by Mark Boliek
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“We need to go see Judge Porter,” Jenny explained. “He can overturn the decision with new evidence in the case.” Jenny slipped another sheet of paper from her folder. “You see, under the law, any decision can be appealed. The problem with this case is that there has never been a chance for appeal. In certain circumstances—special circumstances—the judge can actually overturn the decision from the bench.” Jenny put her hand on JT's shoulder. JT felt a tingle shoot through him, but more of comfort than anything else, though Jenny’s demeanor and personality had begun to grow on him. "We just might have a shot with this. Once Judge Porter hears your story of losing your memory and practically being lost on a farm, I am hopeful—no, almost certain—he will overturn the decision. Then we can save Warhead Dale. That has to qualify as a special circumstance. We just have to get the decision overturned before any sale is made during the auction.” Jenny exhaled, very pleased with what she had accomplished.
“I have also learned that there is one particular man very interested in bidding on the property. Rumor has it that a lot of strange closed door meetings have been happening between this man and the bank. Good thing I work there. I only get bits and pieces, but, from the buzz around the office, this guy seriously wants Warhead Dale.”
JT felt odd. This twist had snuck up on him like a cat on a mouse. The opportunity to save his grandfather’s house came quicker than he realized. What would he do if he saved the house? Would it be worth keeping it? From what he knew, the mahogany door didn’t work anymore anyway. He had tried it. Maybe he could sneak into the house in the next few days and remove the door from the house. Then whoever wanted the house could just take it. He had saved Bruinduer and his grandfather, not to mention himself, from destruction. Wasn’t that enough? He had done what was asked of him. Yet JT had a feeling in the back of his mind, tugging at him like a lost child.
He wanted more.
He wanted to save the house and go back to Bruinduer. It can give him anything he wanted. It crossed his mind that what happened with Michael wouldn’t happen again. He’d be more careful and follow the rules more closely. He would do it right. Michael just couldn’t control the power of Bruinduer and Billy. Billy was more on JT’s side than on Michael’s anyway. It would be easy for him to control. Michael had told him that numerous times in the first place.
Plus, he had begun to feel affection for the big house by the sea. Maybe he could fix it up and ask Louise and Gregory to come live there. That way Gregory would not have to farm anymore. Life could be grand and painless.
“So when do we go see this Judge Porter?” JT asked, a newfound excitement in his voice.
Jenny’s eyes lit up. She was animated at JT’s words. “Well, he is not in court today. He is only in court on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We’ll have to get there really early tomorrow.”
JT was concerned about Michael. He had only seen him briefly in the last few days, but they did not talk much as they cleaned up the diner. JT, addicted to reading his grandfather's journal, went to his room very quickly after work, barely even saying anything to Linda.
JT knew Michael was spending a lot of time with Jenny, gathering documents to help save his grandfather’s house. JT could see that his friend liked Jenny. After the dinner rush and cleaning, Michael shot out of the diner as quickly as possible, only managing a quick goodbye to his sister.
JT had wanted to tag along a few nights. When he mentioned wanting to find out what they were doing, but Michael had insisted that he stay behind. JT, grateful for what Michael and Jenny were doing for him, didn’t push the issue. He wished he could help by remembering more.
“Never turn help down from people who are willing,” Gregory always told him, while he labored away at chores on the farm. JT had always hated the fact that his knee was not as limber as a normal person’s. He would try to accomplish tasks that he probably never should have tried, such as lifting hay bales. JT would struggle with the bales as he stacked them in the horse barn’s loft. Just about the time he got frustrated by trying to stack the highest bales of hay, Gregory would arrive with a helpful strong hand or a day laborer hired for the harvest would take on the extra load. JT always felt worthless after this happened, but neither Gregory nor the young men minded in the least in helping him out. “Turning down help only compounds the problem and never presents a solution. Plus, the job gets done quicker with help.”
“I just want to say thanks, Jenny. I don’t know how any of this would have happened if not for you and Michael. I know I might not show it that well, but I really do appreciate the help.” JT smiled. He wished he had reasons to smile more; secretly, Linda did, too.
Jenny blushed, her blonde hair appearing more electric and her spirits lightened as a rush of energy shot through her veins. “You are so very welcome, JT. I am just glad I could help.” She stood up and walked toward the door. She paused, grabbed the jamb, and swung around, her eyes big. “Tomorrow, early in the morning. We want to be the first ones there, okay?”
“Yes, most definitely,” JT answered.
Jenny left and JT settled in to read. The night wavered and JT held tightly to his grandfather’s journal. The book, though obviously weathered, still held the strong smell of leather and traces of oil. JT could almost taste the adventure that brushed its pages.
JT read on, as his grandfather and his crew tracked the man known as the Munch up and across the Orange River in southern Africa. One particular entry rattled his nerves as he read it.
March 13
Today I find it hard to take pen to paper. I am utterly disturbed by what my crew and I experienced today. Firsthand, we saw what this madman we hunt can do to humanity. I can scarcely describe the small community we came upon. It looked like a rotten, hollowed-out hole, comparable to a decomposed, gutted Jack-o-lantern after Halloween. It seemed like the area around the township imploded on it. A dark, burnt central cavern looked like a bomb had exploded. It smoldered under what I could only describe as the heat of hell, stretching its black tentacles to the edge of the jungle.
