The Betas
By Roland Trask
Edie had hoped to do something exciting that day. Lisa certainly wasn't going to help with that. Edie couldn't help but cut her eyes at the girl as she pedaled her small pink bike next to her own. Lisa was only seven. Edie was ten. They weren't friends, their brothers were. Edie had tried to explain that to her parents, but they wouldn't hear it.
Everyone else was busy. The Wangs were busy, the Walshes were busy, and the Cohens themselves were very busy. Everyone had their own messes to clean up and their own errands to run. The storm the night before was bad enough to ensure that everyone in town was busy. Edie just wanted to get out of everyone's hair for the day and go for a bike ride, but would she "Be so kind and take Lisa with her?" Edie didn't want to "be so kind", but parents liked to dress up their orders as friendly requests.
So Edie was stuck with the seven year old. The little girl's training wheels wobbled as she struggled to keep up with Edie. Her bike was scratched and dented from when Brand Walsh had ridden it off a hill, but he'd managed to fix it to where it was rideable again.
"Where are we going?" she called to Edie.
"None of your business," Edie said. "You'll see when we get there." Not that Edie knew where they were going, but she was the youngest in her family and got so few opportunities to feel like the superior one.
She stopped her bike at the top of a hill and looked out over the ocean. The water was still choppy beneath an overcast sky. Big waves were still crashing down onto the beach. Humongous ones must have been crashing down the night before, because Edie could see a lifeguard tower and that had been completely toppled.
"Ooh, look!" Lisa cried suddenly, pointing at one of the large rocks offshore. Edie looked to see a two masted schooner pinned against it, the waves beating it against the rock wall. Its prow was lodged into a smaller rock that kept it from escaping. Its sails were torn to shreds and its pretty red hull was dented more than Lisa's bike.
"I hope no one's on that," Lisa said.
"Of course no one's on it. No one would be stupid enough to sail it into a rock. It must have broken loose during the storm."
In the distance Edie could see lighting from the remnants of the storm. Lisa shuddered.
"I don't like lighting."
"It's far away," Edie said. "You can't even hear the thunder. Don't be such a wuss."
Lisa scowled at her. "Don't call me a wuss. You're the wuss!"
"Shut up!" Edie said.
Lisa turned away as her eyes began to water. "I didn't really want to come with you either."
Edie turned towards her. "What?"
"You're not very nice to me."
Edie stared at her. "Well, I'm older than you."
"Your brother's older than my brother, and they're friends."
"Well yeah, but y'know, they've done some crazy things together. They went on adventures, like when they explored the caves and found the pirate treasure. And that other time they got trapped on the sinking ship. That bonds people, like soldiers in foxholes or something."
Lisa glared at her. "They were friends before all that."
"Yeah, but that sort of thing helps!"
Lisa turned towards the ocean, a look of sadness in her eyes. "I wish I could have gone on those adventures."
Edie sighed. "Yeah, me too."
Lisa looked at her for a moment. "Are we Goonies?"
Edie turned to her. "Well yeah, that's what the kids at school call all the kids that live on the Goon Docks."
"My brother says that Goonies stick together," Lisa said. "And they look out for each other."
Edie turned back to the ocean with an annoyed grumble. Lisa inched towards her.
"If we had an adventure like that, could we be friends?" she said.
Edie sighed. "I'll tell you what, if we ever have a crazy adventure like our brothers did, we'll be best friends."
Lisa smiled. "Ok, let's go find one!"
Her feet flew to her pedals and she took off down the hill.
"Hey, wait!" Edie shouted.
Edie raced after her, and they coasted their bikes down the hill.
Lisa's newfound quest for adventure led them towards the harbor. The roar of a boat engine caught their attention, and they rode ahead to see a rusty fishing trawler sputtering to life. Its propellers chewed up the water as its engine whined and moaned. Edie smiled as she recognized the name on the side, Lazy Lady.
A young man of about eighteen came up from the cabin. He had long, dirty blonde hair and was about a week past due for a shave. He wore ripped jeans and a denim vest with an Iron Maiden patch sown on the back. In his hand was a black brick of a radio that he pressed to his ear, adjusting the dials as he aimed the antennae in every direction.
"Are you getting anything?" a voice came from the wheelhouse.
"I might if you'd shut up!" the young man shouted back.
