Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 13
by Christopher D. Carter, © 2014
Text and Illustration Copyright © 2014 Christopher D. Carter
All Rights Reserved
Also by Christopher Carter available at ebook retailers:
Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 1-5 (Book 1)
Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 6-12 (Book 2)
Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 1
Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 2
Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 3
Discover other titles by Christopher D. Carter at
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
To Be Continued
About the Author
Chapter 1
*
Crush and Pound
*
Faraway Mountain, Randolph County, NC
Mayor Hunter turned the last curve on the narrow two-lane road that hugged the mountainside, and he exited left onto an old gravel drive. He drove a mile back into the woods to the edge of a grown over trail, and he threw the transmission in park. It was safe to leave the car alone there, though he felt a wave of doubt wash over him as he stepped out of the safety of the car and into the secluded woods. According to Crush’s account, the trail led to the edge of Faraway Mountain, or at least one section of the base, and he was to follow it all the way out to the end of the trail where he would find a rag tag band of slaves, two former giants, an odd-looking monkey, and the DAM agent, I. M. Pound. Mayor Hunter wiped his lips and rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he pondered how he had stepped into the middle of such a strange encounter. But he was a man of his word, and Hunter had offered to help Crush out of a tight spot, something that Crush had helped him do not so long ago. He stepped out into the high brush, and he leaned one hand against the base of an old oak tree while he shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight with the other hand. There was no sign of movement in the forest as far as his line of sight went, but that did not mean that he was alone out here. He knew what waited for him at the end of the trail, and he had to build up his nerve before he traveled any further down a trail that would change his life forever. He thought of his duties to his town, and wondered if risking his life for these people was the right thing to do.
“But isn’t that what got me elected?” he answered himself with a question. With a grim determination, Mayor Hunter trudged through the high grass of the grown over trail and hiked over the small rolling hills toward destiny. A few hundred steps later, he could make out the sounds of people talking, collecting firewood, and building comfortable campsites as he plodded carefully through the high grass. He knelt down on one knee as he drew close, and he saw with his own eyes the gloom of the homeless people that milled collectively in a clearing at the base of the mountain. There was not much hope for them here alone in this part of the county, but Crush had tried to give them hope by settling them here. Crush had also been right to believe that if they had all popped out of the woods at once, their sudden reappearance would have been suspicious and would have raised too many unanswerable questions. If what Crush had told him was true, some of these people had been slaves in another dimension for decades, and many of them would no longer have families to call their own. There was nowhere in the county that was capable of housing the burden of this many homeless people at one shot, and Mayor Hunter had his doubts whether many of them could acclimate to the environment of the modern world without significant struggles. They would be lost in a world that they had no understanding of any longer. The internet, high speed computers, and cell phones had changed the landscape of the earth over the last couple of decades, and they would feel as misplaced and uncomfortable with the changes in the world as a country mouse would feel in a cat clinic. On top of that, though their fingerprints, dental records, and personal accounts would proclaim them to be who they said they were, it was just too large of a stretch for the average American to accept that these people had not aged a day since their disappearances.
“It’s just plain silliness,” he thought as he watched them working steadily below like the workers in a bee hive. Knowing all of this though, Mayor Hunter decided that if he were in the same predicament as these folks, he would want a chance to prove himself in a new world, too. “But that magic item that traveled back with them is trouble. I can feel it,” he said to himself as he sighed. Crush had told him all about the child of stone that they had brought back with them, and even Crush had a reluctant spirit about what to do with it.
“It’s a strange magic, Hunter,” Crush had told the mayor. “Beni and Captain Colere should have been giants when they came here, but they aren’t, and that makes no sense to me. Will you do me a favor? I want you to look in on them, check out the situation, and see what you think,” he had asked the mayor. “And bring Pound back with you, but leave Beni and Colere there to watch out for the people.” They had chatted back and forth about the possibilities for life which the two giants had on earth, good and bad, and they subscribed to similar viewpoints. “I agree with you,” Crush had added. “I don’t think it’s wise to bring those two visitors out just yet. Let them watch over the child of stone in the cave beneath the mountain, and maybe we can figure this thing out while they pass the days. If you can, look in on them from time to time until Pound and I can report back into the agency and get back here.”
Turning down Crush’s request would have been difficult for Mayor Hunter; as a responsible elected public official, helping people was his calling, but as he looked out over the crowd below, he deliberated on what his role should be. When he saw how helpless they were, he quickly came to a decision. He pulled the pistol out of the front pocket of his pants, and he stared at it. He rarely needed the security of a hand gun, but he did not know exactly what he was walking into. It did not matter though, he sighed to himself. He had made a promise to Crush and needed to make an appearance, but he had to make sure that he carried some protection in case circumstances went south. As is usually the case with headstrong individuals, he stood to his feet and marched down the hill, unworried of the consequences of entering the tribe alone. Several of the people below noticed him, and he waved a friendly hand at them as he braced the pistol behind his back. He may be friends with Crush, but he was no fool, and he slipped the pistol back into his loose front pocket where it would not be easily noticed.
“Hello there, everybody!” Mayor Hunter called out, and just like an experienced politician, he garnered the attention of nearly everyone below. “Crush sends his best and has sent me back to make a list of your names,” he said as he reached the bottom of the hill. The crowd of people surrounded him, and he politely nodded to them all. “Name’s Mayor Andrew Hunter, and Crush and I are old friends.” Two figures stepped through the crowd, and the people parted in a wave to let them through to the mayor. They wore armor and emanated the presence of royalty, and Hunter knew them right away. “Princess Beni and Captain Colere,” he said with a bow. Beni and the captain bowed their heads to him in return, and the mayor offered his hand to shake. They looked at each other, and then at his hand, not really knowing what to make of the gesture.
“You shake his hand in yours,” someone from behind whispered, and Captain Colere returned the gesture while keeping one hand on the sword still housed in its sheath.
“Crush is keeping an eye on things in town for me while I scope out the situation,” Mayor Hunter said as he surveyed the shabby crowd of dirty individuals. “Let me be the first to welcome you home,” he said, and the tension in the crowd seemed to lessen with those
words. Beni and Colere were not so easily convinced, and it was only when Pound made his way through the crowd that Mayor Hunter recognized a familiar face. There was a monkey perched on the man’s shoulder, and the mayor had to keep from laughing out loud at the spectacle.
“Mayor Hunter!!” Pound exclaimed. “It’s great to see you, old buddy!” he said and slapped the mayor on the arm. The mayor smiled and laughed a little as a grin passed across his face.
“Nice skirt, Pound. Aren’t you afraid the monkey will climb up in there?” he replied, and Pound shook his head.
“It’s a kilt! And the monkey knows to look for nuts in the trees!”