Chapter Fifteen - Jeepers Creepers
It was late when the plane landed. She was still curious as to where they were. Wherever it was, it was really small. Really really small. In fact, it didn't even have an airport! And it seemed they were the only ones there. They got off the small private plane, and he led her away to a small house where a man sat asleep with a paper over his head.
"Hey Derek." Carter said as they approached the sleeping man.
He didn't stir.
"Derek!" He shouted this time.
The man jumped and almost fell off his chair. He was a plump man, around 50 years old, with a grey beard and moustache, and round thick glasses. He looked like a harbour master to Abby and she chuckled slightly at him almost falling over when he heard Carter shouting at him.
"What?! Who? Ahhh Master Carter. Long time no see sir."
"Yes it has Derek."
"How have you been sir?"
"Not too bad and yourself?"
"Well same old same old you know. Nothing much to do around here apart from sleep really."
"Must be tough sitting around doing nothing all day long."
"I'll have you know that it can be really boring. Especially when the only people you can talk to is a Puerto Rican barman called Alexandro Bino Tinti and a priest who doesn't stop talking about God. He keeps trying to convert me. Damn Christians."
"Alexandro what?!" Carter exclaimed.
"Long story. Basically, he doesn't speak a word of god damn English! And he's got a really weird name."
"So I hear. So where is this mysterious Puerto Rican?"
"Who knows. Last time I saw him he was cleaning the villa, again."
"Again?"
"Four times a week Dr Carter. Not once a month. No, FOUR times a week. He'll be rubbing away all the marble soon!"
Carter laughed.
"Well at least we're getting our moneys worth by paying him to house sit!"
"You can say that again."
He laughed a little then turned his attentions to Abby. Who stood next to Carter, clinging onto his arm and looking like a little scared mouse.
"Are you going to introduce me to this fine looking young lady?!" Asked Derek curiously.
"Oh I'm sorry, Derek this is Abby, my fiancée. And Abby, this is Derek, he lives on the island to make sure we get no drifters or squatters!"
"Nice to meet you Derek." Abby offered her hand to shake it but Derek just stood amazed.
"Fiancée?! You never told me you were getting married?!" He exclaimed.
"That's cos I haven't seen you since I was 25."
"How old are you now for Gods sake?!"
"I'm 33 this year." He answered smirking.
"Well well. Doesn't time fly when you're 'having fun'?!" He answered back sarcastically.
"Doesn't it just."
"Well nice to meet you Miss..?"
"Lockhart. Abby Lockhart." Abby answered.
"Miss Lockhart. Now, can I get you two anything before you head off to the house?"
"Ahhh no I think we're all done here actually. You're welcome to come and have dinner with us sometime this week if you fancy having a night of human companionship!"
"I think I would thank you Dr Carter. You have fun now! And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Oh we won't!" Carter shouted over his shoulder as he led Abby up the path away from the small tent type thing.
"25 huh?" Said Abby suddenly.
"What?"
"When you last came here."
"Oh. Yeah."
"Who'd you come with?"
"Nobody special."
"Come on John spill!"
"Just Gamma, my Grandfather and their dog Sam."
"Oh. Nobody else?" She asked inquisitively.
"Nobody else!" He smiled at her as he said it.
She was silence once again, and he noticed she was a little quiet. He stopped walking and turned to face her, not letting go of her hand he was grasping.
"You're the first girl I've brought here Abby."
"Really?"
"Only special people come here. You know, even my Mom hasn't been here."
"Well I'm privileged!"
"You are!" He leaned down and kissed her softly before turning to carry on walking.
They finally reached a sort of drive, and as the gates opened, Abby saw what stood before them. A huge mansion, not a house as Derek had so easily put it earlier, a huge mansion.
"John this is huge!"
"You think?"
"It's bigger than our house by miles!"
"Yeah but it used to be a hotel. Before we bought the island and turned it into a house."
"You own this island?"
"Yeah, didn't I tell you?!"
"No! I wouldn't have asked otherwise!"
"Oh. Well I'm a man of mystery!"
"You certainly are! Any other surprises you would like to inform me of?!"
"Uh.no. Not yet."
