by Dan Knight
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Jack and Shotgun passed the cigar pirate and turned into the alley.
Boxes, barrels, and trash cluttered the alley and slowed their progress. Fishing tackle joined the mix of barrels and crates and other rubbish. They wove a path through the debris to the end of the block. Jack peeked into the street for any signs of life. All was quiet, and he stepped off the curb and into the moonlight.
A black ball of fur skittered out of a hole in the curb.
“Whoa,” squealed Jack. He jumped and bumped Shotgun. He nearly bowled the dwarf over. Shotgun stumbled into the street to keep his balance.
Chattering with displeasure, the rat scolded Jack for disturbing its nap, and it took off into the shadows.
“It’s a black rat!”
“Shush, boss,” Shotgun snickered. “If you squeal like a little girl again, I’ll tell Jazz I have to put more starch in your panties.”
“Hey,” Jack complained.
“Hay is for horses,” the dwarf chuckled.
“Act natural,” Jack bobbed along as if Sasquatch always took nocturnal strolls.
They picked up their pace and popped into the next alley. Half-way down the block, they reached a courtyard covered by a fishing net festooned with glass buoys. Moonlight glinted off the glass.
“Did you hear something?”
Jack stopped and listened. “No, but I feel we’re being watched.” He led the way into the courtyard, and turned around a stack of crates. A fallen plank blocked their way, and he jumped over it. “Watch your step.”
“Wait up,” Shotgun skipped to pick up speed, and hopped on the plank. The rotten wood broke under his weight, and the dwarf stumbled into a stack of crates. The crates scattered over the courtyard and slammed into a fence.
Flapping and cawing roared from the fishing net, and the glass buoys clanked.
Shotgun twirled gracefully to regain his balance, and checked his fall. “That was close.”
“Watch where you’re going twinkle toes.”
“Watch your language, boss.”
A flock of birds lifted off the net and launched into the night. The flock blotted out the stars.
Jack looked up, “A flock of seagulls?”
“No boss,” hissed Shotgun. “Crows!”
The birds cawed after them, and chastised them for disturbing the peace. The crows circled the courtyard three times, and then returned to their perches.
They crouched to fend off unwelcome gifts, and darted down the alley.
“Spies of the Black Dwarf?” asked Shotgun.
“No, it’s Hitchcock.”
The noise trailed off, and they reached the end of the second alley.
“Good thing,” said Shotgun, “I’ve almost got my black belt.”
“Why do you need a black belt? Don’t you know how to stand up?”
Shotgun put a hand on his forehead, “I walked into that one.”
No alley offered a way forward on the next block. Instead, an apothecary offered ice cream and elixirs for indigestion, and a wooden sidewalk ran up the street.
Jack ventured into the street with Shotgun in tow. On the wooden sidewalk, they stepped softly to avoid a racket. Their footfalls rumbled on the loose boards. They rounded a corner and discovered a pub. A list of ales dangled on a window. A sandwich board teetered on the edge of the walk. It announced the specials of the day.
“Soup, salad, and a sandwich,” the dwarf read the menu. “A hundred years too late, or we could do lunch.”
“Don’t mention lunch, I could eat a horse.”
The next shop was a gallery. The dwarf stopped and rubbed dirt off a window. “What about a unicorn?”
Jack backtracked, and he peeked through a clean spot on the gallery’s window. A rocking unicorn stood amongst a sad array of dolls and bric-a-brac. A saddle straddled its back. “Lonely toys,” he said. “Bet those toys can tell a story or two or three.”
“It’s an antique, boss.”
“If we survive this, we’ll come back and claim it for Faith and Hope.”
“If is a big word,” said Shotgun. “It stands for faith and hope. If we have faith, we can hope a better day will come.”
“If you say so,” Jack shrugged.
Farther along, a bench of carved driftwood awaited passersby. At their approach, a black cat snapped to attention. Whether scared or prudent, the kitty bounded away. At a safe distance, its curiosity overcame its fright and it stopped to watch them pass.
“Rats, cats, and crows,” said Shotgun. “What’s next? Werewolves?”
“Rats, cats and crows, oh my,” Jack laughed. “It’s just a coincidence, Shotgun.”
“Maybe it’s a warning.”
“Don’t get superstitious.”
They rounded the corner. The next street ran caddy corner from where they stood. They turned back towards the cobblestone road, and angled across the street and into the shadows. The wooden walk ended at a bar and grill. Ads in the windows offered them seafood and Calypso dancers. The walk emptied onto a circular drive in front of the grill. Jack followed the drive and rounded the corner.
They were much closer. Across the drive, the merry-go-round stood in front of them.
The cobblestone road crossed the drive, and passed the merry-go-round. Then it passed a playground and crossed the open field. It ran directly towards the castle and plunged into the jungle.
