Chapter 3: Bottles of Beer and Musical Tears
Gene and Jim were at each other's throats, again. The argument was different this time.
"He save your life, he deserves at least a thank-you!" Jim protested.
"I could've managed without him." Gene said indolently.
"Yeah, managed to get yourself killed."
"Hey we don't even know where this guy lives!"
"Well, there is ways of finding out!" Jim retorted after some hesitation.
"You find him, I'll talk to him." Gene snapped.
"Fine!" Saying this, Jim scampered out the door and slammed it behind him. Melfina was giving him sympathetic look.
"What?" He asked her. She just shook her head and turned her back.
"Everybody is a detractor." Gene muttered.
Meanwhile, Jim was sitting on the floor of a phone booth with a phone book in his lap. He was scrolling down the names of various bars. He shook his head in disgust.
"If this guy was an important or dangerous outlaw he would have a bar named after him." Jim murmured vaguely. He ran his finger down the list until he reached a bar named The Blue Moon.
"I wonder..." Jim sighed. "Oh what the hell, it's probably the closest lead I'll get." Jim checked the address then stood, carefully replacing the heavy book on the metal shelf in the phone booth. He exited the booth and dashed down the street, dodging people as he went. He skidded to a halt in front of a large hovel with a blue neon sign that read: The Blue Moon. He sighed and pushed the door open.
What he saw inside Jim never expected. Noise and cigarette smoke filled the air. A variety of people wearing all kinds of clothes were seated in wooden chairs around stained tables covered in playing cards. A long, wooden counter was set up at one end of the room with small, occupied bar stools placed in front of it. No one seemed to notice that Jim had entered except for the man behind the counter. The man leaped over the counter, again with no one even looking up. The man was tall and stocky, easily a foot taller than Gene. He had shaggy, black, matted hair and clouded brown eyes. His tan skin showed off a white scar that ran from his hairline, across his eye and stopped midway on his cheek. His eye seemed unaffected by this culvert on an otherwise scar-less face.
"Why ya 'ere kid, Yer a lil' young fer dis place, hmm?" The man's speech was heavy with accent but he sounded each syllable with fervor.
"I c-came here to f-find out where an outlaw lives, I need to thank him." Jim stammered, frightened by this man's friendliness. The bar tender let out a full-throated roar of a laugh which started Jim immensely.
"Nothin' but a stammerin' lil' kid lookin' fer an outlaw? Dat all?" The man asked, his unscathed eye peering at him drolly. Jim nodded. "A'right den, which one?" The bar tender asked in his same diluted tone. Jim gulped.
"Blue Moonshine." The bar went quiet. The bar tender was the first to speak.
"Yer sure dat da right outlaw?" Jim nodded. The bar tender cleared his throat and spoke in a clear, unaccented voice. " He has a heart of gold, a mind of steel, an iron grasp, and ruthless strength. He is dignified and benevolent yet sardonic and cruel. He is the pride and the fear of all outlaws. With awe in our voices we call him Blue Moonshine." He returned to his slang speech and continued. "Me da only who know where 'e lives, swear me it 'portant."
"It is important." Jim said beginning to become impatient.
"A'right, a'right, don't be gettin' yer hackles up now." The man leaned down and whispered the address into Jim ear. Jim's face lit up, he lived only a couple blocks away from Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. "Now git out o' 'ere, befer ye' get en trouble." Jim nodded and thanked the man.
Jim was breathing deep outside the bar, trying to replace the smoky air in his lungs for clean air. Once he was refreshed, he speed off at a sprint, his feet slapping the now empty street.
Jim slowed to a walk as he reached the white cement building that should be the outlaw's home. He sighed and approached the wooden door. It was open a crack so Jim slid inside.
Inside the prosaic building was none other than Blue Moonshine. He had lost his blue aura and was lounging on a couch on one side of the room strumming a guitar that sat in his lap. He was singing in a sweet tenor voice and the song went something like this:
You're liven' your life in peace and harmony\making your own decisions\that's how its got to be\for you and me\so many people running 'round and 'round\got no sense of logic\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\People are the same today as they used to be\the same expectations\so high no one can reach that high\not I nor you can satisfy today\they never get enough\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\I see lies in the eyes of the stranger\your liven' in danger\People are they same today as they used to be\they never get enough\ I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\you've been liven' in danger\'cause I see the lies\in your eyes.
His voice dropped and the singer yawned. He swung of the couch and left the room. Jim had almost fallen asleep in the doorway. His music was so soothing. Jim felt someone's hand rest on his forehead. Jim opened his eyes to see the messenger who had delivered the letter two days ago.
"What are you doing here?" Jim demanded as he knocked the boy's hand away. The boy looked displeased but his eyes laughed.
"The same should be asked of you," the boy said pulling himself into a silver jacket. Other than that and his silver boots, the boy was dressed in black pants that hugged his skin and a black t-shirt.
"Damn it Katzuma!" a voice yelled from a nearby room. The door of that room swung open and Blue Moonshine stormed into the room flashing blue. The boy, apparently called Katzuma, winced. Blue Moonshine opened his mouth to speak then closed it again. His flashing blue outline subsided and Blue Moonshine relaxed.
"Hello Jim, nice to see you," Blue Moonshine said as he shooed Katzuma away.
"Hey, how do you know my name?" Jim asked as Blue Moonshine put his arm around Jim's shoulders.
"Come and sit down and we'll talk," Blue Moonshine said ignoring Jim's question.
While Jim converses with Blue Moonshine and learns some important information, Gene does some snooping of his own. When he breaks into Blue Moonshine's house and unlocks a deadly and terrifying secret about Katzuma. How will Blue Moonshine handle this? More importantly, how will Jim handle it? Prepare yourself for the next chapter in Blue Moonshine.
