It was a good plan even though it had a few holes in it. This plan was their only option. Of course, many things could go wrong, but as long as they kept an eye on things everyone would be able to escape unharmed.
“Can we count on you, Caleb?” Jerry smiled.
“Yes.”
For their own safety, they decided to keep the plan to themselves and not tell anyone until the last minute. They feared that some members of the group would be so scared they wouldn’t be able to keep their mouths shut. They would confess everything and end up sentencing everyone to certain death. Even if they didn’t snitch. The truth would be visible on their faces. It would certainly get Jacob’s attention.
During the next few days, they started preparing. They had handkerchiefs soaked in oil and other substances that would help the fire spread rapidly and efficiently. Caleb thought about everything that could go wrong but in the end determined that luck would decide everyone’s fate.
“The day has finally come,” whispered Martin close to Caleb. “When will we tell everyone else?”
“We have to wait until Jacob and the two idiots are drunk,” Phil’s response was cold and sharp. He wasn’t going to discuss the idea.
Caleb wasn’t sure that they should wait till moments before they ignited the fire to tell them. Surprising the people by yelling for them to leave might leave them shocked, unbalanced, and unable to respond. Caleb decided to talk to Jerry about it. At least he could stay long enough to help those that fell behind. Luckily none of them owned anything they would want to carry with them, except for the clothes that they wore. Jacob didn’t pay them. He only gave them a plate of food, a roof over their heads, and threats to enforce their obedience.
We are nothing more than slaves, thought Caleb. Could we have asked the police for help? Of course, but we would have ended up dead. Jacob’s reach extended beyond that of his three henchmen. With the fortune Jacob acquired by keeping all of their salaries. Jacob could hire a few thugs to kill them even if he was behind bars. Jacob was extremely vengeful. He wouldn’t doubt in crossing the country just to kill one of them.
The afternoon passed slowly and even though the work on the port wouldn’t leave them a moment of rest. The nerves they felt made the minutes slow down torturously. Caleb sighed a few times in an attempt to decrease the nerves that tightened his throat uncomfortably.
Jacob felt good as night fell. He had received a large bag filled with gold coins and he was extremely happy. Jacob didn’t waste any time in punching Caleb and ordering him to go to the tavern to buy a barrel of beer and something else to celebrate a good work week. He snarled at Jerry to accompany Caleb. Caleb alone would take too long to return home after making the purchases.
“It’s perfect,” Jerry said once they were a street away and walking in the direction of the tavern. “He hasn’t asked for anything specific other than the barrel of beer. We can buy something much stronger.”
“Not a lot,” Caleb said as he walked faster and got Jerry’s attention. “If we deviate too much from the routine Jacob will suspect something.”
“You’re right.” Jerry seemed to understand suddenly. “He’s a lot smarter than we think but… Come here, Caleb!”
Without saying what passed through his mind he grabbed Caleb and made him walk into one of the alleyways. During the late hour, the streets were overflowing with people but they walked quickly and reached an alley without an exit where only a few old doors were visible and no other person wandered in. It was dark and humid, it stank of something that was quickly decaying.
“It stinks,” Caleb grunted, covering his nose with the sleeve of his ragged shirt. “Where the hell are we?”
“There’s an old woman here who makes ointments. A long time ago, I heard some guys talk about her. She can prepare anything.”
“Poison?” Caleb arched both eyebrows.
“We’re not going to poison Jacob. Although, once I came to talk to this woman, seriously thinking about killing him that way,” Jerry said, “but you know that for a couple of years he’s made you taste everything before he puts it in his mouth. He doesn’t trust anyone.”
“He has a reason not to. So what are we looking for?” Caleb became interested, knowing that he would have to try it first.
“Something that affects Jacob’s senses and that would increase the effect of alcohol.”
As Jerry spoke, Caleb thought about how smart he was. Thanks to Jerry he could read, badly and with a lot of effort, but he knew most of the letters and Caleb didn’t consider them to be meaningless symbols. He didn’t understand how Jerry, with his intelligence and cunning, had ended up with them. With his education, he should have managed to get any job that he wanted.
“Something that won’t affect you with one sip.” Jerry smiled and slapped a hand on a door with dangerously swollen wood.
Suddenly, they heard loud, irregular steps getting closer. A little old lady opened the door to them and she recognized Jerry’s face.
She was ... disgusting? Yes. Caleb looked at her wrinkled nose. Her gray hair looked like a stiff old broom. It was long and reached her broad waist. The furrows of her face fell, creating folds close to the jaw, and she had a beard ... not so much as a man, but Caleb could perfectly distinguish the hairs that shot out in all directions from warts. Her fingernails were terrible, long, sharp, and so black that if she touched him lightly he thought they would give him a deadly infection.
“Have you decided, boy?”
Caleb was puzzled. How could such a hellish looking creature possess such an angelic voice? Her words seemed to flow softly. Her feminine tone would have attracted anyone and there she was, she looked like she came straight out of a nightmare. A real-life siren, like the tales Jerry had told him.
“More or less. We want something different than what we spoke of last time.”
“Come in.” She stepped aside, leaving room for both of them to enter.