The merry-go-round sat silently beside the cobblestone road. Ponies and carriages waited for small riders. Silent swings separated the merry-go-round from the playground. Rocking horses and other toys waited in the moonlight. Beyond them was the dinosaur.
“Follow my lead,” said Jack. “But don’t follow too close. Go through the playground, and wander over to the brontosaur. Keep the dinosaur between you and the castle, and hope the guards don’t get suspicious.”
Jack weaved and bobbed across the drive, and Shotgun straggled behind to keep up his Sasquatch impersonation.
A tingle ran up Jack’s back, and his skin crawled. He felt exposed in the open, and he suppressed an urge to run. He led them by the merry-go-round, ambled by the swings, and headed for the dinosaur. His boots sunk into the sand.
Jack passed the rocking horses. Mythical monsters mounted on springs shared the sandbox with ponies, unicorns, and a rocket. Then, he ambled towards the brontosaur. Act casual. You’re just a Sasquatch on a stroll.
Shotgun lagged behind at a comfortable distance.
Closer now, Jack could see the brontosaur was green. It stood in the center of the playground, and it faced the lagoon. A friendly smile invited little pirates to play. It wore a silly hat that on closer inspection was a deck. It towered over the swings and the merry-go-round.
Stairs in the brontosaur’s belly led to a deck along its back. The deck led to a slide on its tail. The slide circled back to a gap between its feet. Happy riders could run through the gap and back to the stairs.
Jasmine would love that dinosaur. He angled around the tip of the brontosaur’s tail and under the slide. I hope we can come back and put it to good use.
A jet black wolf leapt from the gap. It bared its teeth and growled.
Jack froze. It’s as large as a mountain lion! The black wolf advanced on him. It bared its fangs and growled. He backed up and tripped over the slide. He fell backwards and landed astride the slide. He rolled over it and hit the sand.
Jack pushed up on his elbows. That’s no natural wolf!
The wolf lunged for his throat. Its teeth flashed.
He threw up his arm and blocked the attack.
The beast’s jaws snapped, but it missed his throat. The wolf bit air.
The angry beast landed on him and clawed his belly. “Ow, wee!” The wolf sprang away before he could recover. He swung again, but the wolf was too quick and he missed.
Its prey was down, and it smelled fear. Fearless and confident, the wolf grinned. It sprang again.
He punched the wolf and blocked the attack.
Undeterred, the beast ground its hind claws into him.
Ow! He slugged it again, and it leapt off him.
It spun around and lunged again. Its forepaws struck him and shoved him into the sand. Its lunge was too hard and it started to slide over him. It clawed him, and its nails punctured him. Yow, wee!
He hit the black wolf with both fists, and it somersaulted over his head.
The beast landed on its back, rolled over, and scrambled to all fours. It turned on him, and growled.
Magic, you idiot! Use magic!
Jack rolled off the slide. He cast a telekinetic blast, and the blow knocked the black wolf back. He fired again, and the wolf rolled. Sand exploded where the beast had been. He fired and sand showered the toys. A pony mounted on a spring rocked back and forth.
The wolf evaded his shots and ducked under the brontosaur. It burst from the other side, and shot over the slide.
It sprang, and he threw up his arm to block its attack. It snapped at him, and its jaws clamped round his arm. It bowled him over, and he landed on his back. It ground its fangs into his flesh and it twisted.
“Ow!” Jack howled. He tried to flip the black wolf off, but the beast was stronger than he expected.
The wolf growled and sank its teeth into his flesh.
Ow! Jack clinched his teeth and glared at the beast.
The wolf jerked its head, and pain seared his arm. “Argh!” Its claws tore his tunic and slashed his forearm to the wrist.
Blow its head off! He cast a kinetic ball in its mouth, and the magic jacked its jaws. Its snout twisted around and it lost its grip.
Surprise flashed in its eyes, and it backed away a step. It bared its fangs and growled. It glared at him.
He cast a ball again and struck the wolf under its chin. The blow knocked the beast back. It hit the sand with a satisfying thud. That’s better! Jack rose to his knees.
The beast wasted no time. It coiled up and pounced again.
He cast a ball at its head. Its snout took the blow, its head spun, and the animal flipped over.
The wolf kept flying. Upside down and backwards, it slugged Jack. The blow knocked him backwards, and he fell over the slide again.
Back to square one! Shields! You forgot the shields! He cast shields on himself and Shotgun.
The wolf landed on the slide and it rang. The sound echoed across the playground. The wolf slid backwards and its tail slapped Jack in the face. It furiously clawed for purchase, but its claws slipped on the metal.
Angry, Jack fired a kinetic ball again. Magic shoved the beast up the slide. It clawed at the slide and scratched frantically at the steel. The wolf contorted to find a purchase.
Gravity had its way, and it sailed over the edge. The beast took flight and fell to the sand.