something is a part of you, doesn't mean that it defines you.\" Ethan squeezed her hand in support.\n\n\"I know. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger, and all that.\" Jerry replied, glancing over at the compassion on his face. \"You probably thought I was a crazy person, crying the way I did after the opera.\"\n\n\"You'd be surprised how often I've cried after the opera.\" Ethan told her in all seriousness. \"For some of us, the passion, and the story, and the music, touch a place where old emotions go to hide. It's like ripping a bandage from a bloody wound; first you cry out from the pain, and then the air, and light, help it begin to heal.\"\n\n\"That's exactly how it felt. When Violetta died so young, for some reason, it made me remember my mother, which I haven't done with kindness in a very long time. The tears helped, so did the memories.\" Jerry's smile was tremulous but genuine.\n\n\"Then, I'm glad we went.\" Ethan assured her. \"How old were you when she died?\"\n\n\"Three. As far as I know, I have no other family. At least none that the courts could find. For the first year or so, I waited for her to come and get me, but of course she never did. Then I blamed her for leaving me to those people. I know now that blaming her was a coping mechanism, it was one way I kept my sanity, and got through it.\"\n\nEthan wondered if she knew how much her voice changed when she mentioned 'those people.' His stomach clenched at the awful possibilities that could befall a child in the foster system. \"The point is that you did get through it. Whatever happened back then, you are a strong, amazing woman today.\" He brought her hand to his lips.\n\n\"Thank you.\" Jerry realized he was giving her an out, a way to not speak of the atrocities, unless she wanted to. She appreciated his discretion and was surprised to find that it made her more inclined to talk. \"I've never really told anyone about those years.\" She confessed. \"I've gotten pretty good at blocking out the ugly.\"\n\n\"There's no need to block anything out with me. There's also no need to discuss it. I'm here, and I'm a good listener, but I won't push you to tell me anything you'd prefer to keep to yourself.\"\n\n\"It's not a very pretty story,\" Jerry hedged. \"I couldn't blame you for not wanting to hear it.\"\n\n\"If you want to tell it, I want to hear it.\" Ethan's eyes met hers.\n\nJerry studied his face for a long moment before she began. Turning away from him, she stared out the window on an orange sunset, hovering over the city. She may be ready to talk about it, but she definitely couldn't watch his face as she told him her secrets.\n\n\"I remember very little about the family who took me in, just after my mother died. That time is pretty much a blur, but for the feeling of waiting for her to come get me.\" Jerry cleared her throat. \"The beatings began with the second foster family. Apparently, I was a handful, at least that's what he said, as he brought down the belt.\" She felt Ethan stiffen beside her, but continued on, her voice dropping to a monotone.\n\n\"Not long after the beatings became normal, my foster father began visiting my bedroom at night.\" She had a death grip on Ethan's hand, but she didn't even notice. Ethan did his level best to keep his breathing steady, and not show the vile reaction he felt well up inside of him at her words.\n\n\"I remember that it was the night before my fifth birthday, the first time he raped me. He told me that I was a woman now, and that he had the perfect present.\" Jerry shuddered at the memory, but her voice never wavered.\n\nSilent tears rolled down Ethan's face for the tragic ending of Jerry's innocence. His heart broke for the beautiful little girl, forced to endure such a horrific experience. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and soothe away the memories, but he waited, still and silent, as she continued.\n\n\"After that, he visited me almost every night until my foster mother caught him. I was nearly seven when she sent me back to the state, for placement with another family. By then, daily beatings and nightly rapes were part of my reality. I didn't know any different, I thought everyone lived like that.\" Jerry paused and took a deep breath. \"My next foster family had two teenage sons who also liked little girls. At least the beatings stopped for a while, when I lived there.\" Jerry closed her eyes for a long moment.\n\n\"That's about the gist of it. Different homes, same variation of the same two themes. If it wasn't the father raping me, it was the sons. The funny thing is that, more often than not, it was the women, the moms, who beat me. My looks have always been a curse.\" Jerry stopped and looked at Ethan, touched by the trail of tears that lined his face.\n\n\"You think that your beauty caused those people to treat you that way?\" Ethan's use of Jerry's description of 'those people' did not register. He was solidly on her side, united against any and all who would hurt her. \"You were just a child.\"\n\n\"Obviously, that didn't matter. The males told me I was beautiful, even while they were grunting on top of me, and the women said that I was too beautiful, as they brought down the belt, or the switch, or whatever they had handy.\" Jerry loosened her grip on Ethan's hand, using her free hand to rub her eyes. \"I can't believe I told you all that.\" She let out a deep breath in a long sigh. \"I've never told anyone.\"\n\n\"I'm glad you told me. I understand what drives you to go after the worst of the worst.\" Ethan paused, carefully considering his next words. \"Did you ever go back as an agent, and seek justice for the little girl?\"\n\n\"I haven't been back to Louisiana since I left for college. If I can help it, I'll never go back.\" Jerry shifted her eyes to his. \"There's no amount of justice that could ever equal the brutality I endured. I've already lived through it once, I have no desire to revisit it during a trial. And before you ask, I did contact Louisiana Children's Services, and report the incidents. I'm trusting that they do their job, and remove the families from the foster system.\"\n\nEthan didn't press the issue; Jerry had to live with her past the best way she knew how. If it was best for her to drop it, he'd let it go too.\n\n\"You did what you could.\"\n\n\"I did what I could.\" She agreed and continued. \"Things did get better when I was a teenager. I'd begun running away from every home they placed me in, so they stopped placing me. I lived my last two years as a ward of the state in a group home. School became my one solace; I excelled in all of my classes. College was possible, thanks to scholarships and awards. I applied to the FBI, straight out of college, and was lucky enough to be accepted.\" Jerry sat up straighter, feeling lighter than she had in years.\n\n\"I'd say the FBI are the lucky ones.\" Ethan felt the shadows fade away, and her confidence return.\n\n\"They are.\" Jerry smiled. \"It's a mutual love fest.\"\n\nEthan couldn't believe the radiance he saw on her face. Only moments ago her eyes were blank, and the contours of her profile had been bathed in hard shadows. Now, her eyes were clear and shining, and the air of tension that held her together seemed to melt away. Powerless to resist, he lightly gripped her chin and leaned towards her for a kiss.\n\nJerry didn't stop him, not that she wanted to. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so free. Sharing her story with Ethan had lifted a weight off of her shoulders that she didn't realize was there. Opening up to him allowed her to inch closer to acceptance of her past, and farther away from self-recrimination.\n\nSoft, sweet, and filled with wonder, this kiss held shades of mutual discovery, tender acceptance, and a hint of sorrow for the shattered child left broken in the past.\n\nShades of red-orange turned to midnight blue, as they sat quietly, watching the sunset. Their arms entwined, Jerry's head lay on Ethan's shoulder as they enjoyed the calm, after the emotional upheaval of intense revelation.\nChapter Thirteen\n\nDylan found them cuddled on the sofa staring at the lights of the city when he arrived thirty minutes later. Carrying a bag of Chinese food, a six-pack of beer and a long, white box, he walked in unannounced. The room was dark, but for the glow of a thousand points of light just beyond the window.\n\nInterrupting the air of serenity, he flipped on the first light switch he came to and announced that dinner was served.\n\n\"I thought you guys might appreciate something more down-to-earth tonight, rather than that fancy 5-star stuff you've been forced to eat lately.\" He ignored the still entwined couple and placed dinner on the table.\n\n\"How thoughtful of you,\" Jerry's voice was serene, without a trace of sarcasm.\n\n\"I thought so.\" Dylan glanced over to see that they hadn't yet separated. \"Come and get it while it's hot. I got a little bit of everything.\"\n\nGiving Jerry a quick squeeze, Ethan leaned down to whisper in her ear. \"I don't think he's going to leave until we eat.\"\n\n\"I don't think so either.\" Jerry whispered back, then paused. \"I am a little starved, come to think of it.\"\n\n\"Good, so am I.\" He kissed her lightly on the forehead and released his grip so she could stand.\n\n\"Did you get anything spicy?\" Ethan asked Dylan as he followed Jerry to the table.\n\n\"You tell me,\" Dylan offered up a container with something that made Ethan's eyes water.\n\n\"Smells good,\" Ethan tried not to choke on the fumes.\n\n\"What's that?\" Jerry nodded towards the large shiny box Dylan had dropped by the door.\n\n\"Dunno, the doorman gave it to me to bring up. Said it arrived for Mr. Bennett.\"\n\n\"It's nothing,\" Ethan blushed, not willing to share Jerry's surprise with Dylan. \"Just a little something I picked up today.\"\n\nJerry narrowed her eyes at Ethan suspiciously. She had a feeling that the contents of the box were for her, not Ethan. \"When?\"\n\n\"I'll tell you later.\" Ethan sent her his best 'please drop it' look. \"Did you have any luck with the secretaries?\" He looked at Dylan and tried to change the subject.\n\n\"Assistants. And yes, I did.\" Dylan looked between Jerry and Ethan, then shrugged. Whatever was in the box was not his business. Who cared if Slick bought her a trinket. \"All four remembered an unusual phone call within two weeks of their bosses leaving town. The caller identified himself as a travel coordinator, supposedly with the same major airline that each man was scheduled to fly. Said he was conducting a random security check to confirm the flight dates and flight numbers of the upcoming trips.\"\n\n\"That's not out of the realm of possibility.\" Jerry added as she filled her plate with fried rice.\n\n\"That's what the assistants thought, so they gave the man the information he requested. Being the competent women they are, they made notes as to the man's name and position with the airline; he used the same name for all, Oscar Worth.\" Dylan passed another carton to Ethan. \"Of course we checked with the airlines, none of which have an employee by that name.\"\n\nJerry spooned several pieces of sesame chicken on top of the rice. \"What are the odds that he used his real name?\"\n\n\"Slim to none, I'd say. Though he may have procured the Mas using the same alias. Jimmy's checking on it.\"\n\n\"At least we know how he knew that the men were out of town. Trouble is, I don't have an assistant for him to infiltrate.\"\n\n\"You do now. An agent from the Sacramento office will arrive tomorrow. We've also arranged for office space for your investment business, just around the corner. It's being furnished as we speak.\"\n\n\"Impressive.\" Ethan nodded at Dylan, then looked at Jerry. \"We'll check it out tomorrow.\"\n\n\"That's the plan.\" Dylan told him between bites. \"Chances are, Oscar will want to follow Jerry around a bit tomorrow. We can wait until he shows up, then lead him over.\"\n\n\"Based on his timeline with previous victims, he'll follow Jerry for about two weeks before he makes contact. Courtships take about a week before he moves in for the kill.\" Dylan reached for his second beer.\n\nThree weeks to spend with Ethan, Jerry thought, then felt a pang in her gut that was unrelated to the Chinese food. Such a short time, but she'd take what she could get.\n\nEthan's thoughts were running along the same line as Jerry's. Three weeks to spend with the woman who invaded his every thought before he let some maniac try to kill her. He frowned into his Szechuan shrimp.\n\nIgnorant of the direction of Jerry and Ethan's thoughts, Dylan stiffened as a sudden flash of insight scrolled before his eyes. He saw Jerry sitting on the sofa only a few feet away from the dining table, crying as if her heart would break. He saw himself, awkwardly trying to comfort her without any success. Ethan was nowhere in the picture.\n\nThe flash left him as quickly as it had come, as they always did. Typically, Dylan's clairvoyance referenced images of events as they happened. This one had to be a vision, rare for him, as he knew it had yet to be.\n\nWhat the hell did it mean? he thought. Why was Jerry crying and where was Ethan? Glancing up at the other man, he noticed a scowl on his face that wasn't there before. Jerry was also deep in thought, which left Dylan time to consider the meaning of his flash of insight. Did Ethan get hurt or killed on the mission? From what he'd walked in on earlier, both times, he knew that Jerry was already emotionally invested in Ethan, so his death could elicit a reaction like the one Dylan had just witnessed.\n\nNo, Dylan thought, he didn't die, Slick just left her high and dry after romancing her six ways from Sunday. Dammit, Dylan nearly pounded his fist on the table, I knew it. He glared at Ethan who was ignoring him completely. The son-of-a-bitch does exactly what I knew he would, from the very first time I saw him.\n\n\"Dammit,\" Dylan's tone was menacing.\n\n\"What?\" Jerry and Ethan asked together, both jolted from their reveries.\n\n\"Nothing.\" Dylan growled, not willing to tell Jerry about his gift, even if it meant saving her from herself. She was already head over heels for the man anyway, he reasoned, the damage was already done. Nothing he could say now would make a difference.\n\n\"It had to be something, you sounded madder than an old wet hen\" Jerry smiled at him.\n\nDylan rolled his eyes at the analogy. \"Thanks, but it's nothing. Just something I forgot to do. How's the sesame chicken?\" He tried to change the subject.\n\n\"It's delicious. How's the hot stuff?\" Jerry wrinkled her nose at the aroma coming from both Ethan and Dylan's plates.\n\n\"Good.\" Both men answered her at the same time.\n\nThey made small talk for the remainder of the meal. Dylan tried his best to be civil to Ethan, but it was challenging.\n\nEthan found no rest on the usually comfortable sofa bed, but he knew the fault lied with his thoughts, not the mattress. Jerry's revelations had thrown him for a major loop. He knew that his anger would not help her, so he squashed the instinct to find and throttle every man who had ever laid hands on the child she had once been.\n\nThe flip side of his gut reaction to her childhood pain was an overwhelming sense of wonder that she had shared such deep, personal trauma with him. That she trusted him enough to open up about such horrendous memories, to speak of secrets that she'd kept buried for so long with him, a man she barely knew.\n\nBut they did know each other, he reasoned. In ways that defied reason, their souls had connected on a level neither could have predicted. Admitting that he loved her was easier than he'd ever thought it would be. As irrational as it seemed, he felt as if she had always been a part of him. He knew without a doubt that he would do anything necessary to protect her, from now on.\n\nHe smiled at the memory of her delight when he finally gave her the green dress. He could tell by the reverent way she'd held the dress to her that she'd never owned anything so lovely or so dear. It took him nearly an hour to convince her that it was hers; that he'd bought it, not the agency and that he insisted she keep it. Stubborn as she was, the desire to own the fabric art won out over any argument she managed to find. He looked forward to spoiling her again and again.\n\nJerry found sleep came easier than she could ever remember. Thoughts of nestling close to Ethan as they watched the sunset over the city warmed her right down to her toes. She still had trouble believing that she'd told him about her past, but she couldn't deny the stillness that sharing her story had left in her soul. Finally, she felt a healing begin that was long overdue.\n\nSighing, she thought of the silky green work of art now hanging on the back of her closet door. Who did anything as thoughtful as to buy something that expensive just because he liked the way she looked in it? Ethan did and it amazed as much as it delighted her.\n\nAs she drifted off, she thought of Ethan lying in the next room, and wondered how wonderful it would feel to have his arms around her all night long. Soon, she promised, soon.\n\n\"Nice office,\" Ethan commented as Dylan opened the door to him and Jerry. \"It's an impressive setup.\" Trailing his fingers along the shiny mahogany desk, he turned to admire the view of the city.\n\n\"It'll do. Were you two followed?\" Dylan noted Jerry's serene expression and felt his anger towards Ethan rise up.\n\n\"Yes, we would have been here sooner, but Oscar only just arrived.\" Jerry answered. \"Did you place the tracking devices on his cars last night?\"\n\n\"Piece of cake. The Mas was in the garage, along with the blue sedan and the homeowner's Prius. We tagged all three.\"\n\n\"Well done.\" Ethan nodded. \"He won't get away from us again.\"\n\n\"And we'll know it if he's romancing anyone else.\" Jerry added.\n\n\"Absolutely,\" Dylan told her. \"We've also kept a tail on him, they change every three hours so he won't recognize the cars.\"\n\n\"Do we have a photo yet?\" Ethan asked.\n\n\"Working on it. The only way to get a clear shot is through the front window; all of the others are too heavily tinted. Two local agents dressed as tourists will be sightseeing around his vehicle shortly, they should be able to take pictures from several angles.\"\n\n\"Sounds good.\" Ethan told him. \"When is my assistant due to arrive?\"\n\n\"Any time now,\" Dylan offered, just as a short, pixie-like woman breezed through the door like a tiny whirlwind.\n\n\"Agent Dawes?\" She marched straight to Dylan and stuck out her hand. \"Agent Reed, pleased to meet you.\" She shook his hand briefly, then turned to Ethan. \"You must be my boss, Ethan Bennett. A pleasure.\" She pumped his outstretched hand with the grip of a bulldog.\n\n\"The pleasure's all mine, I'm sure.\" Ethan remarked, but she'd already moved on.\n\n\"And you must be Jerry. Delighted.\" She took Jerry's hand with the same grip. \"Is this my desk? Seems to be missing a few things.\" Moving away from Jerry, she plopped her bag on the desk. \"No worries, I'll have us set up in no time.\"\n\nDylan found his voice just as she took a breath. \"I'm glad you could join us, Agent Reed. We'll see to it that you have whatever you need.\"\n\n\"Call me Janice. I know my job is to channel information to the unsub when and if he makes contact, but I intend to be of more use in the meantime.\" Janice donned a pair of wire-rim glasses before looking up at Dylan. \"My skills of observation are excellent, deciphering coded reports is another strong suit and my powers of deduction are above reproach. Use me, Agent Dawes, in any way you see fit.\" Slowly, she slid the glasses down her nose, peering at him over the wire rims.\n\nDylan nearly choked on his tongue at her obvious double meaning. \"Um, call me Dylan. I appreciate your willingness to help, Janice. If anything comes up, I'll let you know.\"\n\nJerry guffawed loudly before she caught herself. Ethan hid his laughter more discreetly.\n\nRecovering, Jerry glanced at her watch. \"I should leave soon for yoga. Ethan, you're staying here?\"\n\n\"Yes. Ethan needs to cement his 'working' cover.\" Dylan answered for him. \"Go about your day, as planned. Yoga, lunch, shopping, whatever you girls do,\" Dylan winked at her, \"Ethan's driver will bring him home later.\"\n\n\"I guess that answers your question,\" Ethan moved to take Jerry's arm and walk her out. \"I'll be right back.\" He glanced briefly at Dylan and Janice.\n\n\"Janice, it was nice meeting you. Dylan, I'm sure I'll see you later.\" Jerry added before leaving the room.\n\n\"What's up with those two?\" Janice asked as soon as the office door closed.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" Dylan hedged.\n\n\"It's as plain as the nose on your face, they're involved. Do you know how many rules that breaks?\"\n\n\"They're just maintaining their covers. No rules have been broken.\" Dylan lied to her face.\n\n\"Humph. If you say so.\" Janice rolled her eyes. \"No skin off my back, but it could make things tricky down the road. This unsub is a crafty bastard, Jerry needs to keep her head in the game.\" Janice noted the thunderclouds cross Dylan's face and decided to back off. \"Just saying,\" she spread her arms and dropped the subject.\n\n\"Jerry's a professional, she'll be fine.\" Dylan assured her, even though he was also concerned. One tiny distraction could derail the mission and worse, leave Jerry open for trouble. Barnes was much more than a tiny distraction.\n\n\"Okay, love, have a wonderful day.\" Ethan made a show of kissing Jerry goodbye at the limo. Jerry didn't have to pretend to swoon.\n\n\"You too, darling. Don't work too hard.\" She pretend pouted, then stepped into the car.\n\nThe man called Oscar watched the interplay carefully. He was parked close enough to hear their exchange through his open window, even with the noise of the city blending around him.\n\n\"Okay, love\" he quietly mimicked Ethan's tone, his British accent only slightly different from the Australian influences he recognized in the other man.\n\nAs Ethan watched Jerry ride away, Oscar briefly contemplated following the man rather than his new love. He'd need to find out more about him sooner rather than later, but the pull to be near Jerry won out. He'd explore the man's office another day. Now that he knew the building, it would be child's play.\n\nHe completely ignored the two tourists snapping pictures near his car. They could bloody well get out of the way, or he wouldn't be responsible for running them down.\n\nHe followed Jerry to yoga, to a familiar caf\u00e9 where she lunched alone and then back to her condo. He heard her tell the driver to wait, that she'd be back down shortly. Oscar reclined his seat back slightly and waited with the patience of Job, imagining the times they would soon share together.\n\nJerry felt the unsub's eyes on her each time she walked to and from the car. Maintaining a happy-go-lucky countenance when she felt like a thousand roaches were crawling over her skin was an Oscar-worthy performance. Pun intended, she thought.\n\nBy the time she returned from visiting several boutiques around Union Square, it was nearly four o'clock. She and Ethan had dinner reservations at some swanky hotel for seven, so she had time for a leisurely bath before he came home. She hoped.\n\nThe condo was empty and she wasted no time in filling the oversized tub with nearly hot water and lavender scented bubbles. For good measure, she lit the candles that lined the ledge and poured a generous amount of wine into a goblet designed for water. She really didn't care. She may as well enjoy as many perks as possible of the lifestyle afforded by this new assignment.\n\nPiling her hair on top of her head, she stepped into every woman's dream of a relaxing moment and sighed. Soon, her body was slick from the lavender suds and her eyes were heavy from the strain of the day. Leaning back against the tub pillow, she sipped wine and closed her eyes.\n\nEthan noticed Oscar's car as soon as his own turned the corner. He also spotted the surveillance vehicle easier than he should have. He made a note to tell Dylan to use something other than a black SUV to tail Oscar; it screamed FBI.\n\nHe'd spent the day in close quarters with Dylan and Janice, going over various details about the operation and how they could keep Janice occupied as she waited for Oscar's call.\n\nThe agents posing as tourists had taken several clear shots of Oscar's face. Eerily similar to the composite drawing, the man's face was currently being run through ViCAP as well as other U.S. and international criminal databases, passport databases and anything else the Homeland Security Division had up their sleeve. Dylan had been confident they would learn the man's true identity in a matter of hours.\n\nThinking of Dylan brought a scowl to Ethan's face. \"I'd sure like to know what put him in such a foul mood.\" Ethan mumbled. It was no secret that whatever had put the burr on his butt was directly related to Ethan. Aside from the scene Dylan walked in on yesterday when he and Jerry were kissing, Ethan could think of no good reason for the man's surly attitude.\n\nShrugging it off, he practically leapt from the car and walked briskly into the building.\n\nThe condo was quiet, too quiet, Ethan thought as he closed the door carefully. Maybe Jerry was taking a nap, though that seemed out of character. Silently, he walked to the bedroom door and peeked inside. No Jerry.\n\nThe bathroom door was open and scents of steamy lavender wafted towards him. \"Ahh,\" he whispered, \"she's having a bath.\" Much too tempted to join her, he backed out of the room and gave her the privacy she deserved.\n\n\"You're home,\" Jerry, relaxed and feeling pampered, entered the living area wrapped in a plush terry-cloth robe and little else. A thick towel piled high on her head concealed her long, caramel tresses.\n\n\"I'm home.\" Once again Ethan marveled at how beautiful she looked, wrapped up like a mummy with no make-up whatsoever.\n\n\"How did it go today?\" Jerry joined him at the table, cracking open a bottle of tepid water as she did so.\n\n\"Good, we've got Janice compiling background similarities on the cases in Europe and here, just in case we missed anything. The agents posing as tourists managed to get several good shots of the unsub; Dylan's running them through every database known to man as we speak.\"\n\n\"Great. With any luck, he'll have some sort of record. Profiling works, but give me good ole, undeniable facts any day.\"\n\n\"Agreed.\" Ethan had the strongest urge to reach over and remove the towel just for the pleasure of watching her hair cascade over her shoulders.\n\n\"I take it he's still outside?\" Jerry asked.\n\n\"Yes, just sitting there, oblivious to the agents in the SUV behind him. It still amazes me how you people think you're undercover in those tanks.\" Ethan shook his head.\n\n\"We don't always use the 'tanks', as you call them.\" Jerry wrinkled her nose. \"Sometimes we use crown vics or souped-up mustangs or non-descript sedans as surveillance vehicles.\"\n\n\"I'm sure they're equally effective,\" Ethan teased. \"As long as the unsub doesn't make the tail, it really doesn't matter what kind of car they use.\"\n\n\"Exactly. The last thing we need is for him to know that we're onto him, not when we're this close.\"\n\n\"If he stays true-to-form, we're on auto pilot for the next two weeks or so. As long as we stay visible so he can follow you around, we can treat this time like a vacation.\" Ethan reached over and covered her hand with his.\n\n\"I've never treated an assignment like a vacation before, but I suppose you're right. It's our job to go out and about. We're supposed to be a couple, so why not enjoy it?\" Jerry turned her palm up to meet his.\n\n\"I'm game if you are. Now that Dylan has Janice to keep him busy, maybe he'll stay away from here.\"\n\nJerry laughed. \"Don't count on it. As long as Dylan can get in here without being seen, he'll be here. For some reason, he's decided not to like you.\" Jerry's comment surprised Ethan; he didn't know she was aware of the issues between him and her sullen partner. \"He thinks you'll hurt me.\" Her eyes met his in a silent question.\n\n\"I've no intentions of hurting you.\" Ethan said somberly. \"That particular power lies in your hands.\"\n\n\"Then we're both safe.\" Jerry assured him with a gentle squeeze.\nChapter Fourteen\n\n\"Tell me that child is not going to eat the whole bucket of doughnuts.\" Jerry laughed, nodding discreetly towards a little boy carrying a bucket of pastries that looked half as large as his body.\n\n\"I wouldn't want to be on clean-up duty tonight, if he does.\" Ethan laughed as they strolled along Pier 39 with what seemed like every other tourist in San Francisco, as well as the greater bay area.\n\n\"There's another sign, this way to the sea lions.\" Jerry grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her with the same enthusiasm she'd shown for every touristy thing they'd done together. Her excitement was both childlike and infectious; Ethan was completely charmed.\n\nThe past few days together felt as if they were truly a couple, on vacation in one of the most exciting cities in the world. They'd swum the streets of Chinatown, amid waves of other bodies seeking to experience an iconic bit of the old city. They visited Alcatraz, which held special interest for them both; climbed Coit Tower for a unique glimpse of a truly breathtaking landscape, and now they meandered past the clapboard storefronts lining Pier 39, on their way to visit the sea lions. Jerry's idea, not his. He'd had his share of people after the Chinatown visit, and would have much preferred spending private time with her.\n\nEach time they ventured out, be it for a romantic dinner or a crowded day trip with bodies jostling them on every side, Casanova, whose identity still remained a mystery, much to everyone's consternation, was not far behind. Keeping track of him in the swarming hordes proved to be challenging for the agents charged with watching his every move, but they hadn't lost him yet.\n\nThe crowds fell behind as they rounded the section of Pier 39 leading to the sea lion observation area. Simple, with less personality than the previous, tourist-geared sections of the Pier, the railings standing between the wood boards and the rocks below provided room to stand and watch the comical animals, as they sunned and swam and cavorted without a care for their enthralled audience.\n\nJerry skipped the final few feet to the rail, still pulling Ethan behind her.\n\n\"Oooh, look, there's a momma and a baby.\" She pointed to the sleeping pair, then ran the last few steps.\n\n\"Lovely\" Ethan answered, but his gaze had not left her shining face.\n\n~~~\n\n\"What in the name of all that's holy are they doing?\" The man known as Oscar pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and gently touched it to his brow. He'd had his fill of the unwashed masses during the last few days, and briefly considered looking for new prey.\n\nThe thought didn't last long, for the woman he followed looked more like his beloved Beth than any of the others before her. It wasn't simply the way she looked that triggered Beth's memory, it was the way her body flowed from stillness, and the slight tingle he felt in the air, whenever she was around.\n\nThe past few days had made him even more certain that she was the one for him. Watching her unwavering delight in every new experience made him eager to share time with her. He longed for those lovely blue eyes to gaze into his with the same look of love she gave Bennett. Perhaps this one would finally fulfill his quest for peace; her death would be the one to resolve Beth's betrayal and ultimate punishment.\n\nCareful to sidestep an upended ice cream cone, he glanced around him with disgust. What was Bennett thinking, bringing a woman of Jerry's caliber to such germ-infested places? She deserved to be coddled, treated like the princess she was, not thrown into a mix of God knows what.\n\nHis initial research on Bennett indicated that the man was a worthy adversary, unlike some of the other men whose women he'd previously enticed away. Their backgrounds were similar; Bennett had also grown up in a wealthy English family, old money, as it was often referred. As such, both men were accustomed to the finer things in life and enjoyed a level of taste that these Americans could only dream about.\n\nUnlike Bennett, the man called Oscar did not consider it necessary to expand his birthright; he was perfectly content to live off of the trust fund that his great-great grandfather had secured on his behalf. As far as he could see, the trust would supply a never-ending stream of capital that he would be pressed to spend in several lifetimes.\n\nYet, here he stood, on a wooden platform surrounded by people he considered so far beneath him that they were no more than specks of dirt on his custom Gucci loafers. He longed for a deep soak in the Forrester's spa, accompanied by a soothing cup of Earl Gray. Promising himself that he would satisfy his desires soon, he walked past the attractive couple, still admiring the obnoxious creatures that reeked of a fishy sea. Shuddering with disgust, he nevertheless found a spot at the railing, just a few feet from the beautiful Jerry.\n\n~~~\n\nEthan stiffened when he noted the unsub position himself only steps away from Jerry. Slipping his arm around her, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.\n\n\"Do you see him?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" she smiled up at him as if they shared a delicious secret.\n\n\"Stay close. I don't know what he's up to.\" Ethan's whisper was laced with concern.\n\n\"I'm not going anywhere.\" She assured him. \"But he's probably just admiring the sea lions.\"\n\n\"Yeah, right. I'm sure that's what he's doing.\" Ethan snarled in her ear.\n\nJerry gave him a quick jab in the ribs with her elbow.\n\n\"Hey, what was that for?\" He stood even closer to her, wrapping one arm around her waist.\n\n\"Just felt like it,\" she grinned at him. \"I know you're hyper-vigilant, but I'm having such a wonderful time that he can't spoil it for me. Neither can you.\" She tipped her sunglasses down and looked him in the eyes.\n\n\"I wouldn't dream of it.\" He grinned down at her, then looked over towards Casanova. The man was looking out to sea as if he hadn't a care in the world. \"He's a cheeky bastard,\" Ethan commented. \"I'll say that for him.\"\n\n\"Stop watching him. He'll get suspicious. Look at those adorable sea lions, playing in the surf.\"\n\n\"I'd rather watch you,\" He dropped a kiss on her upturned lips, something he was quite fond of doing lately.\n\n\"I have to say, you play the adoring companion to the hilt.\" Jerry leaned her head on his shoulder.\n\n\"Who's playing?\"\n\n\"Not me.\"\n\n\"Not me.\" Tilting her chin, he leaned in for a deeper kiss, one that she felt all the way to her toes. Clutching his shirt with her fists, she molded against him for a brief second before pulling away.\n\nThe kisses had become more frequent, and more arduous. Jerry couldn't tell if they were real or part of the game. The way she felt about Ethan had nothing to do with an assignment, and everything to do with a growing passion, and soul-deep emotion. She thought he felt the same. He often mentioned that he had true feelings for her and he certainly acted as if he did, but part of her couldn't believe that it was real. No matter how much her brain insisted otherwise, part of her heart would always belong to the shattered little girl, unworthy of love.\n\n\"Did you want to walk over to Fisherman's Wharf today?\" Ethan hoped she would decline, but he could tell by the light in her eyes that she was eager.\n\n\"Sure, I'd love to. I'm not very fond of the crowds either,\" she looked at him sympathetically, \"but it just seems wrong to get this close, and not visit such an iconic San Francisco landmark.\"\n\n\"I can handle the crowds, and at least we can say we've been.\" Ethan agreed.\n\n\"Definitely. And we can go to the Farmer's Market in the Ferry building tomorrow; I think it's only open on Saturdays.\" Jerry linked her arm through his as they walked back the way they'd come.\n\n\"You're taking being a tourist seriously,\" he smiled and placed one hand over hers.\n\n\"You bet I am. I've never had an assignment where I've been so pampered, _and_ with an opportunity to explore such an exciting place. I intend to take full advantage.\" She naturally moved a little closer to him as the crowd became denser. \"Usually, we're staying at cheap motels and eating at out of the way diners. The only exploring we do is to follow whatever clues the serial du jour leaves us.\"\n\n\"It seems strange, an entire FBI unit dedicated to tracking serial killers. The general public probably has no idea how many of them are operating in this country alone.\"\n\n\"I know. So many serials flew under the radar before interstate, and now international, agencies began working together.\" Jerry kept her voice low, just as Ethan had done. Without looking back, they knew that Casanova meandered along behind them. They both could feel his presence.\n\nEvery step they took towards Fisherman's Wharf took them deeper into the throng of tourists. Languages from every part of the world swirled around them, adding a special flavor to an already mixed bag of cultures.\n\n\"Are you hungry? I hear there's a bakery somewhere around here that's famous for its bread shapes. We could check them out.\" Ethan looked hopeful.\n\n\"Sure, I could always eat. I think you mean Bowden's.\" Jerry stopped talking, and tried not to react, as a street performer, dressed like a bush, jumped out at them from the left.\n\n\"That's supposed to be art?\" Ethan asked as they moved beyond the intrusion.\n\n\"To each his own, I suppose.\" Jerry stepped around another street performer, standing in the center of the walkway, impressing a group of children with magic tricks.\n\n\"This place is a zoo.\" She felt more than a little claustrophobic from the pressing crowd. \"There's the bakery, let's get off the street.\"\n\n\"Yes, please.\" Ethan maneuvered their way through the crowd to the bakery's entrance. The line outside the door told them it would be a long wait for a snack.\n\n\"How hungry are you?\" Jerry asked, hoping he would say 'not very.'\n\n\"Not hungry enough to wait in that line. I think I can live without funny shaped bread. What say we get out of here and find a nice, quiet caf\u00e9 somewhere?\"\n\n\"You're speaking my language. This is ridiculous.\" Jerry stayed behind him as he made way through the hordes to the waiting car.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Now what are they doing?\" Oscar wondered aloud, as he tried not to lose them in the crowd.\n\nSoon, he watched as the black town car slid to a stop beside the couple. \"Bloody hell, they're leaving. It's about time.\" Sprinting towards his own car, he failed to notice the two tourists behind him who did the same.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Why can't we arrest him? Get him off the street, now? This operation is costing the city a fortune, let's wrap it up.\" The mayor's impatience read clearly through the phone line.\n\n\"We could do that,\" Nate said smoothly, \"but we'd have to let him go after the forty-eight hour hold is up. We have no proof, nothing that will stick in court anyway. At this point, we need to catch him in the act.\"\n\n\"But he's been following two agents around the city for days. He must be breaking some kind of law,\" the mayor grumbled.\n\n\"Do you want him for jaywalking, or multiple murders?\" Nate's patience was also wearing thin. \"He's working a timeline, one that will escalate as soon as Ethan leaves town. Or at least when the unsub thinks Ethan leaves.\"\n\n\"Of course I want him for murder. Can't we speed up his timeline?\"\n\n\"I'll see what we can do. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.\" Nate ended the call with a curse. \"Damn bureaucrat,\" he mumbled as he punched in Dylan's number.\n\n\"Dylan, where are Jerry and Ethan right now?\"\n\n\"They were going to the Farmer's Market at the Ferry building. What's up?\"\n\n\"The mayor thinks we're taking too long, he's ready to wrap it up. Is Casanova following them today?\"\n\n\"Hold on, I'll check.\" Dylan called the agent assigned to tail the killer.\n\n\"Yep, he's there. What are you thinking?\"\n\n\"Tell Ethan and Jerry to stage a fight, publicly, so Casanova can overhear. The gist of it is that Jerry is not happy that Ethan's leaving town without her.\"\n\n\"Got it. If our theory holds true, the killer will contact Ethan's office for information later today.\"\n\n\"Exactly. Be ready. Let's just hope that fast-forwarding the timeline won't throw him off his game.\"\n\n\"From the way he salivates when he looks at Jerry, I don't think we need to worry about that.\" Dylan glanced down at the surveillance photos lying on his desk. \"What's the word on his identity? Has Homeland Security made any progress? It's flippin' hard to believe that they can't make him, given the toys at their disposal.\"\n\n\"No word yet. We know he didn't fly into the states; they keep international passport entries on file indefinitely. Our best guess is that he drove down from Canada, maybe greased a palm or two to cross the border, or came in as a passenger on a friend's yacht. Getting into the country is not as easy as it used to be, but you know as well as I do that money can make it easier.\"\n\n\"Apparently, this cat's got money out the wazoo,\" Dylan remarked dryly. \"Shouldn't be a problem for him.\"\n\n\"No. And if he hasn't been arrested for anything before, his face won't be in the system.\"\n\n\"He must have a passport, and we know he's British. No luck there?\"\n\n\"None. Money also buys plastic surgery. A few alterations and the facial recognition software won't make a match. Everyone's cooperating, but this guy may as well be a ghost.\"\n\n\"A ghost whose time is running out.\" Dylan added. \"I'll start the ball rolling with Ethan and Jerry, call you when Casanova makes contact.\"\n\n\"Good deal.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"You never take me anywhere.\" Jerry raised her voice as she stopped in the middle of the market. Placing both hands on her hips, she turned to face Ethan.\n\n\"I'm sorry, love, but this trip came up suddenly and you'd be bored stiff. I'll only be gone for about a week.\" Ethan tried to soothe her, but made sure that his voice was raised slightly as well. Pointed looks from the people passing them by, told him they were making a spectacle. Good.\n\n\"A whole week? What am I gonna do without you for a whole week? You do this to me all the time, Ethan Bennett. Once, just once, I'd like to go with you on one of these mysterious business trips.\"\n\n\"Now, honey, don't be upset. I'll take you with me next time, I promise.\"\n\n\"That's what you always say. Next time. Maybe there won't be a next time. Maybe I won't be here when you get back.\" Jerry flipped her hair and turned away from him, noting from the corner of her eye that they had Casanova's undivided attention.\n\n\"Oh, sweetness, don't be that way. You'll hardly know I'm gone.\" Ethan stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. \"I'll bring you back something special,\" he offered.\n\n\"Like what?\" Jerry's pouty face lifted slightly.\n\n\"Ummm, something shiny with lots of diamonds.\" Ethan crooned in her ear.\n\n\"That would be nice, but I still don't like you leaving me all the time.\" Jerry turned back around to face Ethan, amused by the twinkle in his eyes.\n\n\"Baby, you know I hate being away from you, too, but it can't be helped.\" Ethan placed his arm around her and led her to another booth. \"Let's stay in tonight, make a special dinner just the two of us. What do you say?\"\n\n\"You want me to cook?\" Jerry sounded appalled.\n\n\"Of course not, sweetness. We'll select the menu and have a chef come in to prepare the meal.\"\n\n\"Okay, but I'm still mad at you.\"\n\n\"We'll work on that.\"\n\n~~~\n\nSo, Bennett was leaving town. The man known as Oscar abandoned his stalking pursuit of Jerry and Ethan, as soon as he overheard Ethan's plans. There was entirely too much to be done in such a short period of time, but his blood raced at the thoughts of making the lovely Jerry his, sooner rather than later.\n\n\"I have to call Bennett's office, confirm his itinerary.\" Finding an open seat on a small bench, he jotted down the thought on a note pad.\n\n\"Let's see,\" he began, flipping the pages backwards. \"She always goes to yoga class, then to one of three different caf\u00e9s. I'll run into her there, offer to buy lunch. Or maybe I can ask for directions, outside of her building.\" He scribbled a few more notes, then looked at his watch. \"I'll have to hurry if I want to get a new car by tomorrow.\" Sighing at the thought of leaving the Mas behind, he brightened at the thoughts of a Lamborghini, or a Porsche. \"Maybe I'll even go American, buy a Corvette.\" He laughed at the thought.\nChapter Fifteen\n\nIt occurred to Jerry on the ride home that tonight would be her last night with Ethan, until the case was solved. Spending every moment together for the past week had been amazing. She was head over heels in love, but part of her still wondered if Ethan felt the same.\n\nLast night, they had talked until the wee hours of the morning, covering everything from the number of kids each one wanted, to the real effects of global warming. He was so easy to talk to, and so pleasant to be around, that she couldn't imagine him not being in her life.\n\nSo far, their physical relationship had not progressed farther than steamy kisses, filled with decadent promise. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was stopping her from taking the next step, but she felt Ethan's reservations as much as she felt her own. It was probably due to the job. Crossing the line to becoming lovers was special and private, not something to remember as part of an assignment.\n\n\"Screw that,\" she whispered aloud, grateful that Ethan was conversing with Rodney, and didn't overhear. What if this is the last opportunity I have to make love with him? She knew a rationalization when she heard one, but this time she didn't care. She loved Ethan and she wanted to show him just how much. Assignment or no assignment.\n\n~~~\n\nEthan's thoughts mirrored Jerry's. The entire time he discussed cricket scores with Rodney, he imagined joining Jerry in the king-size bed, making love with her all night.\n\nAdmitting to himself that he was in love with her had been easier than he expected, but he hadn't yet told her how he felt. Waiting until the case was over, when they could be alone together, with no interruptions from Dylan, Nate, or anyone else, seemed like the best way to handle discussing their future together. But now, a sense of urgency came over him, one that insisted that waiting was out of the question.\n\nGlancing sideways at Jerry, he could see that she was deep in thought. Did she feel the same about him? His heart screamed a resounding YES, but his mind was reticent to agree. Could he really declare his love for a woman he'd known for barely two weeks? Would she think he'd lost his mind?\n\n~~~\n\n\"Yes sir, Mr. Bennett is scheduled to return in two weeks. I'll be happy to make an appointment for you then.\" Janice's voice was clipped and professional.\n\n\"Thank you, but I prefer to call back later. I may not be in town that week. Goodbye.\"\n\nJanice replaced the receiver and smiled up at Dylan. \"Well that was short and sweet.\"\n\n\"He got what he needed, even if he did change his M.O.\" Dylan nodded. \"Did you arrange for Ethan's name to be listed as a passenger on a private flight to Toronto?\"\n\n\"Yes, he's all set to leave in the morning.\" Janice made a note to double check the flight. \"Where will he really be going?\"\n\n\"He'll fly around in circles for a while and then slum it with the rest of us at the motel. Can't take a chance that the doorman, or anyone else in the building, sees him. We don't know how thorough the unsub likes to be when it comes to making sure the companion is out of town.\"\n\n\"Makes sense. So Jerry will be all alone in the condo?\"\n\n\"That's the plan.\"\n\n~~~\n\nThe man called Oscar removed the towel from his hair and admired the deep shade of red he'd selected for his new persona. \"Dusky Auburn,\" he mumbled to his reflection, it fits. Perhaps I'll use it as my new moniker.\" Laughing, he moved into the spacious master bedroom to select his wardrobe and his new identity.\n\n\"Mmmm, who shall I become for sweet Jerry? Elliott, James, Carson...\" he mulled over the names, then smiled at his genius. \"I'll be Elliott Carson James, loyal British subject, man about town.\"\n\nWithin minutes, he was dressed and ready for photos. Shortly thereafter, he opened his encrypted email and sent the images for Elliot Carson James to his forger.\n\nThe phone call to the luxury car dealer went as smoothly as he expected. Purchasing a Lamborghini, with an immediate cash transfer, ensured a level of service few persons enjoyed. Fortunately, he was one of them.\n\nDeciding to enjoy a leisurely lunch as he awaited delivery of Elliott's driver's license and passport, he strolled onto the terrace with his Caesar salad and sparkling water. He never tired of the hilltop view, not that it compared with the views from his villas in Europe, but it would do.\n\nAll in all, he was well pleased with the turn of events. Although he preferred watching the women for more time before he actually made contact, everything was falling into place so well that he knew it must be right.\n\nThinking of Jerry, he felt a longing for her company deep within his soul. It was always this way, when he found someone new. The feelings of love and admiration he had for Beth always resurfaced when he entered a new relationship. As amused as he was by the nickname the European press had given him, 'Casanova Killer', he had to admit there was some truth to it. His feelings for his so called victims were genuine, right up to the time when he slit their throats.\n\nHad he listened to his old psychiatrist, he would have recognized the symptoms of his delusion, would have known that transferring his unrequited feelings for Beth to any other woman was futile, and would never result in the closure he craved.\n\nBut this moment, this special time just before he made contact with someone new, was like a honeymoon period. He could imagine the possibilities, plan the romance and look forward to the joys of a new love.\n\nThoughts of Jerry excited him in ways that he didn't experience with the last few women. They had all fallen at his feet, eager to impress and be impressed, by his obvious charms. No, he sensed that Jerry would be different, more of a challenge, more like his Beth.\n\nHe would let her play it safe, he decided, let her be as coy as she liked. He'd overheard the cad Bennett telling her that he would only be gone for a week, but his secretary clearly stated that the man would be away for two. It gave him more time to romance sweet Jerry, just as she deserved, whether she knew it or not.\n\n~~~\n\n\"I thought you mentioned something about a chef,\" Jerry teased, as she came into the kitchen to find Ethan prepping vegetables.\n\n\"Something wrong with your eyesight? He's here, Chef Barnes, at your service.\" Sticking the butcher knife upright into the cutting board, he took a bow.\n\n\"Ah, you've been keeping secrets. You never mentioned that you could cook.\" Jerry grabbed a slice of cucumber from the board.\n\n\"A man must retain a bit of mystery,\" Ethan grinned at her. \"You'd be amazed at the things I can do.\"\n\nA shiver ran along Jerry's spine; she intended to unearth a few of his hidden talents tonight. \"Promises, promises.\" She chanted, pouring them both a glass of white wine. \"So what's on the menu, Chef Barnes?\"\n\n\"So glad you asked,\" Ethan wiggled his eyebrows. \"Tonight's entre is a specialty of the house, Osso Buco.\"\n\n\"Whoso whatko?\" Jerry asked, perplexed.\n\nEthan laughed. \"It's an Italian dish made with fresh veal and vegetables. Thanks to our fruitful trip to the Farmer's Market this morning, this Osso Buco is also one hundred percent organic.\"\n\n\"Well, we are in Northern California. Anything else would be a sacrilege.\"\n\n\"So true. Care to pull up an apron? You can chop celery.\"\n\n\"Sure, I can probably handle that.\"\n\nThey worked side by side in comfortable silence for a time, each a little lost in their own thoughts. Jerry broke the rhythm of chopping and slicing first.\n\n\"How many people are you planning to feed? This looks like enough for an army.\"\n\n\"Just us, but you'll have leftovers for several days, if you like. I could always take them to Dylan and Nate, they could probably use a good meal.\"\n\n\"It does seem fair, they've been eating diner food for two weeks, while we've been dining in the best restaurants in town.\" Jerry became somber at the thoughts of Ethan leaving their nest in the morning.\n\nHe read her thoughts like a book. \"I don't want to leave, either.\" He said softly. \"The sooner I go, the sooner this can be over, and we can start our lives.\"\n\nIt was the first time either one of them had come out and said that they had a future together. Jerry's head began to spin.\n\n\"Our lives?\" her voice was slightly breathless.\n\nEthan placed the knife on the counter and turned to her.\n\n\"Yes, our lives. I think you know how I feel about you.\"\n\n\"I do?\" Jerry held her breath, hoping to hear the declaration that would make all the difference.\n\n\"I hope you do. I love you, Jerry Forbes. Don't ask me how, or why, or when, just know that I do.\" He took her chin in his hand and kissed her lightly on the lips. \"I hope I'm not alone in this.\"\n\n\"No, you're not alone. I love you, Ethan Barnes, more than I ever thought was possible.\" Throwing her arms around him, she pulled him closer for a soul-wrenching kiss.\n\nEthan crushed her to him, mindless of the knife she still held in one hand. Neither of them paid any attention when it clamored to the floor.\n\n\"How is this possible?\" Jerry asked when they came up for air. \"We've only known each other for such a short time.\"\n\n\"Ever heard of love at first sight?\" he tweaked her nose.\n\n\"Thought it was an old wives tale.\" She laid her head on his shoulder.\n\n\"Apparently not. I knew you were special when you opened the door to me.\"\n\n\"You definitely got my attention then. And every moment since.\"\n\n\"I can't tell you how many times I cursed that sofa bed, how often I very nearly came to you in the middle of the night.\"\n\nJerry squeezed him hard. \"No sofa bed for you tonight, maybe no sleep, either.\" Her throaty voice caused his blood to race.\n\n\"Promises, promises.\" He laughed softly and found her lips again.\n\n~~~\n\n\"That was amazing. What else can you cook?\" Jerry looked at Ethan in admiration.\n\n\"Lots of things. Both my mother and my housekeeper were determined that I should not starve, out on my own. My culinary education began at a young age.\"\n\nJerry dropped her eyes and tried not to remember the education she acquired at the same age.\n\nEthan followed the direction of her thoughts and kept talking. \"What's your kitchen specialty? Or do you cook at all?\"\n\n\"I make a mean chicken noodle soup.\" Jerry neglected to tell him that it was from a can. \"We don't have a lot of downtime, so my culinary expertise is pretty much nonexistent.\" She admitted.\n\n\"I'll teach you. It'll be fun.\" Ethan covered her hand with his.\n\n\"That might be difficult, with you in Europe and me in the states.\" One of them needed to bring up the obvious; Jerry decided that it may as well be her.\n\n\"I'm not sure I can live with that.\" Ethan's tone suddenly became serious. \"Have you ever thought of living abroad?\"\n\n\"No, but it sounds exciting, as long as I have a job.\"\n\n\"I can put a good word in for you with Interpol. They're always looking for talented agents.\"\n\n\"It's a thought, but what about the language barrier? I only speak English.\"\n\n\"That's no problem. Most civilized countries speak English.\" He teased.\n\n\"Have you ever thought about living over here? We have so many alphabet agencies that I'm sure you could land a job with one of them.\"\n\n\"I'm open to that, but I'd love to show you my country, or countries, as it were. First we'll go to Australia, meet the fam. Then I'll take you on an insider's tour of England, Italy, France, Spain and Greece. You'll love it.\" Ethan's eyes were shining.\n\n\"Sounds wonderful, but more than a little time consuming. I do have a few weeks of vacation coming, though.\" Jerry began to share his enthusiasm.\n\n\"See, we're already compromising. After our tour, we'll decide where we'd like to live. I can tell you now, that as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy.\"\n\n\"You always know the right things to say.\" Jerry turned her hand to link her fingers with his.\n\n\"I'm happy you think so. Let's have brandy by the fire.\" Ethan brought her with him as he stood, then led her to the cozy setup he'd arranged earlier.\n\n\"When did you do all this?\" Jerry was surprised by the pillows spread in front of the fire, along with a tray holding two snifters, and a glass decanter filled with warm amber liquid.\n\n\"While you were having a bath. One of the wonderful things about Northern California is the possibility of cool nights, even during the summer. Makes it easy to set the stage for romance.\"\n\n\"Is that what this is, romance?\" Jerry teased.\n\n\"Yes, Ma'am, and a prelude to seduction. How am I doing?\"\n\n\"Let's see, dinner was wonderful, your company was, and continues to be, delightful, and, though I've never had brandy, your thoughtfulness is noted, and appreciated.\" Jerry smiled and accepted the crystal snifter from Ethan. \"But if truth be told, 'you had me at hello,' to paraphrase an old movie.\"\n\nEthan flashed a devastating smile and settled in beside her. \"You've never had brandy? It's high time we change that. Like opera, most people either love it or hate it.\" He held up his glass in the glow of the firelight. \"Swirl your glass, like this. Watch the colors of the liquid flow together.\"\n\nJerry did as he advised, enchanted by the ritual.\n\n\"Now absorb the aroma,\" Ethan held the crystal to his nose and breathed deeply. Jerry followed suit. The heady flavors of the brandy warmed her from the inside out, before she'd even taken a sip.\n\n\"Now taste it.\" Ethan pressed his lips to the glass and tilted, closing his eyes as the amber liquid touched his lips.\n\nJerry felt an instant flush spread from her core to her fingertips. Watching Ethan sip brandy was one of the sexiest things she'd ever seen. Holding her own glass suspended, she gazed at his beautiful face, mesmerized by the moment.\n\nEthan opened his eyes to find Jerry staring at him, pure lust reflected in her eyes. His answering smolder said more than words, as he placed his glass on the table.\n\nWithout taking her first taste, Jerry lowered her snifter to the table, while keeping her eyes locked on his. The space between then was suddenly nonexistent as Ethan gathered her into his arms, and lowered her to the floor.\n\n~~~\n\nJerry woke to the feel of strong muscle beneath her cheek, and strong arms wrapped tightly around her. She'd never felt more relaxed, or cherished, in her life. Moments passed as she recalled the tenderness Ethan showed as he made love to her for the first time. Recalling how his body glowed in the light of the fire as he poised over her, made her tingle all over. She never knew that a man could delay his passion, just to prolong hers, but she'd forever be grateful that Ethan was just such a man. Grateful and determined that turn-about was fair play. He'd made her scream his name in mindless passion, repeatedly, before he gave her what she craved. She intended to return the favor.\n\nWith a sly smile, she remembered the quick fire that took them both off guard, moments after he lay spent inside her for the first time. One clutch, one twist of her body, and he sprang to life again, taking them both over an insatiable cliff with wild abandon.\n\nDesire bloomed fresh once more as Jerry felt every inch of his luscious body sprawled beneath her. Fluttering her lashes, she tickled his chest and slowly ran her hand from his waist to his hip.\n\nEthan moaned and tightened his grip as her fingers closed around him. \"Are you trying to kill me, woman?\" His voice was husky with sleep and desire.\n\n\"Not hardly,\" she whispered and trailed kisses down his torso. \"You don't even have to move, I just want to explore.\" Her lips found their target, already pulsing with need. Ethan shuddered and buried his hands in her hair as she closed her mouth around him.\n\n~~~\n\n\"I don't think I'll ever move again.\" Ethan lay on his back, sweat still glistening over his body. \"You are a heartless vixen, sent to make men powerless.\" His grip tightened around her, belying his words.\n\nJerry laughed, thoroughly satisfied with her revenge. \"That's not what you said a minute ago. As I recall it went something like 'oh.......my.......God....YES!' she raised her voice on the last word, mimicking Ethan's shriek of passion.\n\n\"That wasn't me. I think I blacked out when you started doing that thing with your tongue.\" He teased.\n\n\"Oh, yeah? Well, I guess we need a repeat performance, wouldn't want you to miss anything.\" She began to lower her head again, prompting Ethan to grab her shoulders.\n\n\"Oh, no, you don't, I'll never survive it again, not this soon.\" He drew her up to him for a prolonged kiss.\n\n\"Are you sure you can't move?\" Jerry asked when she could breathe again. \"I'd like to go to the bedroom. It's much softer in there.\"\n\n\"Will you let me sleep?\" Ethan grinned, but his eyes were closed.\n\n\"Probably not.\" She answered promptly.\n\n\"Then yes, I can move.\" Without warning, he rolled over, scooped her up, and carried her off to the bedroom, laughing at her expression of surprise.\nChapter Sixteen\n\n\"I _really_ don't want you to go.\" Jerry buried her face in Ethan's shoulder as they stood at the door.\n\n\"I _really_ don't want to go.\" He told her quietly, stroking a hand over her hair. \"I'm still not comfortable letting you be alone with him.\" His voice turned possessive. \"And I can't stand the thoughts of his hands on you.\"\n\n\"I know. I promise I'll do my best to keep that to a minimum. You know we have to let him think I'm falling for him, but I'll keep it strictly G-rated.\"\n\n\"See that you do.\" Ethan crushed her in a bear hug. \"They'll put me in prison for killing him, just for touching you. Then where will we be?\" He kissed her forehead, trying to lighten the mood.\n\n\"Just know that I'm doing my job. Not only does this creep deserve to pay for what he's already done, but by putting him away, we're saving countless women's lives.\"\n\n\"I'll keep that in mind. Just be careful, please. I can't lose you, now that I've finally found you.\"\n\nJerry felt warm all over at his words. \"I've no intention of losing you either.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"You look like death warmed over,\" Dylan greeted Ethan, when he came into the local FBI office.\n\n\"Shut-up, Dawes.\" Ethan was in no mood to parry with the other man. As if leaving Jerry wasn't bad enough, the decoy flight he'd taken, just in case Casanova was watching the airstrip, was bumpy and turbulent. To top it off, the ride back to the office from the godforsaken field they'd finally landed in was stop and go. Ethan had had about enough already from this day, he didn't need Dylan making things worse.\n\n\"Rough trip?\" Dylan ignored the storm warnings crossing Ethan's face and rubbed it in.\n\n\"What's happening with Jerry and Casanova?\" Ethan ignored Dylan's taunt.\n\n\"So far, he's followed her to yoga, the caf\u00e9, and back home. He never made contact.\" Dylan frowned. \"He's driving a black Lamborghini, brand new. We haven't had a chance to tag it yet.\"\n\n\"Well, it's a damn good thing he hasn't made contact. What are you people thinking? We have to track him at all times. Jerry's life depends on it.\"\n\nThe vehemence behind Ethan's words surprised Dylan. \"He picked up the car this morning, we'll tag it as soon as he leaves it. You don't have to tell me anything about Jerry's life.\" Dylan got in Ethan's face.\n\n\"Apparently, I do.\" Ethan didn't back down. \"Under no circumstances is she to get into that car with him without tracking being enabled.\" The men were standing toe to toe, practically nose to nose. Dylan read fear, and something else, in the glare of Ethan's eyes.\n\nTaking a step back, Dylan perched on the corner of a desk. \"You really care about her.\" It was a statement, not a question.\n\n\"Hell yes, I care about her. I plan to ...\" He stopped talking before he could tell Dylan that he planned to marry Jerry. Jerry deserved to be the first to hear that.\n\n\"You plan to what?\" Dylan narrowed his eyes.\n\n\"None of your business. I care very much for Jerry, and I don't intend to let your imbecilic moves endanger her life.\"\n\n\"Jerry's been my partner since she joined the agency. Don't you worry about me endangering her life. I'll protect her with my own.\"\n\n\"As long as we're clear.\" Ethan resisted the urge to poke Dylan in the chest. \"Jerry is mine. I'll scrap this assignment before I let any harm come to her.\"\n\nDylan heard the truth in Ethan's words, clear as day. The man was staking his claim with a seriousness that Dylan hadn't believed he was capable of. \"You're in love with her.\" He mumbled, the heat leaving his tone.\n\n\"I'm not discussing that with you.\" Ethan backed off, returning to his chair.\n\nConfused, Dylan didn't pursue the subject. His own thoughts turned to the vision he'd had of Jerry crying her eyes out, and Ethan, nowhere to be seen. If Slick didn't leave her voluntarily, he thought, maybe something happens to him. Dylan began to pace, ignoring Ethan completely. It was possible; love skews a man's instincts, makes him react before he thinks. Dylan knew that all too well.\n\nHe briefly considered insisting that Ethan return to Interpol, but he knew the man wouldn't go. Besides, if he sent him away behind Jerry's back, there'd be hell to pay. It was as obvious as the nose on her face that Jerry was head over heels for Slick. Crap.\n\nThe sound of his cell phone ringing jerked Dylan out of his internal dilemma. \"Dawes,\" he barked, in answer to the ring.\n\n\"He made contact.\" Agent Rhodes, one of the local FBI force charged with monitoring Casanova's movements, barked back.\n\n\"Where?\" Dylan's voice was crisp and no-nonsense.\n\n\"He approached her as she left her building. Seems to be asking for directions.\"\n\nEthan joined Dylan by the window. He could tell by the Dylan's stance that something had happened.\n\n\"Where is Jerry right now?\" Dylan asked.\n\n\"She's standing by her car, talking to Casanova.\"\n\n\"Where is Rodney?\"\n\n\"He's in the car. He got out, but Jerry told him she was fine, to wait while she helped the nice man.\"\n\n\"Sounds like Jerry. Send a visual feed to my phone.\"\n\n\"Will do.\"\n\nWithin seconds, an image of Casanova, leaning casually against Jerry's car, and Jerry, standing comfortably in front of him, filled Dylan's phone screen.\n\n\"Dammit.\" Ethan cursed as he looked over Dylan's shoulder.\n\n\"They're just talking, Rodney's in the car.\"\n\n\"Does she know we haven't got a trace on his car yet?\"\n\n\"Yes, she knows. Chill out, Barnes, or I'll send you back to Europe.\" Dylan threatened.\n\n\"You can try.\" Ethan growled back. \"Why can't we hear anything?\"\n\n\"The agents are too far away. You don't want 'em to be made, do you?\"\n\n\"Why the hell is Rodney in the car? He should be closer.\"\n\n\"Jerry told him to stay put. Look, Barnes, I know how you feel about Jerry, but you're gonna have to accept that she knows what she's doing. You know they'll have to be alone together, behind closed doors, before this thing is through. The sooner you get a grip on that, the better.\"\n\nEthan didn't respond. His focus was totally, and completely, on the phone screen. Jerry looked beautiful, but then she always did. Her body language was relaxed, even a little flirty, exactly the way she should have been playing it.\n\nEthan's eyes shifted to Casanova, resting against the back bumper of the town car, like he hadn't a care in the world. His smile appeared genuine, his hands were in his pockets, and his legs were crossed at the ankles. To a casual observer, he was one hundred percent non-threatening, perhaps even a little charming. Ethan hissed.\n\nAs they watched, Jerry gave him her hand, which he slowly brought to his lips. She smiled and nodded agreement with something, then allowed him to open the car door and assist her inside.\n\n\"Bastard better not get in behind her.\" Ethan mumbled, then watched as Casanova closed the door with a smile, and a wave. His sigh of relief had just escaped when Dylan's phone rang.\n\n\"What's happening, Jerry?\" Dylan placed the call on speaker.\n\n\"We're meeting in an hour for coffee around the corner. He said his name is Elliott Carson James, just arrived from London.\" Dylan was already walking with the phone to his computer.\n\n\"I'll run it, but we already know it's an alias. What else?\"\n\n\"This guy is _smoooooth_ ,\" Jerry exaggerated the word. \"I can understand how so many women fell for him. If I didn't know better, I'd think I'd just met a prince.\"\n\n\"You did,\" Ethan chimed in. \"The prince of darkness.\"\n\nJerry laughed. \"Glad to hear you made it full circle, Ethan.\" Jerry felt a glow just hearing his voice. \"You're right, of course, but I've met a lot of serials, and I can tell you that this one is different. His eyes are bright and engaging, not blank, like the ones we've captured alive in the past.\"\n\n\"How did he approach you?\" Ethan asked.\n\n\"New in town, looking for directions. He also established his wealth right away, made sure I knew that the black Lamborghini was his.\" Jerry paused. \"You know, his need to overcompensate could mean that he's impotent.\"\n\n\"None of his victims showed signs of sexual assault, but we assumed that any sexual relationship he had with them was consensual.\" Dylan turned away from his computer. \"You may be onto something there, Jerry. The flashy cars, the wining and dining, the entire romantic build up to his kills, could indicate impotence.\"\n\n\"Do you think he kills them because he can't have sex?\" Ethan asked, cheered by the possibility that Jerry would not have to make excuses to Casanova for not sleeping with him.\n\n\"It could be frustration, but it could also be a replication.\" Dylan answered. \"The physical similarities between the victims indicate that he's killing the same woman, over and over. If we knew the identity of that woman, we'd know a lot more about our killer.\"\n\n\"Do you think the woman he's repetitively killing is dead, or alive?\" Ethan questioned, warming to their new theory.\n\n\"That depends. If she's his mother, or some other ideal that he's set up on a pedestal, she could still be alive. The repetitive killings indicate his desire to take her life, while emphasizing his inability to do so; i.e. another form of impotence.\" Jerry explained. \"If he's already killed her, something about the murder either did not satisfy him, and he's killing to achieve the gratification he was denied, or her murder was so satisfying that he's repeating it, strictly for the thrill.\"\n\n\"What do you know about the first woman he killed?\" Dylan asked Ethan. \"Something more than what is in the file.\"\n\n\"The first two bodies were discovered months after the actual murders. The rate of decomposition made it difficult to determine which one was killed first. According to the medical reports, both women were killed within days of each other.\"\n\n\"That's the only time that his kills are so close together.\" Jerry offered. \"That's significant, from a profile standpoint, but it fits either scenario of killing to find denied satisfaction, or killing to repeat the thrill.\"\n\n\"We need to take a closer look at those first two women. One of them may hold clues to his identity.\" Dylan looked to Ethan. \"I assume you checked if either woman reported having a stalker, or had been part of an abusive relationship of any kind.\"\n\n\"None of the victims in England, or in Italy, had reported anything of that nature.\" Ethan told him. \"We know how to look for red flags.\"\n\n\"Did you interview friends of the victims; sometimes women don't report stalkers or abuse, for various reasons.\" Jerry chimed in over the phone.\n\nEthan opened his briefcase. \"I came on the case after the third victim was discovered. By the time I interviewed friends and families of the first two victims, months had passed, and no one had anything significant to offer.\" He retrieved several files and began flipping through the pages. \"I do seem to recall an odd coincidence surrounding one of the first two victims. Elizabeth Rogers had a fianc\u00e9 who was missing at the time her body was discovered. For a time, the police thought he might be responsible for the first two killings, but parts of his body were later discovered in a nearby cave. He was an avid hiker and his death was attributed to a fall, as evidenced by significant depressions to his skull. The fact that only a few body parts remained seemed to fit the scenario, thanks to the high concentration of wild animals in the secluded area where he was found.\" Ethan recapped the case.\n\n\"That's a convenient coincidence, the victim's fianc\u00e9 being killed within the same time-frame. What if Casanova killed the fianc\u00e9, and disposed of the body where he knew animals would take care of the evidence?\" Dylan began to pace.\n\n\"But why? He's hasn't killed any of the other companions. I'll give you that it's a strange coincidence, but how does it fit in with the profile?\"\n\n\"If Elizabeth was his first victim, then she could hold special significance in his life. Killing her fianc\u00e9 would have been personal, not a standard part of his M.O.\" Jerry answered. \"It was the exception to the rule, the trigger that created the monster, the reason for his need to kill again.\" She took a breath. \"We need to go deeper into Elizabeth Roger's life. Talk to her best friends, her family. Find out everything we can about her relationships, prior to the one with her fianc\u00e9, as well as if anyone, or anything, made her uncomfortable near the time of her death.\"\n\n\"I can do that.\" Ethan checked his watch for the time difference. \"It's almost eight p.m. there, not too late to make calls. Jerry, be careful at the caf\u00e9.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.\" His concern touched her today, whereas it had previously been extremely annoying.\n\n\"We already have agents inside the caf\u00e9; another will add the tracking device to his car while you're inside. To be on the safe side, do not even think of getting into the car with him until we're positive the tracker is working. Make plans for later tonight, or tomorrow, but do not go away with him today.\" Dylan's orders irked her a little, but she didn't let it show.\n\n\"Of course not. Standard procedure.\" She reminded him. \"I'll handle Elliott, you two work on finding out more about Elizabeth. My gut is telling me we're onto something there.\"\n\n\"Mine too. Call us when the meeting's over.\" Dylan told her before disconnecting the call.\n\n~~~\n\n\"I've heard wonderful things about the local symphony, and just happen to have tickets for tomorrow night's performance.\" Elliott walked the perfect line between cool aloofness and smitten suitor. \"Would you care to accompany me?\" His mannerisms did not seem affected, but he'd rehearsed his approach for hours, not wanting to seem too eager, nor too distant, in order to intrigue the beguiling Jerry.\n\n\"The symphony? I've never been, but it could be fun.\" Jerry tossed her hair, not willing to seem too eager.\n\n\"Wonderful.\" Elliott's eyes sparkled with delight, but his demeanor did not change. \"Shall I call for you, around seven, tomorrow evening? We'll have drinks before and dinner afterward, if that suits you.\"\n\n\"I look forward to it,\" Jerry pushed her coffee cup away, indicating that she was ready to leave. \"Have the doorman ring me when you arrive and I'll come down.\"\n\n\"Perfect,\" Elliott rose and extended his hand. Standing, Jerry took it. He brought her fingertips to his lips. \"Until we meet again, sweet Jerry.\"\n\nJerry returned his smile, and even managed to blush, all the while fighting the urge to jerk her hand away.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Elizabeth's sister remembers a man hanging around the gallery, where Elizabeth had a showing of her paintings, in the weeks before she was killed. She said he gave Elizabeth the creeps, but he was a patron, so she tolerated him. There was nothing overt, nothing sinister, just a feeling that he gave her, so there was really nothing to report.\" Ethan told Dylan, just as Jerry phoned in to recap her meeting.\n\n\"Instincts are powerful things; more people should listen to them.\" Dylan remarked.\n\n\"Yeah, but how do you report an instinct?\" Jerry added. \"Did the sister say anything else about the man? If he was a patron, I assume he had money.\"\n\n\"He definitely appeared to be wealthy. The only other thing she said was that the man tried to give Elizabeth a ring, a rather large diamond, in fact, as a tip for helping him select several pieces to hang in his downtown flat. Elizabeth did not accept the diamond.\"\n\n\"I'd say that was significant. Who gives someone a diamond as a tip?\" Dylan scoffed.\n\n\"Someone trying to impress a woman, that's who.\" Jerry told him. \"Did the sister mention this to the cops, after Elizabeth was found murdered?\"\n\n\"No, she said she didn't put it together, until I asked if anyone made Elizabeth uncomfortable around the time of her death.\"\n\n\"I don't suppose the sister knew the man's name?\" Dylan was hopeful.\n\n\"Not his full name, but she said that Elizabeth referred to him as 'Prince Jonathan' in deference to his attitude, not the fact that he was truly a royal.\"\n\n\"If he hadn't killed before, then Jonathan may be his real name. No need for an alias if you haven't done anything wrong.\" Dylan remarked. \"If he made purchases, the gallery should have a record. I'll get Nate on it. Jerry, tell Ethan about your date.\" Dylan handed Ethan the phone. He promptly took it off speaker and pressed it to his ear.\n\n\"So, how are you?\" he asked. \"When are you seeing him again?\"\n\n\"I'm fine, really. He was a perfect gentleman. We're going to the symphony tomorrow night. Drinks first, dinner afterwards.\"\n\nEthan growled low in his throat. \"If he shows up in his car, insist that Rodney drive you.\"\n\nJerry tried to hide her chuckle. \"I know you're still concerned for my safety, but I'll have to be alone with him sometime. We may as well get it started.\"\n\n\"If Nate finds out his true identity, we may have other reasons to arrest him, and this whole exercise will be moot.\" Ethan was grasping at straws.\n\n\"Short of evidence of another murder, we'll still have to go through with it, so we can tie him to the women he killed. Please, let's not have this conversation again.\" Jerry pleaded.\n\n\"I miss you. Can we have that conversation?\" Ethan deftly changed the subject.\n\n\"I miss you, too. We're not still on speaker are we?\"\n\n\"No,\" Ethan chuckled. \"It's just you and me, for the moment. I wish I could see you tonight, wake up with you in the morning.\"\n\n\"I know.\" Jerry sighed. \"To think of all the nights we wasted...\" her voice trailed off.\n\n\"You were playing hard to get.\" Ethan teased.\n\n\"I most certainly was not. You were scared to make a move.\" She teased back.\n\n\"I know, you terrify me.\" Ethan's words held a small ring of truth.\n\n\"If it's any consolation, you terrify me too. But I wouldn't change a thing.\" Jerry assured him.\n\n\"The only thing I would change is this assignment. I want it over so we can start our lives.\" Ethan had his back to the room and didn't hear Dylan walk up behind him.\n\nDylan heard the sincerity in Ethan's words and wondered again about Jerry's tears in his vision of the future.\n\n\"Me, too.\" Jerry leaned against the soft leather and closed her eyes. \"Where are we going first, Australia?\"\n\n\"Definitely. I want you to meet Mum and Pop, though Ella, my housekeeper, will be your toughest sell.\" Ethan grinned into the phone. \"She doesn't think anyone will ever be good enough for me.\"\n\nJerry cringed slightly, his words echoing her deepest fears. \"I'll do my best to win her over.\"\n\nDylan cleared his voice loudly, not willing to hear any more of the lovebird's conversation. \"Nate wants us to meet at the diner for an early dinner. Said to tell you to bring your notes.\"\n\n\"Sure thing.\" Ethan answered him, then spoke to Jerry. \"You heard?\"\n\n\"I heard. I'll think of you boys eating burgers and fries, while I enjoy some of your awesome Osso Buco leftovers.\"\n\n\"You do that. I'll be sure to tell them what they missed. I'll call you later.\"\n\n\"Can't wait.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"Are you sure you know what you're doing?\" Dylan asked Ethan, when he passed the phone back to him.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" Ethan narrowed his eyes, not willing to discuss his feelings for Jerry.\n\n\"Jerry's a good person, a fine agent, a catch by anyone's standards. What makes you think that you're worthy of her?\"\n\n\"What makes you think I'm not?\" Ethan worked to control his anger.\n\n\"I've known guys like you all my life. Had everything handed to you on a silver platter, didn't you? Women especially. With your money, looks, and attitude, you've probably left a trail of broken hearts all over Europe.\"\n\n\"And you think I'm playing Jerry, the same way I played countless others.\" Ethan was losing the battle to control his anger.\n\n\"Well, aren't you? You plan on sticking around, after we shut down this case? Or are you planning to hightail it back to wherever you came from, leaving Jerry crying in her beer?\"\n\n\"Are you jealous?\" Ethan wanted to make certain that Dylan was acting out of friendly concern, not unrequited feelings.\n\n\"Of course not, idiot. Jerry is my friend. I won't stand by and watch her get hurt, not by you, or anyone else.\"\n\n\"I told you before, I will not hurt Jerry. I love her, dammit, I want to spend the rest of my life proving it to her.\" Ethan stood toe to toe with Dylan, but he still raised his voice. \"Are you satisfied? Is that what you wanted to hear?\"\n\n\"No, it wasn't.\" Dylan stepped back and shook his head. \"I know you'll hurt her, I just don't know how.\" He lowered his voice. \"You say you love her, and God help me, I believe you. But my gut is telling me that you'll end up leaving her anyway.\"\n\n\"When I leave, Jerry is going with me. Tell that to your gut and back the hell off.\" Ethan glared at Dylan before turning away. He'd be damned if he shared anymore of his feelings about Jerry with that imbecile.\nChapter Seventeen\n\n\"The concert was wonderful, thank you for inviting me.\" Jerry spooned caviar onto a toast point.\n\n\"My pleasure, it really was surprisingly good.\" Elliott's voice held a distinct shade of snobbery. \"One doesn't expect such an elegant performance in the states.\"\n\n\"As I've nothing to compare it to, I can't argue. I'm sure you know best.\" Jerry acquiesced.\n\n\"Have you never been to Europe?\" Elliott brushed an imaginary crumb from his sleeve.\n\n\"No,\" Jerry's disgruntled tone did not pair well with her Dior gown. \"Not once.\"\n\nSecretly pleased with her obvious irritation, Elliott's smile was one of understanding. \"Well, that just will not do. Everyone should see the stars over an English country estate, or watch the sunset from a villa in the Oia village, on the island of Santorini in Greece. And Paris, you must walk the streets of Paris during April, smell the cherry blossoms, and feel the charge in the atmosphere.\"\n\n\"It all sounds divine,\" Jerry sighed. \"I've dreamed of traveling abroad, but so far it hasn't worked out.\" She looked appropriately disappointed.\n\n\"Such a shame, we'll have to fix that.\" Elliott took the opportunity to pat her hand and look meaningfully into her eyes. He saw the moment when her interest sparked, when she began thinking of him as someone more than a way to kill time, while her lover was out of town. His plan was progressing perfectly.\n\n\"Yes,\" she gushed, \"we really should.\"\n\nElliott spent the remainder of dinner impressing Jerry with his travels, describing his homes around the world, and dropping names of the rich and famous people, with whom he frequently shared cocktails, dinner and vacations.\n\nJerry's head was spinning with the amount of information Elliott imparted during dinner. If she didn't already know who he was, the picture he painted of his life would impress even the most jaded individual.\n\nThanks to Elizabeth's sister, they now knew that Elliott was actually Jonathan Gerrard, the heir to a British mining fortune, and the definition of a wealthy playboy, living a life of leisure as he flitted between continents, accomplishing nothing more productive than running astounding tabs at the various resorts which caught his fancy.\n\nAccording to Jonathan's estranged father, Jonathan would have been cut out of the family fortune long ago, had it not been for the terms of his grandfather's trust. As it stood, none of Jonathan's family associated with him, partially due to his frivolous lifestyle, and partially due to the mental illness, which he refused to treat.