JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

Chapter 2

The Second Try

   The group of men that had left the Diner were drastically different than the one who now entered it.

   The one that had left were brash, heroic, arrogant and out to save the day. The one that now entered were hunted, moved furtively and one was still trying not to be in full out panic mode. They rushed inside, slammed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was closed and locked. Brian looked around and started dropping blinds over the windows where they would be sitting. Arjax didn't say anything and made a beeline for the bathroom.

   "What's going on?" asked Beddy, "What happened to you fellas?"

   "Things didn't work out quite the way we hoped," Justin said lamely. It looks like a direct approach on The Factory is not going to work. They're too heavily fortified. Although, why, I can't imagine. I mean...it's just a factory....isn't it?"

   "Once it was," said Beddy, "Now...now I think it must be something more. I just can't imagine what. And what with him running an industrial monopoly and that horrible oath..." she shuddered, "Why...it's like he's trying to take over the town or something."

   "That would fit his M.O." said Brian, "Control everything. Why on earth didn't he just run for mayor?"

   "Who knows?" Beddy was intrigued as well, "I guess you'll have to ask him that. But why are you all back so soon? Goodness, you look like you're on the run."

   "We were - are on the run. The world's bravest horse - uh...caretaker...in there had a major freakout and blew our cover! We barely escaped capture....or worse."

   "Brian, you can't blame Arjax for having a panic attack! This wasn't his fault! Didn't you see where we took him? Didn't you see the name over the door?"

   No! I was too busy watching you get smashed against the windshield and then running for our lives!" returned Brian angrily.

   "Beddy, could you get us a pitcher of water? Plus, I'm not sure if we're going to have anything but just be prepared as Arjax might need something. Other than that, we just need to hide out for a bit. Is that ok?"

   "Oh sure Justin, no problem!" Beddy twittered and puttered away.

   They picked a booth near the back. "Brian, Arjax is still learning how to be a man! And we took him there! I feel sick! Brian, the name over the door said STOCKWELL'S ADHESIVES AND GLUE FACTORY!"

   "So...we basically...took a horse...to a...."Brian couldn't finish.

   "Yup," said Justin.

   "Shit."

   "Exactly."

   They sat there in silence until Arjax came back from the bathroom, clean but still very reproachful and frightened.

   "Arjax, we're so sorry. Justin explained to me about the factory. We didn't know. We never would have taken you there if we did and you don't have to go back. We'll take care of the villagers," said Brian.

   Arjax sat down next to Justin. "I know you didn't Mas...uh, Brian. I'm sorry I ruined things. I just panicked. I know I'm a man now but I still feel the horse in me strongly. I guess I'm still skittish about a lot of things."

   "Sorry's bullshit," said Brian brusquely.

   "What Brian means..."Justin piped up and shooting him a look, "Is that there's nothing for you to be sorry for. You were understandably upset and did nothing wrong. And you have to know that you are very dear to us, in either form." He leaned against Arjax's big arm affectionately. "We would never, will never take you to one of those places for any reason. We will never leave you and I hope that means you will never leave us either."

   "No, never, little mas...uh...Justin!" Arjax answered happily and nearly crushed him in a horsey hug.

   "Here's your water, fellas!" Beddy slammed a pitcher down on the table noisily, startling them a little. "Can I get you anything else?"

   "Yeah....how about a new car?" Brian asked half sarcastically, "That one out there is a fu-uh-freaking torture chamber! Plus Stockwell and Co. are probably all on the alert for it."

   "Hmmmm...Well, I suppose you could use my car, if you're careful with it," Beddy said hesitantly, "I haven't paid it off yet..."

   "Oh, Beddy, don't worry! I wasn't serious! It's just...it's just...oh, I wish it was something roomier...like a Jeep or something. We'll make do."

   "Oh, OK. Well, anything food-wise?'

   Brian looked at the two others. "Burgers?....Burgers all around. And...oh, what the hell! I want that one of those cinnamon buns, I see under that cover over there!"

   Justin stared dumbfounded. "Brian!!? Is that you in there??" he kidded, "All that sugar?"

   "Bahh! One time won't kill me! Besides, all the adrenaline'll eat it up in no time!"

   "Do you have anything with oats in it?" asked Arjax.

   "Oats? What do you mean?" asked Beddy.

   "Oh, I remember a nice munch on some oat mash would always settle me down," reminisced Arjax.

   "Uhhh....oat mash? You mean....maybe...oatmeal?" asked Beddy, thoroughly confused.

   "Yes! Oatmeal! That's right!" Justin said a little too loudly, "That sounds right!" He pulled Beddy aside. "Made it a double...no, triple portion, ok?"

   "That's kind of strange for a night time thing...but ok! Anything for you guys! Oatmeal it is!" She scurried off.

