“I deny”.
“Let this be recorded in the docket” the Judge addressed the court-clerk aloud.
The prosecutor turned to the judge and said, “May I be allowed to produce one crime expert?”
The judge in white wig nodded in assent.
An old man wearing a white overcoat and holding a small plastic box came forward, and stood in the witness box.
“You may give your testimony” the judge said.
The old man opened the plastic lid and took out a small forceps from his pocket. He pulled out a small semi-transparent film from his box and held it high. “This sample was sent to our crime-lab from Iceland the following day of the assassination. Our crime-experts have compared it with the fingerprint of the defendant, and they match exactly. As a double check, they have consulted the spirits for confirmation. This proves beyond doubt that the defendant was present at the site of crime” He took a breath and said “That’s all I have to say, my Lord”
“Well, you may leave now” the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor turned to the defendant and spoke in a serious tone “That was your first lie. With each lie you utter, you are automatically increasing the severity of your penalty” He bent his index finger and tapped it’s end forcefully at the chest of the defendant, as if trying to hammer his point into the defendants head “Now remember, this is your last chance to come out with a clean confession. I have heaps of evidences and lots of witnesses lined up to throw you inside to rot till the end of your days”
The defendant’s lawyer rose up, with a file held tightly between his elbow and ribs. “Objections, my Lord!” he said “But the section 153 Clause 3d, clearly states that confession can’t be extracted through threatening. Besides, use of any physical means like poking with fingers is purely unethical”
“Don’t teach me law” the judge fumed “Objection overruled!”
The prosecutor grinned, and addressed the defendant “I am offering you a plea bargain; my last offer, to plead guilty. You can avoid conviction of serious charges-like charges of felony, which is punishable with death, if you confess the truth. Decide quickly”.
The defendant half-Elf looked deeply undecided, clutching his hairs as he weighed the options desperately. His lawyer was also in a deep dilemma. The entire court was dead silent with suspense.
The defendant broke down, holding his face in his hand and sobbing.
“I’ll confess” he whispered.
The courtroom again fell silent.
A few people were still pouring in one by one as the trial proceeded. Then Ded Moroz himself arrived. His face looked grave and hardened, quite unlike his smiling face on the portrait.
A young, beautiful lady followed Ded Moroz. Jack’s heart gave a kick and he sat stiff and alert. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief “It can’t be true. She is alive!” He muttered to himself.
Ded Moroz took a seat at the left end of the front, reserved row, of the gallery. The young lady sat just in front of Jack, in the front row of the gallery, just behind the railing bar, to get a closer view.
Jack pinched himself hard. He felt the sharp pain. The same golden hair, the same bluish-green eyes…Jack touched her to see if she was real.
“Yes mister?” she turned around and asked.
“Oh, nothing! Err…what is your name?” Jack managed to stammer.
She gave a faint smile “You don’t know me?” she pointed to Moroz and said “I am granddaughter of Ded Moroz. My name is ‘Snegurochka’-which means ‘snow maiden’ in Russian”.
Her words felt like music to Jack’s ears. There is no mistake. It is the same voice! Even her skin is snow-white like my dead sister.
Jack’s thoughts were abruptly shattered by the prosecutor’s voice. “Do you challenge any of the evidences or charges mentioned in the ‘bill of information’?” the prosecutor asked the defendant “Do you claim any of that evidence as fabricated?”
“No” the defendant half-Elf replied.
“Do you confess having a hand in the murder of elf-leader Martini?”
“I didn’t murder Martini” the defendant sobbed, “I was at the site, as a lookout to warn the other two elves in case of brewing trouble”.
“Who were the other two Elves?”
“I don’t know. None of us were disclosed the identity of the other two”.
“Who hired you?” the prosecutor asked sternly.
“I really don’t know his or her identity either. I was given a password for all necessary communications. We were hired for ‘prickly rose’ organization”.