“We’re in a bit of a hurry. If we take too long he’ll get angry.”
The old woman didn’t seem willing to waste her precious time on them. It was late and her bones begged her painfully to go to bed as soon as possible. So they walked in without going too far from the door and Jerry began to speak, explaining exactly what they needed. Of course, he didn’t forget that Caleb would have to try it first.
“It won’t be difficult. I think a sleeping pill is what you need.” She walked over to a dusty shelf full of cobwebs and picked up a dirty bottle. “It has no flavor and mixed with a good amount of alcohol will make the effect strong enough that he should completely be out of your way.”
“Perfect.”
Jerry grabbed the bottle and hid it in his pants pocket. He paid the woman with a few coins he had been hiding for months. With no need to talk anymore they said goodbye to the old woman and ran to the tavern, full of a new emotion running through their bodies. They bought Jacob’s favorite beer and a few bottles of different liquors that the owner knew he would like.
“Hey, Caleb,” Jerry said when they were a few feet from the front door. “When we leave and go our own way. I don’t want you to stop practicing reading and writing.”
Caleb looked at him in surprise and then smiled. Jerry had been like a brother and Tom like a father. To think that in a few hours they would surely go their separate ways forever caused Caleb some anguish. At that moment Caleb wanted to tell Jerry so many things and thank him for everything he had done for him, but it was complicated. It was so devilishly complicated to express his feelings and he couldn’t tell him. However, Jerry already knew, he could see it in Caleb’s bright black eyes full of admiration for him.
“I assure you that in a few years I will look for you and if you don’t know how to read perfectly I will give you a thump on the back that will keep you in bed for a week.” Jerry ruffled Caleb’s hair.
“Idiot, by that time
I’ll give you a thump.”
♫♫♫
They opened the bottles of spirits that the innkeeper had sold them and poured in the liquid the old woman had given them. They knew perfectly well that none of the other workers would get to enjoy them. They would only receive a couple of mugs of beer from the barrel. That’s why they weren’t using it there. They didn’t want the liquid to have an effect on everyone and even though Jacob thought having to refresh their throats with beer was already too generous, they could not risk it.
As soon as they entered the door, they saw new faces of consternation, which immediately indicated that some of the people who knew nothing had been warned. Although, it was evident that not everyone was aware of what was about to happen. Urged by Jacob’s yelling they left the barrel at his side. He yelled at them briefly for the delay and finished gobbling up a huge piece of greasy roast pork that he held in his hand. Without swallowing what he chewed, Jacob reached out to hit Caleb. Jacob held out a mug of brewed beer for Caleb to drink. Caleb took a long sip and let Caleb listen in order to eliminate any suspicion. Then he took a sip from two of the liquor bottles. This time he took a small sip. It was just enough to get his lips wet. Relieved by the test for poison Jacob sent them to the corner where they ate their coworker’s leftovers for supper. Jacob and his two henchmen began their insatiable drinking.
It wasn’t long before they began to feel the effects of the drug. Drowsiness made their eyes close slightly.They seemed more drunk than usual and it made any abrupt movements difficult. Jerry nodded, looked at Caleb, and gave Phil a gentle shove to get him moving. With the help of the few people who knew what was going to happen Phil slipped away to the room where they all slept and picked up a bundle that Martin had hidden under some old floorboards. Phil carried it into the main room where he dropped it in front of everyone. There, everyone watched the dirty rags that were blackened and doused with different flammable greases. Working in the port had its advantages. There was so much junk that wouldn’t be missed by anyone.
“Are you sure about this?” asked one of the men who had recently been told the plan. He was terrified.
“Yes, calm down.” Jerry smiled confidently. “We’ve gone over the plan several times. You just have to worry about running without looking back.”
There were a couple of sighs heard from people trying to keep terrible nerves at bay, but it was difficult when they knew what would happen to them if Jacob caught them. They wouldn’t just pay with a few knife wounds. It would go further, too far...
“Get ready,” Phil murmured, grabbing a couple of greasy rags. “I’m going to start lighting them up.”
In less than a minute, hell seemed to come to that shabby building. The smoke, the crackling fire, the smell, and the heat shocked many of them. They hadn’t been able to plan well and the fire was spreading much faster than they anticipated. Shouts of surprise were heard from those who still didn’t know anything. The confusion they felt caused them to not know what to do. Caleb and Jerry warned them all just in time. They sent them outside, ordering them to flee immediately to save their lives, not only from the fire but also from Jacob’s wrath.
♫♫♫
It was difficult to move through that hell, but Caleb needed to make sure there was no one left except the enemy they were trying to get rid of. As the silhouettes of the flames danced on the walls and Jerry shouted at him from the doorway, Caleb saw a shadow trying to reach them. Caleb recognized him instantly. Phil was trying not to get burned.
“Run Phil!” Jerry shouted when he saw him.
“Shit! I couldn’t find the exit with so much smoke.” Phil coughed as he reached them.
“Damn it! Let’s go,” Caleb said. “We’re the only ones left!”