\n\nJonathan's delusional disorder could be managed with a combination of drug and psychiatric therapy, but Jonathan decided long ago that he would handle it on his own.\n\n\"Wouldn't you agree, my dear?\" Jonathan/Elliott's question brought Jerry out of her reverie. He'd been spewing on so long about this party and that event, that she couldn't help but zone out a bit.\n\n\"Of course, Elliott. I agree.\" She smiled as if whatever she'd just agreed with mattered.\n\n\"Wonderful. Then it's a date. We'll visit the art museum in the morning, and the aquarium in the afternoon. You can give your driver the day off; I'll take you wherever you need to go.\" Elliott looked very pleased with himself.\n\n\"That's very kind of you,\" Jerry smiled and hoped the agents, two tables over, had recorded the conversation, so she would know exactly what she'd agreed to.\n\n\"What a fortuitous moment, running into you yesterday. I don't think I've ever met a more delightful companion by merely asking directions.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\" Jerry smiled demurely. \"The feeling is mutual.\"\n\nElliott beamed.\n\n~~~\n\n\"I don't think I've ever had a killer bore me so completely.\" Jerry told Ethan on their nightly phone call.\n\n\"I'm sure a different type of woman would find him fascinating.\" Ethan laughed.\n\n\"Probably, one who decided he was the next meal ticket. The man does have a way of making you feel special, when he's not droning on about his fabulous life.\" Jerry stretched out on the bed, glad to be home and spending time with Ethan.\n\n\"By the way, Dylan asked me to tell you that the court order for Jonathan's psychiatric records came through. We should have copies tomorrow.\"\n\n\"Those should shed some light. Delusional disorders range from thinking the mailman is out to get you, to full blown psychotic events. It would be helpful to know just how crazy he is.\"\n\n\"You're not very politically correct, are you Agent Forbes?\" Ethan chuckled.\n\n\"I call 'em like I see 'em, Inspector Barnes.\"\n\n\"That's Chief Inspector Barnes to you.\"\n\n\"Pardon me, _Chief_ Inspector Barnes.\" Jerry mocked. \"Changing the subject, did you speak to your parents about bringing me over?\"\n\n\"As a matter of fact, I did. Mum is likely still in shock and Pop is already planning your sightseeing tour of Western Australia.\" Ethan grinned as he remembered how excited his parents had been to hear that he was bringing a woman home.\n\n\"Sounds great. I need to put in for my vacation time.\" Jerry said absently, reaching for her cell phone to text Nate. \"What are you thinking, a week or so after we wrap this case? Or longer?\"\n\n\"I have to return to England, complete the paperwork, but you could come with me. We could take a few days, see the sights, then head off to Australia. I really don't want to spend one more night away from you than is absolutely necessary, Agent Forbes.\" Ethan lowered his voice to a seductive whisper.\n\nJerry felt the shiver that always accompanied thoughts of Ethan in her bed. \"I'll put in for a month off, beginning immediately upon the completion of this assignment.\" She typed the same words into her phone, then hit send. \"Done.\"\n\n\"Gotta love technology.\" Ethan stretched out across the double bed that could not contain his length. He looked forward to these nightly chats with Jerry; the intimacy of their conversations allowed them to get to know each other in ways reminiscent of letter writing in decades past.\n\nThey talked of everything and nothing at all, and found that they shared views on religion, or spirituality, but held vastly diverse opinions regarding politics. Ethan still hadn't mentioned that he was technically a royal, nor had he mentioned that his inheritance made Jonathan/Elliott's look like chicken feed. It wasn't that he was intentionally keeping those facts from her, he honestly didn't think they mattered.\n\n\"We're not crazy, are we? Thinking we can have a life together, when we barely know each other.\" It was a question Jerry asked every night, in one form or another. Ethan understood her need for reassurances, and gave them to her freely.\n\n\"No, we're not crazy. We're both old enough to know how we feel, and smart enough to take a chance on a lifetime of happiness when it's staring us in the face. No matter how long since we've met, we know each other's hearts, at least I feel like I know yours, and I've tried to show you mine.\"\n\n\"You do and you have. I'm sorry I keep asking, but these feelings are just so new for me.\"\n\n\"You can ask as often as you like, love, the answers will be the same.\" Ethan said softly.\n\n\"I like it when you call me that.\" Jerry sounded like a little girl, sweet and slightly awestruck.\n\n\"Then I'll always call you love,\" Ethan told her, amazed that such a simple word could mean so much to her.\n\n\"Even when I'm old, and look like a prune?\" Jerry teased.\n\n\"Even then. Remember, I'll be a prune, too.\"\n\n\"Men always age better than women, when you're eighty, you'll still be devastatingly handsome.\"\n\n\"And you'll still be drop-dead gorgeous.\"\n\n\"Flatterer.\"\n\n\"Speak for yourself.\"\n\n\"I think it's time we stopped speaking, have you looked at the clock lately?\" Jerry smiled, knowing that Ethan would talk to her all night, if she wanted.\n\n\"Time doesn't matter.\"\n\n\"Tell that to the bags underneath my eyes tomorrow. I have to be an adoring companion, hanging on his every word, in six hours.\"\n\n\"Lucky bastard.\" Ethan grumbled. \"You know I'm not happy about you getting into the car alone with him.\" He reminded her.\n\nJerry rolled her eyes. \"You've made that quite clear. Do you need another demonstration of my martial arts abilities?\"\n\n\"Once was enough, thanks. I know you can take care of yourself, under normal circumstances, but what if he drugs you, or manages to restrain your hands? There are a million ways this mission could go wrong.\"\n\n\"Even if he does manage to get the upper hand, we have agents tracking, and following, our every move. It will be fine, Ethan. Stop worrying.\"\n\n\"I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't help it. Promise me you'll be extra careful.\"\n\n\"I promise.\" It was another variation of a conversation they had every night.\n\n\"Okay, I suppose that will have to do. Get some rest, love, I'll speak with you tomorrow.\"\n\n\"You too, sweet dreams.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"You have anything to do with Jerry asking for a month's vacation?\" Dylan greeted Ethan the next morning.\n\n\"Good morning to you, too, Dawes. What if I did?\" Ethan continued to scroll through new text messages as he sipped coffee, effectively ignoring Dylan's foul mood.\n\n\"Jerry never takes a vacation, and you've convinced her to go away with you for a whole month? Where are you taking her?\" In spite of the fact that it was obvious how much Ethan cared for Jerry, Dylan still felt the need to protect her from him, or from herself, he wasn't quite sure which.\n\nEthan met the other man's scowl with a polite smile. \"If you must know, I'm taking her to Australia to meet my parents. Before that, we'll take a jaunt around Europe, hitting the high points.\"\n\n\"And then what?\"\n\n\"That's up to us, is it not?\" Ethan's polite tone became more than a little chilled.\n\nStill concerned with the vision of consoling Jerry, right here in San Francisco, Dylan began to think that maybe something did happen to Ethan, not that he was playing Jerry for a fool. He'd have to keep a close eye on Ethan's activities when this whole thing came to a head. Great, he thought, like I need to babysit Barnes when Jerry is in the most danger.\n\n\"Yeah, that's up to the two of you. But know this, no matter how far away you take her, I can still find you if you hurt her.\"\n\n\"Got it. This is really getting old, Dawes. When are you going to get that I only want the best for Jerry? Is it so hard for you to believe that I might actually be in love with her?\"\n\nDylan was silent for several moments, digesting Ethan's question.\n\n\"No, that's not so hard to believe.\" He finally said, but his thoughts took a different track; then what would make you leave her?\n\n\"Then stop questioning my motives and accept what is.\" Ethan glared at him a moment, then switched gears. \"What's the status of the psychiatric reports?\"\n\n\"We should have them anytime now. One of the bureau's psychiatrists will decipher them, then give us a report.\"\n\n\"\"How long will that take? Jerry will be alone with him in less than two hours.\"\n\n\"It's being fast-tracked, but I can't change FBI protocol. We should have it later today, tomorrow at the latest.\" Dylan didn't like the delay any more than Ethan. \"She won't exactly be alone with him, just for the car ride to the museum, and then to the aquarium.\"\n\n\"That's enough.\"\n\n\"Agreed.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"Who knew that playing the role of a socialite could be so exhausting? My face is in permanent smile mode, which really hurts my cheeks.\" Jerry complained to Dylan, when she made her afternoon report.\n\n\"Buck up princess, it could be worse. Be grateful that you're not on this side of the fence, hearing Ethan swear every time Jonathan touches you.\" Dylan chuckled and ducked Ethan's attempt to punch him in the arm.\n\n\"Maybe they don't need to follow us around with cameras.\" Jerry offered, half-heartedly.\n\n\"You think he'd be any better if he _couldn't_ see what was happening?\" Dylan laughed again. \"Man's got it bad, Jer.\" This time Ethan's punch landed on the mark.\n\nJerry smiled, glad that Dylan was finally coming around where Ethan was concerned. \"He's not the only one,\" she admitted softly.\n\n\"You think that's news to me? I saw the writing on the wall from day one. Anyway,\" Dylan changed the subject, \"you're doing a great job with Jonathan. If I didn't know better, I'd believe you were falling for the guy.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\" Jerry added wryly. \"He's certainly moving things along. We're having dinner tonight in Sausalito, then he wants to take me to a Giant's game tomorrow. Said he always wanted to experience American baseball.\"\n\n\"Ethan and I may have to tail you on that one, it's time for a change of agents anyway. Thanks to a scheduling snafu, we've had to use the same female agent two times in a row.\"\n\n\"I noticed that, but they were discreet enough that I don't think it was a problem. Jonathan's attitude never changed, so I'm sure he didn't notice.\"\n\n\"Regardless, we'll have a new pair on you tonight.\"\n\n\"Good to know. If there's nothing else, I have to get ready for dinner.\" Jerry's grimace read clearly through the phone.\n\n\"Nope, that's it. I'll call you if we get the psychiatric report before you leave.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n~~~\n\nJonathan/Elliott circled Jerry's block to make certain that the car he thought was following him, actually was. Sure enough, the dark blue Ford kept a discreet distance, but it stayed with him, just the same.\n\nHe'd noticed the woman trailing behind them in the aquarium, thought she'd looked familiar. Thinking back, he remembered seeing the same woman in the art museum that morning, but with a different companion.\n\nWhen had he picked up a tail? Who could be following him? He'd been so careful to change his appearance, change his vehicle, so that no one could connect him to any of his activities, since arriving in the states. He'd been careful not to leave evidence at the crime scenes, sure that the bodies' exposure to the elements would remove any trace of him over time. Why were they following him? If they could connect him to his first four conquests, then why didn't they just arrest him?\n\nPerhaps it's a trap, he thought. If they somehow connected him without enough evidence to arrest him, then it stands to reason that they would follow him to try and catch him in the act. Years of therapy taught him that being delusional wasn't necessarily a bad thing. What's the phrase, he thought, then said aloud, laughter edging his voice, \"just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.\"\n\nRegardless of his mental health issues, someone was definitely following him, that much was clear. After circling the block again, he headed off in the direction of the Bay Bridge. Sure enough, the car stayed with him, even through rush hour traffic.\n\nCertain that he was on the right track, he nabbed the first open parking spot he came across. Street parking was like gold in the city, so he felt confident that this maneuver would complicate his shadow's ability to monitor him.\n\nHe needed time to think, to contemplate his next move. A busy coffee shop on a populated side street seemed the perfect place to formulate a plan. While waiting at the cross walk, he noted, with satisfaction, the dark blue Ford coming down the road again. They could circle the block for days, he thought, he could still elude them if he wanted.\n\nSettled at a corner table with a drink and a biscotti, Jonathan began to compartmentalize the days past, moment by moment. His first concern was if the entity following him knew where he lived. Thinking back to this morning, he tried to visualize the blue Ford on the street outside the house, or following him to collect Jerry. Nothing registered, but that didn't mean the car had not been there.\n\nThinking of Jerry, could she possibly be in on the plan to capture him? Or was she simply an unwitting pawn for some government agency? She was so lovely, so perfect for him, he had trouble imagining her working in some bland, bureaucratic office.\n\nNo, he thought, she had to be an unsuspecting participant in their little capture plan. She would never betray him that way. Still, he had to make a decision about whether or not to continue on his path, or to abandon the budding romance altogether.\n\nThoughts of leaving Jerry before their last adventure together made him physically ill. Just as she would not betray him, he would not betray her. They would have their special time together, he would simply be more careful.\n\nFirst and foremost, he could not let the shadow know that he was onto them. He would go home, get ready for dinner, and take Jerry out as planned. Tomorrow's baseball game would be the perfect place to make the necessary alterations to his own game plan. Smiling, he tipped the waitress and strolled back to his car.\nChapter Eighteen\n\nThe shrill ring of his cell phone brought Ethan out of a dreamless sleep. He'd only just drifted off, having spoken with Jerry for hours after her dinner with Jonathan.\n\n\"What?\" He growled without looking at the screen.\n\n\"Barnes? It's Jamison. You up?\" The gravelly voice of his superior officer brought Ethan fully awake. The man never made contact, unless there was trouble.\n\n\"I am now, sir. What's happening?\" Ethan flipped on the light switch, hoping to shatter the feeling of dread, blossoming in his gut.\n\n\"You alone?\" Jamison was a man of few words.\n\n\"Yes, sir.\"\n\n\"It's the Anson brothers. They've escaped.\"\n\n\"How the hell did that happen? They were locked up tight in the psychiatric ward at Portlaoise.\"\n\n\"Long story. Suffice it to say that they're out, and they're gunning for you.\" Ethan heard the flick of a lighter as Jamison lit a cigar. \"We need you back here, pronto.\"\n\n\"But sir, we're near the end of this case, I'd like to see it through.\" Ethan's mind reeled at the thought of leaving Jerry in the clutches of a madman.\n\n\"The Yanks can wrap that up, you're going deep underground, protective custody, while we figure out where these lunatics will strike next.\"\n\n\"All due respect, sir, do you really think they'll track me to California in the next few days?\"\n\n\"It's a distinct possibility. They've been monitoring your activity for the past year. They know which case you're working. We found pictures of you and that agent, Jerry Forbes, in their cell.\"\n\n\"Jerry? They had pictures of Jerry? How?\"\n\n\"We're working on it. The only people we know that they've been in contact with are the prison guards, and their psychiatric team. Obviously, there's a mole.\"\n\n\"Have they killed since the escape?\"\n\n\"Two prison guards and a taxi driver, so far.\"\n\n\"Dammit. If they left pictures, they want me to know I'm a target.\"\n\n\"The pictures are not all they left behind. Before I tell you the rest, know that we've already placed your family under protective custody.\"\n\n\"My family? How did they make the connection to my family?\" Ethan's voice boomed in the quiet hotel room.\n\n\"The tech department discovered a breach in security last week, but it appeared that no files were accessed. We now know that several personnel files were copied, including yours.\"\n\nEthan's mind raced. He knew he had to leave, but what could he tell Jerry that would keep her safe? The Ansons were the worst of the worst; he had to remove the target from Jerry _and_ keep her from following him to Europe. Stubborn as she was, she'd insist on helping him recapture the twins, especially if she knew how much danger he'd be facing.\n\n\"I've heard enough. I'll leave today.\" Ethan's voice was grim, knowing that the only way to keep Jerry safe was to break her heart, but he couldn't do it alone.\n\n~~~\n\nEthan sat in the nearly empty diner, waiting for Dylan to show up. The weight of what he was about to ask of the man, and the resulting destruction to his and Jerry's relationship, sat heavy on his shoulders.\n\n\"What in the hell is so important that it couldn't wait a few hours? The sun's not even up.\" Dylan straggled into the diner, ready for a fight. Ethan's phone call took him from a very nice dream, one of a blond-haired beauty, and a sultry southern beach.\n\n\"I need your help.\" Ethan slid a steaming cup of coffee towards him. \"It's for Jerry. Drink up.\" He nodded towards the mug.\n\nDylan read the quiet desperation, and something else, on Ethan's face; pain mixed with determination. Whatever had caused Slick to get him out of bed was serious. He sipped the coffee and waited.\n\n\"Two years ago, I was instrumental in capturing the Anson brothers, twins who thrived on torturing, maiming, and murdering, random men and women in England, Ireland and Scotland.\" Ethan began without preamble. \"Their killing spree lasted for more than six months, primarily because we weren't aware that they were twins. The only pattern we could detect was that there was no pattern. One day, a woman was raped and mutilated in the hills of Scotland, the same afternoon, a teenage boy suffered the same fate in the heart of London. We knew the murders were connected, the M.O.'s were the same, but the distance, and the time span for the torture of each victim, made it impossible for one person to commit both crimes.\" Ethan took a breath. \"Also, video surveillance showed the same person, or so we thought, in both locations around the times of the murders. Instead of searching for twins, we focused the investigation on means of transportation between the two locations, which cost us valuable time.\"\n\n\"During the course of their killing spree, two victims, each tortured and killed in the same way, always turned up on the same day, hundreds of miles apart. The only time the brothers varied their M.O was toward the end of the spree, when they came together to slaughter the family of the lead investigator on the case.\" Ethan ran his hands over his eyes. Images of the carnage would haunt him forever.\n\n\"Why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with Jerry?\" Dylan prompted, shaking Ethan from the nightmarish memories.\n\nEthan ignored the questions and continued his spiel. \"I took over the investigation at that point, the lead obviously could not continue. Long story short, we captured them not long afterward, and they vowed revenge on me as the head of the task force. As you know, a prisoner spouting off is nothing new, so I dismissed the threat, especially as they were sentenced to life in the psychiatric ward of Portlaoise.\"\n\n\"That's one of the most secure prisons in Europe.\" Dylan nodded. \"But why the psychiatric ward?\"\n\n\"If you'd seen the butchery they left behind, especially when they slaughtered the officer's family, you'd know that no sane person could do that to other humans, or animals, for that matter.\" Ethan shuddered. \"I'm giving you this background so you can understand why I need your help to keep Jerry safe. They've escaped. We don't know how yet, but they were always very clever. Pictures of Jerry and me were found in their cell. Apparently, they've been tracking my movements for the past year. They also have information on my family, thanks to a hack job at Interpol.\"\n\nDylan sat in silence, understanding of both Ethan's need for help, and the vision of a devastated Jerry, dawning clear.\n\n\"You're leaving.\" He said simply.\n\n\"Today. I can't tell Jerry why, or she'll want to go with me. She can't know the danger I'm in, and she can't follow me. She'll be safer if it appears that I've cut all ties with her, that this was just an assignment, and that she means nothing to me.\" Ethan's voice caught on his last words. Dylan pretended not to notice.\n\n\"So you want me to help you break her heart.\" He stated, knowing it was the only way to keep Jerry from finding out the truth.\n\n\"Yes. If you can think of another way to keep her away from me until I catch those bastards again, I'd like to hear it.\"\n\nDylan considered Ethan's dilemma. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jerry would try to help him, if she knew the truth. He trusted Ethan's instincts, and knowledge of the killers, enough to trust that Jerry needed to stay far away, in order not to be a target. Like Ethan, he could see no other way to protect her, than to convince her that Ethan was a lying scumbag.\n\n\"What do you want me to do?\" Dylan asked quietly.\n\n\"I'm afraid that if I simply disappear, she'll suspect something is not right. I have to convince her that I'm a bastard. That's where you come in.\"\n\n\"I can get behind that.\" Dylan smiled wryly, not at all happy with being complicit in lying to Jerry, even if it was for her own good.\n\n\"I thought you might. One thing, before we start. No one else can know about the ruse, not Nate, not anyone at all. There's a leak somewhere, and until we know who and where, this has to be just between us.\"\n\n\"Agreed, but Nate is no leak.\"\n\n\"I'm not saying that he is, but the fewer people who know the truth, the better.\" Ethan waited for Dylan's nod of agreement. \"The first thing we have to do is get Jerry some proof that I'm a cheat.\" Ethan cringed when he said the word, then continued. \"Pictures of me with other women will work, I think, especially if they're time-stamped within the past week.\"\n\n\"Where do you propose we find these women? It's still not even sunrise.\"\n\n\"That works in our favor. We'll start with Allison, our lovely waitress.\" Ethan nodded in the direction of the bored-looking young woman, wiping down the counter. \"A few hundred dollars, a new dress, the right setting, and voila, we've got a romantic date.\"\n\n\"How many women are you thinking?\"\n\n\"Three should do it. We'll take photos with the other two this morning, at different places in the city. I'll call an escort service for the other women, should make it quick and easy.\"\n\n\"And I'm supposed to show her the pictures after you leave?\" Dylan knew the idea was solid.\n\n\"Yes, _after_ you wrap up Casanova. I do not want her distracted.\" Ethan grabbed Dylan's wrist in a vice-like grip. \"I'm trusting you to keep her safe for the remainder of this assignment.\"\n\nDylan read Ethan's desperation and nodded. \"I'll make sure she comes out of this alive. You have my word.\"\n\nEthan searched Dylan's eyes before releasing his grip. \"Thank you.\"\n\nDylan nodded. \"Are you walking away from her for good, or until you capture the Ansons?\"\n\n\"One thing I know for sure is that Jerry is my soul mate. I'll be back for her, if she'll have me.\" Ethan sat back, resigned to his immediate fate, while refusing to give up on a future with Jerry. \"You have to help convince her that I lied, that I was simply playing a role. I may also need your help in the future, when I try to get her back.\"\n\n\"The only reason I'm doing this is because I know Jerry. If she has one inkling that you're in danger, she'll be on the next plane to find you. I'll make sure she believes that you lied, but as for the future, I'm not making any promises. If, when you do return, I think that she's better off without you, I won't help you get near her.\"\n\n\"If I think she's better off without me, I won't come back.\" Ethan said quietly. \"Get your camera. I'll start working on the waitress.\"\nChapter Nineteen\n\nJerry glanced around, unobtrusively, as Elliott led her to the private elevator that would whisk them both to their exclusive box seats. She hadn't spoken with Dylan, or Ethan, all morning, which was more than a little unusual. Nate had assured her that the ball game was covered, but he couldn't say exactly who would be watching over her.\n\nJonathan saw Jerry glance around from the corner of his eye. He was not as sure today that she would not betray him. A long night of devising strategies, and making plans for their final adventure together, had left him surprisingly alert to every nuance of her body language, expressions and breathing patterns. He felt an underlying tension from her, which belied her relaxed demeanor. Totally confident that he was reading her correctly, he became even more certain that she was more like Beth than he initially thought. She would betray him at the first opportunity.\n\nSmiling down at her as they rode the elevator up, he mentally covered the exit strategy he'd devised, one that would take her away from under the noses of whoever was stalking them.\n\nJerry had felt a change in Jonathan/Elliott from the moment he ushered her into his car. A subtle difference in the way he carried himself, more confident, if that was possible, and more stealthy. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up, but she could determine no obvious reason for her discomfort. It was too soon in the timeline for Jonathan to make his move. Also, they were attending a very public game, not on a trek through the woods.\n\nThe well-appointed box contained everything they could want, while observing a baseball game. An elegant table, laden with food, stood adjacent to a well-stocked bar. Plush seats, to accommodate twenty, lined the front glass enclosure. Four other small groups milled around the room, each group acknowledged the new arrivals with polite nods, when the elevator door slid open.\n\n\"Friends of yours?\" Jerry asked in a quiet aside.\n\n\"No. Friends of friends. I thought you'd be more comfortable here than in the bleachers with the masses.\" He neglected to mention that he wouldn't be caught dead in the folding seats reserved for common ticketholders.\n\n\"Thank you, this is wonderful.\" Jerry smiled warmly at Jonathan and placed her hand on his arm.\n\n\"Would you like a drink?\" He offered, guiding her to the seating area. \"How about champagne?\"\n\n\"That sounds lovely,\" Jerry perched on the edge of the seat.\n\n\"I'll be back shortly.\" Jonathan kissed her hand before releasing it.\n\nJerry took the opportunity to study the room while Jonathan was gone. The only exits were the elevator, and a door marked 'Stairs' at the end of a long hallway, just beyond the restrooms.\n\nBy the time Jonathan came back with their drinks, people were taking seats and preparing for the first pitch.\n\nJerry arranged the delicate pin she wore clipped to her Hermes scarf, so that the camera angle would take in the field. If Ethan and Dylan weren't here, she could at least let them see some of the game.\n\nJonathan watched her fidget with her scarf and became more convinced that she was nervous about her betrayal.\n\nThe drug hit Jerry within the first few sips of champagne. The room began to spin, and the only stable force she could find was Jonathan's embrace.\n\nJonathan held her close, murmuring platitudes, as he braced her body against his, and helped her from the room, all the while smiling apologetically at the nearby fans who noticed. As soon as they reached the hallway, Jonathan swept Jerry into his arms and carried her toward the exit.\n\nJerry's head lolled against the soft fabric of Jonathan's shoulder. It felt as if she were flying, suspended in forward movement along a long, empty hallway. Her body felt lifeless, she was completely unable to move, even her finger. The camera pin was pressed against his chest, offering a view of brown fibers to the watchful agents.\n\n~~~\n\n\"We've got a malfunction.\" Rodney, pulling double duty as a monitor as he sat in the agency car, parked outside of the ballpark, called Dylan as soon as the image from Jerry's pin camera became fuzzy.\n\n\"What do you mean a malfunction?\" Dylan, weary from the morning's extracurricular activities with Ethan, and heartsick about his role in the whole thing, didn't bother to hide his aggravation.\n\n\"I don't know. It looked like Jerry started for the hallway off of the main room, when the screen started wobbling. As soon as she reached the edge of the room, the screen turned brown and fibrous.\"\n\n\"What do you hear?\" Dylan became instantly alert.\n\n\"Nothing, not even background noise.\"\n\n\"Is the camera moving at all?\"\n\n\"Now it is. Looks like it's bobbing up and down, but we've still got nothing but a brown image.\"\n\n\"Hold on.\" Switching to a different phone, he called Moretti, one of the agents charged with following Jerry and Jonathan this morning. \"Do you have eyes on the target?\" He demanded without preamble.\n\n\"Negative. They went inside a private box. We're outside the elevator door.\"\n\n\"Dammit. What was the unsub wearing?\"\n\n\"Brown jacket, khaki slacks, and an open-collar shirt.\"\n\n\"Dammit all to hell. Get someone to the stairway leading from the box, and send someone in to question the witnesses. You stay by the elevator, in case they come out that way. They're on the move.\" Dylan clicked off and went back to Rodney.\n\n\"What do you see now?\"\n\n\"Still brown, still movement, jarring up and down. What do you think is happening?\"\n\n\"He's onto us.\" Dylan's voice was grim. \"He's carrying her out, the brown you see is his jacket. Dammit.\" Dylan began to pace. \"Do you still have eyes on his car?\"\n\n\"Yes, no activity since they disappeared inside the park.\"\n\n\"Good, that's good.\" Dylan ran his hand through his hair in agitation. \"But if he's onto us, he may have a different way out. That's what I would do, a Plan B,\" he murmured. \"You let me know the second that camera view changes, or if you see him heading for the car. I'm calling for back-up.\"\n\n\"Will do.\" Rodney's eyes remained glued to the screen.\n\n\"Nate,\" Dylan barely gave him time to answer. \"Casanova's taken Jerry, we need back-up at every exit of AT&T Park. Immediately.\"\n\n\"Hold on.\" Nate quickly gave orders to the young agent, assisting him with the red tape involved with the assignment. \"They're on the way. What in hell is happening?\" He demanded.\n\n\"He's onto us. I think he has an alternate escape vehicle. What do you want to bet that it's not one we've got tracking on? Tell the back-up to look for Casanova driving any kind of car. They may or may not see Jerry in the vehicle.\"\n\nNate relayed the message before insisting on more detail. \"Tell me exactly what happened.\"\n\n\"He took her to a private box at the stadium. Shortly after, Jerry's camera pin began to wobble, then the image became fuzzy brown. The brown screen was moving up and down, similar to what would occur if the unsub was carrying her. Oh, he's wearing a brown jacket.\"\n\n\"Jones, activate the GPS on Jerry Forbes' phone.\" Nate barked to his assistant. \"What's happening this instant?\" He demanded of Dylan.\n\n\"Hold on, I'll patch us in with Rodney.\" Ten seconds later, Dylan had them on a three-way. \"Rodney, what's the status?\"\n\n\"No activity at the car, the camera's still projecting brown fuzz.\" He began, then became excited. \"Wait, the image is changing, I see his face. It's like he's looming over her. I see the inside of a car trunk. He's searching Jerry for something, I see him moving above her. He's jostling her...wait...I see what looks like the inside of a parking garage. There's a noise, like ripping duct tape. Crap, he's sealing the trunk.\"\n\n\"What color is the car, can you tell?\" Dylan asked, his tension level escalating.\n\n\"Dark green or dark gray, hard to tell from this angle.\"\n\n\"Can you get the make?\"\n\n\"No, but the trunk is small, couldn't be bigger than a midsize car.\"\n\nNate relayed the information to his assistant.\n\n\"What else, Rodney, what's he doing now?\" Dylan tried to keep his cool, but a feeling of helplessness slowly began to descend over him.\n\n\"He just slammed the trunk closed. It's black now.\" Rodney sat back, feeling defeated.\n\n\"We know he's got another car. Dylan, check the tracking information on the Mas and the Prius, see if they're on the move. Rodney, get to the nearest exit of the parking garage, watch for him to leave.\" Nate turned to his assistant. \"What's the word on Jerry's GPS?\"\n\n\"It's active, but it's stable. The best I can give you is the address for the parking garage, adjacent to AT&T Park.\"\n\n\"Stay on it, let me know the moment the location changes. Redirect all available back-up to the parking garage exits.\" Nate turned his attention to Dylan. \"What's the word?\"\n\n\"No movement on any of his known vehicles. Bastard got smart and turned the tables on us.\"\n\n\"Where's Ethan? I want you both on the streets, just in case this turns into a manhunt.\"\n\n\"Ethan's gone. He left this morning. Said he knew we had it under control, and he had to get back.\" Dylan lied.\n\nStunned, Nate was silent for several heartbeats. \"I didn't see that coming. Does Jerry know?\"\n\n\"Not yet. I'll break it to her when this is done.\" The tension in Dylan's voice translated perfectly through the phone.\n\n\"Better you than me,\" Nate muttered, then changed directions. \"Head to the roof, I'll bring the chopper in ten.\"\n\n\"On my way.\"\n\n~~~\n\nThe rental car, waiting on the third level of the parking deck, was completely different from Jonathan's usual style. Compact and nondescript, the dark green Toyota fit in seamlessly with every other car on the freeway. Jonathan laughed delightedly as he left the crowded parking lot of AT&T Park, and merged into the throng of vehicles on the Bayshore Freeway, heading away from the bay. His laughter grew when he spotted the unmarked cars, with blue lights blazing through the windshields, rush past him on the opposite side of the road.\n\n\"Too little, too late,\" he sang, straightening the blond wig he'd had the foresight to bring. \"She's mine now, all mine.\" Rather than cheer him, the thoughts of Jerry's betrayal saddened him. He had so hoped that she was different from the others, so wanted her to be worthy of his love.\n\n\"They're all the same.\" Hitting the steering wheel, his facial expression changed instantly from gleeful exuberance at outsmarting the cops, to a menacing, maniacal scowl worthy of a madman.\n\nAt the first opportunity, he exited the freeway onto a thoroughfare that would lead him to the 101 and his desired destination, Carmel. The cliffs in the area were some of the most beautiful along the California coast. He'd always planned to visit, just not this soon.\n\n~~~\n\n\"No green, or gray, midsize cars have exited the parking garage since we arrived.\" The report was the same from every officer and agent assigned to the structure.\n\n\"How the hell did he get out so fast?\" Dylan asked Nate from the backseat of the chopper.\n\n\"Damned if I know. Let's fly along the expressway. He's likely heading for his comfort zone, the mountains.\" Nate's terse orders to the pilot told Dylan how concerned he was for Jerry's safety. If Casanova was going towards the cliffs, they both knew his agenda.\n\n\"Jerry can take care of herself, boss.\" Dylan reminded both of them.\n\n\"Sure she can, if she's not out cold, or restrained.\" Nate voiced what they both feared. \"Go lower,\" he barked at the pilot, \"I want to see inside every car on that highway.\"\n\n~~~\n\nJerry awoke to a screaming headache, and cramps in her legs. She knew right away that she was in the trunk of a car. In addition to the humps on both sides of the enclosure, the searing heat inside the space, and the drone of the motor, gave it away.\n\nHow long had she been out? Moving her arm to reach into her pocket for the phone was excruciating, and proved fruitless. Her phone was gone.\n\nFeeling for the lever that would open the trunk from the inside, she found duct tape covering the switch, a simple but effective way of disabling the escape route. He'd also covered the inside of the taillights with duct tape, keeping her from punching through for light and air. She couldn't reach the edge of the strips, he'd anticipated her efforts and blocked every move.\n\n\"Round one, psycho.\" Jerry muttered, as she felt every inch of space she could reach inside the trunk, searching for anything she could use to break through the tape. Nothing. The trunk was clean.\n\nThe car was moving at a steady clip, the wheels kept time with the drumming in her head. Rearranging her body to find as comfortable a position as possible, she was suddenly grateful for the hours spent folding herself in abnormal ways during yoga. The relaxation techniques she'd learned helped clear her mind in preparation for the battle to come.\n\nAs much as she'd like to believe that Ethan and Dylan were hot on her trail, she knew in her gut that she was on her own. If she was coming out of this one alive, she would do it alone.\n\nThe thought didn't frighten her, but she knew that Ethan would be frantic. For love of him as much as herself, she knew she had to escape whatever Jonathan had in store for her.\n\nHow the hell had he discovered they were onto him? Had she said or done something to make him suspicious? She'd felt that things were off this morning, but not enough to get her spidey senses tingling. If he'd veered this much from his M.O., then his next move was not at all predictable.\n\n\"I'd lay dollars to donuts that we're heading for the cliffs, but which ones?\" Jerry spoke aloud, as much to hear her own voice in the dark space, as to express her thought. \"It doesn't matter which ones,\" she reasoned. \"I'll need to outwit him, and overpower him, in order to get away.\"\n\nIt was then that she remembered the camera pin. Twisting her arm upward, she felt that it was still in place. More than visual, the camera also had audio capabilities. Whoever was watching may not be able to see inside the darkened space, but they may be able to hear her, as long as they were in range.\n\n\"Hello,\" she placed her lips near the pin, not willing to let Jonathan hear her speak. \"This is Jerry. I'm okay. I'm in a trunk. No phone.\" She racked her brain for something she could tell them that would help, but she had nothing. Without concern for the ribbing she would take from Dylan, and whomever else happened to be listening, she sent Ethan a message. \"Tell Ethan that I'm fine and not to worry. Tell him that I love him, and that I'll see him soon.\" It was the only comfort she could give, but thoughts of him strengthened her resolve to walk away from this nightmare.\n\n~~~\n\n\"It's Jerry, she's awake and talking.\" Rodney's phone was patched into Dylan's and Nate's headsets.\n\n\"What did she say?\" They asked in unison.\n\n\"She said she's okay, that she's in a trunk, and that she doesn't have a phone.\" Rodney blushed, then continued. \"She also sent a message for Ethan, but it's personal. Is he around?\" Rodney had seen the way those two looked at each other, and suspected that the romance was not a fake.\n\n\"No, but I'll see that he gets it.\" Dylan lied again. \"What was it?\"\n\n\"She said for him not to worry, that she'll see him soon. And that she loves him.\" Rodney's blush deepened. It felt awkward to be privy to such personal information.\n\n\"Thanks, Rodney.\" Dylan's tone was harsh. \"Let us know if she says anything else.\"\n\nNate waited for the vein in Dylan's neck to stop throbbing before he spoke.\n\n\"Ethan's not coming back, is he?\"\n\n\"Nope.\" Dylan shifted his eyes, not sure he could lie to Nate while looking at him dead on. \"It gets worse. He's been playing Jerry, seeing other women, while stringing her along. Son of a bitch thinks he's some kind of modern day Don Juan, and Jerry thinks he hung the moon.\" Dylan sighed.\n\n\"Jerry's tough, she'll be fine. We'll make sure of it.\" Nate felt fiercely protective of Jerry, he always had. \"She deserves better than that asshole anyway.\"\n\n\"Damn straight. We'll tell her so, just as soon as we get her back.\"\n\n~~~\n\nThey'd been riding for hours before the car turned off the road onto a rocky stretch. Jerry felt every rock and pothole that marked what felt like a steep incline. Finally, things were about to get interesting.\n\nShe'd spent the time planning how she'd react when he opened the trunk. He'd be expecting anger or fear, but she would give him neither. She knew enough about delusional disorders to understand that things could change on a dime, given the current perception of the person with the illness. She would simply change his perception of her, make him believe that she enjoyed whatever little game he was playing. It was a longshot, but it was all she had.\n\nThe car rolled to a stop, after climbing for about fifteen minutes. Jerry plastered a smile on her face, and prepared to play the part of her life.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Guys, it sounds like the car stopped.\" Rodney told them as soon as the motor died.\n\n\"Where the hell did he take her?\" Nate was as frustrated as he'd ever been. He had faith in Jerry, and knowing that she was awake, and unrestrained, gave him hope that she would be okay.\"\n\n\"It's a sure bet that they're not still on this highway,\" Dylan told him, motioning to the freeway below. \"The damn thing's practically at a standstill from rush hour traffic. How do people live like this?\"\n\n\"He's opening the trunk, I see trees.\" Rodney's voice was hushed, as if by speaking any louder, he would put Jerry in more danger.\n\n~~~\n\nJonathan opened the trunk carefully, fully prepared to knock Jerry out again, if need be. He was totally unprepared for the radiant smile, lighting her face with a beautiful glow.\n\n\"Why, Elliott, you bad, bad boy.\" She laughed and held out her hand to him, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He took it out of habit.\n\n\"Why didn't you tell me you liked to play? I simply adore sexy games, especially kidnap and ransom.\" Jerry gushed as she unfolded herself from the trunk. Sitting on the edge of the trunk opening, her legs dangling so the blood could flow freely again, she transformed her face into a pout. \"Next time, you can blindfold me. It makes it more interesting.\" She placed both hands on his shoulders, noting the confused expression clouding his face. \"Be a doll and help me out, would you? My legs are a bit stiff.\"\n\n~~~\n\n\"You won't believe how she's playing it,\" Rodney's admiration was evident. \"She's pretending that it's a game, a sex game. Looks like he's buying it, his face is a mask of confusion.\" Rodney chuckled.\n\nDylan sighed in relief. \"She's working his delusion. Too bad we never got the report, that would have helped her know which buttons to push.\" He shot his eyes at Nate, who only shrugged.\n\n\"Don't start with me again about that damn report. I did everything but choke it out of the Doc myself.\" He focused on Rodney. \"What's happening, what else can you see?\"\n\n\"He's helping her out of the car, still looks confused. She's talking a mile a minute, about different games they could play, and oohing and aahing over the beauty of the forest. That's about all I can see, a bunch of trees, looks like redwoods. They're walking, I see a drop off.\"\n\n\"She'll have to make her move soon,\" Dylan hunched forward, willing Jerry strength.\n\n~~~\n\n\"Oh, Elliott, look at the gorgeous sunset!\" Jerry infused her voice with wonder. \"How did you ever find such a glorious spot for our first time together?\" She tugged on his arm, keeping him by her side, as they moved toward the edge. He still hadn't spoken since opening the trunk.\n\n\"I wanted it to be perfect for you, Beth.\" He covered her hand with his as she held onto him. \"I know how you love sunsets.\" Jonathan never felt reality slip completely away. He only knew that his beloved Beth was once again by his side.\n\n\"I do, I do, thank you, darling. You're so very thoughtful.\" Jerry rested her head on his shoulder in a loving gesture, all the while searching for anything nearby that she could use as a weapon.\n\n\"Anything for you, my love. Here, let's sit.\" He extricated his arm from hers and removed his jacket, gallantly spreading it on the forest floor. \"I seem to have forgotten the blanket and picnic.\" A look of confusion returned to his face.\n\n\"Oh, darling, it's perfect, just as it is.\" Jerry made herself comfortable and looked up at him adoringly. He settled beside her, half on the coat, and half on the ground. Jerry looped one arm through his, so they would both face the view. \"Where are we? It's stunning. The water is so blue, but it looks so far away.\"\n\n\"We're in Carmel, California, darling. Remember how we planned to come here together? I wanted it to be a surprise.\" The memory of that non-existent conversation was as clear as day to Jonathan.\n\n\"Carmel? How wonderful. You do spoil me so.\" Jerry felt around behind her for a rock.\n\n\"It's my pleasure, darling. Your wish is my command.\" Jonathan glanced down at her and saw the strained look in her eyes, just before she lowered her lashes. He was extremely sensitive to all of Beth's moods. \"What's wrong, love?\"\n\nCringing involuntarily at his use of Ethan's pet name for her, Jerry shifted slightly to hide the rock beneath the jacket sleeve. \"It's nothing, darling, I'm just a bit out of sorts from the trip.\" As in every muscle in my body aches, thanks to you, you bastard. She bit her lip to keep the words inside.\n\nJonathan looked confused again. \"It was a long car ride. Would you like to stretch your legs?\"\n\n\"I'm fine, thank you. Let's just sit here together, and enjoy nature's show. What part of Carmel did you say we're in?\"\n\nJonathan cut his eyes sharply at the innocent inquiry. Beth never questioned him so much before. Something was not right. \"We're on the cliffs, north of town.\" He explained with a frown. \"We followed the Pacific Coast Highway to get here, just as we discussed. Remember, you said you always wanted to make that drive?\"\n\n\"Of course, how silly of me. Perhaps on the way back, I can ride up front with you?\" Jerry couldn't help the sarcasm that crept into her voice.\n\nJonathan narrowed his eyes. This woman didn't sound like his Beth. What was happening? With a flash of insight, Jerry came into focus; he realized where he was and what he must do. The loving light shining in her eyes for him was a deception. He saw that clearly now. She had betrayed him, just like all the others. Just like his Beth.\n\n\"Certainly darling. Whatever you like.\"\n\nThe physical change was nearly nonexistent, but for the cold fury that suddenly came into his eyes. This was the killer Jerry had been waiting for; the one she knew lurked inside of this so-called Casanova. It was now or never, she may only have one chance to save herself.\n\nJonathan slid the switchblade from his left pocket, his eyes never leaving Jerry's. This one would be different, messy, not a clean slice and shove like the others. It couldn't be helped, he resigned, as he pressed the lever that released the blade from the sheath.\n\nJerry heard the distinct click as the knife opened. Without a second's hesitation, she brought the rock up and struck him on the temple, as hard as she possibly could.\n\nBlood sprayed her face and hands, but Jonathan did not fall. Stunned, he stabbed the air around her, prompting Jerry to jump to her feet to escape his reach, but she didn't move fast enough. Jonathan, blood streaming down his face, grabbed her ankle with his right hand, while swinging the knife wildly with his left.\n\nJerry brought the rock down on his head again, her force much more compelling as she stood. Her next blow landed on his shoulder in an effort to make him release the fierce grip he had on her ankle.\n\nJonathan howled in pain, sending birds and other woodland creatures scattering away from the commotion. Jerry wondered at how part of her brain took in the animals' movements, all the while she fought for her life.\n\nWith both legs free, Jerry kicked the knife from Jonathan's still flailing hand, before crashing the rock down, one last time, on his head. The final blow sent Jonathan slumping onto the ground, a fountain of blood, draining the life from his body.\n\nJerry dropped the rock, grabbed the knife, and stepped away from the body. He was dead, or soon would be, and she felt nothing but relief. Standing bent over with her hands on her knees, she caught her breath before straightening to her full height, and staring over the cliffs.\n\nThe sun was dipping just below the horizon, sending a kaleidoscope of oranges, yellows, and reds, into the sky above. Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.\nChapter Twenty\n\n\"He's down, she did it.\" Rodney relayed the fight between Jerry and Jonathan, blow by blow, to Dylan and Nate. All three men breathed a collective sigh of relief at his last words.\n\n\"Now we just have to find her.\" Nate scoured the shoreline, looking for anything that would stand out in the quickly changing light. Just then, his phone rang.\n\n\"It's me, Boss.\" Jerry sounded weary, but strong. \"It's over.\"\n\n\"Are you okay?\" Nate motioned to Dylan that the call was from Jerry.\n\n\"Never better,\" Jerry joked. \"I found my phone in the car, he'd disabled it, but you should be able to track the GPS now. Come and get me, would you?\"\n\n\"We're on our way.\"\n\n~~~\n\nJerry heard the chopper land, only minutes before she saw two figures running up the hill towards her. Two flashlights swung from side to side in the growing dusk as they searched for her location. With keys she'd found in Jonathan's pocket, she started the car to let the headlights guide them.\n\nDylan reached her first, grabbing her in a big bear hug, before he pushed her away for a head to toe inspection. Satisfied, he passed her off to Nate without saying a word.\n\n\"I'm fine, really,\" she assured both of them, after Nate gave her a once over of his own. \"Too bad I can't say the same for Casanova over there.\" She nodded in the direction of Jonathan's body.\n\n\"Gotta love Karma,\" Dylan grinned. \"She's a bitch, but she's fair. Bastard got exactly what he deserved.\"\n\n\"Can't argue with that,\" Nate headed in the direction of the body, already punching numbers into his phone for the coroner.\n\n\"Where's Ethan?\" Jerry asked, confused that he was not with Dylan and Nate. In the darkening minutes that passed since she'd killed Jonathan, thoughts of Ethan had both warmed her, and kept her sane.\n\nThe shadow crossing Dylan's face before he turned away gave Jerry her first inkling that something was wrong. Grabbing Dylan's arms, she made him face her.\n\n\"Is he okay, what happened?\" The emotion she'd kept neatly in place, during the ride in the trunk, and during the ordeal with Jonathan, was now beginning to spiral out of control.\n\n\"He's fine, he's safe.\" Dylan assured her, dreading the moments ahead more than anything he'd ever done. \"He had to leave.\"\n\nJerry searched his face for answers and didn't like what she saw. \"What do you mean, leave? Where did he go?\"\n\n\"He went back to Europe.\" Dylan gingerly removed the camera pin from her scarf and disabled it. \"He said to say goodbye.\"\n\nJerry noticed Dylan's movements and heard the words he spoke, but she didn't understand what he was saying.\n\n\"He left, back to Europe? Today? But why?\" She felt Dylan lead her back to the car and help her into the passenger seat. Her eyes followed him as he slid into the driver's side before turning to face her.\n\n\"Are you sure you want to have this conversation, now? You've been through enough.\"\n\n\"What do you mean, _this conversation_? Tell me what the hell is going on.\" Her voice began to rise, the shock from the day's events threatening to become hysterics. Dylan sighed and took her hands in his.\n\n\"I know you love him, but the truth is that he is not worthy of you.\" He began, cursing himself silently when tears sprang into her eyes.\n\n\"What exactly are you saying, Dylan?\"\n\n\"Your relationship wasn't real, it was just a game to him. He was seeing at least three other women, that I know of, this past week. God knows how many he had during the entire time that he was here.\" He watched as horror replace confusion on her face. This was killing him. \"I'm sorry, Jerry, but he left this morning, said to tell you, and I quote, 'It was fun.'\"\n\n\"No. That's not possible. He loves me. He would never do that.\" Jerry felt her world shift. The always-present part of her that believed she was not worthy of love grew stronger in the aftermath of her denial.\n\n\"I have proof.\" Dylan said softly.\n\n\"Show me.\" Jerry whispered, calmly accepting that Dylan was not lying, and that she would never be good enough.\n\n\"Are you sure?\"\n\n\"Show me.\" She repeated, defeat nearly breaking her in two. It was best to get it all out now, rip the bandage off completely, so the wound would begin to heal. As if that will ever happen; the little girl's voice inside her spoke the truth.\n\nDylan pulled the pack of photos from his pocket and handed them over to her. \"You don't have to do this now,\" he said again. She looked so fragile, so completely unlike the Jerry he knew, and loved.\n\n\"Yes, I do.\" Removing the photos, her heart began to pound and sweat broke out over her brow. There was Ethan's beautiful, lying, face, smiling into the eyes of some blond bombshell, the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The next image was taken at night. He and an attractive brunette lounged on the sand at the water's edge, the lights of Pier 39 shining in the distance. The third picture showed Ethan and a different blond, he must be partial to bottled color, hanging off the side of a street car, laughing.\n\nJerry placed the pictures back in the pouch and sat silently for a long moment.\n\n\"How is it that you have these?\" She finally asked.\n\n\"I suspected that he was a scumbag from the moment I laid eyes on him. I knew that you were falling for him, so I had him followed. I never wanted this, Jerry, no matter what I thought of him. You have to believe that.\"\n\n\"When were you going to tell me?\" She felt dead inside, drained as surely as Jonathan's corpse.\n\n\"As soon as I could prove it. I just got the pictures today, this morning in fact, after the scumbag left. I didn't even get a chance to punch him.\" Dylan growled, wishing he could do some serious damage to Ethan's face right now, no matter how good his reasons were for leaving.\n\n\"He's not worth it.\" Her voice was devoid of emotion. The heat, and the fury, Dylan knew would save her had not yet surfaced.\n\n\"He didn't deserve you, Jer.\" Dylan told her as he reached over to take her in his arms. \"You deserve so much better.\" He stroked her hair and felt the shudders run through her. She was too drained to cry, too hurt to speak. He knew the tears would come soon, he'd seen them in a vision.\n\n\"Let's get you home,\" he crooned, and rocked her like a child.\nEpilogue\n\n\"Tell me she's okay,\" Ethan's demand sounded more like a plea.\n\n\"Physically, she's fine.\" Dylan said tersely. He'd spent the better part of the night letting Jerry cry it out on his shoulder. Ethan Barnes was not his favorite person at the moment.\n\n\"And otherwise?\" Ethan asked, though he already knew the answer. Leaving Jerry had created a hole in his very soul, he could only imagine how much harder it was for her, believing that he'd lied to her, and played her for a fool.\n\n\"How do you think she's doing, Barnes? Spare me the stupid questions. Was there another reason for your call?\" Dylan still had the urge to bash in Slick's face.\n\n\"No. I just needed to know that she was safe.\" Ethan's voice dropped.\n\n\"Read the report, watch the video. It's all there.\" Dylan growled. \"Go do what you left her to do.\"\n\n\"I will. And I'll be back for her, Dawes. Count on it.\"\nDear Reader,\n\nThank you for making the books of my series, Timeless Trilogy, best sellers at Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K.; I'm humbled by your loyalty and your kind words.\n\nI'm including a bonus excerpt from the next book in the SSCD series, _The Littles_. In it, we fast forward about two years, to when Jeri (she changes the spelling of her name, to avoid being thought a man) is in charge of her own team. Together, they hunt down the lowest of the low, a psychopath who focuses his rage on children, until a member of the team catches his eye.\n\nEthan and Jeri find each other again in the third novel of the SSCD series, Bayou Butcher. Discover how Jeri and Ethan meet again, after more than two years apart. Will she forgive him? Does he deserve it?\n\nBONUS EXCERPT: The Littles, An SSCD Crime Thriller:\n\n### Prologue\n\nThe woman's eyes shot daggers of pain-filled hatred into the black, soulless, eyes of her son. Naked and gagged, with arms and ankles bound behind her, the woman lay sideways on top of a cold, metal table.\n\n\"One more strip should do it.\" The man, grown weary from hours dedicated to his mother's torture, sliced another section of skin from her exposed arm, this one near her shoulder. \"We must give our furry friends incentive to feed.\"\n\nStepping back, he admired his handiwork. He'd been careful not to make any of the cuts too deep, he didn't want her bleeding out. No, exsanguination would be too good for this whore. Smiling, he imagined a long, slow, death, in the same darkness in which she'd happily trapped him as a child.\n\nWeeks of starvation, while she became rat food, seemed a more appropriate way for the bitch to go. He would visit, from time to time, maybe even remove the gag and let her beg for life. Or death.\n\n\"I suppose I should thank you, while your mind is still clear.\" He told the moaning woman. \"Without your example of maternal love, I might never have realized my true mission. It is my duty to save other Littles from she-devils like you. It will be my pleasure to punish them for a lifetime.\"\n\nAs if she weighed next to nothing, he picked up the woman who gave him life, and tossed her into the basement closet that would become her coffin.\n\n### One\n\n\"You're a snob, pure and simple.\" Jeri aimed her voice at the speaker atop her desk. \"Just because a movie has less than a four-star rating, doesn't mean that it's bad. Some very good movies have three stars, two stars even.\"\n\n\"Oh, yeah? Name three. Hell, name one.\" Dylan looked across the room at his wife, Roni, casually arranging recipe cards for her next show. His heart tripped as it always did when he looked at her. God, he loved that woman.\n\n\"I'll send you a list.\" Jeri grinned and continued. \"That's really not the point. The point is your misguided snobbery. You're basing your opinion on everyone else's. If your preferences are dictated by mass opinion, which, by the way, usually correlates with the studio's advertising budget, you're potentially missing out on ...\"\n\nYou're the one who's missing the point.\" Dylan interrupted, ready to hunker into a meaningful discussion on the merits of filtering and time management in regards to wasting 90 minutes on a movie that sucked. Jeri stopped him, mid thought.\n\n\"Come in,\" she called in response to a sharp knock on the door. Dylan frowned as he listened to the brief exchange.\n\n\"There's been another one in Georgia.\" Dylan recognized Adam Gold, Jeri's partner. His deep baritone was hard to miss. \"They just called us in. Briefing in ten.\"\n\nJeri nodded solemnly as Adam's head disappeared behind the door. \"Dammit, dammit, dammit.\" Jeri swore, forgetting for a moment that Dylan was on the phone.\n\n\"What's happening in Georgia?\" Dylan's tone changed from carefree to concerned.\n\nJeri jumped slightly at the sound, then sighed. \"Murder.\" Her voice was thick with anger. \"Particularly gruesome murders\" She swallowed hard. \"Children.\" Her voice nearly broke at the thoughts of those brutally killed at the hands of a monster.\n\nDylan lowered his own voice, reading the distress in hers. \"How many? Where in Georgia?\"\n\n\"Three, so far. In the mountains, northwest of Atlanta. He chooses his victims from small communities. More impact for his kills.\" She began packing her desk, preparing to leave for an extended stay in Georgia. If her gut was right, and it usually was, this bastard was just getting started.\n\nDylan felt an old tug, one that drew him towards danger and the satisfaction of stalk and capture. More than anything, he loved locking away the dregs of society. Well, more than almost anything. Since marrying his beguiling witch, he found it near impossible to be away from her for any length of time.\n\n\"Go get him. Be careful.\" His voice was low, but fierce.\n\n\"Always am.\" Jeri snapped her briefcase closed. \"I'll be in touch.\" She disconnected the phone, her mind already running over details of the first two murders. Both children were seven years old, both had been abducted in broad daylight from their homes. Both mothers were stay-at-homes and both were present, in another part of the house, when he took their only child. The method of both killings was also the same, Jeri made a conscious decision to skip those details. She and her team would dissect every bit of gory minutia as they worked to discover the unsub's identity. \"Unknown subject, my ass.\" She muttered on her way to the conference room. \"This one's a coward. It takes a big man to prey on little children.\" Her sarcasm was not lost as Adam joined her.\n\n\"Add sadist with mommy issues to that list.\" He held open the door, letting Jeri go in first. No matter how outdated the concept, chivalry was as much a part of his character as was his easy charm, and dedication to the job. With his movie star good looks and family connections, he could have had a career in politics, was groomed for it, in fact, but he chose to serve as a federal agent. Much to the disappointment of Adam Gold, Sr.\n\nJackson and Cara, partners and fellow field team members, were already seated, studying split screen images of the three victims on the wall monitor.\n\nJeri cringed and held back the bile that automatically rose to her throat. Some things you never got used to. \"Another little girl.\" she commented. \"I wonder if he's decided on a preference.\"\n\n\"Possibly, but it could just be that she met the rest of his needs. Only child, aged seven, work-at-home mom, rural town.\" Cara touched the fingertips of one hand with the index finger of the other as she reeled off the characteristics.\n\n\"What are the differences?\" Jeri asked as she took her seat.\n\n\"The biggest change is the time between the abductions, and the kills. The first two abductions were spaced over two months. He held Jeffrey for three days, and Angela for two, before killing them.\" Jackson switched the screen to a timeline. \"He took Lucy Carson yesterday, just two weeks from his last kill. And he only kept her for one day.\"\n\n\"That had to be a blessing,\" Adam murmured as he scrolled through the images on his tablet. \"Did he call the family this time?\"\n\n\"Only once, last night.\" Jackson read from his notes. \"The transcript is the same as the others. Initially, the child is crying, screaming for mommy. He lets that go on for up to ten seconds before he outlines, in gory detail, just what he plans to do to their child. Meanwhile, the child is still screaming, and begging for Mommy, in the background. Each phone call lasts about a minute, plenty of time to track it.\"\n\n\"But that would be too easy.\" Jeri nodded for Jackson to continue.\n\n\"Damn right, and this bastard's anything but easy. The burner phones trace back to grocery stores in the area. We're working on video footage, but that's tricky. The problem is that there's little, to no, digital imprint in the backwoods of Georgia. None of the stores where the phones were purchased have cameras. If the phone numbers were not tied to product codes, we'd have no idea where he made the purchases.\"\n\n\"What about tracking the phone?\" Adam asked.\n\n\"Sure, but it's no good. He calls on the edge of cell tower range, about a hundred miles from the town where he takes the victims. After each call, he disables the phone until he needs it again. He ditches the phone after each kill, always in a very visible spot.\"\n\n\"He's arrogant. He thinks he's smarter than law enforcement and he's taunting them. Taunting us.\" Jeri tapped her finger on the table, absently. \"Are the children recorded, or live, on the calls?\"\n\n\"Not sure,\" Cara made a note. \"Jimmy should have the originals by now, I'll ask.\"\n\n\"If it's recorded, tell him to isolate any background noise. Maybe we'll get a clue where he's taking them.\" Jeri's eyes narrowed. \"It has to be isolated, but that's not difficult in this terrain. Where was Lucy taken?\" She ran her fingers lightly over the little girl's name. Lucy Carson, a blond haired, blue eyed beauty with dimples and a thousand watt smile. The image on Jeri's tablet looked nothing like the image on the wall screen.\n\n\"Coker, near the North Carolina border. He dropped the phone at a ranger station in the National Forest, just over the North Carolina line.\" Cara changed the wall screen to an area map of western Georgia. \"The ranger came off patrol and found the phone on his desk, smeared with blood.\"\n\n\"Just like the other two.\" Adam commented. \"Is that why they finally called us in? He crossed state lines?\"\n\n\"No. The governor's office reached out before the phone was located. They know they're in over their heads.\"\n\n\"Show the hometowns on the map.\" Jeri asked. Instantly, three red dots appeared. \"Now, add in the locations where the bodies were found.\" Three blue dots appeared, each within the area created by the first three dots.\n\n\"Connect the dots.\" Adam stood, moving to the screen for a closer look. \"That's almost perfect.\" Two isosceles triangles lit the screen, one intersecting the other.\n\n\"Mark the locations where the phones were found.\" Jeri instructed. A third perfect triangle appeared, intersecting the first two.\n\n\"He dumped the phones in locations dead center of the distance between the abduction sites.\" Adam mused. \"He's made a star.\"\n\n\"Or, he's making a star. This pattern could overlap and increase exponentially.\" Jeri tossed her tablet on the table. \"It could also be a complete coincidence, but I doubt it. The pattern means something to him. Or he's sending a message. What's the relation between the time of death and the phone calls?\"\n\n\"The one, and only, call to Lucy's parents came nine hours after the abduction, same as the first two. Jeffrey's parents also received two more calls. One 27 hours after the abduction, and the last, 45 hours after the abduction. He called Angela's parents only once more, 36 hours after the abduction.\" Cara scrolled between pages on her tablet, reciting the information as she found it.\n\n\"The numbers form a pattern, just like the kill zone. There has to be something to it.\" Jeri began to pace. \"Cara, ask Jimmy to run the data for mathematical significance, as well as for similarities to other crimes. Don't stop with regional, go national. This guy is too precise for these to be his first victims.\"\n\n\"On it.\" Cara began typing a message.\n\n\"If the son of a bitch is leaving us a pattern, let's follow it,\" Jeri continued. \"He started in Dixon, with Jeffrey, took Angela from Eula, and then moved on to Coker. He left the bodies' halfway between each child's hometown and his next target area.\"\n\n\"Each body was posed for maximum effect in a central location. He left Jeffrey on a bench outside of a movie theatre. Clientele, mostly teenagers, left the late showing and found him.\" Adam saw Jeri cringe at his words, even though she knew the details as well as he did. It amazed him that such a sensitive soul would chose a career dealing with the worst of humanity. But she was also tough as nails, he reminded himself. The FBI is lucky to have her.\n\n\"And Angela?\" Jackson asked. He and Cara had not been following the cases as closely as Jeri and Adam.\n\n\"Angela was left on the steps of the county library that serves both Eula and Coker.\" Jeri told them.\n\n\"And Lucy was on top of a picnic table, in a park popular for after-school activities.\" Adam read from the report. \"He likes an audience.\"\n\n\"Look at the topography of his kill zone.\" Jeri interrupted. \"There's nothing larger than two lane roads connecting the towns, and most of the terrain is mountainous. No way could he move quickly from one place to the other.\"\n\n\"There're a lot of hiking trails and back roads in those mountains. Locals would know the best way to maneuver.\" Jackson added.\n\n\"He could be local, or recently local.\" Jeri was pensive. \"I've no doubt that he's done this before. We just have to make the connections.\" She glanced over at Adam. \"Is Lucy's cause of death consistent with Jeffrey and Angela? What about her time of death?\"\n\n\"COD is the same for all three victims. Multiple, excessive stab wounds resulting in exsanguination. He tortures them with shallow incisions for hours before he kills them, removing their eyes, digits and most of their hair. He removes hair from their scalp with what seems to be a dull razor. Multiple abrasions and extensive bruising indicate prolonged beatings. When he's through toying with them, he stabs them in, or near, every major organ.\" Adam took a breath. \"There's no sign of sexual activity on any of the victims. No word yet on Lucy's TOD from the Medical Examiner. The other ME reports state that Jeremy died less than an hour before he was found, and Angela died approximately two hours before she was found.\"\n\n\"So he's not a pedophile, at least not overtly. He's getting off on the pain he's inflicting on the children, their parents, and the community.\" Jeri moved from the window to the table and back again. \"A true thrill killer.\"\n\nThe phone on the center of the table beeped. \"The plane's ready, Ms. Forbes.\" The woman's crisp delivery broke into the room.\n\n\"Thanks, Janet. Alright everyone, let's move.\" Jeri stuffed her tablet into her briefcase, grabbed her jacket and led the way.\n\nThe Littles is available from your favorite ebook retailer.\n\n**If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review, no matter how brief. Thank you. For excerpts of my other works and for details of upcoming novels and purchase links visit my website,** http://www.TallulahGrace.com **. Take a look at the Flashy Shorts page to read short stories and flash fiction created just for my fans.**\n\n**Visit** this page **to subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to learn of new releases, contests and giveaways.**\n\nTitles by Tallulah Grace\n\n### Romantic Suspense with a Paranormal Twist\n\n### Timeless Trilogy, Book One, Fate\n\nIs precognition a prescription for happiness or disaster?\n\nThe good things in life are coming together for Kristina Collins. She's found her ideal home, her career is on track for mega success and the man of her dreams has finally come back into her life.\n\nIn Fate, the first installment of the Timeless Trilogy, Kris Collins discovers the benefits and risks of having precognitive visions while being stalked by a serial killer. Her friends can't help her, the FBI can't save her; she must save herself.\n\nThe Timeless Trilogy heroines, Kristina, Veronica and Cassandra, each deal with paranormal abilities as they discover and rediscover eternal love.\n\n### Timeless Trilogy, Book Two, Spellbound\n\nVeronica Myers is an herbalist with a potent talent that takes her by surprise. Follow Roni's perilous journey as she discovers her authentic self in spite of forces that seek to steal her power and manipulate her destiny. Along the way, true love offers protection if she can only recognize and accept its magic.\n\n### Timeless Trilogy, Book Three, Destiny\n\nCassandra Locke's dreams have the clarity of remembrances, the pain of love lost and the essence of future connections. Who is the man that haunts her, nearly every night? Could they truly have been lovers throughout centuries past? Where is he now? Will they have another chance?\n\n### Cliffs of Starsdale\n\n### Stories of Starsdale, Book One\n\nSeeking a fresh start after her mother's death, Chelsea Bates lands in the picturesque town of Starsdale, California. Nestled amid the peaks of the High Sierras, Starsdale defines the term 'small town' with its mish mash of well-meaning residents who always seem to know everyone else's business.\n\nThe one thing no one knew, could not have predicted, was the evil lurking beneath the surface of Chelsea's ex-fianc\u00e9. Preston Beecher follows her to Starsdale with the intentions of taking everything she owns, including her life. Will Preston destroy her dreams before they begin, or will bonds forged in a small mountain town be the pathway to her future?\n\nChelsea's attempts to put the past behind her leads to a new partnership with one of Starsdale's most respected citizens, John Mills, a man who harbors secrets and an agenda of his own. With the help of John and his talented son, Mac, Chelsea turns a dilapidated building into a bed and breakfast showcase.\n\nJoin Chelsea as she learns the ways of a small town in this, the first book in the Stories of Starsdale Series.\n\n### Precipice\n\n### Stories of Starsdale, Book Two\n\nStanding on the edge of insanity, one man's quest for vengeance threatens the love and lives of a couple torn apart by secrets.\n\nIn Precipice, Book Two of the Stories of Starsdale, Sharon and JB deal with old heartaches and fresh guilt as they find their way back to each other. Neither one realizes that the biggest danger they must face hides beneath the masque of friendship.\n\n### Cascade\n\n### Stories of Starsdale, Book Three\n\nJade Kingsley had run out of options. Surviving a disastrous marriage, and subsequent divorce, her life had dwindled to not much more than a shadow existence within the four walls of her tiny apartment. When her friends, Robert and Dana, invite her to move to Starsdale, she packs up and takes a chance on a new life.\n\nNothing could have prepared her for the spellbinding attraction she feels for Justin Devereaux, a friend of Robert's with plans to develop Starsdale. Jade and Justin discover that, sometimes, love is a free-fall; the only choice you have is to go along for the ride.\n\nRomance is not the only thing in store for Justin and Jade. Will an ordinary business trip turn deadly, ending their chance for happiness? Lives balance precariously as Mother Nature unleashes an unexpected storm, threatening to change relationships in Starsdale forever.\n\n## Psychological Thrillers\n\nCasanova Killer\n\nAn SSCD Crime Thriller\n\nCatching the eye of a delusional serial killer known as the Casanova Killer signals the end for certain beautiful young women of San Francisco. True to his name, Casanova offers the women a taste of romance and unparalleled adoration before sending them to a bloody death.\n\nThe FBI Special Serial Crimes Division, SSCD, sets a trap for the killer with one of their own as bait. Agent Jerry Forbes pairs with Interpol's Ethan Barnes to capture Casanova before another woman falls prey to his charms.\n\nJerry and Ethan soon discover that pretending to be lovers may be more dangerous than catching a killer. Follow their story from the moment they set up house to the abrupt end that Jerry does not see coming.\n\nIs it love or certain death?\n\nThe Littles\n\nAn SSCD Crime Thriller\n\nThe mountains of rural Georgia will never be the same after a series of vicious murders rock the area to its core. Not only does the killer target children, his gruesome murders are designed to inflict the ultimate agony upon their parents and to instill extreme terror within the small communities.\n\nAn SSCD team, part of the FBI's Special Serial Crimes Division, accepts the case and the conditional Governor's liaison, a prosecutor with more baggage than anyone realizes. Travel with them over the hills of the mystical Blue Ridge Mountains as they hunt the psychopath stalking the innocent. Can they capture him before he strikes again? Will he turn the tables and ensnare one of their own in his devious trap?\n\nThis psychological thriller delves into the mind of a deranged serial killer as it follows the twists and turns of an SSCD manhunt. Action packed and filled with suspense, The Littles takes readers on a thrill ride they will not soon forget.\n\nBayou Butcher\n\nAn SSCD Crime Thriller\n\nHaunting memories of an imperfect childhood shadow Agent Jeri Forbes, a unit leader in the FBI's prestigious Special Serial Crimes Division, as she stalks the man responsible for slaughtering families along a sleepy Louisiana bayou. Jeri soon learns that the man her team hunts is the puppet of a much more insidious serial killer intent on a personal quest to destroy Jeri's life and that of her lost love, Ethan Barnes.\n\nFollow this fast-paced thriller through the swamps of the Louisiana low-country as Jeri and her team match wits against a brilliant master of destruction and his all-too-willing prot\u00e9g\u00e9.\n\nAnson\n\nAn SSCD Crime Thriller\n\nThe twisted reign of a deranged serial killer threatens the low-country of South Carolina. Amid sweet magnolias, giant live oaks and ocean breezes, he stalks the heart of a close-knit family circle, seeking vengeance for his dead brother.\n\nFBI agent Jeri Forbes and Interpol's Ethan Barnes are all too familiar with the madman's mission of terror. Together, they tracked him through the bayous of Louisiana, barely escaping with their lives.\n\nAs Anson brings the game to Charleston, Jeri and Ethan team up with old friends in an effort to catch the killer. Old friends become new targets for Anson's revenge; no one is safe from retribution.\n\n### NOVELLA:\n\n### Trapped in Spaulding Manor\n\nA Haunting Tale of Love Never Lost\n\nElizabeth and Mortimer Spaulding never imagined spending such a short time in their dream home, Spaulding Manor. More than a century after losing her beloved husband, Elizabeth still searches for Mortie through the stately hallways of the antique Victorian.\n\nDelia Foster loves the old mansion, but has no inclination towards the level of commitment the house demands. She also knows that it will take a special person to embrace the home's peculiarities, including the very vocal ghost of the original owner. Devlin Foxe has little tolerance for ghost stories, even if the storyteller makes his blood run hot.\n\nOne fateful night in Spaulding Manor gives Devlin cause to reevaluate his beliefs and Delia reason to rethink her solitary life.\n\n"], [" \nWhite Rock\n\nby\n\nMcKenzie Devlin\n\nCopyright \u00a9 2015 McKenzie Devlin\n\ne-Book Version 4.1\n\nPrint version also available.\n\nISBN: 9781311758118\n\nThis is the first book of the White Rock series.\n\nPlease look for A Dangerous Kind of Girl, the continuation of White Rock.\n\nUnauthorized reproductions prohibited.  \nThis book is a work of fiction. Any reference to events, people or places is purely coincidental.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nFrom Chapter Nine...\n\nMichael cupped her chin with a steady hand. Kris could barely see in the dark shadows of the room, for which she was thankful.\n\n\" _If you really want me to go, say the word,\" he said in a low voice._\n\n\" _No. Stay, I guess.\"_\n\n\" _Don't guess. Be sure. Be absolutely sure Kris,\" Michael breathed out heavily, perplexed why so much anxiety was coming forth._\n\n\" _Old demons in my head.\" Kris forced an apologetic smile._\n\nMichael lay still trying his best to keep the raging fire inside his body to a low burn.\n\n\" _I'm not here to play games or hurt you.\" Unable to resist, he kissed her neck gently, deeply. Her inability to relax indicated it was too soon. Too much._\nChapter One\n\nThe Dining Hall\n\nKris Bay grabbed her hip with a cold, tired hand. The Rebellious One approached. There was no mistaking her high pitched humming and clackity-clack of non-uniform shoes.\n\nKris dragged herself to the waitress station and threw a stained rag into a barrel of other food soaked rags.\n\n\"Is it time to go home yet?\" Raina bounced up along side the podium.\n\n\"Not even close,\" Kris said and yawned. \"How many cups of coffee have you had today?\"\n\n\"None.\"\n\n\"I don't believe that.\"\n\n\"Dale needs you,\" Raina said.\n\nKris blinked several times. \"Why me, when he has you?\"\n\n\"'Cause,\" the black haired girl popped her gum loudly and smiled. \"Said I was annoying. 'Find something else to do.'\"\n\n\"Where the devil is Adam?\"\n\nRaina paused before bouncing her way down a dark hall leading to the ladies' room. \"Uhhh, oh \u2013 sick I guess. Something like that.\"\n\n\"Something my foot,\" Kris muttered under her breath.\n\nAdam wasn't sick, he was hung over. His only real illness was idiocy.\n\nThe lithesome female padded back to the main kitchen of the Willow Camp Dining Hall. Her hair had been piled high on her head early in the day but now half of it hung in limp strands. The last few hours were spent wiping down a sea of tables, straightening chairs, benches and picking cold spaghetti off the carpet. Lunch hour was brutal. Dinner promised to be worse. A few stragglers remained and Kris didn't possess the energy to boot them out.\n\nDale was the balding, tubby manager of the dining hall. Divorced from a Las Vegas showgirl and bitter about his crappy life, he kept his personal life mainly to himself. But he expected employees to do a hard day of work. If the effort wasn't shown, you wouldn't have a coveted job next season. Firing people in the beginning of the tourist season was painful, it meant other employees picking up the slack. Finding replacements that could be trained quickly was a challenge as well. Dale's patience with Adam Hoth was already on thin ice. If it were not for the connection between Kristjana and Adam, Adam would be sent packing his bags. But Dale had a soft spot in his heart for the tenuous Norweigen female, Kris.\n\n\"Kristjana.'' Dale leaned against the stainless steel counter. He spoke in a low, grumbling voice without making eye contact. He never called Kris by the shortened version of her name but by the name she gave on her original job application some four years ago.\n\n\"Sorry. I didn't realize Adam was gone. I'll stay.'' She wiped slender fingers on her apron, trying to peel off dried food.\n\n\"Now, we've discussed this. Many times,'' Dale said. Kris knew what came next. A thorny reminder of one of her biggest mistakes regarding her ex-boyfriend.\n\n\"Dale, I just want to say -\"\n\n\"Ms. Bay, I hired that slacker as a favor to you. Which I don't normally do. But I was willing to make that exception.\"\n\n\"Yes, I know.\"\n\n\"I'm sure you haven't forgotten. What I'm trying to say is that if he can't do his job, you're going to have to keep covering for him. Now, is that fair?\"\n\n\"No, sir.\"\n\n\"I suggest you have a talk with him. Otherwise I will. And it won't end well,\" Dale said.\n\n\"Yes. Of course. I will talk to Adam first chance I get. Sorry he's so unreliable.\"\n\n\"I don't want to hear you apologize, Kristjana.\" Having said his piece, Dale was now bent over, moving several boxes.\n\n\"I'll get those crates moved,\" Kris offered quickly.\n\nDale straightened himself, and wiped his forehead with a rag from his pocket.\n\n\"Joseph is coming in later, about 6 o'clock. If you can stay until then.'' Dale turned and started for the back offices.\n\n\"No damn problem,\" Kris uttered once he was out of ear shot.\n\nThe increased shift not only stung Kris, but tugged at a desperate desire for a scalding hot shower. The task of scrubbing and washing thickly greased pots, pans, and food caked dishes was unfathomable at the moment. That duty fell on her booze loving, ex-boyfriend, Adam. Three long months ago Adam approached Kris, desperate for work and unsuccessful at employment in the sluggish economy. With Adam's persistent nagging and emotional persuasion, Kris finally obliged his pathetic effort and went to Dale to ask a favor. Dale had been reluctant to give Adam a job in the park, mostly because he was not going through the usual application process.\n\nA dull ache in her stomach rumbled to life. It was going to be a long evening.\n\nA flash of light. Crashing and more thunder. Kris took a shallow breath of greasy, humid air and grabbed a pair of dish gloves off the counter.\n\nA brilliant light illuminated the dark lodge hall momentarily. Seconds following, the sky let out a deep thunderous crash. Trailing immediately behind the ruckus were several more clashes of thunder. Clinking dinnerware and low voices drifted around the historic Willow Camp Dining Hall.\n\nSpringtime was stubborn in its arrival. The cold, quietness of winter was a memory. Currently a series of unstable storms flirted with the region. Streams raged, swollen with icy water from high country snow melt. Vast meadows blanketed in a sea of pink and purple wildflowers gave way to thick grass swaying in the playful breezes of springtime.