Jasper: Purple Flamingos Fly at Midnight (Jasper - Purple Flamingos Fly at Midnight Book 1)

by Refner, Daniel

  A new voice spoke. “Fresh, now there is a term I have never heard in the description of Hell. Let me help you to your feet, or paws, as they are,” Abbadorn the angel replied. He touched them both with his hands, and a warm emerald light pulsed out from him and restored them to perfect health. Jasper stood. He was covered in dirt. “My, you know how to make an entrance, but so did your parents. You are a filthy mess. Hold still for a second, I can fix this.” Abbadorn waved his hand over Jasper’s body, and in the blink of an eye he was spotless from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

  Abbadorn stood just over six feet tall. His smile was as warm as his touch, his eyes a sparkling silver, his hair shiny blond, and his complexion a smooth, golden tan. He was barefoot and wore loose, flowing garments of pure white. They had a life-like look all their own. A soft blue aura surrounded his entire being.

  “Who are you? What is this place?” Jasper asked, sounding as normal and nonchalant as he could be. It was as if he was asking for directions from a gas station attendant. This was the new normal. He had accepted that; nothing could surprise him at this point in his journey, or at least he thought that way.

  Abbadorn looked a little miffed that the human boy wasn’t more astonished by his actions. “Just a second, let me adjust. I was hoping for a bigger reaction, and I have to say, Jasper, I am a little disappointed. However, in the vain attempt of trying not to bore you, I shall answer your questions. My name is Abbadorn. I am currently a gatekeeper assigned to the post prison of Hell. I have been here nearly 17 years. My job is to make sure the gates of Hell stay closed. Welcome, you have arrived at The Bosom of Abraham. You are roughly 1730 miles below the surface of the earth, or about 70 miles above the Earth’s outer core.”

  “Your name is Abbadorn…an angel was the best man at my parents’ wedding…and are you also the angel who helped the monks and sisters navigate the lava slide transport? Wait a minute, how do you know my name? We just met.”

  “That is not correct. This is the first time you can remember, but we first met in the delivery room when you and your brother were born and I never forget a soul. I am a good friend of your parents. My colleague, her name is Bell; we managed to bring Dester and Rosezella together, and the rest is, how they say, stupid cupid history.” Abbadorn bent down to pet the dog. “Volnar, he was the angel that provided the assistance you speak of. Now my turn for some questions: how did you activate the slide and why are you here almost a full year ahead of schedule? Have you become a Lightworker?”

  “Funny you should mention Bell.” But Jasper wasn’t smiling; he walked over to the edge of the Chasm. He looked straight across to the gates of Hell. It must have been a half mile away. He then looked down and it seemed as if the chasm was a bottomless abyss. It went on and on into total darkness. Next he looked up. The ceiling in the distance must have been seven miles straight up. The sky was orange, the sand was red…This place could pass for Mars. Jasper sat down with his legs dangling over the side. “Come sit down next to me, Abbadorn. I need to tell you how I met Bell.”

  For the next hour Jasper retold his entire journey. Abbadorn had few questions; mostly he sat in silence, taking it all in. He was emotional, showing anger over the death of Bell at the hands of Gezon and confusion over her ability to separate her energy essence into Jasper and Thunder. Abbadorn’s best expression came when Jasper told him about the key. Was it hope or joy, Jasper wasn’t sure.

  “So your dog Thunder is actually a horse. Wow! Humans…you are always changing things up. I can hardly believe it.”

  “If you were to ask me yesterday if I believed in angels, demons, ghosts, heaven, hell, or shape-shifting horses, I would have asked you what drugs you were on. At least I know aliens aren’t real.”

  “Aliens are real.”

  “Stop it. No way. Wow!” Jasper was surprised.

  “No, really. Our Heavenly Father created all life, aliens too. Most of them love the Father, but some have followed the way of the Luciferian rebellion. The war still rages between many different star systems. Humanity is hated in just about every corner of the known universe.”

  “So you’ve been here 17 years. What is your job?”

