Chapter Twelve – 'One time tour'
"It seems there are just three of us left standing here." Smithers mentioned, knowing he would be the last one to leave.
"So, what happens when all of us are playing? Will we see each other again?" Lisa worried as the thoughts of being alone started to bother her.
"I'm sure you both will be fine. It's not like anything bad can happen to us in here." Jasper reassured them. "Just do what the MyPad tells you, and everything else is easy."
This drew a response from both of them.
"You don't know what happens when we leave the square." Lisa shot a glare over at Jasper. "How do we know that the other four are alive and well? The last we have heard from any of them was when they left this square."
At that moment, it seemed Smithers should be the one to answer as Lisa turned her glare toward him. "You make it seem like I have all the answers. I was just as shocked as you were when Burns invited me into the secret room..."
"Did you know that was going to happen?" Lisa started to interrogate Smithers before Jasper cut in.
"I'll just take my turn and leave the two of you to continue to argue this out. It's like listening to a married couple." Jasper grew tired of the finger-pointing, conspiracies, and useless arguing. "The MyPad wants me to roll. Just like I said, follow the instructions given, and everything will turn out right." He tapped the screen and waited for the loud booms. "Fireworks to my ears." He smirked as the display then showed a ten.
"I guess we will always know the game is progressing." Lisa chuckled as she tried relax. "We can almost count the booms."
"Except for doubles. Luann proved that." Smithers added as he and Lisa both calmed down to listen to Jasper's parting words.
He had the attention of both of them as he climbed onto his battleship, but Jasper didn't have anything meaningful to say. "Fair winds and following seas." He said without turning around to see the two of them standing there as he slowed glided away.
"What does that mean?" Lisa asked Smithers.
"I don't know." Smithers replied. "He is riding a battleship, maybe he sees water ahead."
"It's navy speak for see you around and good luck." Jasper yelled back, but his voice was lost in the distance.
He continued on his way for some time as he started a conversation with himself to pass the time.
"Ten. I wonder how far that will get me, and what I will be able to do." He thought. "I should pass a few people along the way, except for that annoying Luann. She can stay in the lead. The less of her, the better." His tone changed for a second, but then he went back to his normal self. "This game seems like it may take a while. I hope the other retirees at the Retirement Castle don't miss me too much." He paused for a second to try to think what they would be doing now. "It is Monday. I could go for some of the great Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. Maybe I can get some chow wherever I end up." The thought of dinnertime lingered in his head as he could see the sun was no longer overhead but starting a long descent toward the horizon.
The ride lasted another few minutes until a large stone structure started to appear over the horizon. "I think I can see something. It looks like Stonehenge." Jasper muttered but continued to think how hungry he was instead.
"All ahead flank." He said to the battleship, but it continued to glide at the same speed. "I guess I'm not really the captain of this vessel." He said to himself. "But that stone block is getting closer."
The solid gray block was getting closer, and every second now revealed the place did not look as inviting as Jasper would have liked.
"I see a fence around the block. That can't be a good sign." His mood fell as the next thoughts continued. "A tall fence, with barbed wire on top of it. A security gate too. I have a feeling I know what this place is used for..."
The battleship got even closer and started to veer slightly to the left. "I think we are turning." Jasper commented as he had no control on the direction it was going. "I see a sign ahead. Above the security gate. If only I could read it." His eyesight was good, but not quite good enough.
"I'll just be patient a minute." He said to himself as he waited for all the details to come in view more. "I can read the sign. 'Maximum Security Prison'. That's bad. I think I may become a prisoner of war of Burns." The battleship slowed down and Jasper read the only sign below the sign that feared him. 'Just Visiting' and 'Not Visiting' he read. "It appears I am just visiting. That's good." He thought as the battleship approached the security gate and stopped.
"Just visiting, I see." A security guard said from inside the guardhouse before standing up to walk towards him. "Are you sure you are just visiting?"
"Yes sir. My battleship turned this way." Jasper explained but the security guard had a better explanation.
"I think I can enlighten you more than just saying the battleship turned this way. This is the Maximum Security Prison, which most just refer to as 'The Jail'." The security guard spoke in a very rough voice as it meant to intimidate. "There are two sides to our wonderful home. 'Just Visiting' is just that. Visiting. You will get to leave this place just the same as you entered. The other side is 'Not Visiting' and if you come in that way, you won't be leaving so easily."
