…mind you, he’s mostly drinking cream soda
Behold, Gentle Readers, Part Five is up for your perusal and enjoyment. There will be no poll after this one, because Part Six is all about Mick getting her memory back.
Amnesia & Magic
Part Five
Dad Elf grabs one of the Feds from behind and tosses him into the water like he weighs nothing. The big lug hits the water in a belly flop and Dak starts laughing. A second later, the second Fed is in the drink, put there by Mom Elf, who got him with a flying kick.
I’m chuckling now, too. Those Feds have been trained to believe that they were the toughest mugs around, but now they’re bobbing around in the cold water. One of them tries to pull his gun, but now there are a dozen sea lions swimming around them, pushing them and generally moving the two men away from the docks.
“That was my doing,” Dak says, “I asked the sea for help.”
That stops my chuckling. I thought Elves couldn’t cast spells, so I ask Dak what gives.
“”Oh, we can’t cast spells now, but we can speak to Nature when we’re healthy enough. I just asked for the Sea to help us out. I don’t think it’s done yet.”
Sure enough, it’s not over for those government boys, because now about a dozen pelicans are joining the sea lions to keep things busy. One of the pelicans grabs a Fed’s ear and you can year the yelling over all the other noises. I’m laughing again.
That was a while ago and now we’re about three quarters of the way to Tiburon. I’m pretty sure that there will be Feds waiting for us when we get there and I ask Dak if he can help. He says he doubts it, because by now the Feds will have protective spells up. On the other hand, he tells me that he might have another way of getting us past them.
A few minutes of Speaking with Nature and we are now at the rear of the ferry on the port side. The ferry terminal is maybe ten minutes away when everyone starts heading to the starboard side of the boat. I get a quick glimpse of thousands of fish leaping out of the water in a sort of ballet scene, then Dak is telling me to get over the side and into the water.
It occurs to me that I have no idea if I can swim. Well, only one way to find out.
Nobody sees us get off the boat because the passengers are watching the Oceanic Bolshoi and the crew is worried about capsizing. I realize I can at least tread water when four dolphins pop up and Dak tells me to take a deep breath and grab a dorsal fin in each hand. Next thing I know, we’re underwater and moving fast.
This is one of the most amazing things I can remember doing. Admittedly, that only covers a few things, but I’m pretty sure that even when my memory is fully returned, this will rank high.
We come up for a gulp of air only once, because it only takes the dolphins about 4 minutes to get to shallow water. We thank them before we start up under a pier that looks to be a couple hundred feet from the ferry pier. Through the pilings, I can see a Federal boat heading out to the ship. That’s good, because it means nobody saw the Dolphin Express.
Once we’re on dry land, Dak runs ahead and takes a look around. He gives me the all clear and we start walking towards the parking lot. I check my pockets and find that, despite my clothing being soaked, Glady’s, the book and everything else is as dry as a bone. More magic. I’m wishing it had been cast on my underwear.
The parking lot is full of cars, but empty of people. At the far end, I see the yellow and black Hudson Hornet and about a million half-memories explode into my head. That’s MY car. I bought her new, had some improvements made and named her “Honey”. She’s roomy and fast and beautiful.
Dak sees her, too. I know this because he lets go with a “Wow!”
We get to Honey and there’s a note under the driver’s side windshield wiper. All it says is…
“Get in and get going, Mick. If your memory isn’t back by now, it will be soon”
We climb in after tossing everything but Gladys into the trunk. I start her up and the engine growls in a deep low voice. Three minutes later, we’re, out of Tiburon and on the highway heading north. I’ve got Dak checking behind us, but so far, no tail. I don’t really relax, but I’m less nervous when, after twenty minutes of driving, I see the fading sign that says “World Famous Hoagie’s, next right”. More almost memories hit me and I’m pretty sure the memory dam is about to bust wide open.
When we get to Hoagie’s, it’s a pretty small joint on a side street full of shops selling everything from used books to furniture, with a couple of auto shops thrown in for good measure. It’s nearly one o’clock and there’s very little traffic, auto or human. I park in the alley next to Hoagie’s and Dak and I go in.
I remember this place! Garson “Hoagie” Hoaglin is a veteran of the Great War and an ace pilot. He’s originally from Newark, New Jersey and he’s married to Lillian, who bakes all the rolls used for the hoagie sandwiches. They have three grown kids.
And both of them were once private detectives. I know that, because they’re the ones who trained me.
Lillian is waiting near the door and gives me a big hug and kiss before shaking Dak’s hand and flipping the sign from Open to Closed.
“It’s so good to see you, Mick honey. Hoagie is fixing you up a nice pastrami. What can we get for you, young man?”
Dak introduces himself and says a pastrami is fine by him, too. Then Lillian asks for the keys to the car, so she can go get our changes of clothes. As she leaves by a side door, Dak and I take seats at the counter. Hoagie turns away from the grill to great us.
He’s a big guy, Hoagie. Reminds me of my dad, especially since they both have a limp and noses that have been broken more than once, although my dad got his limp after being knocked down a mountain by a bear and Hoagie got his courtesy of a German artillery round.
Yeah, I’m remembering lots of stuff.
“How ya doin’, Mick?” Hoagie takes my hand in one of his big mitts and gives it a gentle shake. He’s got just the barest touch of worry in his voice, which in anybody else would mean a hysterical crying jag was imminent.
“Well, aside from not remembering most things, I guess I’ll live. Anything new with you?” Aside from the amnesia reference, this is pretty much the beginning of every conversation I’ve had with Hoagie over the last 15 years.
“Same old same old. Who we got here?” He extends his hand to Dak, who shakes it and introduces himself. Hoagie smiles and pours us both a lemonade.
“Got a soft spot for Elves. One of ’em pulled my wounded ass the better part of a mile in France until we were safe, then he rubbed some mashed plant goo on my leg and other wounds. Saved my life so the doctors on our side could fix me up.”
Dak is about to ask him something when Lillian comes in with our clothes. We head off to the Ladies & Gents to change after I give Hoagie the bag of herbs and ask him to brew it up for me.
I’m in the bathroom changing into a shirt, trousers and a nice pair of walking shoes when I get dizzy. Not just a little dizzy, but full on room spinning dizzy. I make it out the door when things go from bad to worse and I fall across a table.
Then the lights go out.
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