\n\nThe Camp sat in the middle valley of White Rock National Park. Sekonee Lodge and the lower valley camps were the other major developed sections of the park. The deep valley carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago was a popular destination. In the wake of the park's formation were thick meadows, pine forests, a cold, winding river and large granite spires, seemingly leading to the roof of the sky.\n\nWillow Camp was named after the striking thin, red- barked willow trees that gathered near abundant water sources in the area. Streams and creeks trickled through little developed villages and camps. Short rounded bridges spanned over the gushing Kwoluck River.\n\nImmense crowds flocked to White Rock National Park during the months of May through September. Willow Camp, being a favorite lodging destination was especially busy. Mobs of families trampled sensitive soil, prevented native plants and grasses from regrowth, left food and trash behind, providing a large attraction to black bears. Willow Camp also sat at the base of some sheer granite cliffs, jutting thousands of feet skyward. Occasionally these rock formations gave way and massive pieces would break off plummeting to the valley floor. On days such as this, one couldn't be sure if the clash and boom outside was just the thunder or rather some rocks falling, flattening everything in their path.\n\nConstructed in the 1940's, the Willow Camp dining hall maintained a rustic lodge atmosphere. Huge wood beams supported a high vaulted ceiling. Large windows let in soft beams of light from the forest outside. Heavy redwood doors opened into a campy, dark foyer. The hostess station greeted incoming patrons, inviting them to seat themselves. During breakfast and lunch, food was offered cafeteria style. Dinner was a bit more formal, and menus with a limited but delicious choice of dishes was available.\nChapter Two\n\nThe dinner hour was especially busy. With the continued thunderstorms and heavy downpours, visitors were seeking shelter inside. The Willow Creek lodge contained a floor-to-ceiling natural stone fireplace in the center. On this dark evening, the fire was crackling and popping eating away large pieces of wood.\n\nKristjana rinsed off a huge pot with worn black handles. Random thoughts danced sporadically in her mind. Walking back in the rain, the cold dampness of her cabin, and dealing with Adam later on. Dull pains grabbed her lower back. Her hair, once was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, started to break free and fall into her face. Mousy strands of stray hair stuck to the sides of her damp skin.\n\nThe lights flickered overhead. Gasps and sighs resonated from the main hall. Kris struggled to think hard, but couldn't recall if she'd placed a small flashlight in her day bag. It wasn't crucial, but a nice comfort to have the little luminary.\n\nMassive wrought iron chandeliers dropped from high above in the hall. Once used only with wax burning candles, they were modernized and wired for regular incandescent light bulbs. The original round holders for candles remained. It required a tall ladder and precarious positioning to reach up and light candles, yet was accomplished during times when power failed. Electricity to the park came in through the Mather canyon on huge lines. Outages were common during storms, but park staff was usually equipped to deal with any ordeal. Commonly, loss of power was a minor annoyance to staff and employees, but a great significance to visitors. Music players, cell phones, even hair irons were necessities, even on vacation.\n\n\"Kris! What's shakin' babeee?! Is this fun or what?!'' The energetic voice of Joseph, the head washer, abruptly entered the kitchen.\n\n\"My God Joseph.'' Kris dropped a big pan in the sink and shot him a slightly annoyed look. \"Aren't you the bearer of glad tidings.''\n\n\"How's my favorite little Norwegian?'' He smiled a toothy grin and grabbed Kristjana around the waist tightly for a fleeting moment before shedding his rain soaked jacket. \"Your knight in shining armor is here!''\n\n\"Thanks for getting me wet.'' Kris brushed back hair that had fallen into her face.\n\n\"Uh, if you haven't noticed,'' Joseph pretended to look astonished and held out his arms, displaying soaked clothing, \"It's still rainin'. Flooding is next,'' he happily smiled and disappeared around the back storage area.\n\nEarly spring flooding was common. The high country was emptying a vast amount of accumulated snow over the long winter months. And with increased precipitation from the spring storms, it was a recipe for over flowing river banks and feeder streams.\n\nJoseph reappeared, humming some familiar country song. A white apron was tightly wrapped around his body and he busied himself with straightening up boxes and other kitchen hazards. Kris glanced at the clock. It was past six and as far as she was concerned, lodge duty was over for the day. Residual steam brushed past her face from the deep stainless steel sink. She gave a last squeeze to several sponges and plopped them on the counter. With wrinkled fingers she wrestled with the apron ties around her backside.\n\n\"I'm out of here. Have a good night Joe,'' Kris said.\n\n\"Be careful. See ya tomorrow.'' He smiled then got to work on a stack of new dishes brought in by the servers.\n\nKris nodded and muttered something unintelligible. Grabbing her purple day pack, she fumbled aimlessly for her flashlight. Oh well. It would make for an interesting walk home.\nChapter Three\n\nRaindrops quietly fell. A few plops hit broad leaves, rolled off and made damp spots on the ground. Kristjana tread along a cracked asphalt trail, lined with large trees and occasional light poles illuminating the damp path. Her hands were shoved deep in her rain coat pockets, and water dripped off the large hood obstructing her view. Few people remained outdoors to brave the damp, unfriendly weather.\n\nFinally, Kristjana entered a section where the main path veered toward the big meadow and board walks. Without pausing, she steered to the right and on ahead, stepping into sticky mud and thick wet pine shoots. A low rush of water from a nearby feeder stream danced in a jagged, rock lined river bed. Over a short foot bridge, she trampled softly on. Thick mud was beginning to accumulate on her hiking shoes. Soon, she entered the edge of the staff camp. Old wood cabins were spaced in rows each with a set of steps and small porch. Some of the original cabins from the 1940's remained, others were reconstructed and a few were added on in past decades due to the increased need for employee housing.\n\nKris's cabin was number 17 the last on a long row, nestled up against some thick pines. She was lucky not to share a bunk and therefore enjoyed the dwelling to herself. Some workers preferred to share, some did not. The stone shower building was situated in the center of the camp and many employees left their bikes at the designated racks. In recent seasons, thefts had been slowly an unwelcome misfortune. With a deep recession, many people speculated that the burglaries and increased crime was just another bad sign of the times. Returning staff suspected an inside job. Newly hired employees were the first to be suspect, especially if they refrained from assimilating with others.\n\nA thick damp mist hung over the camp. Dimly glowing lamps on the cabins gave off a misty orange glow. Kristjana pushed back her rain hood to gain a clearer view. Approaching a sloping wood fence, she clicked off the buckle on the waist belt of her backpack. From an uncertain distance behind her shivering body crept the sudden white beams of headlights. Squinting, Kris pushed her hood all the way back and peered towards the oncoming car. Hoping it wasn't Adam, her pulse intensified. Suddenly Kris found it hard to slow her breathing. The deep rattling hum of a Dodge diesel engine broke the eerie silence of the forest. Heavy, wet tires crackling on the dirt came closer to the side of the walkway. Kris wiped her nose on her sleeve and paused to see who it was. Many of the park rangers patrolled the staff quarters during the night, but so did tourists, and people looking for trouble.\n\nKris remained still, heart still irregularly pounding inside her chest. It was one of the bigger Dodge trucks, white body paint with the White Rock National Park logo in green and yellow on the door. Large search lights jutted out from either side and the unmistakable rack of emergency vehicle lights adorned the top of the cab. Kris narrowed her eyes in the painful brightness. She moved to the passenger side window, figuring a familiar face would soon appear.\n\n\"How's it going this evening?'' a deep, curious voice resonated from the cab.\n\nKris stopped and did not approach the truck side any further.\n\n\"Hello?'' She did not recognize the male voice.\n\nThe growling engine came to a stop and headlamps dimmed. Kris could make out a strong male presence sitting in the driver's position with the typical dark green uniform attire of a park ranger.\n\n\"How are you doing tonight?'' He flicked on an overhead light.\n\nShe did not recognize this man at all. A tight knit community, it was common for park staff to be familiar with each other. Every week, meetings were required and very often rangers constructed the main gathering to inform the lower park staff of new developments, procedures, news or any new issues of concern. Kris assumed that because of the uprise in crime, additional law enforcement had been hired.\n\nShe took a step forward and lay her hand on the retracted passenger side window.\n\n\"Oh I'm fine.''\n\n\"Do you live here?'' He grabbed a large radio fastened to the front of the dashboard.\n\n\"Oh, yes. I work at Willow.'' Kris understood his question now. Typical investigatory protocol. \"Just trying to get home.''\n\nMichael Falkenrath vaguely smiled, nodding. The volume on his park radio was turned low, but part of his attention was keyed by bits of communication coming in. The girl appeared tired and cold and he meant not to keep her any longer.\n\n\"Okay, I just needed to check. As you probably know, there's been a rise in crime around here.''\n\nKris backed up, twisting a lock of her hair.\n\nThe ranger put the radio up to his mouth, speaking in a rather monotone voice. \"Southeast corner clear.''\n\n\"Nice to know we have real security now,'' Kris uttered under her breath. She was mildly interested in this new rugged male. Her unofficial duty would be delivering a detailed report to Raina in the morning.\n\nHe reached across the cab, extending his hand. As Kris met his polite but firm grasp, the intoxicating warmth of the truck cab rushed over her.\n\n\"Michael. Nice to meet you.\" The touch of her icy cold hand suddenly woke him to the realization he was painfully delaying her walk home. Temperatures were cooling and cold drizzle fell.\n\n\"Can I give you ride?'' It was the least he could do, fearing she would break apart from shivering.\n\n\"No. Thanks though. Nice to meet you. I need to get going.'' Kris yanked her hood over her soaked hair and slowly took some steps backward. He was definitively new. And quite handsome. The girls were going to go crazy over this one.\n\nThe Dodge engine roared to life as Kris walked away in the mud. Michael drove around the small soggy loop and accelerated back out to the main road. Kris glanced behind momentarily. He wasn't like the other rangers. Interesting. But not interesting enough to sustain her thoughts. Stepping up her sluggish pace, she quickly headed down a long row of cabins. Rainwater was now pouring off the roofs and creating huge puddles and makeshift streams. Kristjana reached number 17 and trudged up the worn steps. Fumbling for wet keys she jammed the correct one into the lock. Before entering, she managed to kick off her wet and muddy shoes leaving them on the porch.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nThe spring storm wore on during the night. Kris woke the next morning, eyes swollen and late for work. Despite not getting the shower she yearned greatly for, she attempted to freshen up. Soaking a small rag with water from a bottle, she vigorously rubbed around her neck, and shoulders. The cabin was damp and cold. In a rush to walk back to the lodge hall, she avoided heating the small space. The time it would take to start a little fire in the wood stove wasn't worth the effort. Warmth was a luxury she didn't have that morning.\n\nKris grasped the back of her blond hair, gathering it up hastily. Twisting the matted hair, Kris managed a loose bun and clipped it into place. Her tresses were much too unruly to smooth into a nice, sleek pony tail. Irritation rose up. Annoyed that she woke late, resentful that she covered Adam's shift and embarrassed that she felt dirty and unkempt.\n\nAt the forefront of her mind were the painful memories and mistakes of her relationship with Adam Hoth. Such negative thoughts were giving her a stomach ache on top of hunger.\n\nMemories were faded but not forgotten of Adam and sun drenched hikes in the high Sierra. Backpacking trips to secluded lakes, late nights in front of roaring campfires. Passionate interludes when the moment seemed right, which was all the time with him. The red flags would pop up later. Now all Adam cared about was clenching onto any remaining feelings Kris still harbored. His driving force was keeping an evil eye out for other males entranced by the inexplicable raw beauty of her. Kristjana's pale features and sharp Norwegian genes were not ever overshadowed by her introverted mysterious nature. Her piercing large blue eyes were not forgotten by those caught in an unexpected encounter. While her striking features stood out, she did not wield them or consider herself extraordinary.\n\nAdam was a rare soul, once able to break down the cemented barriers of Kristjana's inhibitions and shyness. Underneath the layers of Kris's reservedness was a spirit of independence and curiosity. Even with Adam's persistence, Kris emotionally disconnected from him. She withdrew slowly at first and then rapidly as their relationship deteriorated. Over the course of the past year, Kris kept a careful distance, but subconsciously still understood, strangely, that Adam had a psychological grasp on her. He knew her in ways that nobody else did. The shared passionate times and emotionally sensitive connectivity with him lingered. Adam desperately did not want to let go of his prize. Kristjana failed as well letting go of their past.\n\nShoving cold feet into mud caked hiking boots on the top step of her entry way, Kris gingerly waved to a fellow employee at the cabin across from her. Four of them resided in unit 16 as happily crammed party goers. The camp was their playground. Most of them young, carefree and reckless. Loud music was commonplace. Kris attended a few gatherings, but usually opted for a quiet night alone with a used book and old quilt. She was the granny of the camp.\n\nPlodding down old wood steps, still damp with rainwater and mud, Kris flung the backpack over her left shoulder and started off. Rain was lightly falling, although breaks in the dark clouds lent to peaking blue sky. Perhaps the weather would clear later in the day.\n\nKristjana paused in her passage down the worn asphalt trail. It was customary to deviate at this point and knock on Adam's door at cabin 11. Many occasions he was laying in wait on the steps, smoking a cigarette. Smiling ever so cockily, he would escort her to the lodge hall to work most mornings. In recent weeks, Kristjana hopped over the low wood fence and cut across open dirt and destroyed meadows to reach Willow Camp. In light of her avoidance, Adam pretended not to notice her escapes through the woods. Instead, he would stake out the women's showers or the back entrance of the lodge to catch Kris when she would least expect him.\n\nThere was no sign of Adam this cold morning. Abrasive thoughts of Adam's work avoidance raced through Kris's mind. Against her better judgment she abruptly turned and tiptoed up the steps hoping irrationally he was already gone. The moment she reached the top step, the door swung open, banging against something hard inside. Adam stood on the interior, disheveled a bit, an unlit cigarette hanging in the crooked smile of his mouth. A worn leather boot was on one foot, while an unlaced boot adorned the other.\n\n\"Hey baby. Woo, you are a sight for my sore eyes.'' Adam quickly finished lacing his boot and grabbed a set of keys. He spoke out of one side of his mouth, a lit cigarette dangled from the other. Kris gingerly stepped back down the steps as the familiarity of regret washed over her.\n\nSlamming the wood door hard, Adam swung around, blowing out a large puff of smoke. He stared longingly down at Kris at the bottom of the steps.\n\n\"Adam. I need to talk to you.''\n\n\"What's up?'' Happily he trounced down the steps in boyish fashion. \"Bad morning, my love?''\n\n\"No. Why?\" Kris was so cross she couldn't look directly at him.\n\n\"Darling, look who you're talking to.\"\n\n\"Adam, Dale is really upset with you. I think he's getting quite close to firing you.\" Kris promised she would have yet another talk, and figured it better get done before work started.\n\n\"So? Let him.\"\n\n\"Let him? Adam would you get serious for a moment? Just a moment? If you lose your job, you can't live here. You'll be homeless.\"\n\nTaking a hard puff on his cigarette, Adam slid his arm around her side and pulled her close.\n\n\"Leibling, when will you get it? I can survive anywhere. If he fires me, then you can quit too and we can just take the van and head off on a trip for a few months. Go anywhere we like.\"\n\n\"No chance of that. Adam, unlike you, I actually enjoy living here. My job is in jeopardy because of you and your stupid drinking,\" Kris scoffed at him.\n\n\"Oh, here we go again.\"\n\n\"Yes, here we go again, Adam. You're not fooling a damn person in this park with your hang overs and calling in sick. We're not that dumb.\"\n\n\"Yeah right.\"\n\n\"Right. This is going nowhere. Big surprise.\"\n\n\"And just where do you think you're going?'' He squinted, flicking the ashes off the end of the cigarette.\n\n\"I'm going to my job, Adam. I'm not really in the mood to play and apparently you are.'' She jostled to get away from him, but his cold hand penetrated through her fleece top, as if a dull knife bore into her side.\n\n\"Don't start. Don't,'' Kris said.\n\nAdam took one last long draw on his cigarette, letting the smoke toil out through his clenched teeth. Tossing the butt to the dirt he slid his free hand around the back of Kristjana's head. Pulling her worried expression into his swollen facial gaze of foolish enjoyment, he brought his stale lips close to hers. Kris writhed with hot irritation and resentment. The familiar sparks of physical attachment produced a rush of confusion momentarily but his arctic touch quenched any old desire.\n\n\"Get the fuck off.'' Kris pushed at him.\n\n\"I'm sure Boss can wait.'' Forcibly grabbing the front of her attire, he yanked it up, touching the soft familiar skin beneath. Looking down at her exposed belly, Adam's tone became serious. \"Shit, babe, I want you.''\n\n\"Stop it. Everyone is going to see.'' Trying to break free, Kris jerked her head back and made a fist with her left hand. Reacting quickly she rammed her hand into the side of his rib cage.\n\n\"Ow! Ooo, babe, that hurt,'' Adam let out a moderate yelp, surprised.\n\nKris broke out of his serpent embrace and stumbled backward, barely retaining balance. Thick mud oozed up around the edges of her boots.\n\n\"You best stay far away from me today. '' Concerned about potential onlookers, she quickly veered down the trail. A well known fact was that the cabins literally had eyes. Gossip about the tiff between Adam and Kris would most certainly circulate instantaneously. Kris felt waves of anxiety.\n\nAdam smirked, secure in his delight of unbalancing Kristjana. \"Okay, see you later then!''\n\nWorried Adam would catch up, she broke into a light jog and did not look back. The frigid morning air was most welcomed against her flushed skin. Once she rounded the bend, and the round about, Kris deviated from the path and her feet met the soft forest floor. Uncontrollable tears welled up in her eyes. Blinking many times and taking a shallow breath, Kris slowed her pace. Glancing over her shoulder, heart racing, Adam was nowhere in sight.\n\nWatchful eyes nearby finished witnessing the strange transaction between the two park workers. The unnoticed onlooker deemed the event mostly harmless, although concerning. Half cloaked by tall brush and several trees on the north end of the camp, the shrouded male kept watch as Adam Hoth leered after the shaken female, and then after milling around minutes more, he made some foul gesture.\n\nAnnoyed, Adam attempted casual conversation with other workers leaving their cabins. Finding his way to the dirt parking lot, he spat on the ground with some amount of disgust while muttering nasty swear words. He climbed aboard an old green van and sped off, leaving a trail of tire marks and a cloud of dust.\nChapter Four\n\nMorning auspiciously came and went with Adam making a very tardy appearance to the Willow Camp dining hall. Kristjana constantly shuffled in and out of the kitchen. Work consisted of mundane tasks such as getting fresh rags to wipe down tables, napkins for the dispensers, mopping up spills from cranky children, and generally satisfying the needs of the breakfast and lunch crowds. Adam kept a sharp, bloodshot eye on Kristjana as she noticeably avoided interaction with him as much as possible. His mood was repressed and sour for the most part, cravings of booze clouded his thoughts. His deteriorating disposition and mental fog began to impair the speed at which he washed out large stainless steel pots and pans, caked with dried food. Adam was convinced Kris was tormenting him. Revenge for his affectionate outpouring earlier that morning. Let her toy. At some point she will realize how patient he has been.\n\nFinally 1:00 pm rolled around and the steady streams of hungry people started to thin out. Cooperating weather enticed visitors out of cabins, tents, trailers and vehicles. Trails and meadow boardwalks were slowly filled with bustling onlookers. The thunderous roar of nearby waterfalls sparked curiosity and excitement.\n\nKris briefly looked out an old window. Sunlight began to shed it's warmth through the heavy tree cover. A day like this was meant for hiking or exploring, not slaving away inside a musty food hall. The upper trails must surely be free of snow by now. Kris envisioned her favorite hike above the forest floor. A narrow path alongside slippery granite rock, eventually reaching high meadows and fast flowing streams. It was almost too intense to let her mind wander this way. Perhaps on her day off it would be time to explore. Kristjana tore her gaze away and grabbed a bunch of wadded napkins off a table. First thing's first, she told herself.\n\nRaina was making a particularly loud series of noises at the drink station.\n\n\"I need another bunch of straws! What the hell do people do to this flippin' thing?!\" Raina forced off the lid on a metal dispenser, causing a sharp snap.\n\nKris smiled and walked over.\n\n\"Did it break?\" Straws were scattered all over the counter.\n\n\"Well, if it weren't broke before, it is now.\"\n\n\"What did you do, beat it to death Raina?\"\n\n\"I put it out of its misery. Why does the boss hang onto old shit like this?\"\n\n\"It's not his fault. He's asked for new items from the park service for years. They just ignore his requests.\"\n\nSeveral long blond strands of scraggly hair fell down the side of Kris's face. In usual fashion, she pulled hair back tightly, securing it with several pins.\n\n\"I'll get a plastic container from the back.\"\n\n\"Thanks Kris. And some glue so I can permanently stick this thing down.\" Raina swore under her breath.\n\nBefore heading toward the kitchen and back stock area, Kristjana detoured past the hostess podium and benches where visitors waited to be seated during busy times. Plastic coated menus were scattered all over the benches and dark redwood floor. Honestly, people on vacation were complete slobs or so disillusioned in merriment they didn't care about tidiness whatsoever. Technically it was the hostess's job to keep the greeting area clean. Terri White was the part time hostess. She was slightly overweight, moderately complacent, and did the minimal amount of effort to keep her job. Obviously she left without caring about the state of things that afternoon.\n\nKris bent down on both knees, attempting to reach far underneath an old wooden bench to retrieving scattered menus. But before she could wiggle out of the odd predicament, the front hall door screeched open with great force. Startled, Kris jerked upward and banged her head on the underside of the bench. She let out a sharp, \"Ouch!\"\n\nPreparing to inform the intruder that the hall was closed until 4:30pm, Kris scooted out on her hands and knees. Quickly she noticed large black boots. The heavy door creaked shut. Kris blinked her eyes several times, and stood up, rubbing the top of her head.\n\nA few feet from her stood the vaguely familiar park ranger whom she met the previous night. Kris instantly observed that this green soldier was not the average bearded tree hugger. The ruggedly built specimen resembled something more along the lines of a forest warrior, perhaps ex-military or ditch digger for much of his adult life. And the typical hunter green and khaki official park uniform could not hide his muscular form, perhaps indicative of an individual who worked out purposefully. A tidal wave of shyness and unsteady nerves washed over Kris.\n\n\"I'm sorry miss, are you all right?''\n\n\"Oh, don't mind me. I'm fine. Hazards of this place.\" Kris felt her face grow hot.\n\n\"I didn't mean to startle you.\" Michael smiled, amused at the blond's sudden blushing.\n\nKris tried to shake off her awkward stance.\n\n\"You didn't startle me. Not really. Anyway, can I help you?\" She shoved the menus into a slot on the hostess podium. Returning her full attention towards the towering male, Kris put her hands on her hips. Filtered sun beans shot through the dusty air.\n\n\"I met you last night. The roundabout?\" Michael thought that she didn't seem like the typical ditsy blond, but she wasn't fully focused either.\n\nKristjana nodded, politely smiling.\n\n\"Yes, I remember. It was raining. More rain. Good, I suppose.\" How lame to talk about the weather! Kris became angry with herself.\n\nSensing the awkward moment was having difficulty passing, Michael reached out to shake her hand. Kris leaned forward slightly off balance to accept the handshake. Michael's grasp was strong and commanding. The warmth of his skin traveled instantly up her cold arm.\n\n\"Welcome to the park. I guess.\" Perhaps if she changed the subject, she could hide her inept social ability.\n\n\"Glad to see you aren't cold and wet.\" An air of amusement tugged at the side of his mouth. Slowly smiling, Michael reached into his back pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. \"You're probably aware of the camp fire meetings. But I'll give you this anyway.\" Unfolding the paper he handed it to Kris.\n\n\"Required attendance?\"\n\n\"Yeah. Apparently.\" Michael's voice dropped lower.\n\nGlancing down at the familiar notice of the staff campfire meeting, she nodded. An assortment of public campfire meetings could be found on any given night. But the staff meetings were held on Fridays at the back pit amphitheater. A small but worn dirt trail led from the south end of Willow Camp, through dense forest until opening up to a small clearing. Granite walls jutted auspiciously out of the the sloping forest floor. During spring, ribbons of water trickled down the rock in irregular pathways. In the middle of the clearing was a mammoth pit of rocks singed black from campfires, surrounded by crude log seats. A smaller trail led away from the clearing, into thick forest, leading back to the staff camp. Many people wound back towards the Willow Camp lodge and took the direct paved trail home. It was also a chance to grab some chips and beer at the Black Bear Market for some late night socializing on cabin decks.\n\nKristjana felt dazed scanning over the paper. A greater sense of urgency hovered over this meeting. No surprise what the main theme of this meeting would be - the increased attacks on staff workers. Swallowing hard, Kris straightened up. Her brow furrowed and she found herself distracted.\n\n\"If you could notify your co-workers?\" Michael raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Part of his attention was directed toward the kitchen. A piercing clatter of pots ripped open the passive silence of the hall.\n\n\"I will, but you won't see many of them at the meeting.\" Kris tucked the paper into the waist of her white apron.\n\n\"I'm sure you could convince them.\" Michael smiled warmly.\n\n\"I'll do my best. But it's sort of a tradition to apod these meetings around here. I'll post this anyway.\"\n\nMichael's dark eyes diverted negligently towards the thin waist of the apprehensive creature standing before him. Her white apron was pulled tightly around in front, a thick square knot around the back. Thin, pale fingers toyed with the edge of the stiff paper sticking out of her apron. In nervous fashion, Kris kept fidgeting with the fabric folds of her waitress uniform. Her hands were cold. Cool breezes seeping through cracks in the entry doors were not helping. Kris licked her dry lips, trying to figure out what else to say yet only mundane, unintelligent items were flashing to the forefront of her mind.\n\nMichael observed her lapse of self confidence and the tiny break down in her posture. Intrigue brought forth the warm burn of indecent thoughts, yet he was resistant to let his mind wander too far at such a juncture. It was commonplace for Michael to find a quick attraction with such an enticing lass, but he found himself instantly annoyed with the distraction. Weak attempts at squashing stray inappropriate images was uncharacteristically testing his will. The fine hairs on the back of his neck suddenly pricked his uniform collar.\n\nKristjana noticed a growing unfamiliar energy between the two of them, and she felt the urge to end the encounter. Wondering if her feet were cemented into the wooden floor boards, she glanced down at her shoes. Kris knew many park rangers, law enforcement, and even investigators that were regularly coming and going in the national park. Oddly, she'd never experienced loss of her usual unattached attitude. His handsome appearance was an understatement. But she needn't worry. Men like him chased after red lipped whores and big busted bimbos.\n\nKris fingered a long strand of blond hair, wrapping it behind her ear. A slow awful reminder surfaced. She skipped out on a shower the previous night. The sheer horror of her certain grotesque appearance surely must be overwhelming to this Roman god. What an obvious second rate peasant worker she portrayed. An unprofessional disheveled personal representation. Kris felt an odd prickly sensation coupled with rapid embarrassment. This handsome ranger was probably about to choke to death due to her transient exhibition.\n\nThe lanky female flushed a peculiar bright shade of pink. While it was pleasing to finally see color to her pale skin, Michael grew perplexed and uncharacteristically intrigued. Perhaps he made her nervous or she was shy with strangers. Surely there was something meant to stay shrouded.\n\n\"I'll let you get back to your work. Nice to meet you.\" A loud electronic tone from a radio attached to his hip followed. \"Excuse me.\" He turned, walking out the front doors. Kris peered out, watching him speak into the device. Then the doors heavily shut and she tried to snap out of her daze.\n\nIt had been a rather long time since the bombarding of butterflies and complete loss of rational thought had overtaken her composure.\n\nKristjana swallowed hard and wound a strand of hair around her index finger. Peering off toward the kitchen, she prayed Adam had not witnessed this interaction. Scrutiny from her ex-boyfriend was a constant complication. Thankfully she did not see his head poking over the metal counters in attempted surveillance. The double kitchen doors were propped open, but through them, she did not see Adam.\n\nKris pivoted staring blankly out at the disorderly dining hall. At least nobody was around. Covering part of her face with damp hands, Kris convinced herself she was smarter than this. That her total lapse into a bundle of nerves before a man was such a disgusting reaction. Lightheaded, she brushed her hair back and returned to work.\nChapter Five\n\nMichael's pace quickened with each heavy step of his boots on damp ground. Fleeting thoughts of the blond waitress clouded his mind. The way her full, pale lips pursed together. Her fidgety nature. The anticipation of the impending encounter with her again at tonight's meeting. Michael paused briefly from his hurried pace back to the truck to answer a few questions from disillusioned tourists.\n\nMichael Falkenrath was not the typical park ranger. Five individuals bearing park law enforcement badges were tasked with main duties of keeping the peace, traffic enforcement, and investigations. It was a never ending saga of theft, vandalism, forced entry, shoplifting, and more serious offenses such as lewd acts, rape or domestic abuse. His enforcement was not limited to tourists and park visitors. Many times he intervened when a charge or allegation was brought forth against a park employee.\n\nMichael climbed aboard his Dodge truck and nested the radio back into a holster on the dashboard. In a very odd way, thoughts of the unique female wouldn't leave his mind. Visions of her large blue eyes and long hair taunted him. She attempted to constrain her iridescent tresses in a bun, with a pen stuck through, yet half of it recklessly fell into her face. He found himself wanting to know more about her. Such a nervous approach to a stranger was curious. She was not the typical predatory or ditsy female he came across more often than not. This gal was striking but very ill at ease. He was turned on immensely by the encounter, although she had not flirted with him.\n\nJamming the key into the ignition, the engine gave a deep growl and then settled into an idle hum. Michael pushed aside his stray thoughts for now. Hopefully she would show at the meeting. Her safety as well as that of others was important and most likely nobody was aware of all the foul play taking place in the camps.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Miss! Miss!\"\n\nKris twisted around at the irritated voice. The dining hall was bursting at the seams filled with impatient guests.\n\n\"Can I help you?\" Kris raised an eyebrow in dismay. A round table before her was littered with half eaten food, big wadded piles of napkins, spilled juice, even a puffy wrapped dirty diaper.\n\nThe mother of screaming, hyperactive children angrily called out to Kris. The lady had loosely curled but mopish hair and an over abundance of gold jewelry. A nasty scowl was permanently etched on her face. Kris knew right away the woman wasn't used to being outside due to the bright red sunburn upon her cheeks and other exposed skin.\n\n\"Is someone going to take our plates away, or what?\" She motioned with her hand to the spectacle of dirty dishes with half eaten portions.\n\n\"Sorry ma'am. We are a bit busy tonight,\" Kris cleared her throat and scanned the serving station for Raina or the other girls on duty.\n\n\"Well, why don't you clean this up?\" In one arm the lady gingerly held onto a small child who'd plastered itself in ketchup and was now in the decline of a major tantrum. The father was busy shoveling meatloaf slathered with mashed potatoes into his exceptionally large mouth. Every so often he reached over and tugged at one of the kids next to him, forcing the lad back into a booster chair. Several more of the youngsters were finding entertainment under the table, letting out several shrill sounds.\n\nKris nodded, observing the scene, and failing to find any words that would sooth the disenchanted mother. Grabbing a nearby gray plastic basin, Kris began piling glass, silverware and plates into it. They had tried a bit of every dish offered, apparently finding most of it revolting. It would be good eating for the bears later on.\n\nKicking open the swinging kitchen door, Kris unloaded the heavy batch of plates glued together by discarded food. Swiftly she separated the silverware off the plates and one by one scraped food remnants into a big trash receptacle next to the stainless counter. Out of the very corner of her eye, she caught notice of Adam in a cloud of steam coming from the large sinks. Continual hot water poured from the over sized faucet. The hum from industrial sized dishwashers to the rear of the kitchen added to the chaos.\n\n\"Kris!\" Adam was motioning for her.\n\nStacking up a large pile of plates next to a free sink, Kris made her way over to Adam.\n\n\"What are you doing later?\"\n\nA typical attempt by Adam to ignore the obvious, and try and wear her down. Kris didn't satisfy him with a response and started out of the kitchen.\n\n\"Wait, I need to speak to you.\" Adam shut off the water.\n\n\"I have nothing to say.\" Kris grabbed a dish towel and wiped thick grease off her hands. Adam came over and intensified his gaze at her.\n\n\"I swear to god if you don't get the hell away from me and quit this -\"\n\n\"What? And do what? You know you like it.\"\n\nOnce accustomed to his pestering ways and unrelenting probing into her life, Kris had grown resentful. To the point of doing something out of character.\n\n\"I don't want to do this anymore.\"\n\n\"Well unfortunately we work together.\" Adam grinned.\n\n\"No we don't. Not together. My job is separate from yours. And maybe, just maybe I'll quit, take off and never see you again.\"\n\nKris tossed the towel on the counter, scowling at him before leaving the kitchen rather quick.\n\n7:35 PM.\n\nA cool breeze swept up a few leaves, scattering them into nearby bushes. Kris stood outside, apron in one hand, her backpack in another. The air was damp and smelled faintly of rain. Her eyes burned in the lateness of the day. Feet swollen and growing more numb by the minute, she cursed softly. Retreating to her small cabin and sleeping for eternity was an overwhelming desire. Kris needed a shower first in order to look presentable for the mandatory staff meeting. Perhaps a wheel chair was in order, for she did not think her legs were capable of steady travel.\n\n\"What was wrong with everyone today? Losers from hell.\" Raina bounced up alongside Kris. The short haired spitfire possessed more energy than average. She was snapping her gum and humming.\n\n\"What took so darn long?\" Slightly irritated, Kris lifted her day pack over one shoulder.\n\nRaina shook her head playfully side to side. She pulled out a colorful baseball cap and pulled it down on her tweaked brown hair. Closing her eyes for a moment, she turned her face to the late evening sky. Kris couldn't help but give a small chuckle.\n\n\"Praying?\" Kris knew full well Raina despised religion. \"Come on, can we get moving? Please?\"\n\nRaina gave a small boisterous hop.\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, okay. Hey, are you going to the meeting? I hear a new hot ranger is in town\" She was full of smiles, walking backward while snapping and popping away on some bubble gum.\n\n\"Honestly, I'd rather go to bed, but sounds like a meeting not to be missed,\" Kris yawned.\n\nRaina floated around and walked forward.\n\n\"Oh, don't be a poop, Kris. You need more of a social life.\"\n\n\"I get enough socializing with the bears.\"\n\n\"Boy, you're grumpy. Come on, let's get some food. Terri is making a wicked mocha lately.\"\n\n\"I just want a shower.\"\n\n\"Later. Come, on Kris.\"\n\n\"Oh fine. Whatever. You win. But I'm not drinking anything made by Terri White. That chick scares me.\"\n\n\"Okay!\" Raina grabbed Kris's arm, pulling her back down the trail toward the center of Willow Camp.\n\nBut, as usual, Raina spotted another friend and soon became distracted. Kris didn't wait and made her way over to the small store. The stone hut with a thatch roof was mobbed with tourists, but Kris pushed her way through, gathering some items to snack on.\n\nGiving the cashier a twenty dollar bill, she mouthed keep it and quickly tried to exit. Outside she plodded over a big grassy hill, and sat down near some boulders. With the sunlight quickly fading, Kris wondered if she had enough time to get to the camp fire meeting at all. She had to admit, secretly, that seeing the new ranger again would be intriguing. After eating her assortment of food, Kris brushed her hands off and started her way back up the steep trail to the staff camp. A low mist blanketed the forest and the air was thick with woodsy smoke.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAdam spat on the ground next to a tree. He'd been following the girls from a distance. Angry and fighting foul thoughts, he moved further out of sight in the dense foliage. Quickly relieving himself next to a set of trees, he growled a mixture of unintelligible words. He began to trod heavily through rough terrain. A insatiable heat rose within him. Discontent, and betrayal surged to the forefront of his thoughts. Adam made way through thick plants and uneven ground, his forceful gate cracking and snapping branches.\n\nAdam lay witness earlier in the day to the unfortunate encounter betwixt that ranger and Kristjana. Another person piquing her interest? Kris was his. There was no one else. They shared an exclusive connection and no amount of whoring herself to other men was going to break it. Her writhing, tenuous female form mated to his flesh and mind, would never be purged from his thoughts. Her current disillusionment would need to be corrected. Kristjana's stubborn ways would subside, he'd have to be patient.\n\nFinally out of the forest and connecting with the winding trail back to the staff camp, Adam slowed a bit. Pausing briefly to light a cigarette, he took several long drags then picked up the pace. Unable to fight old memories, his fiery mind wandered to the past. Her long blond hair draped over his face as she kissed his neck. Droplets of sweat across her brow. Suckling of her lips on his neck. His cock was always so hard for her. Entering her tight, fucking cunt, listening to those deep, little moans. Fucking for hours on end. Adam smiled devilishly . Afterward, she could hardly walk! No other male could provide what he could! Kris would remember. She was only confused for the time being.\n\nAdam was certain Kris's return to him would occur. In the meantime, his longing for pleasure could not be suppressed. Self gratification no longer appeased his lustful appetite. Reaching into the side compartment of his pack, Adam withdrew a half empty bottle of whiskey. Again he paused on the trail and took several long swigs of the golden drink. The night air was growing colder. Tucking the bottle back into the pack, he coughed and began walking with more determination. The meeting would be at least another hour. He had time.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n8:12 PM\n\nShe isn't here. Michael scanned the meeting area, with subtle curiosity. Surveying the log benches and small groups of people, a small twinge of disappointment struck the stoic ranger. Michael arrived at ten minutes before eight. He chatted about inconsequential topics with the other park managers and law enforcement. Only a handful of staff showed up for the talk.\n\nCool breezes were descending off the steep granite cliffs above. In the center of the amphitheater was a big circular stone fireplace. An open pit actually, charred black from numerous fires from years past.\n\nA short pudgy female ranger was talking incessantly. A few of the head staff stood around drinking coffee, discussing events of the day. A few more park employees trickled into the clearing, visibly tired, speaking in elevated voices.\n\nKris trampled along the forest path slowly towards the amphitheater. Her vision a tad blurred, she strained to see in the dim light amidst thick tree cover. Up ahead she finally saw the large glow of the fire pit. Raina was most likely already there and deep into socialization. Closer to the break in trees leading to the clearing, Kristjana slowed. It was cold. Her face felt numb. Hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jacket, Kris felt the cruel knot of hunger in her stomach.\n\nFinally she reached the edge of the tree canopy and stepped precariously onto granite rocks scattered with loose debris. Her boots made a crunching sound like walking on broken dinner plates.\n\nMany stood around, catching up, telling stories, spreading gossip. A large easel bore the agenda for the meeting. Kris casually said hello to some familiar faces, passing around others sitting on the logs. She found a spot removed from most everyone else yet close enough to absorb the intense warmth of the raging flames. Digging through her small pack, she pulled out a sandwich. She'd grabbed a fast snack from the cafe before heading to the meeting. Quickly she unwrapped the plastic and sunk her teeth into the soft bread.\n\nChewing slowly, Kris watched several groups of familiar people sitting on long benches crudely carved from felled trees. Finding it hard to swallow, she took a jittery drink of chocolate milk. Her eyes watered as she managed to get the food and sweet liquid down.\n\n\"All right, we're going to get started!\" A short plump woman moved to the front of the gathering, holding a stack of papers. Several yards away, three other uniformed individuals turned and approached the fire pit.\n\n\"Ready for the ass chewing?\" a familiar voice spoke softly from behind.\n\n\"Randy. Quite a surprise to see you at one of these.\" Kris smiled up at an unshaven face. Randy Duncan smirked, and promptly sat down next to her. One of the first people Kris became friends with at White Rock. A well known loner, yet well spoken and a bit rebellious when it came to park rules and regulations. Randy led nature walks along the meadows and waterfalls, quietly narrating to curious visitors and boisterous families.\n\n\"Who's the new stud?\" Randy followed Kristjana's longing stare at a tall masculine figure standing near the head of the fire. Kris flushed a rosy pink glow. Raising an eye brow Randy grinned and remained silent.\n\nKris stared at the dirt and scattered pine needles on the ground. Her face grew hot. Pursing her lips together, ready to discount his tease, she flashed a crooked smile and crossed her arms. The start of the meeting quickly became disorganized and attendees chattered loudly at random intervals. Only a cackling hot fire in the large stone pit competed with the elevated volume of voices. Kris was fatigued and wished nothing more than to lay in her small bed in a warm cabin. The ranger she met earlier at the dining hall appeared to be ignoring her anyway. Perhaps she misinterpreted the earlier interaction with him. Well, men weren't to be trusted anyway. Nothing but heartache and trouble.\n\n\"Crap I wish they'd hurry up,\" Kris sighed, putting her feet up on the log in front of her. Raina's chirpy voice was clambering on with a several friends a few rows over. Randy nodded in response to the comment. He produced a small tattered notebook and sketched busily on a page filled with rough images of park wildflowers. Randy faintly smelled of musk and dirt, but in a very pleasant way. Kris found herself inhaling deeply, enjoying his personal fragrance. Not quite a Grizzly Adams, but perhaps a modern day John Steinbeck. Kris grew very sleepy. She turned her attention to Randy's sketch and they began discussing locally blooming flowers and plants of the area.\n\n\"What a couple of losers.\" Raina plopped down on a log next to Randy.\n\n\"Who, us?\" Randy frowned.\n\n\"Yeah, you guys. This thing is boring as hell. Kris, you see him?\" Raina leaned over, excited.\n\nKris straightened from her hunched position, of studying a page with blue and purple flower drawings.\n\n\"Yes. I'm not blind. Can you speak a little louder though, half the clan didn't hear you.\"\n\n\"I see you're still in a bad mood.\" Raina popped open a soda. She was out of breath and filled with energy. She tilted her head back slightly, taking a long drink.\n\n\"I'm tired and want to go home.\" Kris yawned heavily.\n\nRandy peered up from his drawing and set his eyes on the disorganized staff.\n\n\"Do you think there's something really going on? Or are we all about to get canned?\" Randy settled back to his sketch book page.\n\n\"No, they wouldn't get rid of anyone now, not near the peak of the season. No way. But I heard from Jake and that slut bitch Rhonda, that there's been a rape in camp. Already, this season! They think it's a staff member doing it. Can you fuckin' believe that?\" Raina blurted, speaking a mile a minute. She paused to take another gulp of soda. \"I personally think it's the new guy, Vince. He doesn't fit in. At the laundry the other day, he was like totally a loner, staring at everyone, but hardly uttering a word.\"\n\n\"The way you guys single people out, no wonder he keeps to himself.\" Kris stretched.\n\nRandy chuckled and then put his finger to his lips and shushed. \"Hey, quiet, maybe we'll find out.\" He gestured toward the female ranger speaking.\n\n\"Thank you all for coming. We will try cover everything as quickly as possible, we know you've all had a hard day, and want to go on about your business.\" A short, stout woman with hair that was pinned back in a tight bun on her head, spoke to the fragmented crowd.\n\n\"They wouldn't know a damn thing about a hard day's work,\" Raina smiled devilishly.\n\n\"Shhhh!\" someone in the audience blurted.\n\nKris toyed with a strand of hair, brow furrowed in confusion. Her best friend had been acting odd all day, like she contained some secret information. It would not be surprising if Raina had details that remained unpublished to the rest of the camp staff.\n\n\"I want to begin by thanking those of you who are here tonight, and to please tell your co-workers and friends,...\" The female's words trailed off as she thumbed through the stack of papers she held in her hands. \"Well, please encourage others to attend next time.\" She straightened herself and faced out at the gathering. \"I will turn this over to Beth Taylor, you all know her, please give her your undivided attention.\"\n\nA few muffled chuckles broke free in the audience. Beth was well known, yet for reasons not of regard or flattery. Ms. Taylor worked in the administration office of White Rock. Appointed to the position only three years prior. Beth had little grasp on exactly how to operate a National Park, never mind a wild and unpredictable conglomeration of people. She had been criticized for her beauty-queen appearance, failure to get her hands dirty with park issues and flirtatious behavior with male staff.\n\nKris smirked as Beth approached the small wooden platform. Whatever this whore had to say carried little importance. Thirty feet away from the platform stood Michael. His attention appeared to be focused on Beth, no surprise. Perhaps they were fucking, Kris suddenly thought. Beth certainly was a sight for sore eyes.\n\nSweeping back a long strand of curled red hair, Beth tilted her head slightly to one side, pausing briefly. When her eyes finally rose, she anxiously surveyed the quiet gathering. She hated dealing with these people, informing them was a total waste of time. The fire continued to crackle and hiss, sending streams of sparks skyward.\n\n\"Hello. Thank you for coming.\" Her voice was even toned and totally lacking enthusiasm.\n\nA crude joke resounded from the back seats. Kris raised an eyebrow. Beth was a specimen to behold, never taken seriously from those under her and a butt of constant jokes. Kris always envisioned Beth as a bubbling, big bosomed television news anchor. Yammering on stories of dismembered babies and drug addicts killing their parents. Thousands of pubescent boys masturbating behind locked bathroom doors to the very sight of the red lipped temptress on their television screens. The evening news would never be the same again.\n\n\"Many of you are aware, the park has hired several additional security personnel.\" She glanced sideways to her left, toward the group of rangers, \"Keri Brusk, Damon Jerr, and Michael Falkenrath.\" Beth motioned with one arm towards the fully uniformed officers.\n\n\"Uh, Keri gave up her position, in the coveted Blue Ridges National Park. Damon, uh,\" Beth motioned for him to step forward, \"transferred from Rocky Garrison National Park and,\" Beth seemed to swallow quite hard before orating the next name, \"Mr. Falkenrath joins us from Ametter Canyon Park, our sister park to the south.\" Beth turned and faced the fire pit.\n\n\"Perhaps a round of applause. These individuals gave up quite a bit to uproot and become a part of our family here in White Rock.\" Beth started clapping but several moments passed before the crowd meagerly joined the welcome clap.\n\n\"I'd say someone has the hots for the Falkenrath guy,\" Raina snorted, flashing Kris a look. Kris clamped her teeth together in resistance to her friend's assumption.\n\n\"Uh, this is our new investigating officer and deputy. He is taking charge of investigations as well as park enforcement,\" Beth said, glancing over to Michael.\n\n\"Why is that?\" Somebody stood up and yelled from the audience. \"What's with the hired meat?!\"\n\nRaina bent over Randy's lap laughing furiously. Once she recovered she spoke, trying to keep her voice hushed.\n\n\"You know Jake has a brother in the Marines. He's been saying the park is hauling big time security people in.\"\n\nKristjana turned to look at Jake. Notorious at organizing parties in camp, but rarely did she see him drink. He'd worked at White Rock for the past four seasons. Kris twirled her hair around her finger, wondering why the extra enforcement was needed. There were incidents every year, what made this season so special? Too many parties? Crazy tourists?\n\n\"Well, Mr. McAllister, please sit down, I am getting to that,\" Beth spoke directly at Jake. He was refusing to sit and defiantly standing with arms crossed.\n\nBeth recomposed herself and then tried again.\n\n\"I'm sure, as you have heard through the rumor mill there have been attacks on females in the park. Now, we do not tolerate this type of crime. It has been a bit difficult to solve, and right now the incidents are getting more violent.\" She frowned and glanced back at the rangers for help in elaboration, yet nobody said a thing.\n\n\"What, are you talking about? Why don't you give it to us straight, man?\" Jake stood up again, more irritated this time.\n\n\"Mr. McAllister. Please take your seat!\" Beth grew increasingly unhinged.\n\n\"Yeah, I'll take a seat!\" Jake grumbled loudly, pushing at someone yanking on his shirt, urging him to sit.\n\n\"Several females have been uh, violated. There is a violent component to the attacks, however.\" She stared down at her pretty fingernails.\n\n\"Are rapes not violent enough?\" Kris whispered to Raina.\n\nJake stood yet again, waving his hand in disgust.\n\n\"Then let the real police handle it!\"\n\nSilence eerily blanketed the clearing. Only the hissing and popping of the dwindling fire could be heard.\n\nKris watched and waited for Beth to respond. Her eyes narrowed, expecting further explanation. After a few moments, Beth licked her lips and spoke.\n\n\"This is an internal issue. White Rock is fully capable of handling the safety of the park. We have some good leads about the individual. I've asked Mr. Falkenrath to speak in regards to safety and protocol.\" She motioned to the stoic ranger, standing patiently in the shadows. \"If you would, please.\" Beth nodded to him, urging him to take the podium.\n\n\"God. This isn't good,\" Randy stated flatly. Folding his book shut, he quietly waited for Michael to speak.\n\n\"Thank you Ms. Taylor.\" Michael stepped onto the redwood stage, the old boards creaking softly. He placed both hands on the podium and directed his attention toward the group.\n\n\"Approximately two weeks ago, a young female worker was attacked at Willow Camp,\" Michael spoke firmly. \"There was another altercation last night near the staff quarters. These attacks involved a rape, but but also body mutilation. We are asking any of you, to report any and all suspicious activity or persons to us immediately. Hopefully most of you have cell phones.\"\n\nSuddenly a familiar voice interrupted him.\n\n\"What good is that! There's no fucking signal in this place!\" Jake popped up from his seat yet again.\n\nMichael looked directly at him and continued, \"I'm aware of that. I've made certain recommendations to Beth.\" Michael motioned to her, but did not make eye contact. \"And one of those recommendations is issuing radios to all of you.\"\n\n\"Like the ones you guys carry?\" a plump dark haired girl spoke.\n\n\"They will be similar, yes, but not the same units that we carry.\"\n\nMuffled chatter arose quickly.\n\n\"I have other things to cover. Please direct your attention up here for now, save the discussion for later.\" Michael's voice hardened up.\n\nShivers were overtook Kris. This was a lot worse than she'd been expecting. Every year the park was wrought with a crime wave, a pervert on the loose, even an aggressive bear, breaking into cars, stealing food. Common were rescues of a stray tourist falling into a rushing river, swollen with icy water, or the over zealous hiker stuck in a precarious position in the back country. Big city crime such as a serial rapist, was somewhat unusual at White Rock Park.\n\nDamp cold air was settling into the clearing at an increasing rate. Kris slumped with her arms wrapped against her midsection. Dismayed, Randy started drawing in his sketch book once more.\n\nSmall earphones attached to long thin white cords draped from underneath Raina's purple winter cap. She was mouthing words in silence and tapping her foot in the dirt.\n\nKris blinked a few times and tried to take a deep breath. Instead she sputtered and coughed. She unwound a thick purple scarf around her neck, and brought part of the material up to her nose and mouth.\n\n\"That's about it. Does anyone have any questions?\" Michael's stoic, unwavering voice cast silence over the gathering. Sharp, stinging pricks of pain plagued his lower back. Old injuries from long ago reminded him of his past. Michael found it rather troubling that he had spent a lot of years rebuilding his life finding solace in nature yet now he was back in a position of dealing with the evils of human life. He couldn't escape the dark side of society, even in the peacefulness of nature and a national park.\n\nKris blankly gazed out at the fire, occasionally her attention drew towards this newcomer. He stood before them all a mysterious informant, yet perhaps the protection that was truly needed. Blinking back sleepiness, Kris became cross. The ranger was finally done scaring everyone to death, her only thought was sulking back to a cold cabin and crawling under a pile of musty blankets. The meeting had dragged on long enough. A remaining thought bothered her. Exactly who was attacked? Where? Why weren't they giving out any specific details to this sorted situation?\n\nA few people stood up, asking more questions. Fear and concern laced in their voices. Many others stood saying quick goodbyes and disappearing into the forest. Raina popped up and bounced over a few logs towards several friends.\n\n\"Well, that just about does it for me. I look forward to weeks of harassment and phony militia following me wherever I go,\" Randy scoffed.\n\nKris spoke in a low voice, staring at pine needles on the ground, \"Why do you say that?\"\n\n\"All males in camp are guilty until proven innocent. We're going to be under the cloud of suspicion indefinitely until they come up with the pervert doing this.\"\n\n\"Maybe this new ranger will be different.\" Kris recalled the past failed attempts from park security to solve heinous crimes.\n\n\"One can only hope.\" Randy promptly removed a down jacket, wrapping it over Kris's shoulders. \"Trying to kill yourself with hypothermia? Jeez, Kris.\"\n\n\"Let's get the hell out of here,\" Kris announced, pulling at the sides of the jacket.\n\n\"Whoa, nelly. Why don't you warm up a bit, next to the fire?\" Randy urged. Kris reluctantly agreed. She wanted to leave, but maybe getting warm first was a better idea. It was a long walk back to camp.\n\nWhile Randy grabbed his notebook and pencils, stuffing them into his backpack, Kris became distracted in the scent of his jacket. It smelled of campfire smoke mixed with Randy's own sweet musky personality. Kris poked her face down further into the fabric, drawing in a deep breath. The warmth began to take hold. She moved past Randy and padded over to the dwindling fire in the stone circle. A few rangers remained, but after a quick glance around, Kris could not locate Mr. Falkenrath. Perhaps the night had wore him out and he fled to his presumably posh quarters on the other side of the park. Raina was missing as well, but that was common.\n\n\"Okay, better?\" Randy asked, smiling down at Kris, who was sitting huddled on a log in front of the fire.\n\n\"Much better. But probably time to head back. Everyone's left.\"\n\nRandy looked up and breathed heavily. White streams of night air drifted from his mouth, \"I'll walk you. There's danger out in them woods.\"\n\n\"Fine.\" Kris stood.\n\n\"Thank you guys for coming.\" Michael appeared from the darkness, carrying some papers.\n\n\"Wouldn't have missed it.\" Randy had a sarcastic edge to his voice.\n\n\"Nice to met you.\" Michael offered his hand in greeting.\n\nRandy, usually not big on formality, shook hands, nodding. \"Randy Duncan. Lowly park worker.\"\n\n\"Sorry to hear that. What do you do here at White Rock?\" Michael casually put a hand on his duty belt.\n\n\"I'm a guide. I lead screaming kids, families, couples on walks through the meadows and stuff. Generally nobody listens to me. Most don't even understand what I'm saying.\"\n\n\"He means the ones that don't understand English.\" Kris smiled at Randy, then took a quick glance at the ranger. Very often Randy didn't makes sense, or his own weird humor rubbed others the wrong way, creating quite an awkward situation. Kris noticed how Randy seemed to show a bit of apprehension in Michael's presence.\n\n\"We were just leaving,\" Randy broke the awkward silence. Michael hastened his gaze to Kristjana. She fidgeted awkwardly at the jacket, trying to trap fleeting warmth around her midsection.\n\nMichael surveyed Randy, who had taken a few steps backward in anticipation of departure.\n\n\"Thank you Randy. Why don't you get going? I can make sure she returns safely,\" Michael spoke in a deep voice.\n\n\"Ah. Of course. Yes, well, you would be better suited as body guard than I.\" Randy examined Kris for any signs of her discomfort, but she only appeared cold and tired.\n\n\"Randy, it's fine. See you tomorrow?\" Kris was getting annoyed with Randy's attempt to delay. Kris threaded an arm out of the jacket, ready to return it to him.\n\n\"No. I don't need it. Keep it. I'll get it from you another time.\" He continued to move back down the row of logs toward the trail.\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n\"See ya, kiddo.\" Randy winked and turned away. Kris watched blankly until Randy's lanky figure disappeared into the darkness.\n\nMichael stood silently as Randy strode off, not sure of what to make of their odd connection.\n\n\"I didn't mean to interrupt,\" Michael apologized, although he wasn't sorry at all for sending the scruffy kid away.\n\n\"No. It's okay.\" Lateness of the hour was fogging her senses.\n\n\"Is he your boyfriend?\"\n\nKris's eyes widened at the personal question.\n\n\"Oh, heck no. Randy? He's a good friend.\" Kris's cheeks turned bright pink.\n\nMichael narrowed his eyes, \"Seems like a tight knit community.\"\n\n\"It can be. At times. Not always though. You work here long enough, you get to know a lot of people. It's a strange microcosm.\"\n\n\"I see.\"\n\n\"Are we all really getting radios?\" Kris abruptly changed the subject. She wanted to touch her face to make sure it wasn't on fire. She blinked several more times, her eyes irritated from campfire smoke.\n\n\"Can I help you with this?\" Michael reached down and carefully took hold of her pack. Kris shook her head, leaning down to grasp it. But he was quicker.\n\n\"Oh, yeah, okay,\" Kris bounced back. His politeness was confusing. She hardly knew this guy, which made for a bundle of nerves in the pit of her stomach.\n\n\"Yes. Willow Camp will have short range radios. They will be on on a different frequency than park security.\" Michael explained and gestured toward the path. \"Shall we?\"\n\n\"Sure.\" Kris moved past him. The sleeve of Randy's jacket brushed against Michael's green uniform. Kris's heart jumped quickly, absorbing the intense energy of being so close to this ruggedly handsome person. Michael made no effort to move or back away as Kris slid past. The aisle between logs was narrow with knotty protrusions.\n\n\"But, um, if they aren't on the same frequency, what good is that? You guys won't be able to hear us low folk.\" It was slightly absurd. Why have a bunch of expensive radios to talk to each other instead of warning the proper authorities in case of an emergency?\n\nMichael smiled in amusement. \"The finer details have yet to be worked out.\"\n\n\"I'm surprised Beth Taylor approved the radios. Let alone anything.\" Kris was actually surprised. Beth had a long history of being difficult.\n\n\"Yes, quite surprising.\"\n\n\"You must be very convincing.\" Kris left it at that, he obviously was done with the issue.\n\nThey both walked slowly, entering the forest. The crackling of rocks underfoot dissipated and became muffled with dirt and pine needles.\n\n\"Just going to leave the fire burning? \" Kris turned back to catch a glimpse of billowing smoke.\n\n\"Damon was staying behind a bit longer. He'll make sure it goes out.\"\n\nKris glanced sideways at Michael.\n\n\"I didn't see him.\"\n\n\"Don't worry. He's there,\" Michael reassured her.\n\nKris got the distinct feeling this ranger was short on words unless commanding a platoon or constructing battle plans. As she walked along, some of her wits began to re-emerge. Tomorrow was Monday, her day off. The only comforting thought in the world was sleeping in late, grabbing some espresso and trail mix from the cafe, then heading off on a tough little hike up Takor's Pass.\n\n\"What are your thoughts?\" Michael unexpectedly asked, his tone noticeably subdued.\n\n\"On what?\" Kris tugged on her purple fleece hat.\n\nMichael glanced at her.\n\n\"Well, I forgot until an hour ago, tomorrow is my day off. I was thinking of taking a hike up a steep trail. Takor Pass is nice this time of year.\"\n\n\"I'm not familiar with it.\" Michael liked the sound of a trek into the high country. A reprieve from the politics of work would be most desirable. He was also quite pleased to hear that she apparently favored nature and solitude over other endeavors.\n\n\"Sorry. Keep forgetting you are new to this place.\"\n\n\"That's quite all right.\"\n\n\"There's a narrow trail that starts behind the cabins. I usually cut through the forest. Reaching the trail only takes a short time. The main trail head is near Black Creek. No reason for me to go over there.\" She wondered at that moment how much of park he was familiar with. Perhaps Michael had not explored White Rock, but then he must have some working knowledge of certain areas.\n\n\"I don't blame you. It's a rather congested region.\" Michael's voice giving the impression of some experience with the Black Creek area.\n\n\"But I suppose I need to rethink traveling through the forest alone, now. Shouldn't I?\"\n\n\"Well if you're referring to the attacks, I would officially need to advise you that, yes, it would be risky behavior to hike alone.\" He refrained from adding what a perfect target she was.\n\n\"Oh. Okay.\" How sad it had all come to this.\n\n\"However, you could take certain measures to protect yourself. Do you own a firearm?\"\n\n\"A gun? Oh heck no,\" Kris nervously laughed.\n\n\"How about bear spray?\"\n\n\"Yes. Well, I have several canisters. I think some need to be thrown out. I take them home from work. We get a lot of problems with the bears in the dumpsters in back of the kitchen. Our boss says once they are half empty, they aren't good anymore.\"\n\n\"The dumpsters?\"\n\n\"No, no, I meant the bear spray canisters.\" Kris was tripping over her words.\n\n\"I would just buy a new one, and keep it for your hikes.\"\n\n\"I think I will do that,\" Kris agreed, thinking about the clutter of canisters on her desk. It could be quite embarrassing for someone to see them all, not understanding why she hung onto them. She also realized the innocent outdoor playground which she adored, was also the hunting grounds for a sickened criminal. Bears were the lesser of two dangers now.\n\n\"All the incidents so far have happened around Willow Camp and out in the meadows. We don't know if the perpetrator is stalking trails, but you need to be extra careful, Kris.\"\n\nPerhaps there was real concern for safety, she thought, listening intently to his words. The meeting seemed like a bunch of hype at first, the usual fear mongering of the administration. Now, after hearing the affirmation from Michael, Kris decided it was quite serious.\n\n\"I wonder why those areas are hit? Why not the tourist camps?\" Kris spoke under her breath, disillusioned to her armed escort.\n\n\"Tourist areas are rather busy. Too risky for someone willing to do harm and not get caught.\" A sly smile reached a corner of his mouth. She was smart. Questioning the situation was a good sign.\n\n\"Yes, of course. I see. So that means I should be a desirable target.\"\n\n\"Why do you say that?\" Michael frowned.\n\nKris smiled politely over at him. \"Well, you'll see soon enough. My cabin is the last on the row. Some of the trees almost hide it.\"\n\nInstead of agreeing with her revelation, Michael thought she would be best served with advice instead of dire warnings.\n\n\"Like I said, get a new can of deterrent, or maybe a couple of them. Put one by the door and keep it there.\"\n\nKris nodded in acknowledgment.\n\nThey walked the remaining distance in silence. The eeriness of the nighttime forest engulfed the prior cordial conversation. Kris was sleepy, but enjoyed the peaceful journey back to camp. Stray thoughts nagged at her. Why her? Why had he arranged to escort her back to camp? Did the gesture mean something or was she about to make a big deal out of nothing?\n\nDim lights began to appear as the forest thinned out, leading into camp. Dim yellow porch lights dotted each cabin. As daylight dwindled, the lights came on each evening, connected by a simple automated timer located near the shower building. Each cabin was crafted from old lumber, harvested by the first workers to White Rock. They were simple dwellings, lacking plumbing, insulation or finished interior walls. But in spite of this, electricity was available. Heating was provided by a small, crude wood stove.\n\nA worker could decide to share a bunkhouse, or reside in a single cabin. Kris kept seniority at her job year after year, therefore able chose the single unit at the end of the row, nearest to the trees.\n\n\"This is me.\" She stopped in front of the warped steps of her cabin. She pivoted and faced the ranger.\n\nMichael eyed her cabin for several moments, quietly observing. It was fairly dark, and Kris was unable to study his expression.\n\nHe handed her backpack and Kris thanked him.\n\n\"Uh, I'd invite you in, but I'm all out of espresso and scones.\"\n\n\"Go open up,\" his voice was void of pleasantries. Kris twisted a strand of hair around two fingers. Oh, so he isn't just being nice. And he definitively didn't desire coffee or pastries, dummy. She swiftly ascended the steps and fumbled to shove the key into the lock. The deadbolt clicked back and she pushed the creaky door open slowly. She turned around to see if Ranger was coming in, yet he remained at the base of the steps. Kris said nothing and entered her unit. Damp air greeted her as she stepped into the blackness. Nearly tripping over a blanket laying on the floor, she cursed in a hushed voice.\n\nWith a sharp snap, she switched on a wrought iron lamp on her writing desk next to the far wall. Looking around, she squinted at the mess and untidiness of her space. Disheveled cot with purple sleeping bag and blankets; several books stacked on the floor beside the bead; a half eaten plain bagel next to a notebook full of useless information. And an empty cup of tea with nothing but the bag left. Breathing heavily, heart annoyingly chugging like a train, she stumbled toward the open doorway. Michael was patiently still waiting down below.\n\n\"Everything seems fine.\" Kris plodded down the steps.\n\n\"Do you have a cell phone?\"\n\nKris reached down into a warm pocket of her fleece pants and produced a small black phone.\n\n\"Yeah, it hardly works. No signal most of the time. I don't know why I carry it.\"\n\n\"You can't get any call through?\"\n\n\"I rarely try anymore. I don't have many people to call. It works better over near the showers.\" She gestured in the direction of the dimly lit stone structure in the distance.\n\n\"I see.\" Michael turned his attention down the row of cabins momentarily. \"What time do you figure on waking tomorrow?\" This willowy figure taunted his thoughts, his professionalism. Peculiar female, this blond wraith. She made little attempt at feigning attractions toward him, yet it was clear that she was anxious in his presence. Curiosity coursed through him. It mattered little, what time she would awaken. All that grazed his mind was finding a stray moment or excuse to see her again soon.\n\n_Waking?_ Kris thought. What business of it was his? But she was mildly curious.\n\n\"Maybe seven or eight.\" She sort of relished the thought of sleeping until noon, but Raina or Adam would surely interrupt that luxury.\n\n\"Perhaps you could show me this Takor Pass?\" Michael took a chance she was willing to have company on the hike.\n\nKris's eyes widened, his request caught her off guard.\n\n\"Sure. I'd love to. I mean, it's no Ametter Canyon, like you're used to, I hear.\"\n\n\"Great. I'll see you in the morning.\" The corner of Michael's mouth edged a partial smile. He stepped back into the shadows. The ground was soft and fresh with pine needles, crackling like tooth picks beneath his heavy boots.\n\n\"See you tomorrow, Michael.\"\n\n\"Get some rest,\"he ordered and then briskly started down the trail.\n\n\"Okay,\" she murmured to herself as he was out of ear shot. She stood on the porch a few more minutes taking deep breaths of night air. His dark figure disappeared along the trail. Echoing voices and occasional laughter emanated from other cabins. The night had come alive with frivolity and friends coming together. In a way, Kris was tempted to join them. Instead, she padded up the steps again, and went inside, making sure to lock the rickety door. She drifted down onto the cot. Several minutes passed, before further realization seeped into her mind.\n\nShe'd forgotten to thank Michael for his concern and for walking her all the way back to camp. Certainly he had a longer walk to retrieve his truck, parked below the amphitheater somewhere. Kris always struggled with guilt when it came to wasting other people's time. But soon it did not matter. She fell asleep in her clothes with the light on, unable to fight off the exhaustion of the day.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAdam Hoth withdrew deeper into the heavy foliage. Witnessing the park ranger swoon in awkward fashion over Kris, fueled his insatiable desire for her. Takor Pass. How lovely. What a betraying bitch! Who the hell was this ranger, anyway? A phony! Another man using Kris. What a fucking little tease she was. Fine. She'll get burnt again by another man and come running back.\n\nAnger settled over Adam like a swollen rain cloud. Kris was playing yet another game. She never learns. He was self confident that she would eventually get tired of soliciting other men like a street whore.\n\nGrasping the cigarette tucked behind his ear, Adam fished a lighter out of his worn jean pocket and swiftly ignited his smoke. A long drag and then equally long exhale. Fighting the urge to ascend her steps and take her into his arms, was nearly impossible. Adam wanted it to be like old times. Yet old times were hard to get a handle on. A long trail of emotional damage could not be easily repaired. Adam was fierce in his convictions that Kris belonged with him. They were better together than apart. She needed incentive.\n\nAdam began walking slowly, brushing past trees, heavy with recent rain. Visions of her silky, naked body laying next to him, taunted his mind. She acted such a convincing part; demure, shy, introverted. Yet by his guidance and command, she was a wild fiend in the bedroom. Adam closed his eyes hard and stopped moving. Streams of smoke drifted outward from the cigarette between his lips. Deep, secret thoughts filled him.\nChapter Six\n\nA loud rap pierced the morning stillness. Then another.\n\nThe figure stood impatiently. A pair of worn leather boots scattered caked pieces of dry mud around the porch. White streams of smoke wafted upward from a lit cigarette clinging to his thin lips.\n\n\"Goddammit, girl!\" Adam spat on the wood boards. Once more, he pounded a fist against the flimsy door.\n\nKris bolted upright. The heavy thud woke her out of a deep sleep. Shakily, she pushed the covers back. Heaving air in and out of her lungs, she wondered if it was a dream. What time was it? The alarm clock remained silent. Kris gazed, blurry-eyed around the cabin. Small beams of dusty sunlight penetrated the crude fabric curtain hanging on one of two windows.\n\nAgain, the pounding struck the door.\n\n\"What the bloody hell? Who the heck is this?\" Kris whispered in a scraggly voice. Adrenaline began coursing through her. Vague thoughts materialized into an image of the rapist beating down her door. Kris paused from quickly opening it. Instead, she reached into the book shelves above the cot, fumbling for her cell phone. She could not locate it. Slow and careful, Kris pushed the sleeping bag off her legs, and extricated herself from the warm cocoon.\n\nAnother boom on the door.\n\nKris swore, reacting to the chill from her bare feet on the cold floor. With shaking hands, she grabbed her hiking boots and scanned around for a weapon.\n\nIrrational thoughts drifted into the forefront of her paranoid state. She could sneak through the side window, hoping the attacker was not paying careful attention. But it was a small cabin, and far to the ground. Her thudding body landing in a heap would surely be noticed instantly.\n\nMore rapping on the door.\n\nKris swung around to examine a small digital travel clock on the desk. In little green lights it read 6:36AM. Now she was freaked out. Michael said he wouldn't show until 8:30. Did he change his mind, showing up two hours early?\n\nKris grabbed a fleece sweatshirt and pulled it over her head. Again, she quickly searched for a weapon. Off in a dark corner, where she stored winter skis and snowshoes, was a long slender metal stick. It was a marshmallow roasting stick, yet it had sharp points on the end, in the shape of a fork. Kris wrapped a shaking hand around the end of the wood handle and approached the door.\n\nShe listened closely for any sound that would lead to clues. Nothing. Nothing could be heard. The wind was tossing around a wooden chime hanging off the eaves of the porch.\n\nShe clicked the deadbolt back, and firmly grasped the doorknob. Her heart pounded with extreme force. Lightheaded she pulled the door open a slightly.\n\nExhaling in uneven breaths, Kris peeked out the small opening. Greeted by chilled morning air, she saw no one. Swallowing hard, she opened the door further.\n\n\"It is about darn time, Leibling. Oh, how I miss this look.\" Adam surveyed her body. Leaning back in a leisurely fashion against the porch railing, he smirked at Kris.\n\n\"Holy hell, Adam. What on god's green earth are you doing busting down my door at this hour? What's wrong with you?\"\n\n\"Shit baby, you look good.\"\n\n\"Exactly. And you look like crap.\"\n\nKris remained inside the cabin, with the door slightly ajar, her foot bracing it from being opened further.\n\n\"Is there something in particular I can help you with or are you just here to annoy the snot out of me?\"\n\n\"Aren't you going to invite me in?\" Adam looked the part of para-military freak. He wore black cargo pants with a ratty jacket adorning the name of a prominent outdoor equipment manufacturer. His large hunting knife was attached to a worn nylon belt, and he had a black knit hat covering his pointy head. Even for Adam, this motif was a little severe. Kris sighed heavily.\n\n\"No. Go away. You're not coming in.\" Kris nervously scanned beyond his menacing figure. The small village of houses and common areas looked pretty quiet. At this hour on a Monday morning things were usually chaotic and bustling. Oddly, not on this day.\n\n\"I have some of your stuff. Don't you want it back?\" Adam patted his backpack.\n\n\"This is not a good time.\" Kris began to shut the door.\n\n\"It's never a good time.\" Adam reacted hastily, jutting his boot between the door and frame. Stunned, Kris tripped backward, landing on her elbows. The cold hardness of the wood floor stung sharply. Feeling awkward and clumsy, Kris scrambled to her feet. Adam stepped in and pushed the door closed with a thrust of his hand.\n\n\"Oh darling, that's a very sexy look for you,\" Adam spoke in a pinched voice, hungrily gawking at Kris. Scowling, Kris yanked her sweater tight and crossed her arms. Peering down at the state of her appearance revealed bits of dirt, pine needles and other debris that had been tracked into the cabin from the forest floor. Keeping the cabin tidy on a regular basis was not a task Kris performed. Usually work at the lodge drained all her free time. Hiking was the next priority after work.\n\nWith her senses finally awake Kris focused on getting him out. Anxiety about the rendezvous with Ranger ignited the butterflies in her stomach.\n\n\"Get out,\" Kris shot at him.\n\nAdam seemed very pleased with himself, and strode around in the small space.\n\nKris toyed with playing along with Adam's strange behavior. She was annoyed but wondering what his ulterior motive was. Months had passed without him bantering and trying to heavily inject himself into her life. Why start up with this pestering again? Indeed, Adam had seen her talking to Michael at the hall yesterday. Kris was sure now.\n\n\"You're obviously going hiking. Get out of here and quit bothering me.\" Kris went to her desk and started gathering all the half empty canisters of bear spray.\n\n\"I work today. Boss needs me at 2 o'clock. I told him whoever cleaned those grease traps didn't do it right. I'm not working in a kitchen if the drains are gonna close up,\" Adam's voice oozed with self importance. Without removing his gaze from Kris, he sat on her bunk. Kris felt a pang of anger grip her. He smelled bad. And leaving his mark with foul odor on her bed was the last straw.\n\n\"I really wish you'd leave. Now.\" She dropped an armful of the deterrent bottles into a round metal trash can. Tightly closing her eyes, she desperately tried to remember where she left her cell phone.\n\n\"I love it when you don't wear underwear,\" Adam's voice sank into familiar offensive territory. Kris stopped moving and stood still. This was the very last thing she wanted to hear, yet it was to be grossly expected of Adam.\n\nKris did not take the bait, ignoring his comment. She was wearing tight fitting black leggings, and the sweater did not cover her backside far enough. Adam was surely boring his beady eyes at her rear end. An awkward moment passed. Kris couldn't think of how to get him out. She knew where it was all going. Blankly staring down at the desk, she searched her mind for some terrible comment to spew out that would persuade him to leave.\n\n\"Raina is expecting me. Stop wasting my time and go find something to do.\" With her hands defiantly on her hips she shot him a look of disgust. Instead of heeding her request, Adam pushed off his pack and leaned back into her pillows, placing his hands behind his head. Angry sensations of heat shot up Kris's neck.\n\n\"Right. Tell me another one. Raina never rises before noon. She was throwing back Tequila with several idiots last night. Fucking pricks kept me awake.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you go join them?\" Kris was almost sorry she had chosen not to join up with everyone last night.\n\n\"Liebling, you know me. I can't stand idiots.\" His face contorted into a smirk.\n\n\"Don't call me that.\"\n\nAdam suddenly hauled himself off the bed. Kris swung away from the foreboding advance. Adam was not deterred. Without hesitation, his hands found her waist and hastily pushed aside the fabric of her thin sweater and cotton undershirt. Kris felt his disgusting touch on her shivering skin. She twisted around to thwart the invasion, but it was too late. Adam was taller and much stronger. Like a snake, he coiled his arms around Kris, drawing her up firmly against him.