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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:59:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: {ASSM} John Carter II 07 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 20:10:08 -0400
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<1st attachment, "Mesa07.txt" begin>
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes
without the consent of the author.
John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezak
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003
Part 2: Mantle Of Aries
Chapter 7
John parked his car in front of the Sheriff's office. He had no idea
why he had returned. There was only a singled-minded urge to
come to this place. He got out of the jeep followed by Rover. From
experience, he was sure that he would be the subject of curiosity,
but people walked by without taking much notice of him. He
looked around the town and felt that something was subtly
different.
He entered the Sheriff's office with Rover following behind him.
Rover sat down in a corner to watch. He called out, "Hey, I heard
there was a jail cell with my name on it and I've come to claim it."
The Sheriff came out the back room shouting, "John Carter!"
"Hi Sheriff. How are things?"
"Funny you should ask that. I've been on the phone all morning
looking for you and then you just walk into my office." He moved
over to his desk and sat down. He gestured to a chair for John. He
never noticed Rover seated in the corner of the room.
John sat down in the chair and faced the Sheriff. He was extremely
surprised to learn that the Sheriff had been looking for him. He
knew it couldn't have been to testify in court. The guy who had
tried to kill Amy, the Sheriff's daughter, had been killed in jail.
John frowned, "Looking for me?"
The Sheriff glanced down and licked his lips in a manner that
suggested he had some unpleasant news to deliver. "I don't know
of a good way to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it. Old
Jed died late last night."
John didn't understand why the news upset him as much as it did.
He had very little interaction with Jed, but it was always very
intense. The walking stick in his hand seemed to feel warmer than
before and the cloth of his cloak felt softer somehow. "That's a
shame. I liked Jed although we hardly exchanged more than three
hundred words. He was a master craftsman. He gave me this
walking stick and my cloak."
"Yes, he was. He was also a very curious figure in this town. He
was always gone, traveling to exotic locations all over the world.
You never knew when he was going to be here or gone. He had
special customers that were all just a little strange. "
John laughed, "You mean like me?"
The Sheriff was actually quite fond of John and, if pressed,
wouldn't be able to tell you why. John had saved his daughter from
being killed and had changed her life from being a wild girl to a
highly driven young lady. Even if John hadn't done those things, he
would still have liked him. "You're one of a kind, John. They broke
the mold when they made you, thank God. Anyway, I was looking
for you to ask you to come here. There are some important legal
things that must be resolved."
John was puzzled and his features showed it. He asked, "What kind
of legal things?"
"His lawyer came by this morning and asked me to locate you. He
said he had some important papers to give to you. Now that you
are here, let me call him." The Sheriff followed his words with the
deed by dialing the lawyer. The conversation over the telephone
lasted less than a minute and consisted of greetings followed by the
information that John was in the Sheriff's office.
The lawyer must have had his office right next to the Sheriff
because almost as soon as the telephone was hung up, the lawyer
opened the door. He was in his fifties and sported a gray handlebar
mustache. He wore a simple hat, a checkered shirt, boots, and blue
jeans held up by suspenders. He entered the room and stepped
towards the corner where Rover was watching him.
John warned him, "Watch out for my cat."
The lawyer looked down and spotted Rover looking up at him. He
jumped, "Jesus!"
John waved a hand in an attempt to calm the lawyer down, "Don't
worry. He won't attack you."
When the lawyer stepped out of the way, the Sheriff saw Rover for
the first time. He shook his head, "I've got to ask. Do you have a
permit for that thing?"
John frowned, "Well, not really. He followed me out of the woods
and won't let me out of his sight except to hunt."
The Sheriff shook his head, "I won't do anything about it. You had
better stay away from the Game Warden."
John laughed, "Don't worry, the Game Warden won't do anything.
I know that for a fact."
The lawyer had watched the exchange and frowned. He didn't like
people who thought they were above the law. He was beginning to
worry if he had been wise in taking on Jed's legal needs. He
cleared his throat, "I take it you are John Carter."
John liked the lawyer almost immediately. He answered, "At your
service. And you are?"
The lawyer replied, "I'm Sam Perry. I was the lawyer for Mr. Jed
Hart."
John extended his hand and stated, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Perry."
Sam reluctantly shook the hand that had been extended to him. He
was surprised at the politeness that this kid exhibited. However,
that didn't counter the distaste he felt about a guy who thought he
was above the law. He stated, "I need to see two forms of
identification."