Jerry was already outside. Caleb had one foot out the door and Phil was paralyzed with terror as he felt someone grip his shoulder. It felt like the bone was about to break. He turned his head and saw Jacob’s burnt face. He had only one eye and his gaze burned with a fury stronger than the fire.
“Bastards,” Jacob muttered, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “I will not let you get away with this.”
Phil wanted to scream, but his throat had completely closed. In a reflex, he grabbed Caleb’s arm, preventing him from running and putting him in danger.
“Caleb ...” Phil managed to speak at last. “It was Caleb’s idea.”
No! Caleb thought automatically. Why did he lie like that? Everything had been his idea. Phil was the one who devised everything and Jerry helped him tie up the loose ends. Caleb had only worried that they would all leave the house alive, that they would escape the flames.
“Damn you filthy rat. I knew you’d give me trouble.” Jacob kept his one good eye on Caleb. “I should have killed you when I got Tom out of the way.”
“What are you doing, Phil?” Jerry’s voice was shaking loudly. “Let him go. What you say is not true and you know it.”
In response to Jerry’s desperate words, Phil pulled Caleb into the house and threw him against Jacob. Thankful for the new prey Jacob released Phil. Phil ran like the coward he was. He felt no guilt about betraying Caleb.
“I’m going to give you the worst of deaths, brat.”
For a second, Caleb looked at Jerry. Caleb wanted him to get out of there immediately because as soon as Jacob finished with him he would kill Jerry unceremoniously, but far from leaving, Jerry followed them both inside. They felt embraced by the flames. Jerry called Jacob by his name, screaming, but Jacob was unable to see anything but revenge. As Caleb listened to Jerry’s desperate shouts, two large, callused hands were wrapped around Caleb’s neck.
“Right now,” Jacob growled, “I could bite your face off, but I have something better than that.”
Jacob grabbed Caleb’s neck with one hand and with the other reached in the back of his trousers. He pulled out a rusty knife with a black handle.
“I’ll make you wish to burn in the fire slowly because I’m going to skin you in pieces and eat your fucking eyes.”
With the tip of the knife only four inches from his face, Caleb was sure that death had finally caught up with him after so many attempts. A part of his heart seemed to whisper timidly “At last.” But his pride wanted to win over any other emotion, because the monstrous man had killed Tom, had snatched the life of the person who had shown him what it was to be accepted and important to someone.
A steady hand tightly gripped Jacob’s greasy dark hair and pulled as hard as it could until Jacob dropped Caleb to the floor between gasps and groans of pain. Jerry’s face appeared just in time to shout at Caleb to run. He was worried, frightened, and desperate. Seeing that the young boy did not react, Jerry grabbed him by the shirt, lifted Caleb and pushed him towards the exit just as Jacob threw him face down to the ground.
“It’s all right, Caleb!” Jerry said, knowing Caleb would never leave without him. “It’s what I want. Live!”
Even though Caleb swore that he would not shed a tear after what his mother had done to him, at that moment his vision blurred and it was not because of the strong smoke. He saw Jerry’s tranquil face had a calm smile. It told Caleb that Jerry was convinced of his decision. For Jerry, it was worth dying for Caleb to live.
“Now you have to honor what I give for you!” Jerry shouted, he grabbed Jacob, who was intending to run in search of Caleb. “Find happiness!”
The cries of encouragement and affection disappeared to give way to screams of pain that would never disappear from Caleb’s head. Jerry started to burn but he held onto Jacob more tightly. Jacob tried to get loose to get out of the fire alive and take care of Caleb. Little by little, Jerry disappeared. He was devoured by the flames never to return. Caleb was alone again and although Jacob had also died, it had cost him much more than he would have liked to admit. Caleb’s saliva mingled with the disgusting taste of bitterness. If bad luck existed it s
eemed to have found a nice place inside of Caleb to snuggle into.
“Damn Phil,” Caleb whispered, looking at the ruined building from which a thick layer of smoke was coming out in the morning. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”
Caleb knew Phil had acted out of desperation but if he had waited for a little bit the three of them might have come out alive. Phil didn’t even give them a minute to think of anything. He just wanted to save his life at the expense of others. That’s how humans were, horrible and disgusting. He would never trust any of them again.
Melody N° 1
Kindness and Cruelty
Caleb was free again. The house had burned to the ground and there was nothing left but Jerry’s ashes. He had sacrificed his life to save Caleb and had burned with Jacob. Luckily, everyone else had managed to flee. Surely by now they already knew the outcome. Finally, there was Phil who ran like a coward to save his life. A life that one day Caleb would take in exchange for Jerry. A few hours after the fire the sky was dark and overcast. It announced an incoming storm. Caleb didn’t know what to do or where to go. There was nowhere for him to go. After spending the last few years in Tom’s house and having worked in the harbor, he had no one to turn to. Even if he found one of the guys he had lived with his situation would be exactly the same.
Soft raindrops began to fall. Caleb took shelter under a large balcony. Without realizing it, he had entered a wealthy area and had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the lack of dirt, garbage, and rubbish that he was used to seeing on every street in the areas where he had always lived. There were gardens, flowers, and buildings crowned by beautiful statues that seemed to watch over everything that was happening at their feet.
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