Shantago's Revenge

by Nicholas Penn

  “Now, like I said, show me the rogue toggle? My patience is wearing very thin today.”

  “First show me the children. If we are going to make the exchange, I want to see the children first.”

  “Very clever, son of Nick; very clever indeed. So be it.” Shantago clapped his hands together, and behind him I could see around ten or twelve of the missing children, which were all gagged and shackled, standing in the pouring rain.

  “Now for the last time, show me the rogue toggle.” I had no other choice. I shouted down the hall at Jenna. After a few seconds she brought in Ralph for everyone to see.

  “Good. It looks like you are an amenable foe and true to your word. Now hand over the toggle and the children are yours to keep.”

  I suddenly remembered Gramps telling me to heed his words. I looked Shantago square in the eye and told him, “Death isn’t but a heartbeat away.” With a wink, I turned to Jenna and told her to hand Ralph over. She looked at me with discontent before offering Ralph up to the evil one. Once Ralph was in his arms, I shouted to Ralph, “Do it now. Run.” Ralph slid down out of his arms and bounced to the ground. With a jot and a tiddle Ralph went under everyone’s feet and out the door.

  With a thousand horses running through my veins I gripped Shantago’s neck tight, twisting around–the road less traveled. I shouted out to Jenna, “Grab the book!” While I had him in position, Jenna took the Toggle Handbook from his knapsack.

  The next part is somewhat of a blur. After Jenna took possession of the book, I heard a sound like flesh being torn as she fell to her knees. I immediately let go of Shantago. I heard the gnashing of flesh again; this time I was able to lay eyes on the heartbreaking act. General Krylon had pulled Shantago’s sword from its sheath and stabbed Jenna in the back, right through to her heart. He pulled out the sword as Jenna froze from shock. I’ll never forget the face of unbelief as she put her arms out towards me. “No, Jenna!” I screamed in distress. She fell into my arms as I hurried to catch her. “How could you?”

  In agony I held her for a few fleeting moments as her eyes rolled back into her head. Jenna was gone. Once again I’d lost a loved one at the hands of Shantago.

  With tears falling from my eyes, I asked, “Why, oh why did you have to do this?” Shantago just laughed, “You fool. No one had to die tonight; all this bloodshed over an old dusty book? You can have it.”

  Shantago threw the book at my feet and laughed heartily. I knelt there confused and heartbroken. With a cluttered mind I couldn’t comprehend why he didn’t want that mystical book now. Two twin toggles slowly made their way in front of him, and in unison, started reciting the Toggle Handbook by memory. “The Toggle Handbook, authored by the mystic toggles of Togglehelium.” Shantago interrupted them, “As you can see, I have two copies of the book right here, so enjoy, son of Nick.”

  Shantago then snapped his fingers twice while pointing towards the door. “Krylon, take your army and canvas these hills. I want that rogue toggle found.” Krylon agreed and rushed out the door with his army. Shantago turned to leave but instead he froze in his tracks. “It’s been fun playing our little game tonight, but now I must go. By the way, I find the Toggle Handbook useless to me now that I have all the powers it contains at my very bidding, so once again, enjoy. Ta-ta until tomorrow, son of Nick.”

  I started to throw the book at Shantago’s head but instead I turned the other cheek. Staying true to Gramps’ words, I trusted in him and listened to his warning from earlier. In a flash, all of the remaining toggles vanished.

  I sat there on the cabin floor holding Jenna in my arms, lamenting over her death, when all of a sudden I felt two metal bracelets clasp tightly around my wrists. “Jordan Brady, you are under arrest–for murder, kidnapping, and the abduction of at least twelve children.” I tried to stand and confront my accusers, but instead I felt a foreign object splinter the back of my head. Fading to black, I heard a familiar voice say, “If you have a lawyer, you’d better call and wake him up because tonight… it just got real.”

