Uncle Plats

by Aqua Allsopp

  Jeff got one serious case of tunnel vision. He wasn’t concerned about anything else that was going on. He saw just one thing – the prick that ripped him off.

  Okay, so he was a cop. That would explain not only how he got the gun, but whether it would work and fire. It sure would. Most certainly, he had the upper hand.

  He was standing just thirty feet away. Jeff stilled himself and watched out of the corner of his eye. He had to jump him, and get the watch back. There was no question about it. But, how could he do that?

  The thoughts were racing through Jeff’s mind like crazy. Even if he succeeded in jumping an armed man – hardly an easy task – what if the cop didn’t have the watch? He might have taken it home, and put it in his drawer or something.

  “That jerk. I’m going to get him” said Jeff as he watched the cop go into the weapon shop.

  Jeff noticed the officer’s car running in the parking lot. He impulsively thought of a plan to sneak an attack. He jogged into the parking lot and approached the car. He took the keys out of the ignition and stuffed them in his pocket.

  He sat down in the car for only a few seconds. He rummaged around and finally found a notepad with a pen. He looked around and saw a sign for another business that read ‘Super Subs’. He scribbled down ‘Keys behind Super Subs dumpster.’

  In retrospect, it wasn’t exactly a brilliant move of awesome strategy. It was all that Jeff came up with when he was under the pressure of time. It was…well…something.

  Jeff leaped out of the car and ran behind the Super Subs dumpster. He kneeled to the ground, to completely keep himself out of sight. He stayed there, and he waited.

  He was having very evil thoughts running through his mind like crazy. He obsessed over the possibility of killing the cop, or at least torturing him to the extreme. He loved and missed his wife. He wanted her back. He wanted his job. He wanted his life. All of it was taken, and he couldn’t get it back because of this jerk. He vowed to make the cop pay – and pay dearly.

  Within about five minutes, the officer returned to his car and curved his mouth into a frown when he noticed the engine was no longer running. He bent over and pulled the note from the steering wheel, and held it about a foot from his face.

  He paused for a few seconds because he wasn’t sure what to do with it. He had a note, but who planted it there? Why were his keys taken? Why were they placed behind a dumpster? It made no sense to him.

  To err on the side of caution, he pulled his gun and slowly walked over to the dumpster. He uttered a few phrases into the walkie-talkie that he had. Jeff couldn’t hear what he said, but could easily sense that the cop was concerned – and rightfully so.

  Just fifteen feet away, his steps were slowly getting louder, and he was inching closer to Jeff. Jeff grit his teeth in anger and made a tight fist with his right hand. His goal was to simply beat the living daylights out of the cop. Then he could get his watch back, and get the heck out of this hellhole. He stayed crouched behind the dumpster, and waited.

  The cop turned the corner, and Jeff thrust out his right fist with all of his might. He groaned with everything he had – anger, depression, hostility, rage, and thrust out his tightly-balled fist.

  His fury-fueled fist slammed into the chin of the police officer and echoed a quiet ‘pop.’ The cop went down like a cold fart, and his lights went out. He lost all consciousness, and crashed into the ground.

  After Jeff’s checkout from reality, he put his normally weak, banker hands on him and started to strangle the officer’s neck. “I swear to God! I’m going to kill you right here!”

  His brain sounded the idiot alarm, and screamed at him: “You moron! If you kill him, you’ll never get back to your world! Stop!”

  He released his grip and began a violent haste to try and find the watch. He searched the shirt pockets, pants pockets, and holsters, but was able to find nothing. He knocked out the cop, but the watch wasn’t around. It was gone. To where? He had no idea.

  “Ugh!” he angrily yelled as he took one visual cue in that would stain his memory forever – the officer’s badge. It read: ‘Topher Frost’.

  He now knew who the mugger was, his profession, and where he could sometimes find him. That was eons better than just a few minutes ago. In fact, he finally blossomed hope for the first time.

