Chapter 3

"Ladies! Ladies! Please, I need to go," I begged as I extracted myself from the embraces of the exuberant women. As I turned to leave I remembered something and said, "By the way if you open an account at the bank where the check is written you can have the cash sooner. So order that dishwasher, and get the plumber lined up. You don't have much time to have the unit installed and inspected."

"OH! Shit! Shit!" Carol said.

She quickly removed her apron and scurried to get her coat. She headed out the door, leaving the check on the table.

"Carol? CAROL!" I called.

The flustered but happy woman turned back to me and asked, "Yes?"

I walked over to where she was standing and said softly as I pointed, "You need to take the check with you, AND take someone for protection. That is a large check. I don't want you to get hurt or robbed."

"Oh, yeah. I'm so flustered that I can't think."

I took hold of Carol's shoulders and gave her a small shake, "Calm down, girl. Take some deep breaths and then ... well ... think things through logically. Ok?"

"Yes, yes of course."

She did just that, and then returned to the break table.

'She'll be ok now, ' I thought as I pushed open the door and headed up the street.

After a two-block walk, I was at the Coastal Towers Hotel. The place was old, it dated from the early nineteen hundreds, but was clean and private. It seemed that I would have to delay my departure, for a bit anyway.

I got a room and went up to settle in and think. Once inside I sat in the chair by the window and looked out at the harbor. All manner of shipping was moving to and fro on the gray waters. It was a restful scene.

Suddenly the 'shoe' dropped, figuratively speaking, I had made the check out for too much money! The bank now had to notify the federal government and who knew who else? Large amounts of money were now tracked for national security, and any other reason that the government could come up with, to curtail our freedoms. I went to my bag and pulled the book out and asked, "Book? How can I stop the bank from notifying the government?"

The pages fluttered back and forth and stopped at a shielding spell, as before the spell was on the right hand page and the book used the page on the left to communicate with me.

"This spell should cloud the minds of those involved, and stop any interference."

It took less time to get my mouth to form the words properly this time and I cast the spell to stop any interference with the check. It seemed to me that my magic was getting stronger with each spell that I cast. I was, however, finding this type of magic tedious to say the least. I sat and thought on the subject and had a flash if insight, well ... at least I thought it was insight.

I went to the book again and asked, "Book? Is it possible to cast these spells by setting up a key word?"

"Yes your predecessor did just that himself, but to do that you must first understand the words and be proficient in their use. In other words you need to know the full spells."

"Oh, well. It was a thought," I muttered and then asked, "Will this same spell shield me from notice as I go about this job of saving Carol and her friends?"

"No, this spell is for things, inanimate objects, not people but the spell on the next page will do as you ask."

I flipped the page and found a much more complex spell, at least twice as long as the one preceding. With a heavy sigh I set about learning to pronounce the horrendously complex words of the spell. In the middle of the lesson I had a thought.

I asked, "Book is there a spell that will help me to speak these words more fluently?"

Nothing happened for a full three minutes, I was beginning to get antsy and almost repeated the question when the book began to thrash the pages back and forth in a very violent manner. When the thrashing stopped the book lay open to a blank page.

"Book there is nothing written here. Please explain."

"In all of the centuries there has never been a need for such a spell. Normally the magic language is taught to the young right along with their native tongue. However, in your case that was not possible. Therefore you must write the spell yourself."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that when I don't know the magic language in the first place?" I asked in a peeved manner.

"I will assist you, of course. You will write the spell in your tongue and then I will translate. However, you must consider all that needs to happen in your mind and eyes and mouth."

"Er ... what?" I asked totally confused. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe I should just try to learn the spells the way I have been, and forget this for now."

"I would not recommend that. It takes far too long a time, and there is a much greater chance that you will get a word or phrase wrong. That kind of thing could kill people ... even, perhaps, you! Besides you will have a need to cast many spells in a short time to complete your task of saving the woman and her friends. It is best to expend the time, now, and then be fluent when needed."

"You're right, of course, but I still have no idea what you were talking about."

"Just think on this, then. You first must see the written words, then process them in your mind. You must first hear the words before you process them in your mind. You must understand the alphabet and then how the letters make sounds, before you are able to form words and speak them fluently. And finally you must understand the grammatical construction, before you form sentences. Does that help you?"

"Yes that helps a great deal."

For the rest of the day we went back and forth, me attempting to write the spell in English and Book correcting my mistakes. Finally, by ten that night I was surrounded by a pile of notes but we had what was the English form of the spell that covered all of the required bases.

I gathered all of the notes together, took up the magic pen that came with the book. I wrote the complete spell, one sentence at a time, in the book on the right hand page. Each time that I finished a sentence, Book translated it into the magic language. By eleven we were ready. I spoke the spell in the magic tongue.

As soon as I had finished the incantation I became very dizzy, my brain burned, my ears popped, my eyes watered and burned, and my tongue felt as if there were a million needles pricking it.

I fell to the floor and lay there for one or two minutes, I was too disoriented to know truly how long, then all of the discomfort stopped. I felt weak but lucid.

After taking a deep breath I struggled to my feet and fell into bed. Slowly I regained my equilibrium.

An hour later, I felt normal again. I rose to my feet. I went to the book and asked to see spell after spell. I UNDERSTOOD THEM ALL!!!

The very next thing I did, was cast the spell that would shield me from interference in the task at hand.