\n\n\"Get off!\" Writhing in attempt to break free, Kris only succeeded in turning him on. Traces of pungent cigarette odor burned her nose. Vulgar sweetness from Adam's alcohol consumption was heavily laced his breath. Instead of releasing his arms from her, he pushed forward so that they were both pressed together against the desk. Kris protested the physical restraint.\n\n\"Adam, no,\" she stressed, \"get the fuck off!\"\n\n\"Look at me.\" Adam coaxed, his voice heavy with lust.\n\n\"Stop it. What makes you think you can do this?\" Defiant, she met his face with fiery eyes. Again, she wriggled to get free.\n\n\"Why don't you scream then? Scream for me baby. You always do. I want to hear you scream and moan.\" Adam thrust his groin into her.\n\nQuickly Kris rose her hand, attempting to slap him, but Adam was quicker, grasping her wrist before the assault.\n\n\"Adam. Adam. I'm not interested. Not anymore.\"\n\nHe loved it when she fought him. The thrill of the chase. The challenge of breaking down her resistance. Her submission and giving into his wants. All of it excited him. Her games turned him on in the past, as well as now.\n\nKris was seething with disgust. If she screamed, the entire camp would hear and she did not want the embarrassing position of making excuses. Moreover, Adam would lie through his yellow teeth, spinning the situation into something it was not. Kris assumed she wasn't in any real danger from Adam, but that this was all her fault in some way. But his stubborn ways would not let her break free. He would persist until she gave in.\n\n\"If you don't get the fuck off me I'm going to have you fired.\" Kris gritted her teeth. Perhaps a direct threat would work. Adam held tight onto her wrist, digging his fingers into her palm.\n\n\"It's been such a long time. Don't you want me inside you?\" The words dripping off his tongue, ignoring her plea.\n\n\"That's it. I'll have your ass arrested. I'm going straight to Dale and tell him you are a demented freak.\"\n\n\"You do that,\" he called her bluff. Kris opened her hand, and Adam forced it down against his crotch quickly.\n\nKris was no match against his physical strength, she knew to get him to stop this sick behavior, she had to outsmart him with wits.\n\n\"I remember the last time you licked my dick.\" Adam was having a heated time, savoring every minute of his dominance over her.\n\n\"I should of bitten it off. No \u2013 I should of taken your knife and cut it off completely.\" She writhed to get her other hand free, but he had it pinned with his arm. His sex organ was very erect. Adam was deliriously thrilled with the position he held over her.\n\nWaves of nausea gripped Kris. He'd never gone as far as to have sex forcibly with her. Although the thought of it had always remained in the back of her mind. He was angry and desperate now.\n\n\"Remember the time in my van. We were fucking in the back seat. Outside it was raining so hard.\" Adam continued, lost in some dark memory. Kris had worked long and hard to forget such ridiculous adventures with him.\n\nAdam pressed himself harder into her hand, now squarely backed into the low section of her belly. She couldn't speak. Rancid fluid was making it way up her throat.\n\nAdam made small grunting noises, perhaps revisiting impassioned memories stuck in his head. He was unable to let go of the past. Conversely, Kris was eager to forget all of it. The volatile mix needed to stop. Her confusion was an excuse now. She had to find a way to end this onslaught of sickening behavior from Adam.\n\nWithout warning, knocking on the door interrupted the tense situation. Adam jerked, returning quickly from his fantasy land and assault on Kris. Physically ill, Kris took advantage of his distraction and shoved hard. He did not move much, but it was enough for her to slip away.\n\nMore knocking at the door sounded.\n\nKris's stomach was lurching viciously. Intense pain brought her down to the dusty floor boards. Thrusting her head over a small waste basket, she wretched violently.\n\nAdam's jaw dropped, shocked at the unexpected response from Kris. His distorted thinking told him she was sick due to some other reason. That was why she had not responded to his passionate advances. Food poisoning was likely. Or had she taken medication that morning?\n\n\"Kris!\" It was Raina. Her knocking grew harder, \"Kris! What's wrong? Are you okay?\"\n\nKris vomited again, then shakily sat back on her heels, breathing heavily. She covered her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. Adam bent down to help, yet Kris swung out at him with her free arm.\n\n\"What's going on in there?\"\n\nThis was the last thing Kris wanted, Raina's shrieking waking the entire camp. Wobbly, Kris rose to her feet. Pale and weakened, her eyes leveled an evil message to Adam. Adam stood dumbstruck in the middle of the room. Kris shakily opened the door.\n\n\"Adam? What are you doing here?\" Raina's face was wrought with concern. She eyed Adam, then Kris on the floor, and knew what had taken place. Kris straightened, but her stomach ached terribly.\n\n\"He was just leaving.\" Kris frowned at Adam.\n\nAdam grabbed his pack gingerly and shrugged arrogantly.\n\n\"What's up Raina? Hangover gone already?\" He moved past and out the door.\n\n\"Shut it,\" Kris commanded in a debilitated tone.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nRaina strode around the small cabin holding a cup of coffee. Long irregular white ribbons of steam drifted slowly upward.\n\n\"Kris. Buy a gun. Kill the damn bastard. I'll help you. We can shove him off the crevasse above Willow Camp. I can't believe he still does this to you. Why don't you do something, get him fired or arrested.\" Raina paced around the cabin.\n\n\"I'm not buying a stupid gun. And if I retaliate against him, he will think he's smarter than me, and retaliate back. He can lie and tell them all sorts of things, getting me fired.\" Kris lay on her side, motionless on her bunk. With her eyes closed, she was concentrating less on Raina and more on feeling normal again. It was 7:30. One hour, or so, before Ranger would show up for the hike.\n\n\"You can't just sit around and do nothing,\" Raina lowered her voice, and took a gulp of her latte.\n\n\"I am hoping at some point reality will sink in with him. It has to.\"\n\nRaina scoffed hard gazing out the window, \"No it won't. Kris, he's obsessed. Or sick. What the hell was he wearing? It's like he was going out to stalk a moose or something.\"\n\n\"He gets a high from dressing that way.\"\n\n\"He is high if he thinks people aren't talking about what a weird redneck he is.\"\n\n\"Raina, just let me deal with him. Don't do anything, okay?\" Kris knew when Raina got upset enough she came up with deviant ideas about punishing certain people.\n\n\"Kris, maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do.\" Raina sat on the edge of the bed. \"I'm not trying to scare you. But, he's not normal. And most people around here, know that.\"\n\n\"I know. Believe me, you don't have to tell me that.\" Kris sat up, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs. \"I always knew he was a bit off. But now that we're clearly broken up, he doesn't get it. He still thinks I'm going to give in and either sleep with him or get back together.\"\n\n\"You know I have your back, right? I mean if you need my help, at all -\"\n\n\"I know. Okay, okay, I know that, Raina.\" Kris wanted to put this conversation to rest.\n\n\"So. What's happening today? Jake is supposed to have a party later.\" Raina stood up and spilling some coffee onto the floor. \"I heard Terri is bringing Tarot cards. But what does that whore know? Nothing, that's what. By the way, have you seen some of the newbies? Some very cute ass. This is going to be an interesting summer, that's for darn sure,\" Raina spoke fast, hardly thinking as words came shooting out of her mouth.\n\n\"Do I have to give you my speech now, about being safe?\" Fingering the elastic band holding her long ponytail, she gently pulled, freeing the flaxen locks. \"Has your mother given you the talk yet, Miss Raina?\"\n\n\"She gave it to me when I was in Kindergarten. And no speeches from you. I just get depressed.\" Raina opened the door.\n\nKris coughed. She crossed over to a big trunk and heaved it open. For a few moments she dug deeply into the contents which were mostly bunched up clothes. Towards the bottom the garments were neatly positioned. Stuff she never wore unless it was a special occasion. There hadn't been a special occasion in many moons. And even today's impending hike really didn't qualify as special. Maybe putting on some decent attire would help her feel better, physically and mentally. Stuff that didn't reek of campfire smoke, kitchen grease and mosquito repellent.\n\n\"What are you looking in there for?\" Raina knew Kris hardly bothered to open her trunk. It was just used for storage during the season.\n\n\"I, I \u2013 thought I lost something,\" Kris lied.\n\n\"And you hid it in there?\"\n\n\"Okay, enough of your snooping. I'm going on a hike today.\"\n\n\"Not by yourself I hope. Go ask Randy. He's awfully lonely lately. I think he might be gay.\" Randy was the only other human in the park that Kris would occasionally hike with.\n\n\"So what if he is?\"\n\n\"I'm not saying it's bad. He just needs to get laid.\"\n\n\"And how is hiking with him going to help with that? Raina your logic is crazy backwards.\"\n\n\"I'm saying you can alleviate his loneliness at least.\"\n\n\"Raina, honestly.\" Kris had enough.\n\n\"Well, okay. Come to the party later though, all right? I'm bringing a huge thing of whipped cream Vodka. I can't get enough hard booze lately.\"\n\n\"You need to slow down on that stuff.\" Raina could use a dry spell.\n\n\"What are you, my mother? Oh, wait, no, my mother would have me chained to the door of a church, so never mind.\" Raina moved further out the open doorway.\n\n\"Have fun. Tell Randy to come to the party. He needs to get his joint worked on.\"\n\nKris frowned harshly, \"Stop being so mean.\"\n\n\"I'm not mean. I'm just stating the obvious.\"\n\nThinking for a moment it was best not to keep Raina in the dark. It would get around camp that Kris was going hiking with the new hot Ranger at some point.\n\n\"I'm not hiking with Randy.\" Kris fidgeted with a buckle on the trunk.\n\nRaina cocked her head in confusion.\n\n\"So? You shouldn't go alone though. Take your baseball bat or something.\"\n\n\"I know. I'm going with the ranger.\"\n\n\"Holy damn! And you weren't going to tell me. Kris -\"\n\n\"I know. But I'm telling you now.\"\n\nRaina smiled. Then came the ear piercing screech that only Raina was known for. A banshee in the night could never produce such a shrill, brain deafening noise. If anyone in the camp remained asleep until that point, they were now wide awake for sure.\nChapter Seven\n\nSeeing the Ranger in plain clothes instead of his green and tan uniform humanized Mr. Ranger a bit more. Kris wondered if he would bring his weapon on the hike. He carried a small red and black backpack, with a water bottle in the mesh holder. He wore faded blue jeans with a thick nylon belt that had a large metal loop buckle. His shirt was a plain dark navy tee. Kris couldn't figure out if he hiked very often. Yet his swift pace and solid gait were strong and effortless. His heavy leather boots ascended rocks and boulders like they were mere pebbles.\n\nKris made little conversation. Instead she tried to hide how out of breath she was due to losing the contents of her stomach earlier and being over worked from the past week. Normally Kris jogged or ran along the valley trails for a distance of 30 or so miles per week. She had neglected regular exercise for quite some time now.\n\nThey hiked for over an hour before stopping at a granite outcropping. A space that jutted out from the heavy cover of the conifer forest.\n\n\"Seems as though the weather is on our side today,\" Michael said.\n\n\"It sure does,\" Kris tried to catch her breath.\n\n\"If you need, I can slow down,\" Michael observed Kris. Her attempt at hiding fatigue was not working.\n\n\"Well don't do that on my account. Just not at my best today.\"\n\n\"We can stay here for awhile,\" Michael said.\n\n\"No, no. My morning sucked. I'll be fine.\" Kris realized she was fooling nobody.\n\n\"As you wish.\"\n\nThey turned back onto the trail. One half mile more and the narrow pathway joined with the heavier traveled route up to Takor Pass and the granite shelf of the high country. It was a steep and rocky trail, rising significantly above the tree line. Kris attempted it many times, usually in the fall after crowds dwindled.\n\nMichael slowed his pace. He was acutely aware something was wrong with Kris that morning, but he decided not to pry.\n\nKris was secretly grateful Ranger slowed some. The elevation was rising with every step. Takor Pass reached 8300 feet, and was the turn around point for many souls. The granite shelf and entrance to high country sat at more than 10,000 feet. It was still a few miles off from their point on the trail.\n\nAttempting to prove she wasn't totally washed out and exempt from politeness, Kris searched her mind for conversational tidbits.\n\nMichael revealed very little during exchanges with Kris along the hike. His past was vague and his former life, mainly a mystery. Kris decided to respect his reluctance in opening up. Very curious, but she was not the type to pry and pursue details about somebody. Although, if she had uncovered, more information in the beginning about Adam, the path of a destructive relationship could have been avoided.\n\nWatching Michael effortlessly hike, was quite sexy. His uniform hid muscular features and assets that she was noticing now.\n\nKris needed to distract herself from drooling over this gorgeous man. She recalled the latest gossip regarding Beth and her non stop drive to find men to manipulate. Rumor had it Beth was quite a sex addict. True or not, she used sex in exchange for getting what she wanted. Kris couldn't imagine what she wanted from any man at White Rock.\n\nMichael seemed to have a fiery connection to Beth. She was his boss after all. Michael didn't seem the type to be manipulated, let alone controlled by a woman. And if Beth were actually attractive, Kris could assume he would look in Ms. Taylor's direction. Oh some thought Beth was a hot lady. Huge boobs, salon quality hair style, her eyes so done up with makeup she resembled a movie star. Many men were initially attracted to such a facade. Once the real personalities emerged, a long term relationship was doomed. Arguably these days a lot of men and women were only looking for a short term roll in the hay. All of it confused Kris on a regular basis.\n\nBeth's presence was never found amidst the spectacular natural wonders of the park. It was uncanny that she found herself squarely in front of the local media so often.\n\n\"So, you transferred from Ametter, right?\" Looking to distract herself from crazy thinking, Kris brought up the spectacular national park to the south.\n\nMichael half smiled, amused, \"Yes.\"\n\nKris licked her dry lips, \"I've been there once. A little different than White Rock. Which area did you work?\"\n\n\"I was a back country ranger for five years. Mainly on the eastern side.\"\n\n\"Below the Barrel Tooth Easement?\" Kris tried to recall specific areas of Ametter and the remote, tough terrain.\n\n\"Yes, that's correct. You're familiar with it?\"\n\n\"Only a little. I backpacked the James St. Claire trail many years ago.\"\n\n\"Which section?\" Michael glanced down at Kris.\n\n\"Ruby Aisle trail head to, uh, a lake I can't remember the name of.\"\n\n\"Devil's Horn.\"\n\n\"Yes, that's it. Devil's Horn Lake. Beautiful. The granite is so polished and surreal there. And the water so clear.\"\n\n\"It gets it's name from the emerald color, and the odd shape.\"\n\n\"Oh, that's right.\" Kris remembered some story about why that particular lake was different than all the rest along the St. Claire trail. Something about the lure to the still water, and people entering it and dying from rapid hypothermia.\n\n\"You went no further than the lake?\"\n\n\"No. My partner became ill. Altitude sickness.\" Getting to the lake several summers ago proved a test of patience and resolve. She felt uncomfortable offering the details of her trip with Adam, to Ranger. Too soon. It was Adam who convinced her of the James St. Claire trail. It was his bloated ego that fueled the jaunt. Adam placed both of them in jeopardy, largely by filling his gullet with whiskey each evening. During the day, tackling the trail was precarious. Adam was dehydrated and making illogical decisions about routes and how many miles to traverse.\n\n\"Sorry to hear that,\" Michael responded with such a smoky undertone that the small hairs on Kris's arm stood up and she was overcome with goosebumps.\n\n\"You must have dealt with a lot of high altitude sickness and hikers up there.\" Kris swallowed but the lump in her throat remained.\n\n\"My patrol area was very remote compared with busier sections. Yes, lots of search and rescue operations. But trail maintenance, and checking outposts took a lot of my time as well.\"\n\n\"I remember some of those little stone huts.\" Kris pulled her clear plastic water bottle off the side of her pack and took a quick drink. The chalky roughness in the back of her throat failed to ease.\n\nSoon they reached the hook in the Takor Pass trail. Several worn out individuals passed by, barely giving attention to the Ranger and Kris. Without words they turned southeast, entering the wider dirt path leading to the high country.\n\n\"You know, you scared the living crap out of us the other night.\" Kris became more relaxed as they hiked on. A few meters off the main trail now, they took a break to enjoy the spectacular view of White Rock valley.\n\nMichael finished taking a long slow drink of his water and recapped the lid.\n\n\"Did I?\"\n\nKris smiled brightly. Surely he knew what a stuffy briefing he gave during the meeting? Although, Kris did not know him well enough yet. Perhaps he was all business with the uniform on.\n\n\"I mean to say, it worked. To some degree.\"\n\n\"I was brought in, after the season started, as I'm sure you are aware.\"\n\nKris blinked and tried to follow his meaning, \"Yes, I knew that.\"\n\n\"I'm not used to addressing civilians.\"\n\n\"Oh?\" _He's ex-military then_ , Kris thought. \"Well you did fine. Can't win with our crowd.\"\n\n\"A motley bunch, for sure.\" He stared off at the horizon.\n\n\"Were you in the armed services?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Once upon a time.\"\n\n\"I guess it's a good background to have in this line of work?\" Kris tried again to get him to elaborate.\n\n\"Some aspects.\"\n\n\"Well, let me give you a head's up. This place is gossip and rumor crazy. It's hard to say how things get started about people. Especially new people.\"\n\n\"Like me.\"\n\n\"Yeah. Like you. But you're not all that special. Or, well, I mean, doesn't matter who it is, it's like a right of passage to experience the garbage everyone comes up with.\"\n\n\"So what's being said about me?\" Michael looked over at her.\n\n\"Oh, I didn't mean -\" Kris walked head on into that one. No way was she about to explain the weird rumors being spread about him. \"My best friend, Raina, she's more in the middle of these things. I usually stay pretty removed. All I know is you worked in another park.\" Kris sheepishly smiled, hoping he'd by that explanation. She was a bit nervous. She did not wanting to piss him off, or portray herself in a bad way.\n\n\"Don't worry.\" Michael took a step closer and put his hand on her shoulder briefly.\n\nIntelligent conversation escaped her. Kris fought off the inclination to apologize for acting weird and insecure.\n\nShe wished at that moment her social skills were a bit more honed or at least floating above the level of a woodland mouse.\n\nHis strong touch was intoxicating. Whatever they had been discussing, was quickly forgotten about.\n\nA noisy conglomeration of hikers came upon the trail, oblivious to the spectacular views and scenery. Michael remained silent yet keenly alert as they passed.\n\nHe was used to the vast solitude of the James St. Claire trail. This little jaunt was not unlike a freeway at rush hour. However, it was pretty. Perhaps it would be even more visually grand if not for the haze that hung over the valley and the loud tourists. His arrival several weeks ago was quite shocking. Screaming kids, car engines, traffic and a general hum greeted him, tainting his first impression of White Rock.\n\nWatching Kris from the corner of his eye, Michael figured the annoyance of trail traffic, noise and pollution hardly mattered. Spending time with her brought about fresh feelings he'd not experienced in a great deal of years. This wasn't about a quick hook up or a torrid affair with a loose female.\n\nThis introverted blond lass wasn't going to drop her guard too easily, and because of it, Michael respected the situation. He wasn't in a hurry to engage in emotional dealings, especially with women. Kris wasn't na\u00efve he suspected. But she had a purity and innocence that was driving his cautionary behavior. Michael realized his potential involvement with her needed handling with kid gloves due to the collateral damage of his past. The only question remained was whether he should be the one to make the decision on infecting this fair creature, or give her the option to bow out.\n\nKris sat on the edge of a small boulder. Fifteen feet further and the cliff dropped steeply into a sharp canyon littered with felled trees resembling toothpicks. Michael sensed she needed a moment to rest, and she made no attempt to rise and continue on the trail. He casually strolled further up, following the trail direction but remaining in tree cover. Not letting Kris out of his sight, he reached and shifted his pack. The cool of the forest was dissipating fast. Midday sun was bearing down.\n\nShe was consuming, he thought. Lissome, pliant physique. A body gained from some endeavor. Her long, iridescent blond hair begged to be set free, sadly she kept it partially swept up. Unruly strands played hide and seek with her eyes. At times her disheveled presentation seemed to indicate an unbridled spirit. Was it an attempted reign of control but lapse of willingness to hold on to it?\n\nMichael was intoxicated with distraction. Even a mere glance was likened to being drawn into a far away land. Her bold blue eyes forbade him like windows of a haunted house. He desired to draw near, to know what lurked in the unknown. Careful, he thought sternly. Perhaps primeval forces of lust were the drive behind this fascination.\n\nDirecting his misguided thoughts back to the hike, Michael noticed her patiently waiting on the trail. She was obviously ready to continue.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nOne after another the miles ticked away. Kristjana and Ranger barely uttered a word. Crackling of loose rock and granite resonated with each step.\n\nAn ugly painfulness persistently crept to the forefront of her mind. The sharp, residual memories of hiking this pass with Adam flashed before her. Kris wrestled with the betrayal of being with one man and yet thinking of another. One of the few honest connections she and Adam shared was the love of hiking and exploring in the wilderness.\n\nTakor Pass trail greeted Kris like an old friend now. Perhaps an old, suspicious friend, however. The landmarks, rock and sparse trees were spying, scrutinizing her new accompaniment.\n\nThe requirement to produce small talk did not plague her as badly now. She decided if Ranger wasn't a conversationalist, then perhaps he was boring and had nothing to say. Coming from spectacular Ametter, this place probably resembled the ghetto to him.\n\nThey kept an even pace, Michael allowing her to take the lead through narrow switch backs.\n\nKris's mind continued to wander. Adam was a talker. Talk, talk, talk. Boasting about all his exclusive knowledge, expertise, abilities. It had become so intrusive to Kris that she found herself screaming at him to shut the fuck up on a regular basis. A large crack in her usual quiet behavior demonstrated the severity of problems and ultimately led to the break up months ago. Six months gone by. Adam wasn't giving up on the hope they'd be back together as a couple some day. Kris was aware, he'd been messing around with other females. Rumors pass quickly in a small community, and she'd received an ear full of his sexual promiscuity. Sex was highly important to him. His only way of mistakenly believing he had achieved the ultimate bond with a female.\n\nThe sun reached the high point in the sky casting an intense glare off the granite rock.\n\n\"What elevation do you think this is?\" Kris spoke out as they rounded another sharp bend in the steep trail.\n\nMichael pushed up a sleeve on his arm, revealing a thick watch. He inspected it closely for a moment.\n\n\"I'm reading nine thousand fourteen.\"\n\n\"Wow. It creeps up fast.\" Kris put her hand on her hip.\n\n\"Why don't we go up there. Have something to eat and take a break?\" Michael motioned slightly above the trail, toward some wind stricken trees and large sparkling granite.\n\n\"Sounds fine.\" Kris wasn't about to complain. She was also secretly glad he suggested the rest, instead of her.\n\n\"This is probably like being at sea level for you.\" Kris thought although the altitude was high to her, it was probably not a big deal for him. She sat down against a huge granite boulder. It provided a bit of shade on one side, but the glaring sun off the glacial rocks was intense. She quietly gasped deeply for air.\n\nRanger settled down right near her, gazing out into the rock bound valley. Running his fingers through the front of his dark hair, he settled back against the rock.\n\n\"Nine thousand feet and change, is nothing to sneeze at.\" Michael into his backpack for some food. \"Definitively less oxygen to deal with.\"\n\n\"The valley floor is only four thousand feet. A lot people can't even handle that.\"\n\n\"That's very true. This park has a very competent nurse, however. A better medical facility is lacking unfortunately.\"\n\n\"Oh you met Laura?\"\n\n\"Yes. The other day.\"\n\n\"She's real nice. But you're right. The little clinic or urgent care is kind of a joke. But they treat people with altitude sickness all the time. People that never leave the valley floor, I should add.\"\n\n\"Right.\" Michael gazed over at her, a bit vexed with growing attraction. Kris smiled, unsuspecting of his inner thoughts.\n\nCommonly, visitors not acclimatized to the elevation of the valley floor and experienced disgruntled digestive systems, head aches and loss of appetite. Various over the counter medications and aliments were available at the main store in White Rock. Nurse Laura saw quite a few suffering visitors that were desperate for relief. Most often she sent them back to camp, urging them to drink more water.\n\nKris drank a slow pour of her own water, squinting in the piercing sunlight.\n\nMichael watched her tip the bright blue bottle up to her lips. Trickles of water escaped her mouth and cascaded down the sides of her chin, dripping off onto her thin purple blouse. Oh for heaven's sake, Michael thought. He couldn't help gawk at her secretly, his eyes hidden behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses. A simple act of consuming water and suddenly a seductive switch flicked on in his concupiscent mind. Her shirt appeared to be thin, but even so, the water failed to permeate the fabric and dripped onto the dirt.\n\nThe intense warmth of the white granite created a discomfort. While Michael was accustomed to hiking with a shirt off, he decided it was not appropriate right then. He very much needed to stop thinking of clothing all together at that very minute. Ripping off attire was just feeding other salacious thoughts.\n\nTearing his gaze from Kris, he took a large bite of an energy bar. Hardly chewing, he swallowed the tasteless protein.\n\n\"Pretty up here,\" Michael broke the silence.\n\nKris brought her hand up to her lips to wipe away the water. Uh oh. Now they were reduced to finding polite things to talk about.\n\n\"I haven't been here in awhile. It can be a popular trail on a day like this. Nothing like the St. Claire though.\"\n\nMichael let her statement roll around in his mind for a few moments before responding.\n\n\"It's nice that you can come hike this whenever you feel like it. The James St. Claire is hard to reach, with only a few access points. Not a day hike or a spur of the moment trip.\" Pristine beauty was one thing. Loneliness and an almost complete lack of human contact was not always an easy thing to deal with on the remote St. Claire trail.\n\n\"Lame of me to compare both trails.\"\n\n\"It's okay, I know what you mean.\" Finishing his snack, Michael carefully twisted up the wrapper and stuffed it into his pack. He took a long drink of water.\n\n\"Would you go back?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Would I go back? To working the trail?\"\n\n\"Yes.\" Kris was trying to get a better idea of why he left, and now was in a position of interacting with the public on a daily basis.\n\n\"I would go back for pleasure, but not to work the back country.\"\n\n\"What made you chose this crazy place?\"\n\n\"White Rock is a unique place. I was happy when they asked for my transference here.\" Michael refrained from further elaboration.\n\nKris pulled her legs up close to her body and wrapped her arms around her knees. She wanted to close her eyes for a moment. Half of her hair found its way free from the constraints she enacted earlier. The breeze played with her free locks, and she made no attempt to fool around with beautifying herself.\n\n\"You were saying something before, about your background?\" Kris said.\n\nA slow introspective smile spread across Michael's face. His eyes were fixated on some rocks. When and how much personal information to divulge was a balancing act. Surely wild rumors were viciously circling the camp at this point. Kris could either hear the true story from him now, or he could mop up the mess later.\n\nOld piercing details of his former life surged and he instinctively fought back mentally. The past was never just the past. Some parts of it resurface no matter what.\n\nKris glanced at him, patiently waiting. Why were men so mysterious? They placed too much emphasis on things that were really trivial. Perhaps it was an ego thing. Or primal thing. Kris breathed in the sweet scent of pine trees, enjoying a playful breeze swirling in and out of the large rocks.\n\n\"As you mentioned before, the rumors will come out, if they haven't already.\"\n\n\"Rumors are unkind. I was just curious, that's all.\" Kris decided she was pushing it.\n\n\"I'd be very surprised if you haven't heard at least one negative thing about me so far.\"\n\n\"I never put much weight behind what I hear at this place.\" Kris thought back to the campfire meeting.\n\nMichael bore a glance in her direction and then focused into the distance, as if scanning for something in particular.\n\n\"I seem to attract some attention for the wrong reasons.\" He knew he sounded like a confusing idiot.\n\n\"Because you're good looking?\" Kris felt the words leave her mouth before she thought too hard, \"I mean -\"\n\nMichael smiled to himself\n\n\"Dare I suggest as well that your beauty attracts attention that isn't always warranted?\"\n\nKris was highly perplexed. Was that just a compliment or something else? She sat patiently, wondering if going on this hike with him was a mistake.\n\n\"I'm a former U.S. Navy Seal,\" he said. It was now or never. Otherwise she could be festering with certain nasty rumors that he was a former mercenary or hit man.\n\n\"Oh. Well. So I guess that makes sense.\" Kris wanted to slap herself for such a bumbling response. She was well aware of ex-military joining the park service. Not a shocker. But this detail about Michael did explain his disciplined actions and behaviors.\n\n\"You'll hear some other things about me for sure.\"\n\nKris swallowed and then the idea popped into her head. \"What did you do in the service?\" Obviously there was something that connected in his background to being head of security and ranger at a national park.\n\n\"I was trained and then specialized in certain unit.\" The unsettling raw familiarity crept back.\n\nKris took note of the slight change in his demeanor.\n\n\"Sorry, you don't have to tell me.\"\n\n\"I think it's better you have some understanding.\"\n\n\"Okay.\" Why should she have some understanding?\n\n\"Unconventional warfare operations,\" he said refraining from eye contact. Kris was unsure what this meant. Typical guy she thought. Making a big deal out of nothing.\n\n\"So, you have some kind of training that's helpful to us?\" Kris tried to draw the reference to the park.\n\n\"Perhaps,\" his voice dropped, \"there's just a component that I'm not too proud of.\"\n\nKris frowned for a moment and then took a guess.\n\n\"Discharged?\"\n\n\"Well no, I essentially retired.\"\n\n\"Essentially?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"I suppose there are certain unspoken things in the military.\"\n\n\"You hurt someone?\"\n\n\"Let's just say I'm trained in certain tactics that can achieve a desired outcome, especially in a difficult situation.\"\n\n\"You didn't answer my question.\"\n\n\"You already know the answer.\" Michael's eyes dug deep into Kris's. She was a bit taken aback.\n\n\"I'm not trying to scare you,\" he said, \"I think my motive in bringing this up is to warn you.\"\n\nBefore, it was rumor control, but now it was a warning? She didn't know what to say.\n\nMichael tried to lesson the severity of his tone.\n\n\"I'm not so self inflated as to describe myself in a way that puts me on a level above regular people.\"\n\n\"Now you're sounding like my ex,\" Kris snorted.\n\n\"Do I? Perhaps we should meet.\"\n\n\"Oh you'll meet him.\"\n\nKris dug the toe of her shoe into the dirt. Maybe he had some post traumatic stressed disorder, causing a failure in the ability to hold a regular conversation. This was odd. A different oddity than Adam, but bizarre nonetheless.\n\n\"I'm sure a lot of false information will come out about me. A lot of stuff that may get confusing. I'm sorry to alarm you.\" The edginess of his voice let go and Michael touched the top of her knee with his index finger.\n\n\"I appreciate that,\" Kris exhaled unevenly. His touch sparked a thread of electricity. Her throat had run dry.\n\n\"I want to get to know you,\" he said.\n\nKris found her brain somewhere else, rapidly descending into a chasm where the English language didn't exist. She managed a polite smile in his direction.\n\nIf it weren't for a persistent breeze, she was positive her entire body would have been engulfed in flames. Pressing her back into the granite rock, she grappled with insecurity akin to a nervous school girl.\n\nMichael decided to stand and stretch.\n\n\"Think we ought to start back?\" It was more of a statement than a question, but he was enjoying how Kris attempted to hide her unsteadiness.\n\n\"I suppose so.\" A little overcome with nervous jitters, she began brushing off bits of dirt and scree stuck her to pants. Her heart pulsated in irregular beats. She need not glance up in his direction to know he watched, and watched closely.\n\nMichael grappled in the fluctuation of his thoughts. Averting his attention he scanned the network of trails below. More locks of Nordic blond hair fell into her face as a breeze picked up. The bright sunlight reflected off her iridescent hair in striking fashion. Before her nervous fidgeting could come to completion, he approached. Standing quite tall over her, his voice resonated deeply, hauntingly. Kris halted her nervous behavior and straightened.\n\n\"May I?\" he gazed down at her, offering a hand in effort to lead her off the rocks and onto the trail.\n\nKris cleared her throat, not saying yes but not denying his help either. Being so close to him magnified the strength and form of his rock solid body. Intimidated, Kris wasn't sure what to do.\n\n\"Everything all right?\" Michael asked.\n\nShe fought for something witty and smart to say. Instead, her mind was irritatingly blank.\n\nMichael was no stranger to recognizing a flight response and Kris was a classic example at that moment. Placing his fingertips on the upper side of her arm, he slowly ran his fingers over her skin and down her forearm until grasping her hand.\n\nBefore Kris could resist, he leaned down slightly, and softly placed his lips to hers. Kris could hardly breathe and felt her heart stop altogether. Intertwining his fingers into hers, his mouth was respectfully gentle in the caress. His warm breath softly brushed over her face.\n\nHis overpowering presence and male aroma brought goosebumps upon her arms. It was not enough to sample a single breath of his scent. Kris grew more and more addicted. Rich, woodsy smoke danced before her thoughts. Deep musky undertones hid beneath the surface of this mysterious man.\n\nAbsorbing her apprehension, Michael placed his other hand along her jawline. He slid his fingers behind her ear, into her hair. Furthering his touch, his hand came around the nape of her neck, slightly drawing her into him.\n\nKris instantly awoke to inflamed sensations throughout her body. His touch melted off her anxious thoughts about what was happening. She opened her mouth, kissing him harder.\n\nTasting her. Feeling her. It all tormented him. Michael hit an imaginary wall, not knowing whether to cross the boundary of restraint or obey curiosity. She did not merely accept his mouth, but furthered the intensity of kiss. The way she moved her lips against his, toying delicately with his tongue, seamlessly mating her mouth to his. Waves of energy poured through him. His midsection was on fire. He teetered on the edge of indecision. Michael greatly craved to deepen the kiss, to pull their bodies tightly close, letting her feel his searing heat and engorging situation. Though, it was too much, too early for such things. He resisted the ravenous inclination to seduce her. She needn't be apprised of his voracious hunger yet.\n\nRetracting from her proved harder than he imagined. But he managed. His fingers traced the side of her face until touching the side of her wet mouth. Letting his eyes graze over her impassioned expression filled him with the urge to take her once more. As she unsteadily withdrew, and licked her lips as if to encompass the taste of him, Michael surged with anticipation. Delightfully, she was not the innocent little creature he assessed her to be.\n\nMichael ached to kiss Kris again and again. However, now was not the time. It was unlike him to be wrestling with self control. Training dictated self restraint, retention of desire. It had been a long time since someone struck a match and lighted this fire within him. He needed to find out where this interlude with this girl was headed.\n\nMany times he observed Kris from a distance at camp. Her interactions with some sub-creature named Adam were odd, peculiar to figure out. At one point Michael was sure that this abrasive male and Kris were romantically involved. Now he was fairly sure this degenerate was the ex-boyfriend Kris had referred to. This Adam character lacked respect for women, that was dangerously clear. But Michael lost some objectivity with Kris. Thoughts of her were persistent, even amongst all the crappy bull shit that headquarters saddled him with.\n\n\"I thought we were going?\" Kris asked.\n\nMichael leaned down again and placed his lips to the side of her mouth, kissing her gently, drawing in her sweet smell.\n\nKris relished the smoothness of his skin and prayed for a kiss full on the mouth one more time. But it did not happen.\n\n\"Why don't you get going? I'll catch up,\" excusing himself, he swiftly picked up his pack. Michael needed a moment of composure alone. Quite the opposite of shy, yet not wanting to be shocking or rude in Kris's presence, Michael deemed it best to let things cool off for a few moments.\n\n\"Oh, sure,\" Kris smiled, reverting to her usual introverted self.\n\nMichael watched Kris walk lower and lower to the trail until disappearing.\n\nKris's mind was in a ferocious storm. She couldn't sort out what had just taken place. Instead of enjoying the unexpected kiss, her insecurity rose up and put conflicting ideas in her mind. On one had, he had kissed her. Passionately. And his kiss was amazing. On the other hand, why did it stop so abruptly? He was quick to end the contact.\nChapter Eight\n\nWhen Michael finally caught up with Kris, she was oddly silent and void of nonsensical conversation. Both were fatigued from the hike and silently trying to assess each other's reaction from the kiss earlier in the day. Kris was convinced that she did not meet his expectations. Now the awkward phase would commence.\n\nIt was seven in the evening by the time they reached camp. Michael walked Kris to her cabin and she politely thanked him for the hike. The departure was dry and abrupt.\n\nEarlier, before reaching the valley, Michael brought out the portable two way radio that practically never left his side. Checking in with headquarters he quickly learned there had been another attack. It was his day off but technically he was on-call 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.\n\nKris promised him she would be careful, and perhaps they would meet up later, the two parted ways.\n\nKris was in a hurry, gathering a change of clothes and toiletries for the shower. Determined to get a good stall before the evening shift got off, she quickly locked up her cabin and started down the path to the stone shower hut.\n\nBarely a glimmer of sunlight was left. A few workers were relaxing on the cabin porches, having drinks, laughing and enjoying the evening. Kris waved to a few, but kept a swift pace. Avoiding Adam was priority number one. He was a snake that kept turning up when least expected.\n\nThe evening was warm and surreal. The damp, dreary spring was giving way to a real summer at last. The air was stagnant. Smoke from campfires and cook-outs drifted through the valley and thick pockets of trees.\n\nA few passing co-workers commented on the new attack. Nobody knew actual details, only fragmented bits of information.\n\nKris couldn't distract her heightened state of awareness. With more than a day's worth of adrenaline almost gone, and new worries that the attacker was still on the loose, reality quickly sunk in. She decided that after the shower she would return to the cabin and look hard to find some sort of weapon. A mangy baseball bat used to reside under her bed.\n\nKris knew little about guns, and although many in camp talked about purchasing a firearm outside the park, it wasn't a priority in her mind. In fact it was downright uncomfortable to think of handling a gun. A popular sports store in Matherville, just outside White Rock, sold a variety of weapons. Kris wondered if she could work up the gumption to arm herself. She liked the idea of bear spray as a self defense tactic, but the large canister was cumbersome to carry. She hauled around enough junk from work to cabin and back again every day.\n\nReaching the stone steps of the staff shower building, she greeted by familiar faces. The females were understandably more disturbed than the guys.\n\nJoseph Donati, who worked in the kitchen at Willow Camp Lodge was yammering on about how he'd blow the son-of-a-bitch to kingdom come. He was sure it wasn't someone from staff committing the attacks, rather a rogue intruder disguised as a tourist. Jake McAllister and Simon Trader boasted in detail how they would be first in line to take down the perpetrator.\n\n\"What's going on Kris?\" Angela Bello sat on a small round stool at the entrance to the showers. She nervously fingered a cigarette in one hand and a small orange lighter in the other.\n\n\"Not too much, Angela.\"\n\n\"I take it you heard? Why can't they catch whoever is doing this?\" Angela's voice shook. It was unlike the stout female to unravel or show fear.\n\nKris wavered on the top step. Tired, she didn't know what to say to soothe the girl.\n\n\"They'll catch whoever it is.\" Kris thought back earlier to what Michael said, how he had been hired for a reason.\n\n\"What did you do today? Anything fun?\" Angela was looking up anxiously at Kris.\n\n\"Oh, nothing really. Went up Takor.\"\n\n\"Yeah? Busy?\" Angela flicked ashes from her cigarette onto the ground.\n\n\"Lots of people, yeah. Annoying.\" Kris brushed her hair back, not sure if word had gotten out that her hike involved the Ranger.\n\n\"I think Adam was looking for you earlier.\"\n\n\"Over here?\" Kris frowned.\n\n\"I think. Hey Jake!\" Angela yelled out to the dirty blond male goofing off and holding a beer in one hand.\n\n\"Jake!\" Angela raised her voice, impatient for him to respond. Jake seemed oblivious to Angela.\n\n\"That's okay, I don't care. I need to get going -\" Kris said, motioning toward the door.\n\n\"Wait just a darn second. Jake! Hey asshole!\"\n\n\"What?!\" Finally Jake quite ignoring the call for his attention and strode over to the girls.\n\n\"Kris wants to know where Adam is.\"\n\n\"No, no, I don't. You said he was looking for me. I just, wanted to -\"\n\n\"Yeah, he was over here like an hour ago or something. Being weird.\" Jake took a sip of his beer offering it to Kris.\n\n\"No thanks.\"\n\n\"Jake you haven't even been here an hour. It's been like ten minutes,\" Angela grew cross.\n\n\"Bitch, I've been here longer than you.\" Jake turned to go back to his other friends.\n\n\"Jerk,\" Angela hissed and tossed her cigarette to the ground.\n\n\"Well, I'm off to shower now. You, guys, uh, have a nice evening, okay?\" Kris was quite eager to depart. It was common for Angela and Jake to spar. She harbored a crush for him but he downplayed her feelings which caused a lot of friction.\n\nAngela was no longer listening to Kris and got up, shuffling over to Jake and his friends to further antagonize him. Kris pushed hard on the heavy wooden door and went inside just before the voices grew loud and raucous.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nKris finished combing through her long wet hair. The front door to the shower building started creaking open and slamming shut as more people entered the small building. Noisy talk of the attack filled the air. Details were emerging, but not enough to piece together what actually happened, or who the victim was.\n\n\"I'll never understand why you keep that mane so darn long,\" a familiar voice rang out.\n\nKris shoved her comb into her little yellow canvas bag and started searching for a flashlight.\n\n\"Hi Terri. What's going on?\" Kris spoke with little enthusiasm.\n\n\"Party going on. Tonight. You gonna come?\" She crossed her arms and pressed her plump rear end up against the stainless steel sink.\n\n\"Probably not,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Come on girl. You never hang with us anymore.\" Terri waved to another person just entering the building.\n\n\"I was on a long hike today. I just want to go to bed,\" Kris said.\n\nA wicked smile erected upon Terri's face. \"Yeah. Heard about that.\"\n\n\"About my hike?\"\n\n\"Way I heard it, you weren't alone.\" Terri snapped her gum, staring at Kris.\n\nKris dropped her flashlight.\n\n\"So, what's he like?\" Terri lowered her voice. Terri was the park's biggest gossip hound. When it came to men in the park, especially new ones, she butted her nose right into everyone's private life.\n\n\"We just hiked. That's it.\" The less details, the better.\n\n\"Sure you did,\" Terri fluffed up her hair, \"and this is my natural color.\"\n\n\"Just leave it alone. Please?\" Kris grew irritated.\n\n\"Sheesh. I can't have a little fun? Well, okay. I'll drop it for now. But you need a man. In more ways than one.\"\n\n\"Whatever,\" Kris's voice was barely audible.\n\n\"Come to the party, though, okay?\" Terri drifted off, spotting other people to annoy. \"You need a drink.\"\n\nKris smiled politely. Not wanting to repeat her answer of decline, she quickly brushed her teeth. It was time to get the hell out of the shower building.\n\nThe red headed socialite never usually paid much attention to Kris. Terri lived a life of unrestrained activity. She was very proud of her racy tattoos and body piercings. Fond of skin tight clothes, heavy eye make up and strong perfume, Terri never seemed to worry about anything. She was pushing thirty years old and had no college education or career aspirations. Her winters were spent in southern California on the back seat of her boyfriend's motorcycle. Five years Terri's junior, Kris was highly reluctant to respond to a party invitation or strike up meaningless conversation with the fireball. However, on this night, who in their right mind was going to sleep anyway? Kris realized attending the party wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nOutside, Kris greeted the warm night air cautiously. She hurriedly made her way down the stone steps and onto the rock path towards the cabins. Lots of people were out and about. It was going to be a long night. No Adam in sight, so there was hope.\n\nKris approached the roundabout. Thoughts of Michael cropped up quickly. Unsettled about the situation, she was trying not to think about the kiss, yet it was impossible to forget.\n\nShe approached and slowed her pace. Michael's truck was parked on the edge of the circular drive. Apprehension flooded her. No headlights were on, not even the exterior parking lights. Maybe it really wasn't his truck. It could be someone else's Dodge.\n\nKris forced herself to think of getting ready for the party. Assuming the part was at Jake's place, Kris had time to go back to her own cabin first. She needed to find some decent clothes. Something a little less shabby. Raina had borrowed just about every decent piece of attire from Kris. And Raina's definition of borrowing didn't involve returning.\n\n\"Must have been a long shower,\" a voice sounded in the dark.\n\nKris tripped. She swung around looking for the stalker. Dropping her bag she grasped her flashlight tightly.\n\n\"Sorry,\" Michael apologized, appearing out of the darkness.\n\nKris's breathing was shallow but her heart was racing.\n\nMichael instantly felt bad. \"I didn't mean to scare you.\"\n\n\"No problem. You did but that's okay,\" Kris lied. She blinked in the darkness and clicked off her light. Her rapidly beating heart was causing an ache in her chest.\n\nMichael gently settled his commanding eyes into her bewildered expression.\n\n\"Walking alone in the dark is a bit ambitious.\"\n\n\"Stupid you mean,\" Kris coughed. \"Shower wasn't long just crowded. Well, I mean, my shower wasn't crowded, but the building was.\"\n\n\"Ah. Odd place for everyone to hang out.\"\n\n\"Yes. Rather annoying.\" Kris swallowed hard. \"Anyway. Did you find the attacker?\"\n\n\"Unfortunately, no.\" Michael placed his hand on her shoulder, leading her off the trail and into the tree cover. Kris grew increasingly lightheaded. She assumed he didn't want to be seen talking to her.\n\n\"You really need to be more careful out here,\" he explained in a deepening voice.\n\nKris felt shivers run up her bare arms.\n\n\"Um, because of new attack?\"\n\n\"Yes. I just don't want to see you harmed.\"\n\nKris flushed with warmth. It would seem he was quite concerned for her best interests.\n\n\"I won't be.\"\n\n\"I'm glad you suggested the hike today,\" Michael said.\n\n\"We should go again sometime.\" Kris either needed to mentally squash a large seed of insecurity or seek therapy immediately. The way he spoke was different than most people. He could be so direct. It was unfamiliar.\n\nMichael grasped her hand unexpectedly and took several more steps away from the trail. Kris had no choice but to follow his lead.\n\n\"I need to get going. I'm on duty tonight.\" He stared down at her.\n\n\"Oh, of course. It was nice to see you. I'm on my way to a party anyway.\"\n\n\"I just wanted to tell you I enjoyed being with you today. I also needed to clear up something.\"\n\n\"Sure,\" Kris said. He would now tell her what she feared and already imagined. That he had a great time and was no longer interested.\n\n\"I didn't want it be be awkward,\" Michael said.\n\n_Here it comes_ , Kris thought.\n\n\"You are aware of the park rules surrounding workers of hierarchy involving themselves with -\"\n\n\"A lowly waitress?\" Kris interrupted.\n\n\"That's not what I meant.\" He grasped the front of his duty belt.\n\n\"I know what you mean. And don't worry, I won't be a problem for you.\" Kris moved away, but Michael caught her arm.\n\n\"Where are you going? Kris, can I say this please?\"\n\n\"If you're going to lecture me on the park rules, don't bother. People around here break them all the time so using them as an excuse for why you can't continue to see me is lame.\" Kris resisted his grasp.\n\n\"Hold on.\" He let go, and Kris stumbled back a little. Michael instantly recognized the defensive mechanism. It was a bit premature. Obviously Kris had been through perhaps similar entanglements and was quick to protect herself.\n\n\"My intent was not to put your position and my position in jeopardy,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Oh, I see. Thanks for thinking of my job. How thoughtful.\"\n\nShe was closing off emotionally. Michael grasped his ranger hat, throwing it to the ground and took a step toward her.\n\n\"You misunderstand.\" He threaded his fingers around the back of her head into damp hair.\n\n\"I'm willing to risk punishment of the harshest kind if it means being near you.\" He spoke, his lips almost grazing hers.\n\n\"Then I am totally confused.\" Kris responded in a harsh whisper.\n\n\"I'm trying to tell you that if we get involved it could be quite messy. Perhaps the better choice is to avoid me completely.\"\n\n\"And why would I want to do that?\" Kris said. Defiance crept up. \"If this is a choice, don't make it for me. That is unless you are having doubts.\"\n\nMichael pressed his lips into hers, moving over her soft flesh and deeply penetrating his tongue into her mouth. The scent of her freshly cleaned skin captivated his senses. Michael fought the urge to remove what little clothing she had on, running his hands over her naked skin. Forgetting entirely he was on duty and in uniform, he kissed her even harder.\n\nKris put her hands to his face and then wrapped her arms around his neck, enveloped in his intoxicating embrace. If it weren't for a voice crackling through his radio, both of them would have been oblivious to time and space, giving into ravenous urges.\n\nMichael reached between their bodies pushing the volume on the dial down.\n\n\"Aren't you going to answer that?\" Kris asked, breathing heavily.\n\nMichael nodded, clearly betwixt by their oral copulation.\n\n\"Might we take this up another time?\" Michael said.\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"You have a party to attend.\"\n\n\"Oh yeah.\" Kris had forgotten completely.\n\n\"At least we got that straightened out.\" Michael spoke with an edge of sarcasm. He really didn't want to see Kris get in trouble because of his ferocious curiosity and desire.\n\n\"Don't worry about my job. It's a love-hate kind of thing,\" Kris said.\n\nMichael assumed they had more in common than he first thought.\n\nThey stepped back onto the trail. Lights glowed in the distance.\n\n\"Why do I feel like a high school kid about to get caught for doing something bad?\" Kris picked up her canvas bag laying next to a tree.\n\nMichael only smiled and kissed her again. He whispered, \"Be careful,\" and started toward the roundabout. Kris was inclined to stroll lazily in the afterglow of his powerful embrace, but she pushed herself not to linger. After all, there was a dangerous criminal afoot in White Rock.\nChapter Nine\n\nA Party\n\nWarm air settled over the camp that evening. Kris was having difficulty in choosing appropriate attire for the party. Her real problem was that she didn't want to go at all. It was a certainty that Adam would show up. She didn't want to look like a nun but didn't want to ignite Adam's crude attention either. Taking a big gulp of sugary liquid, she felt her heart race a little. Placing the orange and blue can down on the desk, she held up a pair of low riding jeans and black sweatshirt with silver metallic writing on the back. The jeans had a bit of pine tree sap stuck eternally to the hem of the legs, but otherwise they would do.\n\nLicking the underside of her upper lip she tasted fruit flavored lip gloss. Kris was no stranger to cosmetics, however she was more inclined toward the natural approach to beauty. White Rock wasn't the city but it wasn't so far removed from everyday culture that people ran around like backwoods hicks. Also, it wasn't too common to go shopping for things in the nearby towns. The local store in the valley of the park did not carry a wide selection of beautification products either.\n\nWith her freshly washed hair half pulled up the rest cascaded down past her shoulders. Kris reached up and yanked the elastic band from her head, freeing her hair. She was no good at styling it. It was it's own entity, her hair. Iridescent white blond was the color she was born with. Teased about being a Norse goddess or Swed, Kris rarely answered to such idiotic references. However, staring at herself squarely in the mirror tonight, her Scandinavian ancestry was unmistakable. Kris began tracing the lower lid of her eye with dark liner. Her large blue eyes hardly needed accentuating against the stark contrast of her blond hair. After a little effort her eyes were transformed into rich, smoldering features. She threaded little metal earrings with purple crystals into her ear lobes.\n\nThe raucous commentary from co-workers would be obnoxious. She was prepared for the usual sexual remarks and tomboy jokes. Hopefully the badgering wouldn't sting too badly tonight.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nShoving her hands into her pockets Kris stopped about twenty feet from Jake McAllister's cabin. Loud music was draining out into the night. A good variety of people hung out everywhere.\n\n\"Oh my fucking mama. Kristjana! Wholly shit!\"\n\n\"And I thought I could blend in.\" Kris stepped forth.\n\n\"Hells to the no! All that's missing is a nice stiff drink in your hand. Come with me.\" Jake was grinning from ear to ear.\n\n\"Nothing too exotic, you hear me? I'm not waking up in the lake.\"\n\nJake laughed out loud. \"You know, I should wise up and ask you out. Just one thing though -\"\n\n\"And that is?\"\n\n\"You're too good for me.\" Jake burst out in his usual deep booming laugh.\n\n\"Jake, get lost and quit molesting the guests.\" Terri White came up from behind. \"Don't listen to him,\" she said, taking Kris firmly by the hand. \"He's as horny as the devil. Come on, let's up go.\" Terri pulled Kris up the steps.\n\n\"You'd know all about the devil, Terri!\" Jake yelled after her and then rejoined some friends that were building a bonfire pit.\n\nKris tried to push away the insecurities that arose out of the dank night air. The quicker she could get buzzed, the better. Ascending narrow stairs she pushed and stepped over several people.\n\n\"Jake's place is fucking hot, and I don't mean in a good way. Drinks are on the end of the deck. Simon and Joseph are on their way. Had to drive all the way into Matherville to get booze. Fuck this park.\" Terri talked a mile a minute. She tipped a large glass filled with amber liquid to her fluorescent pink lips.\n\n\"I should of brought something.\" Kris surveyed the selection of drinking options. Mostly beer.\n\n\"Shit no! Guys are buyin'! No girls shelling out for this night.\"\n\n\"You haven't seen Raina, by chance?\" Kris asked. Her exuberant friend was nowhere in sight.\n\n\"She was here earlier. Ran off. Higher than a kite.\" On more than one occasion Raina rubbed Terri the wrong way and it stuck. Terri pretended to like her, but Kris saw through her transparent attitude.\n\n\"So miss, where is the fucking hot ranger? I thought you would bring him.\" Terri probed, fingering her bright red hair.\n\nKris coughed. She knew there was some reason Terri was so bothersome back at the showers.\n\n\"Working.\"\n\n\"Well we both know that means nothing. Should of brought him.\"\n\n\"Next time,\" Kris lied. Take Michael to one of these flesh fests? No darn way.\n\n\"Everyone says he and Beth are shacking up. What a total whore. And she's convincing nobody with that cheap hair color.\"\n\n\"I see.\" Kris winced. Not five minutes at the party and already the vicious rumors were flying around.\n\n\"Oh, but don't worry. I'm sure he stopped porking Beth the minute you hooked up with him,\" Terri blurted out so fast that Kris didn't have time to respond. With a fake smile across her bright lips, Terri took off pushing her way back through the crowd of people.\n\nKris grabbed a bottle and twisted off the top, dropping it into an orange bucket. Already the night was off and running with a round of gossip about Michael, and Raina being a no-show.\n\n\"Terri get you set up?\" Jake appeared at the top of the steps. His cheeks were flushed red and eyes glassy.\n\n\"Yes.\" Kris took a long drink of the beer.\n\n\"Great.\" Jake clapped his hands together.\n\n\"Come down to the fire. Can't fit no more people on this deck.\" He jammed his hand deep into the icy water of the open cooler. \"Gotta get one down here. The ones at the top are still warm.\" He popped off the top of a beer and fizzing liquid poured out.\n\n\"I had no idea you had normal clothing.\" Jake ignored the mess he was making.\n\n\"Quite shocking, isn't it?\" Kris said.\n\n\"Yes ma'am. Well. I'm gonna go back down.\" He smiled loosely and moved past.\n\nKris gazed down upon a mob of people. Joseph and Simon had arrived with a metal cart stacked with boxes of booze. Loud rock music pulsated through the air. She couldn't see Adam anywhere. He hated social events so it would crazy to expect him.\n\nA few minutes later out of the corner of her eye, Kris caught sight of a familiar buzz cut head. She cursed under her breath. Where in the heck was Raina?\n\nMore people pushed their way to the top steps and made useless but polite conversation with Kris. Careful to keep herself partially hidden in the crowd, Kris hoped Adam would drink his spongy liver into a prune and pass out in the forest.\n\nTwisting off the cap to her second beer a tall lanky male wielding a bottle of clear spirits suggested he pour some of it into hers. It turned out to be lemon rum and quite a good complement to the cheap, crappy beer she was nursing. Kris sucked it down quite readily.\n\n\"Kris!\" Raina's voice penetrated the chatter. \"What the hell are you doing?\" Breathless, she bounced up against Kris.\n\n\"Where the heck have you been?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Adam's here.\"\n\n\"I know.\" Kris brought the glass to her lips and took a substantial drink.\n\n\"Good idea. Blur the sonuvabitch out. Let's go down, it's too crowded up here.\"\n\nKris bobbed her head in agreement.\n\nNo sooner had they reached the bonfire did Raina stumble off. Kris noticed her own balance and steadiness were already impaired. She was instantly reminded of a rafting trip last summer down the Kwoluck river. Stupidity led her to stand up after drinking too much in the hot summer sun. Almost losing an oar and jumping into the cold water after it, she vowed never to combine alcohol and outdoor activities again. Maybe nighttime parties should be included.\n\nRaina moved off to a group of people sitting in beach chairs. Kris sat down next to crude dirt pit constructed for the fire. Craggy logs hissed and popped, sending out large plumes of sparks.\n\n\"Still hate Vodka, babe?\"\n\nThe voice stabbed at her ears. Kris wobbly swung around and dug her nails into her hip.\n\n\"One for you.\" He lifted a drink toward her. Kris stood motionless.\n\n\"No thanks Adam.\" Kris stood up, ready to relocate herself from Adam.\n\n\"Try it. Too sweet for me. Just like you darling.\"\n\n\"What part of no don't you understand?\"\n\n\"I'll get you another beer if you hate it.\" A cocky smile spread across his thin lips. He held the liquor out to Kris.\n\nInstead of making a scene and loosing composure, Kris politely reached out and grabbed the thick glass with two hands. Inspecting the light purple booze, Kris moved off toward the fire. With her back turned to Adam, she brought the heavy glass to her lips and let the alcohol seep into her mouth. It was horrifically sweet. She took several more sips of it and then sank down onto the dirt.\n\nAdam stalked over and joined her soon enough. His glass was nearly empty. Kris struggled to remain aloof. Internally her thoughts were muddy and illogical. Adam plopped down and leaned backward onto his elbows.\n\n\"Glad I decided to come.\" His statement was inaudible on purpose. Adam was very happy in his decision to check out the party. And he was quite relieved to find Kris in attendance. It meant she was not off with the Ranger.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMichael went slightly out of his way to keep an eye on the party that evening. He stayed well out of view which was not hard given the oblivious attendees. Staff parties of this kind and size were against park regulations. Michael did not see the harm in letting it continue as long as nobody got out of control and guests of the park did not make their way over to the staff camp.\n\nMichael inspected Kris's behavior from the hidden shroud of thick pines at the far side of camp. She was consuming alcoholic beverages at a worrisome pace. He would not stop her in the process of getting drunk. Perhaps she did this often. By all indications Kris didn't seem like the party-type. It was feasible that she was just looking for a release or way to relax in the wake of increasing park stress. The attacks were still taking place and each one was changing in intensity.\n\nMichael leaned against a thick pine tree slowly crossing his arms and observing Kris and her ex-boyfriend. They seemed to be getting along.\n\nThe longer Michael stood and watched, the more restless he became. There was no ease in tearing his gaze from her. Tonight she'd taken extra effort in highlighting her natural beauty. Even from a distance he was mesmerized by her white blond mane cascading down past her shoulders. She appeared slightly nervous and out of place among the raucous bunch of young people.\n\nIn one hand she grasped a large glass to which she continually raised to her lips. That very act alone stirred loose a primal desire within him.\n\nAn electronic blip from the radio broke Michael from his pleasing distraction. He moved off to respond in a quieter location. Quickly he learned of a bear making an unwelcome presence in one of the meadow camps. While not an emergency it needed to be promptly dealt with. Bears were common nuisances during high tourist season. Park guests were notoriously messy and thoughtless with food and garbage. Michael rapidly strode back to his truck. Once more his thoughts veered back to Kris. Something about her was very magnetic and he reminded himself to proceed with caution.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Another?\" Adam's voice was heavy with disgust. His mood had soured considerably as midnight approached. A side effect of the alcohol but also his expectations of the night were quite reduced. Kris was not giving him the special attention he desired. Her affections were absent. Adam had counted on the booze to loosen her up and drop inhibitions.\n\nKris focused on his pathetic gaze and shook her head. Adam got up and stormed off.\n\n\"Sooner or later he'll get it. I swear. He's delusional.\" Raina re-emerged slurring her speech and barely hanging onto a beer.\n\nKris watched Adam disappear past a group of people.\n\n\"At least he left,\" Kris said. Her head was annoyingly spinning.\n\n\"Fuck.\" Raina dropped to the ground rather hard.\n\n\"Geez. Are you okay?\"\n\n\"Not really.\" Raina plopped upright.\n\n\"I don't know how much longer I'm staying,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Why don't you explore a better option and go find the Ranger.\" Raina smiled.\n\n\"Sure.\"\n\n\"I mean it girl. You gotta go after this one otherwise someone is going to grab him right up.\"\n\nKris eyed Raina with some irritation. Why was everyone so eager to stick their nose into her private business? Was this ruggedly handsome ranger really going to get assaulted by a hoard of slutty females if Kris didn't get down and dirty with him? Sex was the only topic this crowd had advice on. Where were her so-called friends when she was going through the volatile break up with Adam last year? Everyone stood off to the side and said nothing.\n\nBeing with Michael was exciting and new. But in many ways Kris found herself having anxious moments. It had been a long time since she let down her guard and trusted a stranger. People were unpredictable, selfish and usually possessed some type of secret agenda. It was much easier to be alone. Maybe all Michael wanted was sex? Even worse maybe all Kris wanted was sex. Sex without the attachment and confusing toil of a relationship. She was lost within a deep mire of thoughts.\n\n\"Well honestly I hope you're not feeling sorry for him.\" Raina sensed she had pricked Kris the wrong way.\n\n\"Who, Adam?\"\n\n\"Because you shouldn't.\"\n\n\"I fucking don't feel sorry for him.\" Kris insisted angrily. At that moment she snapped out of her daze and realized it was not sex she wanted from Michael. It was more than that. There was something indescribable, intangible every time they were together. Unlike the early days of being with Adam.\n\n\"Okay just making sure,\" Raina said.\n\nKris breathed out heavily.\n\n\"I shouldn't of come tonight. It sends the wrong message. He thinks I still don't want to let go.\"\n\n\"That's obvious.\" Raina shook the last drop of beer into her mouth and tossed the bottle to the ground.\n\nKris needed a change of subject.\n\n\"What do you think a man like Ranger is looking for?\" Kris asked. Raina had a long and harrowing history with males. Rarely did Kris seek out her advice or expertise but tonight seemed like a good time to prod her for an opinion.\n\nRaina only grinned. \"Darling he wants you. Pretty fucking clear.\"\n\n\"How is it clear?\"\n\n\"Oh jeez,\" Raina rolled her eyes, \"who the fuck knows. Maybe he's an asshole. Maybe he's prince charming. Just go with it and find out. Why else would he be showing you so much attention?\"\n\n\"Get serious would you? I really want to know. What should I do?\"\n\n\"Look, you've got a reference point with Adam. If Michael starts acting like him, run the fuck away,\" Raina said.\n\n\"What are you spewing bitch?\" Adam frowned hard, interrupting the girls.\n\n\"I was explaining how you were born in a leper colony.\" Raina stood.\n\n\"Bite me!\" Adam grabbed his crotch in a lewd gesture.\n\n\"Here.\" He offered a fresh drink to Kris.\n\n\"No. No more.\" Kris protested by waving her hand at the drink.\n\nRaina was done with the Kris and Adam situation. She wobbled off leaving them to sort things out on their own.\n\n\"Bye. I'm outta here.\"\n\nIt was 1:30AM. Colder air had descended to the forest floor. Still the intense heat of the fire and numbing effects of the alcohol gave a false sense of comfort and warmth. After Raina's departure Kris remained quiet. Another hour passed and Kris was further disconnected from reality. Instead of a nice pleasant buzz, she was wrestling with the urge to get sick. It had been a long day and drinking on top of slight dehydration was producing a very ill predicament.\n\nAdam persistently made obnoxious comments, digging harder at Kris. Each time he opened his mouth the more inappropriate and suggestive comments came oozing out. Kris ignored him at first but Adam's constant sexual orations and dredging up past memories began wearing her down. It was clearly time to leave. Even the music had shifted from punk rock to softer melodies.\n\n\"I have to go.\" Kris attempted to stand. Adam rushed up to help her.\n\n\"No, no. Leave me alone.\" Kris slapped his hands away.\n\n\"I'll walk you back.\"\n\nKris shook her head from side to side. A peculiar sensation of being underwater struck her.\n\n\"No, I'll head back with Raina.\" Kris caught sight of Raina. Unfortunately her sloshed friend was making out with some guy against the lower section of Jake's deck.\n\n\"Okay. Maybe not.\" Kris couldn't think straight, her mind was meandering in all sorts of directions.\n\n\"Ahh, I see the prostitutes have convened for the evening,\" Adam said. Quite a few people were huddled up together and others were passed out or drifting off toward their cabins.\n\n\"Shut up.\" Kris watched him eying Raina.\n\nToddling away carefully Kris began her return home.\n\n\"I'll check on you later babe.\" Adam followed after her for a minute or two and then let her go.\n\nKris ignored the comment. She was focused with getting home successfully.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"What's his problem?\" The male that Raina engaged herself with looked up and frowned as Adam brushed past.\n\nDrunk and unconcerned, Raina barely turned her attention toward Adam. A few vulgar comments escaped from his mouth, but otherwise he went on his way into the forest.\n\nRaina settled on the idea that Kris could take care of herself. Raina returned to her new preoccupation and swung a leg over his midsection. Sloppily she sunk into him and started sucking on his neck.\n\nWith heavy footsteps Adam walked past the back of Jake's cabin and entered thick shrubs and tall pines. Angrily he lit a cigarette and snapped the lighter repeatedly. Fuck all of 'em. He didn't want to think anymore. At least he showed up. Nobody could accuse him of being a social outcast. He tolerated these stupid parties just to disprove rumors that he was odd and inept. Adam yanked out a small flask from a jacket pocket. He threw back a long drink of the pungent alcohol and then cleared his throat with a hard cough.\n\nA crackling noise brought his attention back to reality. The darkness prevented him from clearly identifying the grayish shape slowly moving away from thick brush. He shoved the flask back in his pocket and took out a small black flashlight. He swept the beam quickly into the darkness. Bears seldom came to this section of the park. Either Wildlife Control would effectively relocate them or scare them off using a variety of methods.\n\nBears smelled awful and Adam sniffed the air to detect a foul scent. He found nothing. So this mysterious thing could not be a bear. A few branches gently swayed from a drifting breeze. Adam drew a sharp puff on his smoke then tossed it to the ground and pushed it to extinction with his right boot.\n\n\"Hey who's there?\" Perhaps it was some floozies from the party. There was no movement except for the breeze brushing past evergreens and pines. Adam wasn't satisfied. He was certain something was only yards away.\n\nStepping further into the plants and over smooth boulders he heard another rustling of sticks and brush.\n\n\"Goddammit, show yourself!\" Prickly hairs on the back of his neck scraped the collar of his jacket. Sweeping the beam of light back and forth over the thick forested floor, he saw nothing. With hand shaking uncontrollably he reached around and pulled a small firearm out of hidden nylon holster. Quickly he chambered a round and yanked the slide back with a sharp metal click. He gripped the weapon and light tightly with both hands and inspected the terrain.\n\n\"Who the fuck's there?\" Adam swallowed hard and plowed forward half stumbling and tripping over thick ground cover. Adam's foot caught on a felled branch and he found himself face down in the earth. Cursing rampantly he rushed to his feet. Beaming the light and weapon straight out for several moments longer, Adam took aim but could not settle on a target.\n\nNow the forest stood quiet and all movement diminished. Running after it was less than desirable. Adam shivered as he clenched his gun. Adrenaline coursed through his veins.\n\nHe re-holstered the firearm finally. Maybe it was someone playing tricks. This camp was chock full of idiots always playing jokes and pranks on each other. Had someone followed him from Jake's place? Paranoia descended over Adam. He pivoted around looking for anything or anyone. An occasional breeze rustled pine cones loose from trees but otherwise the night was void of sound.\n\nHis brain fuzzy from constant consumption of alcohol for the past 5 hours, Adam spat on the plants in front of him. He didn't feel so good anymore. If someone was after him they'd meet a terrible fate.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nKris finally approached her steps in a disoriented state of mind. The last portion of her walk was spent mentally criticizing herself for getting drunk and leading Adam on unintentionally. One by one she crept up the old steps. It was pitch dark thanks to her forgetfulness to change the broken light bulb on her porch. Kris was breathing hard and struggling with bouts of vertigo by the time she reached the top.\n\nA dark figure loomed near the door. Kris instantly backed into the railing. Quickly a sharp pain struck her lower back.\n\nKris let out a muffled scream and called out.\n\nMichael rushed from obscurity and took her arm.\n\n\"Oh god.\" Kris's heart slammed into gear beating furiously.\n\n\"Expecting someone else?\" Michael asked.\n\nKris was embarrassed and couldn't think fluidly, \"Is it a habit of yours to lurk around in the dark?\"\n\n\"Got any water in there?\" A jagged thread of amusement was attached to Michael's voice.\n\n\"I think so. Are you thirsty?\" Kris was swaying back and forth.\n\nMichael raised an eyebrow.\n\n\"I meant for you. Perhaps one too many this evening?\"\n\n\"Perhaps. What are you doing here?\"\n\n\"Making sure you get in safely.\" His tone of voice instantly cast a spell. Kris stared up at him with wide, glassy blue eyes.\n\n\"How very nice of you,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Where's the keys?\" He gazed down upon her.\n\n\"Good question.\" She felt like fainting. Her dulled senses were just starting to pick up how good Michael smelled. His male scent descended over her like the mist off a witch's brew. The alcohol alone wasn't the only thing intoxicating her mind. Michael put a strong hand to her hip to steady her wavering stance.\n\n\"Come on, where's the keys?\" He realized she was very inebriated.\n\nKris just smiled, drugged on his words. Michael wrapped a hand around her waist coaxing her to the front door.\n\n\"It's getting cold. Kris, open up.\"\n\nKris really wasn't listening very well. Finding herself very attracted to him at the moment, she wondered how long he'd been waiting on the porch for her return. With her guard temporarily non-existent thanks to the power of alcohol, Kris wondered how patient of a man he really was.\n\n\"Hmm.\" The corners of her mouth morphed into a playful little smile, \"Why don't you get them for me?\"\n\nMichael appeared unaffected by her inebriated teasing. His mind was on fire. This innocent temptress just ignited a dangerous engine within him. Get her inside. Get her inside. She doesn't know what the hell she's doing, she's drunk, Michael told himself.\n\n\"Kristjana, either you open this door or I will. Please get out your keys.\" His dark words reverberated right through her. Finally obeying him, Kris shoved her hand into her jean pocket and wiggled out a set of keys. Wobbling backward she grabbed the door handle for balance. She fumbled for several moments in finding the right key and then shoved it into the lock and stumbled inside.\n\nCold, stagnant air greeted her. Hands out in front of her, she reached in the darkness for the bed. Grasping a small blanket, she sank down onto the bunk.\n\nMichael stayed on the porch waging a terrible battle of wills. Dare he enter her home? His battle of maintaining good manners and appropriate behavior was quickly faltering. Part of his intentions were honorable in making sure she was okay for the night. Michael wanted to confirm that heat was available in this rustic little cabin and that she drank some water to head off a massive hang over.\n\nVisions of disrobing her contorted his agenda. Running his touch over soft, saccharine skin. Taking her in his mouth. He was treading down a path that could only result in satiation of these bewitching thoughts. Slipping further into a predatory, venereal hunger, Michael reached up and toyed with the brim of his hat.\n\nHe did not want to withhold his true nature and attraction towards Kris any longer. Dozens of little things beleaguered him. How her lips turned up at him, pouting when she wasn't getting her way. How her full, expressive mouth beckoned his desire to kiss her so deeply. Her lean, tenuous legs, firm little rear end, delicately deceptive hands and shy demeanor were laced with subtleties.\n\nKris was probably unaware of her charms he suspected. Perhaps this was due to naivet\u00e9 or immaturity. Michael drew in a long breath of damp night air attempting reign in his lost composure.\n\nHe entered her cabin and softly clicked the the door shut. Feeling around for a light switch, he found nothing. This was Michael's first experience inside of an employee cabin. It smelled musty and damp. Down below in the valley, a variety of guest quarters were decidedly a step up compared this rickety shack. Teepees and yurts were available as cheap White Rock Park accommodation options. For high end guests or those with fat wallets, the Sekonee Lodge offered an upscale but authentic park experience. And then there were those who fought the steep, narrow roads with bloated recreational vehicles and fifth wheel camping trailers. Designed in the mid 1800's, White Rock struggled each season with the mass amount of these blights.\n\n\"Kris?\" He wondering if she was passed out.\n\nA muffled voice emanated from the right side of the room near a window draped with ratty fabric.\n\nImpatient, Michael grabbed a small metal flashlight from his duty belt. The high powered beam filled the room with searing white light. Kris moaned in discomfort.\n\nPromptly, Michael spotted the oil lamp on a small desk and lit it quickly. His eyes caught sight of a meager wood burning stove in the far corner of the cabin.\n\nMichael crouched down and opened the door of the old stove. Next to the wall was a small pile of thin logs and dry sticks. He put his field expertise to work in building a fire, but was irritated in the revelation of how primal the conditions for Willow Camp staff was. He felt almost ashamed at his own posh quarters in comparison.\n\nTen minutes later a small blaze hissed angrily, filling the cast iron stove and providing warmth to the room. Kris was wrapped like a burrito in a thick red blanket, pressed up against the wall and window. She was feeling sick from drinking too much.\n\n\"Here.\" Michael sat on the edge of the bed holding bottle of water. Kris shakily grasped it and took several sips.\n\nThe room remained cold even with the fire going. He strode over to her desk and pulled out the flimsy wooden chair.\n\nDeliriously sleepy, Kris lay down for a moment but was overcome with dizziness and nausea. She gazed at Michael with blurry eyes. After unlacing his boots and placing them by the door, he started removing items from his duty belt. Reaching to his right side he clicked a small switch and released a thick black handgun. Grasping the device, he placed it on the desk. Swiftly he unbuckled the thick leather kit belt from his waist and dropped it to the floor.\n\n\"I don't know how you manage to carry all that.\" Kris's voice was garbled as she spoke through the thick fabric of the blanket which covered her mouth.\n\n\"It becomes a part of you,\" Michael said.\n\nKris realized that Michael was indeed taking things off. Her mind switched on and rose out of the fog bank of her drunkenness.\n\n\"What are you doing?\" She blinked several times. His outer layer uniform shirt was unbuttoned revealing a white cotton tee shirt. He stopped undressing and approached her cot. Her eyes sank uncontrollably downward and straight at his midsection. Kris was quickly overcome with a rapid surge of shyness. Even in the dim light of the cabin she could see just how aroused he was. Either she never noticed before or never looked. Perhaps all that tucked fabric shrouded details of his pronounced endowment.\n\nMichael grabbed the bottle of water and sat down offering it to Kris again.\n\n\"You're going to drink this.\" He commanded in a low, abysmal voice. Kris produced a shaky hand out of the blanket and grasped the plastic bottle. Bringing it slowly to her lips, she took a sip.\n\nMichael waited patiently. Clearly she'd had way too much alcohol at the party and either wasn't used to it or had no tolerance.\n\nKris couldn't stop the shivers now. The room was getting warmer but the thin wooden construction of the dwelling was inept at retaining much heat.\n\nHe lay down on the bed knowing his good intentions would dissipate fast but he coaxed her to move next to him for warmth. Kris resisted at first not moving from her position and remained crumpled against the wall. An onslaught of nerves gripped her. Instinctively she wanted to make a little joke attempting to diffuse the situation.\n\n\"So were you thinking about jumping into bed with me earlier today? I guess your plan worked. Waiting until I was drunk off my ass.\"\n\nMichael half smiled watching her intently.\n\n\"I had no plan that involved that.\"\n\n\"Yeah right.