The card had the inscription Flixster the Trickster on it. When I turned over the card to look at the other side, the writing looked unfamiliar. I didn’t recognize the language at all. The inscription was like a riddle which read:
kuficha ubinafsi wako wa kweli katika mwanga
lakini wakati wa usiku wewe kuonyesha yako might
Kuwa kiongozi na mlezi wa ya crow
Wewe ni shantago kubwa
I supposed later on I would have to Google-Translate the meaning. This was definitely a language that I’d never seen before. When I had more time I would go online to find my answers. More importantly though, I needed to call my friend and detective John Jamison; perhaps he could help me figure out who my anonymous cat burglar really was. Could it have been just a toggle, or perhaps another poser? For now, I didn’t really know what to make of the situation. Perhaps a professional would have better luck.
Noisome Sherlock
As I made my way through the open doors of the precinct, I bumped into an old acquaintance of mine. Sitting there at one of the desks was a beautiful blonde named Jessica Reese. Jessica and I went out a few times while we were in college, but we quickly grew apart once I figured out that school was the number one thing in her life and I was just another hot fling. Someone to quench her urges I suppose. I admit that I still had feelings for her. The feelings that came to mind right off were mostly carnal. There was just something about her southern drawl that I couldn’t resist, not to mention her smokin’ hot body. The years had been good to Jessica Reese–real good.
Jessica perked up once she had me in her sights. “Well hel-lo stranger. How have you been?”
“I’ve been better Jessica, but it’s good to see you.” I saw her diploma hanging there on the wall, so I opened with a compliment. “It looks like you finally made it with that criminal degree. That’s nice; I’m very proud of you.”
Jessica paused and then blushed for a moment. “Why thank you Jordan. It was a lot of hard work.”
“As much as I’d like to sit here and chit-chat, I need to get in touch with Officer John if you don’t mind. Can you help me?” Truth was I’d rather be next to Jessica exchanging sweet nothings. There was just something about that girl that I couldn’t let go, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it either. Maybe it was her freckles just above her cheek bone that still drove me wild. Perhaps it was simply her walk. She was the type of girl that I hated to see go, but I loved to watch her leave if you catch my drift.
“Officer John is–” Jessica was cut off by a mysterious man dressed in black that just made his way into the room. “John is temporarily out of action. Who wants to know about John anyways?” I could tell right off that this guy was going to be trouble. “My name is Jordan Brady and I had someone try to break into my apartment I think. Can you tell me when John will be back?”
“The name’s Marlowe. I am John’s partner. He won’t be back in the office for many days. John has taken a sudden leave of absence.” Marlowe’s eyes seemed to have shifted away while he told me the news, like he was hiding something. “If you’ve got something to say you can say it to me.” Marlowe quickly turned and made his way back down the hall. “Jessica, it was good to see you, but I’ll have to catch up with you a little later.” Jessica simply smiled and said, “Okay.”
I walked down the hall to Marlowe’s office and he closed the door. His office was covered with crime-scene pictures that looked like unsolved mysteries to me. Looking past all the missing children photos on the walls, there in the middle of the room stood a huge blackboard, which quickly caught my eye. There were charts, graphs, and pictures all over the board of what looked like a brutal accident. As I glanced at the pictures, I suddenly recognized the vehicle in question. It was Abigail’s. It just had to be, right down to the buggin’ license plate affixed on the front bumper.
Sweat began to bead up on my forehead. Remaining low-key, I asked Marlowe, “So what are you working on here?”
Marlowe put down his coffee as he sounded off in a perturbed voice, “Another hit and run. This one in particular tugged at my heart’ strings a bit. I felt obligated to solve this one since I arrived on the scene shortly after the call came in. There she was, a young beautiful girl, possibly early twenties, horribly mangled and lying there on the side of the road, her car on fire and in pieces. I got to hold her in my arms while she passed on. The last thing on her lips while she expired was that an old Honda had run her off the road.”
