Part 3:
Our mission was nearly complete.
“You two rest easy,” Rick said, inspecting the computer system. “This’ll be over in a minute.”
“Really?”
“Sure. If I can only get these connections to work. Looks like a frayed cable … ”
Rick jolted upright and broke into a crazy dance, his hands flapping and shaking.
“What happened?”
“It zapped me! I just got shocked!”
“Are you OK?”
“Felt like serious voltage. Wow. I need to be careful.”
Rick cautiously began tinkering anew with the wires.
“BZZZT!" I yelled, and he jumped six feet off the floor.
“You two rest easy,” Rick said, inspecting the computer system. “This’ll be over in a minute.”
“Really?”
“Sure. If I can only get these connections to work. Looks like a frayed cable … ”
Rick jolted upright and broke into a crazy dance, his hands flapping and shaking.
“What happened?”
“It zapped me! I just got shocked!”
“Are you OK?”
“Felt like serious voltage. Wow. I need to be careful.”
Rick cautiously began tinkering anew with the wires.
“BZZZT!" I yelled, and he jumped six feet off the floor.
“Ha-ha," he snarled. "All right, good to go. Gen, it’s all you.”
Genevieve accessed the system and began searching.
“Think I’ve got it.”
“Yeah?”
“Here it is, 7:28 AM. The bus, the car, the crime. And now? Gone. File deleted. Backup too.”
“It’s done?”
“There’s no record that your Grandpa ever passed that bus.”
Genevieve accessed the system and began searching.
“Think I’ve got it.”
“Yeah?”
“Here it is, 7:28 AM. The bus, the car, the crime. And now? Gone. File deleted. Backup too.”
“It’s done?”
“There’s no record that your Grandpa ever passed that bus.”
“Perfect. So, I guess we’re … ready to leave?”
“Unless you want to stay and dance with more wires.”
“Dale, blink us home and we’ll get you to bed.”
“Gladly,” he said, as the three of us took positions beside him. “Here we go.”
We stood awaiting our departure.
Seconds ticked by without a change in locale.
“Dale?”
His face flashed confusion.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Maybe those chemicals threw off my system? It’s not working. Can we try again later?”
“The alternative is walking home three miles in the dead of night," Rick said.
The soft patter at the window caused him to amend his statement.
“Three miles, in the dead of night, in the rain.”
“Unless you want to stay and dance with more wires.”
“Dale, blink us home and we’ll get you to bed.”
“Gladly,” he said, as the three of us took positions beside him. “Here we go.”
We stood awaiting our departure.
Seconds ticked by without a change in locale.
“Dale?”
His face flashed confusion.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Maybe those chemicals threw off my system? It’s not working. Can we try again later?”
“The alternative is walking home three miles in the dead of night," Rick said.
The soft patter at the window caused him to amend his statement.
“Three miles, in the dead of night, in the rain.”
“We’re not walking anywhere,” Genevieve said. “The alarm? Open a door or window, the cops’ll be here in no time.”
We retired to the drivers’ lounge and found an old corduroy couch.
Rick and I sat on either side of Dale, while Genevieve grabbed a chair.
The soft rain turned into a downpour.
*********************************
~Times might seem so tough (so tooough),
~Bad luck's on the loose (the looose),
~But it's always been sink or swim, baby,
~With the Vehicular Grandpa Blues.
We retired to the drivers’ lounge and found an old corduroy couch.
Rick and I sat on either side of Dale, while Genevieve grabbed a chair.
The soft rain turned into a downpour.
*********************************
~Times might seem so tough (so tooough),
~Bad luck's on the loose (the looose),
~But it's always been sink or swim, baby,
~With the Vehicular Grandpa Blues.
