A weird time with people that were out of their minds
Another person visits the bookstore
Extraordinary is a word used as come as anything in this world today. Some 11 percent of the world’s population at one time or another will do something heroic or dangerous enough to get in the news or have one of those extraordinary titles or honors given to them. It is the distinction of the setting that usually sets the hero apart from a legend. Whether good or evil or even villain.
People often do not look for extraordinary in the stories that are told online because a lot of them are just hearsay or bull. Yet, if you are one that believes in the bible every single word or thought you have will be accounted for in the afterlife in one form or another.
What makes some people extraordinary is the amount of pain they can handle or deal with and how they cope with their pain or suffering after the event.
Sometimes what might sound just tragic event is more extraordinary than anyone could believe or suffer through in one life time let alone several.
This is not one of those stories.
Clint was not a drinker. However, after his ultimate test where the professor gave him a B but she was so rude he had to rethink what profession he wanted to be in his life, he was a bit into the wine. He walked Bozeman during that night, bumping into Malcom Sorm. A 90 plus year old man whose stories were wild. Let me just say his tales of his grandfather owning all of Bozeman as a sheep herder were something to listen. But tonight Malcom was more into discussing God or that he did not believe any man could tell whether or not there was a real God or man could not know God.
Clint? It was first time with a white wine listened and wondered where the conversation was going because in reality all he wanted to do ws run away. Ifthere was circus around he would have seriously considered joining as the elephant pooper picker upper and leave the educational organization to those with the minds for it.
Malcolm was not content. He did not understand that philosophy classes did not talk about God these days. Instead, they had students read Berlin and other authors and they left the discussion of the major reality of life to those with time on their hand because they knew how to repeat the expected answers the professors gave versus asking questions like Clint did.
It was rather late when Malcom came to a stop and said, “Clint, I think you should go in here.”
There in a place that should not be there by Clint’s recollection of reality was a bookstore with its lights on. Now what made this strange was this was around 11 PM ish. Clint’s plan had been to go to the Baxter and then if Bacchus was open. The food was great there and he could think without many people and the atmosphere was kind.
Not really knowing what to do. Clint entered while Malcom waved and walked away.
Now, here is the deal. Clint knew all the second-hand bookstores in the town. There were three. But here in the middle of the night Clint walked into a bookstore in well some place that according to him should have been 9th street and around the corner would be the Malt shop pharmacy.
The lights were on. But for the world of view. Clint could not find a single person there. He noted what he assumed was a stuffed owl perched behind the counter.
Thinking this was rather unique. He wandered into the shelves, wondering what second-hand books would be there. Reason? Some of the best literature was old. The new books seemed rather stories retold by people that seemed not to care about their stories anymore. Sure there were exceptions. Robert Jordan, Robert Asprin, George MacFraser, but beyond those series of books so few people could tell stories.
Anyway, back into the shelves he went. Wondering if the owner had gone home and forgotten to lock up or something. He came across so many interesting titled books he was not really sure what to do.
He looked for prices, only having a bit of money on him. But to no avail. Some books he knew were rather expensive just because of their age. Others? One of kind. They were handwritten. Finding a rather interesting book titled “Ender the time traveling pirate and the many adventures in his 4.5 billion year journey through time.” He just had to look inside to see what type of nut case would write something this bad?
What he found? Wildly, hyperlinks, maps, supposedly photos of distinct realities in parallel realities. That he wondered since 1993. How come the book according to the dates started in 1983. But some hyperlink dates were even older. He figured they must be FTP sites to the old mainframes ran by DARPA and defence agencies when the internet classified as a national defence program.
He wondered if they worked? He took the book and went to the counter. Clint said in a loud voice, “Can I get a price check on this book, please?” Looking down the shelving isles hoping to find someone to sell him the book.
That is when the owl’s eyes opened and he spoke. Now to say Clint was startled would be an understatement. Let’s be honest. He had only one glass of wine and the hour and half conversation with Malcom about whether man could know God or not had left him rather sober because it was a philosophical question and he did not plan to lose it to some 90 year old just because Malcom did not believe anyone could know God.
The owl, gliding to the counter, authors, picked up the book and said, “That will be 3 pounds, please.”
Clint only has a twenty and a five in US dollars and was wondering if the twenty will cover it. So he handed the 20 across the counter. Thinking this must be the weirdest dream he had ever been in.