\"\n\n\"I rather wish you were sober right now so I could make love to you.\" He spoke in a thick voice. Kris wasn't listening so well. She took a longer gulp of the water and then stubbornly tried to place it on the window sill.\n\n\"You're assuming too much.\" Kris re-tightened the blanket around herself and finally lay down.\n\nFishing for her jittery hand, Michael gently tugged for Kris to lay next to him.\n\n\"Why don't you tell me what I'm assuming?\" Michael slowly extricated part of her from the blanket. Kris was resistant and kept a firm hold on the edge of the covering.\n\n\"You're like all men. You assume a girl will just put out. And then after she does, you leave. Or if she doesn't want to put out, you turn to someone who will.\"\n\nA bit taken aback by the words that streamed from her mouth so honestly, Michael was positive in his former assessment that she had been burned. Perhaps more than once.\n\n\"And I'm one of those men?\" Michael asked, taking a finger and moving her hair from her face.\n\n\"Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to be mean.\" Kris closed her eyes. \"You can't help it. It's the way things are these days.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Hmm.\" Kris sighed, her thoughts sluggish and defensive. \"Sorry for what?\"\n\nMichael detected that she was testing him. A well honed subconscious putting up a wall of defense. It wasn't hard to see she was subtly pushing at him. But he wasn't about to back away.\n\n\"Sorry you've been hurt.\"\n\n\"What makes you think that?\" Kris was softly defiant.\n\n\"A hunch.\"\n\n\"A hunch? What are you a psychic?\"\n\n\"I'm not psychic or a fortune teller. But I recognize pain when I see it.\"\n\nKris opened her eyes, surprised to hear him use the word pain. Michael unwound the red blanket from her and shook it, letting it float down over both of them. Kris carefully stretched out beside him. Sliding his hand over her hip to her lower back, Michael moved the fabric of her blouse out of the way. Gently he ran his touch over her silken skin.\n\nKris fought against irrational thoughts. She was comparing Michael's presence in her bed to unwelcome seductions from a demonic entity. Michael was not Adam. This was a different man. Old memories were out to sabotage what could be a deepening closeness with this person. It was possible Michael's intentions were purely physical. He was here conveniently, at a time when she was sloshed and open to suggestion. Or there was the vague and foreign possibility that he was here because of genuine concern.\n\n\"Relax.\" Micheal's breath cascaded over her.\n\n\"I can't.\"\n\n\"Why?\" His hand met hers under the warmth of the blanket.\n\n\"I don't know,\" Kris said.\n\n\"I think you do.\"\n\nKris gazed over at him and then stared up at the clapboard roof. The room would not stop spinning.\n\n\"What's going on in that mind of yours?\" Michael leaned close to whisper into her ear. He moved his leg between hers. His slow, deliberate movement was calming in a mysterious sort of way but also brought on a wave of provocation. Kris let her breath escape past clenched teeth. As his body melded closer with hers, heat began to rise within her.\n\n\"Oh god, I can't.\" Kris groaned at the thought of where it was all headed.\n\n\"Tell me to leave.\" Michael warned. If she truly wanted him to stop, he needed to hear it right then and there.\n\n\"Yeah right.\" Kris covered her eyes with her hand.\n\nMichael cupped her chin with a steady hand. Kris could barely see in the dark shadows of the room, for which she was thankful.\n\n\"If you really want me to go, say the word,\" he said in a low voice.\n\n\"No. Stay, I guess.\"\n\n\"Don't guess. Be sure. Be absolutely sure Kris,\" Michael breathed out heavily, perplexed why so much anxiety was coming forth.\n\n\"Old demons in my head.\" Kris forced an apologetic smile.\n\nMichael lay still trying his best to keep the raging fire inside his body to a low burn.\n\n\"I'm not here to play games or hurt you.\" Unable to resist, he kissed her neck gently, deeply. Her inability to relax indicated it was too soon. Too much.\n\n\"Just wondering where it's all going.\" Kris started to melt. He smelled like a mixture of the forest, woodsy smoke and sweet perspiration. It was heaven.\n\nA thought crossed his mind. \"You aren't a virgin, are you?\" He stared intently at her, propping himself up.\n\n\"Whoa. Where did that come from?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Well?\"\n\n\"Heavens no.\"\n\n\"All right. Just making sure.\" Michael lay back down.\n\n\"And what if I was? That's a bad thing?\"\n\n\"No. It -\" Michael tried to find the right words, \"would just change things.\"\n\n\"Change how?\"\n\nWow she was persistent. Or skilled at delaying and torturing him. Enough was enough.\n\n\"I wouldn't tell you that I want to fuck you,\" Michael said.\n\nKris pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. But Michael unglued it quickly, knowing she attempted to hide a bashful expression.\n\n\"I want to turn you over and thrust my huge cock into your sweet, wet pussy until you come. And then I would make slow, torturous love to you until you saw stars dance your very eyes and the heavens came crashing down around you.\" Michael's eyes bore into hers. \"If you were a virgin, however, I wouldn't tell you those things.\"\n\n\"That's what you've been thinking about?\" Kris was overcome with hot chills.\n\nHe was well aware it was one of those moments where his actions and words were questioned and untrusted. She was laced with hidden fears and insecurities. He doubted he could reverse this at the present moment. One thing was etched into the forefront of his curiosity.\n\n\"Yes, that's what I've been thinking about. And a lot more.\" He kissed her briefly and then said, \"So have you.\"\n\n\"Excuse me?\"\n\n\"Don't try and tell me different.\"\n\nInstinctively Kris was about to tell him his ego was quite inflated. How dare he assume she was having steamy thoughts about him?\n\n\"And how does that make me look? I'm secretly fantasizing about you?\"\n\n\"It makes you very appetizing.\" Sinking lower into her, Michael took sweet flesh into his mouth, deeply kissing her neck. His words thick with lust, Michael spoke into her ear as if he were a caged animal.\n\n\"Every time I see you, I want you. Every time you pass by, I can't forget you. Every time you tease me, you arouse me.\" Grasping her wrist he lead her hand down to his heated crotch. Kris let out a small, stifled sound almost in shock. His rugged hand slid on top of hers guiding her to apply pressure to his throbbing cock. Had it not been for layers of fabric preventing bare skin contact, Michael would of flipped her over and entered her right then and there. Maintaining composure and forgoing the impulse to salaciously mate his thickness into her was a demanding matter for Michael. He wasn't a savage idiot. Kris wasn't ready to engage in fornication. Well, too much of it anyway. And she was sobering up, but not enough.\n\nKris writhed beneath his achingly slow movements.\n\nThe small stove now provided the cabin with great warmth and Michael tore his attention from Kris abruptly. Kris thought for a fleeting moment he was changing his mind. But he stood up only to free himself of his shirt and pants.\n\nReally seeing him for the first time, bits of reservation and modesty dissipated from Kris. Never a complete secret as to how built his upper body was, Kris was still nearly open mouthed at the further reveal of his ruggedly constructed physique. The only remaining barrier to full disclosure was his underwear. She need not take any guesses. Michael gifted with some serious girth, or rather, a formidable faculty that was profoundly aroused at the moment. Inhibitions danced in and out of lustful thought. She could not tear her eyes off of him. Frozen, Kris rejoined his intense visual assault. Without breaking the gaze, she grabbed her own shirt and yanked it off. Michael pulled her down to the bed with him.\n\nKris responded by advancing her hips into his. Magnetized by his actions and increasing torridness, Kris wanted more. Her tight jean fabric against her female pleasures only caused increased throbbing beneath. She struggled to unbutton the front of the cumbersome pants.\n\nMichael unfastened her jeans and removed them in quick fashion. Kris ran her hand over his chest, touching what was once unavailable. Digressing past his steel abdominal muscles her little exploration was canceled. Michael did not let her continue. He sank his fiery, ravenous body on top of hers pausing only to rip off her bra and expose her supple breasts.\n\n\"I'll buy you a new one.\" He throatily promised. Cupping her breast in one hand he tasted the rigid tip of her nipple with the end of his tongue. Kris eyed his action with a growing appetite. Coiling her legs around him, demanded he sink his heated core into her. Kris heard a deep groan.\n\n\"I'm not going to have sex with you tonight.\" He growled unexpectedly. Sex not in the traditional sense, Michael thought. The revelation cast a cold, confused stare upon Kris's flushed face.\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"Not tonight.\"\n\n\"After all that you said before?\"\n\nHe reached down between their two sweltering bodies until finding a slim resemblance of lace and silk fabric shrouding her private volume. He tore away the preventative undergarment, ripping the side forcibly. His fingers slowly encircled her swollen flesh. Arching her back in response, a raspy sound escaped from Kris.\n\n\"What the fuck are you doing then?\"\n\nHe didn't answer just yet. Instead he explored deeper with his fingers. Michael mated his touch back and forth inside her saturated pathway. Grazing his thumb over her swollen cloak of flesh only added a heightened dimension Kris could barely withstand.\n\nJust as her apex approached, Michael pressed his throbbing cock firmly against the exterior of her corridor, denying himself entrance, but enticing the intensity for her. Kris groaned uncontrollably her neck and back muscles arched. Mouthing his name she let go into a writhing bliss of convulsing pleasure. Breath escaped her. She grabbed a handful of blanket off to one side in an effort to regain control over the intense ecstasy. Aftershocks parsed through her.\n\nMichael took great satisfaction observing her until all threads of restraint were gone.\n\n\"Touch me.\" He took her shaking hand and wrapped it around his engorged cock. His hand firmly entwined with hers, he dragged their combined touch along his girth.\n\n\"Kris, I want to make love to you desperately. More than you can understand.\" He glanced down between their bodies, \"Another time. When you aren't -\" His voice shook with unbearable resonance.\n\n\"Drunk.\" Kris finished his thought. Although it wasn't something she wanted to hear, she knew he was making the right decision.\n\nHe wrapped his hand around her behind and pulled her body tight against his. Deep, guttural sounds increased from the back of his throat. Now it was Kris's turn to take the lead. She pushed him hard to stray from his position above. They managed with little pause to lay face to face. Kris directed her attention to his swollen shaft and to skimming her touch back and forth over the foremost tip of his cock. She varied the intensity and pressure contracting and releasing her hand in an almost cruel-like seductive conjuring.\n\nMichael let out a deep spasmodic groan and then finally let go in a forceful involuntary climatic spasm. Thick, creamy liquid jutted from his pulsating cock. Kris felt his hot abstraction on her hand and belly. The intensity of his his expulsion was surprising. Her heart beat fast with wild irregularity.\n\nMichael breathed out harshly but hardly said a word. Kris was accustomed to the feeling of relief after a sexual encounter, but relief of a different sort. Relief that it was over and done and the participating party, Adam, would fall asleep or go away. With Michael everything was different.\n\nAlmost too tired to think logically Kris curled up on the bed. Michael took her hand in unspoken reassurance.\n\nLost in restless waves of a climactic consummation, Kris closed her eyes savoring his thermally charged body. The savage waves of involuntary spasms began to release their grip on him. Kris cautiously touched his chest to make sure this was all real. That he was still there.\n\nMichael pulled her close, breathing raggedly. Kris drew in the sweet musky smell drifting about him. Her eyes burned with fatigue.\n\n\"Go to sleep.\" He touched the back her head gently. His words washed over her with great comfort. Michael's hand rested motionless on her bare hip and Kris complied with his order and fell into a deep sleep.\nChapter Ten\n\nBAM! BAM! BAM!\n\nViolent knocking shook the cabin door. Kris groggily woke. A red blanket covered her unclothed body. Trying to awake from heavy sleep was not easy. A moment passed and stillness filled the air.\n\nThe pounding started again. Her heart jumped into gear with a clunk so vicious Kris was sure it made a sound.\n\nVisions of the previous night began to trickle into reality. Taking in a sharp breath she surveyed the room. He was gone. Kris jerked back the blanket, glaring at the empty rumpled space. Infused with vacillating images of their time together, Kris became wide eyed and alert.\n\nSlam! Slam! BAM!\n\nAgain the door was rattled by an impatiently rude visitor. She wanted yell nasty warnings but thought the better of it. Quickly pulling on some clothes she gazed around the cabin. No evidence of Michael.\n\nAssuming the worst she swung her feet to the floor and groped under the bed. She yanked the trusty old baseball bat out from underneath the bed.\n\n\"Kris, fucking open the door! I'm not going away until you do.\" Adam's irate voice emanated through the rickety boards.\n\nHead throbbing and practically choking from a caustically dry throat, Kris released the lock. Adam wasted no time bursting into the cabin. He glanced around the room then faced her. His eyes appeared sunken in and bloodshot. The stench of booze and body odor was unmistakable.\n\n\"You look like hell.\" Kris could not hide her raspy voice. She dropped the baseball bat on the bed.\n\n\"What do you think you're doing?\" Adam fought to keep his voice under control. He was losing the battle against the envy and rage. He couldn't come to terms that he was losing Kris to a park ranger. Of all people, it had to be a park fucking ranger.\n\nKris took a long drink of water from a plastic bottle that had been placed on the floor by her bedside. Under the bottle was a small folded piece of paper. Kris gazed at the unknown artifact. Her mind wandered from Adam's gruff announcement and she stalled in her response. It was the morning routine for him to be bothering her at an early hour.\n\n\"What do you mean? I was sleeping. You woke me, idiot.\"\n\n\"Kris, you're making a huge mistake.\"\n\n\"Adam, get a life. There's plenty of young meat around this park, why don't you go find someone who'll willingly spread their legs for you?\" Kris's reached down pretending to scratch her foot. She grabbed the note and turned from Adam's icy stare. Inside was Michael's handwriting.\n\nWait by the roundabout after work.\n\n-Michael\n\nHer heart did a cliff dive. Kris folded the paper back into a little square and clenched it tight safely hidden from the scourge that was stinking up her cabin.\n\n\"Who was here last night?\" Adam strode around her small space looking for clues.\n\n\"None of you fucking business. Nobody was here.\" Kris wasn't prepared to answer questions about Michael just yet.\n\n\"You forget.\"\n\n\"I haven't forgotten anything.\" Kris was hardly alert enough to catch onto his phrases laced heavily with meaning she was just supposed to grasp out of thin air.\n\n\"I know what goes on with you.\"\n\n\"Oh?\" Kris had little energy for this inquisition. \"Adam, get the hell out. Get out or -\" She glanced around for something to threaten him with.\n\n\"Or what? You'll do what?\" Adam was furious but holding back. \"Never mind. Thanks a lot Kris.\"\n\n\"You're welcome.\" Kris moved toward the door, ready to slam it behind him but he stalled in the doorway.\n\n\"See you at work,\" Adam said.\n\nKnowing better than to take the bait, she was caught off guard with his statement.\n\n\"You're on the schedule today?\"\n\n\"That's right. Same as you. What a coincidence.\" He flashed a smirk and then was gone. Kris closed the door, and flipped the lock.\n\nAdam frowned harshly, heavily stepping down the stairs and strolling off down the dirt path. He was a bit raw from a nasty hang over and by the strange occurrence in the forest after leaving the party. Learning that Kris had a male visitor stay with her furthered his downward spiral in mood.\n\nKris sat on the bed and opened her hand. She read Micheal's short note again. Irregular heart palpitations instantly rattled her. Adam's thorny visit did not cast a shadow over her sultry memories of being with Michael last night. As far as she was concerned Adam didn't exist. He would soon realize this. He had to.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Kris, the new menus came in. Take the older ones and throw them out in the dumpster. I don't want them sitting in the kitchen trash.\" Dale stood in the doorway of the main entrance squinting amidst bright morning sunlight.\n\n\"I surely will.\" Kris paused from sweeping.\n\n\"I told Raina to take care of it two days ago.\" Dale frowned eying little piles of pine needles and debris cluttering the walkway.\n\n\"Sorry. I'll do the menus after I finish this.\" Kris pushed a big pile of litter towards an orange bucket. Raina's attention to detail and to her job were flaky. Dale remained in the doorway slowly taking gulps from a steaming styrofoam cup. He continued to hang out and watched Kris work at tidying up the front entry. She continued on even though his loitering meant other things were bothering him.\n\nKris scooped up the small piles into the bucket and stood to wipe the side of her brow with the back of her hand. It was only 9AM but scorching rays of sunlight bouncing off the pavement created a blinding glare and uncomfortable warmth.\n\n\"Something else, you needed?\" Kris asked, stretching her back.\n\nJutting the contents of the cup into the bushes, he swore under his breath and approached Kris.\n\n\"I don't involve myself with the personal matters of my staff.\"\n\nOh hell, here it comes. \"I know.\" Kris leaned on the broom.\n\nDale was surrounded by gossip, drama and the never ending personal issues of his workers on a daily basis. Rarely did he get in the middle. He purposefully lived on the other side of the park in a small trailer. Removed from the hustle and bustle of the busy summer season. Dale and Kris shared an unspoken bond. Her role was more of a misguided niece and he was the grumpy but protective uncle.\n\n\"You're not seeing Adam anymore?\"\n\n\"God, Dale -\" Instantly cross, Kris was nauseated at the mention of Adam's name.\n\n\"Hey, hear me out now.\" Dale obviously had something to get off his chest.\n\n\"Sorry. I'm just tired of the talk. You know? It never goes away.\"\n\n\"I'm confused Kris.\"\n\n\"Nobody said a darn thing when we were together. Nobody warned me he was messed up. And when we broke it off, or I should say, I broke up with him, everyone scattered to the wind. These people aren't my friends if they run away when I need them.\"\n\nDale seemed unprepared to hear Kris's rant.\n\n\"Well I just wanted to make sure you're okay now.\"\n\nKris put a hand on her hip, brushing her hair back.\n\n\"Okay. I mean, I'm okay.\"\n\n\"You're seeing someone new?\"\n\nKris took a deep breath.\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"The new hired gun?\"\n\n\"Yes. Got a problem with that?\" Kris pretended to glare at him.\n\n\"He's got a history. Or so I'm told.\" Dale chose his words carefully. Kris studied his torqued expression, the little gray whiskers on his chin glistened in the sun. Instinctively Kris felt the urge to defend her private life but she felt abnormally slow minded today.\n\n\"I have a history too,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Don't we all.\" Dale seemed satisfied with the chat. He motioned to another area of clutter for her to clean. Kris tried to silently empathize with Boss. He was only looking out for her. She didn't know what history or rumors he was talking about, and she didn't want spend one more second thinking about such garbage.\n\n\"Any news on the attacks?\" Kris changed the subject.\n\n\"No. But I'm the last to know anything.\"\n\n\"Right. Me too.\"\n\n\"They're making a bigger fuss about this than it needs to be.\"\n\n\"You be careful, though.\" Kris grinned at him. Dale snorted. Lifting the side of his shirt he revealed a small black firearm tucked neatly in a worn leather holster fastened to the side of his waist. Patting it with three fingers, he flashed a brief smile.\n\n\"Ah. I see. \" Kris didn't approve. Another gun. Were things that desperate? People going around ready for vigilante justice?\n\nWitnessing Kris's discomfort, Dale hunted for something polite to say but Kris staved off his attempt.\n\n\"Don't worry about it.\" She lugged the heavy bucket up the walkway. \"I'm gonna get to those menus.\"\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAttending a round table cluttered with plates, uneaten food, and spilled beverages, Kris paused to wipe the side of her face with the back of her hand. She grasped a pile of dirty napkins and stuffed them into her apron.\n\nRaina's voice bellowed from the bustling entry of the dining hall. Intent on gaining Kris's attention, she yelled out. Kris abruptly ran over to the crowded waiting area. Children were screaming and misbehaving. A line of guests was beginning to spill through the outer door.\n\n\"Oh, whoops!\" A lady fashioned with gold jewelry, and bright red fingernails bumped into Kris spilling half a glass of wine.\n\n\"No problem.\" Kris forced a fake smiled. Turning back to Raina, she rolled her eyes in disgust. Acknowledging the situation Raina motioned to slit her own throat with her finger. She quipped at another guest that their wait would be another 30 minutes.\n\n\"So what's up?\" Kris approached\n\n\"Adam's looking for you. He's out back.\"\n\nKris stared blankly at Raina in disbelief.\n\n\"Don't look at me that way. He's been bothering everyone this morning looking for you,\" Raina said.\n\n\"Why doesn't he come out here? He knows I'm on the dining floor?\" Kris pushed back long unruly strands of hair.\n\n\"He's acting like he's going to die if he doesn't see you.\" Raina turned her attention back to the guests.\n\n\"Shit.\" Kris walked back to the table she had been working on and finished cleaning. Adam would have to wait. It was already 4:45 PM, fifteen minutes past the end of her shift. Kris pulled the elastic band from her ponytail. Scooping all her loose iridescent hair back into bun, she ignored the issue of Adam and started working on another dirty table.\n\nThirty minutes after scrubbing so hard her fingers ached, Kris was headed to the kitchen with a large tray. It was over loaded with dishes and silverware. Kris kicked open the swinging kitchen doors. Dumping the assortment onto the stainless counter, she grabbed a white terry cloth rag.\n\nSuspiciously eying Adam way off to her left, Kris felt pins stab her lower back.\n\n\"Where's Joseph?\" Kris hoped to stave off whatever twisted attention Adam was about to unleash. Large amounts of water was dripping onto the floor. She bent down trying to mop some of it.\n\n\"The fuck if I know!\" Adam said.\n\nKris paused, peering at him.\n\n\"Well then where's Dale?\"\n\n\"In back.\" Adam yelled.\n\n\"What did you say?\"\n\nAdam smirked, yanking on the large faucet handle. Wiping his hands on his stained apron, he approached Kris.\n\n\"I said, he's in back.\" Voice lower, Adam leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.\n\n\"Why are you bothering everyone today?\" Kris decided to get it over with. She wrung out the rag and tossed it on the steel shelf above.\n\n\"I don't know what you mean,\" Adam said.\n\n\"Raina is pretty annoyed with you. If you need me for something why don't you march your ass out onto the floor? Or is that too much work?\"\n\n\"Funny babe. And I don't care about your whore-friend.\"\n\nKris rubbed her brow. \"Let's pretend we aren't going to fight. What did you want?\"\n\n\"To have a nice relaxing dinner with you tonight,\" Adam said.\n\n\"Excuse me? Dinner?\" Kris shot him a look of burly annoyance and left without answering.\n\nAdam knew this game. He could wear her down eventually. She would get so crabby and emotional. Lashing out at the Ranger was the likely outcome if Adam could get her riled up enough. If he could just hold out a little while longer.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nFinally around five o'clock the crew from the next shift arrived and the washer Joseph made an entrance, ranting about confusion with his schedule. Raina fled the moment the other hostess took over while Adam disappeared out the back of the kitchen before the boss could try and commit him to stay longer.\n\nKris gazed at her tired face in the mirror of the small employee bathroom. Joints aching and skin sticky from sweating all day, she rummaged through her backpack pulling out a hair brush and makeup. After splashing ice cold water on her face multiple times, Kris wriggled out of her soiled work attire and pulled on a long, light blue cotton dress. The garment much too long according to Raina's fashion assessment several days ago. Thin straps ran over her shoulders, exposing her upper back. Kris stood motionless with nerves beginning to surface.\n\nWas it this necessary to soften up her appearance just to further the unwavering attention from a man? Perhaps she could just suck it up and deal with it. Kris was used to practical attire living and working in White Rock. She hardly wore anything but running tights, long sweatshirts, fleece and the occasional ripped and faded jeans.\n\nKris plopped down on a small red stool with a ripped top and missing foam. She clasped her shaking hands together. Too bad Adam left in such a hurry. A quick drink of whiskey from his flask would of helped with her anxiety. Swearing softly under her breath, Kris pulled on some flimsy shoes and stood once more.\n\nShoving all her items back into her pack, she left the bathroom and exited the hall through the service entry in the kitchen. Avoiding attention from other co-workers was paramount. The probability of snide comments, whistling and wolf calls was high. Surely the secret was out in the open about her and Michael. Sudden images of the previous night flooded her.\n\nOnce outside she caught herself before tripping over some sticks. Kris warned herself to get it together. Unsure if this meeting was a date or commonly referred to as a hook up, Kris couldn't shake the anxiety welling up inside. Michael's note didn't mention dinner, or coming to his place, or going for a hike. It was short and open to interpretation; Wait by the roundabout after work. He could still be on shift and just wanting to say hello. Kris took a deep breath. If at the very least Michael saw her in some appealing attire, it would have a lasting effect in his mind. She was falling for him. The insecurities of it were exhausting.\n\nRelationships in the park started fast and ended fast. It was a microcosm of many things and White Rock employees didn't have the luxury of time when it came to getting to know someone. By the end of the season, the majority of workers were out of a job and left the park until the next year. A few would stay to work the long and cold winter season. There were fewer positions during those months. Kris didn't know if Michael was year-round, but she was not. Before meeting him she was pretty determined to end her long term job with the park and not return next season. Five long years seemed like an eternity. She couldn't do this forever. At some point having a regular place to live with running water and an attached bathroom and getting far away from Adam, overtook the desire to stay at White Rock.\n\nNow things were slightly different. A new man had entered her life. Whether it a brief affair or lasting relationship, what would transpire could affect her intention to leave.\n\nKris veered from the main path, traipsing over pine needles and thick ferns toward the roundabout. Her normally pale cheeks were flushed bright red. The stupidity and impracticality of wearing flimsy, inept shoes seemed vastly ridiculous. Kris swore softly under her breath. This wasn't a shopping mall or day at the beach, this was the outdoors. Wilderness. A national park. The gravel roundabout was a mile north of the dining hall, mainly uphill. Angling further away from the trail to avoid bumping into anyone familiar, Kris tightened the shoulder straps to her backpack and forced her feet to move faster over the uneven ground.\n\nFinally reaching the dense cover of the thick evergreen trees, Kris paused. Blinking and listening to the distance echoes of cars and people, she reached up, threaded a finger into elastic band holding her hair and gently tussled it free. Waves of fair blond hair tumbled down around her shoulders. Ahead she eyed the old wooden posts of the trail leading to staff showers. The circular roundabout was near.\n\nKris's pace slowed. She could see Michael's white truck through the trees before her. Heart picking up speed, Kris felt a long nylon strap of her shoulder harness tickling the side of her upper leg. She paused. A cool breeze laced with campfire smoke drifted past.\n\nAn unyielding thread of reservation cropped up once more. Thoughts of the their previous encounter flashed to the forefront of her mind yet again. If this were to be another encounter between them, if bodily flesh was exposed, savored, ravished, Kris was going to make damn sure she wouldn't be intoxicated. She was still fighting the ill effects of so much reckless alcohol consumption of last night. This Ranger need not assume her to be a drunkard or whimsical lush.\n\nWhatever, Kris. Stop thinking! She yanked on her pack and started walking. The dirt road crunching under her feet, she strode up to the side of his truck. Kris felt one of her knees start to jitter uncontrollably. Torquing a thin strand of hair, she peered through the open window.\n\nHe was speaking in deep commanding tones to someone on the other end of a radio. A scraggly female voice kept interrupting and reporting back. Whatever was going on, it didn't sound good. Kris fingered the strap of her backpack waiting for him to notice her.\n\n\"I understand.\" Michael spoke into a radio. He grasped a bunch of papers and tossed them onto the dashboard. He motioned for her to enter the truck. Kris quietly opened the door and pulled herself up onto the seat.\n\n\"Beth, I already stated my position on this. You wanted my input but aren't paying attention at all.\"\n\n\"And I appreciate your concern. I think at this point, it's overkill and unnecessary to bring more security into White Rock.\"\n\n\"Then what did you hire me for?\"\n\n\"Look, I can see this is getting a bit personal, and I'd appreciate if you just kept it on a professional level.\"\n\n\"I'm just clarifying I'm to do next to nothing and continue on with parking control and writing tickets for wildlife harassment.\"\n\n\"You have the report from the most recent meeting. Carry out the duties outlined within in and report any suspicious activity to the head office.\" Beth's voice crackled through the radio.\n\n\"Fine.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, what was that?\"\n\n\"Over and out.\" He then slammed the radio down hard into a holder on the dashboard. His mood was plainly obvious. Kris gritted her teeth smiling in unspoken support.\n\nMichael reached over, smoothing his strong hand over the top of her leg. Goosebumps immediately traveled up her back.\n\n\"It's nice to see you.\"\n\n\"That sounded painful.\" Kris nodded at the radio.\n\n\"It usually is.\"\n\n\"Sounds like a lot going on.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nKris grinned again. Apparently he was not about to discuss the details of the stiff interaction with Beth.\n\nThe intense heat radiating from him consumed her, hindering her mind. Michael adeptly kissed her neck, soft at first but quickly his desire escalated. Kris let go a little. His mouth drifted over her skin with exotic motion. She put a hand up to the side of his face, running a finger along side his hungry mouth. Painstakingly pulling back, Michel touched the thin fabric of her dress draped over her legs.\n\n\"You look nice.\" His deep raspy words poured over.\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n\"Not standard issue dining hall uniform I take it?\"\n\n\"Oh this? No. I brought a change of clothes today.\"\n\nSwiftly he turned the ignition and the truck roared to life. A warm breeze tousled her hair. Kris let out a long shaky breath as if she'd been holding it in for an eternity. With one hand on the steering wheel Michael brought the truck around the sharp circular drive and accelerated out of the staff camp.\n\nBits and pieces of conversations burst out of the radio intermittently. Kris was intrigued but thankful for some disruption. She let her head rest against the seat-back and soon fought off the heavy urge to close her eyes. In the absence of conversation between she and Michael, fatigue and weariness took over.\nChapter Eleven\n\n\"Fuck.\" Adam spat violently at the ground.\n\n\"Something wrong, Adam?\" A familiar voice spoke.\n\nAdam jerked and spun around. Randy Duncan approached holding a portable music player in one hand and a soda in the other. Adam, being a strange character the majority of the time, provided a certain level of amusement to Randy. Here was Kris's weird ex-boyfriend caught again in some strange behavior. Randy yanked a small speaker bud out of his ear.\n\n\"No,\" Adam shot Randy a look of disgust, \"nothing is wrong.\"\n\nRandy narrowed his eyes while his peaceful demeanor remained steadfast.\n\n\"What the fuck are you doing?\" Adam asked.\n\nRandy took a long drink of his soda.\n\n\"Going home. Maybe you should too.\" He put the little speaker back in his ear and continued his slow progression towards camp.\n\nAdam gruffly muttered an unintelligible comment and strode off in a different direction.\n\nThe moment before reaching Adam and the section of trail lined heavily with pine saplings and thick brush, Randy had caught a faint sight of Kris's blond head. Obviously she was meeting up with that Ranger. The one person that prickled Adam's jealousy. Randy was glad she was at least testing out the waters with someone else. Unfortunately Adam's foul mood and stalking behavior signaled ongoing problems for her. Randy made a mental note to bring forth this issue with Raina. Perhaps they both needed to have an intervention with Adam.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMichael braked quickly and turned into the Black Creek trail head parking lot. The area was jammed full of cars and tourists.\n\n\"Sorry. I need to take care of this.\" Michael quickly pulled up alongside a row of cars which were illegally jammed too close together. Grabbing his hat, he jumped out of the truck cab and slammed the door.\n\n\"No problem.\" Kris was a bit horrified at such a clogged scene. Familiar with the ongoing traffic control duties of park rangers, she found herself confirming why she usually stayed clear of these busier tourist regions.\n\nThe bustling scene instantly took on an attentive upswing as Michael's commanding presence became noticed. Kris couldn't hear the exchange of words over the sound of the idling diesel truck engine, but clearly Michael demanded respect from the obvious rule breakers. A balding, overweight gentleman was gesturing wildly with his arms in the direction of the packed parking lot. Kris could only assume his rant centered on the unavailability of spaces. Michael was having none of it, instructing the man to move his illegally parked car. The bald man only grew more and more red in the face about to explode. Kris could imagine that even the most arrogant of park visitors would be no match in the wake of Michael's intimidating demeanor. Having never seen him lose his temper or grow demonstratively angry, Kris assumed his persuasion lay in his calm but assertive nature. It didn't escape her either that he had a distinct habit of resting his right hand on the butt of his firearm fastened securely at his side.\n\nFinally, Michael climbed back into the idling truck. Throwing the gear shift into drive, he headed out of the busy lot slowly surveying for other infractions.\n\nSatisfied the scene was dealt with appropriately, he braked hard and caused Kris to grasp the door handle.\n\n\"451. Northeast. Vehicles blocking a restricted area.\" Michael spoke into the radio.\n\n\"Copy, Michael. 10-4.\" Damon Jerr's response crackled over the airway.\n\n\"I issued a warning. Damon you might want to see if they move in about 15 minutes. Unlikely to comply.\"\n\n\"Sending someone over there now.\" Damon confirmed, after a small chuckle.\n\n\"That earlier 10-57 get cleaned up?\" Michael accelerated the vehicle.\n\n\"505 affirmative, Michael. PRD clear.\"\n\nPause.\n\n\"Copy that. 10-10 PRD.\" Michael placed the radio back on the dashboard holster.\n\n\"What happened?\" Kris was highly curious. She understood some of the lingo commonly heard over the park radios. Michael had just told Damon he was now off duty for awhile. PRD stood for Park Radio Dispatch and Damon was usually on the other end. A '505' was something related to bad or reckless driving. Kris did not know the 10-57 was.\n\n\"Someone put a car in the river.\"\n\n\"Blacks?\" Kris frowned. The infamous Black Creek was anything but a creek. Running seasonally high with snow melt, it twisted its way through the middle of the park with deep eddies and strong undercurrents. Many tourists entering White Rock were met with its beckoning rapids cascading over sparkling white granite. The edges of the river were very soft and degraded from auto and foot traffic. The main bridge being so narrow over Black Creek, claimed several cars each season.\n\n\"Some jerk flew over the bridge and lost control. Lucky he didn't lose his life,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Great. I suppose nobody can read.\" Kris referred to the multitude of big bright yellow signs warning of narrow road travel.\n\n\"We had to bring in a big tow from Matherville,\" Michael said, veering down a dirt road. Posted signs warned Employees only. No public access. The truck growled forcefully along. The sides brushed against thick white fir branches from outstretched trees.\n\n\"Can I ask where we're going?\" Kris kept an eye out the window, but glanced at his stoic facial expression.\n\n\"You seemed a bit sleepy before,\" he said.\n\n\"Yeah?\" Kris brushed her hair back. Apparently nothing escaped notice with him.\n\nPassing over a small wood bridge they came upon the historical Sekonee Lodge. Michael parked around back and killed the engine. His mood lightened as he turned to face her.\n\n\"Hungry?\" he asked, grabbing a duffel bag from the rear seats. Kris nodded. Her painfully empty stomach stirred at the very mention of food. She couldn't deny the fact, she was a bit impressed. The Sekonee was reservation only for dinner. It was the only exclusive building in the park. World famous for its menu and lodging. Kris happily slid out of the truck and took Michael's outstretched hand wondering what else he had in mind that evening.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nThe notorious Terri White stubbornly paused. Sparkling pink fingertips tapped impatiently on a weathered sign post.\n\n\"See this? We need to turn around now. I'm not walking up that!\"\n\n\"I have flashlights,\" said a male voice, \"we'll be fine.\"\n\n\"Yeah but I really don't want to be hiking in the freaking dark.\" Terri thrust her hands up. She was regretting her decision to go along with this idiot. Earlier he was game to hook up and kick back with a few drinks. Terri ended up on this blasted hike instead.\n\nHer partner stopped, body slumped to one side in the middle of the trail ahead of her.\n\n\"Hey!\" Terri called, \"Hey!\"\n\nAfter waiting several minutes for a response she called out once more.\n\n\"This is so lame. I'm going back. You go on ahead. I'm outta here.\"\n\nShe stumbled and flicked her fire engine red hair back over her shoulder.\n\n\"Besides, Jake is making Margaritas. I don't know about you but I'm down with that.\" Fucking weirdo, Terri thought, straining to see in the dim light.\n\nShe began talking to herself uttering complaints as mosquitoes annoyingly buzzed her ears and sharp pine branches poked at her bare shoulders.\n\n\"This is not what I expected.\" Terri said, gingerly stepping over rocks and branches.\n\n\"Really?\" A low response came from behind her.\n\n\"What the hell?\" she frowned, \"You're so creepy. Hasn't anyone told you that? I'm going back. I thought we were going to go fuck around. Not hike. I'm not walking my butt up that hill.\" Terri brushed some dirt off her cropped pants. Carefully she navigated several steps backward in the direction from which they had just come.\n\n\"Wanna give me a blow job then?\" he said.\n\nTerri glanced back, flashing him an evil smirk.\n\n\"You'd like that now, wouldn't you? I ain't drunk enough for that shit.\" She snorted and continued on.\n\nHe was not amused. Excitement warped into uncontrollable rage. Stupid whore, he thought. Should of known better that she wouldn't put out. He threw his day pack to the ground and launched at her from behind.\n\nSharp, forceful pain struck Terri's backside. She met the dirt in a ferocious thud, her chin absorbing the blow and gritty bits filling her mouth. In shock over what was taking place, she screamed out. A hiking boot landed firmly into her rib cage rendering her breathless. Another assault to the side of her face denied her ability to see. Spitting blood, she gasped for air and tried scooting backward away from the threat. Her first thought of a black bear attack seemed most likely. White Rock employees were trained to lay flat and play dead but she was in excruciating pain and disoriented. Someone, not some thing, had stepped upon her. How was that possible?\n\nLooming tall above his prize, the perpetrator gazed down in disgust. It was all a lack of respect he thought. This bitch had it coming to her.\n\nTerri held a hand to one side her of her face as blood dripped down through her fingers. Terror gripped her.\n\n\"No. No, no!\" she yelled out but her voice was uncooperative. Terri scrambled to get up.\n\n\"I won't say anything. Please \u2013 let me go.\" She pleaded.\n\n\"Shut up.\" Grasping a large hunting knife with a black handle, he bent down quickly. Her filthy blood was all over the trail. She had to be moved fast.\n\n\"Please. Please.\" She reached out desperately, \"You can't do this \u2013 don't do this!\"\n\nSurges of white hot delicious adrenaline led him forward, just like all the other times. It was easy to succumb. In moments it would all be over and his head would stop pounding. Justice would be done. Eradicating another worthless lying whore wasn't going to make one bit of difference in the world. Nobody would miss her. Nobody missed the other ones.\n\nMethodically he began the dismantling of her clothes, cutting through fabric with his sharp blade. If any stray pieces of fabric or material was left behind on the trail his identity would be compromised. Nothing could be left to chance.\n\nSmall noises emitting from Terri were increasing so swiftly he silenced her with a slash to her throat. His bloodshot eyes surveyed the naked body lying in the darkening forest.\n\nBreathing erratically, he whispered confidently, \"I don't think you're having any Margaritas tonight.\"\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nKris frowned at an impatient girl standing next to the table.\n\n\"Can I take this? Are you done?\" The yellow-haired waitress bore a cold stare at Kris.\n\nMichael had excused himself to the restroom. Kris glanced in the direction of the grand hallway then back down at her plate of half eaten food.\n\n\"No thanks,\" Kris said.\n\nA glitzy fake smile spread across the buxom girl's face. She didn't fit the part of restaurant service in a majestic setting. Kris imagined her more suited to a seedy all night diner or inner city cafe.\n\n\"And his?\" The waitress grasped the edge of Michael's empty plate.\n\n\"Go for it.\" Kris raised an eyebrow. Maybe giving this stacked beauty a task would get her the hell away from the table. Throughout the meal the eager waitress kept popping up, pouring water into glasses that were three quarters full and slowly placing French rolls into the bread basket.\n\nMichael's attitude was polite but also hard to read. Kris felt a growing knot of unease.\n\nMinutes later Michael rejoined Kris. They were seated next to large windows with sweeping views of the river and valley. Kris nervously brushed tiny wrinkles out of the white tablecloth.\n\n\"Sorry,\" he said.\n\n\"No problem.\" Kris took a sip of ice water.\n\n\"Technically I'm off duty finally. Unless some emergency comes up.\" His voice ended sharply.\n\nKris felt her cheeks grow warm. Uniform gone, Michael wore a white short sleeve tee shirt. So commonplace to see him in formal starched green attire, Kris was caught up in the humanized appearance of Michael. He leaned back against the chair assessing Kris's perplexed doe eyed expression.\n\n\"Does it bother you?\"\n\n\"Does what bother me?\" She feigned a normal vocal tone. Pushing her plate away, she fidgeted with the silverware.\n\n\"My weapon,\" Michael said and folded his arms.\n\nKris had not noticed before. But she did now. He was still carrying a gun. Her gaze quickly settled upon his right hip. She blushed instantly. The revelation of his firearm coupled with the placement of the darn thing was unsettling. Staring directly at his midsection became unavoidable and she was at a loss for words. Perhaps he was toying with her.\n\n\"Does it disturb you?\" he asked.\n\nKris swallowed hard immediately ashamed of internally torquing his words into a sexual connotation.\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"I thought guns bothered you. Guess I was picking up on something else.\"\n\nKris smiled as warmly as she could. If he only knew her actual thoughts. Kris didn't feel like herself. She was about to attempt a witty comment but the bimbo waitress was heading straight for the table.\n\n\"Michael can I get you anything else tonight?\" Her words dripped with a smug attitude.\n\n\"No, we're fine.\" Michael responded but didn't take his eyes off Kris's soured expression.\n\n\"Uh, I'm Sandi. With an i at the end.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Sandi,\" he said.\n\n\"Haven't I seen you before?\" Sandi was stubbornly reluctant to leave.\n\nKris recognized a foul game when she saw one. This waitress-louse had every intention of sucking Michael toward her bubbly little sex kitten personality.\n\n\"Probably. I'm a Park Ranger here.\" He glanced up at her brimming face momentarily.\n\nKris's lips were tightly drawn together. She was not confident enough in her knowledge of Michael to differentiate whether he was being polite or faking tolerance with this nymph.\n\n\"Oh.\" Sandi half giggled. Kris failed to find anything funny about this situation. Finally at a loss for intelligent things to spew past her pink lips, Sandi moved off but not far. She started gathering dishes from the empty adjacent table.\n\n\"I'm pretty tired,\" Kris said. Her mind was spinning and torn with conflicting emotions. Old thorny memories of Adam's rude flirtations with suggestive females surged to the forefront of her mind. He claimed he never cheated. She couldn't find much weight behind the rumors that he was at the time they were together. But trusting a man was not easy. The rational section of her brain was trying to sort out the differences between Michael and Adam. It was quite stupid to compare them both. Kris was struck with the urge to go home and bring the evening to an end.\n\n\"Coffee didn't do it's trick?\" Michael observed the empty white cup in front of her.\n\nKris stared heavily at the mug tracing he finger along the porcelain handle. She had to concede she was unfairly interlacing her past with the present. Michael deserved the benefit of the doubt. But Kris couldn't shake her irritation regarding Sandi the waitress. Coupled with the rumors he was fucking Beth Taylor, Kris wondered if she stood in a pile of quicksand.\n\n\"I need to work tomorrow. Early.\" Obviously a lame excuse. He would see right through.\n\n\"I thought you said you don't go in until noon.\" Michael refreshed her memory.\n\nKris gazed blankly at him. The truth would be the best route, but she felt caught.\n\nThe lodge hall radiated with warm candle light and soft conversation. It was getting late and guests were dwindling Quite the contrast from the bustling Willow Camp hall. Kris's attention drifted out past the huge windows. Filtered bands of fleeting sunlight trickled through pine branches. Kris imagined excusing herself right then. It would be a nice walk back to camp. Long enough to mull things over.\n\n\"Thank you for dinner.\" Kris gave a courteous smile, searching for the right words leading to her departure.\n\n\"Kris.\" Michael's tone sent instant shivers down her back.\n\nHell, don't make me look at you...please. Kris grappled for a quick and clean departure.\n\n\"You didn't put on that dress for just any reason,\" he said.\n\nKris fought to keep her eyes away from his piercing stare. He had a magnetic way of drawing her in. Kris couldn't deny she was curious to spend more time with him but perhaps another day.\n\n\"I hear Red Devil Cliffs are beautiful at sunset.\" If complimenting her appearance wasn't going to work, then sparking her interest with the outdoors was worth a shot. At any rate, he could tell she was very tense.\n\nSurprised at the mention of the cliffs, Kris rejoined eye contact with him and fiddled with the edge of her napkin.\n\n\"Yeah I guess.\"\n\n\"Have you been up there?\"\n\n\"Are you suggesting some type of night hike?\"\n\n\"No,\" Michael said, shifting in his chair.\n\n\"You do realize it's an 8 mile hike to the top?\"\n\n\"I didn't say anything about hiking.\" He toyed with some silverware as if they were chess pieces.\n\nKris grimaced and tried to think.\n\n\"You're talking about the forest service road? It's blocked by two gates. And very narrow.\"\n\nFinally a bit of spunk came from her. Michael knew by playing around a little bit especially with her knowledge of the park she would emerge from her shell.\n\n\"Yes. Gates. Funny thing.\" He leaned to the side and produced a large set of keys from his jeans pocket.\n\nKris folded her arms knowing what was coming next.\n\n\"You want to go drive up there? Tonight? Is that the reason for the gun?\" She glanced at his hip.\n\n\"Hmm.\" Michael half smiled secure in his earlier assessment but he wasn't going to pursue her fear of weaponry. Not tonight.\n\n\"What?\" Kris asked, a bit prickly over his smug expression.\n\n\"We can go stare at the full moon or something.\"\n\n\"Of course. The moon.\" Perhaps he was really just like all slimy men. A night crawler with a dirty agenda on his mind.\n\n\"I'll take you back to your cabin if that's what you want,\" Michael said. Perhaps it was all too much for her to handle. He wasn't about to twist her arm to stay out and about.\n\nKris breathed out heavily. Would he drive her back if she wished? Was she making a bigger deal out of nothing? Thoughts of returning to the damp little camp and her rotting cabin were not desirable. The possibility of running into Adam in a horny mood or drunk caused her to rethink going on a stupid night drive to the cliffs. She was a little curious to see what it was like at night.\n\n\"Okay, never mind. I'll go,\" Kris said.\n\n\"You'll be safe. Don't worry.\"\n\n\"That so?\"\n\n\"Well the Pentagon and FBI think so.\"\n\n\"Great.\" Kris snorted, figuring he was kidding.\n\n\"Hurry. Sandi with an \"i\" is coming back.\" He smiled.\n\n\"Shit.\" Kris swore under her breath.\n\nMichael got up and shoved his chair up to the table.\n\nClumsily, Kris back out of her chair and nearly fell. She wobbled about for a split second until a very powerful hand slid under her arm.\n\n\"I'm not crippled.\"\n\nMichael leaned down, his lips barely grazing her ear and whispered some choice words.\n\nKris's heart lurched. The brief but erotic conveyance from him provided an instantaneous rush of adrenaline.\n\nShe was quite sure he was some night crawler with a very dirty agenda.\n\n\"Shall we?\" He gently lead her across the grand hall of the Sekonee Lodge. Kris hoped nobody she knew was watching. Except maybe Sandi with the 'i'.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nRaina breezed along the narrow path practically skipping. Word traveled fast around camp that Kris was off on a date with the sexy new Ranger.\n\nAdam was seething with disgust and partial embarrassment at learning how far the information had traveled in such a short period of time.\n\n\"Hey Adam. Where you been? Missed ya at dinner\"\n\nAdam muttered foul words under his breath meagerly acknowledging the short haired little freak.\n\n\"Where's Kris?!\" Enough time had passed and Kris should have returned by now.\n\nRaina twisted around briefly, throwing up her hands.\n\n\"I don't know!\"\n\n\"Wench.\" Adam hissed, but she was too far out of range. Annoyed he stopped at the shower hut, checking for any sign of Kris. No such luck. What could be taking so long? His mind didn't fully want to know.\n\nIt was a murky hot evening in the valley. Earlier thunderstorms left behind elevated humidity in the region and a proliferation of aggravating bugs. Adam continued on until reaching the cabins. He slowed his pace lighting a cigarette and clicked off a small head lamp. He preferred the cloak of darkness.\n\n\"Hi Adam.\" A familiar voice caught him off guard. Adam flinched, instantly bothered by the intrusion. At the top of some steps of a ratty cabin, Randy Duncan sat quietly. Heavy pine tree branches were drooping over the roof. The porch light was broken so instead Randy had a small lantern by his side.\n\nAdam scowled. He didn't like surprises and he really didn't care for Randy. This was the second time today of running into this freak. Randy's cabin was on the very edge of a long row at the opposite end of Kris's place. Adam desired the location because it was removed from the clatter of the camp and seclusion was highly desirable to him. After losing his job with the park's trash removal service he had no choice but to take the assigned quarters in the middle of camp.\n\nKris got him the job with the Willow Camp Lodge and he quickly learned that living centralized and close to her had great benefits. Those perks were dissipating rapidly now as a new male moved in on his territory. With her focus on a slimy affair, the bastard Ranger would be coming around a lot and poking his head where it didn't belong.\n\n\"Randy.\" Adam gave a stern nod and kept on walking.\n\nAmused, Randy watched the lanky jerk saunter off into the dark. He took a sip of red wine from a little titanium cup and turned his attention back to weaving brightly colored cords together. A project that would hopefully remedy growing problems with frustrating nature walks and misbehaved children. He hummed to himself while cutting more cord and thinking about a variety of things. Adam appeared quite run down and disheveled. Maybe he'd been on one of his little explorations. Kris used to talk about Adam's weird travels off trail into the woods. Randy was pretty knowledgeable about all the surrounding hikes and back country. Seldom had he encountered Adam over the years in any of the remote or popular areas. But that was another amusing aspect of Adam Hoth. His mysterious, petulant ways.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Ungrateful bitch\" Adam found himself perspiring heavily and anger growing. Kris was nowhere in camp, and he couldn't prevent his mind from visualizing the reasons why. That ranger! Adam longed to turn them both in to the park administration for breaking obvious rules. Kris, or any lowly park worker, was absolutely not allowed at the headquarter camps above Sekonee Lodge. Breaking the rules resulted in strict punishment. Since the head admin Beth seemed to be forgoing her own set of regulations it was doubtful that blowing the whistle on Kris's stupid Ranger would have any recourse. The very thought of Kris with that prick turned Adam's stomach. Reaching the end of an abandoned row of rotting cabins, Adam stepped down heavily on overgrown ferns and dead tree branches. He was now in the ghost camp.\n\nDeciding the best course of action caused him great strife. Two options weighed on his mind. Either wait at her cabin until she returned or show up very early in the morning. She had to return at some point tonight.\n\nPulling out a slim flask he took a swift drink and threw down his backpack on a porch with gaping holes in the boards. These cabins would never be used again. The park service was too cheap to tear them down let alone replace them with new ones. Adam threw some items from his pack into the gaping void of the porch. He liked his privacy and didn't need a bunch of bums rummaging through his personal stuff.\n\nAdam lit another cigarette and entered the forest. If he traversed a little creek and crossed a debris field of boulders he would arrive unannounced at the backside of Kris's cabin. She had a cot on the porch if memory served. And waiting was his specialty.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nKris tightly grasped the interior door handle of the truck once again. It was a rough ride and Michael did not hesitate in accelerating up the steep dirt road.\n\nHe slammed down on the brake and the truck skidded to an abrupt halt. Aware of Kris's apprehension, he was mindful not to say or do anything that would send her into an emotional exodus.\n\nCarnal desires flooding every fiber of his being were increasingly hard to suppress. From the moment Kris timidly slipped into the cab of his truck back at Willow Camp Michael had wrestled with restraint. Caught in a sensory firestorm Michael craved to do things that weren't human. Maintaining his civility and proving he wasn't a sex craved monster was unbearably challenging. He knew Kris desired him as well but she was either really good at playing coy or she was held back by fear and perhaps inexperience.\n\nPhysically she was very alluring. A rapturous deviation from ordinary females. Emotionally and intellectually, Kristjana portrayed the type of girl he longed for yet rarely became involved with. On some level he'd convinced himself that a man like him with his tainted past did not deserve a nice girl. A girl unscathed by domineering, aggressive males. Untouched by the ugliness of the world and violence that few experience in a lifetime. She was by no means innocent but lacked the seasoned corruptness he was used to in many females. Whether or not Kris was flirting with him Michael was vexed by her subtleties. Sometimes it was the tone of her words or the way she toyed with her her hair or how she seemed to mentally blank out every so often.\n\nHer long glistening blond locks begged at him. Rarely did he observe her tresses to be tightly bound or restricted. She allowed her hair to cascade down her back or around her shoulders, unhampered. Feeble attempts at putting her hair up usually resulted in half of it falling back down.\n\nPassing through Willow Camp early in the season Michael often took pause when spotting Kris on a break from work or sitting in the sun. Sometimes she chose a quiet hill that overlooked the creek running through camp. Half her hair would be loosely piled on top her head and the rest blowing softly in the breeze. Quite a few times he entertained the thought of joining her out on those grassy slopes. Yet he never did.\n\nKris's resistance at this little excursion to Red Cliffs was assuredly out of the distrust she had for him. Perhaps the remote location away from the security of the valley was unsettling to her.\n\n\"Tell me something?\" Kris asked.\n\nMichael glanced over, intrigued. He slowly smoothed his touch over the back of her hand and slid his fingers underneath her warm palm.\n\n\"Sure,\" he said.\n\nKris blinked with heavy eyes. The weight and warmth of his hand on top of hers was distracting.\n\n\"You take many dates up here?\"\n\n\"I don't take dates anywhere.\"\n\n\"What does that mean?\"\n\n\"I really don't date.\"\n\n\"Hmm. As I suspected.\" Kris glanced out the window.\n\n\"I make you nervous.\" Michael stated with acute precision. He felt a slight tremble from her.\n\n\"At first you did.\" Even if she could find the words to enlighten him she really didn't want to put forth the energy in explanations.\n\n\"You always catch me off guard. And on a bad day,\" she said.\n\n\"Are you thinking it's a mistake to pursue this?\"\n\n\"I'm not sure what this is. And if it can be called a pursuit.\"\n\n\"Are you afraid of me?\" Micheal slipped his hand between her lower back and the seat gently coaxing her to scoot closer.\n\nKris shook her head at the question. \"I wouldn't say afraid is the right term.\"\n\n\"How about last night?\"\n\n\"Last night?\"\n\n\"Were you afraid then?\" He asked.\n\nKris rubbed her forehead.\n\n\"Because I was under the influence of alcohol I was many things.\"\n\n\"Would you like me to find something for you to drink now?\" Michael offered.\n\n\"Sure. There's gotta be a bar up here somewhere,\" Kris said, trying to lighten the mood. \"Maybe I've given the wrong impression though.\"\n\nMichael thought for a few moments. \"I think I've got a few things figured out.\"\n\n\"Oh, like what?\"\n\n\"Tell me that what I whispered into your ear, didn't turn you on. Perhaps I have labored under the wrong impression\" Michael challenged gently. His annoyingly strong instincts hinted at a different premise.\n\n\"It was very vivid,\" Kris evaded his question. She didn't want to truthfully answer him. In actuality Kris couldn't get the comment out of her mind. Back at the restaurant his little sexually devious whisper ignited her curiosity. But it produced anxious concerns as well.\n\n\"Makes me wonder what kind of women you're used to.\"\n\n\"You are wondering, or worried?\" He asked.\n\n\"Both.\"\n\n\"It's not something you need to worry about.\" Clearly she was fixated on this issue. Something obviously from her past produced warning signals in her mind.\n\n\"I can be a tease at times without realizing it.\" Tossing her hair back, she peered over at him, eager to gage his response.\n\n\"Sit here.\" He patted his legs.\n\n\"You want me to sit on you?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" he said.\n\n\"What if I said no?\n\n\"Then say it.\" Michael challenged.\n\nKris complied in an awkward move to straddle him. It should have been a rather cozy position. Instead the intense eye contact with him was a bit tense and uncomfortable.\n\n\"You're not a flirt or a tease.\" With a hand sliding up her arm he fingered the shoulder strap to her dress and coaxed it down. His other hand slipped behind her neck, pulling her lips to his for only a moment.\n\nEyes piercing hers, his voice morphed into a deeply fervid tone.\n\n\"You're a enchantress of sorts. Your little ways tempt me heavily to want to do things I would never normally think of with a girl like you.\" Then he forcibly mated his mouth to hers. Kris slowly collapsed into him grasping the sides of his shirt. This enchantress assessment was pure nonsense.\n\nKris pulled back abruptly. A thick object jutting from his side was painfully gouging her knee. Michael reacted to her discomfort immediately and yanked the harnessed firearm from the holster thrusting it on to the dashboard. Refocusing his attention, he grasped her hips and brought her firmly down against his thick male organ, pulsating in defiance beneath restrictive jean fabric. She knew this was about to get out of hand quickly but there was something she needed to make clear.\n\n\"Mr. Falkenrath you may think you have me all figured out either by your own arrogance or by an inflated ego.\" Kris swallowed hard, \"Don't try and sweet talk me with this enchantress shit. Slathering me with words to diffuse my reluctance is not how it works.\" She was onto his little game of seduction.\n\nMichael watched with a certain amusement.\n\nKris continued, \"Listen here. You've contributed a great deal to my reservations but you have not successfully frightened me off.\"\n\nHe would either get mad at her noncompliance or view it as a challenge. Didn't matter though, she was testing him.\n\nMichael grappled with maintaining his self control once again. Her little fiery streak generated ideas of abandoning the slow foreplay and ripping her darn clothes off.\n\n\"I'm quite at a loss for words.\" Michael teased the fabric of her dress. Then ran a finger along her brow and slowly down her cheek.\n\n\"The only thing I wish to slather you with is the product of torrid passion that may certainly occur between us.\" Taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger he spoke in a much deeper voice, \"Don't assume you know me so well. Perhaps I was testing the waters in seeking a reaction from you.\"\n\nKris bore into his sultry gaze. \"Then I have been mistaken.\"\n\nMichael knew he wasn't scoring any points in the trust department and tried to squelch strong desires taunting his mind.\n\n\"You may not want to hear this.\" He took her hand.\n\n\"Another attempt to warn, seduce and confuse me?\" Kris lightly expounded. She was under the impression he was still playing with her.\n\nMichael decided it was the right time. She needed to know he wasn't interested in just fooling around. And she had an important decision to make.\n\n\"I was hired by Park Service this season because I am a trained killer. My methods are based from many years of experience in the military.\" He paused searching for signs of fear in her large blue eyes.\n\n\"I'm skilled in unconventional methods of taking out a human being. I'm abrasive. Ruthless. I can find gray areas to legally take down a threat.\"\n\nKris was dumbfounded.\n\n\"If you think I haven't had grave reservations getting involved with you, you'd be very mistaken. I don't want to taint you with the darkness of my past,\" Michael said.\n\nKris's throat ran dry. She'd heard one or two long unbelievable tales from Adam detailing all his stupid knowledge of the 'unconventional'. Adam was a skilled liar and manipulator. When they were in a relationship, she brushed off all the inconsistencies and crap. Later on, his bull shit was relentless. Kris knew she was quite malleable back then and regretted believing his wild lies in the first place. At this juncture in her life she was cautious about what males told her. She didn't have one reason not to trust Michael. Kris felt ashamed equating him with such a slimy bottom feeder like Adam.\n\n\"Okay. I think I get it,\" Kris said.\n\n\"I have been reluctant to open up. We have spent very little time together. Perhaps it is better to warn you at this point and not go into detail.\" He smoothed the goosebumps along her arm.\n\n\"That's a guy thing, not to open up. Nothing new to me. I just pegged you as every other idiot man.\"\n\n\"And now?\"\n\n\"I don't know exactly. You were going on a minute ago about some temptress crap. Sweet talking. You know?\"\n\n\"I am only calling it like I see it. I will sweet talk you all day long if you want. I want things you cannot imagine. Yet your innocence brings everything back to reality,\" Michael said.\n\nKris slumped a bit in his lap. If he was trying to warn her off, it was only slightly working. She would trust in him based off his behavior for now. Overall he seemed to have a soft side. He cared about her safety when a monster currently lurked in White Rock. Otherwise, why would he have walked her home after the last campfire? And after the party when she was so drunk, he could of worked that situation into something mostly benefiting himself. Yet he didn't.\n\n\"Don't assume I'm that innocent.\" Kris saw a bit of substance to this self proclaimed malicious ranger. Perhaps he did not feel worthy of her which of course was ridiculous, mostly because she felt the same way.\n\n\"Okay I won't.\" He would let her have her position on that for now. Kris need not know that she was a damn angel in his eyes in comparison to others from his past.\n\n\"And I should tell you something,\" Kris clenched his hand, \"my father was in the military. Second Lieutenant in the US Army.\" She looked down quickly, \"He died overseas. I know he did crazy things, unspeakable things. So don't try and scare me about what you've done. And don't tell me you're scared of tainting me either.\" Kris stopped talking and peered at him.\n\nClouded in his own interest Michael had not considered Kris's past. He grasped both her hands and held them together between his own.\n\n\"Forgive me. I'm being selfish.\"\n\n\"I don't scare off easily.\" Kris leaned forward, nestling into his broad chest. Hearing his heart beating against her head soothed the tense moment.\n\n\"I didn't bring you up here to discuss these types of matters, Kris. It's a conversation for another time. I'm sorry about your father.\" He threaded his fingers into her hair.\nChapter Twelve\n\nAdam approached the darkened cabin. Carefully ascending the steps, so not to make noise, he unlatched his backpack and set it down on the porch. Grasping the door handle stiffly, he gave it a turn. Locked. Fumbling around in his pockets he produced several little brass colored keys and tried them in the lock.\n\nDamn! She changed it! Adam spat furiously off the porch. The fact that she wasn't home either furthered his hostility.\n\nBreathing heavily he lit a cigarette and sat down against the front wall of the cabin, banging his head in disgust against the wood boards. He would let her have fun tonight. Get it out of her system. Hiking over to the law enforcement quarters on the other side the valley was the last thing Adam wanted to do. Instead he puffed away on his smoke, alternating with several long drinks from his flask. Kris would come back to him. He was the most patient and forgiving person she would ever know. He would wait because this fling with the ranger wasn't going to last. She would come crying back and he would be there to pick up the pieces. He closed his eyes enjoyed the blissful effects of the alcohol.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Heya Randy what's up?\" Raina strode by filled with her usual radiant enthusiasm.\n\nRandy paused from a tattered book peering up at the familiar screechy voice and waved.\n\n\"Were you looking for Kris too?\" Randy asked.\n\nRaina pounced up the steps and plunked down next to him.\n\n\"Not really.\" Raina placed her chin on his shoulder and looking down at his book. Also at his side was a sketch pad filled with pencil drawings of various flowers, trees and grasses. Randy carefully lay down his pencil on the wooden step.\n\n\"Well, they want me to put together a new interpretive trail map. I was just putting some ideas on paper. Where you off to?\" Randy put his arm around Raina.\n\n\"I don't know really. Did you say you were looking for Kris?\"\n\n\"No. But Adam was, earlier. Seemed to be angered about something.\" Randy rubbed the whiskers on his unshaven chin.\n\n\"He's such a creeper. Lately he's been real pissed. I'm sure it's because Kris is spending lots of time with the Ranger.\"\n\n\"I think so too. Kris went off with him earlier this evening. I came upon Adam hiding near the trail next to the roundabout. Like he was stalking Kris or something.\"\n\n\"Oh yeah?\"\n\n\"He was all upset, you know how he gets,\" Randy said.\n\n\"He acts like he's on a sniper hunt.\"\n\n\"Yeah. He was real pissed I was there. I said hello and went on my way. Then this evening he sulks by here asking where Kris was. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Adam knew already.\"\n\n\"News travels fast around here.\" Raina yawned.\n\n\"You want a beer or something?\"\n\n\"No thanks. Randy, you don't think Adam would do something bad to her do you?\"\n\nRandy scratched his head and pushed back unruly wavy hair. \"You mean like Adam hurting her? Physically?\"\n\n\"I guess. I mean I can't imagine that, but how do we know for sure?\"\n\n\"We don't know anything for sure.\"\n\n\"That's what I was thinking.\"\n\n\"Kris still befriends him which doesn't help. She acts annoyed with him occasionally but kind of friendly, you know?\" Randy stated what everyone had observed since last season. Kris was a a nice person but Adam's distorted ways produced a lot of guilt and enabling from her.\n\n\"Adam took it so much harder than she did. I don't even know who first broke it off. But she ended up feeling bad for a long time after,\" Raina said.\n\n\"Yea.\" Randy remembered the debacle quite well.\n\n\"She's obviously moved on. But not him. He's fucked up in a hundred ways.\"\n\n\"He wants attention,\" Randy said.\n\n\"I guess.\" Raina snapped her gum. Tugging on a purple and black striped sweatshirt, she plodded slowly down the steps.\n\n\"Headed off?\" Randy closed his sketch book.\n\n\"I'm outta here. Catch you later.\" Raina plodded down the steps and landed in the dirt.\n\n\"Bye.\" Randy stood and stretched, then leaned against the porch railing, watching until he could no longer catch a glimpse of her. Entering his tiny cabin, he placed his notebook and pencil on a rickety shelf next to a jar of dried flowers. Kicking his shoes off and scooting them under the bed, he lay down slowly, pausing to flick on a radio. Casually reaching back, sliding one hand under the pillow, he felt for a long, sharp object. Satisfied it was still there, he closed his eyes, humming along with the tune on the radio.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"It's surreal.\" Kris took in deep breaths of cool night air, exhaling each one like a precious entity. \"I have no idea why I've worked this long in the park and never been up here at night.\"\n\nMichael carefully kept his distance a few yards away. Kris resembled a goddess the way the moon light glimmered off her hair and a breeze tickled her dress. Peering cautiously over a mammoth piece of jagged, glaciated granite, Kris found herself unexpectedly in awe. She was overcome by the tranquility but also the eerie notion of being at such a remote location at night. Edges of the treacherous cliffs were visible in the strange blue light of the moon.\n\nThe stress of the day, politics of the park, mindless work, and even the horrid attacks, melted into a blurry non existence. For a few moments she forgot about her accompaniment and continued to to let her vision and senses adjust to the night. The daytime provided an abrasive vantage point, allowing a spectator with unparalleled vision of the popular Red Devil Cliffs. They dropped off to more than four thousand feet to the valley below. Metal handrails lined a rock path, but it wasn't clear to Kris where they lay in the darkness.\n\n\"How long have you known about this?\" Kris pivoted around but as she did several loose rocks caught her flimsy shoe. Letting out a small squeaking noise, Kris clumsily sunk to the ground.\n\n\"Dammit these rocks are fucking sharp.\"\n\n\"Granite tends to be that way. Come on. You're in a bunch of loose scree.\" Michael swiftly brought her upright.\n\n\"Shit. It hurts.\" Annoyed, Kris reached for her foot, nearly losing balance. Growing a bit impatient, he reached down and scooped her up with little effort.\n\n\"What are you doing?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Moving you to a better location.\" He finally let her down underneath a small grove of pines. Her feet sunk into a soft bed of moss. Conveniently forgetting about her sore foot, she gazed up at Michael with large, glassy eyes.\n\n\"Is this where you take advantage of me now?\" Kris spoke in a quiet voice.\n\n\"Is that what you want?\" Michael smoothed his hands around her shoulders and down her back, bringing her up close to his body.\n\n\"I think so,\" Kris said.\n\n\"You, think so? Perhaps you'd better be sure.\" He warned softly.\n\n\"And why is that?\"\n\n\"I'm not in possession of the same restraint as last night.\"\n\n\"Oh, you mean when you said you weren't going to make love to me?\"\n\n\"Yes.\" Michael ground his teeth together, practically hissing.\n\n\"Well, weren't you just the tease?\" Kris gazed up, hardly able to see his expression through dark shadows.\n\n\"Then lay down.\" His command was soft, gently coercing.\n\n\"No.\" Kris moved back slightly remembering the previous night and how Michael held back with her. Perhaps he restrained from desire because according to him, she was some innocent lass. He didn't want to unleash some mysterious sexual beast on her? Kris wasn't buying into it fully and she hated being misinterpreted. Pigeonholing her as innocent meant she was also na\u00efve and therefore she couldn't help but rebel against such assumption.\n\n\"Over here.\" Kris slightly limped backward into a lanky Lodgepole pine tree. Most of the limbs were higher up on the trunk leaving a nice straight base. Shaking, she bumped into it. Rough bark scraped her skin. Sticks and underbrush crackled under Michael's firm steps as he approached.\n\n\"What do you plan to do with the tree?\" He asked.\n\n\"Come here and find out.\" Kris patted the trunk with a quivering hand. Intensifying amusement enveloped Michael. He complied with her wish but wasn't about to make things easy.\n\n\"What am I supposed to do with this?\" He casually leaned against the tree. Thoughts of tying her to it plagued him. A damsel in distress in the forest.\n\nKris was one step ahead. She pushed him backward against the slender trunk.\n\n\"Stay.\" Kris grasped onto his tee shirt and pulled it free from his jeans.\n\n\"Uhm, Kris...\" Michael reached for her.\n\n\"No. You stay,\" she said.\n\nMichael remained silent on the surface. Deep within him raw excitement was brewing.\n\nTaking command was actually a nice change, Kris thought. Kissing his rock solid belly just above a steel belt buckle, she heard him orate a guttural sound. Ignoring him she pushed hard with the palm of her hand into his heated organ. The thick jean fabric poorly concealed his aroused state. Kris purposefully proceeded with her plot to turn the tables on him.\n\nUn-threading his leather belt, she pushed it aside. She grasped a corner of fabric and the button which held the fly of his jeans together. Pulling it apart with her mouth was tricky but it came unbuttoned with a firm tug. Instantly Michael interwove his fingers into her hair. Kris clenched her eyes shut for a split second trying to gather courage. Grasping his zipper with her jittery fingertips Kris released the tight fabric encasing him. Michael was unable to remain still any longer. Kris nudged and pushed at him to stay put. Quickly she yanked down the front of his pants and took the head of his penis in her mouth.\n\n\"Hell.\" Michael met with pleasure filled agony. He could not have predicted this action from Kris but it was not a total shock. He was not going to be able to hold back for long with her little dominatrix act. Intensifying visions of filling her luscious mouth full of his fiery fluid only aroused him further. He was reaching an unconscious state of intense pleasure. Thoughts of stopping her were slipping away.\n\nBack and forth, over the top of his swollen head her lips went. Each time a lightening rod of carnal pleasure swelled within him.\n\nKris suddenly squeezed him tightly at the base of his cock while sliding her tongue around the soft foreskin. She began constricting and releasing her hand faster and faster while still focusing on the tip of his rigid shaft. Uncontrollable muscle contractions slammed Michael. Managing one hand to her shoulder, he pushed, commanding that she cease this oral copulation.\n\n\"Kris. Stop.\" The words were illogical to him but he knew it was the right thing. Kris slowly retreated, vexed, and confused.\n\nGazing back up at Michael, a painful shroud of embarrassment and confusion descended upon her face. Blushing bright pink, Kris scooted backward and eventually landed awkwardly on her behind. Michael cautiously sank down next to her .\n\n\"Are you alright?\" He was horrified at himself for the boorish and abrupt handling of the situation.\n\nKris struggled to face him. Diverting her eyes down at her hands and then the forest ground. A familiar unease gripped her. Kris had not expected this reaction from Michael. She wanted to crawl away and run back down the road to camp.\n\nSensing her predicament Michael wrapped a hand around her waist. Hardly a shred of fabric from her dress remained where it was supposed to.\n\n\"Look at me,\" he asked softly. Kris was not keen on responding. Michael put a hand under her chin. \"Look at me, please. Sweetheart.\"\n\nClose to tears, Kris engaged for a fleeting moment.\n\n\"Oh hell you don't understand.\" He vigorously condemned himself at that moment for getting involved. Too late to dig out of the luscious entanglement, Michael cursed himself for being a inconsiderate asshole.\n\n\"Kris what you were doing is a pretty strong and powerful thing. I truly didn't want to blow my fucking load in your mouth.\" Unable to put it any other way he traced her lips with a finger he waited for sign she understood.\n\n\"I shouldn't of.\"\n\n\"Yes, you should have. I'm caught off guard and that isn't common.\"\n\n\"Whatever.\"\n\n\"Next time I won't be such a prick, I promise. Your touch is unreal and it turns me on quite a bit. I spend much of my time trying to restrain my urges with you. I don't want to drive you away.\" The warmth of his breath spread over her cold complexion.\n\n\"I can make that decision for myself. Why would I be messing around with you if I didn't want to.\" Shit that sounds stupid Kris thought.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\" Michael cleared a strand of hair from her face.\n\n\"It's fine. I'm the one who is sorry.\" It wasn't really fine. Nothing felt fine at the moment.\n\nA smile slowly advanced across his mouth. \"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about.\"\n\nInternally he was condemning his stupid actions.\n\nKris felt limp. \"I won't do it again.\" She tried to turn away but he grasped her arm.\n\n\"Yes you will. Do anything you want. I fucking promise I won't stop you. Just,\" Michael paused, \"be prepared.\" He slid his hand down along her hip.\n\nKris was about to inquire what be prepared exactly meant but decided it would be some unnecessary explanation. She had a vivid imagination. This evening was going to be a total waste if they kept harping on this inconvenient deviation.\n\n\"Say something else.\" Kris grabbed the collar of his shirt, attempting to kiss him. Michael countered and gently rolled into her until they were both laying in a soft bed of pine needles.\n\n\"What do you want me to say? I'm having enough trouble trying to convince you there's a gentleman underneath this rough exterior.\"\n\n\"Tell me you want me.\" Kris kissed his neck. Michael moved on top of her, moving one leg between hers and nudging upward.\n\n\"Okay, but forget the fact that I just stopped you from sucking on my cock.\"\n\n\"I'm trying, but you're not making it very easy.\" Kris reached up, lightly slapping his cheek.\n\nMessage received, he thought.\n\n\"I want this,\" he fingered the side of her dress, \"gone.\" With one hand he tore off the rest of her mangled dress.\n\n\"And you're going to buy me a new one tomorrow, right?\" Kris winced at her clothing decimation.\n\n\"Whatever you want, darling,\" he said and delicately rubbed the palm of his hand over her nipple. Kris let out a melodic groan, giving in to his touch. Michael gently depressed his hips into her speaking thickly into her ear. His words were dripping with raw, agitating promises. Every nerve ending in Kris's body was alive and electric. Unifying her hips into his, searing carnal heat enveloped her. Ravenous desires, barely controllable, seized Michael. His muscles protested with taut, constrictive anticipation.\n\nEnveloped in a visual feast of moonlight dancing off her hair raggedly splayed on the ground beneath him, Michael was betwixt. She was a perfect mess, a delicacy that only intensified his instinct to harbor her from harm. He knew these unyielding thoughts to be irrational, clouding his assessment of this perfect apparition writhing under him. Someone who had been untouchable, perplexing, seemingly unavailable was now threaded permanently in his thoughts. She desired him just as much as he did her.\n\nWith the last few ounces of reserve, Michael advanced the aching head of his cock into her constricted volume. Knowing his throbbing girth would be a bit of a shock and whether that was good or bad, he suppressed primal urges to fully embed himself.\n\nWrapping her legs tightly around him, Kris tried drawing him in further. She assumed his hesitation was some ridiculous idea once again, circling back to his viewpoint on innocence. Kris grabbed the back of his head, forcing him to listen closely. Instead he mated his mouth hard onto hers, enforcing a deep erotic kiss. Kris reciprocated the intense embrace.\n\nRipping herself from their copulating mouths, she spoke his name, \"Michael.\" Her voice was ragged and strained.\n\n\"What? What is it?\" Heart racing, nearly out of his chest he wantonly hovered above her.\n\n\"I know what you're doing.