  “Simple, I guard that gate and protect the lava slide and the entrance to the great valley just over that first hill. No demon can pass through the gates of Hell by their own means; they have to have help, like being summoned in order to escape. I’m here to stop that help and prevent them from going into the valley and killing those that still live there. The purpose behind the prison of Hell was originally to hold all the fallen angels that were transformed into demons. Later it would come to be the repository of rotten souls-the likes of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, and we are reserving a special spot for all those ‘90s boy bands of America.” Abbadorn cut loose with a hearty laugh.

  “Hey, I happen to like the Backstreet Boys.” Jasper paused for a second, and he whistled for Thunder to come to his side. Thunder promptly ran over and delivered a lick across the back of Jasper’s ear. “Yuck, I don’t need a bath, Thunder. Lay down, boy. No wandering off on your own.” He looked back to the angel. “Abbadorn, you said there are living persons over that hill. How is that possible?”

  “Well…not everyone dies…but the purpose of The Bosom of Abraham was to establish a holding place for the good souls of the departed, a place of rest while they waited for the blood sacrifice of God’s only Son to finally transpire. After that event occurred, the Son of God came here and offered to take all who believed in him up to heaven. Most went, but some chose to stay until the end of the age. We also have some guest residents, certain people in history who have been given special spiritual dispensation, like Elijah, for example. These individuals, by the will and very purpose of our Father in heaven, never died a physical death. Some have lived so long around the spirit realm that they just cannot return to the human realm or they would surely die in a matter of days. Like your great grandfather Theodore Indiana, for example. His home is not far away.”

  “WHAT! Why didn’t you say my great granddad was here?” Jasper jumped to his feet and started to run toward the hill. Thunder was right behind him.

  “Jasper, wait, there is more you need to know. Stop! I can take you there.” Abbadorn rose in the air to follow Jasper. “Humans, they do everything the hard way.”

  “MALOOF!” Thunder was now in horse form, and Jasper wasted no time in jumping onto his back. Together they charged up the hill.

  Abbadorn floated above and shook his head. This is the impulsive human vessel the Lord chose to safeguard the key. Well, who am I to judge. I did not think much of that boy David, and he turned out to be a good king. At least this boy has a magic horse, which has to be better than a sling and three smooth stones. Abbadorn began to rise in the air to a much higher vantage point to witness what was to happen next. “Is a dull and quiet century too much to ask for?”

  chAPTER twenty-three

  Three hours had passed since Jasper and Thunder were taken into the lava slide. The staging room was drained and cleanup efforts were in full swing. Teams of engineers worked to reinforce what was left of the Roman-style columns. They also patched holes in the cement floor. It was noisy with the sounds of drills and jackhammers echoing off the walls. It was worse than attempting to endure nails scratching across the face of a chalkboard. It drove all nonessential personnel up to the ground floor. Some went outside for fresh air; others just needed an excuse to pollute their lungs with cigarette smoke. The lava slide staging room was a mess. There wasn’t much left to work with, so large timbers were brought in to provide support to the walls surrounding the pearl glass doors. It would be a couple more hours of hard work before safety was restored to the structure. Meanwhile, another set of engineers worked to refill the hydro coolant holding tanks. It was by far the most activity the palace had seen in 17 years.

  Not very far away, a British government plane landed, and the passengers disembarking from the
plane were quickly escorted into a black SUV. A short time later the vehicle arrived in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse where the command staff waited to greet them. Agent Tate emerged first from the front passenger side while Lance came around from the driver’s side to open the door for Aunt Debbie-Lynne. She stumbled, and Lance scooped her up before she managed to hit the pavement face-first. They held onto each other for a brief moment longer than need be. It was an awkward moment, and Agent Tate could not suppress her smile and she forced herself to turn away.

  Sir Lord Bucket greeted the newcomers. Introductions had barely been made when Stacy bounded across the walkway. She threw her arms around Jasper’s aunt in a tight embrace of relief.

  “Oh, my dear heart, what you must have been through in the last couple of days is just horrific. Don’t let it shake your faith, my dear. I’m here now, and it’s all going to be okay.” Aunt Debbie-Lynne cupped Stacy’s face between her hands and locked her reassuring eyes onto her with the warmest of smiles.