  He stood up and huffed a pant, then sprinted toward the police cruiser. He pushed out deep breaths, getting some mild armpit sweat, and impulsively swung open the door of the driver’s side.

  He leaped into the car, and put the strange, square key into the ignition. He caught a glimpse that it had a microchip with quite a lot of crazy engravings and carvings in the key. He turned the key, and he heard nothing. He tried it again – still nothing.

  “Please input your fingerprint, now” a robotic voice chimed, that would normally be a pleasant reminder. A soft chime then rang in, and the same exact phrase was repeated. “I need a fingerprint just to start a car?!” he screamed at the dashboard.

  He looked up in the rearview mirror, and saw a crewcut cop pointing at the police cruiser and waving his arm into a huge, circular motion. Just a few seconds later, two other cops appeared, as they all began running to the car.

  In a split second, Jeff made a decision to run for it. He didn’t even get the key out of the ignition. To Jeff, it was useless at this point. When he flung open the door, he heard a metallic clang as something hit the ground. It had fallen out of a door storage compartment.

  He popped out his eyes, and there it was – the cursed watch. Because of his sheer panic, anger, excitement, joy, and everything else, he had what would usually be a very embarrassing bodily function. He partially lost bladder control, and sprinkled some urine into his underwear.

  Jeff scooped up the watch, and bolted down a narrow alley behind the weapon store. It was pathetic, because he was a banker – not exactly a profession known for physical fitness. He ran, but was slower than molasses. The cops who were chasing him, were gaining – and they were gaining quickly.

  He pulled out the watch and tapped the top button. Yet another zoom, and another zap kicked in.

  A very thankful, and familiar environment returned to Jeff’s vision. He never thought he would love a basement so much. He flung himself around in a full circle, and flared his arms as he searched the environment. To his much-needed relief, there was nobody there. In fact, there was nothing living there.

  There was one thing in his hand that he never could have imagined he would hate so much – not in a million years. It was a pocket watch. Something happened that he likewise thought would never happen in a million years. He reached deep into his workshop desk, pulled out a sledgehammer, and smashed the pocket watch into a thousand pieces.

  Praise God, the watch instantly ended up being nothing more than just shards of glass, metal, and broken mechanical parts. “Good riddance!” muttered Jeff as he threw the sledgehammer on top of his work desk.

  The watch was not a piece of junk. He couldn’t think of a less accurate term to give it. To the contrary, it would transport people into a place that was a reality, yet fantasy at the same time – a future world that was both awing, and corrupt at the same time.

  Jeff placed his palms on the work desk and braced his body, as he leaned heavily against it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was over. It was finally over. He didn’t stay there for more than a few days, but he never heard of a nightmare that lasted two full days – and was literally fatal and life-threatening.

  On the other hand, was it really over? To his gratitude and thankfulness, it was not. One thing sure wasn’t over, thank God – his wife was still upstairs. The one that loved and cherished him was still around. His wife, his life, and his heart of hearts was still there.

  At that very moment, Jeff was given a newfound appreciation for everything he had. Beforehand, he was worried about how many loans his bank was closing. He was obsessed with how many cool watches he could find. He loved TV, fancy dinner
s, and worst of all – money. Money had previously made his world go round, and round again.

  His new perspective on life instantly became different. He just couldn’t figure out why he loved money so much. Money? Really?

  His new mojo kicked in. It was a complete, and absolute change. Money was no longer the axle that allows his life to rotate. Money, instantly, became the root of all evil.

  Yes, money could be blamed for almost every social ill that came to man. It is why people rob and steal. It is why corporations steamroll every good-natured thing to make themselves great. Even if we go back to ancient times, it is why Jesus was crucified – Judas turned in Jesus for money.

  Jeff looked at all the metal, brass, silver, and gold pieces of watches that was all over his work desk. He took his tired, skinny arm and pushed everything off the desk. There were tons of clangs and crashes onto the floor. For the first time in many years, his desk was clean. Clean and free of debris – much like how his life was cleaned.