"I'll take the visiting path. I don't want to spend any more time here than I need to." Jasper was getting nervous. "Unless you serve Salisbury steak on Mondays." He added to try to lighten the mood.
"You are out of luck old man. Salisbury steak day is on Wednesday, but you can come on back if you like." The security guard stood next to Jasper. "I need to search your person and your vehicle. Do you have any weapons, metal, or electronics on you?"
"Probably." Jasper figured this was a safe answer. "I think this battleship is silver, or at least silver plated, and the MyPad is electronic." He pulled out his MyPad just as the security guard yanked it from his hands.
"I'll take that." He said with a grin. "Can I get you to step away from your vehicle, Jasper."
Jasper seemed surprised as security guard knew his name. "What else do you know about me?" He questioned.
"Not much. You are Jasper, riding a battleship, and you rolled a ten." The security guard touched the screen of the MyPad and the battleship started moving. It pulled forward a few feet and settled itself behind the guardhouse.
"How did you do that?" He questioned again.
"Don't worry about it. I'll keep your MyPad and battleship safe. You may proceed to the visitors section of the jail." The security guard finished with a laugh as he entered the guardhouse, sat down, and propped his feet up on the desk.
Jasper started walking along a path from the guardhouse towards the giant stone prison. "I still don't like the look of this," as he turned around to take a last look at his battleship.
A short distance later, he arrived at the entrance doors. He walked through the first one and was greeted by several security guards and an authoritative figure. Everyone introduced themselves to Jasper, including the warden.
"Welcome to my prison. I am The Warden, and have been for a very long time. I recently picked up the title of mayor, but I still prefer the title of warden." He extended his hand to shake with Jasper. "There are two sides to this prison. The good side and the not so good side."
Jasper got more nervous with everything that was explained to him. "I would like to stay on the good side."
"Everyone wants to stay on the good side, however sooner or later, everyone ends up here. Even if it is just a one night stay." The warden grinned. "There are seven of you who will come visit me, whether it's on my side of the bars, or the inmate's side of the bars. Maybe this is your trip and you got it out-of-the-way early."
"Warden, sir, we were told there are only six new inmates we would be expecting. Now there is seven?" One of the guards questioned.
"It was a last-minute decision to add the seventh. A sympathy addition." The Warded added. "Now, Jasper, let me take you around and show you some things, and I'll explain how you can stay out of my jail." The Warden motioned for Jasper to follow him.
The Warden proceeded down a long hallway turned a corner, down another hallway and into a large multistory room. "This is the smaller of the cellblocks." He said as he gestured to the size of the room. "There are seven cells that are currently empty, that are reserved for when you find yourself back here."
"I don't want to come back. But I still need to know what will happen that I will find myself sleeping in one of these cells." Jasper questioned, as this was his chance to find out some valuable information.
The Warden pulled a notecard from his jacket pocket and read from it a second before answering. "There are several things that will land you in that six by six cell. The easiest being an immediate return trip to here. There is a space to avoid that is patrolled by Officer Malloy. Do you know who he is?"
"Never heard of him. What does he look like? I might recognize him." Jasper responded.
"I wouldn't go looking for him around space #30. You will find him, and you will find yourself back here on the not visiting side." The Warden explained. "There are still two more ways and I'll explain along the way. Follow me please."
They continued down another hallway and after a few more corners ended up in a smaller room filled with round tables and chairs. A couple of inmates were sitting across the room from where they entered.
"I'd like to introduce you to a few of our special guests." The Warden pointed over at the orange jumpsuits. "I thought we had three guests to talk to the game players."
"We have two at the moment. I couldn't find Bob." One guard spoke as another corrected him.
"He is around here somewhere. I guess he didn't make it to meeting time today." The second guard finished.
"Oh well, this still leaves two people to speak. You two want to introduce yourselves." The Warden turned the floor over to them.
"I'll go first. My name is Jake the Jailbird." One inmate stood up and walked toward the middle of the room. "I don't have much to say except, do not get caught by Officer Malloy. He arrested me years ago. I think it has been almost seventy years." Jake turned around and sat back in his chair.