Puzzled on who would do such a thing, I asked Marlowe, “Do you have a picture of the girl? What was her name?”
After a few seconds of searching he handed me a small 3x5 photograph, which looked like a prom picture. “This is all that I have. Her name was, I mean is, Nicole Matthews.”
I studied the picture he gave me. It was her. She was so beautiful, all adorned in her pink prom dress–my sweet Abigail and now she’s gone. Marlowe saw that I was ogling the picture so he asked, “Did you know her?”
I quickly responded with, “No, it just looks like someone I know, that’s all.” I lied because I didn’t want to become another name on his suspect list. So someone in a Honda hit her?”
Marlowe hatefully replied, “No they didn’t hit her, they simply ran her off the road and she hit a stone wall there on Winchester; head on. By Willoughby Wood County law, that constitutes as vehicular homicide, if the guy is ever caught.”
Still holding onto the picture and with a tear in my eye, I solemnly said, “So there were no witnesses?” This time Marlowe had a scowl on his face as he retorted back, “We are still checking the cameras in the area, but no one has come forth as a witness yet.” Being a little suspicious, he continued, “You sure ask a lot of questions for someone that’s not involved. So let me ask you Jordan, what kind of vehicle do you currently drive?” I didn’t hesitate a moment as I simply pointed out the window to my black Jeep, which was parked in front of his office. I could tell that Marlowe was deflated at my response. Marlowe gasped a little as he sounded off, “Crap; I was just hoping for a little lucky break I guess.” I tried to make a joke with him to lighten the mood, but it didn’t go over well. “That might have been a lucky break for you, but it would have been an unlucky one for me.”
Marlowe simply rolled his eyes as he changed the subject, “So what can I help you with? Someone you thought broke into your apartment?” Marlowe started giving me the third degree. As he picked up his coffee mug he said, “So you don’t know if they did or not? Were there any signs of a forced entry? Did they take anything?”
I could tell by the way I was being interrogated that Marlowe wasn’t going to help me. “Marlowe, the only thing that I could find that was different was that the snooper left on the table what I guess would be called a calling card.” I had snapped a picture of the card for my records and handed it over to Marlowe to review.
“So that’s it? They left this card lying there and didn’t take a thing? That’s hardly worth reporting now is it? Look kid, perhaps you should only call us for the serious stuff like a murder, rape, or some other horrendous felony.”
Marlowe immediately saw that he was coming on a little bit asinine, so he changed his tune after he realized I was ready to hit him right in the mouth. “Look, I know that you are upset. Someone entering your house unlawfully would rattle anyone. My suggestion to you would be to call a security company that specializes in home security and invest in one. They are pretty high tech these days, including video cameras and motion detection.”
I agreed with him as I stood up and started to excuse myself. That’s when Jessica barged in. “Marlowe, someone left this letter lying on the front counter. It’s addressed to you, but it has no return address. Would you like for me to open it?”
“No, that’s okay Jessica. I’ll take care of it.” Jessica and I were both lost in each other’s eyes when suddenly Marlowe broke the spell, “Why don’t you guys just get a room.” Jessica looked back, giving Marlowe an angry stare before closing the
door and exiting the room. I was trying to hide the fact that I was furious to the brink snapping, so I calmly murmured, “Marlowe, you sure know how to kill the mood.”
Marlowe found the letter opener that he kept tucked away in his top drawer and quickly opened it. To his surprise the envelope contained another calling card. Marlowe picked up the card and read a little before he started to laugh, “Is this some kind of joke?” Now turning in his chair to face me, his mouth tightened, his voice deepened, and his eyes squinted. “Are you responsible for this?” Marlowe nonchalantly flipped the calling card towards me. I looked at it in fear and excitement. It read: Stoppen Sie, Sie zu suchen dimwit Der Hüter der Krähen tat es.