  He looked at one more piece of gold – his wedding ring. It was the only piece of gold that still mattered to him, and that he would refuse to throw away. He knew, quite candidly, that it would stay on his finger until the day he died.

  He took a slow, and steady walk up the stairs and opened the basement door. Closing it behind him, he took a walk into the living room and saw his beautiful wife sitting on their brown, leather couch. Her legs were crossed, and she was mildly kicking her feet.

  She was reading one of her favorite books – Lord Falkin’s Majestic Treasure – the Eye. Her peripheral vision spotted Jeff, and she held the book in place and smiled up at him. “Did you fix your watch?”

  Initially not saying a word, he pulled the book away from her, and placed it on their large, coffee table. She wrinkled her forehead a little because she wasn’t sure what he was up to. “Hey, I was reading that!” she playfully scowled.

  Still not speaking, he pulled her up from the couch by gently holding her soft hands. He gripped them softly and lovingly. He hit the ‘play’ button on the nearby Sony stereo. Classical music softly lit the room, and he smiled into her beautiful, soft eyes.

  At last, he spoke and sweetly asked her a cute question. “May I have this dance, my love?”

  The romance in their marriage never died, and remained strong. She never turned down a chance to make love to her husband – even if the lovemaking wasn’t sexual. In fact, she preferred that the lovemaking be full of love – and not sex.

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around the neck of her husband. “Of course. You know how much I love my husband.”

  That was the last thing of the day that she said to him, but that was all he needed to hear. He never told her about the watch, what it did, or what happened to him. Why bother? She probably wouldn’t believe him anyway, and it really didn’t matter.

  He left that society behind, and knew he would never go back. In fact, he never wanted to go back. He even went so far as to think that he would be happier if he were dead before that society became a reality. It was, to put it lightly, a God-awful mess.

  He needed one thing, and just one thing – Jennifer. She was the wife he always dreamed of, and always loved. Almost anything else he had in his entire life, would be replaceable. Even if he had something that was expensive, it would still be replaceable.

  He strode from side to side as he kept his arms gently at her sides. He cupped her thin waist, then gently bent her over as he braced himself into a scooping motion. He followed with a slow spin around, and then resumed his slow steps.

  He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. He stopped moving his legs and kissed her just one more time. It was the last time he kissed her that day – except of course before they went to bed.

  The doorbell rang softly, then it rang a second time. Jennifer pulled herself away from him and giddily clapped her hands together. “I’m sorry, I meant to tell you. I invited our new neighbor over for dinner. I thought it would be nice to welcome them to the neighborhood.”

  He had a somewhat childish pout to himself, because he wanted to kiss, dance, and make physical love to his wife, rather than meet a new neighbor. Still, he couldn’t exactly try to explain to her why he wanted that so bad. That was out of the question.

  He sighed deeply as he tried to conceal his disappointment. Okay then. He knew it was nice to be neighborly and spend time with the new neighbors. He sucked it in and perked up a small smile. “That’s fine.”

  She opened the door and greeted the family of four – a husband, wife, and two little angels. One was an infant boy, and the other was a toddler girl. “Thank you so much for coming. Welcome to our neighborhood!”

  She waved them in and the parents both smiled and returned the friendly greeting. “We’re the ones that should be thanking you. You took time out of your day to invite us over, and make a nice meal.”

  Jeff took their coats and hung them in a nearby closet. As he closed the closet door, he saw that the family had already retreated into the dining room. They must have been hungry. They sure weren’t wasting any time.

  Jeff politely walked in and borrowed the kitchen sink to wash his hands. He threw the hand towel aside, and jointed them in the dining room.

  After sitting in the sturdy, oak dining chair, Jeff tried to be a good host by asking them to introduce themselves. “My name is Jeff. I’m very honored to be Jennifer’s husband, because she is a fantastic woman that is full of love. I apologize but I don’t know any of you.”

  Jennifer made a few clanging sounds in the kitchen, as an aroma of marinara hit the room. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious.

