Free MisStaked by J. Morgan Page B
Authors: J. Morgan
knowing nobody would pass up a hundred grand.
"Yes. Little does she know she has uncovered something so important, the world will tremble when its origin is revealed.” Leopold sounded like a cartoon villain, but Lewis didn't want to say so.
"So, she heads out and gets the Mother, but how do we get it once she's got it?” Lewis still hadn't figured out how Leopold planned to pull the trick off.
"I have an idea or two on the subject, but if they don't work out, I can send two of my thralls with the expedition. I'll simply allow her to think they're nothing more than representatives of the parent company who's sponsoring her expedition. When the Mother is uncovered, they'll contact me,” Leopold explained.
"What if they open it?” Lewis found himself asking. The old man was actually getting him involved in this madness.
"The Mother will not allow it. Only one born of the blood can open the casket, and even then they must have the sacrifice,” Leopold assured him with an evil wink.
"Then we're sitting pretty."
"Now that that's settled, did you find the article I wanted?” Leopold asked greedily.
"Course I did, man,” Lewis groaned, pulling a CD from his jacket.
" Pure Funk ! Get me the Victrola.” Leopold swooned, as he cradled the jewel case in his shaking hands.
"It's called a CD player, man. Get it right.” Lewis snatched the CD from Leopold's trembling hands.
He snapped the boom box's lid and inserted the disc. He pushed Play and turned to leave, as Wild Cherry began blaring from the speakers. He wasn't about to watch this. There was nothing worse than a white boy trying to get his groove on.
* * * *
The trio left the college too excited to head home. Instead, they decided to celebrate the coming adventure with a late-night dinner on the town. So, they headed toward Ivar's for a steaming bowl of chowder—Luna's treat due to the fact Breathred had blown his last ten dollars on comics, and Stud made it a point to never leave the basement with money on comic book day. Breathred would bum you to death, if you let him, when it came to comics.
The wind blowing in from the docks was cool without the bite of the cold the later months would bring. Breathred, after a lifetime living in Seattle, was use to the permeating smell of fish around the docks. Luna, on the other hand, found herself overwhelmed by it. She had been to Ivar's a couple of times before with Breathred, and the effect was always the same. But they did have the best damn clams she had ever tasted.
Luna had made it a point to stay as far from the docks as she could, but tonight was special. Breathred was in such a good mood. How could she say no, after offering to take him wherever he wanted to go to celebrate?
She did make an effort to make them rush past Pike Place Market. The row after row of fresh fish was more than she could take. Her nose filled with the smell of brine and decaying flesh. Those around her might not have smelled it, but she could. Luna fought back the sickness swelling in the back of her throat and pushed on.
Regaining her composure, she looked over to Breathred. He was so caught up in his own world he failed to notice her discomfort. Stud gave her a worried look. Luna offered a weak smile that seemed to satisfy him. Thankfully, neither one questioned her about it.
The restaurant was packed, as usual. That was the bad thing about the good places to eat. The tourists always seemed to know about them, making it hard for the locals to enjoy them anytime they wanted. Damn Rachel Ray and her forty dollars a day.
Luna spotted a table near the ferry side and pushed the money for their supper into Breathred's hand. She and Stud made a beeline for the seats, leaving him standing in a very long line.
The fresh breeze blowing off the water erased most of Luna's queasiness. The urge to projectile vomit was still lurking on the fringe of her mind, but she could deal with it. Watching the seagulls play helped to take her mind off of
"Yes. Little does she know she has uncovered something so important, the world will tremble when its origin is revealed.” Leopold sounded like a cartoon villain, but Lewis didn't want to say so.
"So, she heads out and gets the Mother, but how do we get it once she's got it?” Lewis still hadn't figured out how Leopold planned to pull the trick off.
"I have an idea or two on the subject, but if they don't work out, I can send two of my thralls with the expedition. I'll simply allow her to think they're nothing more than representatives of the parent company who's sponsoring her expedition. When the Mother is uncovered, they'll contact me,” Leopold explained.
"What if they open it?” Lewis found himself asking. The old man was actually getting him involved in this madness.
"The Mother will not allow it. Only one born of the blood can open the casket, and even then they must have the sacrifice,” Leopold assured him with an evil wink.
"Then we're sitting pretty."
"Now that that's settled, did you find the article I wanted?” Leopold asked greedily.
"Course I did, man,” Lewis groaned, pulling a CD from his jacket.
" Pure Funk ! Get me the Victrola.” Leopold swooned, as he cradled the jewel case in his shaking hands.
"It's called a CD player, man. Get it right.” Lewis snatched the CD from Leopold's trembling hands.
He snapped the boom box's lid and inserted the disc. He pushed Play and turned to leave, as Wild Cherry began blaring from the speakers. He wasn't about to watch this. There was nothing worse than a white boy trying to get his groove on.
* * * *
The trio left the college too excited to head home. Instead, they decided to celebrate the coming adventure with a late-night dinner on the town. So, they headed toward Ivar's for a steaming bowl of chowder—Luna's treat due to the fact Breathred had blown his last ten dollars on comics, and Stud made it a point to never leave the basement with money on comic book day. Breathred would bum you to death, if you let him, when it came to comics.
The wind blowing in from the docks was cool without the bite of the cold the later months would bring. Breathred, after a lifetime living in Seattle, was use to the permeating smell of fish around the docks. Luna, on the other hand, found herself overwhelmed by it. She had been to Ivar's a couple of times before with Breathred, and the effect was always the same. But they did have the best damn clams she had ever tasted.
Luna had made it a point to stay as far from the docks as she could, but tonight was special. Breathred was in such a good mood. How could she say no, after offering to take him wherever he wanted to go to celebrate?
She did make an effort to make them rush past Pike Place Market. The row after row of fresh fish was more than she could take. Her nose filled with the smell of brine and decaying flesh. Those around her might not have smelled it, but she could. Luna fought back the sickness swelling in the back of her throat and pushed on.
Regaining her composure, she looked over to Breathred. He was so caught up in his own world he failed to notice her discomfort. Stud gave her a worried look. Luna offered a weak smile that seemed to satisfy him. Thankfully, neither one questioned her about it.
The restaurant was packed, as usual. That was the bad thing about the good places to eat. The tourists always seemed to know about them, making it hard for the locals to enjoy them anytime they wanted. Damn Rachel Ray and her forty dollars a day.
Luna spotted a table near the ferry side and pushed the money for their supper into Breathred's hand. She and Stud made a beeline for the seats, leaving him standing in a very long line.
The fresh breeze blowing off the water erased most of Luna's queasiness. The urge to projectile vomit was still lurking on the fringe of her mind, but she could deal with it. Watching the seagulls play helped to take her mind off of