Gene and Jim were at each other's throats, again. The argument was different this time.
"He save your life, he deserves at least a thank-you!" Jim protested.
"I could've managed without him." Gene said indolently.
"Yeah, managed to get yourself killed."
"Hey we don't even know where this guy lives!"
"Well, there is ways of finding out!" Jim retorted after some hesitation.
"You find him, I'll talk to him." Gene snapped.
"Fine!" Saying this, Jim scampered out the door and slammed it behind him. Melfina was giving him sympathetic look.
"What?" He asked her. She just shook her head and turned her back.
"Everybody is a detractor." Gene muttered.
Meanwhile, Jim was sitting on the floor of a phone booth with a phone book in his lap. He was scrolling down the names of various bars. He shook his head in disgust.
"If this guy was an important or dangerous outlaw he would have a bar named after him." Jim murmured vaguely. He ran his finger down the list until he reached a bar named The Blue Moon.
"I wonder..." Jim sighed. "Oh what the hell, it's probably the closest lead I'll get." Jim checked the address then stood, carefully replacing the heavy book on the metal shelf in the phone booth. He exited the booth and dashed down the street, dodging people as he went. He skidded to a halt in front of a large hovel with a blue neon sign that read: The Blue Moon. He sighed and pushed the door open.
What he saw inside Jim never expected. Noise and cigarette smoke filled the air. A variety of people wearing all kinds of clothes were seated in wooden chairs around stained tables covered in playing cards. A long, wooden counter was set up at one end of the room with small, occupied bar stools placed in front of it. No one seemed to notice that Jim had entered except for the man behind the counter. The man leaped over the counter, again with no one even looking up. The man was tall and stocky, easily a foot taller than Gene. He had shaggy, black, matted hair and clouded brown eyes. His tan skin showed off a white scar that ran from his hairline, across his eye and stopped midway on his cheek. His eye seemed unaffected by this culvert on an otherwise scar-less face.
"Why ya 'ere kid, Yer a lil' young fer dis place, hmm?" The man's speech was heavy with accent but he sounded each syllable with fervor.
"I c-came here to f-find out where an outlaw lives, I need to thank him." Jim stammered, frightened by this man's friendliness. The bar tender let out a full-throated roar of a laugh which started Jim immensely.
"Nothin' but a stammerin' lil' kid lookin' fer an outlaw? Dat all?" The man asked, his unscathed eye peering at him drolly. Jim nodded. "A'right den, which one?" The bar tender asked in his same diluted tone. Jim gulped.
"Blue Moonshine." The bar went quiet. The bar tender was the first to speak.
"Yer sure dat da right outlaw?" Jim nodded. The bar tender cleared his throat and spoke in a clear, unaccented voice. " He has a heart of gold, a mind of steel, an iron grasp, and ruthless strength. He is dignified and benevolent yet sardonic and cruel. He is the pride and the fear of all outlaws. With awe in our voices we call him Blue Moonshine." He returned to his slang speech and continued. "Me da only who know where 'e lives, swear me it 'portant."
"It is important." Jim said beginning to become impatient.
"A'right, a'right, don't be gettin' yer hackles up now." The man leaned down and whispered the address into Jim ear. Jim's face lit up, he lived only a couple blocks away from Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. "Now git out o' 'ere, befer ye' get en trouble." Jim nodded and thanked the man.
Jim was breathing deep outside the bar, trying to replace the smoky air in his lungs for clean air. Once he was refreshed, he speed off at a sprint, his feet slapping the now empty street.
Jim slowed to a walk as he reached the white cement building that should be the outlaw's home. He sighed and approached the wooden door. It was open a crack so Jim slid inside.
Inside the prosaic building was none other than Blue Moonshine. He had lost his blue aura and was lounging on a couch on one side of the room strumming a guitar that sat in his lap. He was singing in a sweet tenor voice and the song went something like this:
You're liven' your life in peace and harmony\making your own decisions\that's how its got to be\for you and me\so many people running 'round and 'round\got no sense of logic\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\People are the same today as they used to be\the same expectations\so high no one can reach that high\not I nor you can satisfy today\they never get enough\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\your liven' in danger\I see lies in the eyes of the stranger\your liven' in danger\People are they same today as they used to be\they never get enough\ I see lies in the eyes of a stranger\you've been liven' in danger\'cause I see the lies\in your eyes.
His voice dropped and the singer yawned. He swung of the couch and left the room. Jim had almost fallen asleep in the doorway. His music was so soothing. Jim felt someone's hand rest on his forehead. Jim opened his eyes to see the messenger who had delivered the letter two days ago.
"What are you doing here?" Jim demanded as he knocked the boy's hand away. The boy looked displeased but his eyes laughed.
"The same should be asked of you," the boy said pulling himself into a silver jacket. Other than that and his silver boots, the boy was dressed in black pants that hugged his skin and a black t-shirt.
"Damn it Katzuma!" a voice yelled from a nearby room. The door of that room swung open and Blue Moonshine stormed into the room flashing blue. The boy, apparently called Katzuma, winced. Blue Moonshine opened his mouth to speak then closed it again. His flashing blue outline subsided and Blue Moonshine relaxed.
"Hello Jim, nice to see you," Blue Moonshine said as he shooed Katzuma away.
"Hey, how do you know my name?" Jim asked as Blue Moonshine put his arm around Jim's shoulders.
"Come and sit down and we'll talk," Blue Moonshine said ignoring Jim's question.
While Jim converses with Blue Moonshine and learns some important information, Gene does some snooping of his own. When he breaks into Blue Moonshine's house and unlocks a deadly and terrifying secret about Katzuma. How will Blue Moonshine handle this? More importantly, how will Jim handle it? Prepare yourself for the next chapter in Blue Moonshine.