The Man From Mars - Episode Forty Four

   After rinsing my mouth out with water and cleaning up my face a bit, I take a good look into the mirror. Asking myself, "What kind of man have I become? Living in this whirlwind of existence? Where is the man who believed in justice for all? That there is always an alternative, before taking a person's life? What happened in believing there are good guys and bad guys? Now that the line between them seems so blurry?"
   "Are you Okay in there?" Asks Tiny.
   From the other side of the lavatory door.
   Probably because I was taking so long.
   "I'm fine." I answer back. "I'll be out in a minute."
   "We will be landing soon and we need to talk." He tells me.
   "I said I'll be right out in a minute!" I said angrily.
   There is finely silence.
   Not a word coming from the other side of the door.
   I stare at my face for a few more minutes, saying to myself, "Where did all of this sudden anger come from? Why am I so jumpy? What happened to my patience?"
   I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear Tiny's booming voice from the other side of the door say, "That is what we need to talk about."
   I slide the jet airplane's lavatory door open and see Tiny standing right there in front of me. I am about to say something derogatory to him about his big ears and eavesdropping, then I remember looking into the mirror, thinking how, I don't much care for the man I see right now.
   I calmly say, "Is it alright to sit down before we start?"
   He doesn't say a word, but backs up a foot and waves his arm and hand, as if to say, after you.
   After sitting down, I start out by saying I'm sorry. Telling him, "I don't know what has come over me lately."
   He smiles and says, "No worries. We have had barely a day of rest these past few of weeks. It has been non-stop excitement, and your life has been in danger on more than one occasion."
   "I wouldn't call, putting my life in danger, exciting."
   "You will." Is all Tiny says.
   "I hardly think so." I say sarcastically. "Besides. I believe I have had enough of this crazy adventure. I would like to speak to Ponleak and ask him to take his amulet back."
   "I would say, that is impossible at this point." Says the man who asked me never to call him by his real name, Phuc, again.
   And yes, it is pronounced the way you think it is.
   After calming me down and sitting me down once again, Tiny tells me that, "Even though you haven't been using the amulet lately, your mind is becoming accustom to it."
   "What the hell does that mean?" I ask.
   "Your mind and the amulet are becoming part of each other." He says. "You must learn to control your emotional state or the amulet will make you mad."
   "Great." Is all I can say sarcastically.
   "Soon, by merely a thought, you will be able to control the power of the amulet."
   "But I don't want to control the amulet any longer. I want Ponleak to take it back!"
   "Like I said, that is impossible."
   He explains. "Ponleak and his followers are probably being pursued by half of Bopha's men at this very moment. And the other half are after us."
   "Why would he divide his forces in two?"
   "I am sure Bopha is making sure that the amulet does not slip past him again." He tells me. "Ponleak is hoping that Bopha could never imagine someone would willingly give up the amulet. He is hoping that Bopha, seeing that the majority of his followers are protecting Ponleak and are with him, that you and I are just a divergence. A way to split his forces. But knowing this does not mean he can take a chance by letting us slip away quietly. He must make sure Ponleak has the amulet and that we are just goats to be slaughtered."
   "I'm not sure I like your analogy of us being goats to be slaughtered." I tell him sheepishly. "Can you come up with an updated phrase for us being the fall guys here."
   "Why?" Tiny looks to me confused.
   "Never mind." I say.
   Suddenly, inside the passenger area of the jet, the lights go from a steady white to a flashing red. With the usual alarm going off, blaring away, at full volume.
   A Filipino man's voice comes over the intercom and says, "We are under attack. A ground to air missile has been launched in our direction."
   Before Tiny can say a word, I scream out in frustration, "Can't I ever get one day of rest here? I wish that missile went right back to where it came from."
   Tiny yells out, "No," into my face and grabs me by the top of my two shoulders, staring straight into my eyes.

To Be Continued.....

Next Week.

This is,

Jumping From The Frying Pan,

Into The Fire,

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“I know that eggs do well to stay out of frying pans.”
- George R.R. Martin, -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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