John nodded. He pulled out his driver's license and handed it to the
lawyer. He then reached into another pocket and pulled out his FBI
credentials. He opened both of them and showed them to the
lawyer. The lawyer looked up and revised his opinion of John
immediately. Of course, no Game Warden would take away a cat
that had FBI identification. He stated, "I apologize. I was not
aware that Rover was a federal employee."
John laughed, "He insisted on it when I was getting the ID. I'm
glad he did. It really helped when he caught a bank robber in Salt
Lake City."
The Sheriff glanced over at the identification and sat back in
shock. He had not known that John was a FBI agent. It was very
surprising considering John's appearance. It wasn't that he was
prejudiced, but he had never met a law enforcement official that
looked like John. He asked, "When did you become an FBI
agent?"
"About a year ago, I guess." John thought back and realized that he
couldn't remember dates. It was odd, time wasn't very important to
him.
The lawyer finished copying down the information from the two
forms of identification. He double-checked his work and then
stated, "Mr. Carter. Jed left his store to you. He insisted that you
take over its operations immediately. He left several envelopes for
you. All but one are for others, but are in your care until
delivered."
As the lawyer handed him a small box, John replied, "I beg your
pardon?"
"I said that Jed left the store to you."
John replied, "I wonder why he would do that."
Mr. Perry answered the unspoken question. "I suppose the answer
is in the box."
John opened the box. Inside were a number of envelopes and some
keys. He looked through the envelopes and pulled out the one that
was addressed to him. He opened it and pulled out the three page
handwritten letter. He started to read with misty eyes.
Dear John,
If you are reading this letter, then I am dead. I have chosen you to
take care of my store until my replacement is chosen by the Gods
and Goddesses. I have chosen you because you serve both a God
and a Goddess. All but one of the medallion holders will recognize
you as a peer. That is more important than you may realize.
You will not be required to do much regarding the store. The staff
is used to working without the owner's presence. You will need to
be here for Midsummer's and Midwinter's day so that you can
guide my replacement to the store. Once that person arrives, you
can hand the keys and ownership of the store over to them. You
will want to meet them close to that special place, but do not enter
it unless you are called as before. Once you have found them, you
will not have to do anything further.
I would like Mary Darling to perform the funeral rites. You should
have an envelope addressed to her. If Mary does not show up
within three days of my death, then allow the funeral director at
Shady Lawn to handle the arrangements. I have left explicit
directions with the funeral director on how to handle my body.
The field behind the store is store property and is perfect for
erecting tents. If there are guests, then use it. Please use any
moneys from the store to arrange for food and drink. There is an
envelope for the manager of the store that provides instructions on
catering the funeral.
I expect a number of medallion holders will show up for the
funeral. Several of them are important and you should talk with
them. I have left envelopes for them. You will need to talk to Mary
Darling, she's a very important servant of the Goddess. Take at
least an hour to talk to Jerry Smith. He's a very important servant
of the God.
The third individual that you should talk to is Harry. I do not know
his last name. He serves the Two-sided One and is the only one
that won't recognize you as a peer. I must warn you that he is
gifted with the power of prophecy. You may not want to hear what
he says, but that choice is not yours to make.
Finally, one last individual may contact you. He is Grey Wolf. I
don't think that is his real name, but it is the only one that he
answers to now. He is a most difficult person to deal with, but will
have much to teach you. You will recognize him by his companion
wolf.
Please let everyone know that it has been my pleasure to serve with
them. Each one of you is special in some way. There are many
mysteries left, but I am sure that soon many of them shall be
resolved.
May your trail be long and happy,
Jed Hart, Druid
John looked up at the lawyer and the Sheriff. "There is much that I
need to do and I think time is getting short. I will need your
services again, Mr. Perry, but I'm not sure when. My custody of
the store is only temporary. I am to give it to one who shall come
at a later time."
Sam nodded, "I understand. Jed was like that too. He knew things,
but couldn't tell you details. Call on me when you need me."
John nodded, "Thank you. I'll leave now."
The Sheriff and Sam sat there watching John get up and leave. The
cat stood up and followed him out. They could tell that the little
pause at the door by John and the slight surge forward by the cat
were habitual. Sam turned to the Sheriff stating, "The Plutonian
Circus is coming to town. Do you think there will be any trouble?"
The Sheriff laughed, "Trouble? No, I don't think so. This town is
going to be more peaceful and calm than it has ever been. Every
one of them will be like him, serious, intense, deliberate, and
kind."
Sam shook his head, "You don't know the towns people."
"You don't know the Plutonian Circus."