"Hey, don't make me come out there and beat your ass!"
The young man ignored him. He pulled a roll of white paper from his pocket and stuck it between his lips.
"Hey!" Edie shouted to him.
The young man looked up with bulging eyes. He snatched the roll from his lips and stuffed it back into his pocket.
"What?"
"You're Sam, right?" Edie said. "Sam Steinbrenner?"
He looked up and down the harbor as if afraid someone might hear her. "Do I know you?"
"Well, sort of," Edie said. "My brother is friends with Mikey Walsh, who's older brother is dating your sister's best friend."
Sam nodded. "Yeah, we're practically related. Beat it, kid."
He turned back to the radio, furiously spinning a dial until a crackle came over the speaker.
"Hey Tony, I think I've got it!" Sam said.
Sam's brother Tony came out on deck. He was about two years older, with a crew cut and goatee. The sleeves of his stained black T-shirt had been cut off revealing his skull and crossbones tattoo. They both huddled around the radio as Sam turned up the volume.
"Dispatch," came the voice of a deputy. "Elgin Perkins is now reporting that a man named Roy Criswell stole his schooner."
"Stolen?" another voice said. It was probably just swept away in the storm."
Edie recognized the voice of the sheriff. She had heard it several times thanks to her brother's shenanigans.
"Do you want to talk to Perkins, sir?"
"Eh, no thanks. We've got a lot on our plate today, Perkins can wait his turn. Just make sure the men combing the beach keep a lookout for a two-masted schooner with a red hull."
Sam and Tony seemed very pleased by that last part as they slammed their fists together. They were about to go back to preparing the boat, but stopped, and slowly turned to face Edie and Lisa.
"Who the hell are they?" Tony said.
"I thought I told you to beat it?" Sam said.
"Why are you guys so interested in Mr. Perkins boat?" Edie said.
"Beat it!" Sam shouted.
Tony went back into the wheelhouse and the Lazy Lady began to reverse off of the wharf.
"Cause if you are, I saw a two masted schooner with a red hull!"
"I saw it," Lisa said with a scowl.
The engines stopped. Tony stuck his head out the window. "You've seen it?"
Edie smiled. "Yeah."
Sam hopped off the boat and onto the dock. He looked Edie square in the eye. "Where'd you see it?"
Lisa perked up. "Oh, it was over-"
Edie smacked her on the shoulder. "We can't tell you, we'd have to show you."
"No way!" Tony shouted as he stepped out on deck. "We're not taking two snot nosed kids onto our boat."
"It's not your boat, it's your dad's boat," Lisa said.
Sam and Tony turned to Lisa as their faces paled. Edie smiled.
"That's right, your dad's not gonna be happy when he finds out you took his boat without asking."
Tony smirked. "Little life lesson, girls. When you get to be our age, you don't need daddy's permission for everything."
Edie shrugged. "All right, we'll just go ask him then."
"Wait!" Sam said.
Tony glared at his brother. "Sam."
"Just wait," Sam said. He turned to Edie. "Are you really threatening to tattle on us?"
Edie smiled. "You could just let us show you where the boat is."
"No freaking way!" Tony shouted.
Sam looked at them both as he sucked a tooth. He shut his eyes and loosed a massive groan. "All right, get on."
"Thank you," Edie said. She skipped over to the edge of the dock and was about to climb aboard when she felt a tug on her jacket. She looked down into Lisa's frowning face.
"I don't like this."
"Come on, Lisa, you're the one who wanted to go on a crazy Goony adventure. Now's our chance."
"But those are the two boys that are always in trouble. Couldn't we go on a different adventure?"
Edie sighed and put a hand on Lisa's shoulder. "It'll be fine. They're Goonies too, just like us. I'll take care of you."
Lisa's face brightened somewhat. "You promise?"
Edie tightened her face as she realized she may have made a bigger promise than she wanted to keep, but she had already said it. She cursed in her head and said to Lisa "I promise."
"Come one, what are you doing?" Sam snapped at them.
The two girls hopped off the dock and on board the Lazy Lady while Sam reeled in the last mooring line.
Tony got behind the wheel with a scowl on his face. "Kids suck."
