Rogue Telekinetic – Rain

“The rain is coming down in buckets,” the DJ’s voice blared over the radio. A second later, the local alternative music kicked in.

“Tell me about it,” Jack said. “The rain mixed with the hour and it’s a struggle to see.” He nudged his wiper control to the medium setting.

When the traffic light turned green, the cluster of cars around Jack rolled forward. Being in the left lane, Jack passed two other vehicles.  Something caught his eye when his headlights glinted off something. A dark car in the right lane didn’t have lights on.

“That’s an accident about to happen,” Jack said with a slow shake of his head.

A quick glance up the road showed the traffic light was still green. The splashing sound outside his car picked up in volume as he along with the others sped along.

A white car up ahead, pulled out of a parking lot and merged into traffic. The dark car, slammed on brakes, making his tail lights blare an angry red.

“And that is why you should have your headlights on,” Jack said. He looked in his rearview mirror at the two cars and sudden clog of traffic. In an accordion effect, the cars in the right lane picked up their pace. The lightless dark car held pace next to Jack. “Still don’t see the need. You know the life you save might be your own.”

The red light of a stop light blared and all the vehicles slowed. Some jostled to differnt lanes, and when they all stopped moving, Jack was still next to the dark car. He looked through is passenger window and focused on the heavily tinted driver’s window of the other car. After a cleansing breath, he squinted his eyes. A white dot, the width of a pinky finger, appeared on the far window. The dot flowed down leaving a line in the glass. Once it reached a few inches, it turned left. A smaller line was left the dot’s wake. Another dot came into view to the left of the first symbol. It descended like the first and stopped. A third dot appeared, and it drew a partial circle and hooked a straight line into the center. The fourth dot appeared, and it left a capital H in its wake. After the fifth dot appeared, it formed a capital T. The sixth dot squiggled towards the wet pavement and stopped when it was as tall as the other symbols.

Jack Davis sighed and blinked rapidly. “That was tough.” The traffic light changed and all the cars rolled forward. A flash appeared through Jack’s passenger window. He grinned in his rearview mirror as he rolled through the intersection and merged into the left turn lane. As the dark car, now with headlights on, drove by, Jack nodded.

The Candle – Final

Nuri and Garret walked further down the sidewalk. Nuri stuck out a hand and said, “We’re here.”

“Really?” Garret looked at the plain door. With the weather wear and dirt, it blended with the wall. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Nuri said. “Knock or something.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna—”

“Knock,” Nuri interrupted and nodded towards the door.

Garret sighed and stepped up to the door. Using the side of his fist, he pounded hard on the door. Pausing for a few seconds, he cocked his hand back behind his head. A loud clack sounded and he halted the forward progress of his fist. The door swung inward and a cruel face poked out into the cool night air.

The thick, guttural accent asked, “Yeah?”

“Umm,” Garret shifted back two steps. “We’re here for our friend.”

“You are?” The dark-suited man took up the doorway. His round bald head sat on the top of massive shoulders. A gut protruded under a wide chest. The large jacket and baggy pants hid the rest of his features. “Which friend are youse here to see?”

“Uhhh…” Garret shifted his vision to Nuri then back. “Keith. The guy who owes you money.”

“Does this look like a financial establishment?” The hefty man shrugged, but his face didn’t change from the dull look he held.

“No,” Garret answered. He turned to Nuri and held out his hand. Nuri plopped the heavy yellow brick onto Garret’s hand. “But I bet this will cover the rest of the debt.”

The dark guard looked down at the gold, darted his eyes toward Nuri’s, then centered back on Garret. He muttered, “Come with me.” Turning, he stepped into the building. Garret stepped in with Nuri at the end.

The heavy door slammed shut as they progressed further into the room. The dim security light cast wavy shadows over the room, floor and walls. Heavy storage shelves stocked with different boxes, bowls, and other items took up the room. A small path led the trio toward a cramped hallway. They passed a room with a TV blaring a movie and two recliners facing it.

“Sparse,” Garret said as he peered inside. Nuri grunted and pointed further down the hall.

The large man stopped at a gate and slid it open. “On the third floor.” He pointed into a metal small metal room.