  Stacy was instantly comforted. For a moment all was calm in her world. That moment ended in a matter of seconds when she finally took a step backward to size up the rest of the newcomers. There was good old Lance the English butler of the Indiana estate and then there was Ms. Tammy Sue Tate, her homeroom civics teacher. Yup, the calm was gone.

  “Aunt Debbie-Lynne…what is my homeroom teacher doing here?” Stacy rudely pointed her index finger in Agent Tate’s direction. She was perplexed, and the tone of her voice was somewhere between “glad to see you” and “WTF.”

  However, Aunt Debbie-Lynne didn’t answer, because she had another person on her mind at the moment. “Where are Jasper and Thunder?”

  Sir Lord Bucket stepped forward in a most commanding way, capturing their attention. “If you would all accompany me to the control room, I will brief you on the current events and give everyone a chance to get on the same page with the information we share as a collective group. Follow me, if you please.”

  Lieutenant Commander Reginald Mop was overseeing the last of the cleanup efforts and therefore was unavailable to join the group for debriefing. An hour later the intercom in the center of the conference table went off. “Sir Lord Bucket, this is Lieutenant Commander Reginald Mop here. The lava slide staging room is now operational, and we seem to be losing power to the slide by the second. Please advise your instructions.”

  “I will be right there.” Bucket stood from his chair and invited the group to follow him into the control room. When they arrived, the very first thing Stacy noticed was the window blast shields were still lowered, blocking the view of the staging room. However, the very first thing the Lieutenant Commander noticed was Agent Tammy Sue Tate.

  Reginald’s tongue went numb, his feet wouldn’t cooperate and he went weak at the knees. This was love at first sight. Reginald had felt lost and lonely his entire life, but in this moment he was filled with the warm glow of love. Never mind the slight differences that came from living in separate countries. This was it; he could barely breathe. Something inside him told him this wasn’t lust but pure love. He had to introduce himself and wow her in the very moment. His first impression needed to be a lasting one.

  “This is Lieutenant Commander Reginald Mop. Mop, you remember Lance, and allow me to introduce to you Jasper’s aunt, Debbie-Lynne Indiana, and from the FBI, Special Agent Tammy Sue Tate.” Mop attempted to shake her hand but lost his balance while moving around the control console and accidentally knocked the blast shield remote onto the floor.

  “Mop! You klutz, that is an eighty-dollar remote.” Bucket rolled his eyes, then began speaking in a whisper that ended up in a scream. “Please conduct yourself in a professional manner, or I’ll have you removed from my sight, you bloody idiot!” Bucket’s verbal reprimand seemed a little over the top, but to him it was proportionate only to the size of his embarrassment. It was tense; no one moved or spoke a word. Finally Bucket sighed, realizing that he had lost control for a moment. “Mop, would you please pick up that remote and raise the blast shields from the observation windows so our visitors can view the lava slide staging room.” Mop did as instructed and the group moved to the window. “It was Margaret Tudor who rediscovered the lava slide chamber long after the original monks had disappeared. Margaret wrote it all down in her diary, which was passed down to every female relative in her family line and directly into the hands of Rosezella Tudor. Rosezella met Dester Indiana, they married, and a year after that Rosezella gave birth to twin boys, Calvin and Jasper. Ten months after the twins’ birth, black shadow figures started showing up at the manor. Two months later Calvin was murdered, Dester and Rosezella went missing and Jasper ended up in Allegan to live with his aunt. And now here we all stand. Jasper and his dog have been taken into the lava slide, and we have no way to activate it.”

  “Jasper brought his dog on the lava slide?” Agent Tate inquired.

  “Yes, he did. Thunder arrived with Stacy and Jasper from the Indiana manor. Their escape brought them here. It is all in Lance’s report, if you’d like to review it,” Mop replied eagerly to Agent Tate.

  Bucket looked directly at Mop and cleared his throat in the hopes it would bring Reggie’s feet back to the earth. Mop’s lips were moistening and Bucket wonder if he was going to start drooling.