"I see. So would you like to tell me now where we are?!"
"Yeah I guess you can know. We're on an island called Anion island, land of the wild."
"Anion?! Did you just make that up?!"
"No! It means 'animal island'."
"Really?" She asked sarcastically.
"Yeah really! My Grand Father used to love animals, and we came here once for a vacation and he fell in love with the island."
"Why? Are there loads of animals here?"
"Quite a few."
"What kind?" She asked, sounding a little worried.
"Um, wild boars, goats, pigs, different birds I think."
"No bugs?"
"Why you scared?!"
"No! Of course not. Just asking."
"Well of course there's bugs. Not life threatening ones though."
"Good."
"You are scared!"
"I am not!"
"Oh you so are."
"Shut up John! I am not!"
"Okay. You're not."
"I'm not."
"That's what I said."
"Fine."
"Fine."
She tried to hide her giggles as they continued to walk up the drive, and they both burst into a fit of laughter.
"I knew it!" He exclaimed all proud because he won the argument for once.
"Only a little bit."
"More like a lot!"
"Okay a lot! You win."
"I win?! Say that again."
"Why?!"
"Cos I won't hear it again probably for some time!"
"Yeah you're right! Okay, you win."
"Sounds great doesn't it?!" He said sarcastically.
"If you say so."
"I do say so."
He smirked and dragged her by the hand running to the house, or should I say 'mansion'. They reached the house, and he felt inside his trouser pockets for the keys.
"Aha. Here we go." He said when he found the keys.
He put the key in the lock and opened the door for her, and motioned for her to go in.
"After you me lady."
"Why thank you kind sir." She answered as she stepped into the main hallway. "Wo!" She exclaimed as she saw what stood in front of her.
The reception area had wall to wall marble flooring, with very expensive looking paintings on all the walls, and statues at all the corners of the room.
"You like it?" Asked Carter as he took of his jacket and put the keys on the small table next to the door.
"It's..expensive looking!"
"Nothing but the best for the Carter family." He said laughing a little.
"Oh of course."
"Would you like the grand tour?"
"Please!" She answered as she gave him her coat to hang up on the coat stand.
It was late when the plane landed. She was still curious as to where they were. Wherever it was, it was really small. Really really small. In fact, it didn't even have an airport! And it seemed they were the only ones there. They got off the small private plane, and he led her away to a small house where a man sat asleep with a paper over his head.
"Hey Derek." Carter said as they approached the sleeping man.
He didn't stir.
"Derek!" He shouted this time.
The man jumped and almost fell off his chair. He was a plump man, around 50 years old, with a grey beard and moustache, and round thick glasses. He looked like a harbour master to Abby and she chuckled slightly at him almost falling over when he heard Carter shouting at him.
"What?! Who? Ahhh Master Carter. Long time no see sir."
"Yes it has Derek."
"How have you been sir?"
"Not too bad and yourself?"
"Well same old same old you know. Nothing much to do around here apart from sleep really."
"Must be tough sitting around doing nothing all day long."
"I'll have you know that it can be really boring. Especially when the only people you can talk to is a Puerto Rican barman called Alexandro Bino Tinti and a priest who doesn't stop talking about God. He keeps trying to convert me. Damn Christians."
"Alexandro what?!" Carter exclaimed.
"Long story. Basically, he doesn't speak a word of god damn English! And he's got a really weird name."
"So I hear. So where is this mysterious Puerto Rican?"
"Who knows. Last time I saw him he was cleaning the villa, again."
"Again?"
"Four times a week Dr Carter. Not once a month. No, FOUR times a week. He'll be rubbing away all the marble soon!"
Carter laughed.
"Well at least we're getting our moneys worth by paying him to house sit!"
"You can say that again."
He laughed a little then turned his attentions to Abby. Who stood next to Carter, clinging onto his arm and looking like a little scared mouse.
"Are you going to introduce me to this fine looking young lady?!" Asked Derek curiously.
"Oh I'm sorry, Derek this is Abby, my fiancée. And Abby, this is Derek, he lives on the island to make sure we get no drifters or squatters!"
"Nice to meet you Derek." Abby offered her hand to shake it but Derek just stood amazed.
