|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- FOREMAN ITTENER PIER--CUP 26--"GRAFT" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Foreman Ittener Pier  ||  -------> (Cup SRfi026, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Posing a newlyweds, Lunatether and me were looking for a place to live. We got to Peeferkihint earlier in the day--we tried to make the final jump to a time of day near our biological clocks, and got pretty close. After getting away from Walker Fantive, we made a short journey about nine years into the past, and stayed at the same motel we'd been in before all the business with Carroll Mammock. While Lunatether and I slept, Carroll accompanied the tock hound to a nearby abandoned lot, so that the beast could get some well-deserved rest. After a good night's sleep, we continued the rest of the way back, the rest of the 25 years. Once we were at the right time, we still had to go through the hassle of selling some gold and buying another motor vehicle. It wasn't too hard--we told the guy we'd take 50% the going rate in exchange for no questions. It took another few hours to buy a truck. Again, we had to bribe the salesman to sell us the truck--he was insisting to see some identification. But we got it. The drive to Peeferkihint took the rest of the day, so we stayed in a hotel in the outskirts of Peeferkihint--a hell of a lot nicer than that horrible little motel. We got a big room, a suite maybe, and Bandelion came into the hotel with us. Carroll also stayed in the suite--there was like a bedroom and a living room kind of setup. I was uneasy sleeping,l knowing that Carroll was in the other room, but the strain of all the time travel helped me attain slumber in minutes. So we were with this real estate agent, looking at a cool place--a building with living quarters, an office, and a warehouse--mostly furnished. It was $30,000. I figured it was a lock--perfect for our purposes, and I had the cash on me. So I had the real estate chick wait outside while I talked to Lunatether. She loved the place, so I called the woman back in. "Okay, we want it." "Great! Now we have to go through a mountain of paperwork, schedule the closing, I'll contact the board, the city inspector will need to give us a certificate, there are a bunch of applications to--" "No." I said. "Huh." "No. We want this place NOW. We want to move in NOW." "That's impossible." "Yeah? Let me tell you--some things are impossible, but a thing like this--no. It's possible." "I don't think so, Mr. Ferrajalt, uh..." "This is the sort of thing we can make happen with money. All you have to do is tell me how much you need." "I don't--I mean, it's not..." But I could see the little wheels start to turn in her head. "You see what I mean." I said. "With the right amount of money, it can all be done without any more bother to me and my lovely wife here." I put my arm around Lunatether and pulled her to me. My "bride" smiled. "Well--I see your point Mr. Ferrajalt. But we'd be talking about a lot more than $30,000." "Sixty." I said. "Plus another ten for you when it's all settled." She was nonplused. "S-sixty?" "That's right. Cash. Right here. Right now. And the additional ten later." She stared at me, and I could see she was trembling. "I hope this isn't any sort of a trick." "You agree, and you'll see in about two minutes whether it's a trick or not." "O-okay, Mr. Ferrajalt. I accept. But remember, there may be certain... forces... beyond my control." "You need more than sixty." She bit her lip. I had a pretty good handle on graft. And I knew it'd be more than enough money for this sort of thing. "No... sixty should just about do it." "Just about." I said. "Come on." She followed me outside to the truck, and I went in. "Gimme a minute." I said. Soon I got out of the truck and handed her $60,000 in cash. She gulped. "Heh heh. What if I just run off with this." I stared at her. She said it jokingly, but I knew she sought some sort of information regarding how potentially dangerous this deal might be. "You lose the extra $10,000. Oh, and also you die a horrible death." She looked at me with a sly smile. "Guess I won't then." I smiled back at her. "Another part of the deal?" I said. "No more questions." "Just one more. So I can sleep at night. This isn't blood money..." "I give you my word it isn't." "Good." she said with a sigh. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----