The trawler sputtered out of the harbor and out into the Columbia River. Edie ran to the bow of the boat, smiling as the sea air filled her lungs. She would finally have an adventure like the ones her brother had. Or at least she hoped she would. She smiled as Sam came up next to her. There were worse people to share an adventure with in her opinion.
"Hi," she said.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Just tell us where the boat is, kid."
As Edie pointed towards the mouth of the river, Lisa wandered into the wheelhouse. Tony winced when he saw her.
"Get out of here."
Lisa was too fascinated by the controls to register what he said.
Deep in the trawler, the engine began to cough. The Lazy Lady lurched to one side and the propellers began to stall.
"Goddammit!" Tony said.
Lisa covered her mouth to hide her laughter. Tony grabbed hold of the stick and began to flip it back and forth. He pressed random buttons along the panel but nothing helped.
"Hey, what's going on?" Sam shouted at him.
"I don't know, man. Dad and Stef drive this thing. Not me."
When punching the console didn't help, Tony dropped his arms with a defeated groan.
Lisa stepped in front of him, stood up on her tippy toes, and pulled a yellow lever. The engine immediately calmed down, and the props began to spin smoothly.
Tony looked down at the girl.
"How the hell did you do that?"
She smiled at him. "My daddy and my brother are inventors. They teach me things."
Tony took the wheel again, and the tiniest hint of a smile broke on his hardened face. "Not bad, kid."
The Lazy Lady rounded the mouth of the Colombia and entered the Pacific. Edie pointed them south.
"Against the big rock, down there."
Sam took up a pair of binoculars.
"Cool," he said with a laugh. "Good job, Edna. Er, what was your name again?"
"Edie. Edie Cohen."
"Edie? What kinda name is that?"
"It's short for Edith."
"Oh. What's your middle name?"
"Hadar."
Sam stared at her. "Hadar!"
"It's Hebrew! It means-"
"Stick with Edie."
"What's your middle name?"
Sam groaned. "Leslie."
Edie giggled. "Stick with Sam."
The trapped yacht was less than a quarter of a mile off now.
"Start slowing her down, Tony," Sam said.
The hum of the props began to quiet. The Lazy Lady sidled up next to the yacht, Sam pulled a lever, and an anchor dropped into the sea with a heavy splash. Tony came out of the wheelhouse with a boat hook and latched onto the yacht's railing.
"What was the deal with the engine?" Sam said.
"Don't know," Tony said. "But that girl sorted it. Guess it's a good thing we brought her. She's better than any gizmo we could have brought along."
Sam looked at Lisa with a smirk. "I guess she is the gizmo."
Lisa turned to Edie with a proud smile.
"So now what?" Lisa said.
"Oh. Um…" It had not occurred to Edie to ask what the Steinbrenner boys had wanted with Mr. Perkins boat in the first place.
Sam took up the black radio and began tuning a dial.
"… reported gun shots but it was just a dropped pot. Still no report on Perkins yacht, but I doubt anyone's looking that hard for it."
"Sweet," Sam sad with a smile as he clasped the radio to his belt.
"Check that out," Tony said as he pointed to the name emblazoned on the yacht's red hull.
"Adonis?" Sam said. "What a tool."
"What now?" Edie said to them. "Do we like, sail it back or something? Is there a reward?
"Well, not exactly," Sam said as lashed the rails of the two boats together.
Tony grabbed a flashlight and a large sack and hopped onto the Adonis.
"Well, wait for us," Edie said.
"No way, kid," Tony said. "You stay put, this is our take."
"Take? What's he talking about, Sam?"
Sam grabbed a sack of his own while his mouth fumbled to find words. "Perkins is an ass, you know that. He tried to have all our houses torn down a while back. He deserves to have his cage rattled."
Edie looked at Sam, her mouth agape. "Are you saying you wanted to find this boat so you could rob it?"
"Hey, come on," Sam said. "He's rich, we're poor. It's like Robin Hood or something. He wouldn't miss a few valuables."
Sam turned from Edie and leapt onto the yacht. As he disappeared behind the cabin, the angry waves began to pelt the trawler, and the ship rocked hard enough to cause Edie and Lisa to stagger.
Lisa began to tremble. "Now I really don't like this."
Edie put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok."
Edie didn't believe it herself. She started to feel afraid. There was a real danger on their adventure now, and she'd had her fill of it.
"Ok, let's go get Sam and Tony and tell them to take us home now."