\" A thread of irritation danced in her voice. Michael could only stare down, bewildered. But realization approached him pretty quickly.\n\n\"I don't want to hurt you.\"\n\nKris was having none of it and ground her hips straight into him.\n\nMichael breathed out heavily. She couldn't be reasoned with although he suspected he was being the unreasonable one at the moment.\n\nAgain he met her lips, kissing with raw passion. Salaciously he entered her tight passage, climaxing expeditiously.\n\nSoon Kris spiraled into her own fervid apex. Michael sought to prolong her torment by reaching between their perspiring bodies and caressing her. Kris grabbed a fistful of damp earth. Kissing the soft, damp skin beneath her chin, Michael enjoyed her writhing motions and waited patiently for her body to melt into his strong arms.\n\nHeart slamming inside her chest, Kris shoved at him, trying to take a deep breath. Instead she managed shallow attempts at gaining air into her lungs. Gazing skyward she was blissfully disoriented for a few moments but so relaxed time stood still.\n\n\"You're going to get cold.\" Michael encased her slender frame against his massively warmth. Safe, protected in Michael's enormous arms, the only thing still reminding her of what just transpired was his finger intertwining a long ragged lock of her hair.\n\nSmoothing his strong hand over the side of her pale face, his expression returned to the familiar, serious demeanor Kris had come to know.\n\n\"We need to go.\" He uttered softly, kissing her neck.\n\n\"I know.\" Wishing to remain in his arms all night long, Kris could not remember the last time she felt so exhausted and so safe. But he was right, it was getting cold. Crisp night air was descending fast upon them and her attire was basically destroyed.\n\nSecretly happy Michael made the first move, Kris was quickly pulled to her feet. Thankfully the truck was a short distance from the clearing of trees. The forest was eerily quiet. Only the crackle of rocks and crunch of pine needles under their feet kept the silence at bay.\nChapter Thirteen\n\n\"I'm not supposed to be here.\" Kris stood in the doorway to the little house. In one hand she tightly grasped a steaming cup of coffee, the other hand clenched a handful of fabric. Michael loaned her some sweat pants yet they were so big on her lithesome waist, she had no choice but to hold them up constantly.\n\n\"Then they can fire me.\" Michael spoke in his usual commanding tone. \"Are you cold?\" He watched Kris hovering in the open door.\n\n\"Kind of.\" Kris spoke in a hushed voice, her words trailing off while yawning.\n\n\"You're not going to get me in trouble.\" Michael coaxed her into the room and shut the door firmly.\n\nKris gazed around the small home. The windows were painted a green trim, starkly contrasting the white walls. Kris leisurely strolled around the space, politely observing. Michael kept everything rather plain. Sterile almost. No personal items like photographs or magazines. Everything had a place and was very tidy. A full size bed was positioned against short square windows at the far end of the room. A red and green plaid blanket sparked an immediate desire to lie down. The only thing keeping her awake besides the coffee was the afterglow of their forest encounter. She was losing the battle with fatigue and drifting towards a heavy urge to sleep.\n\n\"Lay down.\" Michael's hands slid over Kris's shoulders. An emptiness stole her mind, canceling the urge to produce small talk. Kris reached backward and touched the top of his hand.\n\n\"I insist.\" He guided her to the bed.\n\nShe carefully placed the coffee on a tiny table. Michael clearly displayed ingrained habits resulting from his time in the armed services. The level of cleanliness around his quarters dictated meticulous attention. Not even a stray pine needle was safe. In a strange way it all resonated familiarity with Kris stemming from her upbringing. Moving around the country meant living in sterile little homes on and off bases. Visions of her strict father was etched forever in her mind. His passing some years ago had left Kris with unpleasant reminders. In her mother's attempt to fill a void, control and a firm hand took over. Unfortunately her mother also became terminally withdrawn and emotionally unavailable.\n\n\"In about ten minutes I'm going to feel the effects of that.\" Kris motioned toward the coffee.\n\nSitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, a small wave of modesty coursed through her. She disrobed from the bulky clothes and grasping the heavy covers, she slid underneath. The stiff cotton sheets were cold against her skin so she curled up into a ball and closed her eyes and hoped warmth would come quickly.\n\nMichael's attention to her was brief. He unlaced his boots and placed them near the door.\n\n\"I'll be outside for a few minutes.\" He lifted a radio from one of three charging units on a long shelf.\n\n\"Lovely.\" Kris poked her head up from the blankets momentarily but sank back down and snuggled her face into the pillow. It was absolute heaven. The aroma of Michael's personal aroma and woodsy pine filled her with a sense of calmness. She clung to each breath and tugged the covers right up to her chin until sleep took over.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMorning announced itself all too rapidly. As the sun climbed over tall granite spires, rays of sunshine cascaded down into steep canyons and blanketed lush meadows. Filtered light finally filled the small house. Kris found difficulty in waking, disoriented at first but subdued by Michael's presence.\n\nShe'd barely noticed him all night even though he slept right next to her. Perhaps his soothing warmth or the depth of her tiredness provide the uninterrupted sleep.\n\nThankful but confused he didn't try anything during the night or that morning, Kris focused on getting ready for work.\n\n\"You are enormously lucky to have a shower.\" Kris grasped the door handle to the small bathroom.\n\n\"Think so?\" Michael was distracted over new events being reported on his laptop. For some ridiculous reason the was only finding out now.\n\n\"I know so.\" Kris muttered the words to herself. A private bathroom. What total bliss. It was hard to remember what it was like to shower alone and not have to worry about wearing ripped up shower shoes and whether or not the hot water would hold out.\n\nMichael held a tablet computer in one hand and grabbed several papers spewing out of a small fax machine. A new report indicated another missing female worker. Any second a loud obnoxious knock would bring the peaceful morning to a halt. He was sure of it. Michael had little privacy. Administrative personnel usually showed up unannounced at his living quarters. If Michael failed to promptly respond to radio communication, a panic ensued from staff.\n\nBut this morning nobody had tried to get a hold of him. The previous night he turned the radio off to provide Kris uninterrupted sleep. It wasn't so easy finding slumber himself. But he wasn't about to take advantage of this tempting creature. Emotional attachment was growing and complicating everything. Now he wrestled with very persuasive desires that gave new meaning to vivid imagination.\n\nInforming Kris of the bad news gave him great pause. There wasn't much to tell yet. The entire camp probably knew by this point although the story being passed along was going to be highly contorted.\n\nKris watched from the bathroom doorway. Something was strongly deferring his attention. She decided it was time to hurry. Surely Michael needed to be on duty. And the wonderful world of servicing messy impatient tourists beckoned her.\n\nMichael heard the hiss and sputtering of the faucet. He rubbed his tired eyes, then yanked out a neatly folded park ranger uniform from a small closet. A set of handcuffs immediately fell to the floor in a heavy thud. He often kept restraints tucked into the pockets for times when he was called to an incident in the middle of the night.\n\nSunlight caught the bright shiny metal laying at his feet. Instead of picking them up right away, his thoughts drifted off in a very peculiar direction.\n\nNo. Michael practically spoke the words out loud to himself. All that danced before him were dripping wet visions of Kris in his shower.\n\nDenying the urge to act on his fantasies, he quickly pulled on his work pants and threaded the belt. And then her voice called from the bathroom. His hands froze against his belt buckle. Voicing his name once more, Kris opened the door a crack. Her hair was piled loosely on top of her head and dripping water made small puddles on the floor. The rest of her body remained hidden behind the door. Steam escaped in large waves.\n\n\"Can I help you?\" Michael asked.\n\n\"You have shampoo but no soap.\"\n\n\"Right. Sorry about that.\" Michael was instantly relieved to have a task. The inclination to act on his lustful desire was distracting him ferociously. Soap, you fucking machine. Where's the soap?\n\nMichael surveyed his living quarters. Visions of lathering rich suds over Kris's lithe anatomy were vexing him. Kissing her candy-sweet, mouth and then running his tongue over those taut nipples with warm water cascading over them both. He was lost. Spellbound by fantasies. Grasping a cabinet door handle he yanked hard and the inner contents spilled out at his feet.\n\n\"Dammit!\" Reaching back into the deep cabinet he grasped a small box of soap. Standing too quickly rendered him a bit lightheaded. Not nearly a drop of blood remained in his brain, instead it settled in an engorged region between his legs.\n\nThe toe of his boot caught the forgotten metal shackles still laying on the floor. He pocketed them quickly and went into the bathroom.\n\n\"Michael?\" Through the frosted glass of the shower door she saw the dark blurry shape of Michael's figure.\n\n\"Oh, perfect.\" Kris poked her head out and caught sight of the box of soap clenched in his hand.\n\nGrabbing the open shower door, Michael stood like a statue. Kris frowned curiously at his odd appearance of no shirt and dark green khakis.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" She asked, water streaming down the side of her face.\n\nWithout warning, Michael stepped into the shower. The water instantly soaked the side of his pants.\n\nKris opened her mouth but no words came out.\n\n\"Michael, your shoes. What are you doing?\"\n\nHe latched the shower door and reached for her. Swiftly he kissed her hard, backing her against the warm tile. Water cascaded everywhere, drenching him as the embrace intensified.\n\nMichael put his hands on her waist, coaxing her to turn. He grasped one of her arms, flattening her hand to the tiled shower wall.\n\n\"You're under my arrest.\" He growled in a devilish voice and then raised her other arm slowly against the tile.\n\n\"What on earth?\" Kris laughed nervously.\n\nHe kissed the back of her neck and then slid his tongue down to the top of her shoulder, enveloping her silken skin.\n\n\"I'm completely insane. I want you.\" Reaching into his drenched pocket he fished out the handcuffs.\n\n\"Oh my god.\" Kris felt cold metal against her belly. \"What are you doing with those?\"\n\n\"I think they're going to help us.\"\n\n\"To do what? I just asked you for some soap.\"\n\nHe pressed both her palms flat against the wall again since she was making little fists. Gradually he dragged the flat side of handcuffs down between her legs. At first he teased the inside of her upper thigh, guiding the metal along her supple skin.\n\n\"How is this helping us?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Tell me you're really a bad girl.\"\n\n\"I'm, what?\"\n\n\"Tell me.\" He practically hissed.\n\n\"I don't know how this goes. I've never done this before,\" Kris said.\n\n\"I want to see her. Feel her. Fuck her.\" Seductively, the words slithered out of his mouth.\n\n\"Michael. Please...\" Kris's heart was racing. His voice produced a tidal wave of emotion mixed with a small bit of fear. Kris felt chilled despite the heavy warmth of the water and Michael's body.\n\nShe just spent last night trying to convince this man that she wasn't as innocent as he pegged her to be.\n\n\"Does it scare you?\" Water dripping off his tongue like a hungry beast.\n\n\"Yes.\" Kris admitted under her breath. \"Sort of.\"\n\nMichael dragged the cold steel inside her thigh.\n\n\"Tell me you want me.\" He grazed her breast with his free hand.\n\nKris tried to wriggle free. She needed to look into his eyes. But he prevented her from twisting around. Drawing in a shallow, uneven breath, Kris cleared her throat. His gradual and deliberate badgering was beginning to arouse her.\n\n\"Yes,\" she said in a weak voice.\n\n\"What was that?\" He pretended not to hear her.\n\n\"I want you.\" Kris's voice shook uncontrollably. Anticipation of their sultry copulation vexed her.\n\n\"I'm sorry, but I can't hear what you're saying.\"\n\n\"I want you! Dammit, just fuck me.\" Kris screamed out, a bit annoyed but knowing it was all part of the game.\n\n\"That's better.\" His voice softened.\n\n\"We're going to be late to work you know.\" Kris reminded him.\n\n\"Put your feet against mine.\" He commanded in a voice Kris hadn't heard before. It was smooth, low and almost threatening. Breathing in harshly and forgetting to exhale, she complied. Kris scooted her bare feet against his soaked boots.\n\n\"How badly do you want this?\" Licking the side of her ear, Michael brought his thickness against her legs, bantering back and forth.\n\nKris stared at the shower floor, watching the water swirl down the drain. If only her inhibitions would disappear as well. His protuberance was massive. How on earth had she not notice before? Or had she put it out of her mind in the last five or six hours?\n\nHe moved the cuffs over her swollen clitoris, back and forth, making sure the smooth metal was deliberately stimulating her.\n\nKris let out a muffled moan.\n\n\"How bad? Tell me.\" Michael slid his hand around her neck and up her chin, dragging a finger over her lip.\n\nKris muttered something from the back of her throat.\n\nOne minute she could hardly bare the intense spell he held over her, the next minute she felt like retreating into a familiar shell. Michael pulled her tightly against his fervid body.\n\nHe twisted her around and kissed her long and hard. Kris was having trouble matching his intensity so she reached far into her mind.\n\n\"If I'm the bad girl, then you're the bad ranger I secretly fantasize about when I'm alone.\" She practically whispered, water draining off her mangled hair. Pushing at him in an act of playful resistance, she instructed, \"Just take me. Do whatever you want with me.\" Her pleading contained only a thin strand of certainty, although her reservation was disintegrating.\n\nMichael took her fast and tight, kissing her jawline, moving to her neck. Deliciously tasting her sweet flesh, overcome with unrestrained passion. Her permission was all he wanted.\n\nA hot, unhampered shroud descended on Kris. A loud clank sounded as the handcuffs dropped to the tile floor. Turning her around once more, Michael smoothed his strong hands over her hips. Tormenting her by rubbing his sex organ back and forth between her legs only lasted so long before his self control wore out. Finally he entered her taut chamber with a vicious thrust. Kris swore out unintelligible words.\n\nMichael ignited sensations unfamiliar to Kris. Plunging himself deep and forceful inside her, Michael tried to constantly remind himself not to take this too far. Gritting his teeth in raw delight at her slick, tight chasm, he snaked a finger around the front of her body to attend to her sensitive bud of flesh. Kris could hardly remain standing, teetering on a euphoric edge.\n\nAs if to pester him, she took his hands, laying them against her breasts. Michael's vocal chords produced deep primal groans, while he continued to embed his swollen sex organ into her.\n\nAnother excruciating thrust into her tightness yielded a wild and uncontrolled orgasm. Waves of contractions struck Kris all at once. Grabbing onto his arm to thwart loss of balance, Kris's head seized backward against his chest. Michael held onto her quickly.\n\nKris now knew that whatever generative thoughts were coursing through him, he finally abandoned his plan to remain a nice boy. She liked it. She liked it more than she had imagined.\n\nTwisting around to face him, Michael fornicated his lips to hers, forcing her mouth open wide, deeply mating his hot tongue with hers.\n\nWater streamed down his face and through his short black hair. Kris pushed back for a moment, licking her lips languidly, her eyes piercing deeply into his. She imagined the last of her fear floating down the drain.\n\nRaising a hand to her mouth, she slowly sucked a finger in and out. The signal did not go unnoticed. An uncharacteristic wicked smile grew steadily across Michael's face.\n\n\"Kneel down.\" He motioned in a tight, hurried voice. Kris sunk to her knees, confronting Michael's rigid beast.\n\nGrasping his aching cock with one hand, he introduced it to her wet lips. Kris took him immediately, deeply, encircling her tongue while drawing him in and out of her mouth.\n\nMichael called out her name as a little warning that his climax was imminent. Threading his stiffening fingers through her sopping hair, Michael swiftly abolished the strong reservations to which he clung. Kris pressed her lips and mouth tightly around the head of his cock producing a fiery spasm at last.\n\nMichael swore violently under the steamy shroud of the hot water. Kris accepted his hot, thick nectar to enter her mouth.\n\nDrawing her lips back slowly, licking the end of his thickly swollen shaft, Kris glanced upward. Water blinded her and Michael launched at the faucet, twisting it off with some force.\n\nChest heaving, water streaming off his hair onto Kris below, rational thoughts eluded his impassioned mind. Thudding backward into the shower wall, he reached for Kris, pulling her swiftly to her feet. Michael needed to gaze upon the creature that captivated him so.\n\nStrong, muscular arms wrapped around her slender body. With one ear to his chest, Kris closed her eyes, feeling unyielding contractions of Michael's heart.\n\n\"Kiss me.\" He whispered in a ragged breath.\n\nWrapping her arms tight around his fervid midsection, Kris complied with his request. Significantly more gentle than past kisses, Michael's lips caressed her mouth, tasting the effects of their passion. Her body sent out a random shiver.\n\nBy no easy feat he shed his soaked boots and attire, quickly exiting the shower and wrapping Kris in a thick green towel.\n\n\"You know what this means?\" He let out a raspy cough.\n\nKris shook her head.\n\nMichael tapped on his large military grade wristwatch.\n\n\"You were right, we are going to be late for work.\" Naked and still unsettled, he wrapped his arms around Kris, lifting her up. Unable to find satiation, he took her lips to his, intensely mating their mouths together. Kris let the towel drop, and wrapped her legs around his midsection, drawing him in like prey.\n\n\"Baby, don't you dare.\" Kissing her once more, he hastily let her slip down, out of his arms.\n\n\"You know I should be a lot more freaked out about what time it is. I'm sure reality will catch up later,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Not if I have anything to say about it,\" Michael said, his finger coiled in a lock of her hair. Duty calls, you idiot. Tearing his attention away, he exited the bathroom for a split second.\n\nWater droplets from her long tangled hair created a small puddle of water on the floor. She wasn't as adept at transitions like him and so she stood for several moments until his voice coaxed her back to reality.\n\n\"Kris? We should get going.\" Michael leaned on the bathroom door knob.\n\n\"Yes. You're right. I know.\" Kris forced a smile. Michael was back in the mode of park security officer and ranger. Kris shut the bathroom door and stood naked in front of a small round wall mirror. Now was not the time to wonder what the hell she was doing with this guy. Again these pestering self confidence issues were surfacing at the worst time. Kris angrily pushed doubt away and quickly got dressed.\nChapter Fourteen\n\nA strong hand on her arm broke the self induced trance. Gazing over at Michael, she politely smiled and then returned to surveying the edge of the roundabout for anyone familiar. Anyone who would recognize her. An evil force, ready to run around and spread crazy rumors regarding her affair with a park ranger.\n\nGrasping the door handle, she readied herself to say a hurried goodbye to Michael and head straight for the Willow Camp hall to perhaps blending in with the other arriving staff.\n\n\"Are you regretting this thing between us?\" Michael chose his words carefully knowing Kris was in panic mode to get to work. The hour was not as late as they feared allowing for plenty of time to get where they both needed to be.\n\nThis thing between us? Thing?! Kris stared down at his hand. At least he provided a definition. No more mystery on what was going on.\n\n\"I'm not regretting anything.\" Kris slid toward the door, yanking hard on the handle. Just as she escaped the uncomfortable atmosphere of the truck cab and shut the passenger side door, the loud idle of the truck stopped. Kris's heart skipped a beat and reset with a harsh thud. Michael was coming around toward her. Her grip tightened around the carrying strap of her pack. Clumsily taking a few steps backward, Kris avoided eye contact.\n\n\"I have to get going,\" she said.\n\nSensing her emotional anguish, Michael approached and softly grasped both her arms. Kris looked down at the ground and then her gaze stretched off into the distance.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"\n\nKris brushed off his apology with a quick nod.\n\n\"How stupid am I? Can't handle a hot night with a hot guy?\" Kris snorted, reeling in an abrupt emotional decline. Of course it didn't help that Michael was so intimidating.\n\nHe embraced her in a strong hug and thread his fingers into damp hair. Kris gave in and pressed her face into his neck, closing her eyes. An electric transference of soothing energy overpowered her silly insecure thoughts. The safety of being in his arms, although foreign to Kris, was greatly needed.\n\nCupping the back of her head, Michael leaned down gently meeting her lips, but not in a kiss. His breath cascaded over her mouth and his words were low and soft.\n\n\"You're anything but stupid. I would do anything for you, Kris.\" He swept a long shiny strand of her hair over her ear.\n\n\"Don't mind me. I just have you chalked up to every other shitty man out there.\" Kris tried to diffuse the situation immediately.\n\nMichael ran a finger under her chin and up to her lip.\n\n\"Don't make light of it. I'm not easy to deal with. My own demons are trying hard to convince me I should not be involved with you.\" Michael pulled her tight against him. Kris had grown to crave his body close hers but she winced now, some of the items on his duty belt poking her uncomfortably.\n\n\"I don't deserve someone like you,\" he said.\n\nKris tried to interrupt but he was having none of it, placing his fingers over her lips.\n\nHe spoke gruffly, losing much of his empathetic tone from before. \"When you become a killing machine, even in the distortion and justification that you are wiping out the bad guys, there are significant parts of your humanity that you lose. Your view of the world changes. The gruesome actions of my past have a profound impact on who I am right now.\"\n\nKris lay a shaky hand to the side of his face, lost in his steel blue eyes.\n\n\"Why are you bringing this up again?\" Kris grabbed his wrist and kissed the inside of his hand.\n\nMichael realized he wasn't impressing enough severity on her.\n\n\"I'm a risk. Being with me is a bit of a gamble.\" Not an expert at giving this type of speech to a female, he was on unfamiliar ground.\n\nKris narrowed her eyes. Part of what she was hearing sounded a bit like the bull shit Adam used to come up with. Almost an arrogant type of admission.\n\nKris took in a deep breath, thinking hard. \"Wait. Okay, so what makes you so different from the idiot out there attacking everyone?\"\n\n\"Ah, well. I could tell you many psychological differences, but I'll spare you.\" Michael had to admit she was a lot smarter than the rest of the females from his past. \"Good point, though.\" He didn't want to treat her as if she was ignorant.\n\n\"You'll spare me?\" Kris wasn't about to get distracted on the compliment that she indeed had a good point.\n\nBack tracking a little, Michael shifted his posture. Kris felt slight relief from some of his duty belt contraptions poking at her.\n\n\"We both need to get going. I'll tell you this, whoever is attacking females did not start out by killing them. But this idiot finds a certain demented pleasure in ending someone's life. The problem is, the more and more harm they inflict, the more unsettled they become,\" Michael said.\n\n\"So that means, what? they are getting more unpredictable in order to achieve their satisfaction?\" Kris didn't like the sound of this.\n\n\"Exactly.\"\n\nKris clenched her teeth together producing an ache in her jaw. The added physical and emotional stress regarding this park killer wasn't going to clarify this burgeoning romantic relationship with Michael.\n\n\"Let's discuss it another time. You can tell me all the psychological crap you want.\" Kris brushed the hair from her face. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, and then leaned down to grab her bag once more.\n\nMicheal remained still, other than grasping the front of his duty belt, and studying Kris as she readied herself for departure.\n\n\"Explain to me quickly, though -\" Kris pursed her lips together, gazing off at another car driving slowly around the circular dead end. \"What makes you say being with you is a gamble? Are you going to suddenly morph into a terrible person?\"\n\nThe car in the roundabout apparently thought it was a good place to park. Several people piled out and started making a lot of disruptive noise. Michael was keenly aware but ignoring the ruckus.\n\n\"I say gamble because there are rules against us getting involved, because your safety is involved due to my investigation, and because generally I can be a bit aggressive sometimes and withdrawn other times.\"\n\nKris was walking backward carefully to avoid tripping on branches and rocks.\n\n\"Okay, I get it. I'll consider myself warned. I promise.\" She pointed to the people walking away from their car.\n\nMichael didn't need to see the idiots behind him to know what was going on. They were about to get a fat ticket for parking in the roundabout and obstructing the road. Park security was the only authorized entity to park in such a way.\n\nGiving a quick nod, he turned sideways, glancing back.\n\n\"Michael?\" Kris called out loudly, before she was too far gone. \"There's too many rules! Maybe you can do something about them.\"\n\n\"Understood,\" Michael said and then walked off toward the noisy tourists. Kris waved and then started quickly down the dirt trail, disappearing into thick trees.\n\nSeveral coworkers on mountain bikes zipped by Kris, yelling out abrupt greetings. Lost in thought, she gave little attention to them. After a moment or two, she realized she needed to start running if she were to make it down to the hall on time. Being late was not common for her.\n\nMichael dealt with the misguided tourists and then climbed in his truck. He impatiently waited until the perturbed bunch of people moved their dumpy vehicle.\n\nA remaining thought plagued him after attempting to warn Kris minutes ago. Adam's jealousy wasn't going to be pleasant. And the rest of the motley workers around Willow Camp would have a field day with the entire situation. A park ranger screwing a waitress. Michael was not blind to the rumors regarding his ongoing sexual involvement with Beth Taylor. Kris was bound to confront him on it sooner or later.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nOut of breath and head pounding, Kris was extremely happy to find the main lodge doors unlocked. Quietly she entered and tiptoed to the staff locker room in back of the kitchen. Dropping her pack on the floor she carefully sat on a long wooden bench. Although she was flattered by Michael's insistence that she looked rather ravishing in his boxers and tee earlier, she begged for a detour over to the store to get a standard employee uniform.\n\nIf caught in Michael's starchy clean under garments, Kris could suffer an eternity of ridicule, not to mention a dark cloud over her reputation. Not that she cared a great deal about reputations, but there were enough girls labeled whores in the park already, some deservedly, some not. Raina once came to work every day for a month wearing a sheer top and no bra. That stint did not go unnoticed by a large swath of guys. Thriving on the attention, Raina failed to recognize the fact that she had attracted scum bag variety males. Jerks lusting after a quick hook up or blow job during her break at work. In Raina's view, there was nothing really wrong with all that. She had thicker skin than Kris and was adept at letting foul comments, mainly from other female workers, roll right off her back.\n\nKris made a mental note to start carrying a change of clothes in her backpack. Provided Michael invited her to stay more often. Although it was risky and jeopardizing her job to stay at his quarters, she felt entirely more relaxed further away from Willow Camp and Adam. The problem was getting over to the far side of the valley. Kris owned a car but since it wasn't really necessary during the season, and bear break-ins were common with vehicles, she kept it in storage. Kris never worried about transportation during the summer. Getting a ride back to town wouldn't be hard, enough workers also headed that direction come September.\n\nDisorganized thoughts of staying past the summer season were beginning to wear her out. One thing was for sure, with Adam sulking around, her private life wasn't going to be so private. Of course the developing interlude with Michael was going to be a factor. It was too early to figure things out.\n\nReaching into the dark green and gold plastic shop bag, she produced a pair of khaki work pants and a navy blue polo shirt with the park logo. They were standard issue work clothes for most positions, but not food service. Boss was adamant that the girls in the hall wore the short black skirts and white fitted tops. Kris kept several pairs in her cabin. For today, Boss would just have to put up with this outfit. Kris knew she would take a lot of shit on it though.\n\nA loud slam of the front doors echoed, breaking the stillness. Kris flinched. She yanked the tags off the clothes and put them on hurriedly. Stuffing everything into her locker, she carefully closed it and snapped off the light. Opening the door a crack, she saw no one.\n\nA moment later the familiar humming of Joseph, the kitchen washer, grew louder and louder. Kris pushed open the dressing room door and quickly slipped out. Joseph rounded the corner.\n\n\"Hell!\" He grabbed his chest faking a heart attack. \"You're here early Kris!\" Toning his exaggerated reaction, Joseph flashed his famous smile then continued humming even louder, taking a fresh apron off a long rack.\n\n\"Who opened? You?\" He asked, igniting the back fryers and stove. Kris nervously patted down the creases in her new clothes.\n\n\"Uhh, no. It was open when I got here.\" Grabbing a smaller smock she tied it around her waist, adding some pencils and a pad of paper. Then she took a stack of fresh towels off the commercial washer and started for the dining area.\n\nJoseph cranked up the volume on the radio and began singing along with a country tune.\n\nThe paranoia of being late and awkwardly facing questions was gone from her mind. She was the only waitress to show up so far. It was ten after nine, and already the day promised to be hopelessly long.\nChapter Fifteen\n\nAdam sat hunched over on the bottom step of Kris's cabin. He was irritated and hung over after spending the entire night on her porch. Reality was biting him in the ass. No question, she spent the entire night with the ranger. Adding to his foul disposition, Adam was over an hour late for work. Kris would either cover for him or she would behave like a total bitch princess and refuse to do the right thing.\n\nHe imagined her at the hall floating around fresh in the afterglow of her night of cheating. She was nothing more than a damaged charlatan. He was sweating profusely even though the morning was quite cool, Adam vomited violently several times on the side of Kris's cabin. Kicking dirt and forest material over his expulsion, Adam jerked his pack over one shoulder and started walking. The urge for a drink was intense, but he needed the job badly. Waltzing in hung over wasn't going to go unnoticed by their damn prying eyes. Taking a few swift shots of whiskey from his nearly empty flask, Adam started to feel better.\n\n\"Adam!\" A short pudgy girl spotted him and quickly rushed up.\n\n\"What the hell?\" Adam side stepped the stupid bitch, offended she would fling herself so close to him. Drawing a cigarette from a jacket pocket, he impatiently lit it, took some shallow puffs then blew a trail of smoke into the girl's reddened face.\n\n\"Crap, Adam!\" She seemed none to pleased at the plume of rancid smoke. \"Wait, come back here.\" She stood struggling to speak but choked by a cough. Adam ignored her and walked toward the main trail. Angela quickly caught up to him.\n\n\"Wait just darn minute. I'm trying to ask you if you've seen Terri?\"\n\nAdam drew a long puff on the cigarette, narrowing his eyes at what he viewed to be a nasty female specimen.\n\nSighing heavily he decided to be of some help and give this fat idiot some insight.\n\n\"Why don't you check the local bars?\" He spat on the ground.\n\nAngela tried to ignore his crass comment.\n\n\"Did you see her last night? Someone said you guys were seen together yesterday?\"\n\nAdam maintained his pace, increasing his stride. Angela struggled to keep up along side him.\n\n\"Who the fuck said that?\"\n\n\"I dunno. Lot of people. Were you with her?\"\n\n\"Why? Need to borrow a tampon?\"\n\nAngela's jaw dropped.\n\n\"You're crude Adam. What the hell is wrong with you? We're just trying to find Terri.\"\n\n\"And so you shall.\" Adam was tired of this conversation. He ditched his cigarette to the ground and made no attempt to snuff it out.\n\n\"You're fucking weird.\" Angela watched him depart in disbelief. She stepped on the smoldering butt and muttered several disgruntled remarks. Plodding off, her voice echoed throughout the small camp, calling Terri's name.\n\nBy the time Adam reached his own cabin, people were everywhere, frantically milling around, tears being shed. He was massively disgusted at these stupid humans.\n\n\"Hey Adam. We were looking for you.\" A familiar voice crackled.\n\nIt was Randy Duncan, disheveled like he'd been crawling around in the woods for days.\n\nAdam sternly faced him.\n\n\"Why the fuck are you looking for me?\" Adam bristled.\n\n\"Hey, man, chill. Terri is missing. Nobody's seen her since yesterday afternoon. I was knocking at your door earlier. Where were you dude?\" Randy brushed some leaves out of his unruly hair.\n\nAdam gazed upon the lowly creatures around camp. A foul haze hung in the air.\n\n\"Where's all the smoke coming from?\" Adam asked.\n\n\"Huh?\" Randy gazed out around the camp. \"I guess there's a fire.\" Scratching his head he tried again. \"Adam, man, have you seen Terri or not?\"\n\n\"I haven't seen the stupid whore.\" Adam pivoted, pounding up the stairs. He was highly bothered answering to this woodland rat.\n\n\"Well, where were you before? Where'd you just come from?\" Randy grasped the railing, staring up at him.\n\nAdam cocked his head, peering down at nature-boy. Perhaps he could work this foul situation to his benefit.\n\n\"At Kris's. All night. She's at work. Go ask her.\" Adam smiled devilishly.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nNoon inconspicuously slipped by. The day grew increasingly busy with patrons coming and going.\n\nWiping dark red ketchup stains off her pants, Kris threw aside a soiled rag and crawled on her hands and knees underneath a table. Bright orange macaroni and cheese was smashed into the fibers of the carpet.\n\n\"Damn.\" Kris sat back on her heels and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.\n\n\"Are we having fun?\" A nefarious voice resonated above.\n\nKris was in no mood, instantly recognizing the thorny individual. She slid backward and stood, bits of macaroni falling off her pants.\n\n\"What the hell do you want? You have some nerve showing up this late. Why'd you even bother?\" Kris put her hands to her hips.\n\nArrogantly poised in front of her, amidst the total chaos of the hall, Adam grinned feverishly.\n\nScowling, Kris left without waiting for him to answer. She desperately needed more rags from the kitchen. Like a stray dog, Adam followed, yet wary of onlookers. Slamming through the swinging kitchen doors, Kris maneuvered into the back, grabbing white towels out of a large bin. Not realizing Adam was right behind her, she flew right into him.\n\n\"Dammit. What the hell are are you doing?\" Very cross, Kris moved sideways trying to quickly get past him.\n\n\"We need to talk.\" He pointed to the back door.\n\n\"In case your stupid brain didn't notice, we're getting creamed out there, and you're fucking late. And because you weren't here this morning, everything is backed up.\"\n\n\"He give it to you good? Huh, Kris? Was he a good fuck for you?\" Adam moved closer, bits of saliva flying out of his mouth. Kris stumbled backward. Anger swelled within her, but she fought to keep a handle on it, not wanting a confrontation in public. Throwing the towels into an empty plastic crate on the floor, Kris clamped her mouth shut and managed to calmly weave through the busy kitchen until reaching the back door. Thrusting it open hard, she was greeted by warm, hazy air. Adam was right behind her.\n\n\"How the hell did you know?\" Kris grabbed her hips digging her nails in hard.\n\n\"I know everything, Kris. I know where you go, who you're with, what you're doing. I know what a fucking cheating bitch you are. How you're out to hurt me by using that asshole. It's not going to work.\" Adam lit a cigarette, eying her reaction.\n\nKris started pacing while rubbing her brow.\n\n\"Adam. What the hell do you want from me? I mean, it's over. It's been over. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm not playing a game. You're just really crazy. You have an actual mental disorder.\"\n\n\"Come now babe. You're the crazy one. We both know that.\"\n\n\"You know shit, Adam. You think you have me all figured out. This is all a warped game to you.\"\n\n\"Nooo. This is life. And I'm trying to help you see the mistake you're making.\"\n\n\"Oh! And what the hell would that be? I'm making a mistake not being with you? Staying the night with someone I care about and who cares about me? You can't stand it, so you make up tons of lies and tell them over and over to yourself.\" Kris knew he was attempting to warp her thoughts. She was tired physically and mentally. It was increasingly hard to stay one step ahead of him.\n\n\"Babe -\"\n\n\"Don't call me that. Don't ever call me that.\"\n\n\"Fine.\" Adam had a smug smile on his face. He enjoyed getting her so rattled. It wasn't very hard to pull at Kris's strings. Fishing for another cigarette, he leaned back against the exterior kitchen wall.\n\n\"I'm not coming back next season,\" Kris said.\n\n\"And leave your new lover? I doubt that.\"\n\n\"Why don't you leave, Adam? You hate all the girls in this park, and let's face it, you hate your crappy job. You can't stand seeing me move on with someone else. Why don't you just go make a fresh start?\"\n\n\"You'd like that, wouldn't you?\"\n\nKris sensed a large headache coming on. She didn't have much longer before Dale noticed she was missing inside.\n\n\"I don't care what you do.\"\n\n\"Sure you do.\" Adam forced out a long trail of smoke. \"You're punishing me with this Ranger. But your little fling will fall apart just like always. Then you'll come running right back.\"\n\n\"Wow.\" Kris threw up her hands, aimlessly taking several steps past the dumpster.\n\n\"You don't get it my darling. I'm the most forgiving person you'll ever meet. I'm also the smartest person you'll ever meet.\"\n\n\"I'm tired of this.\" Kris turned around stomping past him and grabbing the door handle. She paused, trying to think of something really threatening, really awful to spit at him, to make him realize he was truly delusional.\n\n\"Stay away from me. Stay away from my cabin. Leave my friends alone and if I find you stalking me, or even hear about it, I'm going straight to headquarters and getting you fired.\"\n\nAdam slowly brought the lit cigarette to his pale lips, looking at her like prey.\n\n\"You do that babe.\"\n\nEnraged, Kris nearly hissed at him before yanking forcefully on the door.\n\nSeething, Kris could hardly see straight. This situation with Adam was impossible. It had grown out of control like a cancerous tumor. Grasping for a solution was creating desperation.\n\n\"Kris!\" A voice called out.\n\nShaking, Kris swung around, searching for a face. Moving through a line of people she saw the worried expression of Jake McAllister.\n\n\"I'm glad you're here.\" He reached for her arm.\n\n\"Jake, what? What's the matter?\" Kris rested a stack of towels on a nearby table.\n\n\"Over here.\" He pulled her off to the side near the front doors. \"Terri's missing.\"\n\nCold prickles instantly ran up Kris's arms and the back of her neck.\n\n\"What? What do you mean, missing?\" Her eyes grew wide.\n\nJake moved her further down a darkened hallway.\n\n\"She didn't show at work today. Nobody's seen her since yesterday afternoon. They got a big search going all over camp.\"\n\n\"Oh my god.\" Kris put a hand to her mouth.\n\n\"From what I understand, the new ranger, whatever his name is, he's putting together a search team.\" Jake coughed hard like he'd been running and couldn't catch his breath.\n\n\"That's good.\" Kris could hardly speak.\n\n\"There's a helicopter coming, I think. I dunno.\"\n\n\"What are they saying? Same attacker?\"\n\n\"I guess. Look, have you seen her? At all, anywhere today?\" Jake seemed to be losing it.\n\n\"No. Not at all. I've been at work.\"\n\n\"Okay.\" He nodded a bunch of times, gazing out at the crowd of unassuming people.\n\n\"They're saying to not go anywhere alone. Go straight home after work. Everyone wants to help with the search but it's all a mess right now.\" Jake hit the wall out of frustration.\n\n\"Jake, calm down. For heaven's sake. They'll find her. I know it. Michael is good, he'll put the right people on it.\" Kris grabbed his shoulder.\n\n\"You mean the Ranger?\"\n\n\"Yes.\" Kris bit the side of her mouth. \"I gotta finish here. It's crazy. So busy today.\" Kris was getting lightheaded and could see Raina signaling for her at a group of tables.\n\n\"Yeah.\" Jake started for the doors, but then turned around.\n\n\"Was Adam with you last night?\"\n\nKris's heart nearly stopped.\n\n\"Uh, what do you mean? No, he wasn't with me.\"\n\n\"No reason I guess. Randy thought he saw Adam stalking around the north camp, late. And he wasn't at his quarters this morning. Was he with you?\"\n\nThe tiny hairs on the back of Kris's neck prickled. An overwhelming pain gathered strength in her gut. Slowly she shook her head from side to side. Jake watched the color drain from her face.\n\n\"He wasn't with you?\" Jake confirmed, confused at her reaction.\n\n\"No. Hell no.\"\n\n\"Do you know where he is now?\" Jake surveyed people behind Kris.\n\n\"Adam was in back of the kitchen. Outside. I thought he was going to work his shift.\" Kris turned and looked through the open counters. Joseph was washing dishes and Boss was talking on the phone.\n\n\"We just had a fight.\"\n\n\"Just stay away from him. He was probably passed out drunk. Randy is the one who brought it all up.\"\n\n\"I have nothing to say to that asshole. Adam, I mean.\"\n\n\"Okay, okay.\" Jake was clearly perplexed. \"I'll see you later.\" Jake bolted out the main doors, brushing past several entering patrons. Kris struggled to get herself together. Jake, like most everyone in camp, associated Kris with Adam. And apparently nobody was of the understanding they were broken up for good. Why were people always assuming Kris was intricately involved in the details of Adam's sorted life? It was beginning to piss her off.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nA long ragged lock of blond hair drifted down from her loose bun and swayed back and forth. Kris rubbed vigorously on a messy table. Dried chocolate ice cream and tomato sauce were cemented so hard onto the finish of the table, Kris was ready to find a putty knife. Secretly she was thankful for the distraction of work. It was four o'clock and the calm before the storm of dinner hour. Adam wound up staying and working his shift, yet nobody paid much attention.\n\nKris was obsessing over the notion that Adam could be a suspect. Her former boyfriend, hurting women? Killing them? He was a drunk, anti-social, narcissistic, rude and over-sexed, jerk, but killing and mutilating females? It just wasn't possible.\n\n\"Miss! 'Scuse me, miss!\"\n\nKris slapped a towel on the table she had been working on, giving up on the battle of sticky food.\n\n\"We want to be seated. There's six in our party. Do you have a table that will seat all of us? Can we put two tables together?\" A large man with a huge belly that practically stuck out of a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt was briskly pacing around the hostess podium.\n\nKris pulled her unruly hair back, briefly squinting at the bright orange sunlight coming through the main doors.\n\n\"Are you seating yet? Is dinner being served? Can we push those tables together? The ones over there, near the windows.\" He gestured with a big hairy arm.\n\n\"Yes, follow me please.\" Kris counted out six menus from underneath the podium and lead him to a big booth next to the windows. A variety of people from his party followed, remarking and talking in elevated voices.\n\n\"And do you have a drink menu? Where's the bar? We were hoping for cocktails before we eat.\" The man huffed and puffed, motioning for everyone to sit down.\n\n\"I'm sorry, sir, there is no bar in the lodge. You can purchase wine by the glass or beer up at the drink station, over there.\" Kris pointed.\n\n\"Well! Honey, you're not getting your Manhattan.\" The man laughed gruffly at his wife. Kris pushed an additional square table up to the booth table to accommodate the large party, then spread out the menus.\n\n\"I'll be back shortly to take your order. Can I get anyone started with something to drink?\"\n\n\"Yeah, miss, you can get water for all of us. Is it from the tap? Or is your water filtered here?\" A fancily dressed woman with a metallic blue shirt and clanking gold bracelets snapped impatiently at Kris.\n\n\"Where's the appetizers on this menu? Honey, they don't have hardly anything to eat here.\"\n\n\"Hey, Bob, you can have an Elk burger. Live a little and try some fucking Elk meat.\"\n\nKris smiled politely at another beastly male, slightly smaller than the Hawaiian shirt man, but Kris knew the type. All hot air to cover for lack of a decent personality.\n\n\"Our water is filtered, ma'am.\" The water actually came straight out of a faucet at the waitress station. Luckily the little spout was hidden by walls and shelves containing glass and silverware. Many visitors asked about the filtration. Kris used to suggest they buy bottled water, for a $1.50. But Dale got tired of ordering the water extra for the the lodge and specified to staff to just lie about the water being filtered. It came from a deep well within the park, so essentially the filtering tale wasn't a lie, at least that was Kris's rationale.\n\n\"What about salads? You don't have any salads on here?\" A rather pale girl with stringy black hair shrouding her face, blurted out.\n\n\"You can order a salad as a side. Our salad bar is just over there.\" Kris motioned to the brightly lit row of bins underneath some protective glass.\n\n\"They don't have a regular bar but they have one for salads!\" The large man burst out laughing at his own joke, while the male next to him playfully punched his arm.\n\n\"How about a round of beers?\"\n\n\"Domestic or imported?\" Kris scribbled down quickly before turning her attention to the prickly woman.\n\n\"Oh hell, hopefully imported.\" The big man grunted.\n\n\"If you have a nice, dry, white wine, I'll have a glass.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Just bring the whole the bottle, otherwise you'll be brining glasses of wine all night.\" Once more the man boomed out in laughter.\n\n\"Yes sir.\" Kris waited for the rest of them to decide on drinks before leaving the table to start working on the orders. Absorbed by the distraction of work, her mind finally faded into a comfortably numb state.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMinutes blurred into hours as the lodge came alive with people coming and going, eating, and relaxing after a long day. The line at the front doors started to thin out, signaling the lateness of the hour.\n\nKris pushed through the double doors leading to the kitchen. Instantly a sharp pain stabbed her lower back. Pausing for a second next to some stacked crates of produce, Kris tried taking some deep breaths and waited for the pain to subside.\n\n\"Kristjana, you're off. Get out of here and go home.\" Dale rounded the corner, frowning.\n\n\"Yes, Boss.\"\n\n\"What's wrong with you?\"\n\n\"Nothing. It'll pass in a minute.\" Kris gingerly reached up gathering unruly hair and twisting it.\n\n\"Who the hell stacked all this here?\"\n\n\"I have no idea, I just came back.\"\n\n\"If I've told these idiots once, I've told them a thousand times, produce can't stay in this hot kitchen.\"\n\n\"Want me to put it in the cooler?\" Kris quickly offered to move the sloppily stacked food even though she doubted she possessed the ability to lift heavy crates at the moment.\n\n\"No. Go home.\" Dale waddled off and yelled for Joseph.\n\nKris untied her apron and hung it on a long rack of other dirty garments.\n\n\"And Kris?\"\n\n\"Yeah Boss?\"\n\n\"Don't wander around on the way up. And take that person with you.\" Dale disappeared just as a familiar short haired spitfire slammed through the swinging doors.\n\n\"I heard that!\" Raina yelled out after him, kicking her foot in the air. \"Asshole.\" She muttered harshly and pushed Kris into the locker room.\n\n\"Are you off?\" Raina snapped her gum, plopping down on a bench.\n\n\"Yeah. I guess you are too, now.\" Kris raised her eyebrows.\n\n\"I'm gonna blow. It's crazy today. We are so understaffed.\" Raina produced a huge bubble, quickly popped it, and sucked it back into her mouth.\n\n\"So, you know about Terri?\" Kris sat down.\n\n\"I know. I heard.\"\n\n\"Could of been one of us.\"\n\n\"Hell no. Terri's a fucking wench. Fucking park whore. She had it coming.\"\n\nKris slammed her locker abruptly, at a loss for words.\n\n\"Hey, I'm only stating the obvious. You weren't no friends with Terri.\" Raina kicked her feet up on an open locker door.\n\n\"She's not a whore. You know, some people say that about you.\"\n\n\"Ask me if I care what any shit head thinks in this place. All's I'm sayin' is Terri has fooled around with the wrong people. She's got a reputation, you know?\"\n\nKris leaned against the lockers, staring at the ceiling.\n\n\"And that justifies the attack?\" Kris felt disgusted. Terri was a party girl, flaunted herself often and could be shamelessly outspoken. But Kris couldn't tolerate the insensitive comments coming from her best friend.\n\n\"How do we even know it was an attack? It's a joke. Nobody can find her.\" Raina stood, yanking off her apron. \"She has that older boyfriend. The one she's always bragging about? He lives like, over in the valley. She's probably with him right now.\"\n\nSighing heavily, Kris wished she could speak to Michael. He would have better insight instead of this conjecture.\n\n\"I'm out of here.\" Kris grabbed her things.\n\n\"You been shopping?\" Raina eyed the bag.\n\n\"Sorta.\" Kris brushed her off.\n\nBefore the conversation became too personal, Kris ushered Raina out the back.\n\nThick haze greeted them once outside. A hot shroud of orange light and pungent smoke blanketed the valley.\n\n\"What's going on?\" Raina pinched her nose in disgust.\n\n\"No clue.\" Kris squinted, coughing harshly. Obviously a fire somewhere was pushing smoke into the region. It was a bit early in the season for wildfires. Spring had just released its grip on the high country and only a hand full of weeks posted high temperatures.\n\nRaina grabbed a handful of fabric from Kris's shirt while they stood, perplexed over the surreal landscape.\n\n\"I'm sorry. I'm being a bitch about Terri. I never liked her much, but I guess she doesn't deserve to be cut into pieces.\" Raina knew better than to leave things unsettled between her and Kris.\n\n\"You're not telling me anything new. I know she's not your favorite person. I haven't forgotten.\" Kris reminded Raina she wasn't brainless when it came to past events. Terri could be a devious skank. She created female enemies rather efficiently. Might have something to do with her knack for stealing men that were taken already. Her fondness for flocking to new guys that joined the staff was legendary.\n\nKris had resolved a thorny issue involving Terri last summer. Adam still denied screwing around with the red headed tramp while Kris and he were officially together. A lot of gossip coming out of the camp told a different story however. Whatever the truth was, Kris was positive that Adam hungrily accepted Terri's onslaught of sexual advances since their breakup. If there had been cheating, the entire blame did not rest on Terri alone. Adam was sexually charged constantly. Not in terms of conquest, but to satisfy an insatiable need for some release. Kris saw the inner demons he struggled with on a daily basis. If he turned to Terri and probably many others in the park, Kris could only take further comfort in her decision to exit the relationship.\n\n\"Terri may have stolen away that real hottie I was lusting after, remember? But she was fucking Adam too. At the same time,\" Raina said.\n\n\"I'm over that.\" Kris thought back to last summer when Raina was head over heels for a new worker. Terri snatched him up fast. He ended up transferring to another park.\n\n\"I don't know why you don't hate her guts.\"\n\n\"Raina, because. It's not worth it. Adam is just as slimy as she is and I don't know what the real story was back then. I don't care care anymore.\"\n\n\"Okay whatever. Let's not talk about Terri anymore.\"\n\n\"I wish they'd just find her. All this is amping my stress level. I had a big fight with Adam earlier. He's spreading more lies.\"\n\nBoth girls started walking toward the trail leading back to camp.\n\n\"Like what?\" Raina spit her gum into a bush.\n\n\"Apparently he's going around telling everyone we were together last night.\"\n\n\"What the fuck?\" Raina grabbed a branch and snapped it off.\n\n\"I think he said it to cover his ass. I'm pretty sure he spent the whole night passed out on my porch.\" Kris swallowed hard. \"Waiting for me to come home.\"\n\n\"But you never did, did ya?\" Raina smiled.\n\n\"Exactly.\" Kris half grimaced, her back intermittently aching as the path became steep.\n\n\"Stay away from Adam. Kris, please. Don't even talk to him. Pretend he doesn't exist. You're too nice. He eats up any attention you give him.\"\n\n\"I know. It's not exactly easy when we live in this place.\" Kris snorted a short laugh, turning her attention toward the camp grounds and slowly moving people.\n\n\"Hey, I'll see you later.\" Raina trotted off, kicking up dust and walking backward.\n\n\"Why?\" Kris called after.\n\n\"Campfire meeting!\" Raina yelled before bouncing around and skipping off.\n\nCampfire meeting again so soon? Things must be bad. Michael was surely caught up in the investigation. Kris tugged at her backpack and quickly started for her cabin.\nChapter Sixteen\n\nMichael tightly grasped a radio in one hand and a stack of papers containing new information on the missing girl in the other. Terri White wasn't well liked, and the spotty information gathered by amateur investigators didn't paint a cohesive picture. The other females attacked and killed were young, mostly naive, inexperienced park workers. Terri didn't fit that description. Since her body was yet to be found, Michael was leaning toward two possibilities. The perpetrator was taking greater care in covering his tracks, or Terri skipped out of the park, failing to notify anyone.\n\nWithout respectable friends, why would she bother to announce her departure? But, conversely, she had a stable job at White Rock running the Willow Camp supply shop. Leaving behind the employment didn't make sense. What was her motivation? People described her as a city girl, partier, dissatisfied growing up in a small town and then turning to nearby White Rock. A scum bag boyfriend seemed to hold her attention from time to time, but the jerk had been contacted by authorities. The boyfriend displayed little concern for her whereabouts, and Michael was finding an increase in the likelihood that foul play was involved.\n\nHe stared down blankly at the scribbled notes once more. None of the details were relevant to the growing suspicion that she was dead. One thing clung to Michael's mind, however. She was loose. Sexually promiscuous to the point of seeking out people for graphic sexual acts. She cared not whether the participant was male or female, although most of her friends agreed she preferred men. According to several males who were willing to spill vivid details about sexual encounters with Terri, it was evident she was the resident porn star. Could her disappearance be an act of revenge by a former lover?\n\nMichael lay the stack of papers on the hood of his truck and grabbed a large coffee. Taking a gulp of the warm drink, he imagined it was also possible Terri got high on drugs, went out for a walk and never came back. Experience nagged at him that the rational explanation didn't make sense in this case. He had to concede Terri was targeted by the same individual who was attacking and mutilating other women.\n\nVisions of Kris interrupted his thought process. As usual he knew the best avenue was to quickly suppress all thoughts of her. Instinctively he knew the distraction of someone he cared about would cloud his judgment and ability to do his job. But flashbacks from the morning were teasing him. Her internal struggle to let go and trust him was probably par for the course. But he couldn't shake growing concern.\n\nMichael wished at that moment he could whisk Kris away from the park. She was at risk just like any other female. Her distraction with him could be putting her own life in great jeopardy.\n\nMichael loathed his selfish actions of wanting this gentle creature all to himself and somehow absorbing the goodness that flowed from her. Could it erase the darkness from him? It was wishful thinking. He was undeserving of her affections. Perhaps putting a stop to the affair before it grew deeper was the responsible act. Future plans with a female was pointless. His history with the opposite sex ended with too much pain and turmoil. A future with Kris was unthinkable at this point. It did not matter what he desired, or what she wanted. Avoiding casualties was the more important factor.\n\nHearing footsteps, Michael turned his attention to the trail on the other side of his truck. It was a rarely used path above Black Creek. The forest was thick and shrouded by heavy underbrush. On a hunch, Michael had decided to check it out, especially since the majority of the search team was down by the meadows and river. Eerie smoke hung low in the fleeting afternoon light. Michael cleared up the papers and other items off the hood of his truck, thrusting them back into the cab of the vehicle. Less than two hours remained until the campfire meeting. Not able to present any new information on the missing girl was frustrating.\n\nA tall figure stiffly making its way up the trail approached. Michael came around to the front of the truck.\n\nExpecting to greet a park tourist, Michael tried to shake the cloud of darkness over him. But as the stranger grew near, Michael took a step back. It was Kris's infamous ex boyfriend.\n\nAt first Adam appeared startled, not expecting the head park ranger to be stationed in such a remote location. Adam tried to straighten his demeanor quickly, pretending to be aloof.\n\nThe front tires of the Dodge truck were parked right in the middle of the goddamn trail, Adam had little choice but to address the horrible man.\n\nSolicitously passing around Michael and the truck, Adam gave a quick nod. He'd much rather have skirted the idiot ranger and his bloated truck, but it was too late. Deviating into the woods would of raised too much suspicion.\n\n\"Sir.\" Adam gave a gruff greeting to the man who had stolen his girl.\n\n\"Adam, is it?\" Michael was intrigued. Watching the lanky peculiar individual scuttle past, provoked him to engage a bit more.\n\nAdam slowed in his pace but refrained from turning around. He wanted to get the fuck out of there immediately. Internally he cursed himself for being so lost in thought about Kris, that he failed to see the Ranger's truck before it was too late.\n\nTurning to face Kris's new toy, Adam smirked at the asshole, who obviously enjoyed playing a very dangerous game.\n\n\"Going for a hike?\" Michael leaned casually against the truck.\n\nAdam cocked his head in response. \"Looks that way.\"\n\nA few moments of awkward silence passed. Adam gave in, dishing out a little barb to the self important ranger.\n\n\"Must be nice to be able to break the rules.\"\n\n\"And how's that?\"\n\nAdam pointed to the truck. \"Ever hear of leave-no-trace?\"\n\n\"I have.\" Michael raised an eyebrow.\n\n\"Not supposed to drive vehicles this far up in the canyon.\" Adam smugly informed him, since the idiot didn't seem to get it.\n\n\"I have an exception.\" Michael studied the willowy man.\n\n\"Well where do I sign up?\" Adam snorted to himself, ready to keep walking.\n\n\"Kind of late in the day to head into back country, isn't it?\"\n\n\"No.\" Adam responded quickly. Shifting his pack he appeared slightly anxious.\n\nGetting a good look at Adam's feeble luggage, Michael assumed this strange character wasn't going to be spending the night in high country. He carried far too little, judging from the size and weight of the day pack. But it wasn't a crime to take an ambitious hike late in the day either.\n\n\"You might want to be careful. The smoke from the fires gets pretty thick over that ridge.\" Trying to diffuse the tension, Michael thought offering some helpful information was in order.\n\n\"Great.\" A thread of disgust laced Adam's response.\n\n\"Certainly is nice to find a quiet trail, this time of day.\" Michael acted as if the conversation had run its course.\n\nAdam remained, half torn about continuing on. He was highly curious about what the Ranger was doing at this particular location. It was too close.\n\n\"You just doing trail maintenance or something?\" Adam asked.\n\n\"No. But maybe you can help me out.\" Michael reached inside the cab of his truck, and grasped some papers.\n\n\"With what?\"\n\n\"We're looking for a missing girl.\" Michael approached, stepping heavily over loose rock.\n\n\"I thought everyone was all excited over somethin'.\"\n\nMichael stopped a few feet away, sorting through the papers, prolonging Adam's unease.\n\n\"Oh you know how it is. Tourist season. People getting lost.\" Michael held out a photocopy of Terri. Adam began to reach for the picture, but withdrew his grasp after eying the photo. Shakily, he shoved his hand into a jacket pocket.\n\n\"Do you know Terri White?\" Michael asked.\n\n\"Not really. She works somewhere here. I think. I've heard her name mentioned.\" Adam tried to brush off his apprehension.\n\n\"She works at the Willow Camp store.\" Micheal's voice slid down into a deeper tone.\n\n\"I never go in there. Too expensive.\"\n\n\"Have you seen her around lately?\"\n\n\"No. Well, I don't think so. You should ask my ex-girlfriend, she probably knows where she is.\"\n\n\"Ms. White lives a few doors down from you, is that right?\"\n\n\"She might. Every year there's a bunch of new girls down that row. So many people coming and going. You know how that is, don't you? In your line of work, I would think it's pretty hard to keep faces and names straight.\" Adam's speech was speeding up.\n\n\"Well it is a challenge, but I do my best.\"\n\nMichael offered the flyer once more. \"Why don't you take one of these? And if you think of anything that could be of help, there's a number at the bottom.\" Michael grew serious. Adam's deviation from the truth about knowing Terri was troublesome.\n\nAfter having interviewed most of the camp workers that lived along the same row as Adam and Terri, there was little doubt to the ongoing sexual fornications between the two. While the tryst remained secretive to Kris, others were well aware of Adam's fondness for Terri in a rather deviant, and lustful context.\n\nSome pretty raunchy times were had between the two. If Adam was as intent on getting back together with Kris, as many indicated, he would permanently damage his chances if Kris found out he was fucking Terri. Of course, Adam would not divulge his dealings with Terri at this point, for fear of becoming a suspect in her disappearance. Michael wasn't terribly convinced this spindly, depraved creature was capable of killing anyone. With an absence of solid evidence linking Adam to Terri's abrupt departure, Michael's hands were tied. Instinct nagged at him, however. Surely, Adam played a role in something sleazy. Michael knew to be patient and let the facts drizzle out. Or wait until the pressure broke Adam down, forcing him to make damning mistakes.\n\n\"Nice Walther. P99. Not standard police issue. What type of ammo?\" Adam's piercing eyes were fashioned to the large German firearm holstered on Michael's hip. Michael was caught a little off guard, but knew suspects in distress often chatted on about ridiculous things. It was also an attempt on Adam's behalf to bolster his self importance.\n\nThe inference to his gun was Adam's way of quickly side stepping the uncomfortable situation, so Michael played along.\n\n\".40 cal Federal Hydra-Shok JHP.\" Michael informed him.\n\n\"Ah. Didn't think the park service allowed it.\" Smirking, Adam continued, \"Hmm, expanding loads delivered with the 40. Recoil must be a bitch.\" Adam rubbed his chin.\n\nPlacing his hand on the butt of the black firearm, Michael was annoyed with the arrogance of Adam. If his purpose was to side step the Terri issue and prove he wasn't intimidated by authority, it was failing. Michael's patience grew thin.\n\n\"The recoil is no problem. I have no restrictions on choice of ammunition for this weapon.\" Michael practically shoved the flyer at Adam once more.\n\nAdam snatched the sheet from him and took several bumbling steps backward. \"I'll ask around.\" Folding the paper, he tucked it into a front jacket pocket.\n\nWith the pungent smell of smoke and heavy ash crippling ease of breathing, Michael had not caught a whiff of the alcohol until that moment. He realized Adam was very much a loner and probably hiked this far out to escape the confines of camp, finding solace to drink alone.\n\n\"One last thing.\" Michael called out, watching Adam traipse higher along the trail.\n\n\"What?\" Adam swiveled back a little, but kept walking.\n\n\"You and Terri.\" Michael spoke loudly, watching Adam wince as if a painful splinter shot up his fingernail.\n\n\"Excuse me?\"\n\n\"Did you guys ever go hiking?\" Michael moved around to the other side of his truck.\n\n\"No!\" Adam stopped for a minute, then added, \"I heard she didn't like hiking anyway, so I would have never asked.\"\n\nMichael opened the cab door and sat down. He doubted many females would accept a proposition of hiking from Adam.\n\nTerri may have been out in the woods. She may have been out with Adam, for whatever reason. Michael suspected she was still out here, somewhere.\n\nWith hands grasping the steering wheel, commanding the truck over steep terrain, Michael tried to focus on the campfire meeting, but he couldn't disengage from the interaction with Adam. Everyone in camp was eager to point out how obsessed Adam was with Kris. Why didn't Adam display his jealousy at Michael back there? It was his chance to vent some disgust, anger or even threaten Michael to stay away from his prized Kris. Something just wasn't right.\n\nPerhaps Kris could shed some more light on Adam. Michael sensed she contained a great deal of important details into Adam's foul character. But Michael would have to approach the topic carefully. His interrogation methods could bristle people the wrong way, and he sure as hell didn't want to chance screwing up the sensitive ground between he and Kris. Previous thoughts of cutting off relations with her seemed impossible.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nSwearing violently under his breath, Adam kept pausing to take a good long look back to see if the authoritarian ranger was gone. Once he was sure of not being followed or watched, Adam stumbled back down the trail to where the truck had blocked a key point.\n\nAdam noted the old rotted pine tree stump, and turned sharply for a thicket of trees flanking a steep ravine. The trail split into a Y, but since it was hard to find, most people missed it.\n\nEying the ground, and moving dirt and debris around with his boot, Adam methodically searched for any trace of her blood.\n\nOnce he was satisfied, he set to work laying leaf and tree matter all over the ground. Even with fires in the high country, hikers were sure to traverse this trail. Taking a swift drink of whiskey from his flask, Adam shed his backpack and then started down the ravine. He had to make sure the body couldn't be easily spotted from the trail. Terri wasn't the skinniest bitch on the planet.\n\nSliding down the steep embankment, loose rocks constantly broke free and hit the body below. At several points, Adam nearly lost his foothold. Without rope to tie himself onto a tree or boulder, he tumbled along, a bit out of control until reaching the bottom. Pulling thorny branches from his clothing, Adam slid down a bit further. Terri's body lay on a small jut of granite, poking out from the scree field. Right below was a small stream, its banks heavily lined with Manzanita and scrub brush.\n\nDigging a large grave in the steep hillside next to thickly rooted trees wasn't an option. If that ridiculous search and rescue team made their way over here, the dogs would surely sniff out the body.\n\n\"Bitch.\" Adam stared down at Terri's grey, swollen flesh. Dried blood was caked around her face and limbs. Pulling a bandanna around his own nose and mouth, Adam began kicking and shoving at the side of her body. He kept shoving until it heavily rolled off the granite shelf into the stream. The water was fairly cold, and pooled up around her body. It was just deep enough for her to be submerged. Hopefully wild beasts would leave it alone. Wheezing heavily, Adam sat back on the narrow edge of the stream. He sucked down a long drink of whiskey. Recapping it, he coughed violently. The only real solution was to burn her. But not today. Tomorrow would be better. The risk of her putrid body smoking up the canyon was too great. Word of a campfire meeting was circulating before he left, and with the amphitheater down wind of this area, Adam knew he had little choice but to wait.\n\nTomorrow he would hike back to the creek, bringing some fuel like white gas or propane. Get her really burnt to a crisp, which wouldn't be easy now that she was in the water. Even the most diligent search team wouldn't find much left of her. And that clueless, self-deluded Ranger surely would not find Terri's body. Adam was positive Michael wouldn't find the next one either.\nChapter Seventeen\n\nWiping a trace of sweat from her brow, Kris dragged her feet up the path, past several large granite boulders, and finally reached the cool confines of the thick forest. Nature's air conditioning, or swift currents cascading off snow capped mountain peaks, was noticeably absent. Oppressive heat had settled into the region, as well as a thick haze of smoke. Breathing heavily, Kris pushed herself to get home in spite of the hazardous air.\n\nPractically tripping up her rickety steps, she fumbled for her keys, and let out a raspy cough. Impatient and tired, she rattled the lock and thrust the door open. Dank, musty air greeted her senses. She did not enter the cabin. Swearing a bit under her breath, she leaned down to untie her shoes. A small brown bag with the park logo sat aside the door. A small golden bow was fastened at the top. Kris stared at the gift in bewilderment, and kicked off her other shoe. Straightening up, she glanced around seeking a clue as to who had left this gift. Only a bluish haze choked the camp.\n\nKris carefully took the bag, and cautiously peered inside. A large smile emerged across her face. Quickly she went in and pushed the door shut. A few hours remained until the campfire meeting. She desperately needed a nap and something to eat. After yanking hard to open windows, she busied herself looking for food. Finding nothing but old granola bars, Kris settled on making coffee. Messily she dumped coffee grinds into a tiny filter basket, then filled a metal pot with a bottle of water laying on the floor. She lit her little camp stove, and waited for the water to boil. Impatient, she returned to the mysterious gift.\n\nCarefully untying the bow she reached in, touching thin, sheer fabric. Slowly withdrawing it, she knew instantly what it was and why it was given. A beautiful little red halter dress. Not found in any store within White Rock, that she knew of. And it was red. A color Kris seldom wore. The gesture was quite obvious. Michael was offering a replacement after tearing apart her attire the previous night. Smiling to herself, Kris scrambled to her feet and fished for a hanger in her foot locker. She hung the dress on a coat hook near the door and stood back to admire it.\n\nA red dress. Well, maybe more coral than red. Perhaps Michael intended for her to wear it that evening? To the campfire meeting? Such a nice piece of clothing seemed too far out of place to wear to the dirty bowels of the amphitheater. Or, did he mean for her to wear it another time? Why leave it on her door this evening?\n\nKris returned to the coffee and poured steaming water into a titanium mug. She set the tiny basket in the water to steep. A crude way of making crappy coffee, but it was all she had. Kris coughed and nervously sat on her bed while gazing at the dress. The hem was much too short in her estimation, nowhere near her level of modesty. Kris would certainly acquire the title of camp prostitute if she wore it tonight.\n\nForgetting the coffee, Kris slumped over on the bed, and soon fell fast asleep.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAdam spit at the ground, unsheathing his large tactical knife. Rubbing the flat side of the blade with the edge of his thumb, he strolled aimlessly back into the dense forest. His disgust with Kris was intolerable. And that damned Ranger! How dare the fool accost him with such probing questions. Kris's crazy personality was matched perfectly to that rogue wannabe. Two stubborn traitors. He was tired of waiting for impending disaster with this burdensome affair. Adam's thoughts gravitated toward punishment. The ranger had the law on his side. But Kris was easily manipulated. She was insecure within relationships. Adam needed to find the best way to remind her that she was a cruel and awful girlfriend. Advise her that the only option was returning to the one man who knew intricate details about her. Only Adam could endure her two faced personality and low self esteem. She just needed a taste of how things used to be.\n\nAdam found a small clearing in the brush, carefully stepping out, eying the surroundings. That bastard, Randy took far more notice than usual to Adam's whereabouts lately. Why didn't these stupid people keep to themselves? Privacy was a foreign concept to these ridiculous humans, Adam thought. Everyone at this forsaken camp was constantly in each others' business. Gladly one less whore walked the face of the earth. Terri White was done spewing her twisted merriment around. A loose bitch that shouldn't have trusted him. Adam had grown tired of fucking her. She was screwing everybody and deserved to be put out of her demented misery. And even if Kris discovered his sexual relations with Terri, at least the bimbo was no longer around to confirm or deny what had taken place.\n\nAdam strode out between two vacant cabins. He often took solace in the northeast side. The infamous ghost town section, with rotting cabins flapping in the breeze. Ancient dwellings from early on in the park's history, yet mired in political red tape due to fanatical historians who wanted to preserve the structures. Adam once sided with the crazy folks, but now every season, more people frequented the cabins. It was a desired location for having parties or doing drugs. Screams, noises, clatter went unnoticed. And even better, rangers and security never patrolled the area. You could smoke weed all night and crawl off to work in the morning and nobody would care.\n\nBut now, all sorts of idiots used the ghost camp. Newbie park workers, misguided tourists and it was even rumored Beth Taylor had fucked that ranger Falkenrath here. Talk from officials had restarted recently about unleashing the bulldozers on the dilapidated camp.\n\nAdam withdrew a cigarette from the band of his hat and dangled it between his thin lips. Lighting it quickly with a small plastic lighter, he inhaled the pungent smoke. Relaxing at his regular spot of cabin 606, he delayed his journey back to the main camp. Thinking hard, he tried to remember where he last stashed a can of fuel. Buying a new one wasn't an option at the moment. Too suspicious. There used to be an old rusty can of propane underneath some loose floor boards of his cabin.\n\nMemories instantly surfaced thinking about all the backpacking junk secretly lying under his abode. He told Kris he threw it out in a fit of rage after their last excursion. A trip that he and Kris took last summer. One of the best times of his life. And now she was ready and willing to throw all the memories, experiences and their love, into a deep abyss.\n\nThe sound of crunching footsteps cemented his thoughts to a halt. Fearing it was someone who would recognize him, Adam quickly disappeared in between the cabins. Ready for a quick departure into the forest, he paused, slightly curious to identify the visitor. Quietly he snuffed his smoke into the dirt. Peeking around the corner of one cabin, he waited impatiently.\n\nEmerging slowly was a young girl. He did not recognize her. In fact, she appeared much too juvenile to work at the park. His mood lightened some. She walked slowly, peering into each vacant cabin, touching the sides of the old canvas and ripped cloth.\n\nNarrowing his eyes, Adam entertained some radical thoughts, which quickly morphed into some strange excitement. The euphoria rose within him, to the point he desperately needed relieve himself. Sliding back out of sight, he fumbled with the front of his pants, hoping he wasn't making too much noise. Distracted, he did not hear the footsteps coming closer.\n\n\"Hi.\"\n\n\"Shit.\" Adam jerked, glancing sideways at her.\n\n\"Oh sorry.\" She put a hand to her mouth, gawking at him.\n\n\"Who the hell are you?\" Partially buzzed from the whiskey earlier, Adam wasn't quite sure if he was embarrassed to be caught relieving himself, or pleasantly disturbed.\n\n\"Don't mind me.\" The girl twirled a section of cherry red hair around a finger, keenly observing. Adam frowned harshly.\n\n\"What are you doing over here? It's off limits.\" Adam angrily spat, then grasped a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket.\n\n\"Can I bum one?\" The girl asked.\n\nScowling, Adam approached the spry adolescent, and held out a mangled box of smokes toward her. She produced a pink lighter, from a rather tight pocket. Watching her dig fingers into the fabric of skimpy little shorts was quite enthralling.\n\n\"How old are you?\"\n\nThe girl laughed as if she'd heard the question before.\n\n\"Eighteen.\"\n\n\"Your parents know where you are?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Why not?\"\n\n\"Why do you care?\"\n\nAdam strode over to the steps he sat before, and rested his foot.\n\n\"Because mommy and daddy are going to come looking for you and get my ass in trouble.\"\n\n\"My mom and step dad don't know where the fuck I am. They'll find me when I want them to. Do you work here?\"\n\nAdam took a long drag on his cigarette, staring over the girl.\n\n\"Nope.\"\n\n\"You have that logo on your sweatshirt. I seen it all over the place.\"\n\n\"So? I'm just vacationing here.\" Adam tried thinking of a convincing lie.\n\n\"Oh. This place sucks. It's so boring. There's nothing to do.\" The girl took several long puffs, blowing the smoke from her brightly painted lips. She resembled a cheap version of a 1950's pin-up model.\n\n\"Yeah. This place is cursed,\" Adam said.\n\n\"So why are you over here? If it's off limits and all.\"\n\n\"My girlfriend works here. She's off, fucking around on me.\"\n\n\"Right now?\"\n\n\"She's been cheating on me all summer.\" Adam loved the look of horror on this girl's pretty little face. Even if it was a just an act.\n\n\"What a bitch. What are you going to do?\"\n\n\"I don't know.\" Adam flicked his cigarette onto the ground. It landed a few yards away, a slight breeze teasing the residual smoke.\n\n\"You should totally cheat on her. To get back, ya know? Like screw somebody she's close to.\" The girl confidently blurted.\n\n\"Think so?\"\n\n\"I know so dude. You have to teach bitches like that a lesson. Otherwise, they keep doin' that shit.\"\n\n\"You seem pretty tough.\" Adam hoped a compliment would gain further trust.\n\n\"I am. I guess. I hafta be.\"\n\n\"Are you really 18?\"\n\nThe girl didn't like the question, it was plainly obvious.\n\n\"You look older for your age. Just wondering,\" Adam said.\n\n\"How old are you?\" The girl spat back.\n\n\"32.\" Adam fibbed a little.\n\n\"That's old.\"\n\n\"Perhaps.\"\n\n\"I'm really 15.\" She relented.\n\n\"You don't look it.\"\n\n\"So, why is your girlfriend cheating on you?\" The girl took her cigarette between two fingers, then let it drop onto the ground. She stretched downward, touching her toes. Adam couldn't help but stare, hungrily. It was the most provocative thing he'd seen all day.\n\n\"She can't handle me,\" Adam said.\n\nThe girl nodded, gazing up at the cabin before her.\n\n\"These are cool. So, like, nobody uses them?\"\n\n\"Nope. You can go inside. Supposed to be historical.\" Adam was positively giddy. This hot little number was playing a real intriguing game with him.\n\nAfter bouncing up the creaky steps, the girl spun around twice inside. She pinched her nose like a foolish teenager.\n\n\"They stink!\" She kicked some dried leaves on the floor.\n\n\"People do strange stuff in them,\" Adam said.\n\n\"So why can't your girlfriend handle you?\"\n\n\"You wouldn't understand.\" Adam played along, confident her continued badgering on the subject of cheating was just a ploy. Grabbing his crotch to give his male goods a bit of an adjustment, Adam sighed loudly to make the gesture didn't go unnoticed.\n\n\"Oh, a big boy, are ya?\" The girl licked the sides of her mouth.\n\n\"Hasn't anyone told you? It's not the size that matters.\"\n\n\"Uh-huh.\" She toyed, \"So, what, your stupid girlfriend isn't good in bed?\"\n\nAn amateur comment, but Adam was getting so turned on, he could hardly stand it.\n\n\"It's not about that.\" Adam approached. Awash in arrogance and so assured in where this game was going, he decided the time was perfect.\n\n\"Hey, what do you think you're doing?\" She smiled enthusiastically.\n\nAdam quickly tore down his fly, grabbed his appendage and displayed it proudly for her to see.\n\n\"You gonna fuck me, mister?\" She cocked her head, practically begging him.\n\n\"I was thinking about it.\" Adam grasped her shoulders. He forced off a flimsy little sweater, innocently covering her young, perky breasts. Thrusting his cock right up against her, Adam practically drooled over this pestering little whore. The girl wasted no time in grabbing him like a stick shift on a car.\n\n\"You're gonna wish you stayed with mommy and daddy,\" Adam said.\n\n\"Oh yeah? Promise?\" She teased.\n\n\"See that railing? Grab onto it.\" Adam swiveled her around, pushing them both toward the far wall of the tent.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nGroggy, Kris opened her eyes with some distress. Her body and mind felt abnormally unresponsive. The only indication that she wasn't lost in some dream was the irregular slapping noise of the open window banging against the wall. A stiff, hot breeze tousled the curtains back and forth.\n\nKris wiped the perspiration off her brow with the back of a shaky hand.