The owl, looking at the 20, turned his eyes up and said, “Do you have a quarter? I can give you back 11 dollar even.”
Clint checked his pocket and discovered he had laundry money, so he handed a quarter to the owl. Clint whether spoke, “Forgive, me just who are you?”
The owl, in a gentle voice, said, “I am Mr. Whoo. A pleasure. And who might you be?”
Clint replied, “Clint Siegle, is this some type of dream?” While speaking, Clint pinched himself rather hard in the arm, make sure he was awake. Mr. Whoo replied, “But of course how else would you find this place?”
Clint shocked his head. He knew being a professional wino might be better than an elephant poop picker upper and wondered if all winos dreamed like this?
Clint looking at the book. Wondered a moment of reality at that moment. Talking owl in bookstores he knew did not exist in Bozeman. Made him wonder, so he asked, “Am I able to come back here again?”
Mr. Whoo reply, “But of course, once upon a time when found once in a time, you can usually find this place yet again.”
Clint considered a moment. Then he asked, “Mr. Whoo, do you believe in God?” And that conversation lasted many hours and what it was about and who Mr. Whoo introduced to Clint is one of those mysterious of realities. You think a dimensional traveling bookstore is something? Think time for Mr. Whoo usually purchased the books from the authors themselves.
Clint decided he wanted to be an author. The problem with most of the books in the bookstore were one of a kind because the authors could not find an agent or publisher to get their books to the public? And the realization after a time that someone somewhere should have time to read them, even if they are insane stories.
After meeting an author of a book that Mr. Whoo just purchased for what looked to Clint like peanuts. He wondered. He asked? And Mr. Whoo with what could could only be a smirk said. The price was what the author needed at the moment. Clint considered that. It must have been 4 or 5 AM when he walked out. He wandered the streets back to the university thinking of what he has seen that night wondering what was real or not?
Wandering a bit farther east of town Clint ended up at Denny's and sat down and opened the book. The story told by "Ender the time traveling pirate" made Clint sit and just read for about 23 hours straight without doing much more than ordering fries, and patty melt.
So there I was at Denny's eating and reading. I figured it looked like a 300 page journal. Nothing I could not knock out within 8 hours because well, I read fast and the content was interesting and nuts. The problem? The journal seemed to grow while I read it. And the weirder part? The notes in the sides of the journal. I could swear were my handwriting which is messy. Why swear it was mine? I draw some unique cartoons and well they were there with slogan smile. So there was no index. But what was weird I would get to what seemed like the end and then something else would appear. And the part that I read? Forgive me I was more excited to continue to read than go back and try to figure out how the book or journal or what ever this was grew.
Journal by one Clinton R. Siegle
I think I have been kidnapped?
Journal entries from a timeline so similar in yet so different.
Then when I thought I was close to the end a piece of paper fell out with this story attached to it.
The year was something like 1673 or 1678. Ender the pirate was sitting at café Shi in the Ping port of China. He was listening to a person explain in revealing a shipping route. An exchange between Japan and Korea. Which covered the exchange of gold from Korea for pearls from a peninsula off the coast of Japan. The person giving the details was a Japanese thief known from a prior venture. Was he honest? His creative tale in ascribing the richest. Ender could have if he went in on the strategy. Only if the pirate would join in and capture even one of the prize ships being sent within the next month.
Ender smiled. The bandit had said something else in his intricate blueprint. That detail might have escaped in the detail. As a selling point. The thief mentioned the pearl.. The background of the pearl to gain the infamous captain's trust. And participation in the venture. A tale. A dragon’s tail, to be specific. A pearl of great value according to the Bible. Yet, Ender did not mention or pretend to be any more interested in the tale. Who pays attention to legends? Myths that are thrown thief's around pirate bars in the middle of the night? When one takes bets on if one can do this is this or that is that.
The challenge on Ender’s mind was that legend. Specifically, the drunk who informed him that tale was long ago dead. His crew mates might have more of the legend? Or some acquaintance? Ender concentrated on the thief tale. Finally, the last sales position was produced, and the bandit asked are you in?