Nuri and Garret stepped in and the guard poked a finger onto the button with the number three. As he straightened, he closed the gate. The elevator lurched up and ascended.

“Something tells me this was a bad idea,” Garret whispered to Nuri.

Nuri rocked on his toes. “Maybe. But we’ll find out.”

The elevator stopped with as rough as it started. Garret reached forward and slid the gate to the side. Both of the men stepped into the alcove and then into the larger room.

“Garret?” Keith called from across the room. “You were supposed to do the delivery tomorrow.” He stood from the chair and walked toward Garret.

“Keith!” Garret took a few steps forward then stopped. “You don’t look like you’re in trouble.” His eyes ran over the table with food and drinks. The three other people in the room turned towards Garret and Nuri. “What’s going on?” Garret’s eyebrows raised as he scanned each of the people in the room.

“Is this the guy with the money?” A man stepped forward. His suit moved with him and had the expensive look to it. Keith nodded. “Do you have the rest of the money?”

“What is this?” Garret asked. “It looks like Keith here isn’t in trouble.”

“I’m in trouble,” Keith said. “I owe these guys.” His hands splayed and he shifted to encompass everyone.

“Garret,” the well-dressed man said. “If you have the remaining balance, all will be right with the world and you can go on your way.”

“Nuri,” Garret said. “Do something.”

“What?” Nuri turned his eyes towards Garret.

“I don’t know,” Garret whined. “This doesn’t feel right.”

“Garret,” Keith said. “It’s OK. As long as you have the money.” His eyes moved to the heavy brick in Garret’s hand. “Where did you get that?” An arm twitched to the bar.

“Well, now,” the well-dressed man said. “It seems you have the remainder of the balance and then some.”

“I’m not paying,” Garret said backing away. “Until someone explains what is happening.”

“Garret,” Keith said. “It’s simple. I owe these gentlemen money and you paid them. I’ll pay you back when I can. Now give them that and let’s get going.”

“You know what?” Garret said with a sigh. “I don’t care. I just want out of here.” He placed the yellow brick on the ground. “Here’s your payment. Keith, let’s go.” Garret turned to leave.

Two of the other men moved to intercept. A signal from the well-dressed man stalled them. Keith slowly walked towards Garret and both of them headed to the elevator. Nuri stayed close behind and entered the elevator with them. The three men remained silent as the slow-moving car descended.

When it lurched to a stop, Garret pulled the gate open and retraced his path to the door. They moved past the open room where the large guard sat in a recliner watching a movie.

At the door, Nuri said, “The candle, please.” He held out a hand to Garret.

“No,” Garret said.

With a chuckle, Nuri said, “Do you remember what happened before? It’ll just get worse.”

“Yeah,” Keith said. “Give him the candle.”

Garret looked at his friend. “How do you know about the candle?”

“Uh,” Keith said. “He just said something about it.”

“This whole thing stinks,” Garret said. “I’m keeping the candle.”

“That would not be a good idea,” Nuri said as he crossed his arms.

“Garret,” Keith said. “You might want to do that.”

“No.” Garret reached for the door.

Nuri held up a hand and snapped his fingers. The guard stepped from the shadows into the dim safety light of the room. “Give me the candle, now.” Nuri’s eyes narrowed and his amiable features flowed to hard.

“I said no,” Garret said. “You did not meet the conditions of our accord.”

A cellphone chirped. All eyes turned to the giant guard as he pulled the black bar from his jacket pocket. He flipped a thumb across the surface. His lips moved as he read the message.

“What do you mean?” Nuri said with a smile. “Your friend is right there and his loaned has been repaid with more than enough—”

“His debt to me has not been paid,” Garret said as he touched his chest with a thumb. “And I’m not forgiving it, either.”

Nuri’s smile faltered and a meaty hand clamped down on his shoulder. He darted his head over his shoulder and saw the tough-looking guard.

“Da boss said to detain you,” the guard said.

“Then we will go talk to him,” Nuri turned to head back the way they came. “Come on Garret.”

“Just you,” the guard said. “Dey are free to go.”

“That can’t be,” Nuri said. “They didn’t get all their money.”