"Fiancée?! You never told me you were getting married?!" He exclaimed.
"That's cos I haven't seen you since I was 25."
"How old are you now for Gods sake?!"
"I'm 33 this year." He answered smirking.
"Well well. Doesn't time fly when you're 'having fun'?!" He answered back sarcastically.
"Doesn't it just."
"Well nice to meet you Miss..?"
"Lockhart. Abby Lockhart." Abby answered.
"Miss Lockhart. Now, can I get you two anything before you head off to the house?"
"Ahhh no I think we're all done here actually. You're welcome to come and have dinner with us sometime this week if you fancy having a night of human companionship!"
"I think I would thank you Dr Carter. You have fun now! And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Oh we won't!" Carter shouted over his shoulder as he led Abby up the path away from the small tent type thing.
"25 huh?" Said Abby suddenly.
"What?"
"When you last came here."
"Oh. Yeah."
"Who'd you come with?"
"Nobody special."
"Come on John spill!"
"Just Gamma, my Grandfather and their dog Sam."
"Oh. Nobody else?" She asked inquisitively.
"Nobody else!" He smiled at her as he said it.
She was silence once again, and he noticed she was a little quiet. He stopped walking and turned to face her, not letting go of her hand he was grasping.
"You're the first girl I've brought here Abby."
"Really?"
"Only special people come here. You know, even my Mom hasn't been here."
"Well I'm privileged!"
"You are!" He leaned down and kissed her softly before turning to carry on walking.
They finally reached a sort of drive, and as the gates opened, Abby saw what stood before them. A huge mansion, not a house as Derek had so easily put it earlier, a huge mansion.
"John this is huge!"
"You think?"
"It's bigger than our house by miles!"
"Yeah but it used to be a hotel. Before we bought the island and turned it into a house."
"You own this island?"
"Yeah, didn't I tell you?!"
"No! I wouldn't have asked otherwise!"
"Oh. Well I'm a man of mystery!"
"You certainly are! Any other surprises you would like to inform me of?!"
"Uh.no. Not yet."
"I see. So would you like to tell me now where we are?!"
"Yeah I guess you can know. We're on an island called Anion island, land of the wild."
"Anion?! Did you just make that up?!"
"No! It means 'animal island'."
"Really?" She asked sarcastically.
"Yeah really! My Grand Father used to love animals, and we came here once for a vacation and he fell in love with the island."
"Why? Are there loads of animals here?"
"Quite a few."
"What kind?" She asked, sounding a little worried.
"Um, wild boars, goats, pigs, different birds I think."
"No bugs?"
"Why you scared?!"
"No! Of course not. Just asking."
"Well of course there's bugs. Not life threatening ones though."
"Good."
"You are scared!"
"I am not!"
"Oh you so are."
"Shut up John! I am not!"
"Okay. You're not."
"I'm not."
"That's what I said."
"Fine."
"Fine."
She tried to hide her giggles as they continued to walk up the drive, and they both burst into a fit of laughter.
"I knew it!" He exclaimed all proud because he won the argument for once.
"Only a little bit."
"More like a lot!"
"Okay a lot! You win."
"I win?! Say that again."
"Why?!"
"Cos I won't hear it again probably for some time!"
"Yeah you're right! Okay, you win."
"Sounds great doesn't it?!" He said sarcastically.
"If you say so."
"I do say so."
He smirked and dragged her by the hand running to the house, or should I say 'mansion'. They reached the house, and he felt inside his trouser pockets for the keys.
"Aha. Here we go." He said when he found the keys.
He put the key in the lock and opened the door for her, and motioned for her to go in.
"After you me lady."
"Why thank you kind sir." She answered as she stepped into the main hallway. "Wo!" She exclaimed as she saw what stood in front of her.
The reception area had wall to wall marble flooring, with very expensive looking paintings on all the walls, and statues at all the corners of the room.
"You like it?" Asked Carter as he took of his jacket and put the keys on the small table next to the door.
"It's..expensive looking!"
"Nothing but the best for the Carter family." He said laughing a little.
"Oh of course."
"Would you like the grand tour?"
"Please!" She answered as she gave him her coat to hang up on the coat stand.