John arrived at the store. As he entered, a young couple with a
child stepped out of the store. The kid wanted to pet Rover, but the
mother pulled him away before he could extend his hand. John
laughed at Rover's reaction, which was to hit the woman in the ass
with his tail.
The store was open for business and the staff inside was hard at
work. He had never seen anyone in here except for Jed and was
quite surprised by how many employees were in the store. He
looked around and didn't spot any customers. A young man came
up to him, "May I help you sir?"
John stated, "I am John Carter."
"Ah, you are the new owner," replied the young man. He turned to
face the rest of the store and whistled by putting his thumb and
middle finger in his mouth. The sound was loud and carried
throughout the store. Everyone stopped what he or she were
working on and headed to the front of the store.
John watched as ten people formed a semi-circle in front of him.
There was a subtle tension in the air as people glanced at each
other and then at him. Several of them recognized the walking
stick and cloak that John wore as items that Jed had created. John
cleared his throat. "Hello everyone, I'm John Carter and I am the
new owner of the store. To set your minds at ease, there will be no
changes in personnel. Every one will retain their job. Like Jed, I
travel extensively. That means I won't be here for the day to day
operations."
The effect of his words was immediate. Every one gathered there
relaxed as they heard that their jobs were not on the line. He
reached into his box and pulled out the letter that was addressed to
the current manager. He looked around hoping that one of the
badges would identify the individual who was the manager. His
hopes were dashed when he saw each nametag only gave a first
name. "Who is the manager?"
A middle aged woman stepped forward. "I am Maggie Baron."
John handed her the envelope. He stated, "He left this for you.
Please read it and follow the instructions."
He clapped his hands, "Every one, please go back to what you
were doing. I'll be here for a few days and will have a chance to
meet and talk with each of you individually. Please, don't worry
about your jobs. The store is only mine temporarily."
He stopped at the counter and set his box on it. He turned and was
about to exit the store when he stated, "Oh, some of you may want
to call your families and let them know that your jobs are safe."
John left the building to examine the land behind the store. Rover
followed him. As he was leaving the store he heard one of the
employees say, "He's exactly like Jed. He gives a short speech that
goes straight to the point and then he leaves."
John walked around to the back of the store. There was a huge
field behind it. The grass was tall and lush green. He looked
around and spotted a riding mower parked in an open garage
behind the store. Smiling, he went over to it and started it. He
needed to do something to take his mind off the events of the day.
Rover sat down fifty feet from the mower, his ears bothered by the
noise.
John mowed two strips of land, one on each side of the gate so that
there was a nice patch of soft grass between them. The strips were
ten yards wide by fifty yards long. It felt good to do the work and
he was significantly more relaxed once it was done. He parked the
mower back in the spot where he had found it. Rover came over to
him and rubbed his head against John's knee. Rover headed off
into the woods. John smiled as Rover went out to hunt.
He returned to the store and looked for Maggie. After looking
through almost the whole store, he found the manager's office. He
wanted to kick himself for not looking there first. He knocked on
the door and waited until he heard her invitation to enter. He
entered, "Hello."
Maggie looked up in surprise, "You didn't need to knock. This is
your place now."
John smiled, "I would rather wait a minute and allow you to
prepare for a visitor than to interrupt you."
"What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering where I could pick up two porto-potties."
Maggie laughed, "Sir, you are so much like Jed. He'd give me a job
and then do it himself. Relax. I've got everything covered. I asked
a kid to come over and mow some spaces for tents."
John interrupted feeling rather sheepish, "Too late. I already did
that."
Maggie shook her head, "Okay. I've also ordered a couple of picnic
tables, several portable ceramic fireplaces, two porto-potties, and
enough food for fifty for three days."
John looked surprised, "Wow, you work fast."
"Not really. I started when I learned this morning that he had
passed away." There was a slight softening in her voice as she
spoke.
John looked down. He stated, "I'm sorry for your loss."
She smiled, "You know, I've worked here for years. I saw him an
average of two weeks a year. I really didn't know him that well."
John nodded, "I guess I can understand that, but you still miss
him."
"Am I that transparent?"
John shook his head, "No."
"Thank goodness."
John sat there for a moment and then stated, "She has come. I
better go out and greet her."
"Just like Jed," she replied to his comment. Jed had done that kind
of thing to her all of the time.
John stood up and stepped out of the office. He briskly walked to
the front of the store where a tall black-haired woman stood. She
was dressed in black leather pants and shirt. Everything was tight
on her. She wore silver armbands on her biceps and a silver
necklace. You could see the trace of a gold chain and a medallion
under the leather top. John walked up to her, "I'm John Carter. You
must be Mary Darling."