“See, I’m not making any of this up. It’s another clue from the cat burglar.” Marlowe said with suspicion, “Seems kind of fishy to me. Let’s look at the facts for a moment. You show up with a fancy card and an hour later another one mysteriously appears at the front counter? Just how do you explain this?”
“If you are insinuating that I had something to do with it then you are sadly mistaken. It’s got to be a clue. Did you ever think that maybe the snake wants to get caught?” Now seeing the obvious, that it could have been a toggle, I suggested, “Maybe, your hit-and-run guy and my cat burglar are one and the same?”
Marlowe moved his eyes in a very salty way. He quickly chimed back with, “All I know is that I am not in the mood for any juvenile mind games.”
I studied the card for a moment and then explained to him what I knew about the other card from earlier, “The character on the front of the card is named Flixster the Trickster.” He is a toggle that I remembered seeing in one of my gramps old books. I didn’t recognize the writing on the other side of the card, but I suggested that we look them up on Google Translate. “I know that if you go onto Google Translate there is an icon that says ‘detect language.’ It’s not rocket science you know.” Marlowe just rolled his eyes once again at my suggestion, so I knew that my time here was done.
When I opened the door, Marlowe grabbed me by the arm. “Kid, I want to ask you one question.” I looked up at him, only because he was much taller. “Okay what?” His mouth narrowed and his brow wrinkled a bit as he said, “Jordan, I would like to look into your story. I know that you are the kid that thinks he sees and talks to monsters. I heard John talking about an article he read a while back and how you almost got killed by a mad man. Although I don’t believe you are being hunted by trolls, I’d like to see if there is someone in your past that is stalking you.”
News in this small town sure did travel fast. I guess everyone in Willoughby Woods now knows about the story that the newspaper published. I stared angrily at Marlowe for a second before I asked, “Where exactly did you say John is?” Marlowe continued with his shifty look again as he said, “He’s indisposed for awhile; taking some time off. Would you rather talk to him instead?” I just shook my head and sighed, “No, you will do Marlowe.” I hesitated at first but finally agreed that Marlowe could look into my case. Neither one of us shook hands as we departed. For me, I didn’t want to end up with dirty hands.
The King of This World
“Gather round my loyal subjects. I have something to share with the whole universe. Today marks a historic day in the life of all toggles. We’ve all been waiting for this day to come for way too long. As you all know we were once persecuted and our forefathers suppressed for being different just because humans do not understand, but now our day has arrived. Today is a new day for all of us. I declare freedom from the extremists that once held us back. Today will forever be our independence day, because it is today that liberty, opportunity, and power will be gained. Today is the day that I am formally declared king of the toggles, and king of this world.” All of his loyal subjects cheered with great enthusiasm as Shantago curtseyed to the audience.
Shantago was all adorned in black leather. Great reds and gold with silver lace covered the outside of his cloak. He carried with him a new sword, which now contained mighty wizardry and zin, thanks to the mystic toggle elders and their spells cast from the mighty Toggle Handbook. “I have the power and might to defeat our enemies. I will be launching a full-fledged war on our adversaries, starting with the chosen one. He will be the first to feel the wrath that is to come. I will destroy him, then the world. I will make all humans bow down to me or they will suffer the consequences.”
One of the toggle guards stood up with concern. “My king, how do we go about our new war on terror?”
“You foolish little toggle, just leave it up to me. It will be a surprise attack, no one will see it coming– especially the Son of Nick. I have a special treat in mind for him. Have the mystic toggles begin working on some spiritual mind games. The son of Nick won’t know what hit him with what I’ve got in store. That day will be filled with pain and agony, just wait and see.”
All of the toggles quickly started to prepare for the attack. “Gather all of the oogle ogles, toggles, boggles, raw snorgs, and snark soldiers. I have a little something special set aside for the town of Willoughby Woods. They will wish that they’ve never been born, because Shantago, the king of this world, will have his day. Enough talk already. Do as your new king commands you to.”
The toggles began to scramble all around, preparing for battle.