“Mr. Bianchi says just you,” the guard flexed his fingers into Nuri’s shoulder and raised a fist.

“This is some kind of misunderstanding,” Nuri said as he moved with the guard. “That’s a gold brick. Worth more than what was owed.”

“Not according to Mr. Bianchi.” The guard walked toward the back, pulling Nuri with him.

“Well, that worked out,” Keith said, pushing past Garret and into the night.

“No,” Garret said as he walked behind Keith. “Not by a long shot. Explain.”

As they walked to Garret’s car, Keith told the story. Mr. Bianchi approached him earlier in the week about forgiving his loan if he went along with a plan. He continued on with the story as Garret drove them home. Keith agreed as it would clear his debt and allow him to keep his money. Garret asked clarifying questions, but most Keith didn’t know the answer to.

“Look,” Keith said. “I’ll get you the money.”

“Yeah, you will,” Garret said. “Tomorrow when everything opens.”

“Ummm,” Keith said. “I don’t have it anymore.”

“What?” Garret slammed on his breaks. “If you didn’t need it, it should still be in your bank.”

“I placed it on a race for tomorrow,” Keith said. “It’s a sure thing.”

“I doubt that,” Garret said. “You will start paying me and I mean soon. No interest. Just make what you can.”

“Thanks,” Keith said and went silent.

As they drove through suburbia, Keith turned to Garret and asked, “Who was that guy, anyway?”

“He called himself Nuri,” Garret said. “He knows about Gypsy stuff and can do magic.”

“Really?” Keith snorted. “And you believe in that?” He wiggled his fingers.

“I didn’t,” Garret said. “Until I saw it.”

“How so?”

“Nuri knew did magic to find you,” Garret said. “Or I thought he did.”

“What was that about the accord thing?”

“He didn’t want money,” Garret said. “He wanted my candle.” His hand patted the jacket pocket with the bulky item. “It is real and I experienced it firsthand.”

“What does it do?” Keith pointed to the right and Garret turned.

“Well,” Garret said. “When I lit it, it made me pass out and have a dream about the future that involved you.”

“What happened at the restaurant?” Keith asked with a shake of his head. “That wasn’t part of the plan. Mr. Bianchi was the only one to know about it.”

“If you say so,” Garret said. “Right now I’m not sure what, or who to believe.” Garret pulled to a stop in front of a house.

“Thank you,” Keith said and extended his hand. “It worked out.”

Garret shook the proffered hand. “You need to stop gambling.”

“I do,” Keith said. “I’ll start tomorrow. After the race.” He smiled and slid from the SUV.

“What race and who did you bet on?” Garret asked.

“Bored Holiday,” Keith said. “I played it safe and bet for him to place.”

“OK,” Garret said. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Keith closed the door and Garret pulled away.

It took ten minutes for Garret to get home. Once inside, he pulled the candle from his coat and placed it back where it belonged. Standing there, he pulled out a book of matches from the drawer. In a fluid motion, he had one burning and placed it on the candle wick.

Garret watched as a double-pronged smoke tendril wove through the air to his nose. He folded his legs and sat, pulling the long wisp with him. “A horse name Bored Holiday.” His shoulder touched the floor and his eyes closed.

Critique on the Green Arrow comic book

For this week, I am critiquing the most recent reboot of the Green Arrow comic book. If you haven’t read the first 8 or so issues, this review will contain spoilers (plus it came out in 2016 – really guys).

The Good:

I am a fan of Green Arrow and have been since the early 80’s (Yeah, I’m old). Seeing that he has lost a lot of his trick arrows is a good thing. Yes, the boxing glove arrow has gone away. The new series shows his skills with not just a bow and arrow, but hid detective skills and other things. Ollie has been humanized  and not left as a bleeding heart liberal.

Additionally, they have expanded character rolls and brought back some older characters. It’s good to see more of the action that would have been relegated to a montage or worse, left out. Nice work here.

The Bad:

The first few issues have the same bad guy. OK, that makes sense. However, they are burnt or disfigured. Are you kidding me. I understand this is a comic book and there is a given suspension of belief, but when I see a guy with no lips talking eloquently, then I have to really work at it. You try talking by holding your lips back. I did, it ain’t easy.