Jack almost jumped at the mention of ‘prickly rose’. It was the sort of information Jack was waiting impatiently to come out during the proceeding. He knew instantly, without a trace of doubt, that the defendant was confessing the truth. It was the code name of one ‘sub-unit’ of Santa’s devilish unit headed by Belsnickel under Jack’s supervision. Jack had seen the file of enlisted personnel in ‘prickly rose’ himself. But nowhere was Mr.Alfonso Salfar’s name mentioned. That means Belsnickel merely hired them for that particular task, without intimating Jack.
Belsnickel defied my orders and interfered in Elf-land politics Jack concluded.
“…Would you like to say something in your defense?” the prosecutor asked.
Jack must have missed a few questions and replies in his deep thoughts. He tried to concentrate.
“I am only a pawn,” the defendant pleaded.
“Now speed up things a little,” the judge ordered, striking impatiently with his gavel “we are supposed to dispense instant justice”.
“Now coming to the second part of the charges” the prosecutor said hurriedly “who hired you for your secret operations, here in Russia?”
“Belsnickel” the defendant replied “he secretly commands Santa’s ‘Children’s International Association’”.
Jack became attentive instantly. The prosecutor stared at the defendant in disbelief.
“How can you be so sure? I mean……..…as you said earlier…” the prosecutor stammered.
“How can I be sure?” the defendant replied, “Because he hired me himself directly. And he wasn’t wearing any mask either”.
“This seems incredible!” The prosecutor blurted, “Why should he disclose his identity? Nobody does that”.
“I think Belsnickel was very confident that I won’t get caught, that’s why! He said to me “There is absolutely no risk. I am giving you a special dragon-shaped sledge and black painted flying reindeers. They blend and disappear in the dark-it is perfect for camouflage. Dress like Santa and carry a filled sack on your back, while entering through chimneys at night; nobody would ever suspect. Besides, this sledge can soar so high, that it is impossible to detect with a binocular even in broad daylight……….Those were the exact words he said”.
“And what is the purpose of those poison pills?” the prosecutor asked.
“Those were given to me by Belsnickel. Those pills were meant for my personal use-just in case of capture! I had refused to carry them with me, but Belsnickel was persistent”.
“You think you can fool us?” the prosecutor snapped, “Only one tablet would have been sufficient for personal consumption. Why an entire pillbox full? And besides, if it was meant for personal use, then why didn't you commit suicide rather than getting caught?”
“Why should I? That was not a part of my deal with Belsnickel. He had hired me to distribute pamphlets, and draw sketches of the interiors of some marked establishments of Ded Moroz along my journey from Korvatunturi to Baba Dimri’s base in Afghanistan. I was not hired for suicidal mission”.
“Is it so?” the prosecutor frowned “Why were you carrying a pistol?”
“To defend myself, if attacked on mission or to hunt in jungles in case my sledge crashed”.
“Why didn’t you carry older models like ‘wheel lock’ or ‘match lock’ pistols like most hunters? I suppose, this was meant for assassination. Wouldn't you have pulled the
trigger on Moroz’s men with the same ease as on a wild animal?”
The prosecutor didn’t appear to respect his promise of framing lesser charges and tried to capitalize on the issue instead. He took the pistol in his hand and displayed it to the assembled Jurors with great pride. He announced, “The accused is especially trained assassin of Belsnickel and Santa's secret agent”.
“I object, my Lord,” the defendant’s lawyer said, rising up from his seat “But as my client said, he is innocent. He is merely a pawn in the sinister game. It is the villainous Santa and Belsnickel who should be facing this trial”.
“I fully agree” the judge nodded “But you shall have opportunity to speak too, when you present your case. So please take your seat” the judge rebuked.
“I too agree on that point, my Lord” the prosecutor said, looking pleased “it is Santa and Belsnickel, who are the real culprits. What else can be expected from Santa Claus, who enters through chimneys at the dead of the night, like a thief? And keeping that in view, I was going to ask for not the maximum sentence for the defendant, but a reduced one, to show the entire world how generous Ded Moroz’ justice is!”
There was a commotion and whispers in the court gallery among the spectators.