She nodded once. He went to the counter and removed an envelope
from the box. He handed it to her, "This is for you."
She looked down at it and then back at him. She pursed her lips
and studied him carefully. She stated, "You serve her?"
"Yes."
She opened the envelope and removed a simple letter from it. She
glanced over the letter and then looked up in surprise, "You serve
him too?"
"Yes."
She made a small humming noise and examined John some more.
She looked back down at the letter and shook her head. She stated,
"Jed wants me to teach you the burial rituals."
"Pardon?"
She sighed, "You need to come with me. Do you have a car?"
"Yes."
"Then lets go."
John shook his head, "Not yet."
She was irritated. She didn't want to teach him the rites and she
didn't like to waste her time standing around. She asked, "Why?"
"I have to wait for the cat. He'll go crazy if he comes back and I'm
not here."
She laughed at the idea of this big guy waiting around for his kitty
cat. She wondered if it was a generic tabby cat or something. She
asked, "What kind of kitty cat do you have?"
"A cougar."
She straightened up at that. She agreed, "We wouldn't want him to
go crazy on us."
"Let's go outside and wait for him. He won't be long."
She walked out the store followed by John. He was still wearing
his cloak and carrying his walking stick. He stopped next to the
jeep while she walked over to a black corvette. She opened the
trunk and removed a small box from within it. The box was totally
black, so black that it almost hurt the eyes to look upon it.
John hadn't been there for more than five minutes when Rover
came trotting around the corner of the building. Rover looked at
Mary and then back at John. John opened the door to the jeep and
Rover jumped in. He made his way to the back seat and lay across
the entire back. Mary slipped into the front seat still holding the
black box. John closed the door and went around the car.
At the funeral home, Rover uncharacteristically stayed in the car.
John went in the back entrance with Mary who talked in hushed
tones with the funeral director. She thanked him for allowing her to
use his facilities. He asked some questions about what she was
going to do, but his questions suddenly stopped when she pulled a
piece of paper from the black box and let him read it.
John watched and took notes as Mary went through the first ritual
of preparing the body. He had expected the ritual to very
complicated, but it was actually quite simple. She washed the
body, placed it on a wooden plank that was about eight feet long,
and then bound the body to the plank by wrapping it with very
wide white linen. She affixed the end of the linen to the rest with a
single silver pin that she removed from the black box. The entire
time she worked, she talked to the body as though it were alive. As
John watched, he swore there were times when Jed answered.
They returned to the store to find that several tents had been
erected behind it. As they exited the car, John asked the question
that had bothered him the entire time that he was watching her
prepare the body. "Okay, what was that piece of paper that you
showed him?"
Mary smiled, "That was a document stating that I am allowed to
perform pagan burial ceremonies that include open air cremation.
It was signed by the Surgeon General."
"Oh."
She continued, "After you have learned the ceremony, I'll get one
for you."
John swallowed heavily. He asked, "Does that mean that I'll be
performing the ceremony in the future?"
She shook her head, "I doubt it. You'll only do it if I die before a
successor has been selected by the Goddess. Then, I guess your
first time will be with me. This is my calling, not yours."
"May your path be long and your journey happy."
She laughed, "So you want me to live forever? No, I too will pass
as all mortals eventually pass. Now, I must get my camping
supplies out of the trunk and set up camp."
John, followed very closely by Rover, went through the store to
reach the property behind it. On the way, he picked up the box.
Once in the back, he started to introduce himself to those camped
there. The very first tent was occupied by a very small and skinny
guy and one very large grizzly bear. Rover and the bear greeted
each other and then spent the rest of the time staring at each other.
The bear's name was actually Smoky and that made John wonder
how these animals chose their names. The guy, with the very ironic
name of Adams, was a forest ranger and worked to protect the
environment. He was a doctor of chemistry.
John walked from one tent to another talking with those around
them. The variety of roles held by the various people was amazing.
While he was there, even more people arrived. He was beginning
to wonder how many were going to show up.
His attention was grabbed by a sudden howl from in front of the
store. He turned to see a wolf come bounding around the building
to first tent. The bear let loose a loud roar, Rover let loose with a
growl, and the wolf let loose with a howl. John watched as the
three ran towards the woods together. He watched Rover go until
someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Is that your cat?"
John looked at the guy standing next to him. He was scruffy to the
point that he looked like a homeless bum. He answered the
question, "Yes, that's Rover."