The Ugly:

I don’t have a lot to say on this part. The story line is good and so is the action. Decent art, so I don’t really have an ugly. I will say this. If you are going to tie in the TV characters, then they should all match. Ollie in the show is under 30 (by a large margin – I know these things). In the comic, he’s over 30 (speaking from experience). Maybe they’ll hand wave it and say: The TV show is before he moves to Seattle. Yeah, right.

The Candle – Part 5

“That’s easy,” Nuri said. “We have to figure out where they are, or where they will be, and let me handle it from there.”

“I don’t know where they are,” Garret said. “Tomorrow, they’re supposed to call me to arrange a time and place to meet.”

“That’s good,” Nuri said with a nod. “It’s just time is money, and I can’t wait until tomorrow.” He moved to the table and pulled the chairs out. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he pulled three small pouches out and dumped their contents.

“What are you doing?” Garret stepped beside the table and looked at the items. He saw a piece of glass, a metal ring, twine, a dead bug, and various other things he wasn’t sure of.

“Do you have anything personal of your friends?” Nuri slid several items from the table and put them back into pouches. “Preferably something he valued or personal.”

“I have his collection of rare baseball cards,” Garret said and picked up the frame. “We used it as collateral for his loan to me.”

“Is it collateral or did you buy it?” Nuri looked at the frame and raised his eyebrows.

“I bought it, but he can buy it back for the value of his loan without interest,” Garret said. “I think that was how I worded it.”

“That is the definition of collateral,” Nuri said. “Was that your intent? Or did you want to keep the cards?” He turned his face toward Garret.

“Uh, well,” Garret sputtered. “It would be nice, but if he can pay me back, I’ll give it back.”

“Good,” Nuri said. “Place it here.”

Garret laid it on the table where it took up the majority of the surface. Nuri opened a small container and poured a thick liquid onto the glass and traced a circle with a feather.

“That’ll wipe off, right?” Garret looked at Nuri.

Nuri’s lips twitched and flicked as he muttered under his breath. Next, he placed four different colored pebbles in the corners of the frame. Blue, red, green, and black. His hands sprinkled a dust over the frame and he looked at the ceiling with his eyes wide. A wooden match appeared between his fingers, and he flicked it with his thumbnail making it blaze to life with an orange flame.

“Hey!” Garret backed away. “That’s fire. What the hell are you—”

What he was about to say was muffled by the whumpf of the fire that covered the frame and shot flames close to the ceiling. As fast as it appeared, the flame disappeared.

The loud steady alarm of a smoke alarm sounded. Garret and Nuri jumped at the sound. Garret snagged a magazine and a chair. He climbed onto the chair and waved the magazine under the white circle of the alarm. Once his vision cleared of the dingy smoke, he reached up and tapped the reset button on the smoke detector.

“Dammit, this is my house,” Garret shouted as he climbed down and reached for Nuri.

“Map!” Nuri snapped. “I need a map of the city.”

Garret stared at Nuri then blinked. “I don’t have one.”

Nuri leaned in close and growled, “Get one.”

Garret floundered and pulled out his phone. With a few swipes, he had his navigation app up and running with the city spanning off the screen. He held it out for Nuri.

“This’ll work,” Nuri said and poked a finger on the screen. Sliding his finger in one direction he changed what was on the screen. He repeated this twice more and then looked at Garret. “How do I get closer.”

“Uh,” Garret said. “Two fingers and split them.” He imitated the maneuver.

Nuri did the same move three times until a single building took up the phone screen. “He’s there.”

Garret turned the phone so he could see. Two finger taps and he had it marked as a favorite. “It says it’s the Kolalo Warehouse.”

“Does it?” Nuri said, wiping his brow with a purple silk handkerchief. “That is interesting. It means bone.” He stuffed the handkerchief into an inside pocket.

“Are you ok?” Garret pointed as the handkerchief disappeared. “You’re sweating.”

Nuri sighed and looked at Garret. “It happens. I’ve done a lot in a short time. It takes it out of me, but I’m ok. Let’s get going.”