Ender considers for a moment, letting the silence in the place get a seizing of the crook’s dreams. Cafe Shi's tea servers had retired from the area. When demanded and paid so that the conference was secret. In yet, Ender knew if the bandit was chatting to him. He had most likely communicated to other pirates. So within the moment, Ender reached a decision.
The decision would make for a metamorphosis of the pirate Ender’s life. But would take him places no one would believe. He makes his reply with there being a settling in blood to be established. The crook was not ready for a blood contract. Ender was the first of an extensive list of pirates. That required the capture of the entire treasure fleet. The fleet being committed within a month to sail.
Ender went exploring for his ole drinking mates, crew mates, family, acquaintances. Anyone that might have picked up the tale of the pearl of great price stole. Not the biblical King James version. No. Like most stories. There are stories told outside of English that people hear and peaks one interest. This was a tale of a fellow recognized in Japan as Jesus. He had lived a long time ago and was a farmer. He had come from the middle eastern area to understand from the priests and creeds of the territory. Ender’s remembrance of the tale. It went along the lines that Christ had changed. That the Japanese lifestyle of cultural and family respect shown steeped in honor. That Christ reconsidered. That the Christ of that world or worlds had abandoned Israel. How or why the tale by the drunk teller of the tale was often either confused or misspoke or? For worlds come laugh with me? Who had believed in parallel worlds?
Ender kept on looking for his ole drinking mates, fellow crew mates and family. Until he found a little boy that had been a cousin or nephew of the drunk man who told the tale. Time had abused the poor lad beyond recognition. His stammering was almost too much of a turned off Ender. Almost. However, the kid later to be known dream as the Claw had away about him. And either he could lie through his teeth about the story or his uncle or cousin had told the kid the complete story. How this pearl of great value was a key to what one only could consider a magical portal.
Why was Ender so keen on this? Part of his ole drinking buddy’s tale was that even parallel worlds not everything was the same. A man might find that which or known in one world. In yet in another world lost or forgotten about in another world. And since the key was worlds. Ender’s dream. The dream, was something much bigger. Then a treasure fleet of Japanese and Korean treasure ships.
Ender next stop upon hearing the complete story of the pearl of great value. A certain place, it was a small bookshop on Port Pings side street. The pirate searched within the stacks of scrolls, horse hides, some old books. Taking many literature works. And other forms of books until he had gathered a small collection of stories. What stories one might ask? What was real? Where that reality had been found. And what difficulties or stories involved in locating said objects? Like? Aldin’s carpet, Solomon’s ring, the gold hoard, treasures of gold. Stories of rubies, diamonds, and books. Books? Books that were said to contain lost knowledge of time. And places in which even their legends existed in yet their whereabouts were a mystery or known.
Enders plan was to swipe the pearl of great value. And with it take through space time and other worlds the very treasures that legends were made of. His plan was bold. His investigation at the bookstore had brought notice to him. However, Ender was a crazy pirate that often did insane things. Like writing poetry. To and about kings, queens, and other people that might have crossed his path. So even with little more than notice. Ender’s plan was developing faster. His crew he informed them of a specific treasure. That which he assured them would bring them their wildest dreams.
Getting the Black Skimmer ready for battle was of a challenge in Ping Port China. The trip out and holding area would need weeks of waiting. Waiting meant food and other support. Ender was up to that challenge by going into a little side business. Which turned into a small fortune. He had to open up on his kitchen, which held a special cook to a local business. There the cook had made a small cookie like dough. And with another person considered a seer of sorts. They inserted whose insights into the cookie. A small rice paper written fortunes statements into the dough. Which was baked and cooked until a crisp hard like cookie? The special cook made hundreds of them. The seer more of a person with good hearing and knowledge about seasons. Well wrote out fortunes that were accurate, and the people of Port Ping ate them up. In fact, they ate them. So much that Ender was considering turning a small bait and tackle shop into a cookie factory. However, the funds turned up for the food, and other items needed for his venture.
Ender with funding had to buy some explosives. Which were still under Chinese export control? The cost was more than normal in yet the fortune from the fortune cookies made up the difference.
Ender and the future Claw would spend time together. Ender would ask the child with questions on the same story his relative had told him. While waiting, Ender sent out the Claw to find out if there were more stories about his relative.
