by Dan Knight
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He fell and fell and he kept falling. And then he woke up.
Above Jack was the black wharf, and he remembered where he was. He gripped the sand. Every muscle in his body complained, and his back burned. He sat up and stretched.
The moon lit the beach almost as bright as day, but the shadow under the wharf was black as pitch. Fumbling with his watch, he found the light. It was not yet three.
He pondered the situation. The Black Dwarf mesmerized the dwarves who attacked us. He controls an army of zombie dwarves. Not undead zombies, but living zombies trapped in their minds by some drug or technology. There must be many more. He thought of the Black Wharf. If he’s there, what will we do? I can’t take on an army!
“If we wait until morning, we may never succeed,” he muttered.
Shotgun was snoring. He poked his dwarf. “Wake up sleepy head.”
The dwarf stirred in the dark. “I feel like a truck ran over me.”
“Who needs a truck? A dragon attacked us. A force shield blew us out of the sky, and I’ve tried to drown you twice.” He rubbed his bruises.
“At least you saved me from drowning.”
“Saving your life was the least I could do, having gotten you into this mess.” He stood up and stretched.
Today is different. Everything was happening too fast. I might not see another dawn. Gumshoe had asked him to help investigate a crime. One missing dwarf had become a crime spree. Now he was an outlaw on the lam.
Rich and famous, and with all the toys he ever wanted how could it turn out this way? What am I thinking? I may not live to see the dawn today!
Why was he sleeping under a wharf? You’ve got a soft bed in Babel Tower! Why are you sharing a beach with toy manatees? Shut up, Jack! You haven’t got time for a pity party! You were given a talent. You’ve enjoyed the benefits. Today you start paying the piper. As the saying goes, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ Now, it’s time to do your duty.
“Why?” the dwarf asked. “This is a job for law enforcement.”
“Magic,” he answered. “The police and military have no power against the Black Dwarf’s magic. The leadership can’t or won’t understand this danger until it seizes them by the throat. When it does, it’ll be too late. I must act now or others will perish.”
“There you go with that ‘I’ thing again. You’re an entertainer, not a police officer. Don’t let your advertising go to your head.” The dwarf drew close. “Leave it to others. Better equipped, better prepared.”
“I have no choice. If I turn back, I’ll never know if I’ve earned my privileges, or if I was just lucky. Life is a test. Now it’s time to decide if I’m a man, or if I’m just a biological entity.”
“A bit early for a mid-life crisis,” the dwarf snapped.
“Up at that castle is a murderer. He took the lives of innocent dwarves and molemen. Women and children died.” The words fell out of him. “If no one stops him, he will kill again. Someone has to stop him. I don’t know to stop him, but if I don’t try, kill me now because I’ll never live down the shame.”
“Don’t mean to interrupt your introspection,” said the dwarf, with a cool tone. “But this isn’t your job. You’re not trained for it, and you’re not responsible. We need to tell the authorities and get them down here.”
“We can’t trust this to authority. Not to politicians anyway. The Black Dwarf mesmerized the Proconsul. I don’t know how he mesmerized her, but he did it. His technology, if it is technology, makes him immune to the law. And the police and the military are compromised.” Why are you arguing with me, Shotgun? You know all this!
“Don’t we need to find out what’s going on before we go barging in? For all we know, we’re not even in the right place.”
“You’re right there. We don’t know if the Black Dwarf’s here. We don’t have enough evidence to convince Nodlon Yard. We need to know more anyway.”
“What about NOSS? Don’t you have connections?”
“What about them? I’ve got a friend in the secret service, but what if he’s mesmerized when we get back? Then, it’ll be too late. I have to go in and find out if the Black Dwarf is here. If I can stop him, I have to try. I’d rather risk trespassing than letting the Black Dwarf get away.” He waved his hands as if he could be seen in the dark. “What else can I do? Knock on the front door and ask if any psychotic magicians are at home?”
“So your mind’s made up?” asked the dwarf.
Under the wharf, the moonlit beach outlined the dwarf. He faced the dwarf’s shadow. “I’m going up to the castle. I’ll sneak in or break in. If I find the Black Dwarf, I’ll bring him to justice. And if he won’t go, I’ll bring justice to him. If I’m wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”
“Now that you’re pumped up,” the dwarf asked, “what will you do?”
“Go ahead. You can’t go with me, it’s too dangerous. Stay here and wait for me. Don’t get captured though. You’ve seen what he does to dwarves.” He reached out to shake the dwarf’s hand. “Thank you Shotgun. You’re a good butler, an admirable companion, and a great friend.” He reached out to Shotgun. “Good-bye,” he added, a bit melodramatically.
He felt only air. He stepped forward and waved his hands around. The dwarf was gone.
“Shotgun, where are you?” He heard no answer. He walked forward a few steps. “I’m trying to shake your hand.” He turned around. There was no sign of the dwarf.
“Shotgun, can you say goodbye?” Irritation fought with frustration and struggled with concern. Where is he? How can I lose my butler? Where did he go?
“I’m sorry I upset you. Don’t stalk off.”
He turned to the beach and looked for the dwarf. He picked his way through the piers and dodged the cross-ties.
Then he tripped. He fell to his knees, threw out his hands, and landed on all fours. He rolled over expecting to see a manatee.