\n\nIt would make sense to wear a dress. Wouldn't it? The thick blanket of heat distorted her thoughts. Glancing blurry-eyed at her watch, she realized the hour had advanced quite a bit since laying down for a nap. Nervousness jolted her sluggish system. She'd have to really hurry to be at the meeting on time now.\n\nThirty minutes later, showered, and wide awake, Kris traveled down a narrow forest trail that lead to the amphitheater. Only a few streams of light remained from the day, casting eerie orange shadows on the ground. The meeting was due to start in fifteen minutes. It took an average of 20 minutes to reach the clearing, even at a brisk pace. Kris didn't want to make such a bold entrance. Hopefully the meeting would start late and she could sneak in.\n\nBut every time she thought of the reception she was about to receive at the bonfire, her stomach did a back flip. In her quickness and anxiety of getting ready, she'd barely noticed the increased thickened shroud of pungent smoke. It had grown much worse.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAdam felt the bile rising in the back of his throat.\n\n\"You should get going.\"\n\n\"Why? I don't have to be anywhere. My mom and step dad were going to dinner and are probably sitting around having drinks still. We can do that again, if you want. Like, you can do anything you want to me.\"\n\n\"You're on something.\"\n\n\"Maybe. Want some?\" The girl held out a small bag with small white pills.\n\n\"What are they?\"\n\n\"Ecstasy.\"\n\n\"Christ. Where'd you get them?\"\n\n\"My step brother's friend. Actually I took them from his drawer at home. Like, so, he's never there, and I can take whatever and he never even knows they're gone. And my mom is so stupid for, like, marrying my step dad. His kids are so messed. It's so fucking great.\"\n\nThe urge to shut this cunt up was ruling Adam's thoughts. The darkness encircled him. Every idea centered on watching bright red blood course from her, and her life end, justifiably. It would be doing this privileged brat a favor. Only then would the returning dark plague that arose from the far reaches of his mind, simmer down.\n\nFucking this tight bitch had pleased him for exactly five seconds. Her stupid noises and performance were so fake he wanted to vomit.\n\n\"I don't even know your name.\" Dressed now, the girl splayed herself on the steps of the cabin.\n\n\"And you won't,\" Adam said.\n\n\"Aww. How come? Don't you want to meet up later? I'm here for a week. You can come for a midnight visit to my cabin. Or I can sneak out and meet you here.\"\n\n\"You need to leave.\" Adam warned, hardly able to speak. Killing a tourist, even an ill behaved child, would bring an unprecedented amount of law enforcement to the area. It would overshadow his main goal.\n\n\"So. So, like, you have to get back to your girlfriend? You should so tell her you screwed me. I'd like to meet her. Will you introduce us?\"\n\n\"Get the hell outta here.\" Adam growled.\n\nLooking very dejected, the girl stood.\n\n\"Well maybe I'll come back tomorrow, okay? Will you be here?\" She started walking backwards slowly.\n\n\"No,\" Adam said.\n\n\"Well. Jeez, you're uptight. Come see me later, okay? We have a big black SUV. Well, my fake dad does. It's parked at our camp site. They won't know who you are. You can come say hi and we can go do fun things together.\"\n\n\"Don't come back here,\" Adam said, ignoring the rest of her dribble.\n\nThe girl smiled, not realizing how close she'd come to losing her life. Adam watched her turn and skip back up the row of cabins, her perky ass beckoning him to follow.\n\nCross about losing his self control to a 15 year old, Adam grabbed his backpack and started for the staff camp. It was getting late, and he still needed to find the fuel, and make an appearance at the campfire meeting. His head was pounding profusely.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nThe clearing mysteriously crept up way too soon. Kris was not mentally prepared to face her peers while adorning a red, skimpy dress. Absent of the usual golden blaze from the campfire, a solemn atmosphere shrouded the amphitheater. Staff personnel milled around, and some stood together heavily engaged in conversation. Kris inhaled a nervous breath, but only sputtered and choked as smoke constricted her airways.\n\nPredictably, heavy gawking commenced the moment she emerged from the safe haven of thick pines. Raucous chatter emanated from bustling groups scattered around the clearing. Kris recognized a few people. She knew they didn't mean ill will in their reaction, but others most certainly likened her to a cheap attention-seeker. Eager to blend in, Kris found an empty log way in back, and dropped her bag to the ground. Her face flushed bright red.\n\n\"Oh my dear god.\" Raina flocked to Kris's side so hard and fast she practically toppled them both to the ground. \"Are you insane?\" Staring at Kris dead in the eye, speaking at a deafening level, Raina was horrified. \"There's a vicious attacker out here and you're signaling come and get me? Are you totally mad? Have you lost your scruples?\" Raina asked.\n\nKris felt the blood drain from her face and puddle into her empty stomach. Of course her mind had been focused on anything but the danger of the park attacks.\n\nFidgeting with the hem of the dress, Kris searched for a viable excuse.\n\n\"It's really hot. I woke up and just grabbed whatever. Give me a small damn break, Raina!\"\n\n\"Woke up? Well that explains why you're late. And you didn't just grab whatever.\" Raina jutted out her hands at the dress.\n\n\"Leave me alone. I'm self conscious enough. Obviously now I'm regretting the decision to wear this. I should of showed up in my usual black ninja outfit.\"\n\n\"Well ordinarily, I would tell you you look really nice and you should wear stuff like this more often. But with Adam pestering you and the park creeper on the loose, I think this is a poor wardrobe choice. It screams, come and get me.\"\n\n\"I get it. Lower your damn voice.\" Kris became overwrought with embarrassment. Everyone must think her to be an idiot of epic proportions. She tore open her backpack and yanked out a sweatshirt.\n\n\"It's not like you to go this far to get a man's attention. And by man, I mean Mr. Ranger. I doubt he has time for you now, with the search and all.\"\n\n\"That's just plain mean.\" Kris pulled the sweatshirt over her head, and threaded her arms into the soft fabric of the sleeves. Employee issued ware, it was black with a large green White Rock National Park logo on the back. Kris's full name was embroidered in small tan letters on the front.\n\n\"I'm only telling you the truth. If you're going to be this lame with a new boyfriend, someone has to slap you upside the head.\" Raina stood up. \"You've been acting like a bitch the past few days, Kris.\"\n\n\"Then blame me.\" A cavernous voice resonated from behind. Michael stepped into sight, instantly adding to Raina's disapproval.\n\n\"I gave it to her.\" He informed the short-haired spitfire.\n\nRaina's jaw dropped for a second.\n\n\"Well Kris didn't have to wear it tonight.\" Leveling a disapproving stare before stomping off, Raina hardly glanced at Michael.\n\nKris painfully watched her go, torn whether or not to traipse after her best friend. But she felt glued to the log, not wanting to bring forth anymore unwanted attention.\n\nMichael slowly sat down next to Kris.\n\n\"You have a feisty friend there.\" He placed a hand on her thigh.\n\n\"I would normally say Raina is just looking out for me, but right now I'm too pissed and really want to leave.\" Kris stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact.\n\nMichael reached around her lower back. \"You didn't have to wear the dress tonight. That wasn't my intention.\"\n\n\"Fine, have a nice meeting.\" Kris attempted to stand quickly, but pressure on her hip from Michael's hand brought her squarely back down.\n\n\"You're not going anywhere.\"\n\n\"I think you should leave me alone right now.\" Kris nervously glanced around, hoping no one was watching.\n\n\"What I meant to say is, it's going to be a rather difficult task concentrating on serious issues up there.\" He nodded toward the podium. \"I'd much rather take you back to my place.\"\n\n\"Maybe Raina is right.\" Kris ignored him.\n\n\"Actually I don't think I can wait to get you back to my place. Yours is closer.\"\n\n\"Don't you have a meeting to start?\"\n\n\"I'm waiting on Beth to get out here.\" Michael teased the fabric of her dress.\n\n\"I'm sorry, I haven't thanked you. I would thank you, but I'm pissed,\" Kris said.\n\nMichael moved his hand to the top of her leg.\n\n\"Well you can be pissed.\" Michael was heavily turned on at her staged discontent.\n\n\"You aren't taking me seriously.\"\n\n\"Perhaps.\" Michael smiled. \"Your friend is just looking out for you.\"\n\n\"What if I'm pissed at you?\"\n\n\"That's fine.\"\n\n\"Really?\"\n\n\"You have every right.\"\n\n\"Any news on Terri?\" Kris sighed, changing the subject. She didn't understand his amusement at her foul mood.\n\n\"No we haven't located her. The fire in the high country is getting worse. Search and rescue is scaling back. Damn idiots.\"\n\n\"Shit, what the hell else is going to happen? Bad things come in threes, right?\"\n\n\"I'm not a big believer in spooky stuff like that. Just try and relax. Don't go anywhere. Okay?\" Placing his finger under her chin, he slowly turned her to face him. \"Okay?\"\n\nKris reluctantly nodded. Testing the waters of disobedience with Michael probably wasn't the smartest idea.\n\n\"I'll find you after the meeting.\" Michael leaned in, gently kissing her. Frozen at the uncharacteristic act of affection in public view, Kris could barely return the embrace. Michael stood, gazing down at her with great concern, keen on the fact that she was mightily confused and very wary.\n\nKris slumped in her seat watching him walk away. Threading her fingers together in her lap, Kris fought to ignore the probing eyes of onlookers. Apparently keeping their connection concealed was no longer a priority for Michael.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"I need to speak with you, after this is over.\" Beth Taylor mouthed sharply, brushing past Michael. A dry breeze tousled her fiery auburn hair. She paused, slapping a folder of papers against her leg, demanding he acknowledge her.\n\nMichael bore his eyes at the flagrant administrator. He was prepared for the fallout of kissing Kris moments ago. But knowing Beth, she would bide her time until they were alone. She swept her eyes over him dismissively, and then spit out another pronged directive.\n\n\"Get this damn thing started. I want it over now.\"\n\nMichael strode past, brushing off Beth's thorny attitude. What a betrayal it must be for the wench. A revelation and bitter taste of reality for her to witness his affection for someone else. The shameful behavior she had displayed earlier in the season in a concerted attempt to retain his attention, was now contorted into bursts of anger. Late hours of the night Beth would knock at his door, draped in tight fitting blouses or shorts that left nothing to the imagination. It was commonplace for her to call him out of the field with urgency, into her office, like a sad test of loyalty. Michael was void of respect for the whore, but unfortunately she was the boss. An inept and inexperienced choice for the head of White Rock. Her failure to lead and manage daily ongoings of the place was so painfully apparent, Michael was unwaveringly convinced she'd acquired the position by screwing her way to the top. Perhaps those who she consorted with became as disgruntled as Michael was now. Perhaps she was pushed off to other positions because others needed to untangle themselves from the needy witch.\n\nBut it wasn't the first time a female in a position of power over him behaved so unprofessionally and egregiously. If he didn't loose his job after tonight, he'd quit soon enough.\n\nThey weren't going to find this missing girl. Incompetence surrounded the search, which put Beth at the center of blame. Plus, he felt the perpetrator was getting better at covering his tracks.\n\n\"And Falkenrath?\"\n\nMichael turned from his approach onto the podium.\n\n\"I don't want to hear any deviation from what's on that sheet.\" She pointed to a rumpled piece of paper in his hand. \"These degenerates don't need a silly debriefing coming out of your mouth.\"\n\nMichael stalled. Well aware of the official statements he was supposed to make, which were vague and superfluous crap, Beth's little abrasive reminder was far from necessary. Defiance rose fast within him. He descended back towards her with an icy stare.\n\n\"I suggest you turn around and get this meeting started right now. That is if you still want a job tomorrow morning,\" she said.\n\n\"I am not the one that should be worried about my job.\" Michael spoke low and harsh, \"Still want to see me afterward?\"\n\nBeth brushed her wiry brown-red hair over a shoulder, eying the crowd of misfits, and checking to see if anyone noticed the tense relations taking place.\n\n\"Stop wasting time.\"\n\n\"That's a funny thing to say.\"\n\n\"Oh? And why is that?\" Beth said through tightly clenched teeth.\n\n\"You seem to have all the time in the world to come knocking on my door.\" Michael reminded her.\n\nBeth's mouth dropped open slightly. But she wasn't ready to retreat.\n\n\"Quite right. However it was mutual if I recall, and if you'd like to talk about wasting time, I suggest we take a look at your little escapades with the blond bimbo.\" Beth turned bright red in the face. \"That's against park policies and you're going to be fired for it.\"\n\nUnder any other circumstances, Michael would have throttled her for calling Kris a bimbo. He knew it was a ploy to provoke and rattle him, but he ignored the jab for the moment.\n\n\"You're not going to fire me. Not for breaking some vague park policy. Not when I have an exemplary record. So Beth, I'd like to apprise you of something a little more damning on your behalf.\" Fully off the podium now, and half hidden by dark shadows, Michael's disgust had reached a tipping point.\n\n\"Let's not air our dirty laundry right now. It can wait until later,\" Beth said.\n\n\"No. I'm not meeting with you later. I'm going to make a call to Darren Thorne in Washington. Then I'm going to file papers against you for sexual harassment. And before you open your fat lips again, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that I'm not the only staff you've been fucking for purposes of manipulation.\" Smiling with an evil force, Michael nodded and returned to the podium.\n\n\"And, one more thing. I so much as get a rumor that you've gone after Kris Bay, you'll wish you never met me.\"\n\n\"That's a threat. You can't threaten me. How dare you!\" Beth's eyes were about to pop from her head. \"This isn't over You are way out of line.\" Face burning red, she twisted around and stomped out of sight.\n\nBeth stormed past other rangers and staff hanging off to the side. Some were shocked but others pleasantly entertained by the showdown. Beth promptly removed herself from the spotlight and faded off into the dark shroud of pine saplings and thick foliage. Her thoughts were disjointed and emotionally charged. If Michael wanted to play around with the little Norwegian bitch, that was fine and dandy. But he could not get away with diminishing her authority and threatening her in front of employees.\n\n\"What's up boss lady?\"\n\nBeth let out a little screech as a short, stocky ranger paused to greet her in the dark.\n\n\"You should be at the meeting,\" she said.\n\n\"I know I'm a little late. But -\"\n\n\"Try to be on time. We set the example, remember that.\" Beth hurried off, not interested in the park dispatcher's excuse.\n\n\"Bitch.\" Damon muttered and continued on.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"You have an admirer.\" Raina returned, plopping down firmly against Kris.\n\n\"I don't want to know,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Well he's over there.\" Raina pointed toward the far end of the amphitheater. At first Kris saw nothing except trees and dark forest. But then she realized Adam was leaning casually against a Lodgepole Pine, staring directly at her.\n\n\"Creeper. I wonder why he's here.\" Kris mouthed slowly. \"He never attends these things.\"\n\n\"He's spyin' on ya.\" Randy appeared out of thin air.\n\n\"Hey woodchuck, what's up?\" Raina slapped her hand against his in a high-five gesture.\n\n\"Nuthin' sweetheart. Sorry I'm super late. What's going on?\"\n\n\"Total crap. You missed a fight between the Ranger and Beth Taylor. It was a doosie. I was waiting to see who was gonna throw the first punch.\"\n\n\"Jeez Raina.\" Kris tried to shush her.\n\n\"I'm not surprised. It makes sense,\" Randy said.\n\n\"What makes sense?\" Raina asked.\n\n\"Lover's quarrel.\" Randy poured some trail mix into his mouth.\n\n\"Between them two? Well, there's rumors all over the park he's bopping her.\" Raina grabbed some of Randy's snack mix.\n\n\"You guys sound like you're still in high school. And it's just rumors.\" Kris grew cross.\n\n\"No, I know Beth goes over to Michael's place. Travis lives across from him. He's told me plenty. Sees her leaving at like 3 in the morning,\" Randy said.\n\n\"Figures.\" It was old news to Raina but she knew it would be tough for Kris to swallow.\n\n\"I don't believe any of it. Travis is too busy getting high at that hour. Or drunk.\" Kris gazed at Michael on the podium.\n\n\"Travis doesn't get high or drunk that late at night. And even if he was bombed, he would be so passed out nothing would disturb him. He has no reason to make this crap up. I think it's quite possible Beth has a thing going on with the Ranger.\" Randy lowered his voice, realizing this information was quite unnerving for Kris to hear.\n\n\"I told you Kris. This guy is no good,\" Raina said.\n\n\"I wish everyone would just shut up,\" Kris said dryly.\n\n\"Well has he mentioned it?\"\n\n\"Oh yeah, all the time.\" Kris flashed Raina a nasty look.\n\n\"Okay, wait, maybe not the best topic right now.\" Randy threw a peanut at Raina.\n\n\"Maybe he's using Kris to get back at Beth?\" Raina could not let the issue rest.\n\n\"Raina \u2013 please!\" Kris was getting highly agitated.\n\n\"Does he seem like that kind of person?\" Randy rubbed his chin.\n\n\"I'm not going to talk about this any further,\" Kris said.\n\n\"We just care about you. We don't want to you get hurt. Again.\" Raina hugged Kris from the side.\n\n\"I realize that. It's really bad timing right now.\" Kris knew there was nothing she could say to Raina or Randy that would end the suspicion of Michael sleeping around. This gossip came up way too often.\n\nBut was it possible? Kris had to assume it was without real evidence. And even if she approached Michael about it, he could just tell her what she wanted to hear. The truth was elusive.\n\n\"What are you going to do?\" Randy asked.\n\n\"You know, I don't care right now. Apparently I'm a target wearing a dress. Terri is still missing and this smoke has me feeling like shit. I don't know what I'm going to do, Randy,\" Kris said.\n\n\"We're just trying to help.\" Raina got up and wandered off.\n\nRandy put his arm around Kris and squeezed her momentarily before going back to his snack.\n\n\"Sorry to bring all that up. You know how it is here.\"\n\n\"I know. I fucking know.\" Kris rubbed her eyes and hoped this meeting would soon be over. \"The gossip never ends. I'm sure it's still being circulated that Adam and I are together.\"\n\n\"Oh, by the way I heard that. Yup. You and Adam.\" Randy cocked his head and smiled.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"So try and travel in pairs, and carry something for self defense,\" Michael said.\n\n\"How come you can't find her?!\" A tall lanky kid stood up angrily waving his hands in the air.\n\nMichael knew he was expected to show restraint in answering but he was more inclined to tell the truth.\n\n\"As you know we have search and rescue checking every known location for Ms. White. All viable leads are checked out.\"\n\n\"A lot good they're doing. How come there's no helicopters or dogs?\"\n\n\"Simon, is it?\" Michael recognized the hot headed kid. \"We had a helicopter and several cadaver dogs. Unfortunately they have been called off.\"\n\nA sea of gasps and expletives resounded from the gathering.\n\nSeveral people stood, yelling and talking over each other. \"Cadaver dogs? Is she presumed dead then? Why do you need those?\"\n\nMichael hesitated, looking down at his notes. He was not authorized to give out any further details. Beth could fire him instantaneously and she would have good cause.\n\n\"The dogs are just standard procedure. The backcountry fires are preventing us from narrowing down where she went missing.\" Michael's voice grew loud.\n\n\"Who the hell called off the helicopter and dogs?\" Another voice boomed.\n\nThe person responsible for canceling out the dogs and helicopter felt they weren't necessary and too costly. Oh how he longed to blurt the whore's name, Beth, but it would fracture the integrity of the entire park. Everything was speeding out of control and the person at the helm had to retain some amount of measurable control. As much as he hated Beth as captain of the ship, there was too much at stake to reveal her incompetence now.\n\n\"You deserve to know, I agree. But this investigation is ongoing and it could become compromised if too much information is released at this time.\"\n\nAmidst the chatter and raised voices, Michael tried to answer more heated questions. Finally he smacked the microphone loudly, producing an ear piercing crash.\n\n\"Please. I need to wrap this up. It's late and we all need to work tomorrow. If anyone knows anything, even something you think is inconsequential, please come to me or any of my colleagues. We are placing a bulletin board near the roundabout tomorrow. Please check it for updates and notifications of new meetings.\" Michael gestured to the row of other rangers who had now united behind him at the podium.\n\nSlowly, people started to get quiet and shushed others to quit talking.\n\n\"This investigation is not my only duty here. Yes, we are short staffed. Everyone please work together and be careful so one of you doesn't become the next victim.\" Michael's voice grew raspy.\n\n\"Why isn't more security brought in?\" Simon Trader spoke once again.\n\nMichael stared down at his tattered notes and then back out at the worried faces.\n\n\"We're trying to pull some more officers in from other locations. Due to budget constraints, it's unlikely we will get extra personnel.\" He lied. Beth didn't want her reputation tarnished, especially when dealing with a crime ravaged park, so she wanted everything handled within. No outside security, no desperate calls for extra support from the head office in Washington, and definitely no reports leaked to the media, which would only stir the pot and keep tourists away.\n\n\"He's lying.\"\n\nKris cringed instantly at hearing Adam's voice. He finally came forward from his shrouded hiding spot within the trees. Stillness gripped the clearing. Many people twisted around to see who had blurted this accusation.\n\n\"Good of you to join us Mr. Hoth. I'm sorry you feel the need to accuse me of being a liar. I would encourage you to listen to the facts, they will most certainly lead you to what I just explained.\" Michael spoke out sternly.\n\n\"And what was that, again?\"Adam asked.\n\n\"That we are trying to pull in extra help, but it is costly and not available. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but it could take time.\" Michael motioned to the others behind him and then spoke quickly for the last time.\n\n\"This meeting is over. Any further questions or concerns, please look at the bulletin board tomorrow or you can visit headquarters during daylight hours. Thank you.\" He quickly flicked off the microphone and stepped away from the podium.\n\nPeople started dispersing immediately. Michael quickly briefed his lower command.\n\nThe lies were tearing at his stomach. The back of his neck was so hot, he had to reach back to touch it, making sure it wasn't on fire. His only thought now was to stop Kris from running off alone in that damn red dress.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Need an accompaniment?\"\n\n\"Go away Adam.\" Kris knew he'd come over to pester her soon or later.\n\n\"Are you off with him tonight?\" Adam made it a point to glare in Michael's direction who was still speaking to co-workers.\n\n\"What the hell have you been doing? You smell awful.\" Kris bit at him, her mood becoming further soured.\n\nAdam chuckled as if her remarks were just fun and games.\n\n\"I needed a long walk. Ask your boyfriend.\" Adam pulled a water bottle from his pack and slowly screwed off the top.\n\n\"Did you walk into a lake of gasoline? What does Michael have to do with it?\"\n\nAfter taking a drink from the bottle, Adam sighed heavily and offered the water to Kris. She immediately pushed it away.\n\n\"We had a nice long chat in the forest,\" Adam said.\n\n\"About what?\" Kris grew fiery.\n\n\"You of course.\"\n\n\"Right. Like I should believe that. You accuse Michael of lying, and then slither over here to spew a bunch of lies at me? Get lost. Get out of here. I want nothing to do with you.\"\n\n\"Kris, one of these days it will finally it hit you. I'm not going anywhere.\"\n\n\"Then I'm going to scream.\" Kris grabbed her things, looking around for Randy or Raina, who mysteriously disappeared the second Adam emerged.\n\n\"Go ahead and scream. Scream, honey, scream.\" Adam taunted. \"Tell me, Kris,\" he licked his lips, \"do you scream for him? When he fucks you, do you scream out? Maybe at the sight of his big ranger dick?\"\n\n\"You're the nastiest person I know.\" Kris backed up into a log. Nearly falling, she caught herself and climbed over.\n\n\"Yes, but you love that about me.\"\n\n\"I hope you die. I hope whoever is out there killing people, finds you next and slashes your throat.\" Quickly, anger turned into sad frustration. Tears welled up in her bloodshot eyes. Adam contained a look of smug satisfaction. He'd won this round with her. Clearly she was unraveling, and all his hard work was paying off.\n\n\"I'm not a female, sadly, so I have nothing to be worried about,\" Adam said.\n\nKris gazed heavily at him. Confused at such an odd statement, her brain grew fuzzy. It was time to leave and get the hell back to camp before she and Adam were the last ones remaining.\n\nKris hurriedly walked off toward the upper trail. It would be a much longer path home, but being a wider and more heavily used trail, Adam probably wouldn't follow.\n\n\"Adam you are a pig. Why'd you run her off like that?\" Raina strode up, watching a flash of red disappear into darkness. \"I don't know if I should be pissed with you or happy.\"\n\n\"Why happy?\" Adam snorted. He wondered if he could make it back to Kris's place before that idiot park rogue did.\n\n\"Apparently you and I agree on one thing.\"\n\n\"I doubt it,\" Adam said.\n\n\"That Ranger is a liar and no good for Kris. I don't trust him,\" Raina said.\n\n\"Yeah, so?\"\n\n\"I'm not saying you should get back together with her. Understand me? You guys aren't good for each other. But Adam, if any real part of you still honestly cares about her, then you must agree she has to get away from that dude. Right?\"\n\n\"I guess.\" Adam stared at her blankly.\n\nRaina blew a huge bubble, snapping it quickly.\n\n\"Shit you smell horrible. Why don't you take a damn shower or something.\" Raina pinched her nose. Adam grabbed onto her arm before she could run off.\n\n\"Hey!\"\n\n\"Why do you think I'm always following her? I'm concerned. I know we aren't getting back together.\" Adam gritted his rear teeth so hard he could practically taste the enamel.\n\n\"Let go of me.\" Narrowing her eyes, suspicion filled Raina's usual spunky demeanor. She took a few steps away from him.\n\n\"You're right, you're right, I need a shower. I was having a barbecue and got lighter fluid all over myself.\" Adam tried to lighten up.\n\n\"Whatever.\" Raina was poised to take off, having enough of Adam for one evening. She just hoped he would leave Kris alone and not trod off after her.\n\n\"Why don't we get a drink later?\"\n\n\"No thanks,\" Raina said.\n\n\"Come on.\"\n\n\"No!\"\n\n\"We can figure out how to keep Kris from the Ranger. I need your help Raina.\"\n\n\"Okay, fine.\" Raina ran her fingers through her short hair. \"I need to go. For now.\"\n\n\"I'll see you back at camp,\" he said.\n\n\"Whatever. Bye. I'm outta here.\" Raina hoped she could weasel out of her promise to have a drink later. Raina knew better than to accept Adam's request, but she figured at least it would occupy him from harassing Kris. Physically and mentally tired, Raina decided she could manage to throw back one drink and make an excuse to leave. She did not want to conspire at length with him.\n\nAdam grabbed a handful of fabric, bringing it to his nostrils. He only smelled smokiness. Perhaps a hint of gasoline. Both girls were just giving him a hard time, he decided.\n\nAdam had made a hasty return to the gulch before the meeting. He had dumped a small canister of propane on her, lit it on fire and then fled the area. Hopefully there wasn't much left of her by this point.\n\nWith the administration pulling people off the search, odds of Terri's remains being discovered were infinitesimal. Adam chucked to himself. He was smarter than all of those bastards. Not even that fraud commando Ranger would figure out what he'd done. Adam had fooled them all. Excited in his revelations, and prickled with excitement, he coughed loudly and grabbed a cigarette from the band of his hat. These saps can't even control a wildfire, which seemed much worse now than when he walked up this filthy path just an hour ago.\n\nAdam swore violently along his way, stopping only to light his cigarette.\n\nUsually the thought of spending time with Raina was revolting, but she was easy to inebriate. Raina was distinguished as the next biggest lush in camp, aside from Terri. People would believe anything and nobody would really miss her. Well, except Kris.\nChapter Eighteen\n\nConfrontation\n\nAfter fifteen minutes of stumbling the rocky high trail to camp, Kris hesitantly reversed her direction back toward the amphitheater. She assumed Michael was still there. Instead of running away from the problem and ignoring the possibility that Michael was deceiving her, she wanted to sort out the truth once and for all. It needed to happen tonight. Her nerves could not stay in limbo any longer. Kris quickened her pace in the dark, awake to the sharp possibility of an impending intrusion by the mysterious assailant.\n\nConfronting Michael meant the risk of severing the short term trust that had accumulated. His reaction to her inquiry could be rather harsh. She didn't care. Kris lacked confidence in him at this point. There had not been enough time passed in getting to know each other on a deeper level. At the very least he owed her an explanation regarding the strange exchange with Beth at the meeting.\n\nKris came to a lingering stop. Airways tightening, she sputtered and tried to cough in an effort to expel heavy matter irritating her lungs. Smooth boulders alongside the trail beckoned her to rest so she sat for a moment.\n\nPerhaps in the grand scheme of things the situation mattered very little. If Kris was serious about leaving the park she had to assume the little love affair between her and Michael would eventually come to an end anyway. Her relations with Raina, Adam, and many others at White Rock, had formed for many years unlike her connection with Michael. She knew her friends fairly well.\n\nA heavy haze settled upon her. Many troubling questions bounced around which just ignited further irrational thoughts. She was too malleable by hearsay and rumors. Kris was afraid of what was happening right under her nose. If Raina and Randy were misinformed about Michael, would they keep searching for another damning piece of information to dissuade her?\n\n\"They've never trusted outsiders.\" Kris grumbled out loud.\n\n\"And I'm the outsider.\" A deep voice responded.\n\nShrieking, Kris flew off the rock, backward into a small tree.\n\n\"What is it with you and trees?\" Michael quickly came to her aid.\n\nHardly able to speak, Kris's heart slammed fast and furious inside her chest.\n\n\"Whoa now,\" Michael said, pulling her in close.\n\n\"What are you doing here?\" Kris stared wide eyed up at him.\n\n\"I should ask you the same. In fact I should be quite mad. There's a dangerous predator roaming around these woods and you're strolling out here alone. Again.\"\n\nMichael seemed genuinely upset at her. Kris tried pushing back but he wouldn't let go.\n\n\"Yeah well most of it is your fault.\"\n\n\"Oh?\" Michael did not sound amused.\n\nTrying to catch her breath, Kris stalled in response. The smoke was so thick and foul.\n\n\"Just tell me something -\" Kris pushed against his chest one more time and Michael finally let go.\n\n\"Kris, I-\"\n\n\"No, don't interrupt me. I need to say this.\"\n\nMichael grabbed his radio and switched off the power.\n\n\"Okay you have my attention,\" Michael said.\n\n\"There's a lot of rumors. I really don't know what to believe. It's led me to think all sorts of things. We aren't committed to each other I suppose, so you're free to be with anyone. Maybe you have pursued me only for -\"\n\n\"Fucking?\" Michael interrupted off handedly. The second the awful word escaped him, he regretted it.\n\nKris felt like a hornet had just stung her. Fucking?!\n\n\"Okay. So I guess you just cleared that up. Thank you for enlightening me.\"\n\n\"That came out wrong.\"\n\n\"So my next question is, how long are you going to keep screwing around with me? Are we done?\" Kris felt hot anger gripping her.\n\n\"What are you talking about?\" Michael asked.\n\n\"Oh don't pretend. I know how this goes. Not like I haven't been through it before.\"\n\n\"Can you be specific? What rumors?\"\n\n\"Beth. You and Beth. I mean, from the information I have, it sounds like you aren't even trying to be careful. Or perhaps that's the whole point. You can play with anyone you want?\" Kris's throat began constricting. In a moment her eyes would shed tears and she was much too angry to let him see her reduced to weakness.\n\nMichael looked down at the ground for a moment then straightened himself. Removing his hat he rubbed the brim as if it was essential in collecting his thoughts. He did not speak right away.\n\n\"If you have nothing to say, I'll be going.\" Kris grabbed her pack.\n\n\"Let me know if you want to hear my side.\" Michael remained still.\n\n\"What the hell does that mean?\" Kris spun back.\n\n\"I don't suppose I get the chance to straighten out the rumors you are so quick to latch onto.\"\n\n\"These are my friends. They have my back. I hardly know you.\" Kris fought to keep her voice strong.\n\n\"Yes, they are your friends. But there is a great deal of distortion going around.\"\n\n\"Are you or aren't you screwing that red haired bitch?\"\n\n\"I am not. Not now.\"\n\n\"She goes to your place at three o'clock in the morning, dressed like a cheap hooker.\" Kris tried to remind him.\n\nMichael's eyes narrowed. \"Yes.\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Beth does everything she can to gain my affections. Never has she been invited to my place, she just shows up of her own accord. Three in the morning seems to be her favorite hour to come harass me. And she is never quiet about it.\"\n\n\"Oh.\" Kris felt ashamed to admit her information came from historically unreliable people. But, how could she know if he was telling the truth?\n\n\"I'm a bit surprised to hear all this from you,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Don't flip this around onto me,\" Kris said.\n\nMichael quickly put his thumb to her lips.\n\n\"Let me finish. You want an explanation and I'll give you one. But let's get the hell out of here.\" Micheal took her pack and threaded his strong hand into hers. \"Come.\"\n\nKris reluctantly cooperated. After walking in silence for some distance, they reached the bridge crossing over the Kwoluck River.\n\n\"Wait, Michael, if we go this way, through the southeast shelf, we can circle back to my cabin.\" Kris motioned off to the right.\n\n\"That's pretty close to the ravine, isn't it?\"\n\n\"Sorta. But I've done it many times. Don't you have a flashlight or something?\"\n\n\"Well I was going to see if the store was still open so we could discuss matters over coffee. You know, like civilized people? Instead of traipsing all over this park.\" Michael leaned against the wood railing of the bridge.\n\nNot far below, the river rushed over smooth granite boulders. Eerie moonlight cast an orange glow and highlighted the fast moving water. If they crossed the bridge and headed into the main part of Willow Camp, it would be a long walk back to the cabins. They could take a short cut by avoiding the bridge and hiking along the edge of the canyon. It was unlikely the small coffee shop would be open at this hour anyway. Kris grew more irritated with the situation.\n\n\"You knew about Terri missing the other night?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you tell me?\" Kris grabbed the railing staring down at the water. \"I mean you could of interrogated me like everyone else.\"\n\n\"Yes, I could of.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you say anything?\"\n\n\"I only heard bits and pieces of her disappearance over the park radio system. I did not know your relationship to her. Very few details were coming out. What I should of anticipated, is how fast news travels around this park.\"\n\n\"Right.\" Kris rubbed her eyes.\n\n\"I regret not telling you right away. I am sorry. We didn't know if foul play was involved, so I suppose it wasn't my first priority. Apparently this girl takes off quite a bit.\"\n\n\"Yeah. Yeah she does.\"\n\n\"But you're not really angry at me because of Terri.\"\n\n\"Oh? I'm not huh?\" Kris straightened up.\n\n\"No. I did not fully address the rumors regarding my liaisons with Beth, now did I?\"\n\n\"You said before on the trail, you weren't screwing her.\" Kris grabbed her hips in defiance.\n\n\"Not anymore.\"\n\n\"Wait. Wait, wait. I get it. Oh I love this game.\" Kris paced down the rounded side of the bridge.\n\n\"It was before I met you.\" Michael knew his words sliced into her like a hot knife.\n\nKris closed her eyes for a moment. The darkness seemed to penetrate her mind, and oddly provided a nice stillness.\n\n\"Very stupid on my part,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Yeah, and now you'll say, it didn't mean anything. It was just sex. A mistake. Just a few slips. Except, when girls like me hear this sort of thing, we have a real hard time imagining why or how guys like you could go for someone so cheap and fake and then pursue someone who is the complete opposite. Like me.\" Kris swallowed hard. \"And don't say, men suck. Or that it's a guy thing. That's such a bunch of bull shit.\"\n\n\"I could tell you that she threw herself at me. And being weak, I indulged. Or I could say, she's using her position of power as my boss to seduce me. Or I could just state the fact that I didn't have a good reason for fucking her. I still know really know why. I guess it's hardwired in my thick skull that I don't deserve a nice girl like you.\"\n\n\"So, that justifies sticking your dick into whatever piece of trash that comes along?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Let me take a guess here. Beth wanted more than just a quick roll in the sheets? She got mad when you refused to keep indulging her, and now she's super jealous. Especially when you kiss your new girlfriend in front of everyone.\"\n\n\"Sheets were never involved,\" he said.\n\n\"No? Then maybe her office? Desk? Floor? That lovely seat near the window? I've been to Beth's office before. It's rather nice.\"\n\n\"Desk,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Remind me never to go to her office again.\" Kris heavily breathed out.\n\n\"Were you just using me then? To get back at her? Or to force her away or something?\" Kris met his patient gaze.\n\n\"Absolutely not.\"\n\n\"You sure?\"\n\n\"Positive.\" Michael came up behind, slowly sliding his arms around her.\n\n\"Yeah, I slept with her. And I've been with other women too. Just like you've been with other men. How important is all of it?\"\n\n\"I'm getting tired of talking about this.\" Kris touched his hand. Mostly she didn't want to hear that their situations were equal. It still stung that he had sex with Beth, even if it was before she and Michael ever met.\n\nHe kissed her ear and then spoke in a low voice.\n\n\"These rumors you come across. Next time please bring them to me a bit sooner. Instead of letting them marinate with you and your friends. At least hear my side. You can decide what to believe after that.\"\n\n\"I'll try. No promises,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Is that it, or is there more? Is there other stuff we need to talk about?\" Michael cinched his arms around tighter.\n\n\"What if I told you I'm thinking of leaving the park when the season ends?\" Kris hardly thought before the words came out of her mouth.\n\n\"Funny. I was entertaining the same idea.\"\n\n\"You were thinking of leaving?\" Kris didn't consider the like mindedness on this issue. But it made sense. Individually they both had reasons for vacating employment at the park.\n\n\"They hired me for show, no other reason. I can't sit by as a pretty boy while grave mistakes are being made.\"\n\n\"Where would you go?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"I have a few ideas. There's some options available to me. What about you?\"\n\n\"I dunno. I have a car and a storage locker in Matherville full of junk. I could find a job and apartment I guess. Live a normal life.\" Kris was waiting for a hint from him that indicated they might both still see each other.\n\nMichael released her from his embrace. He twisted the dial on the radio up, half listening to voices crackling.\n\n\"You know we do share something in common.\" He rested a hand on his firearm out of habit.\n\n\"Oh? Just one thing?\"\n\n\"You've involved yourself with people that are no good for you. I have done so as well.\" Michael was impatient now. The hour grew late and he longed to get Kris back to her cabin. \"I warned you.\"\n\nFrowning, Kris looked over at him. \"Of what?\"\n\n\"I'm an abrasive person.\" He smiled.\n\nKris tapped the wooden boards of the bridge with her toe.\n\n\"Well don't remind me anymore. If you haven't figured it out by now, I tend to spend a lot of time with dumb-ass men.\" Kris flatly pointed out.\n\n\"The thought of you out here alone, wearing that dress...\" His voice trailed off, hand touching her side.\n\n\"If I recall, you're the one who gave it to me.\"\n\n\"I did, didn't I? Perhaps I meant for you to wear it when we're both together.\"\n\n\"We're together now.\" She admitted softly.\n\n\"You have a point.\"\n\nMichael kissed the top of her head, somewhat distracted.\n\n\"Can I escort you home now? I'm still on duty. I need to appear to be doing my job.\"\n\n\"Sorry. Yes, let's go.\" Kris grabbed his wrist, pulling him over the bridge. The short cut along the river could wait until another day\nChapter Nineteen\n\nRaina splashed cold water to her face. Then, running her wet hands through her short black hair, she heard the familiar metal creek of the bathroom door. With the water still trickling from the faucet, she bent down and grabbed a flashlight from her bag.\n\n\"Who's there?\"\n\nRaina tried again. \"Hey!\" she called out switching on her light. She twisted off the faucet. It was late and probably past midnight. Being so bothered by smoke and heat, Raina had taken a detour after the meeting to freshen up before bed. She was hoping Adam forgot about having that drink.\n\nOn a typical summer night the staff shower building conformed to a weird type of hang out. People fussed around, showered, shaved, guys teased females, and everyone pretty much let off tension from a long day at work. Many would also sit leisurely on the steps outside drinking a beer or two.\n\nRaina was surprised tonight, finding the old building to be strangely desolate. Nervous now, she zipped up her bag and tried to keep the light beam down the corridor that led to the exterior doors. Perhaps the visitor entered but turned into the mens' side.\n\n\"Hello?\" Raina called out once more.\n\nSlowly the dark figure emerged from the shadows of the entranceway.\n\n\"Oh hell, it's you.\" Raina gasped, then clicked off her light, \"Jeez, you creeped me out for a second Adam.\" Relieved to see a familiar face, Raina gathered her things and headed for the doors. \"A bit late, ain't it?\"\n\n\"Maybe for some,\" Adam said.\n\nUncomfortable, Raina quickly went outside, but then realized she'd forgotten her shoes.\n\n\"Shit!\"\n\n\"What's wrong?\" Adam leaned against the entrance doorway.\n\n\"I think my shoes are inside.\" Typically she tossed her shoes right inside the front.\n\n\"I didn't see anything in there.\"\n\nRaina put a hand to her hip, standing two steps below him.\n\n\"Well, they are probably in the shower. 'Scuse me.\" Raina grew impatient.\n\nAdam moved slightly to the side barely letting her pass. He muttered something unintelligible, then let out a long sigh.\n\nRaina quickly tiptoed back around the sink area and then the shower stall. Puddles of water were everywhere but her sandals remained absent.\n\n\"What the hell?\" She harshly whispered. She looked in each of the other stalls. Nothing. Maybe she was mistaken and put them in her bag. Back outside, she breathed a sigh of relief in failing to catch sight of Adam. But soon she saw the tiny glow of a cigarette much further down the stone steps. He had perched himself near the path that lead back to camp. Frantically rummaging through her overstuffed pink canvas bag, her hands grew jittery.\n\n\"Can't find 'em?\" Adam blew out a long trail of smoke.\n\nRaina wiped her brow with the back of her hand. Being annoyed was an understatement. Walking back to the cabins in bare feet, over sharp rocks and debris, was going to be slow going and painful.\n\n\"No.\" She zipped her bag shut. \"You wouldn't have a spare pair of shoes or somethin'?\" Raina swung the bag over her shoulder, and carefully plodded down the steps. She grabbed the wood railing to steady herself in the dark.\n\nAdam only chuckled.\n\n\"Got another one of those?\" Raina eyed his smoke.\n\nAdam fished into his front pocket for a flattened pack of cigarettes. Sliding one out, he offered it to her.\n\n\"Thanks.\" Raina grabbed the smoke stick and leaned in while he lit it. Taking a long drag, she glanced ahead at the ground.\n\n\"Fuck it.\"\n\n\"Oh it's not that bad. You're tough, aren't you Raina?\"\n\n\"Sure. Whatever. Let's go.\"\n\nRaina gingerly started walking. Half her thoughts were centered on returning in the morning before work to look more thoroughly for her missing shoes. She recalled the odd stories from Kris about Adam stealing underwear and bras then wearing them to satisfy some demented fantasy. Kris said he would tug down the side of his pants, giving her a flash of some thong he'd taken from her cabin. Raina thought hard. Why would Adam take her shoes? And why tonight?\n\n\"I've been thinking about what you said, at the meeting.\"\n\n\"Yeah, what about?\" Raina asked. At least talking to him was a distraction from her missing shoes.\n\n\"We should work together to get Kris away from the Ranger.\"\n\n\"Uhm...\" Raina rubbed her temples. \"That wasn't exactly what I was meaning.\"\n\n\"Well, what were you implying then?\"\n\n\"I wasn't implying anything. I don't know, Adam. Why can't you get anything straight? I only said we both agree she shouldn't be seeing that guy.\"\n\n\"What can we do about it?\"\n\n\"Kris is stubborn as hell and that ranger is some sort of paratrooper. He probably has night vision cameras positioned all over the forest. Don't ask me what to do about it. I'm her best friend, and we're on shaky ground lately.\"\n\n\"I don't think they'll last much longer,\" Adam said, tossing his expired cigarette onto the trail.\n\n\"What are you, a fortune teller?\"\n\n\"No, but Kris isn't happy.\"\n\n\"Oh, and let me guess, you are the only person in the world that can make her happy?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"That's pretty fucking arrogant.\" Raina laughed hard, thinking he was joking in some weird way.\n\nStepping so carefully was taking forever along the uneven trail. Raina tried to speed up, but sharp little pricks into the bottom of her feet forced her to slow down.\n\n\"One day they should fucking pave this trail, I swear!\"\n\n\"Sweetheart, they don't have the money.\"\n\n\"I'll give them the money! And don't fucking call me that.\"\n\n\"Very well then.\"\n\n\"Jeez, Adam. You take everything so seriously,\" Raina said, glancing sideways at him. \"So, moving on. The shower must have worked? I can't smell that horrible odor on you from before.\"\n\n\"Huh?\"\n\n\"You said earlier, at the meeting, you got lighter fluid on yourself. I assumed you took a shower. I didn't hear you until the door slammed.\"\n\n\"Umhm.\"\n\n\"What did you barbecue?\" Raina asked.\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"Did you black out between now and then? Fuck, I swear Adam, you are so bizarre.\" Raina stopped, and looked harshly at him. \"You said you stunk so bad because you were barbecuing!\"\n\n\"Fish. Sorry. Didn't know what you were asking.\"\n\n\"You barbecued fish?\"\n\n\"Yes. I did.\"\n\n\"That explains the smell then.\" Raina started walking again and kept talking. \"Don't you worry about bears getting a whiff of that? Hey, so, do you barbecue the fish with garlic and butter? Funny, though, I didn't see any fresh fish for sale at the shop. Obviously you went to town. Gee Adam, I didn't know you had that much time on your hands.\"\n\nIrritated with Raina's incessant blabbering, Adam pulled a small rectangular glass bottle from his jacket pocket. Filled with his favorite amber colored whiskey, he quickly sucked down a drink. Jutting out his hand, he offered some to Raina.\n\n\"Normally I would pass since it's from you. But what the hell.\" Raina grasped it, taking a significant swig of the liquor. Coughing violently, she waited a moment for the burn to settle down then took another drink.\n\n\"It's not for everyone. Sorry you can't handle it,\" Adam said.\n\n\"Please don't patronize me. Yes it's true, I'd rather have something this nasty, diluted. How the hell do you drink this straight all the time? Wait, never mind, I don't want to know.\"\n\n\"Watering it down destroys the whole purpose of drinking whiskey.\" Adam grasped the bottle back from her. Raina was a bitter, stupid girl. Kris's insistence on befriending her, constantly throttled him. Adam took several long slugs of the booze, ditching the cap off into the bushes. He predicted they both would finish it before reaching the cabins.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nClicking on a small but powerful flashlight, Kris moved the intense beam around her cabin while pushing the door open. Expecting something or somebody to screech out, Kris hesitated to enter. Everything seemed disheveled just as she left it earlier that afternoon.\n\nWindows were wide open. Michael's strict orders of diligence in locking up were ignored. Stagnant, warm air dominated the small space, practically choking her.\n\nShedding the red dress quickly, she threw it over a chair. Insufferably hot, she grabbed a tank top and dropped her keys to the floor. No conceivable way were the windows going to be shut tonight. Michael possessed sincere concern and a valid intensity. But she refused to barricade herself in this tinder box. Stressed, Kris couldn't imagine sleeping in such suffocating conditions. It was unusually warm weather for White Rock. Moreover, it was downright historic for the temperatures to remain strangely elevated in the middle of the night.\n\nKris finally lay down, giving way to the intense desire to sleep. Her final thought before drifting off rested on the conclusion that it was next to impossible for an intruder to scale the thin exterior walls of her cabin. And even if they could, a ton of noise would wake her in the process, at which point she would grab a weapon and beat the living daylights out of the invader. The main floor of the cabin was at least five or six feet from the ground. She didn't know exactly. It didn't really matter. The quietness of the forest took over, beckoning her to sleep.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Can you believe her though? I mean Adam, that Ranger is such a disappointment to society. Where'd they find such a menacing jerk?\" Raina slurred her words badly. Feeling the full effects of the booze now, she was quite delighted at the numbing properties it provided for the raw pain coming from the underside of her feet.\n\n\"I know.\" Adam handed her the bottle again. Only a slight buzz was teasing his mind. Raina's diarrhea of the mouth was beginning to make him physically sick. If it weren't for the adrenaline beginning to course through his body, Adam would of knocked her out.\n\n\"Hand it on over.\" She grasped the bottle with an outstretched hand.\n\n\"He seems like the type of guy you would go for, Raina.\"\n\n\"I know, right? Although I don't like the military types much. Too rigid and controlling.\"\n\n\"Shhh. People are trying to sleep. Lower your voice for fuck sake.\" Adam observed Raina to be so drunk, she failed to recognize they had reached the outer edge of camp. Waking everyone was something he wanted to avoid. Thoughts crashed down around him. It was too perfect, he thought.\n\n\"Oooops.\" Tripping and almost falling to the ground, Raina snickered carelessly.\n\n\"Come on. Can you walk?\" Adam steered her off the main path quickly, and cut through some overgrown shrubs leading them both along a deer trail.\n\n\"Gosh I don't remember it taking this long to get to camp. Why the hell don't someone prune these lame ass bushes?\" Raina waved her arms in the darkness, pushing away sharp branches and outstretched fronds.\n\nAdam didn't respond but tugged at her to keep moving. He feared she would pass out. Carrying her body over uneven terrain was less than desirable. Finally he found the old trail, a bit obscured, and covered with leaves, but he became quite happy in the discovery of the alternate route.\n\n\"Raina, come on. I want you to see this.\"\n\nRaina tripped once more landing face down in leaf and ground matter.\n\n\"Eww. Gross.\" She pushed herself up onto her knees. Things were spinning horrifically. Taking some deep breaths, she slowly became aware of the surroundings.\n\n\"Adam. Adam!\"\n\n\"What? Come on already. Get over here.\"\n\nGrumbling unintelligibly, Raina stumbled to her feet. She mistakenly identified the dark row of cabins as home.\n\n\"Wow. How late is it? Everyone's gone off to bed.\" Raina dragged her feet along next to him. \"I'm really wasted.\"\n\nDark rows of old cabins sat empty and deteriorating. Adam and Raina stood in the middle of what once was a busy dirt path, now carpeted with weeds and pine needles.\n\n\"Where's mine? Adam, all the lights are off. Where the freaking hell is my place?\"\n\n\"We just need some time for you to sober up. You're too loud, darling.\"\n\n\"Where are we? Adam -\" Raina stopped walking and took a hard look around. \"This is not our camp.\" Raina stumbled up to one of the dilapidated cabins. \"Shit.\" She wobbly pivoted.\n\n\"You prick. This is the ghost camp? You led me all the way over here?\"\n\n\"Very good.\"Adam dropped his backpack slowly onto the steps of cabin 606. Fond memories of earlier that day started his heart racing.\n\nRaina glanced behind herself and then at Adam.\n\n\"I want to go home. Please, Adam. No more games. I don't know the way back to camp from here.\" Raina felt a cold thread of fear pop up.\n\n\"I'm staying here tonight,\" Adam said.\n\n\"What?\" Raina took a few steps toward him in disbelief. Wrapping her arms around herself, a slight shiver coursed through her body.\n\n\"If you think we're hooking up -\"\n\n\"Don't flatter yourself.\"\n\n\"Why'd you bring me over here then? I'm not spending the night in this disgusting place.\"\n\n\"Oh that's fine. Just head back the way we came then.\" Adam leaned down and unzipped the main compartment of his backpack.\n\nRaina mumbled to herself, confused what to do. She'd heard stories of the old connecting trail back down to Willow and staff camp but it wasn't easy to find, even during the day.\n\n\"Can I borrow a flashlight then? How am I supposed to see in the dark?\"\n\n\"Don't you have one in your bag?\" Adam reminded her.\n\n\"Shit! My bag. Where is it? Oh God I dropped it. Help me find it, please. Please, Adam.\" Raina pleaded. She scrambled back toward the trees.\n\nSmiling, Adam took great pleasure in watching her panic. The daft bitch had dropped the thing at least half a mile back. Amidst the whining of her stupid feet, Adam had suggested a short rest. She did not remember to grab her bag once they restarted their ascent along the forest trail.\n\nHe had enough of loud complaining now. Flicking on a small flashlight, he walked over to inspect the frenzied search.\n\n\"Here. Will this do?\" Adam held out the little light.\n\nGlassy-eyed, Raina peered up at him.\n\n\"Yes. Thanks.\" Raina limped forward. Her eyes quickly caught sight of a long object dangling next to Adam's leg.\n\n\"What's that for?\"\n\n\"Oh this?\" Tightening his grip on the rubberized handle, he smiled wickedly.\n\n\"What the hell do you need that for?\" Raina stumbled backward. \"Adam?\" The color draining from her face, Raina twisted and attempted to run but clumsily met the bushes instead.\n\nAdam let the flashlight drop from his hand. He quickly raised the folding ice ax and swung it hard. The flat end of the ax made a forceful contact, striking her squarely in the back. Raina flew to the ground. She screamed out in agony.\n\nWiping spit from the corner of his mouth, Adam approached Raina's sprawled body and loomed over her. Adrenaline coursed through him so hard that he became lightheaded. Tasting earthen material in her mouth, Raina grasped at roots and branches, attempting to stand up. Partly disoriented from the alcohol, she couldn't gain mental clarity. But before she could raise herself onto her knees, a heavy force struck her again. This time the world went black. Raina's limp and lifeless body softly thudded to the dirt.\n\nAdam coughed deeply and set his folding ice ax next to the flashlight. He grabbed her ankles and started dragging her over to the cabins. She was a lot more attractive unconscious. This one would be fun. But first he needed to tend to certain details. He wiped his precious ax clean with some fabric of Raina's shirt. It was important to remove any evidence of her bodily bits. Adam wasn't set on killing Raina just yet. Perhaps she would do him a favor and expire from the trauma he had already inflicted. A lot of blood was pouring from her back.\n\nAggravatingly warm for such a late hour, he was uncomfortably hot and sweaty, and starting to feel the effects of sobriety creeping back. Perhaps a little more whiskey to celebrate a job well done. Sweat ran down the sides of his unshaven face. He pulled out his trusty stainless steel flask from his pack and pressed the mouth of the bottle to his lips. Taking several long gulps, Adam stared down at Raina, who remained motionless. Her puny tattooed arms and legs were stretched out, hugging the ground.\n\nAdam heavily sat on a rotting wood step, producing a sharp crack. He lit a cigarette and enjoyed the eerie stillness of the forest.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nLost in a dream, Kris was standing knee deep in a creek wearing little except for a tee shirt and underwear. The water was icy cold and rushing all around her legs. She didn't move or make a sound. She stood still peering down into the clear water. Kris was unaware if it was night or day in the dream. Her shivering body was unresponsive and leaden. Instinct nagged at her to retreat from the cold water. But she remained frozen by an unseen force. The only sound heard was the trickling of the water.\n\nStrange bits of gray dust began falling from the sky. At first she likened them to snowflakes. Unable to look up, Kris strained to lift her right hand. Bits of the puffy substance landed into her outstretched fingers. She curiously watched a small pile gather and then let it fall. Kris frowned as the bits landed on the surface of the dark water, but only for for a fleeting moment, and then they melted into nothing. It was almost like ash.\n\nThe dream grew increasingly bizarre, with a constant noise that was growing louder and lower with each passing moment. She couldn't tell how long she had been standing in the water. It seemed very lengthy. The rapping noise grew worse. Almost likened to someone knocking on her own cabin door. But that was silly. She was outside now, wasn't she? Perhaps she had gone for a hike and forgot where she was going.\n\nBlurry images began to drift back and forth. A tiny apartment she rented one winter in the high desert town of Blanding Ditch.The long, cold season she spent alone and working at a local diner. She'd met Adam there. He was a daily customer, always sitting way in the back. Watching her. Reading. Drinking coffee and waiting for the perfect moment. Eventually he invited her out. They wound up walking through the quaint historic district of Blanding Ditch. It was a peculiar town seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Settlers found the rural location while looking for water, needed for nearby gold strikes.\n\nAdam and Kris had stopped for hot chocolate during one cold winter night. He had offered her a splash of Irish whiskey from a flask produced from an interior pocket of a tactical black jacket. The same jacket he later gave to Kris to keep warm during a snow shoeing excursion in the Blue Pine Mountains. Memories she long forgot. The good times had been pushed into the far reaches of her mind. They overtook the dream.\n\nKris saw an orange glow from a small lamp against the wall of her bedroom in the old apartment. The lamp was on the floor, since she couldn't afford night tables. She stood in the doorway looking about the room. The sheets were rumpled, slept in. Adam had been there. They had made love after coming back to her apartment from a date. He requested to stay the night, but she refused. She was uncomfortable. He was angry and left abruptly. Tears ran down Kris's cheeks.\n\nThe knocking continued.\n\nDeep in the dream, Kris turned from the doorway and walked to the front door. It must be Adam. Returning to apologize perhaps. Certainly no one else would call at this late hour.\n\nAs Kris reached to open the door, or so she visioned in the dream, her hearing intensified and a voice calling her name jolted her straight out of the sleep induced hallucination.\n\n\"Kris!\"\n\nIt sounded familiar.\n\n\"Kris!\" Loud knocking brought her fully awake. Pushing herself up from laying face down in her pillow, Kris sat back on her legs. Eyes heavy, she strained to open them.\n\nEverything grew silent. She sat confused for several moments until the knocking started once more.\n\nLong hair pressed against her face from heavy sleep, she swung her feet over the bunk and managed to grab the baseball bat off the floor.\n\nShakily she twisted back the lock and yanked the door open a crack.\n\n\"I was about to break it down.\" Michael stormed in.\n\nKris was greeted by an extremely painful burst of bright light as Michael forcefully entered. Squinting in visual pain, she reached out to steady herself.\n\n\"Here, sit.\" Michael shut the door, grabbed onto Kris and killed the flashlight.\n\n\"What time is it?\" Kris lay back down on the blankets.\n\n\"I see you listened to me.\" Michael observed the open windows.\n\n\"It's hot.\" Kris put a hand to her temples. \"I'm so tired I feel dead.\"\n\n\"Don't say that.\" Michael placed a large cup of coffee on the desk and sat on the edge of the bed. Without delay he began the tedious unlacing of his boots.\n\n\"Sorry.\" Kris scooted up to him, curling her body around. \"I had the weirdest dreams.\"\n\n\"Dreams? As in plural?\"\n\n\"Yeah, there were several. Almost like real life.\" Kris frowned.\n\n\"You sound very groggy. Was I in any of those dreams?\"\n\n\"No.\" Kris touched his lower back. \"It was awfully weird. I swear I could hear your knocking during one dream. Didn't make sense.\"\n\n\"Dreams usually don't make sense.\" Michael stood once his shoes were off and unbuckled his duty belt.\n\n\"I know. But it was like -\" Kris tried to think, distracted by how particularly good Michael smelled. \"Uh, it was like I was transported in time. Memories I guess.\"\n\n\"Good or bad?\"\n\nKris thought hard. She had a strange taste in her mouth.\n\n\"Just odd,\" she said.\n\nScooting Kris back a bit, he lay down beside her. Michael started smoothing her hair away from her face and kissed her softly.\n\n\"Why are you here?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"I'm on a break.\"\n\n\"Oh. A break from what?\" She closed her eyes as they felt scratchy and irritated.\n\n\"From working. I'm on patrol all night.\"\n\n\"Just come by to say hello to your girlfriend?\" Kris sleepily smiled.\n\n\"Sure.\" Michael drank in every moment. She was positively adorable in the sexiest way he could ever imagine.\n\n\"Because I didn't like how I left things earlier.\" His voice was deep and soft.\n\n\"I can't even remember now.\" Kris touched his arm.\n\n\"I am completely at fault. My affair with. . .\"\n\n\"Beth.\" Kris helped him out.\n\n\"Yes, her. It was stupid. I was stupid to think it wouldn't come into play later. I should of told you the minute we got involved.\"\n\n\"Hmm.\" Kris yawned. \"Then maybe we wouldn't have gotten involved.\" Her words were so weak they were barely audible.\n\n\"You would of shunned me?\"\n\nKris responded with a muffled acknowledgment.\n\n\"Are you listening to me baby?\" He whispered, coiling a lock of hair around a finger and then letting it unwind slowly. \"I'm sorry,\" he said, kissing the side of her mouth.\n\nKris opened her eyes to Michael's stressed expression. His eyes pierced deeply into hers.\n\n\"I am listening. The sound of your voice is making me want to go back to sleep. I'm not even sure if this is a dream or real.\" Kris spoke languidly, breathing quite heavily.\n\n\"All I could think of this evening was being with you.\"\n\n\"You smell like coffee,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Do I? You smell like the deep part of a thick forest.\" Michael kissed her neck. It occurred to him she was hardly wearing anything.\n\n\"Mmm.\" Kris made soft noises while he ran a hand along her silken skin. Her mind visualized a dark wooded forest. \"I know that smell.\" She arched her back, stretching.\n\n\"Kris, I would rather you stay at my place. It's safer. And perhaps a little more comfortable than this rickety shack.\"\n\n\"Are you asking me, or telling me?\"\n\n\"I'm heavily suggesting.\"\n\nKris sighed, pursing her lips together.\n\n\"Is that a no?\"\n\n\"Michael, I can't. It's not that I don't want to, but I can't. It would take twice as much time for me to get to work. Never mind that it's breaking the rules.\"\n\n\"I can drive you.\"\n\n\"Yeah you could. To the roundabout. I still have to walk down the trail into Willow. You're not about to take the service road with the truck. That will bring so much attention to -\"\n\n\"I don't care. I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.\"\n\n\"You really think I'm in that much danger?\" Kris twisted to face him again and propped herself up on an elbow.\n\n\"My gut says you are in very real danger. You're the most beautiful girl at this park. My experience is telling me that you could be the next victim.\" Michael rubbed his eyes and lay on his back. He knew Kris was right. He couldn't give his girlfriend specialized treatment. And if he was reprimanded, most likely by Beth, or fired, he would be ineffective and unable to protect Kris or find the killer.\n\n\"You talked of leaving,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Yes. But not until the season is over. I really don't want to discuss it.\"\n\n\"I know.\" He put a hand on her bare leg. \"I won't try and force you to do anything. I have serious problems with staying, myself. You are hired seasonally. I am hired without a contract. Employed until fired, or I quit.\"\n\n\"I didn't realize that.\" Kris wondered where he was going with this speech.\n\n\"If I quit, when the season is over, would you come with me?\" He eyed her.\n\nKris let the words sink in for a moment, tracing imaginary lines over his chest which was covered by something thick and solid beneath his shirt. It was possible he was just having a bad night. Things could appear much less severe in the morning.\n\n\"You would just leave your job?\" She asked.\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Why on earth would you want to leave?\"\n\n\"Because, Kris, it's just a job. I can find another one. Beth is going to run this place into the ground. I don't have enough manpower to find a deviant criminal. Your safety is at stake. It's enough.\" He went through the items verbally as if mentally checking them off on a list.\n\nKris weighed her answer carefully, since perhaps the underlying meaning went much deeper than White Rock and their jobs.\n\n\"Michael, what about those times you were in the special forces? Or whatever it was. You must have been up against some pretty bad odds.\"\n\nMichael knew exactly what she was thinking.\n\n\"And I didn't quit then.\"\n\n\"Right.\"\n\n\"That's a different scenario,\" Michael said.\n\n\"Then make it this scenario. The management of this park sucks. You can't do a damn thing about Beth and so what if a freak is running around? It's White Rock. This place is awesome. It's my home.\"\n\nSlowly exhaling, Michael let her words drift over him. Kris had a history at the park. She was no dummy, and a lot tougher than he wanted to admit. Certainly there had been other sickos and other crime that she survived over the years. But he could not shake the uneasy feeling that her life was in grave danger.\n\n\"Plus. I need the money. I don't get a bonus at the end if I quit and leave early,\" Kris said, grazing her lips near the tip of his ear.\n\n\"I have money. I'll take care of you.\" Michael enlightened, turning to watch for her reaction, which wasn't always easy to read.\n\nKris took his hand and kissed his palm. He knew she would never consider such a proposition. The trust he was gaining was only beginning to sink in and deepen. By telling her to quit her job and depend solely on him, was unreasonable. He still wished it was possible.\n\n\"Thank you for offering.\" Kris brought the back of his hand against her cheek, \" I know you mean well.\"\n\n\"It's not an option for you. I know. I don't know why I said it.\"\n\n\"Thank you though.\" Kris whispered. \"I'll be okay. I really will.\" She tried to impress upon him, but wondered if it was a futile effort. He would worry, regardless.\n\n\"When is your break over?\" Kris sat up. Long mangled hair draped down into his midst. Threading his fingers into her locks, Michael gently coerced her into him. Hand slipping around the nape of her neck, he met her lips, kissing gently at first. As usual, his desire was ignited, and he craved her svelte body up against his. Deeply he enveloped her, tasting her sweet mouth and ramping up the heat between them. Tiredness from the lengthy day and graveyard shift, faded quickly. The appetite to take her grew strong and ever forceful.\n\n\"My break is over when I say it's over.\" Michael withdrew from the kiss, quickly laying her on her back.\n\n\"What the hell are you wearing?\" Kris watched as he unbuttoned his shirt. Beneath was some sort of black shield.\n\n\"Bullet proof vest. Here, feel.\" He grabbed her hand and placed it against the life saving body armor fabric. Kris's hand dropped, a bit surprised at the revelation that he found it necessary to wear such a device. With a large ripping sound, he pulled the straps apart, freeing his chest clad in a white tee shirt.\n\n\"I'd give you one to wear, but something tells me that you wouldn't.\"\n\n\"I'm not sure that it would fit under my clothes as well as it fits under yours. I imagine they are aren't comfortable either. Heck no I wouldn't wear it,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Then say you'll take me as your personal shield.\" Hovering above her on his hands and knees, Michael seemed half serious in his request.\n\n\"Okay. I will.\" Kris had other ideas in mind. She was tired of all this talk about danger and risk. Reaching up she unzipped the front of his black uniform pants, slipping past the constraint of fabric and clothing. Intolerable heat poured from his body. Scooting beneath him, and pushing herself up on both elbows, Kris licked the tip of his engorged appendage.\n\n\"Fuck.\" Michael swore between his clenched teeth. \"I'd never go to work again if you lived with me. Perhaps it's better we are apart occasionally.\"\n\nKris smiled, in spite of her oral provocations toward his cock. He not only possessed impressive girth, but just now she realized what a delicious specimen it really was. Running her tongue around the swollen head of his shaft she felt butterflies ramming themselves against the interior walls of her stomach. Knowing he would allow this fornication to continue only so long, Kris savored the beastly device that defined him as a man.\n\nShe dragged her wet lips over and around the entrance to his aching projection. The throbbing little portal that would erupt with pleasureful force, giving him a temporary satisfaction to his endured suffering. Kris grew quite warm just imaging his ejaculation. She needed a moment to take a deep breath.\n\n\"Just think, Michael -\" Kris licked her lips staring up at him. \"- you could wake up every morning, finding new ways to interrupt my shower. I suppose handcuffs are optional.\"\n\nMichael planted a deep, hard kiss upon her mouth.\n\n\"And what makes you think you would even reach the shower?\" Breathlessly, he growled in a low, raw tone.\n\n\"Why, would you tie me to the bed?\" Kris teased, beleaguering his torment. With one hand she forced away the rest of his undergarment, and took his throbbing mass with her other hand. Savoring his enlarged cock, she wrapped a leg around him, drawing him down hard.\n\n\"If you want me to tie you to the bed next time, I will.\" Michael let her have her way for the moment, but was delirious with visions of embedding himself into her beckoning vault.\n\nThe thought of Kris restrained to his bed pushed his thoughts off a cliff. Quickly he shed the rest of his clothes, and then wrapped his hands around her lithesome hips. His thumbs digging into sensitive pressure points. The penetrating act heightened unexplainable sensations within Kris quite rapidly. She grabbed hold of his wrists in weak defiance but it did little to counteract the generative hunger exploding within her. Sliding his fingers purposefully slow until stopping short of penetrating her, the goal became clear of beleaguering and tormenting.\n\nBeads of sweat covered her brow. Michael slowly kissed her, moving further and further down to her feminine channel. Languidly he kissed soft skin and guided his tongue, tasting her sweet essence. A salacious exploration, he continued to pleasure her, noting Kris's strained little murmurs and heightened breathing. Dragging his hot tongue along her moist corridor, Michael became lost, seduced by her flesh. Wrapping one hand around her savagely tight ass, he entered her constricting volume with two fingers. He fought off fervid uncontrollable waves of giving in and embedding his swollen cock deeply into her sumptuous chamber. The muscles in his jaw ached. Just watching her inhibitions melt away made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.\n\nShit. He couldn't think anymore. She was so wet and tight he wanted furiously to bury himself into such bliss. One more second and he was going expel his thick heavy serum all over her. It would matter little because he'd still be as fucking hard as a piece of granite after ejaculating. His damn cock never settled down very fast. And neither did his brain.\n\n\"Michael? What's wrong?\" Kris could barely speak, her voice dissipated into a discordant whisper.\n\nWith his expression slightly obscured, Kris was a bit oblivious to his precarious state. Michael took in a deep breath, and became rapidly overcome with vertigo.\n\n\"Just a minute.\" He softly warned. Perhaps working so much lately without decent sleep was catching up with him. Lightheaded, he endured a few moments of the room spinning while perfectly lost in a sea of arousal.\n\n\"Michael, what's wrong? We can stop.\" Sensing something was quite off with him, Kris became concerned.\n\n\"Absolutely not.\" Crawling up to deeply kiss her, Michael rolled onto his back, while the room seemed to roll with him.\n\n\"What can I do? Do you need water or something?\"\n\n\"No. Don't fuss over me. It'll pass.\"\n\nKris climbed on top of him and sat quite worried.\n\n\"You're not going to have a heart attack or something, are you? What should I do?\"\n\nMichael gave a laugh. \"You should kiss me.\"\n\nKris gingerly hunched over, expecting to deliver a soft kiss, but Michael had other ideas and met her with a ravenous embrace.\n\n\"You just did this to get me to sit on you, am I right?\" Kris toyed, but couldn't shake her concern.\n\n\"No. But now that you're in this position, I can think of a few things for you to do.\"\n\n\"Just a few?\" Kris grew impatient with his hard cock now between her straddled legs.\n\n\"When was the last time you ate?\"\n\n\"Not sure exactly. I doubt lack of food is my problem.\"\n\n\"Oh. What then? Let me guess, you're not going to tell me.\"\n\n\"On the contrary.\" Michael grasped her wrist and guided her hand to his throbbing girth.\n\n\"Oh I get it. Too much excitement?\" Kris snickered, watching a smile creep upon his face. One hand on top of hers, he directed the other hand around the base of him.\n\n\"Among other things. I'm just worn the hell out.\"\n\n\"Doesn't feel that way to me.\" Like kneading a sore muscle, Kris threaded her fingers together, exerting pressure with her encircled hands around his cock. Then she nudged herself forward a bit more so the tip of her female flesh met the base of his massive thickness. She continued to manipulate him with her hands, with the added benefit of experiencing powerful heat transference. With his cock writhing up against her clit, Kris realized they were both near a electrifying climax.\n\nMichael had little strength left and came brutally fast. Thick creamy liquid ejected from the head of his massive appendage. Kris smoothed her hands over the tip and down his shaft and up again, sending resounding spasms throughout his body.\n\nBarely a moment passed from his own surrender, and Michael commanded she mount him. Kris prayed that her legs would stop shaking.\n\n\"Hang onto me.\" Michael took her hands, placing them just above his own hips. She was half balanced on the forward section of her feet. A profoundly evil grin spread across him as his cock plunged deep within her.\n\nMichael grabbed her wrists, helping her steady, knowing the salacious encasement was quite powerful.\n\nPressing her hands flat on his belly she advanced upward, feeling the constriction of her own swollen corridor. Entrenched in rough desire, Michael slid his hand along the inside of her leg. As she sank back down he touched her swollen button of flesh with this thumb. Tingling sensations of hot and cold ran down her back. Kris cried out, vocalizing indistinguishable words.\n\n\"That's it baby.\" Michael thought she was so far gone in torrid pleasure, she would collapse at any moment. But then her orgasm slammed fast. Kris could hardly hang onto the position she was in, but the powerful force that rocked her muscles took over like a masterful spell. Finally she fell forward with his cock still inside. Slowly, Kris melted down on top of him, slightly kissing his chest.\n\n\"Straighten your legs out or they'll cramp up.\" Michael whispered into her ear.\n\n\"I could fall asleep this way.\" Kris mouthed, curled up on him. She did not want to let go. Her ear to his chest, she enjoyed the rapid thumping of his unsettled heart. Threading a shaky a hand between their wet bodies she intended to extricate him from her, but he did not permit it. Slowly, in short thrusting, gyrating motions, Michael continued to mate her. Fresh off her own exculpation, but muscles jittery and flesh raw with sensitivity, Kris uncontrollably moaned and writhed against him.\n\nPulling her upward just a bit, he breathed heavily into her ear. He spoke words of a very raw nature to her, disclosing his most tantalizingly vivid thoughts. Seconds later he poured his elixir into her once again. A warm rush filled Kris, and she lapsed into a jittery abyss.\n\nMichael encased his strong arms around her, smoothing his hands over the silken skin of her back. Ever so slightly he continued to move seductively beneath her body.\n\n\"You're out to kill me.\" Kris slumped her head into his shoulder, below his neck, and kissed sumptuous hot flesh.\n\n\"That's the general idea.\" Michael moved onto his side, bringing her tenuous body with him, kissing her deeply and slowly. Drowsy, Kris ravished every caress, enjoying his tongue dance in and out of her mouth. Michael's warm irregular breath cascaded over her. If it had not been for his strong, intoxicating kissing she would of recessed into a blissful slumber.\n\nMichael smoothed her hair over her ear so he could see her face in the dim light. Time dropped from his concern. He was where he needed to be. Kris's protector. Her lover. Guardian. The fullness of it was surreal.\n\nTemptation to let go and fall asleep next to her was overpowering. Michael forced himself to return to reality.\n\n\"I have to go.\" He mouthed.\n\n\"What?\" Kris tried to sit up.\n\n\"Work.\" Michael smiled.\n\n\"I forgot you are still on duty. What a damnable thing.\"\n\n\"Lay down,\" he instructed, \"One of us should sleep.\" He kissed her once more before starting the assembling of his clothes and duty belt. Kris groggily watched as he swiftly reattached all the necessary contraptions. Last to attend to was the radio. As he turned the volume back to high, a tail end of a report was scratchily coming through the speaker.\n\nEyes heavy, and blissfully happy, Kris heard the garbled words and bolted straight up in the bed.\n\n\"What are they saying?\"\n\nMichael shook his head, speaking into the device.\n\n\"Damon, this is Michael, please repeat, 10-1.\"\n\nRough, uneven static sounded for a few seconds before his request was acknowledged.\n\n\"Michael, all units respond. Suspected 240. Northwest quadrant. Repeat 240.\" Damon's raspy voice broke through. \"Where are you?\"\n\n\"I'll be en route in 30 seconds. Units there now?\" Michael responded, reaching up and slamming shut Kris's open windows.\n\n\"10-23.\" A loud electronic blip sounded and the radio went silent.\n\nThrowing the device on the bed, Michael shoved on his boots and laced them in great haste.\n\n\"Affirmative. Officer on scene. Code 20. Paramedics 30 minutes out. Possible suspect still in area,\" Damon Jerr said.\n\nMichael grabbed the radio off the bed. \"10-4. I'm headed there now.\"\n\n\"Copy Michael.\"\n\n\"What's happening? What's a code 20? Michael!\" Kris stood, wrapping her arms tight around her midsection.\n\nA swift kiss and then he yanked open the door, but stalled to gaze back at Kris. She was horrified and unjustly disconnected from what was taking place.\n\n\"531, Damon do they have an ID on the victim?\" Michael's voice cracked speaking into the radio. He maintained eye contact with Kris but torn at the pale expression on her face.\n\n\"Negative. Negative. Unknown victim, no positive ID.\" Damon shot back.\n\n\"Copy that.\" Michael spat .\n\n\"They don't know?\" Kris grabbed a pair of sweats from the chair. \"Where? Don't try and stop me, I'm going with you.\"\n\n\"No. No, I can't take you. You're staying here.\"\n\n\"Why? Please let me come, I'll stay in the truck.\"\n\n\"Kristjana. You need to stay here. Let me do my job. The perpetrator may still be in the area. I can't protect you and deal with the scene at the same time.\" He hugged her tight, grasping the back of her head with his hand.\n\n\"I need to go. Stay here. I mean it. Will you?\" Michael let go of her and backed out the door.\n\nKris reluctantly nodded.\n\n\"Lock this door. And keep those shut.\" He pointed the radio antenna toward the windows, and then disappeared.\n\nKris flew to the door. He was a terribly long way from his truck, which should have been parked at the roundabout or further out. But looking down the steps in the darkness she saw the dim outline of his vehicle. He had put the truck right in front of her cabin.\n\nMichael threw open the door, slid in, and shoved the key into the ignition. He glanced up at Kris on the steps.\n\n\"I'll find you later. I promise. Get some sleep.\"\n\nKris nodded hesitantly. Sleep? Yeah, right. Quickly the engine roared to life. He spun the vehicle around so fast the rear tires kicked up a huge cloud of dust and rocks.\n\nKris went inside and latched the door. Her heart was slamming wildly, and it was painfully difficult to swallow. Another attack. This couldn't be happening. The quiet cabin seemed foreign with Michael gone. She didn't want to be here.