By now it was two AM, and I had not eaten since the previous morning. I decided to return to the diner, and have something to eat before turning in. Unlike the previous morning Carol was not there. In fact none of the staff from the day before was on duty.

I just went to the booth that I liked, sat down, and waited for the waitress. There were two waitresses this time, one to cover the counter and the other to cover the booths. Both were middle aged. They seemed happy, almost giddy in fact, as they went about their business.

"What kin I git ya, Honey?" asked the zaftig blond who, for her age, looked quite attractive.

I looked at her nametag and said, "Well, Marge, I'd like steak and eggs with hash browns and black coffee."

"Ok, but ya didn't say how ya wanted ya eggs."

"Oh, yeah. Let's make them over easy, and add an order of English muffins with strawberry jam, please."

"Ya got it, Honey," she said with a big smile.

"Thanks Marge, and could I have the coffee right away, please."

"Shore thing."

She walked quickly back behind the counter to the open 'pass through' window. She hooked the order slip onto a wire strung across the top of the window.

Then she yelled out, "Order, Shirley!"

Marge then grabbed a cup and saucer, turned and headed for the huge coffee urn. Suddenly she stopped, backtracked and set the cup and saucer down. She then reached for a big mug and went to fill it with the good brew that I knew was there.

"Ya look like a mug man ta me," she said as she set the steaming mug down in front of me."

"For sure and for certain," I said with a smile. "You know I was here last night and the place didn't seem any where near as happy. What's up?"

I wondered how much she would tell me.

"Well, Hon, we got dished up a whole lotta hope, yesterday. That's all I kin say."

"Order up," said a female voice from the kitchen.

Marge trotted off to the pass through, picked up three plates, and went to the booth nearest the front where three scruffy looking teens were waiting for their food.

I suddenly got a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I calmly stood, picked up my coffee and nonchalantly walked toward the front of the diner. I stopped next to the wait station and watched quietly as the three boys gave Marge a hard time.

It was obvious that the boys thought that they were hot shits. As long as things were only verbal I let it go. Unfortunately things turned physical rapidly. One of the boys grabbed at Marge's breast, she stabbed his hand with her pencil, and he screamed and fell back into the booth nursing his injured hand—the pencil had gone right through. One of the other boys jumped up and grabbed the poor woman from behind, ripped open her uniform and tore her bra. He then began to maul her naked breasts before she even knew what was going on.

"HEY, DIRT BAG! LEAVE THE WOMAN ALONE!" I yelled.

The two uninjured boys turned toward me and sneered, the one boy that appeared to be the leader was still sitting in his seat, he asked me, "Whatcha gonna do buddy? We out number ya."

I stayed next to the wait station and asked sarcastically, "Really?"

I picked up a saucer and hurled it like a frizz be. The saucer hit the kid that was molesting Marge just over the right eyebrow and he went down like a stone.

Marge bent over. Clutching her torn uniform together, she ran for cover.

"Looks even to me now. One of you is unconscious and the other is wounded, so that just leaves you and me," I said to the mouthy kid as I walked quickly to the front of the diner. I now stood between them and the door. Like a cornered rat he attacked me with a knife. I sidestepped enough to allow him to pass by me but I did grab at the hand holding the knife and then, using his own momentum I swung him in a circle. The look of surprise on his face was priceless, just before he impacted the wall. He went out like a light in a spatter of blood as his face slammed against the wall crushing his nose.

I looked at the first boy, the one that had started the whole thing, and said, "You little shits really think that you are something special don't you. Well, Mr. Special Boy do you want to have a go at me instead of a poor defenseless woman?"

"She ain't defenseless," he said holding up his bloody hand, "And no. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Good now you be a good little boy and sit right where you are. The police will want to have a word with you and your friends."

I didn't trust the young thug so I just called over my shoulder and asked, "Waitress, did you call 911?"

She didn't answer me and I began to worry that there might be another thug. I backed up to the door, thus blocking any exit and looked for the waitress. She wasn't there! I was alone with the three boys.

"I CALLED THE COPS, BUDDY," yelled Shirley from the kitchen.

"GOOD. IS MARGE OK?" I yelled back.

"I'M NOT SURE. SHE IS SHAKING TERRIBLY AND WON'T TALK TO US."

"Say could you please come out here so we don't have to keep yelling?"

"IS IT SAFE, NOW?"

"YES."

A short rotund woman of indeterminate age waddled out through the double swinging doors, surveyed the scene and said, "Ok, then."

She stopped and looked at the boys, "Oh, them! They have been building up to something like this. Always starting trouble, and each time worse than the time before."

"Shirley, is it?"

"Yes."

"I think that Marge may be going into shock if she will not talk to you."

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Shirley with a very concerned look on her face.

"Yes, you need to get her to lie down and put her feet higher than her head and don't use a pillow. Then cover her with a blanket or something else, we need to keep her warm."

"Oh my, ok ... But we don't have any blankets here ... I mean..."

The woman was now totally flustered.

"Shirley? SHIRLEY!" I called to get her attention. "Take my coat and use it."

Now that she had something concrete to do she quickly disappeared into the kitchen with my leather trenchcoat. Several minutes later she was back.

"Ruth put down a bunch of towels on the floor and then we put Marge down like you said with her feet up on a chair and then we covered her with your coat. We tucked her in real good. Is there anything else?"