While waiting for the time to go out. We fit the Black Skimmer with an extra cannon. And more shot, along with a long gun that ran a good third of the upper deck. In the meantime, Ender found an additional small crew to help with the future prize ship. The plan being to hit one of the treasure ship’s midsection, board it, and sail it away with the additional crew. The thinking a quick blast with a long gun filled with shot to cut down the ship’s crew from a distance. This would allow the Black Skimmer to hide better during a fight.
The Black Skimmer fitted with a long gun. Supply onboard. Awaited a message from the crook that had set up the plan. At midnight in mid-May the message came. And Ender, crew and Black Skimmer sailed out of port to a slight island close to southern Korea. Meeting at the isle. There were seven other pirate ships. Eight pirate ships assembled. Versus according to reports of 24 ships. 12 from Japan, 12 from Korea, both filled with solders and guards for the treasure exchange.
The crook introduction of all seven other pirate captains with Ender. The meeting took place on the small island. The plan reviewed and revised because of the lack of ships. Instead of taking on all the ships. The decision was to go for only the Japanese ships and to take them closer to Japan than Korea. So the island was to be used for the night. Then the ships would sail towards the Japanese port. Which was the starting point of the treasure fleets departure point?
That night, Ender sat at a table talking with a boy whose name would be Claw about strange stories. The seer whose fortunes written on rice paper had become rather famous saw in a vision a scary story. His tale was so profound it changed the crew of 32 minds on what to do.
The seer against Ender was not that big of a deal. Ender's only request was that they try to get at least one ship. The profound tale told by the seer. With Enders counter talk of one treasure ship might be worth all their troubles. The counter talk changed the crew’s mind on the seers tale and the decision was to go forth.
Since the seers tale had a profound impact on the crew and Ender. They formed a sort of alternative plan. Ender required each crew member for a sit down. And discussion on which ship the crew member should be on upon the taking of a treasure ship. When push comes to shove, they chose a select group of five to stay on the Black Skimmer. While the rest would crew the larger Japanese ship.
The seer’s vision made for the plan to work a question mark. Meaning the vision was of most of the crew eating each other. Since starvation was something most agreed was not what they wanted. Ender planned around that by having the fishing nets brought out of storage and use. Ender revised plan of fishing, including and informing each member to cut the net away from the ship. Once upon sighting the treasure fleet to cut the nets away and let them drop. However, in the meantime, to ensure they fed everyone. More than what they expected they would fish to keep themselves fit lean and well feed.
With that, the Black Skimmer and seven other ships set up a sort of shadow blockade off the coast of a Japanese port. Enders fishing net sort of made the entire group of ships acceptable. To the few passing other ships which passed during the waiting time.
The nights were calm. Until on the second week of waiting. When a storm blew in with no warning. The Japanese treasure fleet set sail straight right into the view of the storm. Probably trying to outrun it or save their ships from being battered against the shores. There were only nine ships that made it out of the Japanese port. By the time each of the blockade fleet realized what was going on. During the storm there were only five pirate ships left, two either sunk or blown away. The Black Skimmer moved on promptly with one of the more impressive ships. Evidently the crew had not all gotten onboard. Because the front long gun cut down those on top and the boarding party did not find any resistance.
The plan had worked. Well. Sort of. The storm continued. The boarding party on the Japanese ship included Ender. Who went directly to the treasure hold and liberated what looked like a pearl held between a staff. Upon touching the staff. Its guardian awoke. A white pearl colored dragon. The dragon slaughtered the boarding crew. While Ender made his escape with the pearl to the Black Skimmer. On the Black Skimmer, the seer and crew watched. As their dead crew mates seemed to become enchanted by the dragon. They rigged the ship to come after the Black Skimmer. The storm was still blowing while all this took only a matter of twenty minutes all to unfold. Ender having made it back to the Skimmer reloaded the long gun and waited to fire at the Japanese treasure ship. The dragon onboard could be heard chanting some weird chant. A whisper heard over the storm. “May you never see your world’s shores again!” The wind with that whispered died out. The storm waves still splashed the other ships were nowhere to be seen. Just the Skimmer, fleeing in the direction that the wind was blowing. While a dead treasure ship was being forced towards it. Then the wind came back. Blowing and tossing both ships around. From the deck of the Skimmer of the crew watched the white dragon. The dragon looked like it was going to take a drink from the ocean leaning way overboard. Instead, upon watching a realization planned, the dragon was blowing a bubble. And with the bubble was coming up old dead ships. And to the surprise of all on the Black Skimmer, their crew were walking about preparing to fight.
