Slow Sunday
I’m not at all surprised that I write just shy of 1,700 words today. I really wanted to take a day off but as I will have to spend this next week preparing a Sunday School lesson I’d rather chew up my lead being productive rather than slothful. I’m still a couple of days ahead of schedule, and I’ve finally come up with a working title for my novel: The Gold Man Turns at Midnight. It’s based on a prank some of us would play on out-of-towners back in college. Yes, the Gold Man will make it into the novel, but you’ll have to read to see if he really does turn at midnight.
Tonight I finally got the scene in the carousel here in Salem. Since my daughter loves it I had to include her in the story. Yes, she really does say those things, and yes, Abby really is her favorite horse.
For all of you faithful ones still reading, bless you, and here is your reward: more words.
Joe had to hurry to catch up with Katarina, after replacing the box on the shelf, who was briskly walking back the way they came. Katarina was walking with a determined purpose, her gait quick and unrelenting. To Joe’s surprise they turned down the same aisle he found Helmut’s box, which Katarina walked past without so much as a glance. Finally she stopped, stooped down, and pulled a slender box off of the bottom shelf. Inside was a single leather bound book of great antiquity. To Joe’s horror Katarina riffled through the book heedless of its apparent age. All Joe could think of was the consequences they would face if in her haste she tore one of the pages.
When Katarina stopped on a page Joe let out his breath, realizing he had been holding it. He walked behind her and peered over her shoulder. Joe could not decipher the writing on the page, but if he had to guess it looked like a roster of some kind. Katarina’s finger, tracing the words as she skimmed them, stopped on a line that had a notation, in red, next to it. Her finger tapped, “It is as I thought.”
“What?” Joe asked impatiently. “What did you find.”
“Perhaps something, but hopefully nothing,” she said as she closed the book, returned it to its box, and put the box on the shelf.
“I don’t understand. Did you find something bad?” Joe persisted, concerned that Katarina’s sudden change in demeanor coupled with that cryptic statement probably meant trouble.
Katarina ignored Joe and quickly strode away heading for the entrance, where she knew The Keeper would be waiting. Joe sighed and chased after her, finding it hard to keep pace this time such was Katarina’s sense of urgency. When they arrived at the door Joe was unsurprised to see The Keeper, however he did not expect him to be holding a book in his arms. Upon seeing him Katarina smiled. “With your permission,” was all she said to him, at which point he handed her the book which set set on the now empty table.
The Keeper stood at the door in polite silence, starting straight ahead as if he were nothing more than the door guard. Joe took this opportunity to examine him out of the corner of his eye. He did indeed look older than any man had aright to look, and yet he stood ramrod straight. Joe couldn’t puzzle him out, and as he was about to turn his full attention to The Keeper Katarina’s muttered, “I feared as much,” brought him to her side.
“Bad news?” Joe asked cautiously.
Katarina stood up straight, closed the book, then handed it to The Keeper. “Thank you Chauncey. As always it was precisely what I needed.”
“My pleasure,” he said with a bow. “Will you be needing anything further?” he asked, knowing full well she did not.
“Thank you, but no. We’ve found what we came for. I am, once again, in your debt.”
“Not at all dear lady. I am merely doing my duty,” he said with grace and dignity.
“Nevertheless, I am grateful.” Katarina reached out and grasped his hands, squeezed them once, then turned to Joe. “We must be going. There is someone we need to talk to, and we must hurry.”
The Keeper held the door open, and Katarina walked through it with a slight nod in his direction. Joe, eager to escape the watchful gaze of the unnatural Keeper, quietly nodded and followed Katarina out of The Archives.
Joe chased Katarina down the stairs calling after her, “Aren’t you going to tell me what you found?”
“Quickly now, follow me. There isn’t time enough for a full explanation. All will be made clear when we get there. Hurry!” she called back, not taking the time to turn her head.
Katarina broke out into a jog once they got onto the sidewalk, and headed back toward Downtown. Joe quickly discovered he was not up to talking and jogging, as the day’s activities had taken their toll on him. Coming up to an intersection Joe realized they were heading back the way they had come to The Archives. “I thought Mortimer said no two doors could be used by the same person,” Joe thought to himself. “We can’t be going back to Second City can we?” Joe had little time to ponder as the honking horn of an impatient car sent Joe’s heart racing as he sprinted the rest of the way across the street.