   The three men were left alone at last to figure out their next move.

   "Well, I think we should go back," said Justin.

   "What?? Are you nuts!?" exclaimed Brian.

   "Of course not. But we need to resolve this quickly. We need to rescue those people, Bri. I feel terrible that we weren't there for them all this time and that...that Oath must not continue! Not one more night!"

   "All right! Well, what do you want to do then? Storm the castle?" asked Brian.

   A slow smile curved Justin's perfect lips. "That's perfect! That's exactly what we should do!"

   "I'm still not following you, Sunshine," said Brian.

   "What I mean is...we have to think of our two places as conflicting castles. One must take over the other. Our goodness and beauty must overcome Stockwell's dark factory and evil oath."

   "But how?"

   "Well...we have to go back....get a guard to listen to us....hire him to our side...scale the fence and then..."

   "And then?" Brian asked incredulously.

   "And then...we improvise," shrugged Justin, smiling a winsome, million watt smile that Brian was helpless to resist. He pulled him into his arms and began to kiss him passionately, ruthlessly.

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   They wisely decided to leave Arjax at the Diner with Beddy. The last thing they heard was Beddy exclaiming, "Oh my, what a big appetite you have!"

   Snickering to themselves, they ran over to where they had left the ‘Vette at started in surprise. In its place was a gleaming black Jeep!

   "But...how!?" Justin gasped.

   "Who cares how it happened! Get in! Let not kick a gift...well, just get in!" Brian yelled as he realized what he was going to say. He was already behind the wheel.

   Justin rolled his eyes and jumped in and they were off.

   This time the trip went much differently. The jeep was black as the night and they both kept their mouths shut as they entered the Danger Zone. They picked their mark and climbed out of the Jeep, closing the doors as quietly as they could. When they were sure they had not been detected, they snuck carefully over to their chosen guard.

   The guard knew nothing until he was grabbed from behind and Brian's meaty hand closed over his mouth. He squirmed to get free and tried to scream for help. He failed miserably on both accounts.

   "Shhhhhh...Stay quiet and you will not be hurt. Understand?" Came Justin's gentle voice. He gave a disarming smile that came out of nowhere in the dark, like the Cheshire Cat of Wonderland and reached out a disarming hand that took the guard's gun away.

   The guard struggled a bit more before he realized that resistance was futile. He slumped limply in Brian's not-so loving hug and nodded dejectedly. Brian uncovered his mouth.

   "Please! Don't hurt me! I - I have a family! I have kids!"

   "If you co-operate, you will see everyone you love again and they will be benefited as well. We did not capture you to kill you, unlike you would have if you had caught us." Justin pointed out.

   "Then why have you?" asked the guard sullenly.

   "Because we want to climb the fence behind you and we needed to get by you to do that. And we wished to tell of another job that might await you, one that involves warmth and sun instead of dead night and the cold and pays better and involves no oath of loyalty."

   "I - I don't understand. What are you talking about?" the guard stammered.

   "I'm talking about this," Justin said. He opened his cell phone and began scrolling through the pictures there. At the same time, Brian kept tight told of him, and began a running commentary in his ear.

   The captive audience watched and listened. As the small pictures scrolled by, his eyes got wider and wider and a light burned within them, brighter and brighter, one of joy and hope and dreams, a light he had thought was forever extinguished.

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   "Oh my! What a big appetite you have!" exclaimed Beddy.

   She had brought over a large mixing bowl full of oatmeal porridge and a smaller serving bowl to pour some into. However, that idea went out the window as Arjax shoved the small bowl out of the way and began to eat straight out of the mixing bowl.

   "I'm a big man! I eat big all the time!" declared Arjax unapologetically.

   "Wow! I guess you do! It's kind of a pity that..." Beddy trailed off, embarrassed.

   "A pity that what!?" Arjax asked.

   "Oh...oh dear! Now you mustn't think I think any less! You should be loud and proud for who you are! It's just that your muscles are so big and you eat so hearty, I can't help wishing...was just hoping that...ohhh...this is terrible! I sound like one of those rednecks I give a swat to every time they talk like this!"

   Arjax stopped eating and wiped his mouth. His beautiful, full mouth with his silky, full moustache above it. "Talk like what? What do you wish, Beddy?"

   "Oh, it's silly, I guess. But a part of me can't help but wish upon a star that....well, that you weren't....weren't like Brian and Justin!"

   "I don't get it. Did you wish I wasn't a man?"

   "No, silly! That you weren't....well, that you weren't...you know....gay!" She gazed out the window at one of the stars she wished on and tried not to tear up.

   "I'm not gay!"

   "But you and Justin were hugging! I thought you guys might have...an arrangement. You know...play together...and all that." Beddy was red as a beet. "It's OK! I'm totally in favor of whatever way you swing. This is a safe place for..."