  A couple of seconds of silence followed, before the husband volunteered himself to start. “Okay. My name is Brad. I’m the husband of this wonderful lady.” He patted her shoulder and winked at her. “I work as a systems analyst.”

  Jeff smiled and then peered his eyes over to the wife in the room. “I’m Janice. I actually work as an accountant. Boring job, I know.”

  Jeff perked up and reassured her. “Your job is important. Not all of us can keep the numbers straight on our own. As a banker, I know that to be true.”

  Janice pointed to her daughter, who was wearing a very cute skirt, and child blazer. “This is Emily. She’s going to be in preschool in just a few months. We’re very excited, and know she’ll do well.”

  Finally, Janice pointed to her infant boy, who was sitting in a car seat with his eyes closed. In fact, he was sleeping. “This is Topher. He will be a year old in just a few days. Happy early birthday, Topher!”

  Jeff froze every inch of his body. He didn’t move his eyes, fingers, arms, legs, hands, nothing. He finally opened his mouth, and said just one thing: “Is your last name Frost?”

  Janice smiled at him because she was surprised he knew. “Good guess. How did you know that?”

  THE END

  Another bonus story is on the next page.

  Bonus Story 10 of 15

  Hearts on Fire

  Description

  This heartbreaking story begins with danger and suspense but ends with compassion, romance, and true love. The plight of the Amish Johannsen family follows a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs but love wins out in the end. The story covers interesting societal issues that anyone can relate to. Follow the trajectory of these young people’s lives as they make their way through loss, growing up, and reaching adulthood. A cast of interesting characters come in and out of the Johannsens’ lives as romantic love grows alongside great friendships.

  Hearts on Fire has dynamic relationships at many different ages, from siblings and peers, children and adults, and adults of varying age. Get caught up in a mystery with a surprising twist on who the guilty parties are and the motive for the crime. Our firefighter hero is young, handsome, and Amish! He finds himself entangled in an unfolding drama with the woman that he loves but she doesn’t know he’s alive.

  Can he save the lovely young woman before it’s too late, or will
her drama bring an end to his life as he knows it? This great story with a happy ending will make you want to fall in love with our hero, too.

  *****

  “Ding, ding, ding, ding,” the ear piercing sound of the community bell sends the Johannsen family of eight fleeing toward the cold December night to safety. One-by-one, as they awake and breathe in deeply, they choke on the blackened air, thick with burning Quercus rubra—Northern Red Oak.

  Others in the community may be fumbling in the dark with lanterns trying to locate the direction of the trouble and cause for the alarm, but not the Johannsens. Their coughing, heaving bodies know the bell tolls for them.

  “What sort of trouble is it?” asks Heir Abrahams. Standing in the cold in his nightshirt and overcoat he looks like the image of Charles Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Past. It was hard to believe that he even had to ask the question to ascertain the trouble. Though given his age and dulled senses, and out of respect for his position as Elder Community Leader which is like a pastor among the Amish people of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, Fons stops to respond.

  Alfons Aldenkamp—lovingly called Fons, went on to inform Heir Abrahams, “It is a fire, in high-blaze Heir Abrahams, it looks to be either the Van Der Veen or Johannsen home from here. God help them if they are still inside. I must be off Heir Abrahams, I’m needed.”

  With those few words, Fons takes off running into the night, with Heir Abrahams understanding his abruptness without explanation. Fons jumps into his buggy and rides purposely down the path.

  The headlights on Fons’ coach lights the way through the moonless night as he passes by other buggies heading toward the fire as Fons flees in the opposite direction. However, with blue lights flashing on top of Fons’ buggy, they all give him the right-of-way on the single lane, dirt road.

  Fons, an Amish firefighter, made it quickly to the community fire station where he works. He’s off duty tonight, but having seen the size of the fire just after the alarm, he knows that he’ll be needed to battle this monster-blaze. Fons estimates that it’s a three-alarm fire and plans to hop aboard one of the trucks as they head out to the emergency.