"Don't worry. The familiars always run off for a little privacy when
they get together. Moony and Rover will along just fine."
"I'm John Carter. I take it you're Grey Wolf."
"Right you are."
John reached into his box and riffled through the envelopes. Grey
Wolf's was the second to last one in the stack. He handed the letter
to him. "Jed wrote this for you."
The man opened the letter and read it very slowly. He nodded the
whole time he was reading it. He looked up at John for a minute
and studied him very carefully. With a suddenness that shocked
John, Grey Wolf went to slap him. John stepped back and
interposed the walking stick between his face and the hand that
was arcing toward it. The bottom of the stick swung towards Grey
Wolf's groin. Grey Wolf stopped his hand just before it made
contact with the stick. This was fortunate because his hand hitting
the walking stick would have driven it into his groin. He smiled,
"Okay, I'll train you. We'll have to wait until everyone else is gone
though."
John didn't even have a chance to reply before Grey Wolf walked
off. He watched the man walk off. Jed had warned him that Grey
Wolf would be difficult. He wasn't sure if difficult was the right
word to use. He went on his way to meet others.
The next person he met introduced himself as Jerry Smith. John
pulled out the letter from his box and handed it to Jerry. He opened
it and read it very carefully. He read it a second time and then
studied John for a minute. He returned to the letter and read it a
third time. "Interesting. You serve two. May I see your
medallions?"
John was rather surprised at the request, but he slowly fished them
out from his shirt. He held them up for Jerry to examine. Jerry
stated, "Come with me tonight thirty minutes before the setting of
the sun and we will talk."
John tucked the medallions back into his shirt. He felt better the
minute they were hidden. He replied, "Okay. I will look for you."
Jerry looked over John's shoulder with an expression of panic. "Oh
shit. Harry's here. Bye"
Jerry ran off in a direction designed to avoid Harry. A path
appeared between Harry and John as people backed out of the way.
John watched as the phenomenally fat man walked in his direction.
Harry shouted, "I want my letter from Jed and I want it now."
John pulled out the envelope that had Harry written on the front.
He waved the envelope. Harry made a beeline directly to John and
grabbed the letter out of his hand. In half a second he had shredded
the enveloped and crumpled the pages within it as he read them.
He stopped and stared at John for five full minutes. The intensity
of the stare drew a crowd who gathered to see what was going to
happen. He opened his mouth to speak and every one leaned
forward to hear it. He shut his mouth just as suddenly and looked
back at the paper.
"Time is a funny thing to a prophet. Past, present, and future tend
to blur together. Yesterday, I did not know you and didn't greet
you. Today, I met you and greet you as John Carter. Some
tomorrow I shall meet you and greet you with honors." Harry gave
a half bow and walked away.
John stood there and watched Harry walk away. Harry removed his
backpack and opened it. John turned and saw the crowd of people
staring at him. There were hushed conversations. John asked,
"Could someone explain to me what just happened?"
Mary stepped forward, "I have no idea, but it looked like he
swallowed his prophecy."
Jerry stated, "he did give a prophecy. He said he was going to met
you twice."
Another person countered, "He always gives his prophecies in
verse. No verse, no prophecy."
Harry came back wearing his backpack. He turned to John, "I must
leave now."
John nodded, "You are welcome to stay."
"No. I must go now. I have honored Jed in the fashion he
requested." Harry looked around the group of people. He was
unwilling to pull anyone away from here. He ran from them all. In
front of the store, the very first person he ran into was the Sheriff.
He grabbed him by the arm and the prophecy spilled out of him.
Power incredible shall come from his hands,
Oil and gas disappear from all our lands.
A wise and just ruler shall soon be,
Honored by all Druids including me.
A temple of advanced learning shall be decreed,
Through great knowledge shall we be freed,
After a life filled with moments of intense strife,
A glorious grove made holy by his life.
Once it had been stated, Harry relaxed. He apologized to the
Sheriff and left. The Sheriff stood there for several minutes. He
knew exactly what the prophecy meant and who it was about. He
could not see John until he had a chance to work out how to hide
the truth from him. A much sadder man walked back to his office.
Fortunately, he was incorrect in his interpretation of the prophecy.
For John, the rest of his stay was one continuous education. Mary
taught him the remainder of the burial ceremony and the universal
oneness of all on the planet. Jerry taught him the arts of war as
befitted a servant of the God. Grey Wolf taught him how to bind
himself closer to Rover so that they could share each other's
senses.
<1st attachment end>
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