Garret’s voice raised in pitch as his eyes bugged. “Now? It’ll be dark, or close to it when we get there.”

“It will,” Nuri said. “The sooner we get there, the better chance we’ll have of getting him out of there unscathed. You’re driving.” His head tilted toward the garage.

“Fine,” Garret said and pulled his keys out of his pocket. “But I’m hitting a drive through along the way. I’m starving.”

Nuri’s eyes brightened. “Good idea. Could you make it that one with the girl on the sign? I like the one with two meet slabs.”

“Seriously?” Garret glanced over his shoulder as he entered the garage. “You eat fast food?”

“On occasion,” Nuri said with a shrug. “We’re in a hurry and hungry. It just makes sense. And get one of them ice-cream things. The big one.”

“Fine.” Garret sliding into the driver’s seat and activated the garage door opener. “Whatever.”

Garret turned out of the drive-thru and continued on their route to the warehouse.

With his cheeks packed and jaws working the food, Nuri said, “Greasy, messy, and deadly. And oh so delicious.” His lips wrapped around the straw and he pulled in a mouthful of dark fluid. “And this.” He swallowed and his eyes fluttered. “I’m gonna pay for this tomorrow.”

“Are you going to be ok for tonight?” Garret looked over at his passenger as he swallowed his bite of fries. “If we are going to negotiate for Keith, I don’t need you in a food coma.”

“I’m good,” Nuri said as a ketchup-stained smile flashed on his face.

For the rest of the journey, they ate their portable meal as Garret followed the GPS directions from his phone.

Garret stopped next to a curb. According to the phone, they were one block away from their destination. Stopping the app, Garret exited and pulled the burger wrappers and bags with him. He tossed them in a garbage can next to a bus stop as they walked to the Kolalo Warehouse.

Nuri covered his mouth with a fist and belched. “Be careful when we get inside. They’ll have guns and what not.”

“Shit,” Garret said and his face drained of color as he stopped. “I didn’t think about that.”

“What do you think loan sharks carry? Pillows?” Nuri pulled him in the direction they were headed.

“I just didn’t think about it,” Garret said.

They traveled for a few steps without any sound.

Garret broke the silence as they crossed the dimly lit street. “What’s the plan?”

“We get inside and get Keith back,” Nuri said. “Then one of you pays me and off I go. After that, I don’t care.” He waved a hand as he spoke.

“That’s not much of a plan,” Garret said staring at Nuri. “I’ve seen better flag-football plays.”

“Well,” Nuri said. “It’s been my experience that thugs rely too much on muscles and not enough on brains. I bet we can work something out.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out one the pouches. Pulling the strings open, he pulled out a small vial of a dark liquid. “Get me something about the size of a brick.”

“How about a brick?” Garret dashed over next to an alley and picked up a stray red brick. He handed it to Nuri.

“Perfect,” he said and poured the liquid over the brick. After tossing the vial, he put his hand over the brick and said something Garret didn’t understand. The brick shimmered and a wisp of smoke ascended into the air. Glancing back at the brick, Garret saw it was gold in color.

“Is that—?”

“No,” Nuri answered. “But it looks like one. Even feels like one. For about an hour.”

“What happens after the hour?” Garret asked as he pointed to the warehouse.

“It’s a brick,” Nuri said. “What do you think happens? Sheesh.”

National Novel Writing Month

Here it is, October. But National Novel Writing Month is in November. So why post about it? Glad you asked.

Nanowrimo is how I kickstarted myself into writing. Sure, I would draft something every now and then. But it was Nanowrimo 2014 that I actually did something. My work at the end of it wasn’t great, hell, it sucked. However, it showed me I could get a novel written.

So, this is October. I am going to participate (It’s not a contest) this year. That means that October is National Outline Your Novel Month. Ok, not really. I’m a plotter, which means I outline my writing. I make character dossiers (really), layout settings, and even get a list of scenes together. In fact, I use The Snowflake Method. This is what I do, but you might do something else.

If you are wanting to write a novel, I recommend November. If you want to do something with it, I recommend you plan this month.

Come along with me and let’s write a book. Or three. Maybe eight.