“I should have guessed” Jack said to Barbarossa “Just look at the seats we are sitting on! These are not the normal, pew style simple wooden seats, but lavish theater seats. What is going to follow is a court drama, aimed at disgracing Santa Claus and glorifying Moroz. That’s what they had intended”.
Jack could no longer stay in the court. He felt impatient. No more relevant information was coming out. Besides, he had already found out what he was desperate for. He got up and started leaving abruptly.
“Aren’t you going to stay any further?” Barbarossa asked.
“You stay. I am leaving” Jack said.
Jack’s mind was churning and raging with raw emotions as he left the courtroom. He punched his fist against his palm. How right my friend Barbarossa was! By appointing Belsnickel and Koschei as heads of two rival espionage & strike units, I have indeed created a rivalry plot, with a self-propelling mechanism! Both of them are going beyond my control. They will destroy my goal!
He paused and took out the old, withered parchment once again from his pocket and unfolded it. “The same age, the same height, the same look…how is it possible?” He murmured to himself.
He stared at the parchment with moist eyes, and whispered nostalgically “oh my sweet sister!” Then he tucked it back in his pocket.
Hardly had he gone ten yards that he murmured again “I must keep both of them under control. I must. I must. I must!”
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Chapter 29
Look East Policy
Jack was very depressed about losing his support base in Elf-land.
He was even more worried that Belsnickel and Koschei were going directly at each other’s throats and nefariously interfering in Elf-land politics by disobeying him. He was losing control over his two subordinates. All his initial successes were being rapidly washed away, and the situation was turning into a disaster for him.
Disaster seldom strikes alone Jack thought depressively; almost breaking down mentally Setbacks follow one after another to reinforce the complications. Jack hadn’t been able to sleep properly for last few days. Neither did he find any peace of mind. The memories of being chained to the pillars and being whipped mercilessly by Devil’s torturers flashed in his mind repeatedly. That’s what my fate has in store for me in future as well. I shall never have my revenge or rise above an underdog. All my efforts have gone down the gutter.
Jack visited Baba Yaga in a state of mental turmoil.
“What’s your problem?” Baba Yaga asked.
“My goal seems like a distant hill” Jack said, “the more I walk towards it, the more it seems to recede away from me”.
“I can give you a simple solution” Baba Yaga said “keep an eye on the distant hill, but don’t focus on it. Focus on the nearest tree on your path. And once you have crossed it, focus on the next one. This way, one day you’ll have travelled farther than you had imagined”.
Baba Yaga looked at Jack’s depressed face. “So what’s your next plan?” she said “what’s that nearest tree?”
“I don’t know” Jack shrugged his shoulder helplessly “committing suicide seems an option”.
“Committing suicide requires guts, Jack” Baba Yaga rebuffed “and so does the willingness to struggle endlessly against bad luck and continue living. In fact, the determination to see what the hell is coming next requires more courage”.
Baba Yaga patted Jack’s shoulder “when you find swimming upstream to your destination impossible, try to reach for the safety of the nearest bank” she mentored Jack “or else, allow your limbs some rest and go with the flow”.
She lowered her tone to a sympathetic one “Look at me Jack. Once I was young and beautiful. Do you think it was the dream of my heart to become a wizened witch that I have become today?” she let out a deep sigh “Fate does have a strong say in your destination”.
Jack composed himself and discussed Koschei’s hand in the killing of Kandy, the leader of the dark elves, while carefully avoiding mentioning anything about Belsnickel and the assassination of Martini.
Baba Yaga seemed quite unwilling to listen to accusations against her trusted aide Koschei. After a while, she bluntly retorted, “Koshei is my most faithful follower. I need a tough guy to fight wicked Santa Claus”.
She dismissed all allegations and evidences against Koschei as baseless and lacking concrete proof.
Jack almost lost his patience after fruitless arguments. “Why can’t you replace Koschei with someone more suitable?” Jack asked boldly “What makes him so special to you?”
