#103: Henry Drake: Your ride is here

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Boats...Henry didn’t know squat about boats. He’d had friends in the past who had characterized boats a holes in the water that you throw money into. Henry didn’t know about that but he looked a round and saw a LOT of water. In fact water was all that he could see as FAR as he could see. He didn’t see in holes in it either.

He was going to have to do something RILLY soon. He was sitting on fluffy on the high-rise part of the bridge and everything else was underwater.

The water was still rising.

Henry didn’t know squat about boats but he was pretty sure that Fluffy didn’t qualify as a boat. He didn’t really want to find out how well Fluffy could swim. He suspected that Fluffy couldn’t swim very well if at all.

Yup...time to do something....but what.

Henry looked at his last cigar in bemusement. He suspected that his current situation was more than a one-cigar problem. When this one was gone there were no more. What to do..what to do?

While he debated with himself whether to have one last smoke, unpleasantly reminiscent of the offer of days long gone to a prisoner just before the execution, he recalled what Shelby had said.

“Don’t mess with Fluffy.” Shelby had said “If you do the resulting explosion will be visible from orbit. We take copyright very seriously.”

Changing Fluffy into a boat was right out.

What to do...what to do?

Time to make a call he wondered? Ask for advice? Buy plans for a boat? The longer he waited the less time he would have to build it.

He made the call.

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“So that’s where I’m at.” Henry told Shelby after a short conversation after he had called. Henry was having a bit of a problem concentrating. Shelby was smoking a cigar.

“Um...by the way.” Henry said. “A bit of a change of the subject but do you have any more of those stoogies? I’m down to my last one.”

Shelby raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at the cigar he was smoking.

“As a matter of fact I do.” he replied with a grin “ A room full of them actually. Most of the big box stores that we pillaged had whole pallets of them. We pillaged several big box stores. Some of the other stores had them as well.”

Shelby blew smoke. “Down to your last one huh? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

Henry gritted his teeth while waiting for the other shoe to fall. It didn’t.

“Ahem...about that boat.”...Henry finally said.

“Yeah?” Shelby grinned...”What about it.”

“If you recall I have this Fluffy thing” Henry growled “ and you said something about an ‘explosion that could be seen from orbit’ if I messed with it. Oddly enough I don’t think Fluffy will float very well...or swim.”

Shelby grinned. “ That would be true...Ok...I’ve had my fun messing with you. I’m transferring your call to my best SSmoke designer. He thinks so far out of the box that he’s in a different room sometimes. Ya’ll has something out. He’ll have it built and send it to you...I’ll have them include a case of cigars too. How’s that?”

“That’ll work” Henry said...”oh...and thanx”

“Don’t mention it” Shelby said...”See ya’.

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“So that’s the way it is” Henry said to Cody.

“Ok. “Cody rubbed his chin in thought “ Let me sum it up. You need a prospector.”

“Huh?” Henry said.”...well yeah. I guess you could put it that way. I need something to live in..that’s mobile, agile, that can salvage carbon. Yup..I guess you could call it a prospector.”

“Gotcha” Cody said. “It so happens that Karl/Carl, Joshua and I have been brainstorming that very thing. We got some ideas we’re itching to try out. Oddly enough we just finished it yesterday. I’ll send it to you as soon as we load the cigars.What kind do you prefer?”

Henry was flabbergasted.

“That damn Shelby.” he growled...

“Ain’t that the truth.” Cody agreed.

“I’m not particular about what kinda ceegars.” Henry said “The bigger the better generally speaking. I don’t care much for those little ‘cigarillo’ things but they’ll do in a pinch. The only rill BAD cigars are not having cigars at all....kinda like beer.”

Cody sighed “ Grumps...I’ll never understand you guys. Ok...we’ll get er done. It’ll be on it’s way shortly.”

“Grumps?” Henry asked?

“Grown up m ature persons” Cody said “see’ya”

“Bye” Henry said.

“Grumps...” Henry grumbled after Cody had hung up. “Well I guess it’s better than ‘curmudgeon’.

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It took a few days. Henry was quite some distance, apparently, from where-ever the Banana slug was. Henry was sitting on top of Fluffy watching the water. Fluffy’s feet were wet. Henry was beginning to wonder how this was going to play out when heard a hissing sound just before something BIG emerged from the fog.

Henry seriously considered trying to walk on water...run actually...away from that thing.

The Giant CuttleFish slowed to a stop directly in front of him and opened it’s HUGE mouth. Henry heard a voice say “Your ride is here...welcome aboard.”

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The Next Episode Is
#104: Daniel Freemartin - Operators are Standing By.…
The Previous Episode was
# 102: Melvin : Ice Slick…
The First Episode was
# 1 : Prologue…
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Book One: SoulStone
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