  Locked Up

  The first thing that I noticed, when I came around at the police station, was what a rotten attitude all of the employees had towards everyone that didn’t have a badge on. I received the cold shoulder from everyone, including Jessica. Yes, two days ago she was flirting with me and ogling every time that I walked in the door. Now she wouldn’t even look my way. Didn’t she know I was innocent?

  While I was being put into the system, I sat handcuffed to a bench not too far from where all of the missing children were gathered, with a clear glass wall as a divider. My head was throbbing yet again, but that’s nothing new I guess. There I was, miserable and handcuffed with freedom and happiness just a glass divider away. I could see the parents show up at the police station for each of children’s reunion.

  A little girl with blonde hair seemed to be the leader of the pack amongst all the kids. The girl had so much energy, she was pacing back and forth, checking on each of her friends to see if they all were okay. She covered up a few with blankets and sung songs to others, keeping their spirits high. I saw her take out some bubble gum from her fanny pack and pass it out amongst them. She braided each of the girls’ hair and straightened the boys’ shirts, preparing for the parents’ arrival I suppose.

  I watched her for a while through a glass window until her mother arrived. After the hugs, I heard her tell her mother that a monster had her but she was okay now. She even told her mom that she’d kept one of the monsters, named it squishy, and that it was hiding in her fanny pack. Her mother just smiled and said, “That’s nice,” while signing the release papers.

  One by one the parents came and picked up their children until there were just three kids left. All of a sudden the lady from the rally walked in. “My babies, my babies. Robert, Michael, Kaitlin, I’m so happy to see you.” Cathy hugged and kissed each of her kids with tears rolling down both of her cheeks.

  After the reunion I watched Cathy go over to Jessica’s desk and begin a conversation. I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but they chit-chatted for a long while. I was dozing off, and exhaustion was starting to sink in.

  Much later in the hour I watched Cathy head back over to see her children. Out the corner of her eye she noticed me handcuffed in the next room. Cathy started to speak but something made her change her mind. I heard her ask the children “Who did this to you?” The oldest boy said it was a monster while the two little ones each said, “I don’t know.” Cathy looked angrily in my direction before escorting her children out of the station.

  ************************************

  “Mr. Brady, it’s time for your mugshot.” An old man smoking a cigarette escorted me to the photo room. I watched ashes fall onto his shirt and singe part of his tie.

  I decided to have some fun at his expense. “Oh look I’m five foot eleven. How about I stand on my tippy toes?” As I said that, he snapped a picture that made me look like I was holding my mouth open like a fish when the flash went off. “Turn to your side please.” I turned to the side and said, “Can we have a redo? That last picture came out horrible.” He snapped another awful picture right in the middle of my last sentence. This time my eyes were closed during the shot. “I know that this wasn’t yearbook day or anything, but can’t a man get at least one good mugshot?”

  After a failed photo-op attempt, the best print made me look like a common criminal. They dressed me in an orange jumpsuit with the number AN101480 branded on my left pocket. After what seemed like an eternity I was led over to the fingerprinting room and then a four-by-eight jail cell.

  Well I now know what Wyatt was talking about when he brought up what the worst two smells in prison are. Wyatt was right about something. With my future looking very bleak, I suspected I might have to get used to both of them. Yes, there just might be a lot of things that I might have to get used to if I have to stay locked behind these steel bars for very long.

  Extreme Interrogation

&nbs
p; About three in the morning I was brought into a bright white room and handcuffed to the table. The only thing that wasn’t white was a large black clock on the wall and a table, which was a stained wood, probably oak. This was just like what you see in the movies: a padded room with a large one-way mirror window for everyone else’s listening and viewing pleasure. “I know you can see me. Please tell the audience watching that I didn’t do it. I’ve been framed by someone.” Not a sound, not a peep from anyone. My biggest fear of being lost in the system was starting to come true. They did it to my gramps’ cousin and now they are doing it to me.

  After a few minutes the door opened and a lady walked in. “Mr. Brady, how are you?”

  “How do you think I am at three o’clock in the morning?”

