Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Excerpt from "All the Kings Men" by Emmanuel Lartey

As the sun fades quickly across the sky
The young lad makes his way into the less well known district of the necropolis, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck which seems to have no effect on the chilling wind that only seems to sweep across this sector of the city
He passes by a wizened old broad who loudly croaks "arms for the helpless and desolate". Saddened by her plead he drops a few quantis (the official currency across all of Midvago) into her gnarled palm but instead she quickly tosses the coins and grabs hold of his hand. Whispering into his ear she says "The light hits the dark so we see clearly, but the lingering shadows of the dark cannot be friendly". With this she lets go and hobbles away quitely with her demeanor like that of one that has had a great weight lifted from the shoulders. Frightened and yet mystified our young lad continues to make his way deeper into the bowels of the slowly rotting city.

Dairy of a Public Private Eye

It was anothere baffling case. but then you dont hire a private eye for the easy ones.....
I'd planned to take the day off and spend time with a couple of buddies. My buddies travel light and they're fun to have around. one travels in a holster and the other in a hip flask.
My name is Kokoshka, Andrei Kokoshka. What people call me is something else again. i'm a private eye, it says so on my door.
The last thing I wanted this morning was a case to solve, but the dame who brought it was persuasive. most dames are, somehow.
I told her it would cost her fifty greenbacks a day, plus expenses.
I stepped out into the rainy streets and reviewed the facts, there weren't many.
Two saps, jack and joe, drive toward each other at 60 and 30 mph. after 10 mins they pass. I'm supposed to find out how far apart they started.
Questions pour down like the rain. who are these mugs? what were they trying to accomplish? why was jack in such a hurry? and what difference does it make where they started from??
I had a hunch before this was over, I'd be sorry I asked.
first I figured I'd try the Derkins dame, Michelle and I never hit it off, although occasionally we hit each other. Michelle had a face that suggested somebody upstairs had a wierd sense of humour, but I wasn't going to her place for laughs.I needed information.
The way I looked at it, Derkins acted awfully smug for a dame who had a head for numbers and not much else. Maybe she;s got something on jack and joe. the question is, will she sing?
The Derkins dame wasn't talking. someone had gotten to her first and shut her up good. I knew Michelle, and closing her mouth would've take some work.
I need a clue and a drink. one of them I knew where to find. Suddenly a gorrila pulled me in an alley, squeezed my spine into an accordion, and played a polka on me with brass knuckles!
The inside of my head was exploding with fireworks. Fortunately, my last thought turned out the lights when it left.
When i came to. the pieces all fit together. jack and joe's lives were defined by integers. obviously they were part of a "numbers" racket!
Back in the office, I pulled out the files on all the numbers big enough to keep Michelle quiet and want me out of the picture. the answer hit me like a .44 slug. it had to be the number they called "MR BILLION".