“Replace Koschei?!” Baba Yaga repeated, as if she didn’t believe what she heard and stared at Jack’s face for a long time.
“Out of question!” Baba Yaga snapped furiously “And what makes him special?” Baba Yaga stared offensively at Jack and said “Koschei is not a mortal-that’s why he is special!”
“That’s only your belief!” Jack shot back “Everybody is mortal”.
“But not Koschei” she said in a boasting tone “he has hidden his soul inside an iron trunk, which lies safely buried in an unknown location under a huge green-oak tree in the vanishing island of ‘Buyan’ amidst-” she paused abruptly “let’s stop further discussion on this subject” she snapped.
Baba Yaga closed her eyes, took a deep breath and changed her topic “I haven’t yet thanked you enough for your support in electing me ‘President of the Witches’. I shall like to repay you properly”.
Baba Yaga smiled, revealing her missing teeth and displaying one metallic tooth. “We were debating hotly on nonsense issue, while so much opportunity lies ahead for you Jack. I’ll strongly advise you to rise from an underdog before thinking of challenging Devil. First of all, firmly establish yourself as ‘unchallenged’ leader of your own Halloween world”.
“Would you kindly make it clearer?” Jack asked cautiously. He strongly doubted that like her previous selfish demand of trading off the scepter of elf-land, something must be hatching in her complicated mind. I believe in give and take her words rang in Jack’s mind.
“Forget your apprehension about Koschei” Baba Yaga replied, “Let me repeat…consolidating your position and power in your own ‘Halloween world’ is more important now”.
A tray of tea arrived hovering as she spoke. She picked up the cup of steaming tea and the blue rose from the tray. “As I said earlier” she said “when you can’t make headway upstream, reach for the safety of the nearest bank, lest you should get drowned”.
Baba Yaga placed the blue-petal rose close to her nose and took a long sniff, slowly. Then she pressed one side of her nose and exhaled out a deep breath. She looked relaxed.
“Have you ever heard of ‘Teng Chieh’- the Chinese Halloween?” she asked casually.<
br />
“Er…I mean…no” Jack admitted reluctantly.
Baba Yaga smiled. “Till now, only the western ‘Halloween creatures’ regard you as their spiritual leader. A whole new world of opportunity lies in the east” she spoke enthusiastically in a guardian like tone.
Jack felt some comfort at Baba Yaga’s mentor like behavior. But he also had a deep fear and a lurking suspicion that she might be playing a cat & mouse game: just like a cat, which allows the wounded mouse some rest and even helps it rise on its feet to prolong the play and then deliver the fatal bite for supper.
“You should ‘look east’ now” Baba Yaga continued, “Since you aren’t able to make headway with your plans, head for China”.
Baba Yaga dipped the blue rose in her cup, stirred it gently and took a sip from the cup, pursing her lips. “I have one good friend, a Taoist Priest, who shall introduce you to Chinese Vampires and other oriental dark creatures” she said. She put the rose in her mouth, chewed it and swallowed it. “Form alliance with them, to strengthen your position” she said.
“There is one problem” Jack said “I am in Devil’s service now. I’ll have to apply for leave. How long do you think I’ll have to spend in the orient?”
Baba Yaga scratched her white hairs with her long nails “Hmmm…well…there are dozens of excuses to choose from to avail leave……….you will require at least three weeks leave. I know it will be very difficult, but manage it somehow”.
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Chapter 30
Adventures in China
Several days later, Jack and Barbarossa arrived in China. Barbarossa stayed at the infamous village inn, while Jack visited the priest’s house.
Jack called the priest’s name aloud, and knocked several times.
Nobody answered.
Jack entered the room of the Taoist priest. A strong repugnant odor hung in the air. Jack placed his handkerchief on his nose. A low buzzing and humming noise of houseflies entered his ears.
There were several stretchers laid on the floor. There was a corpse on each stretcher.
Jack observed that each one of them had a piece of yellow paper struck on his forehead, with something scribbled on it in Chinese.
Christmas Jack-o'-Lantern Page 19