The Warden looked surprised. "You really didn't have much to say." He laughed as the other inmate stood up.
"That leaves more time for me to talk." The other inmate joked. "But I guess I have to also keep it short. My name is Chester Turley and despite what the warden will tell you about running this place, it is truly myself and Bob that know all the goings on inside this prison." Chester looked at Jasper and The Warden as they were listening very intently.
"Well in that case, can you tell Jasper here how to get out of this prison as their game is being played." The Warden asked Chester.
"There is a way out. Like a legal way? We were just all planning to run the gate one day." Chester seemed surprised as he sat back down. "Can I be released on, you know, good behavior?"
The Warden thought about it for a second. "I supposed I can think about it if you are willing to help the game participants if any of them end up back here. Oh that reminds me. I was explaining how to avoid a temporary prison sentence, and Chester would be a fan of this one." Chester's ears perked up as the warden started his explanation. "Speeding. It is different for you Jasper as it was for Chester."
"Speeding, like in my muscle car. Waiting for the stoplight to turn green, then racing a quarter-mile to the next light. I need to do that when I escape, I mean when I'm released." Chester thought out loud.
"Speeding for you Jasper would be rolling doubles three turns in a row. Not very probable, but can still happens. So be careful of that. That battleship of yours will drive you straight here and you wouldn't even know it." The Warden seemed proud of the information he knew. "We shall conclude this short tour of the visitors side. Any last words for Jasper?" The Warden looked over in Chester and Jake's direction.
Chester stood up again. "If or when you come back here, just remember to look for me or my accomplice. We can help you. Bob will be here for sure, and remember my name is Chester, but my friends call me 'Snake'." He grinned as he said this before being led out of the room by the guards.
"His friends gave him the nickname 'Snake the Jailbird' because it sounded like our long serving citizen Jake the Jailbird." The Warden chuckled at his joke. "Those two are like twins in their plans to escape. If only we could make a rhyming nickname for Bob. I want to call him 'Rake the Jailbird', but for some unknown reason he has a deep hatred for rakes. Anyways, let me walk you back to your battleship."
"That would be great." Jasper mentioned as they left the room and walked down more hallways with more twists and turns, and they ended back at the beginning.
"This door leads to the outside. I shall escort you back to the guardhouse." The Warden held the door as Jasper exited. "Any last-minute questions for me?"
"You said there were three ways..." Jasper started but got cut off as the warden remembered their earlier conversation.
"Yes, I need to tell you the third one. How to explain this since you are new." The Warden thought for a second before continuing. "There are certain spaces that hold a very random reward to be picked by chance. But beware some of the rewards are bad and one of them is a ticket straight back here." Jasper got nervous once again upon hearing this. "Pick that one and you will come directly back here. Without passing Go, and without collecting two hundred dollars. You have been warned."
Jasper saw the excitement in the warden's eyes as he said this, but really just wanted to leave his tour. "I appreciate the tour, but I hope I don't come back."
"My pleasure. Don't forget to check out with the gate guard." The Warden yelled from a distance as Jasper had kept walking.
Jasper walked up to the guard-house and the security guard was waiting for him. "Come on in." He motioned for Jasper. "I have saved you a step by placing your MyPad on to the stone statue." He pressed the screen and a black holographic Burns appeared.
"Greetings and welcome to the Just Visiting side of the Maximum Security Prison. Sorry there is nothing for you to do while here, but I hope you enjoyed your tour." The black holographic Burns said almost in a sarcastic voice. "Please acknowledge on the display that you enjoyed your tour."
Jasper looked confused as there was only an acknowledge button on the screen. He pressed it and the holographic Burns disappeared. "That's it?" He questioned as a single piece of paper printed.
"There isn't much here game wise." The security guard admitted. "Just make sure you stay on the right side of the law, which would actually be the left side here. Anyways, don't get caught." The guard concluded as Jasper took the piece of paper and his MyPad.
Jasper read the piece of paper. 'Just visited' as the loud booms once again echoed across the sky. "This seemed like a waste of a turn. I didn't get to do anything. I definitely won't be coming back."
He exited the guard-house and climbed on the battleship. "Maybe I can take a quick nap until it is my turn again." Jasper whispered to himself as he started to nod off.