Katarina glanced over her shoulder and called out, “You alright?” Joe could only manage a nod which was apparently all Katarina needed as she turned her head back around and resumed their jog. As they came upon the brick wall surrounding the sub station near the houses where they exited Second City Joe’s sides began to ache He gasped as they turned the corner, and leaned against it, hands on his hips, out of breath.
Katarina, sensing that Joe was no longer behind her stopped, turned around, and backtracked to a now hunched over Joe. “Hang in there Joe. We’re almost there,” she began comforting him. As she crouched down to his level the bricks on the wall where her head used to be erupted in a shower of purple sparks. Joe was too startled to scream, but his sudden weariness evaporated as suddenly had the urge to bolt. Katarina ducked down and quickly scanned the street, the sidewalk, and the footbridge for any sign of their attacker. Another eruption of sparks and bricks suddenly manifested itself just shy of Joe’s head, which he now tucked under his arms and collapsed to the ground. Katarina spied a lone figure on the footbridge and cursed under her breath.
“Who is it,” Joe muttered through a face full of dirt.
“It’s Bob again,” Katarina said with disgust. She stood up, her eyes blazing a cold and quiet fury. She raised one hand and pointed it at Bob. Sparks erupted in front of Katrina in rapid succession, but her arm did not waver. Joe lifted his head up off the ground in time to see Bob lifted off his feat and hurled off the footbridge into the river below.
Katarina looked down to Joe. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so,” Joe replied picking himself off the ground and patting himself down just to make sure he was all there.
“Good. We haven’t a moment to lose.”
“What about Bob?”
“Bob will not be bothering us for a while,”she said starting to jog off. “He never learned to swim,” she called out over her shoulder.
A surprised Joe lumbered after her, wondering what kind of ally he had.
Katarina jogged past the cluster of houses Joe assumed was their destination. Instead she jogged into and down the length of the aptly named Waterfront Park. Despite the pain in Joe’s side, and the grueling pace Katarina was setting, Joe could not help but take note that an old fashioned riverboat was moored in the river right next to the park. Joe first heard, rather than saw, the carousel. The music was unmistakeable, as was the sound of happy children riding around in circles on brightly painted horses. He was shocked when Katarina slowed down and walked in amongst the children, parents, and grandparents milling about.
“Who in the world could we be meeting here?” Joe thought to himself, then in a flash of inspiration he started studying the horses, convinced that one of them wasn’t really a wooden horse. Joe paced around the carousel looking intently at all the horses until he spotted one he thought was the one they were here to talk to, or ride. There, in the inside row was a flying unicorn bobbing up and down. “Of course! It has to be the flying unicorn. It’s so obvious,” Joe thought, congratulating himself.
“See a horse you’d like to ride?” Katarina asked handing him a token.
Joe grinned at Katarina. “I do,” he said with a sly wink.
Katarina chuckled and followed Joe as he got inline behind an excited toddler holding her grandfather’s hand, chattering endlessly about “carousel horsies go up and down.” When the ride stopped and the attendant started letting people on Joe sprang into action, practically sprinting to find the flying unicorn. Arriving at the horse he was initially dismayed to see the excited toddler consider it, worrying what he would do if she did. To Joe’s relief the grandfather directed the little girl to another horse, a racing horse with the name Abby over it, to which the girl cried, “I love Abby, Abby cute.” Joe hurried over to the unicorn and smirked and snickered when he realized it was named Magic, and swiftly mounted it, whispering into its ear, “I’m a friend of Katarina.”
Joe was sitting proudly on his horse when Katarina found him, and as the horse next to his, a fine looking horse by the name of Legal Tender, was vacant she climbed onto it. “I didn’t know you had such a fondness for carousels,” she remarked to Joe.
Joe gave her a blank look. “I’ve never really been on one before.”
Katarina gave him a knowing look then smiled to herself. “Clearly you are looking forward to it,” she said as the bell rang and they started to spin and go up and down.
All throughout the ride Joe would lean down and whisper into Magic’s ear. It was impossible to hear what he was saying over the music and the cheering and hollering of the children on the ride. More than once Joe looked over at Katarina and winked while whispering to the horse. When the carousel stopped Joe dismounted, walked to the front of the horse, and thanked it for an enjoyable ride.
“I see you enjoyed yourself,” Katarina said cautiously. “We have some time to kill if you’d like to browse through the gift shop.”
“Sure,” Joe said, conspiratorially.
“Are you feeling alright, Joe?” Katarina asked quite concerned.
“Fine, fine. You?”