  “Thunder isn’t a dog…he is a horse,” Agent Tate said with pause.

  “No, sorry, Agent Tate, but Thunder is most distinctly part of the canine species.” Mop was standing right next to her and barely audible.

  “He is both,” Stacy commented. All eyes were now on her. Whether she had let that bit of information out on purpose or it was a subconscious slip, she knew not, but if Jasper and Thunder were taken against their will, as it appeared to have happened, then the game had changed. She wasn’t betraying Jasper’s confidence; she was presenting facts that could help in a rescue. Regardless, she couldn’t take it back, and no one in this room was going to let her off the hook without explaining. The truth was going to come out eventually, so Stacy began her story.

  “On Friday, the school day started with a two-hour fog delay and Jasper took Thunder out for a ride. He found three glowing orbs down at the creek. He discovered he was out of time, so he placed them in Thunder’s saddle bag and went to school. After he was attacked by Ned and Lester he left the school, I drove him home to get a change of clothes, and he was going to have Aunt Debbie-Lynne accompany him back to school to make a formal complaint. He stopped to check in on Thunder but found a wounded angel. Those glowing orbs were her all along; she was attempting to muster enough energy to appear in human form. Her name was Bell. She had suffered a fatal blow from her battle with the demon named Gezon. I can only assume that Bell felt the stall was a demon free safe zone. She knew she hadn’t much time before her creation life force would default back to the Father in heaven so she divided herself into three parts, kind of her own trinity; she sent one part of herself into Thunder and two parts into Jasper. Jasper and Thunder now communicate through the power of thought, and Thunder can shape shift into any other animal forms that Jasper can imagine. There is no limit on what Thunder can become.”

  As Stacy finished, a beeping noise came over the control console. Mop looked down and read the display. “That is it, sir. No more power to the slide. It is completely deactivated, and now we have no way to go after Jasper and his dog, hmmm, horse.”

  “That is not entirely true.” Aunt Debbie-Lynne looked to Agent Tate and Lance. “The music case, if you please. I think it’s my turn to tell a story about a trumpet.”

  Agent Tate and Lance made their way to the lava slide staging room. Meanwhile, Aunt Debbie-Lynne told her story in the control room. After she concluded her story, excitement washed over Bucket. He was smiling from ear to ear, pleased as punch that they no longer needed that key to activate the slide. Bucket ordered Mop to alert the full staff, and in moments all teams were in place. Armed soldiers swarmed into the staging room, some with machine guns and the rest with hydro
packs. Bucket used the intercom to speak to Agent Tate and Lance. “Proceed to activate the slide.”

  Agent Tate placed the trumpet case in Lance’s outstretched arms. She opened it and found the trumpet was aglow with a muted blood red shine once again. How or why, it did not matter to her at the moment. She lifted it up and touched the bell of the trumpet flat against the pearl glass doors. Orange light misted out and away from the doors in every direction. Sparks flew across the whole of the staging room, and the entire building shook. The door began to speak again, giving a current status. Up in the control room every console had bristled to life with the dizziness of a merry-go-round. They had power, and lots of it. Agent Tate placed the trumpet back in the case, but the power remained.

  Bucket voiced the only orders he could. “Assemble an expedition away team Mop, heavily armed; it is time to go down the slide.”

  chAPTER twenty-four

  He heard the noise first; that is how he knew which direction to look. He stood up from his rocking chair to get a better look, but all he could see was a red dirt cloud rising up into the air. Something or someone was about to come over the last hill between the opening of the valley and the lava slide, and it was traveling fast. He waited, just like he had the day before yesterday, and the week before that; so many years had gone by he had lost count of them all. Then he saw it, a horse with a rider who looked just like…“DESTER! Oh, Dester, you’ve come back to me.” Teddy Indiana ran off his front porch so quickly that he immediately fell to the ground face-first, tripping over his untied shoes. He landed so hard he made his very own red cloud of dirt. His shoes sailed forward over his head as he rolled to a stop.