The waves rocked the yacht and the trawler up and down, straining the lash that held the rails together. The hulls bumped against each other with hollow thuds.
"C'mon," Edie said, grabbing Lisa by the hand.
They scrambled onto the yacht before the boats could collide again. They found Tony pushing on the door to the cabin with all the strength he had.
"Shit," he said. "The damn thing won't budge."
Sam gritted his teeth. "If we can rebuild the engine for a 69 Camaro we can break a stupid boat lock. Let's just haul the thing back to shore and get our tools."
Tony cut his eyes at his brother. "No, turd-brain, we're not getting caught hauling this thing. We're doing this here and now, then we're gone."
Edie glared at them both. "Listen, we want to go home now. The weather's getting worse, and if we don't leave now, something bad is gonna happen."
A roll of thunder came in from the sea that caused them all to look up. Edie saw Tony tremble almost as much as Lisa. She couldn't help but smirk a little.
"I heard that," Lisa said, rattling Edie's arm. "I heard that, that means it's close!"
Sam looked from the bow of the yacht to the stern with desperate eyes. His eyes fell on a porthole in the cabin.
He darted towards it and pried it open. Another clap of thunder came, louder this time. Sam looked at the sky and licked his lips.
"All right, look," he said, the tiniest hint of fear in his voice. "I can't fit through this window, but you probably could."
"What!" Edie said.
"Look, just climb through the window, unlock the door so we can get in, and give us two minutes. Then we'll all head back."
Edie wanted to argue, but knew that would just prolong things. The Steinbrenner boys obviously weren't going to leave without poking around in the cabin. The sooner they got in there, the better.
"Fine," Edie said with a huff.
Lisa grabbed hold of her arm. "Don't leave me out here alone."
"Then come in with me. This was your adventure, remember?"
Lisa tightened her lip and gave Edie a determined nod.
Edie crawled head first through the porthole. It wasn't a tight squeeze at all, she thought, until she was in up to her waste. She dangled into a dark cabin, her arms hanging in the air and her stomach being pinched.
"Shit," she said. Then she felt two tiny arms wrap around her legs and she was thrust forward.
She fell face first into the darkness, screaming as she did. She hit a cold hard floor and felt Lisa's tiny body land on top her. She heard giggling.
"That was fun!" Lisa said.
Edie shoved the little girl off with an angry growl.
"You all right, Gizmo?" Tony said through the window.
"Yeah," Lisa said.
"I'm fine too, you guys!" Edie shouted.
Still glaring at Lisa, Edie began feeling along the wall for a light switch. She felt her shins collide with books, pillows, golf trophies, and whatever else a rich jerk like Mr. Perkins would keep in his yacht.
She flipped the light on and found the cabin in utter squalor. Cabinets in the small kitchen were thrown open and their contents scattered on the ground. The cushions on the couch had been thrown off and torn open.
The scene frightened Edie. At first she had just figured the storm had knocked everything on the ground, but this was more than that. Someone had deliberately done this
"Sam! Tony?" she said turning towards the door.
She froze with a look of shock. It wasn't going to be as simple as unhooking the latch. She couldn't even reach it. The door had a barricade in front of it. Chairs and boxes and whatever else in the cabin that was heavy enough was piled before the door to keep the entire world out it seemed.
"Sam!" she cried out, much louder.
"Can you unlock the door?" Sam's muffled voice came.
"No, there's like, a whole bunch of stuff piled in front of it."
She heard Tony groan. "Well, can you get through it?"
"I don't know, this is really weird," Edie said.
"Well, just start moving it and unlock the door as soon as you can reach it," Sam said. "We're gonna look around the deck, just hurry up."
"Ok," Edie said in barely a whisper. She heard their footsteps fade as they crossed the deck. She didn't want them to leave her.
She took a deep breath and grabbed a chair off the top of the barricade.
"Stay close to me, Lisa," she said. "Lisa?"
Lisa had begun to explore. She went to the far side of the cabin and peaked into the tiny bathroom. She grabbed her nose as the unmistakable stench of vomit met her nostrils.
"Ew, gross," she said. "Someone got sick here."
"Just don't touch anything," Edie said.
Another big wave hit and the cabin rattled. Lisa steadied herself against the wall as the door opposite the bathroom popped open into a dark room.