  I didn’t mean to come on so strongly, but I’d now been up for twenty four hours, not to mention I’d recently witnessed my girlfriend’s murder, so I was a bit grouchy. “When can I go home?” The lady just laughed but then she tried to hide her expression, “Mr. Brady I think for now that’s off the table. Do you know who I am?”

  I had no idea who she was or what she wanted, “Should I?” The lady smiled, “No, I guess you wouldn’t. I am a child behaviorist and my name is Phyllis.”

  “Well, Phyllis, why in the world are you here at three in the morning to see me? I’m not even a child? See, Ms. Phyllis, I grew up a long time ago now.” None of it made any sense.

  “I just wanted to talk to you and see what you may know about all of the missing children found at your cabin. That is your cabin there in the picture isn’t it?”

  I stubbornly snarled back, “That’s my cabin.” I needed to decide right then and there if I was going to tell the truth or make up a lie. The decision was questionable. Even if I told the truth I knew that they wouldn’t believe me, so what should I do?

  “Ms. Phyllis, I don’t think I want to talk to you right now. I’m currently crashing because–” Phyllis cut me off, “So you are on drugs. Are they prescription or street?”

  “No Phyllis. I am not on drugs. I am crashing because I haven’t had any sleep in over twenty- four hours, but thanks for assuming.” I started to unravel a little as I angrily spoke out, “Here I am in jail accused of a lot of crap that I didn’t do, and they have Miss Mary Poppins in here to interrogate me? So Miss Poppins, are you here to help make the medicine go down, because all of this nonsense is becoming rather tough to swallow.”

  Phyllis looked somewhat offended by my outburst. “What do you mean by that? Can we get back to the children? What can you tell me about them?”

  “I can tell you a whole lot.”

  Phyllis seemed to lighten up once she heard that. “Well, I’m glad you are willing to cooperate. So, Jordan Brady, tell me what you know.”

  “Well, I know that there were twelve of them. I counted six boys and six girls. I’d guess that they were between the ages of eight and twelve, although the tall boy they call Michael could be much older. It seems like they had a leader, someone that they looked up to while they were together; the little blonde girl with blue eyes. She seemed to play the mothering role to each of them.”

  “Good Mr. Brady. Would you like to continue?”

  “Well, that’s really all that I know about them. I deduced all of that while sitting in handcuffs waiting to get processed.”

  “So you are not going to tell me how they were kidnapped?”

  “How would I know that? I wasn’t the one who kidnapped them.”

  Suddenly I heard a pecking noise on the mirrored glass. “Excuse me, Mr. Brady, I believe that I’m needed.” Phyllis made her way out of the room. I guess it was getting pretty warm in the hotbox. I started laughing, softly at first, and then I couldn’t control myself. I thought while laughing my head off, If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

  ‘Stabbed in the Back

  Authorities had me waiting in this room for what seemed like hours and no one came to check on me. I was tired from being up one full day, I was thirsty, and I needed to take a leak. My mind raced on as I thought, I always considered myself a patient man, but c’mon give me a break– at least a bathroom break.

  I started to nod off right when the door cracked open. It was my friend John Jamison. He poked his head in the room to see what my status was. “Man, you are a sight for sore eyes. Where have you been John?”

  John didn’t look too happy to see me. Instead he kept his distance as he sat down in the room. “Listen man, this looks really bad right now. They got you for kidnapping and murder. As we speak they are trying to pin every crime in the last ten years on you, so get ready.”

  “I’m glad you told me.”

  I’m not doing you any favors. I just thought you should know, that’s all.”

  When John stood up, his expression changed. “How could you man, after all that we’ve been through.”

  I didn’t know exactly what he was talking about.

  “John, did I do something to offend you? If so I am sorry.”

  “Did you do something to offend me?” John started laughing. “All I can tell you is that all of the evidence points to you. It sure looks like you were the one responsible for my abduction among other things.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Dumbfounded I said, “What are you talking about?”