\n\nIt was 3AM. Daylight wasn't for another three hours. She was due at the dining hall by 7:30AM. Without decent sleep, the panic attacks she worked so hard to get rid of over the years and keep secret, had a fair chance of returning. It was painfully clear what she needed. Kneeling in front of her old leather trunk, she yanked the heavy lid open. Digging around in darkness for a few minutes, she finally found it. A small plastic bottle with a white label and black printing. A prescription for an anti-anxiety medication. Nearly three quarters of the season at White Rock and she had avoided taking them. The cap twisted off rather easily and Kris shook it until a little pill tumbled into her hand. Before she talked herself out of it, she gulped down the medication with a big drink of water.\n\nWith a loud slam, she shut the top of the trunk and stumbled over to the bed but did not lay down. It plagued her what Michael was involved in on the other side of the park. More than ever she felt horribly alone and helpless. Grabbing a blanket, she shook it to straighten it out. Intending to tidy up her little bunk, Kris found herself caught up in Michael's scent. Overwhelmed, she lay down and pulled the covers around her, leaving part of her body exposed. The heat of the night remained. Bit by bit she gave in to the relaxing effect of the drug.\n\nIf she resisted sleep now, no matter what was unfolding with the new attack and investigation, she would a total mess come morning.\n\nWhat if the suspect was outside the cabins right now? Damon said something about the incident occurring near the ghost camp. The old cabins. They weren't so far away from staff camp. Kris wrestled with paranoid thinking. Perhaps the attacker would sneak off. Get away. Would he ever be caught? She could feel her mind start to slip further into delusion. Reaching down under the bed she grasped the old wooden baseball bat and held it tightly against her body. A cold shiver crept up her spine. She knew the drug was working now. Soon after imagining scratching noises at her door, she fell into a fitful sleep.\nChapter Twenty\n\n\"Raina, can you hear me? How did you get here?\" A soft voice leaned over Raina's sprawled body on the ground. Raina did not acknowledge the stranger. Half conscious and bleeding heavily, she was still intoxicated.\n\n\"She's drunk. Smell it? That how the bastard does it? Get 'em wasted first?\" Travis Feldspar, the nighttime security officer stared down at the body.\n\n\"I don't believe alcohol showed up in lab results with the others.\" A woman spoke, shoving a hand into the pocket of a long white coat.\n\nAnd then a different voice called out, \"He's on his way!\" Keri Brusk came running up to the small gathering of personnel.\n\n\"Travis, how'd you find her?\" Keri asked, out of breath.\n\n\"Where's Falkenrath?\" Travis asked.\n\n\"Coming. He's on the way. So, why were you over here?\"\n\n\"Cool your heels.\" Travis didn't like the tone of Keri's voice.\n\n\"Who told you to check this quadrant? It's not part of the patrol.\"\n\n\"Michael asked me to.\"\n\n\"When?\" Keri put her hands on her hips, upset at the revelation Michael was apparently taking things into his own hands.\n\n\"You know Keri, if you weren't such a bitch, you might be in the loop. Michael played on a hunch and apparently it was right.\"\n\n\"Just tell me. You know Beth is going to be asking the same questions in about 15 minutes.\"\n\n\"Kiss-ass.\" Travis growled and stepped forward toward Keri. \"For your information, we got a report earlier in the day. Some parents of a stupid teenager were complaining their daughter was propositioned by a park worker over here.\"\n\n\"What? I didn't get that report.\"\n\n\"Well don't look at me. It was filed in the office. Michael told me to start checking out the ghost camp as of this evening. You have a fucking issue with that, take it up with him,\" Travis said.\n\n\"Did it occur to anyone that the park worker may have been Raina's attacker?\" Keri threw up her hands.\n\n\"Do you know how many of those degenerates come over here? Just look under the floor boards,\" Travis pointed to the cabins, \"there's nothing but used condoms and drug paraphernalia. The girl in the report apparently has a history of getting in trouble.\" Travis had enough of the interrogation, his voice was rough and edgy.\n\n\"Are you calling our staff, degenerates?\" Keri asked.\n\n\"Hey, both of you. Take it some where else. And someone call about that ambulance. It should have been here by now.\" The nurse, Laura Danes, harshly spoke out to both of the quarreling rangers.\n\nAs Travis moved away and grabbed his radio, the high intensity beams of Michael's truck filled the entire area. The tires skidded to a halt and he jumped out. Michael raced forth and crouched low to the ground next to Raina's body.\n\n\"Where's the paramedics?\" He handed off a large searchlight to Keri. First aid was finally being administered by the nurse.\n\n\"God you got here quick Laura.\" Michael spoke to the nurse but his attention cascaded over the bloodied body before them. \"What's her condition?\"\n\n\"I can't be sure. She's passed out though.\"\n\n\"What the hell was she hit with?\" Michael moved a bit of blood soaked fabric away.\n\n\"I couldn't tell you.\"\n\n\"She passed out from the wound or the booze?\" Michael asked.\n\nSmiling warmly, calm as ever in the face of tragedy, Laura pulled an emergency blanket over Raina.\n\n\"Unclear on what has caused her unconscious state. I would say both actually. But she needs to be transported to a hospital.\"\n\n\"She going to make it?\" Michael was concerned for Raina but her ability to give details of the attack was paramount.\n\n\"Yes but she's in shock and lost a lot of blood,\" Laura said.\n\n\"What the hell was she doing over here?\" Michael asked under his breath. He stood and rubbed his forehead. Was she dragged to this location, or did she arrive on her own?\n\n\"She's a partier. I've treated her before. Falls, head trauma, dehydration.\" Laura quipped.\n\n\"Doesn't surprise me.\"\n\n\"What are you thinking?\" Laura watched as Michael inspected the immediate surrounding area.\n\n\"What was she doing drinking way over here at this hour alone?\" Kris and Raina were good friends. The little he knew about the short haired spitfire didn't lend any insight into this attack.\n\nKris.\n\nHopefully she was fast asleep. Oblivious to cruel events. Safe, locked up in that stuffy cabin for now. He would need to be the one to inform Kris that her friend was the next victim. Things were about to change rapidly.\n\n\"Damon, this is Michael. I want a code 6. Cordon off this entire section of the park. Nobody in or out. 10-73.\" He spoke quickly into the radio.\n\n\"Affirmative Michael. North quad lock down. Medics should be on top of you soon.\"\n\nMichael bent down again, smoothing his hand along Raina's arm, trying to produce some wakefulness.\n\n\"Raina? Can you hear me?\" But there was no response.\n\n\"She's passed out cold.\" Laura held up an IV bag, the tubing attached to one of Raina's arms. \"If she weren't intoxicated...\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" Michael breathed out sternly.\n\n\"Hey! Travis!\" Michael strode over to the ex-cop.\n\n\"Yeah, Michael. What do you need?\"\n\n\"Wake up Beth. Tell her we need to shut this fucking park down now.\"\n\n\"Excuse me? That's a bit rash, don't you think?\" Overhearing Michael's statement, Keri came over to intervene.\n\n\"No I don't think it's rash. I think there is a major amount of incompetence and it's time it fucking stopped.\" Michael tried to keep his voice low.\n\n\"Okay,\" Keri held out her hands, \"what good is it going to do by getting everyone crazy? Hmm? Let's stop and think about this rationally.\"\n\nCoughing hard, Travis lost his patience.\n\n\"Open your goddam eyes, Keri, don't you see what's going on here?\"\n\n\"Travis, back up. You have no right -\"\n\nKeri went on speaking but a beam of light coming from the darkened trees caught everyone's attention. Angela Bello, another ranger, was doing her best to run, but she was huffing and puffing so hard her face was solid red. She was waving a piece of paper and had some difficulty speaking amidst a sea of coughing.\n\n\"Angela, what on earth is wrong with you?\" Travis went to her.\n\n\"It's official. Park. Evacuated. Fire jumped the lines. They can't hold it. Gonna reach the valley by morning.\"\n\n\"It is morning.\" Keri scoffed.\n\n\"Shut up.\" Travis grabbed the fax from Angela's hand. \"She's right. Here Michael.\"\n\n\"Can't any of you see? The smoke, it's already so thick down here.\" Angela sputtered and grabbed her chest trying to take in a deep breath.\n\n\"Who ordered the evac?\" Keri bristled.\n\nShoving the paper at her, he snarled, \"Your buddy Beth.\"\n\n\"Unit 13 is being air lifted out of the Black Creek trail system. Winds are pushing southwest down slope. Crown fire has prevented progress.\"\n\nMichael turned but listening to Keri read the paper, something snagged his thoughts. If the fire began east in the high country, and winds were pushing southwest.. how did it hit Black Creek? That area was north of the fire. Were there two fires?\n\nMichael thought hard. His strange meeting with Adam was right along the trail head above Black Creek. There was a reason Adam had been there. It had not been a coincidence.\n\nAngela regained her wits finally and spoke up. \"The south entrance is the only way out. Apparently a lot of people left yesterday when the smoke got thick.\"\n\n\"You won't be able to go after him. The perpetrator. Michael? We have to assist with the evacuation. If there is only one way out?\" Travis pointed out, his brow torqued up in discontent.\n\nMichael said nothing. If the fire was going to reach the valley in a matter of hours he had a limited amount of time to hunt this sick fuck down. His adrenaline was coursing at maximum intensity. Determination approached a critical level. He needed Raina to be lucid and able to communicate. Waiting for the intravenous fluids to work and paramedics to arrive was aggravating.\n\nThe desire to get to Kris was intense. Logic dictated that others would wake her. The motley band of her friends would keep her safe. He had to believe that.\n\nThe flash of bright red lights canceled his distraction. Two paramedics rushed out, but Michael grabbed a third by the arm.\n\n\"The victim may know who the attacker is. Can you wake her?\" He asked.\n\n\"We're under orders to evacuate. We just came through the main entrance, it's total chaos. I don't know how long we can wait.\" The EMT informed him.\n\nWhile they loaded Raina onto a stretcher and into the back of the emergency vehicle, Michael set off to look for clues. Any details whatsoever. Retracing what seemed to be human footsteps into thick brush, Michael bent down, touching the disturbed earth. There had been a struggle. Raina's body had been dragged.\n\n\"Michael!\" A voice echoed. \"Michael!\"\n\nThis was madness, he thought. Leaving the edge of what seemed to be an old trail, he ran back towards the clearing.\n\n\"What now?\"\n\nLaura was waving a flashlight, beckoning him to return. The medics were working on the damaged girl. Anger rose up, causing his chest to get tighter and tighter. This attack could have been prevented. The perpetrator was someone she knew. Perhaps trusted. Raina was not a random selection for the assailant. An ex-boyfriend? An enemy? Co-worker?\n\n\"Okay, so what do you need?\" He met the nurse near the conglomeration of vehicles.\n\n\"Beth wants you on the satellite phone. Is your radio turned off? Keri was complaining she couldn't get you a minute ago.\"\n\n\"To hell with them. How is she?\" Michael gestured toward the ambulance.\n\n\"She'll be okay. Maybe stay close, I think with the fluids she could regain consciousness soon,\" Laura said.\n\n\"You need to get out of here,\" Michael gazed over at the sweet faced woman, \"as daylight comes it's only going to get worse.\"\n\n\"Don't worry about me. I'll get out.\" Laura smiled. \"She'll be okay.\"\n\n\"Think so? Looked like a pretty bad gash on her back.\" Michael frowned.\n\n\"No,\" Laura turned, her arms wrapped around her midsection, looking directly at the worn ranger, \"I mean Kris. She's a smart thing. I know you must want to go to her.\"\n\nMichael felt his stomach lurch.\n\n\"Yes. Of course.\" Michael was a bit overcome for a split second, but he fought to regain his professionalism. \"Thanks for helping out with all this. I'm sure your quick response will better the outcome for that girl.\"\n\n\"Rumor has it you're leaving.\" Laura turned, about to make her way back to her car.\n\nMichael narrowed his eyes. \"Not until I get him.\"\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nDaylight broke with a thick orange glow.\n\nKris woke from a heavy, fitful trance. At first she figured she was hallucinating. Unsteady, she attempted to stand but crashed into the far wall near the door. So much noise emanated through the thin cabin clapboards, Kris thought perhaps everyone was having a wild party outside. She blinked over and over until regaining clear sight. Grasping the warm door knob, she tried to give it a twist, but weakness in her muscles stalled her attempt to open it. Kris breathed out heavily. Wondering if she was hung over, she tried to recall the previous night's events, but could not.\n\n\"Shhhit.\" Slumping down to the floor, she sat with her back against the door, head in her hands. Apparently everyone outside was having a grand old time. But then she noticed heavy smoke seeping in from underneath the door. Odd to be having such a party in the morning.\n\nKris grabbed whatever clothes she could and sloppily attempted to get dressed. Swearing under her breath, she combed out her tangled hair but had to pause and grab the edge of the desk several times due to dizziness.\n\n\"I don't remember this.\" Kris grabbed a half empty water bottle and took a long drink, thinking she was dehydrated. Anxiety pills never produced such a heavy, groggy state. She gulped down more water, although now, twinges of nausea was beginning to form.\n\n\"Where the hell is my jacket?\" Her eyes wouldn't cooperate and focus. \"Fuck it.\" A need for fresh air overtook the compulsion to find other clothing.\n\nKris stumbled out the door and tried pulling it shut but it only bounced against the door frame and stayed ajar. It went unnoticed and she grasped the step railing for dear life, plunking down each level until she was on the dirt.\n\nTotal mayhem was breaking loose. Cars were parked in the center of the camp and people were throwing belongings into vehicles. Kris decided she was either hallucinating or dreaming. Why was everyone acting like freaks?\n\n\"Kris!\" Jake ran up to her seemingly out of thin air.\n\n\"Huh?\" She gazed at him, observing at least four different versions of Jake McAllister floating before her.\n\n\"What's the matter with you?! We have to get out.\" Jake grabbed her upper arm trying to startle her.\n\n\"Kris, did you hear me? What's wrong with you?\"\n\n\"Are you guys having a party? Everyone is going to be late for work,\" Kris said.\n\n\"What? No, we're evacuating. Can't you see? Wake up. Are you high on something? The fire is going to reach the valley soon. Headquarters has ordered us to go.\"\n\n\"What fire?\" Kris strained to make sense out of the bedlam.\n\n\"The forest fire. Where do you think all this smoke is coming from? The back country fire made its way down here.\"\n\nKris nodded. She knew there was grave danger but in a such a drugged state of mind she was equating the evacuation to the park killer.\n\n\"Get out. Go find Falkenrath.\" Jake yelled before running off into the blue haze of the camp. Kris quickly lost sight of him in the mess of people and smoke.\n\nPerhaps Raina could straighten all this out, plus she kept a car in the dirt lot. At least she used to. Kris stumbled along until reaching Raina's cabin. Peering up at the rickety old steps, Kris grasped the railing. A fast moving wave of dizziness washed over her. She blinked several times and started the climb up.\n\nShe raised her hand to knock on the door but missed and only hit air. Sloppily stepping forward once more, she tried again. This time her knuckles made contact with the door.\n\nAfter several minutes of weak knocking at irregular intervals it was painfully apparent Raina was gone. Her door was locked as well, which was strange. But then Kris was dealing a world of strange. She slid down against the door, but the growing aches in her stomach only worsened. She wasn't quite sure if a dark figure was crossing the path, coming straight at Raina's cabin, or if it was a wild hallucination.\n\nWhoever it was, started pounding heavily up the steps. The vibration struck her nerves quickly and she leaned over to throw up violently on the porch. Several more times she became sick before managing to sit upright.\n\n\"Kris?\" The blurred figure was standing over her now. She didn't feel like moving her head to look up. Concentration on not blacking out was sucking away her energy.\n\n\"Kris....\" The figure bent down in front of her.\n\n\"Where's Raina?\" Assuming this individual could help find her friend, Kris was still unable to grasp the dire situation.\n\n\"Come on. Get up.\" A hand wrapped around her upper arm and she was yanked to a standing position.\n\nKris steadied herself, coughing. Her breath was labored.\n\n\"I'm here baby. I have the van all ready.\" This time the tone of the voice matched a face in her mind. Blinking, trying to clear her vision, she squinted hard at the person.\n\n\"What the hell are you doing Adam? Get away from me.\"\n\n\"I know where Raina is. She's safe. She's already gone out the south gate. Come on we have to go meet her.\" Adam lied. It couldn't be more perfect. The timing of Kris ingesting the drug was delightful. He had replaced the anti-anxiety pills with a strong narcotic called GHB over a month ago. Kris never locked her windows. The rear window faced the forest, which made for an easy, unnoticed entry. Watching the decline of Kris's behavior over the season and lusting after that Ranger, forced Adam to take deviant measures.\n\nKris always spoke of going off her stupid panic pills but Adam knew her. All her anxieties, sleep problems, family issues. She would pop a pill eventually. And he knew exactly where the little vile of medication was kept. Deep in her trunk. He knew she never bothered to inspect the color or shape of the damn little pills, so substituting them was perfect. Adam had waited day after day but she showed no signs of being on GHB. The date rate drug usually came in a crystalline powder. The tourists that sold the pills to him said it was a new type. The best thing about it was the enhanced sensuality, decreased inhibition, and lapse in memory. All desirable things in Adam's view. If he could just get Kris alone in a vulnerable state, she'd remember why they both were destined to remain together.\n\nBut it took until now for Kris to finally resort to her bottles of drugs. Momentarily he kicked himself for making the choice to play around with Raina last evening. But better late than never for his plan to come to fruition.\n\n\"Come on honey. Let's get going. Raina is waiting, she's really upset she couldn't wake you before.\" Adam spun the situation to his advantage.\n\nGlassy eyed and confused, Kris bore a look of disapproval directly at him. Was he telling the truth? Raina couldn't wake her? Why would Raina take off without her?\n\nClarity began to creep back in her mind. Perhaps the expulsion from her stomach had helped.\n\n\"I have to go find Michael.\" Kris tried pushing him out of the way.\n\nThe sting of that fucking Ranger's name.\n\nAdam swiftly tried persuasion again.\n\n\"I thought you wanted to go find Raina. Kris, come on, we don't have much time. Let's get out of here.\"\n\n\"I'm not coming with you. Fuck off.\" Tripping badly on the rickety steps, Kris winced in pain. Looking down at her knee quickly brought instant dizziness.\n\nSighing loudly, Adam rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her midsection. Blood dripped from a cut just below her kneecap.\n\n\"Get off me.\" Kris pushed at him. \"Get away.\"\n\nAdam feared he was losing control over the situation. So an alternative plan formed.\n\n\"Okay. Okay, I get it. It's really over between us, you made that clear. I'm only trying to help you now.\"\n\nDid she she hear him correctly? He was admitting something she had worked hard trying to beat into his thick skull for more than a year?\n\n\"That just crossed your mind, now?\" She half grinned at him for a second but faded quickly as her attention turned to a wound on his forehead.\n\n\"What the hell did you do to yourself?\"\n\nAdam reached up, touching the sore bump. Instantaneously it all returned to him. The unpleasantnesses of dealing with uncooperative females. Apparently he had a casualty from his recent tussle with Raina. She was a bit of a hellcat last night. Regaining consciousness after being silenced was way too much for him to tolerate.\n\n\"And you're cut too. Adam, what happened?\" Kris stood but couldn't take her attention off the swollen gash above his right eye. It was swollen and red, almost purple.\n\n\"I was hiking. Above. Ran into some trees.\"\n\n\"That doesn't make any sense. Trees caused all that?\" Kris pointed to his abrasions.\n\nAdam didn't like the inquiry, it was wasting precious time and Kris was becoming more lucid with each passing second.\n\n\"I'll tell you about it later. We need to go.\"\n\n\"Whatever. Never mind, I don't want to hear some fancy tale later.\" Figuring he fell or ran into a building during an alcoholic black out, Kris decided she rather not feed into curiosity, knowing his story would be a big bunch of lies pasted together.\n\nExtra careful down the remaining steps, Adam unnecessarily helped her along the dirt and broken asphalt path. The camp was clearing out. Fewer people hurried around now. Perfect. Adam grasped her hand, leading her to a small deer trail that paralleled the path back down to the dining hall. If he met up with too many people he could lead her down into the ravine and wait out the fucking pandemonium until it was safe to leave with Kris. Whether or not the incompetent assholes were going to be able to link him to Raina, who was so drunk she probably didn't know her name, concerned him greatly.\n\n\"Adam, why the hell are we going off this way? Wouldn't it be faster to go through the roundabout? I thought you said your van was ready?\" Kris chugged along, skipping and stumbling over rocks and branches. She pointed backward as Adam pulled her in the opposite direction.\n\n\"No honey. You want your man, we have to go this way. I saw him. Before I came to get you.\" Adam hoped his intricate work of fiction was being absorbed by Kris. She wasn't resisting too much but he needed to work fast.\n\nKris tried to focus on the narrow trail. Adam gripped her tightly against his side to help speed up the slow progress they were making.\n\nKris thought it odd for Adam to be so agreeable now, when he'd spent the entire season moping around, and in denial about getting back together. Still fighting off waves of sickness and disorientation, it was hard to straighten out her thoughts. Several times Kris saw what appeared to be a big hairy animal standing at the edge of the trees. Or that many people were walking aimlessly through the forest, amongst the shadows and hazy beams of orange light. Surely they would reach Michael soon and get the hell out of the park.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMichael flew from one cabin to the next. Pin pointing the area where the actual attack occurred was not hard. Ground debris, leaves, pine needles were all disturbed and some traces of blood were easily spotted now. Daylight had come and still, no traces of the suspect. Loud suggestive thoughts of the perpetrator having escaped the park were clouding Michael's judgment. Although the south gate was the only way out, it would most certainly be clogged with people and exiting would be hindered. More importantly, how would he know if Kris got through?\n\nMichael looked up abruptly as the crunching of footsteps grew near. Laura, the nurse, was running toward him.\n\n\"What is it?\" He quickly met her and started walking in the direction of the ambulance.\n\n\"She's coming out of it. Raina. I think she can answer a few things but she's really confused. Keeps repeating how she has to warn someone.\"\n\n\"I thought they had gone. The ambulance is still here?\"\n\n\"Yes. The driver is apparently obeying your orders to stay until you can question her.\"\n\nHaving gripped the radio so tight his palm was indented, Michael expeditiously made it back to the ambulance. The rear doors were wide open, and one of the paramedics rushed up to him.\n\n\"We need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible. This delay could be costing her permanent damage from this wound. We are limited in what we can do out in the field like this.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I realize that.\" Michael pushed past the irate medic.\n\n\"You have two minutes, and then I'm ordering my driver on!\" The pudgy paramedic waddled up to the front of the idling vehicle then added, \"It's going to take us forever to get through that entrance, in case you haven't heard!\"\n\n\"Asshole.\" Michael mumbled under his raspy breath. He climbed into the back and stared in horror at the blood soaked rags and padding. Raina lay face down. A medic was addressing the large gash in her back.\n\n\"What was she assaulted with?\" Michael asked.\n\nReluctantly the worker responded but continued to attend to Raina.\n\n\"Some type of heavy device. This is a deep penetration. It's rather close to her spinal column.\"\n\n\"What does that mean? She has a spinal cord injury?\"\n\n\"Unclear until she gets an x-ray. Perhaps MRI.\"\n\n\"What about these other bruises?\" Michael inspected the side of Raina's face and neck.\n\n\"Couldn't tell ya. Obvious blunt force trauma.\"\n\n\"From a fall?\"\n\n\"I think we both know you can sustain these injuries from a fall, but I wouldn't speculate that as the cause in this female.\" The medic eyed Michael, suspiciously.\n\n\"Can she hear me?\" Michael moved sticky hair, coated with dried blood away from the side of her face.\n\n\"She's had sporadic consciousness.\"\n\nMichael leaned in close to her. \"Raina. Do you know who I am? Can you hear me?\"\n\nThere was no response. Fearing the driver would take off at any moment, Michael tried again.\n\n\"Raina? Can you hear my voice? I want to help you, but you need to help me first.\"\n\n\"You have to go. . .\" Finally Raina breathed out in a short, choked breath.\n\n\"Go? I will, but I need some information from you. Who did this? Who were you with last night?\"\n\n\"You have to go...get him.\"\n\n\"She's having trouble breathing, I need to get some of that fluid suctioned out.\"\n\n\"Wait, wait just a minute.\" Michael urged at the medic.\n\n\"Who are you talking about? Who should I go get? Raina, give me a name. Just say a name.\" Michael was sure she knew who did this. \"Please try.\"\n\nA tear rolled from the corner of her eye, down her swollen cheek. Her answer was weak and difficult to hear.\n\n\"Adam.\"\n\nMichael slowly sat straight up, grasping the metal bar of the stretcher.\n\n\"Adam? Adam Hoth?\" He took her shaking hand, attempting to calm her, yet he was fast becoming unhinged.\n\n\"You have to go find Kris. She's in great danger.\" The words crept from Raina's mouth, barely audible against the background noise. Her eyes grew blank and her breathing became further obstructed, then stopped.\n\n\"Move.\" The medic ordered, grabbing two paddles attached to retractable cords. \"Now!\" He blasted at Michael. Another paramedic jumped into the rear bay of the ambulance immediately assisting the first medic with turning Raina over so they could apply the defibrillator contacts.\n\nMichael practically fell out of the back of the vehicle, and the doors were pulled shut the moment his feet hit the ground. He could make out through two rear windows the intense effort to resuscitate Raina's unconscious body.\n\nWatching the vehicle pull out, lights flashing once more, but an absence of the siren, Michael took several steps backward.\n\n\"I don't know if it helps, but I was asking Raina how she got away, you know, after the initial attack.\" Laura drew up alongside Michael.\n\n\"What makes you think she got away?\"\n\n\"Oh, well, I guess I was wondering why she wasn't killed like the others?\" Laura frowned.\n\n\"Because -\" Michael's eyes glazed over, watching the emergency vehicle grow smaller in the distance. \"- he intended her to die a slow death.\"\n\n\"Why on earth?\" The color drained from Laura's face.\n\nDisengaged, Michael fled to his truck.\n\n\"Wait, wait, I -\" Laura rushed after him, pulling something from her pocket.\n\nMichael started the engine, but before he could pull the door shut, Laura raced up.\n\n\"I don't know if this means anything to you.\" She held out a large silver key ring that contained no keys, only a little plastic token with tiny inscribed letters, R.D. and a small bottle opener. Leaning over to grab them, he looked perplexed.\n\n\"What are these?\"\n\n\"I found them on her.\" Laura struggled to elevate her voice above the rattle of the diesel engine. Michael's eyes widened, realizing the significance.\n\n\"No keys.\" Laura stated the obvious, and shoved her hands in her pockets. Slowly she stepped backward, away from the truck.\n\n\"What's R.D.?\" Michael called out.\n\n\"Raina Davenport. Nobody else has those initials on staff at this park.\" Laura stretched her voice so he could hear, and then ended up in a fit of coughing.\n\nMichael slammed the gear shift into drive and stomped down on the accelerator.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n\"Why would Michael be down this way? Tell me again. Adam? Are you hearing me?\"\n\n\"You need to trust me, darling.\"\n\n\"Hard to. I don't feel good.\" Kris rubbed her brow.\n\nThey reached the junction. Further down the trail was Willow Camp, the dining hall, and store. The main valley, meadows and guest camps would be reached by turning right at the junction. Adam yanked her toward a steep, rocky embankment lined with sparkling white granite and a few pine trees growing lopsided between the cracks of boulders.\n\nOld battered signs littered the cliff edge, warning of impending doom. Tourists routinely ignored the warnings, prompting a multitude of calls for search and rescue to come fish them out. Quite often the bodies were never recovered alive. Staffers knew a secret way of traversing precariously to the bottom. The motivation for putting one's life at risk was the secluded section of the Kwoluck River. A pristine stretch of crystal clear water, yet the danger of it's icy grasp and fluctuating rapids did not discriminate in its victims.\n\nIt was a perfect place to wait out the fucking idiots, Adam thought. Plus, the smoke was so thick now, it was getting hard to move, let alone breath. The sharp, narrow cliffs might offer a reprieve from the hazy conditions. If Kris needed to be compromised, he could circle back in a few hours for his van, pick her up, and then drive them both out of there. At the moment too many people made the situation risky. Adam could be identified, and worse, Kris's Ranger-man could throw a fit, destroying the plan which Adam had worked so hard and waited so long to achieve.\n\n\"What the hell are we doing? Willow Camp is down that way.\" Kris pointed to a small valley below. The smoke disoriented her, and she had not noticed the deviation from the main trail.\n\n\"We have to wait.\" Adam dropped his pack next to a trail sign. Crouching down he quickly unzipped a pocket producing a slender plastic device half wrapped in cloth. He shoved the item into his coat pocket. Just a back up plan in case Kris became very uncooperative.\n\n\"Bullocks. It's hot.\" Smug with arrogance and giddy with anticipation of reaching his goal to rid Kris of her stupid delusions, Adam fantasized about the future. In a short while they would be free of this cursed park forever. Kris's behavior would come around, and she would learn that he was the only man for her. Once they reached Matherville, and the apartment he rented, she would remember that fate dictated their future. Of course a heavy cocktail of sedatives to relax her panicky tendencies, would be a major help in his favor.\n\nGrasping his secret weapon, he switched it to a cargo pocket of his pants and shed the jacket onto the ground. While he busied himself un-lashing straps on his backpack, Kris paced back and forth.\n\n\"Where did you say Michael was? Exactly? He was going to meet us at Willow?\" She was coming out of the irritating daze that the medication had placed over her. This illogical trek back down to Willow Camp was wrong. She knew it was all wrong now. Some detail hanging in the back of her mind would not reveal itself. Straining mentally to recall the forgotten piece of information was augmenting her hostility toward Adam and this ridiculous march in the opposite direction. Why had she placed trust in anything that bubbled out of his mouth in the first place?\n\n\"Did you talk to him?\" She strolled over to Adam, hands on her hips.\n\n\"Yes. Sorta. He was in a hurry. Had a lot to do. You're not the only thing on his mind, dearie.\"\n\n\"Then what about Raina? Didn't you say something about her waiting for me at the gate? How long is she going to wait?\"\n\nAdam cockily shoved his hands deep into pockets of his paratrooper pants. Thinking about Raina was quite an aphrodisiac.\n\n\"What's that?\" Kris asked, listening to him jostle what sounded like loose change in his pocket. It had a funny metal clink to it.\n\n\"Just things. I grabbed stuff from the cabin in a hurry.\" Adam tried to sound nonchalant but wound up speaking in an oddly high pitched tone.\n\n\"Level with me, okay? Michael really didn't tell you to bring me to this area?\" Kris tried to ignore Adam's weird behavior.\n\n\"You never believe a word I say anyway.\"\n\n\"Why the hell should I? You act like I keep doing something horrific to you, but I have no solid reason to trust you,\" Kris said.\n\nAdam lugged the heavy pack over his shoulders again, fastening the waist belt.\n\n\"Fire is coming from that direction, Kris.\" He pointed back towards the cabins. \"It's moving southwest. We need to stay ahead of it as much as possible. If we continue down that trail,\" Adam now pointed with a jittery hand to the main trail to Willow Camp, \"we'll be taking in a lot of smoke. What's the first rule in a fire? Don't you remember from elementary school?\"\n\n\"No. I'm tired of your games.\"\n\n\"To get as low as possible.\"\n\n\"So what?\"\n\n\"We need to head into the crevasse.\"\n\n\"You must think I am a real idiot. That would take hours to get down to the bottom.\"\n\n\"No. Not hours.\"\n\n\"I'm not doing this. You go right on ahead Adam.\"\n\n\"Okay. Fine. Good luck finding your lover.\"\n\n\"Well he's surely not down there!\" Kris said.\n\n\"I didn't say he was. But you know this alternate way into Willow just as much as I do. We can breathe without the smoke and -\"\n\nKris rubbed her eyes in total disbelief at what she was hearing.\n\n\"Adam, for fuck sake. This time of year, with the river so high? There isn't going to be any shoreline or bank at all. The water is going to be coursing right against the sharp rock walls.\"\n\nAdam laughed at her dramatic display. But Kris continued.\n\n\"You're going to swim down to camp? I mean that's a nice plan if it were Autumn and the rapids were less.\" She stepped under a large branch from a pine tree for some shade. Even with the shroud of smoke, intense sunlight was bearing down on them. Kris twisted up her hair, wrapping it into a sloppy bun. Cracking a small stick off the tree, she threaded it into her hair.\n\n\"You need to trust me,\" Adam said, growing impatient. \"It's hot, and smoky, and we can get down in the river and cool off while we make our way to Willow. Then, by that time, Michael will be there.\"\n\n\"That's if we can get down to the water without falling to our death, Adam. Hell, the erosion on those cliffs? I'd rather take my chances and run down the main trail at this point. You do what you want. Bye.\" Kris turned and walked away, leaving Adam standing at the edge of the crevasse.\n\nAdam casually patted his pocket containing an item that would come in handy very soon. As he predicted, she was being wild and unpredictable.\n\n\"He won't be down that way.\" Adam called out after her. Kris stopped, arms down at her sides.\n\n\"I think you are just lying. Lying, lying, Adam! Where the hell is he? Tell me now or I'm just going any direction. I don't care. I'll find a way to the south gate on my own.\"\n\nAdam strode up, jostling items in his pocket again. They needed to start climbing down the rocks into the ravine. Time was wasting.\n\nKris watched his foul, cocky expression and tried to assess what was really taking place. She slapped a mosquito on her arm, wiping the remnants onto her pants. Dried blood from the fall on Raina's steps stained her sweats. At that moment she realized she wore the same ratted white tee shirt from the previous night.\n\nLast night.\n\nThat was the detail in the back of her mind that had kept bothering her.\n\nKris thought extra hard. It had been hot last evening. Someone had come over, unexpectedly. Who?\n\n\"What is it?\" Adam could see the torment on her face.\n\nKris only waved a hand at him, trying to shush him up.\n\nMichael had come by. It took several minutes of tracing back through her distorted memory. Her stomach jumped, recalling the activities between them. He had left rapidly afterward. Kris couldn't remember why.\n\n\"Come on Kris. You won't miss him. We'll just go down a little way, it's so much cooler in the rocks than this inferno.\" Adam urged.\n\n\"No. Wait. Okay, okay, I'll go. Just wait and give me a minute,\" Kris grasped at an excuse to bide some time, \"I, I need to go pee.\" She just wanted five minutes alone, out of his intense watch so she could think. For whatever deranged reason, he wanted her down in those rocks. Kris had to stall him without raising suspicion. Something really awful was taking place within Adam's mind.\n\n\"I'll go with you.\" Adam unfastened the pack waist belt.\n\n\"No!\" She yelled at first, but then laughed it off to downgrade her overreaction.\n\n\"Adam, geez. Wait here. I'll be right back. You're right. I agree now. We have to get out of this smoke. I'll go down there, but just give me a minute, okay?\"\n\nAdam stared as she turning around, and walked casually into some thick trees and heavy brush. Listening intently for his footsteps, she felt confident he wasn't following after a minute or so.\n\nOnce in the cooler concealment of the forest, Kris leaned against a tree, trying to recall more details of what took place after Michael left the previous night. Something missing seemed rather crucial. What was it? And why had she awoken in such a drugged state this morning? Eyes growing wide, Kris put a hand to her mouth. She'd taken the pill before going to bed. But before all that, Michael received the call on the radio about another attack.\n\nCold chills ran up her arms. Adam was lying. He had to be. Michael wouldn't of allowed her to leave with him. Not after another attack. And the gash on Adam's head? What did that mean?\n\nDeep in paranoia, Kris didn't hear the soft crunching of footsteps and snap of a branch.\n\n\"Is there some way I can be of assistance to you?\" Adam's voice instantly killed her concentration.\n\nKris realized in a split second she needed to run. Dense underbrush snagging at her feet prevented her escape. Adam reacted fast, grabbing tightly onto her arm.\n\n\"No, no, no. Adam, please!\" Kris begged him. Determined with angry force, Adam dragged her from the forest until they were back on the trail.\n\n\"Fucking tired of this Kris. Why can't you fucking trust me for one goddamn second? I only have your best interests in mind. I'm only here to help you.\" Thick beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.\n\n\"No, okay, Adam, you're right. I just needed a moment.\" Kris held out her hands in protest, trying to remain calm.\n\n\"Bull shit. No more moments. I offered an easy way out of this park, and even then you couldn't fucking trust me. Everything would be fine if you'd just quite trying to make me into the bad guy.\" Adam shoved her down hard and dug a hand into his cargo pocket.\n\nBut in his furry, he forgot which pocket he had the syringe of Ketamine. Damn girl deserved a heavy dose of cyanide for all he cared now. If she was going to be this difficult, then she was going to be sedated.\n\nHead pounding, Adam shoved a hand into his front pocket, grasping onto stray objects. Angrily, he threw them to the ground.\n\n\"What are those?\" Kris struggled to sit up, and then peered at a bunch of loose keys that he had scattered onto the ground.\n\n\"Nothing!\" Jamming his hands into other pockets, he was alarmed to be shaking so badly. Desperate need of alcohol was taking over. But he needed to get the syringe ready.\n\nKris squinted in the bright light. Horrified, she collected each key off the dirt to inspect them in the palm of her hand. Instantly she knew who they belonged to. They were Raina's keys.\n\nAdam spun around to find Kris holding her hand out with the keys.\n\n\"Why do you have all of these?\"\n\n\"I don't know. You tell me.\"\n\n\"They're Raina's. Why do you have them?\" Kris glanced down at the assortment of silver and brass colored keys. Raina had put brightly colored plastic protectors on each one, mostly because she never could remember which key went to her cabin, and which to the dining hall.\n\nAdam only shrugged, not interested in giving an answer that would satisfy Kris.\n\n\"What did you do to Raina?\" Kris shouted, trying to stand as he came nearer.\n\n\"Nothing she didn't deserve.\"\n\n\"You said she was on her way out. Out of the park. What did you do to her?\" Tears began to well up in Kris's eyes.\n\n\"I really don't know. Why don't you ask her the next time you see her.\" Adam inched closer.\n\n\"You're the one.\" She wanted to hear it. He was the deviant attacker. The one brutally killing females. Raping and cutting their bodies. Kris started shaking uncontrollably.\n\n\"Oh very good. Such a smart ass.\" He slid his foot forward in the dirt.\n\n\"You didn't kill her, did you? What did you do to her? Please. Tell me. I'll do whatever you want. I'll go down the ravine.\" Kris motioned to the cliff.\n\n\"I haven't done anything. There's nothing to tell. And your time, is up. I gave you every chance -\"\n\nKris threw the keys at him, bolting to her feet, attempting to run once more. But he grabbed onto her shirt before she could get away. Kris lurched to the ground in a rough landing. She turned over immediately to see Adam standing over her. An odd smile on his face, he grabbed his crotch with a free hand and perversely gave his male goods a gratifying jostle.\n\n\"I've been waiting for this,\" Adam said.\n\n\"No -\" Kris began scooting backward on her elbows, but Adam pounced on top. Breath knocked out of her, Kris gasped but couldn't produce any real sound. Adam worked fast, pinning her arms at her sides with his legs straddled over. He shakily grasped the hypodermic syringe and a small vile of liquid. Quickly breaking the seal and sucking the contents into the reservoir of the syringe, Adam promptly injected the contents into her neck.\n\nThe drug took effect fast enough, and he soon crouched onto his feet. Satisfied to see her cessation of squirming, he disposed of the keys and syringe by chucking them off the cliff. Only a faint clink could be heard as the evidence disappeared down the granite wall.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAll Kris could see was thick black sky above. She didn't know if she was awake or in a nightmare. Her muscles were useless, unresponsive.\n\nAdam leaned down onto the ground, peering into her face. Closing her eyes, she mouthed out to him. \"What did you give me?\"\n\nAdam lay down on his side, propping his head up with a hand so he could stare directly into her face.\n\n\"Veterinary anesthesia. Very potent too.\" He pulled a cigarette from his front pocket. \"I could perform surgery on you right now and you'd never know. Isn't that something? I went to great lengths to get this stuff, hoping maybe you'd just cooperate. But hell, this is okay. This will work. Plus, I get to have some fun before you wake up.\"\n\nKris blinked really slowly, hardly able to keep her eyes open. She heard his words, and was terrified beyond reason, but unable to express any movement or sound.\n\n\"You must be tired my love. Go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up. You might give some thought to cooperating with me.\" Adam blew a long trail of pungent smoke into her face.\n\nKris was internally screaming for help. For a moment she thought she was indeed able to reach out with her arm. But she could not. The last thing she saw was his depraved grin and unshaven face. And then everything went blank.\nChapter Twenty One\n\nThe Demon\n\nMichael had to assume Adam wasn't going kill her. The demon wanted to possess her, but not end her life. Two possibilities were tugging at Michael. Adam was either hiding with Kris somewhere, perhaps holding her prisoner, or Adam had managed to flee the park with or without Kris. On the presumption Adam was still within park boundaries, Michael headed for the south gate.\n\nThe last ten minutes of wasted time, proved futile. Threatening to expose Beth Taylor and her shady operations disintegrated quickly. She was still under a delusion that this evacuation was unnecessary, yet she had hastily ordered it. Michael wanted all security concentrated at the south gate to prevent Adam's escape. Once again it was a hindrance and too extreme in Beth's view. She wanted armed personnel to guard the administrative offices and the main visitor center.\n\nReaching the gate finally, Michael raced over to three park rangers who appeared to be having a difficult time managing the exodus.\n\n\"I need to prevent a person from leaving,\" Michael said, watching cars stream through the narrow entrance and ranger kiosk.\n\n\"Well how the hell are we supposed to do that?\" One of them yelled angrily at Michael. Low on patience, he grabbed the sorry piece of shit by the collar, yanking him off his feet.\n\n\"Hoth. Adam Hoth? He should be apprehended on sight. He may have a prisoner with him. A female.\"\n\n\"You can't order me to do anything. We're leaving and locking these gates once everyone gets through.\" The puny ranger spat at Michael.\n\n\"Is that so?\" Michael let him drop back to the ground. \"These gates?\" He quickly stormed over to one of the metal bars with a heavy chain dangling from it.\n\n\"We're under Beth's orders. Nothing you can do about it, you stupid tyrant.\" A lanky, pimply faced ranger spoke out. Without a word, Michael ran back to his truck and in less than thirty seconds he returned with a huge pair of bolt cutters. In one swift move he applied the tool to the thick chain, snapping it in half. He snipped apart several more links, and grabbed a large padlock off the ground. Coiling the chain up, he strode back toward the truck but not before pausing in front of the inept rangers.\n\n\"If I come back through here, and find that gate obstructed, I will hunt you down and make sure the next job you have is scrubbing septic tanks under my house. Is that clear?\"\n\nOne of them nodded at Michael, but the other only scoffed, calling him pompous and indignant.\n\n\"If you see Adam Hoth, consider him armed and dangerous.\" And then Michael left. Driving along the soft shoulder of the narrow road, he made way back toward the cabins.\n\nHe shouldn't of left Kris earlier. Why didn't he see that it was Adam all along? Blinded by his affections for Kris, it had lead to dire consequences now. Adam fit all the characteristics of a mentally unstable individual enacting revenge and harm out of a need for control and righteousness. All of it, passed right under Michael's eyes. He would not be able to live with himself if this situation wasn't stopped.\n\nStepping down harder on the gas, he swerved around the winding roads. Finally he slammed on the brakes, skidding into the roundabout. Everything was deserted. Commanding the truck over the embankment, he continued driving erratically until reaching the community area and then the front of Kris's cabin.\n\nBolting up the steps as fast as his legs would allow, he stopped short and fast. The door was ajar. Michael threw off his hat and un-holstered his firearm. Proceeding with caution and an extreme hope she wasn't inside, he creaked the door open with his foot. Aiming the weapon around the darkened room, it was a relief of sorts that she wasn't there. It was likely that the other staff woke her in the midst of the now dwindling evacuation.\n\nOkay. Calm down. Think. Think soldier! Michael couldn't get a grasp on what he was feeling. Never in his life had he faced a search for an individual he loved.\n\nI love her. The thought sank in with a heavy dose of reality. She was alive. Somewhere. She was out in this park. Kris was smart. She would find a way to do what needed to be done. Michael desperately wanted to believe that.\n\nScrambling back to the truck, he tore open a map and started assessing possible areas Adam could hold her prisoner. It wouldn't be far from camp. If Kris put up resistance, Adam would have dealt with quite a struggle. Michael clenched his eyes shut. He needed to make the best guess possible as to where to look. Time was running out and the air was so thick with smoke, he didn't have the luxury of methodical planning.\n\nAdam was smart, devious. He took great care in not attracting too much unwarranted attention. Very likely he would stay clear from others seeing him with Kris. Which ruled out going through the main entrance. There were limited areas Michael could take the truck. He needed to search on foot. The fire was dangerously close to the structures now. Glowing flames could be seen dancing along the tree tops in the distance.\n\n\"Dammit!\" he swore out. Yanking the gear shift into drive, he sped off back through the camps, around the parking circle, stopping and getting out quickly to check the staff showers. He had an itch, a gut instinct. Adam was going to hide and wait out the crowds. The bastard deemed himself smarter than everyone else, so why not lay low until the last minute and then run. The only question was would he panic and leave Kris behind?\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nEyes closed, Kris tried to determine if Adam was nearby. The eerie absence of normal sounds in the forest was alarming her. A thunderous roar in the distance could be detected, although she didn't know if it was the fire or perhaps the aircraft fighting the fire. Her mind was clearing from the drug that Adam injected her with but her body was not her own. Not yet. Unable to move, she tried wriggling her toes. The movement was challenging, but she could do it. Intense heat from the ground kept seeping into her body, creating enormous discomfort. Perhaps her skin was burning off and she couldn't detect it. Sluggishly she opened her eyes. Had it become night? How long had she lay on the ground? Everything seemed massively dark, yet it was hot. Shortly after laying amidst great confusion, she heard his voice.\n\n\"Have a nice sleep?\" Adam plunked himself down on the ground next to her again. Kris strained to keep her vision focused on him, but she groaned in pain, sure that pins and needles were being shoved into her orbital sockets. She tried rolling onto her back, but it was tedious and uncomfortable.\n\nFinally in a sitting position, her eyesight began to clear. Heavy smoke plumes were coming over the tops of the trees in the distance, orange flames dotted the crown of the forest.\n\n\"Adam. Enough. Let's just get out. We are going die here if we don't go,\" Kris said.\n\n\"Get up then.\" The tone of Adam's voice was proud, yet hid some privileged information that surely wasn't good. Gradually Kris wobbly stood. Her feet and legs were partially numb.\n\nAdam watched with great amusement. It was then to her horror she knew why he gloated so oddly. She stared down at her attire.\n\n\"You had your way with me. I guess you got what you finally wanted this season, Adam. Only, you had to coerce, drag and drug me to the edge of hell and then violate me.\" Her mouth and throat were so dry the words sounded scratchy and coarse.\n\n\"Who said anything about that? Hey, baby, I have needs too. I couldn't just let that prick ranger have all the fun. I'm just cashing in on what I'm owed.\" Adam came forth, constricting her in a hug. Being still very weak, she couldn't fight back. But she smelled the unmistakable stench of booze on his rotten breath.\n\n\"You've gotten what you wanted then. So, what the hell are we still doing here?\" Kris tried again to appeal to any remaining sensibilities. One last option was forming in her mind, and it wasn't making a run for it. She knew her legs were hardly able to walk very far, let alone run. If he agreed to leaving, she could possibly regain strength by the time they hit the meadow, at which point she would loose him in the tall grass. One last option crossed her mind, but she desperately hoped the situation wouldn't come to it.\n\nKris pulled the shoulder of her flimsy shirt down, exposing her skin. It wasn't enough. Yanking it down lower she exposed the upper part of her breast. Watching his expression change drastically, she pulled it down further rendering the front of herself naked. Praying her body would stave off the urge to vomit, she slowly licked her lips to add to the deception and fully grab his attention.\n\n\"Interesting. Especially since you were just saying you want to leave.\" Adam observed with growing sexual hunger, but wasn't buying her trickery.\n\n\"Maybe I'm offering things to come later. Once we get the hell out of here.\"\n\n\"Hmm. Nope, I don't think so. Kris, what do I have to do to get it into your head? I'm the smartest man you're ever going to meet.\"\n\nKris pulled the fabric of the tee shirt back around the front, and tied it just above her belly button. Her legs felt weak, unable to even support standing for much longer.\n\nShe hadn't noticed Adam fussing with his pack again. Quickly he produced a folding ax and fully clicked it open.\n\n\"What's that for? I'm cooperating. Just like you asked.\" Kris was so horrified she knew the last option that kept crossing her mind was the only way out. She took a unsteady step backward toward the ravine\n\n\"You're right. We need to get going. But in your shape, we aren't going to get very far. And I'm tired of you and your problems, Kris. The window of your opportunity has come and gone.\" His speech growing more and more slurred. Bouncing the head of the ax slightly against his leg, he crept forward.\n\nKris couldn't even bring herself to bargain for her life. Would he spare it if she collapsed to the ground in sorrow and pledged to worship him for the rest of days to come? Kris was entirely wretched sick of him. If this was the hour of her demise, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of being the one to end it.\n\n\"Well let me enlighten you just a tad, Adam. I'll tell you why you have to drug, rape and kill women.\" Kris clenched her hands into tight fists against her legs. She was keenly aware of her dangerous position at the edge of the precipice.\n\n\"You have no idea what I'm capable of. What I can -\"\n\n\"I turned to a Ranger for affection because you drove me to it. You said it yourself, you weren't getting satisfaction from me. Maybe your limp dick was too meager for me to even put up with.\" Even if she fell now, there were some ledges and outcroppings that might catch her fall. Adam had the ax in both hands grasping it tightly.\n\n\"Why don't you take that ax and do us all a favor and end your own life? Your existence on this earth serves no purpose. At least castrate yourself so you can't spread any more of that demon seed.\" Kris blasted at him with every last fiber of her twitching body.\n\nAdam lurched forward at her, bringing the ax up high and swinging it as hard as he could. He missed.\n\nKris's foot slipped backward in reaction to the attack. The loose rock beneath her, broke free and she tumbled down. Desperately grasping a handful of roots jutting out of the scree, it prevented her from free falling down the granite shelf. Many of the dry and frail roots broke, unable to withstand the force of her decline.\n\nFinally she manged a rough landing on a few rocky footholds. Pressing her body flat against the granite rock she stuck her fingers into thin cracks and juts, trying to hang on for dear life. Blood poured from her fingers as the fine skin was ripped off from the sharp glacial stone.\n\nAdam approached the edge, his inebriation distorting any last ounce of good judgment. He was delighted to see Kris's feeble attempt to hang on. She was only several feet below the top of the precipice. Adam raised the ax once more and before he could accomplish a fatal blow, Kris closed her eyes and let go.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMichael had ruled out various locations. Kris was nowhere to be found. The fire certainly had engulfed the staff amphitheater. Visibility was not more than a few feet, and heavy ash was falling like snow. Overhead was the heavy thud of big helicopters. They concentrated on dropping water into the main camps of White Rock, but the effort was doing little to stop the forward march of such intense fire.\n\nBy the time he got back to the truck, thick black smoke had descended over everything. The girth of the vehicle was too wide to ram it down the trail. With all the thick brush and trees, it would be slow travel anyway. He put it back in gear and reversed direction toward the road.\n\nWillow Camp was his last hope. It was a small valley, untouched by the fire. That would change very soon. Without a direct road into Willow, he would have to locate the hidden service road protected by a barred gate.\n\nUsing the truck's four wheel drive capability he could make it across the boggy meadow and hit the camp straight on.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nAdam disposed of his pack. It was too cumbersome to carry anymore. It would surely burn up once the fire reached it. After Kris fell down and out of view, Adam became acutely aware of the advancing flames atop the trees. Huge, angry flames over took the forest and the tall pines now resembled giant Roman candles. Time to save his own life. Kris deserved her fate. He was certain it was the right decision and a fitting end to a rather unsettled season at this hell hole of a national park. His focus now was making a run for it back to his van.\n\nCutting through a bunch of high grass and blustering willow trees, he arrive on the east side of the central amphitheater. It was the tourist campfire area. More of a pathetic circle of rotted logs and a crumbling pit in the center. Pulling his shirt over his mouth and coughing violently, Adam trampled over debris, waving off smoldering bits in the air.\n\nFinally he reached his green van. Laying down on his back, he fished for the hidden key under the front driver side fender. It was half stuck. Swearing and maneuvering himself further underneath the car, he heard the rattle of a large diesel engine.\n\nIn his frantic search, Michael thought he might be seeing things that didn't exist. Before careening at break neck speed around the corner, he caught sight of a person running across the amphitheater.\n\nMichael pulled into the diagonal parking strips and jumped out. He chambered his weapon and crept slowly along the passenger side of the van. He couldn't be sure, but Adam reportedly was sighted with a green vehicle such as this one. It was thickly covered with ash. Possibly left by a fleeing tourist.\n\nBy training and instinct he called out.\n\n\"Park official! Don't move! Show yourself now!\" Clearing one side of the car, he moved around the back.\n\n\"Park official! Come out now!\" Michael aimed the .45 caliber firearm at the base of the vehicle, slowly dropping down lower to get a look underneath. A scraping noise caught his attention. Michael quickly bolted to the driver side of the van. Crouching to the ground and aiming the gun, he sighted Adam trying to scoot away. Michael threw down his weapon and grabbed onto Adam's boots, yanking him back and out from underneath the car.\n\nRaining hot ash swirled around them. Michael grabbed hold of Adam's wrist and yanked him to a standing position. Using the backside of his forearm, Michael smashed the foul creature against the side body panel of the van.\n\nMichael picked up his firearm and hammered the barrel of the gun straight into Adam's forehead.\n\n\"Where is she? Tell me now or you're dead!\"\n\n\"That will end your cushy career as a park Ranger, will it not?\" Adam grinned.\n\nWith one hand Michael grabbed Adam's throat, yanking him forward and then slamming his head back against the window of the car. Adam made a feeble sound and slid sideways, in disorientation.\n\n\"I'll repeat myself for the last time. Where is she? Where is Kris and I'll spare your life.\" Michael knew threats would not work with an evil character like Adam, but he had to believe this criminal possessed a will to live.\n\nIf Adam had just come through the east side of the amphitheater, it was possible he was fleeing Willow Camp. What else lay in that direction? It cemented Michael's earlier thoughts about Kris's whereabouts.\n\n\"Is she still in Willow Camp?\" Michael coughed hard. The burning forest and encroaching flames created a deafening sound like a series of thunderstorms.\n\nAdam nodded but not because he wanted to comply with the Ranger, but because he wanted this schmuck to suffer just as he had. Adam lost the only girl he ever totally and completely desired. She was gone and nobody else could have her now. The Ranger wasn't going to make it in time to save Kris. Michael Falkenrath could burn in hell.\n\nAfter cuffing Adam to the handle of the van, Michael clamored back into the truck and maneuvered it over the stone traffic barriers and engaged the four wheel drive system. Veering around the circular arrangement of log benches, he turned sharply around the big fire pit and entered the meadow. Headlights on maximum brightness didn't help much against the deteriorating visibility. Eerie darkness made it nearly impossible to see.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nSliding at least 100 feet down, Kris reached a mossy covered slope. She had landed on a craggy shelf of rock and plants. Unable to gage how far below until reaching the river, Kris assumed it couldn't be more than another thirty feet. If moss was growing it signaled the damp habitat of the river. But it was smoky in the ravine. Not as bad as above, but still, a thick gray fog prevented her from sighting the terrain below. Usually the river was all white water through this narrow snag. To get a better foothold, she had thrown off her useless shoes. Blood poured from an open cut on her head and a bad gash on her leg. Still faint and lacking muscle strength, she knew climbing back out of the ravine was impossible. She didn't know if Michael was searching for her or not. It difficult to stave off the urge to call out for him. The firestorm was getting closer. Heavy ash was covering rocks and outcroppings, causing them to be very slick.\n\nShe didn't want to give in to the impossibility of getting out of the park. What if the gate was compromised by the fire? And how would she make it over there if she could hardly walk? Kris wanted to believe she still had a chance but logic was causing her to lose hope. If the fire jumped over this ravine and it would because of the dry fuels on both sides, she would surely suffocate.\n\nHalf sliding and half creeping downward, Kris finally reached the water's edge. Following a very narrow margin of land along the river by holding onto drooping bushes and woody tree limbs, she slowly made way until running out of embankment.\n\nThe sharp granite walls plunged straight into the rushing water. Pools gathered along parts of the shore, but the current was very stiff. Kris delayed immersing herself into the water. She was exhausted and needed to rest. Faced with harrowing navigation of the swift river, Kris toyed with laying down, just for a little while. But time was not on her side. If she floated down to Willow Camp successfully, perhaps the phones would still be working in the dining hall. There had to be emergency personnel somewhere. If she could just get to them. Or Michael.\n\nGingerly, she waded her feet into the water, then losing her grasp on the tree roots to which she clutched, her body plunged into the icy river. Dropping below the surface, she hunted for the bottom with her toes, but found nothing. She swam to the surface, gulping for air. As the current carried her on, she peered up at the sky above. Kris was awestruck by thick plumes of white ash falling as if it were snow from the burning sky. Her former dream was perhaps not a dream at all. But a premonition now coming to life. Rocks and tree limbs scrape her legs as she continued down the river. Luckily the current wasn't too compelling. Kris bobbed up and down into the water, her chin skimming the surface. Instead of actually swimming or resisting the movement of water, she let it carry her along its path. The cold water was diminishing the last of her strength.\n\nSubmerged boulders and felled trees pricked and tore at her flesh. Several times her mind became numb and consciousness start to wane. Finally the river split into a fork, several branches trailing off in different directions. Kris kicked her legs and paddled as hard as she could to stay to the right. Successfully she was drawn into the stretch of river that would float her into camp. The marshy shores approached quickly. This was the section where water slowed and became shallow. She could not see the Willow Camp bridge arching over the river due to an absence of light, but trusting her memory that the tall strands of cattails and reeds meant that she was in the right spot and needed to exit the river. After the bridge it would be too difficult to get out, as the trickling section of the Kwoluck would merge with fast moving water and due to a drop in elevation, rapids ensued. Kris paddled weakly to the edge, her feet sank into soft mud making it hard move. Grasping thick grassy reeds, she pulled herself half way onto shore and then rolled her body out of the water.\n\nExhaustion was consuming her. Shivering, she crawled on her hands and knees onto soft, manicured grass. But it was a large sloping hill, and pretty soon the last bit of her strength wore out. Frustrated at knowing the dining hall was not far off, Kris thought perhaps a little rest would reinvigorate her ability to start walking.\n\nMany afternoons she had sat eating her lunch and enjoying a good book on the shore of this river. But she couldn't stand up now, and sitting seemed next to impossible as well. It was a curious thing, she discovered, laying on her back and staring blankly at the sky that didn't exist anymore. Against better judgment, Kris closed her eyes.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMichael tugged at the heavy wooden doors to the Willow Camp dining hall. As he shoved several keys into the locks of the heavy old door, it occurred to him, this was where he and Kris first met. It all started with a impromptu meeting and a lanky, wide eyed girl with hair so white it was practically iridescent. She portrayed an intriguing false innocence and soft spoken attitude that melted his stubborn heart of steel.\n\nThoughts visualized before him, as he tried frantically to get the doors open, until it occurred to him that if they were locked, Kris certainly wouldn't be inside. But he had to make sure. Adam could of locked her in for all he knew. Grasping his firearm from his hip, he stood back and put several rounds into the door. With the lock destroyed, he finally creaked open the heavy doors.\n\nCalling her name as loud as possible, Michael rapidly searched through the open hall, the dining area and then back around to the kitchen. Nothing. Nobody was here. Opening closets and restroom doors, a sinking desperation started to grab hold of Michael.\n\nKris, where are you? He knew the strong likelihood was that Adam hid his prize. If he couldn't have Kris, nobody would.\n\nBroken plates and serving trays littered the floor creating a crunching sound under his boots. Back outside a forceful downdraft sent him under the overhang for cover. It was so dark now structures and objects were unrecognizable. To his left was an ash coated trail leading to the river and a small foot bridge. Beyond that was a guest store.\n\nMaybe she was hold up in the little stone store. It was a shack with walls made of granite boulders from the park. It was a long shot, but he had to check. First, Michael ran back to the truck. He switched the headlamps on just in case he couldn't find his way back in the blackness. Then he pulled the bucket seat back, grabbing a high intensity flashlight and started off along the trail.\n\nAiming the light in a sweeping motion, he scanned the ground for any signs of footsteps or indications of someone who had recently passed through the area. But it was useless, everything was covered with heavy ash and it was building up fast. Michael stopped suddenly at a bench and tore off his brown shirt, quickly ripping the fabric and tying pieces across his nose and mouth.\n\nCrossing the bridge, he directed the light down below, checking underneath. It was a small bridge. The larger crossing was down river. He swore softly, reaching the darkened stone hut. Pressing the flashlight up to the window, he strained to get a good look inside. Again, the building was locked.\n\nHe coughed hard, doubling over trying to get clear air into his lungs. Righting himself, the intense glare of flames immediately captured his attention. The heat was insufferable. The thatch roof of the store was starting to smoke from hot cinders landing on the top.\n\nThere was one more camp, with tents and tee-pees below. But why would Adam bring her all the way over there? It would have been full of people when the evacuation order came.\n\nPerhaps the pond. There was a small holding pond back near the dining hall. Logically speaking, she wouldn't be there. But he was out of options. There was no place left to search.\n\nRetracing his steps carefully, Michael called out desperately for her.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nKris opened her eyes but her face was strewn with ash. Heaviness in her limbs and disoriented, she forced herself up off the grass and began walking. Perhaps it was the drug, Adam administered, producing yet another hallucination, but moments prior, she saw a faint light in the distance, then it disappeared. Were people still in camp?\n\nKris's throat was so raw she couldn't swallow. Her mouth was full of a gritty substance. But just in case the light wasn't a hallucination, she called out as best as she could.\n\n\"Hello!\" Taking a breath, her airways irritated and clogged with abrasive dust, she yelled out again and again until her voice went silent. Now only a raspy sound came out. She collapsed to the ground.\n\nMichael stopped. Either his brain was playing tricks or someone had just yelled out. Spinning around, he aimed the light in the direction from which he just checked. Nothing. Scanning the light in a 360 degree motion yielded nothing. A bright orange glow was descending upon the the camp. The fire was here.\n\n\"Kris!\" Coughing radically, he called several more times, aiming the light into the ash and floating embers.\n\nKris gathered all her might and got to her feet, stumbling forward. She demanded her legs start working and carry her. It couldn't be a dream. The voice was real. It was close by, but where? Orange light and deafening noise prevented her from identifying anything.\n\n\"Kris!\" Michael called one last time, holding the flashlight between his knees, and cupping his hands around his mouth for maximum effect. He listened intently for a response, but only the loud crackling of pine trees being consumed by the fire answered. He grabbed the light, and swung it around one last time. He narrowed his eyes to sharpen what he caught as slow movement coming out of a plume of ash and smoke.\n\n\"Kris!\" He ran toward the willowy figure emerging down a small hill. And then the shadow collapsed.\n\nRacing forth, he skidded to the ground.\n\n\"Kris.\" He picked her up gently. She was unable to walk so he lifted her into his arms, cradling her. Spitting out heavy dust and ash from his mouth, he kept talking to her, trying to comfort her, not knowing if she could hear him or not.\n\nHer clothes were wet and she had bruises and abrasions all over. Finally reaching the truck, he lay her on the front seat and strapped a seat belt around her. Michael climbed into the driver side and shoved the key into the ignition and forcefully turned it. Nothing happened. He tried again. And then again.\n\nWas the battery drained from keeping the lights on this whole time? He glanced down at Kris's ravaged body and coagulated blood on the side of her head.\n\nSwearing at the top of his lungs, he attempted the ignition again. This time it stubbornly turned over, sputtering badly but cranking good enough. Michael revved it hard. Glancing in the rear view mirror, the fire was practically lapping at the tailgate of the truck.\n\nDriving across the meadow, puddles of water reflected the intense orange glow of the fire. It was engulfing almost everything. Safe for the moment in the soggy stretch of meadow, Michael wondered if they could even reach the gate at this point. Once at the amphitheater, the tires bounced back over the barriers and Michael slammed his foot down hard on the brake. The truck skidded sideways to a halt. With the engine running, he jumped out.\n\nOne last detail to wrap up before exiting this hell.\n\nGrasping his gun with both hands and a finger on the trigger, Michael came around the back side of Adam's van. It was appropriately entombed with charcoal ash and glowing embers. Adam was going to jail. Michael was going to drag him there, making him face the proper authorities to answer to his string of sick crimes. Justice would be better served by killing the worthless piece of scum, but Michael knew Adam's real pain would be a lifetime of imprisonment with other degenerates.\n\nBut apparently Adam had other ideas. A set of open handcuffs hung from the door handle. In disbelief, Michael grabbed them for closer inspection. The locks were jimmied on each cuff. Perhaps Adam had left the open cuff hanging so ominously on the door handle as if to send a message to Michael. That he had attained the upper hand on the situation, not authorities.\n\nClimbing back in the cab, Michael roared the truck out of the parking area and toward the abandoned south gate. He did not hesitate or stop, blowing past the fee booth. A huge cloud of ash and smoke trailed behind them as the truck rumbled down the road leading out of White Rock National Park.\n\nMichael picked up his cab radio and called in an all points bulletin for Adam Hoth. He warned local authorities about the last known location of Adam and that he was probably armed and dangerous. Clicking the little unit back onto the console, Michael smoothed Kris's bloodied hair back from her face. She had cuts and bruises on her cheeks and near her eyes. A small moan drifted from her.\n\n\"Don't worry now. It's over.\" He spoke softly and sped on.\nChapter Twenty Two\n\nA small television with the volume turned low, displayed horrific flames and a slurry of news crews positioned at the south gate entrance to the park. Dim fluorescent lights flickered above a small nursing station.\n\n\"Have you seen this?\" A busy medical receptionist reached up to shove a thick tan folder into an over stuffed shelf. She motioned to the TV as another nurse with squeaky shoes got closer.\n\n\"Somethin' ain't it?\" A plump brown haired nurse with a soft southern drawl came up to the counter. Placing several clipboards with patient charts attached, she lent her attention to the fiery scene on the screen above.\n\n\"Is that where the girl in 217 came from?\"\n\n\"Yeah, I think so.\" Tired from a long shift at the Ceder Valley Memorial Hospital, the receptionist leaned back against the inner counter, casually crossing her arms and letting out a long yawn.\n\n\"Oh, speaking of which, you can take her IV out. Dr. Searle came by an hour ago, said she can go home in the morning.\"\n\n\"Okay. Lucky for her.\" The plump one chuckled.\n\n\"I'll say. Have you seen that guy that she came in with?\"\n\n\"I surely did. A Ranger or something.\"\n\n\"Gorgeous.\"\n\n\"You don't need to tell me.\" The nurse laughed and then shuffled off, squeaking down the hallway.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nKris winced slightly when a small tube was removed from the vein in her hand. The nurse was void of talk, but went about her job with ease and efficiency. Slowly peeling back strips of white medical tape, the woman instructed Kris to hold a piece of cotton to the intravenous site, then quickly she placed a bandage over.\n\n\"Doctor says you can go home in the morning. He'll come by shortly.\" She flashed a polite smile and dropped the deflated fluid bag into a garbage with a red top and yellow warning label.\n\n\"Is there anything you need?\"\n\nKris shook her head at first.\n\n\"Wait. Did you see a tall guy in a uniform out there by chance?\" Kris sat up.\n\n\"Well, there was someone like that earlier. But I think he left.\" She smiled a chubby grin.\n\nKris wearily lay back against the white sheet of the hospital bed. Michael was probably very busy with the investigation. For all she knew, he'd gone back into the park.\n\nSleepy and about to close her eyes, the ceiling lights flickered on and a doctor wearing a long coat streamed into the room. He was engrossed with several papers clipped to a blue board. Swiftly he slapped it down on a metal tray with wheels. Unwrapping a stethoscope from his neck, he wasted no time in attending to Kris.\n\n\"Good.\" He took her wrist between his fingers, feeling for a pulse. He applied brief pressure until satisfied, and flashed her a polite grin.\n\n\"Okay then. Can you swing your legs over the side? I need to get a look at your head.\"\n\nKris did as he asked. The neatly dressed doctor unraveled a long bandage from around her head. He took a few moments to examine the gash and then re-dressed the wound.\n\n\"Leave that on for a few days.\"\n\n\"Okay.\" Kris could see out the door and down the hall. Few people wandered about.\n\n\"I know it's tempting to wash your hair. Just give it several days. The sutures will dissolve by themselves. No need to come back unless you are having a lot of pain or something changes, okay?\"\n\n\"Okay.\" Kris replied in a shallow voice.\n\n\"I'm releasing you in the morning. Here's a prescription for some pain killers.\" He scribbled quickly on a pad produced from a large pocket of his white coat. Ripping off the square note, he laid it on the tray.\n\n\"Anything else?\" He glanced at her with tired a expression.\n\nKris thought a moment. Something had bothered her since waking several hours ago.\n\n\"Actually. There is.\" Kris gazed down at her hands in her lap. The doctor walked back into the room.\n\n\"What can I help you with?\"\n\n\"The drugs I was, uh, given. . .\"\n\n\"The ones that were in your system when you arrived?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" Kris wrung her hands together, almost unsure she wanted to hear the truth.\n\n\"Yes, okay.\" The doctor flipped through some notes.\n\n\"I guess I wanted to know if they will have long term effects? Would they have damaged me in some way?\"\n\n\"I see. No, you should return to good health. Give it some time though. What we found in your system isn't anything that could of caused long term harm.\"\n\nKris nodded. Fear had morphed into an uncomfortable reoccurring anxiety. She needed the doctor to tell her that she'd be okay. At least medically. And perhaps this horrible nightmare would dissolve into oblivion.\n\nEvery time she imagined Adam's face lying on the ground and grinning at her while she was so helpless, just produced a ghastly knot in her stomach and a tightness in her throat.\n\n\"You might feel drowsy and weak for the next several days. Drink plenty of water and get some rest,\" the doctor said. \"Good luck to you.\"\n\nKris watched his long white coat slightly waft out from behind as he strode off.\n\nShe curled up on her side and faced the wall. Shutting her eyes tight, she tried to forget everything.\n\n~ ~ ~\n\nMichael brought the edge of a paper cup to his mouth, taking several long sips of hot coffee. It seemed like a crime to wake her. Her side barely rising and falling with each slow breath. He pulled up a chair with a worn fabric seat and sank into it. Unfortunately the chair had seen better days and made a hideous creaking sound. It was loud enough to rouse Kris from sleep. Groggily peering over her shoulder, her eyes grew wide and a large smile spread across her face.\n\n\"Michael.\" She mouthed and sat up.\n\n\"No, lay down.\" He gently coaxed her back to the reclining hospital bed. A small giggle escaped her as she stared at him.\n\n\"What's that for?\" He asked.\n\n\"You're wearing regular clothes.\"\n\n\"Ah. That I am,\" Michael said.\n\nA calm came over Kris as she gazed at him in jeans and a plain white tee shirt.\n\n\"You've seen me without my uniform before. How fast you forget.\"\n\n\"I haven't forgotten.\" Kris softly responded and then yawned. \"What time is it?\"\n\nMichael glanced at his watch. \"It's late. You need to sleep.\"\n\n\"You're going to leave?\"\n\n\"Not if you don't want me to.\" Concerned, he ran his fingers along her arm. Michael crossed the room and grasped the edge of a drape attached to the ceiling with little rollers. Giving it a quick tug, the curtain swished around, encasing the bedside area.\n\n\"Have you seen Raina?\" Kris asked.\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"She giving them all a hard time?\"\n\n\"Oh you could say that.\" Michael shut off the lights and sat on the edge of the bed.\n\n\"But she'll be okay?\"\n\n\"I would assume so. Don't worry about her.\"\n\nKris felt for his hand and he gently took it.\n\n\"You know what am going to ask next,\" Kris said.\n\nMichael took a deep breath, and reached for his coffee.\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Where is he?\" Kris barely mouthed the words, her puffy eyes gazing up at him.\n\nMichael knew it better to come right out with it. Knowing Kris, she wouldn't allow this question to go unanswered. And she deserved an answer.\n\n\"Please tell me.\" She touched the side of his leg.\n\nMichael motioned for her to scoot over. Kris turned onto her side, returning to face the drab wall. Michael joined her on the bed, spooning alongside.\n\n\"He was handcuffed to that damn car. I left him there at the amphitheater to go back to Willow Camp one more time.\" Michael slowly played with strands of her hair as he described what had happened. \"After I got you in the truck I came back to pick him up. He was gone.\"\n\n\"He's still gone? Not in custody?\" Kris needed to know.\n\n\"He's not in custody. I don't know where he is.\"\n\n\"That rat bastard always said he could pick a pair of handcuffs.\"\n\n\"We'll find him.\" Michael grew serious.\n\n\"What is this we business?\" Kris spouted.\n\nMichael kissed her neck. \"Absolutely right. I'll find him.\"\n\n\"Still wrong.\"\n\n\"They'll find him?\"\n\n\"You got it. Why on earth are you responsible?\" Kris closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of Michael's body engulfing hers. The hospital was freezing and no amount of blankets had helped.\n\n\"So I'm out of a job I suppose,\" Kris said.\n\n\"That reminds me. There's something I need to ask.\" Michael wrapped a hand around the front of her waist.\n\n\"Oh yeah? Does it involve a ring or something foolish?\"\n\n\"Heck no.\"\n\n\"Okay, then ask away.\"\n\n\"How do you feel about Alaska?\" A thread of amusement ran through his voice. He cinched her closer.\n\n\"Boy. I don't know about that. There's a lot of bears there, I hear.\"\n\n\"And a lot of long cold winters.\" He kissed her shoulder.\n\n\"Hmm. What do you plan on doing there?\"\n\n\"I think they might need a Ranger.\" He fought to remain humorless.\n\n\"Then okay, let's go first thing tomorrow.\" Kris breathed out, starting to fall asleep.\n\n\"Why the hurry?\" He whispered.\n\n\"We need to get you back in a uniform. Don't know if I can live without that uniform.\"\n\nDrifting off into a delirious sleep, Kris's body finally let go and relaxed. Michael heard faint steps in the hallway, then a pause. Whoever it was graciously clicked the door shut. Soon after, Michael gave in to sleep as well.\n\nThe End.\n\nLaws Change; people die; the land remains.\n\n\\- Abraham Lincoln\nAbout The Author\n\nMcKenzie started writing short stories in elementary school, and grew to love reading and writing romance as a shy tomboy growing up in the Bay Area of California. She enjoys the outdoors with her two active Labrador Retrievers. McKenzie has spent a great deal of time hiking, exploring and developing a passion for the Sierra Nevada Mountains. After living in rural Nevada for many years she turned her attention toward the Rocky Mountains of Montana, where today she calls home. When she isn't writing or illustrating, McKenzie spends time woodworking and fishing.\n"]]