Lisa squinted and took a step forward. There was a creak, a shuffle of feet, and a shadow moved into the door way. Lisa began to shriek.
Edie spun around to see a man burst into the main cabin. He was tall and burly, with a disheveled beard and baggy bloodshot eyes. He reeked of alcohol and wore a blue windbreaker with stains on it Edie didn't want to imagine the origin off. The thing that caught her eye was a round white patch on his jacket with a lighthouse on it. The Seal of Astoria.
Lisa darted towards Edie and the two girls clutched each other as the man staggered towards them.
"Who the hell are you?" he said with a slur.
"Uh, nobody, Mister," Edie said. She felt a lump of panic rising in her throat. "We were just leaving."
Edie grabbed Lisa by the hand and made for the window.
The man lurched towards them, barring their way. His hand flew to his jacket pocket and he pulled out a small revolver.
"You aren't going anywhere."
Lisa whimpered. She wrapped her arms around Edie's stomach and began to choke the air out of her.
"What the hell are you doing on my boat?" the stranger said.
"I think it's Mr. Perkins boat," Edie said before she could stop herself.
The stranger rounded on her, his face burning red.
"Mr. Perkins is a wretch. A pathetic excuse for a human being! He never sailed this boat, he never knew how to work her, how to handle her, how to treat her right. I did all that for him. And then he fired me."
He looked around the destroyed cabin. "I thought I'd come in here and teach him a lesson. Then I thought, why punish this beautiful boat, when I could punish Perkins and just take it for myself." He shut his mouth to stifle a hiccup. "I may have partaken in his liquor cabinet now and then, but he had no right to fire me."
Edie looked at the stranger with fear welled eyes. "Are you Roy Criswell?"
The stranger looked up.
"They mentioned you on the radio earlier," Edie said.
"Perkins thinks he can track me down, I don't think so. He's not gonna take the Adonis from me."
A pounding came from the door.
"Hey, Edie, what gives?" came the voice of Sam.
Edie looked at Criswell who pressed a finger to his lips as he leveled the gun at her.
"I'm working on it, Sam," Edie said, her voice quivering.
Lisa still clung to Edie, burying her face in her jacket.
"Lisa, please," Edie said. "It's getting hard to breath."
Criswell looked out the window at the trawler. "Now that you're here, I can't have you giving me away."
He aimed his gun at the ropes binding the trawler to the yacht and fired. The two girls screamed. The rope split in half, smoking at its severed ends, and the two boats drifted apart.
"What the hell was that?" Tony said from the deck.
"Oh no, the boat!" Sam shouted.
"Shit!"
The two of them darted past the porthole, and Edie saw Tony climb up onto the rail and leap into the sea.
"Tony!" Sam shouted. "Are you crazy!"
Criswell began to chuckle. "Well, that looks like one down."
Lisa glared at Criswell with tear filled eyes. Criswell made his way towards the door and began taking down his barricade.
"I think it's time we got underway."
Before he could open the door, Lisa shot from Edie's side towards Criswell.
"Lisa!" Edie shouted.
Lisa wrapped her arms around Criswell's leg, latching onto him like a parasite, and buried her teeth in his thigh.
Criswell threw his head back as his eyes bulged. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
A million thoughts went through Edie's head at once. Criswell was going to hurt Lisa. Criswell was going to hurt her. Should she try and escape? Should she hide? She should pull Lisa off of him.
Lisa had made her move, Edie took a deep breath, and realized there was only one move she could make.
Edie charged forward, and thrust her shoulder into Criswell's gut. Criswell doubled over, swinging his arms left and right to bat them away. Edie was shoved into the wall, and Criswell shook Lisa onto the floor.
The door burst open behind Criswell, and Sam stood there, his fists balled. Just as he was about to plant a punch into the back of Criswell's head, the man spun and aimed his gun at him.
"Enough!"
Criswell shoved Sam back and stepped onto the deck. Sam backed away, his hands in the air.
"Get up here, girls!" Criswell shouted below.
Edie and Lisa picked themselves up and looked at each other.
"It was a good try," Edie said.
Lisa hung her head as Edie led her by the hand up onto the deck. There was no sign of Tony or the Lazy Lady.
The churning sea at his back, Criswell pointed his gun at all three of them. Edie stepped in front of Lisa, and Sam stepped in front of Edie.