The seer yelled hard to port. Which swung the complete ship around at a 180 degrees. While a crew member touched the long gun. Just at that moment, as if planned firing the whole blast into the white dragon.
However, the 180 degree swing in the Skimmer put the ship right into the path of what the dragon had been doing. Which was an enormous bubble? That brought together all the sunken ships, the treasure ship, and Black Skimmer into a whirlpool. Taking them all down and out towards the open ocean. The blast of the canon had hit the white dragon, who fell overboard. The bubble however kept on swirling. The whirlpool and took all the ships, and bubble down into what they could only describe as a funnel. That seemed to run underneath the ocean. Pulling all the ships outward from between Korea and Japan into the Pacific ocean. And towards the Americas.
With the white dragon gone, the dead did not seem to be interested in the Black Skimmer. The Black Skimmer being provisioned with one month of food for 32 members. Which was down to seven now found that along with two weeks of fishing food for a few months? The pearl of great value was onboard. And the treasure ship of the Japanese was still floating nearby with a complete dead past crew members in yet. They had no interest in the Black Skimmer. The funnel pushing the bubble keep a fast pace, outpacing all the ocean life that swam by.
When the crew finally felt comfortable. An investigation of one of the smaller sunken ships was made. The dead or zombies did not seem to notice or care much what happened as long as their ship was sailing. Thus began the looting. Not of just one ship but of a whole underwater fleet of sunken ships and one treasure ship all manned with zombies.
One wrong move at Denny's
To say this was a wild story was an extreme under estimate. By the time I had finished what was above I had went to the bathroom three times, drank eight refills of 7 up, order one sampler plant with cheese sticks and made friends with the waitress which seemed rather interested in what I was reading because at times I would either laugh or gasp at some parts of the story. I mean if you read all this in one sitting in 1994. You would think you were reading the future of some nutty person. Let alone three nutty people and than to realize that at the end there was more paper for me to write my story well...
The waitress asked after I had finished by closing the book journal if she could read it. I had just spent 25 hours at Denny's it was Sunday morning and she was getting off her shift. Since, I had walked there I agreed if she read it with me and gave me a ride back to the dorms.
That is when the weirdest part of this whole story started.
The waitress was cute and offered me a ride home in exchange if she could read the book while my roommate watched her. Reasoning, I really didn’t trust her. For one, I am me. No one in their right mind knows me. If she knows me, she most likely wants something from me. Even back then, I did things differently.
Anyway, I had one more seven up, and she was off work so I got into her 1970s old Ford Mustang the sun was just coming up Sunday morning.
The next thing I know I wake up in the cemetery with a blanket wrapped around me and looking down I had my tight whities on but they folded my clothes next to me along with my glasses and book.
The bizarreness was sun-setting because it was getting cold and there was a fire going and around it was a weird sight. Women dressed as fairies and someone with a witch’s pointed hat.I think they were trying to summon Smurfs or something because they were calling out the names of the villain and his cat’s name dancing madly around the fire.
I got my pants on and one shoe on along with my glasses on before one of them noticed I was awake. I think they thought they had killed me because even to this day her eyes bugging out of her head was something I recall.
I got my other shoe on and could not find my shirt, so I wrapped myself with the blanket and picked up my book.
It took me time, and by this time all of them had stopped dancing and looked at me. I could swear there were like 8 or 10 of them. A few I am sure were trolls. They did not talk or stop me. I just walked towards what looked like a curve, which was the road. I think they must have thought I was dead or something. I walked to a pave road and recognized where I was. The Bozeman cemetery, how did I know this? I had been here before playing tag with some people once upon a story and had walked through it to get to the hospital when one of the dorm mates had tried to commit suicide and I had to get to the hospital to make sure he was okay.
Anyway, walking down the road I passed the antique shop, and it was closed. Since the sun was still setting, that meant Sunday evening because normal hours were 9 AM to 9 PM the rest of the week except Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM.
Anyway, I got back to my dorm room and went to bed. Needless to say, I did not eat at Denny’s again until I left Bozeman. The next day I joined a frat because I did not feel safe at that time.
That was the fall of 1994.