  John huffed like he was letting off steam as he said, “Well, if you didn’t do it somebody with an agenda is out to get me.”

  “John, you are my friend, I would never.”

  “Well maybe not, but they found me tonight locked away in your old workshop.”

  So that’s where they were keeping him. “John, I promise you that I had nothing to do with that. Don’t you remember who kidnapped you?”

  “Honestly I don’t. I was hit from behind when I was in the parking lot of the precinct and knocked unconscious. When I came to, most of it was a blur up until now. I was tied up with rope and duct tape. Someone dressed in an eerie costume, at least I hope it was a mask, kept saying things like: ‘Any friend of Nick deserves to die,’ which made no sense to me. I mean, just who is this Nick he was referring too? The masked monster kept on explaining his plans. I don’t know who this guy was but he was speaking nothing but gibberish to me, like when he said: ‘Finding his dog and making it disappear for good was just the beginning. Soon he will disappear too, slipping deep into darkness and out of sight.’ I spent many days gagged and tied up in that old shed. I rejoiced when I heard the sirens blaring. Yes, I’m so thankful that I was found before I was murdered.”

  Putting two and two together, my curiosity was getting the best of me so I spoke up, “Just who rescued you?”

  John replied, “Marlowe and the lieutenant. I was so glad to see someone I knew.”

  With a sarcastic tone to my words I suggested, “How convenient, I’m so glad they knew exactly where to find you.”

  John looked bewildered as he continued, “This next part I still don’t quite understand. They told me once I was taken to the hospital that I had been drugged? When I was rescued by Marlowe apparently I was three sheets in the wind. They said I was talking out of my mind about monsters storming a castle? When a tox screen was performed, apparently I was all jacked up on hallucinogens. They’ve almost worn off by now though. I’m still a little woozy but mostly back to normal. I’ve been trying to sober up with some black coffee for hours.”

  It had to be Marlowe. All of it makes perfect sense now. Marlowe acted very strange each time that I mentioned Officer John’s whereabouts. Come to think of it, I bet he’s connected to all of the abductions.

  I didn’t have any proof. I did have a gut feeling that something just wasn’t right about Marlowe and the whole situation. I couldn’t just come out and tell John what I suspected, it wouldn’t look right; the wrong place at the wrong time.

  John suddenly turned his frustrations towards me, “Look man, I’m not saying you are at fault here. I’m telling you that all the evidence points to you. They found me at your
cabin. There was a knapsack there that had duct tape, guns, and rope in it. My truck was parked just feet from my prison. What would you believe if you were me?”

  “John, I know that there must be a logical explanation. First of all, I did have those things in a knapsack, but they weren’t meant for you. I was just protecting myself; that’s why I brought the gun with me. The rope and duct tape were supplies I brought to the cabin. Besides, I had an alibi.”

  “Who, the little girl they found stabbed to death in your cabin? So much for your alibi. Heck for all I know, she was in on it too.”

  That one angered me, but I let it slide. “I didn’t kill her. I keep trying to tell you guys that. I found her already dead when I came back inside the cabin. I was holding her when you guys found me. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

  “If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t believe your story either. It really looks like you killed a girl tonight and I was next.”

  “John, I saw your truck when I arrived at the cabin tonight. Jenna and I searched the cabin and didn’t find anyone. I tried calling the police but the landline wasn’t working. I think someone cut the line.”

  “Jordan, do you remember a while ago when I came to visit you in the mental hospital?”

  “Yes I do, but I was there against my will.”

  “Well, that went on your record and now that only fuels a motive. Everyone thinks you are crazy and a dangerous man.” John brought his chair a little closer to me and sat back down. His lips tightened and his voice deepened as he said, “I’ll do everything I can to help, but the moment they find solid proof that it was you who did this I’m going to personally see to it that you are nailed to the wall. If you are guilty, I will make sure that the governor is called and you are placed on death row for your actions. John sat back in his chair and said, “Right now it’s just reasonable doubt.”