"Take it easy, man," Sam said. "How about we put the kids in a raft or something, and I help you sail this thing out of here."
Criswell stifled another hiccup. "No. Since your ride is gone, it looks like you're all gonna have to test your swimming skills."
Lisa's panicked hands clawed at Edie, and Edie couldn't help but dig her fingernails into Sam's arm.
Criswell rubbed his stomach with a wince of pain.
"Let's start with you," he said to Edie.
A shadow began to appear in the stormy haze behind Criswell. The drunkard aimed his gun at Edie. "Move it."
A trembling Edie let go Sam and pried Lisa's hands off of her. Edie began to inch towards the railing, panic choking the air from her lungs.
Sam stepped forward. "Come on, man. Leave the kid alone."
Criswell hiccupped again. "Shut up."
Edie grabbed hold of the railing, and looked at the angry sea beneath her. She leaned forward just as the shadow burst from the haze.
The Lazy Lady roared as she appeared at the Adonis' port side.
"Holy S-H-I-T!" Lisa said.
Criswell looked up and screamed as the trawler's bow smashed into the yacht.
The entire boat lurched to starboard. Edie clung to the rails as Sam and Lisa were knocked off their feet. Criswell collided face first with the deck.
As Criswell raised his head, Edie hopped off the rails and dropped all of her weight onto the drunkard's wrist. Criswell gave a high pitched shriek and let go of his gun. Edie kicked it hard and it plopped into the sea.
"Time to go!" Sam shouted. He grabbed Lisa and tossed her onto the deck of the trawler. As Criswell rose to his knees, Sam turned and struck his fist into the man's nose. He wrapped an arm around Edie's waste and leapt onto the Lazy Lady.
Criswell lay in a heap on the deck, clutching his bleeding face.
Edie, Lisa, and Sam shot into the wheelhouse to find a soaking wet Tony at the wheel.
"Nice aim," Edie said with a smile.
"Yeah, no problem. What the hell happened there?"
"Some creep had the bright idea to case the joint before you guys," Edie said.
The Steinbrenner boys exchanged glances, and their mouths tightened. Edie wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a flash of guilt in each of their eyes.
"It worked out," Lisa said. "I bit him."
The two boys rounded on her.
"You bit him?" Sam said.
Lisa smiled. "Yeah."
Tony looked at the girl and smirked. "Not bad, Gizmo."
The Adonis was struck by another wave, and she took on water through the wound in her side. She listed to port, and her masts crashed into the sea.
"Get us out of here," Sam said to Tony.
"Wait," Edie said. She stepped out onto deck, grabbed a life preserver, and tossed it towards Criswell. The drunkard grabbed hold of it. He clung shivering to a rock as the Adonis slipped beneath the waves.
Sam and Tony smiled. They may not have come away with anything, but imaging the look on Elgin Perkins face when he realized his yacht had been sunk was a good enough reward.
Tony took the wheel and steered the trawler back towards the dock.
"That was messed up," Sam said.
"Yeah," Edie said. "But kind of exciting."
The storm had calmed again when they reached the dock. While Lisa grabbed her bike, Edie turned to Sam and Tony.
"We have to tell someone, we can't just leave him out there."
Sam and Tony sighed.
"Yeah, don't worry. We'll do that," Sam said.
"You'll probably get in trouble if they find out why you were out there."
Tony shrugged. "We've been in trouble before, we can handle it."
"Well, don't get in trouble all the time," Edie said.
Sam smiled. "We'll try. We'll see you around, kid."
Edie smiled back. "Well, yeah. We're all Goonies!"
Tony waved at Lisa. "Thanks for your help, Gizmo."
Lisa giggled. "No problem."
A light rain fell on the two girls as they pedaled home, but they didn't mind. They were sure their parents would be upset at them for not coming home when the storm hit, but they didn't mind that either. What would they tell them? They didn't know. They were happy to deal with that when it came, like their brothers always had.
As they neared their houses, Lisa looked up to Edie with a smug grin.
"What?" Edie said.
"We just had our own adventure."
"Yeah, we did."
"So," Lisa said. "Are we friends now?"
Edie took a deep breath, looked at the girl, and smiled.
"Yes, Lisa" she said. "Best friends."
"Call me Gizmo."