“Flixster, did you drop off the package yet?”
“Yes sir, I personally delivered the death card to his doorstep.”
“Excellent.”
“Well, I actually placed the first one where he would find it, which was on his coffee table. The second one I positioned a little more cleverly, but don’t worry, it was delivered.”
“That’s even better. Flixster, you are truly a trickster. Now go and help the others.”
“Yes sir, right away sir.”
“Oh by the way, Flixster?”
“Yes.”
“Bring me the Toggle Handbook before you go.”
“Yes sir, right away sir.”
Returning to his throne, Shantago shared his thoughts aloud with all the remaining toggles as he spoke these words, “How foolish the son of Nick was to let us get a hold of this powerful book. With this book I will destroy the world that he once knew.”
Looking at a picture of his lost love he sighed and murmured softly, “I miss you so much my love. Soon it will all be over and we will have our revenge. Once I fully understand the Toggle Handbook of Knowledge and Wisdom, the elder toggles have witnessed to me that it is possible to bring you back from beyond the grave. According to ancient prophecy, there will be one who rids the world of all persecution, and once that is completed, he will be all powerful. I will restore full liberty and sovereignty to my toggles. Once that is finished, I will bring you back too my love, just wait and see.”
A Scientific Perspective
Once I was finished being interrogated by Detective Marlowe, I thought I would run on by the university, per Mr. Kennedy’s advice. When I arrived, I parked next to a yellow Humvee that was sporting a spotlight and fog lights. It was also lifted, from what I could tell, with black step bars to get in and out. Where have I seen this before? I couldn’t place the beast of a machine right away, but the familiarity was definitely there.
While walking on campus I saw a sign that said “Science Building.” Since I really had no idea where I was going, I thought this would be a good start, so I entered. Once inside, right away I knew I was in the right place. There was a large banner hanging from the ceiling that read: “The World’s Strangest Creatures Exhibit.” I started looking all around at the displays there in the hall.
The exhibits were mostly informative signs with a general history of the creature and a picture. Large spiders, red monkeys, and colorful exotic birds made the list. There were also a few dinosaur skeletons hanging from the ceiling for good measure. I was heavily engulfed in the story of a puffer fish when a strange man dressed in a lab coat with wild bushy hair approached me. “The poisonous puffer fish is from the tetraodontidae
family, and are closely related to the porcupine fish. They have tiny hidden spines that are only visible when it’s all puffed up.” As soon as the rather eccentric man said this, he did his best Elvis impersonation. “Thank you, Thank you very much.”
Trying not to come off rude, I refrained from rolling my eyes at first. “I’m looking for a scientist named Scottie. Do you know him?” The man smiled and then said, “I’d like to think I’ve known him for fifty seven years now.”
Looking a little puzzled, I asked him, “Are you Scottie?”
The guy put his hand out to greet me while he said, “Scottie Amadeus Sheffield in the flesh and at your service, now what can I do for you?”
“My name is Jordan Brady and I–” I was immediately cut off by Scottie’s excitement. “You are the one that Jim told me about.” He started shaking my hand even faster as he put his other arm around me. “I’m so happy that you made it. Come inside my laboratory; we have many things to discuss.”
As I entered his lab I noticed right off that this was not a normal scientist’s office. There were many exotic creatures in cages, with some that I’d never seen before. Some of the animals that I noticed were normal looking; perhaps the scientist hadn’t gotten to them yet. There were bright colored furry birds with blue beaks that bellowed out Whyoop, Whyoop.
I saw two tiny dragon-like lizards playing there on the desk. One breathed fire and the other water. More like a spark, one of the dragon-like monsters spat fire on a book while the other quickly quenched the flame. “I named them Serpentaus and Dragina. What do you think?” I just stood there shaking my head in amazement, trying to take it all in. Looking all around I marveled at each and every one of the fantastic animals that were being engineered there in his laboratory.
Shantago's Revenge Page 3