The smell, my friend, was so putrid that I had to place a handkerchief over my mouth and nose to keep my gag reflex at bay. I could not save our chaplain from expelling every morsel of breakfast he had ingested that morning onto the shoes of my weapons officer, who was unfazed by it. The price of a new pair of shoes could never seem meaningful in the face of what we witnessed.
I only pray that, if there is a God in Heaven, he will see fit to wipe out this thing and see he commits no more atrocities. If God has seen fit to use me to do this work, I can only say that I take the mission upon myself with the most joyful effort. It moves my heart to think that I shall witness the end of the Munch personally.
JT awoke with a shock. Right before his eyes sprang open, he felt a breath of air from the dense jungle his grandfather chopped his way through, searching for the Munch.
The dark, thick air wrapped his body in a fragrance rich in bark and mud, beautiful and frightening at the same time. He heard Billy’s unmistakable deep laugh.
The dream was as real as any of the dreams where he had spoken to his grandfather. In that instance, he felt that Ol' Captain Luke still existed, but he could not forget that Michael and Charlie had both agreed that his visions might be Billy, reaching out to manipulate his thoughts and fears by transforming himself into the likeness of the old seafarer.
JT, who had argued that his grandfather had been the real visitor in his dreams, was ashamed to admit that he sometimes wondered if it had been Billy. Could it all be happening again? Could Billy be trying to reach him in this quick burst of a dream? He did not mind the intrusion this time. He knew Billy’s true, noble intentions. This time, because of that last moment of dream contact, JT felt something was wrong. But what?
JT’s anxiety grew as he placed his feet on the floor beside his bed. He dug his toes in the rug on the cold, tile floor. The new life he had started in Athens Eden was molding itself into something mu
ch different than his life on the Shorts’ farm. He felt Gregory and Louise were always there to protect him from danger, but, now, that shelter was not there.
Focused on the possibility of saving Warhead Dale, he got dressed in his gray t-shirt and jeans and waited for Jenny. He sat on the edge of the bed with his hands on his thighs, not really knowing what would happen or even how to act. An overpowering doubt rang through his head: what if the judgment of the court went against him? What would happen with the mahogany door? Would the old mansion really be destroyed? Would it be okay if he lost the case and spent the rest of his life in the back of Linda’s diner or back at the farm? Would it all be safe? Would this mysterious potential buyer Jenny mentioned have something more sinister in mind if he or she got control of the house?
He looked at the ebony cane with the skull and crossbone handle. The rich ruby eyes glowed in the eye sockets. Though he possessed the cane, Kali had the power to unleash it and open the mahogany door. It was still, however, his walking stick.
He stood up, grabbed the cane and limped to the front of the diner. The smell of coffee and the sound of forks clanking against plates immediately filled his senses.
He sat on a counter stool and Linda slid breakfast to him, a nice heap of eggs, bacon, and grits.
The silver bell of the diner rang out, its chime cutting through the clatter and smells to tickle JT’s ear. He turned to the door and Jenny walked in, professionally dressed in a navy blue suit and a white blouse with a broad collar, and carrying a briefcase. JT fidgeted on his stool; he felt a tad bit undressed. Only Michael was missing and he was nowhere to be seen.
Jenny plopped down beside JT and flung her briefcase onto the counter. “So, you ready for the big day?”
The mood in the dinner suddenly turned quite odd. The patrons glanced up at the pair sitting at the counter. Some mumbled incoherently under their breath. The people of Athens Eden knew that a hearing on Warhead Dale would be held that day.
JT could feel the eyes. He had hoped that citizens of Athens Eden had finally let go of their grudge against him, but now he realized they had just been waiting for something—anything—to happen. Now they could express their displeasure about the long ago “incident” with Charlie again. His hope dashed, he felt sure they did not want him to win the judgment.
Jenny recognized the scene. “It’s okay. The whole town knows about what’s going on. Word has traveled fast—a little too fast—but try not to worry about it. We aren’t doing this for them. We are doing this for your grandfather.”
“Where's Michael?” JT asked. It felt weird not seeing him all of the time. In fact, he was still concerned about not seeing him much in the last couple of days. In a way, he liked being alone to think and read, but he missed Michael at the diner. He thought Michael would have at least gone with him to the hearing as a show of support.
“Um,” Jenny started. “He's afraid. He made me promise I wouldn't tell you this, but I think you might need to know. He's afraid you don't want to see him anymore. You have been leaving work and going back in the back room to bury your nose in that journal. Michael thinks you are still angry at him.”
JT paused. He was still mad at Michael, but he knew he had to move on from that feeling. He just did not know how. He had always had a hard time dealing with his emotions. Now, he wanted to understand Michael's motives in the Vryheid world, but he needed time to sort things out. He did miss Michael being around, though.
“I'm still working through what happened in Bruinduer.” JT looked down. “I guess I'm also not used to being someone's friend. I got so used to being by myself on the farm that I really don't know how to act around other people. I guess I've been really bad at that, huh?”
“I'm sure Michael understands, deep down inside. It just took him so long to find you that I think he might be scared he's going to lose you again. He might just believe that if you think even a little less of him, you will leave.” Jenny started toward the door. “Well, I hate to cut this short, but we need to get to Judge Porter as soon as possible.”
“Right.” JT grabbed his cane and limped out of Linda's diner behind Jenny. As he passed through the patrons sitting and eating their food, a silence fell over the room. The only sounds were the tap of JT’s cane and the ring of the silver bell hanging from the door.