   "But I don't! I don't swing that way! Justin was just comforting me! I had a panic attack. The mast - uhhh...Brian and Justin are gay but, well...they have each other and I'm just the stable man. They may like each other...that way...but as for me, I would wish for a filly to settle....I mean a woman...especially one who can cook for a big man...to settle down with."

   "Really?" asked Beddy hopefully.

   "Really."

   "I can cook pretty good," said Beddy.

   "I noticed," said Arjax taking another gulp of the oatmeal that was neither too hot nor too cold but just right.

   "Man, what big biceps you have!" Beddy voiced what she had been thinking since he had first walked in.

   "Well, all the better to hold you in," Arjax drew her in onto his lap.

   "What a big moustache you have," Beddy whispered.

   "All the better to kiss you with," Arjax said and did so, long and deeply.

   "There has to be something wrong with you! Let me guess...a small dick right?"

   "My dear lady, I'm sure there's something and I'm sure we'll discover it. However that isn't it! I can assure you, I'm hung...like a horse!"

   And he kissed her soundly again and showed her.

   "Ohhhh!" she gasped as she felt his huge trouser snake against her bottom. "You weren't kidding! What a big..."

   Arjax smiled a slow shit eating grin. "All the better to...."

   The rest of this statement cannot be printed.

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   Justin reached the last picture. He closed the phone.

   "Is that real? My God, is that really real?" the guard whispered.

   "Why does everyone keep asking that!?" Brian ground out in frustration.

   Justin ignored him. "It is real. If you help us rescue the rest of the town from this evil force you can come tomorrow and see for yourself."

   "Very well. You can let me go now. I will help you."

   Brian released him but nevertheless, he grabbed the gun away from Justin and stuck it down the back of his pants. "No offence, but we'll be keeping this."

   "I understand. But you will need more than a gun to achieve your goal. You will not be able to penetrate Stockwell's defences yourself."

   "We're pretty resourceful. We'll make it," Justin said confidently.

   "NO! You do not understand! There are men and checkpoints everywhere. Now that I think about it...there are too many. I don't understand...why..." the guard mused introspectively. He shook his head. "Well, I guess that doesn't matter right now anyway. What does matter is that there are guards and enemies everywhere. If just one of them sees you they will swarm you and hunt you. If they hunt you they WILL catch you. And if they catch you, they will kill you."

   "What do you suggest?" asked Justin. He sensed they were entering the "improv" stage of their plan.

   "I'm going to have to go with you. We'll pretend that you are my prisoners. It'll get you a lot farther into the factory than you would by yourselves. After that...well, we'll just have to wing it."

   "We can't let you do that! It's too dangerous!" said Brian.

   "Yes, you can! Oh, God! I HATE this job. I hate standing here hour after hour! I hate the cold and the dark! I swear I'm starting to get rickets! If what you offer is true, I won't have a job soon anyway. And oath or not, I want out of this so bad and I would SO love to take Stockwell down with me! Please take me with you!"

   "What do you say Sunshine?"

   "Mmmmmmm.....sunshine!" groaned the guard to himself in pleasure.

   "I think he may be right. We'll have to let him help us," said Justin.

   "All right, you're in. Against my better judgement. But just remember..." Brian grabbed the guard by the collar and lifted him off his feet. "I still have your gun. If you betray us in any way...it will be the last thing you ever do! Got it!?"

   "Got it!" the guard squeaked.

   "Good." Brian let him down and brushed off his collar. "Well, since we're going to be working together...I'm Brian."

   "I'm Justin," said Justin.

   The guard smiled. "Good to know. My name is Jack."

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   Jack led them over to a portion of the fence where tendrils of iron ivy wound their way up and around and between the vertical bars. The looping ironwork blocked access into the factory grounds but at the same time created footholds all the way up the fence.

   Jack started up. "Follow me close. Don't stop. Don't look down. If you hear anyone shout, keep going. Just keep going."

   They nodded. Jack began to climb the ivy higher and higher. Some of the loops were small and some were large. He had to pick and choose where to step and sometimes he had to move over horizontally to the right or to the left and then to the right again just to continue. It was a terrible maze. Pretty soon they were high in the air and unable to go down vertically and the way up was still a long way to go. But Jack was very clever and calculated their way carefully three steps ahead. Finally, somehow, they reached the top and they all sat atop the top horizontal bar that attached all the spikes to each other. They rested for a bit and each hung onto a spike for dear life.

   "We'll rest here for a bit. Hold on and hold as still as you can! We're sitting ducks up here!"

   "Isn't there a better way down?" whispered Justin.

   "Did you bring a rope?" asked Jack.

   They hadn't brought a rope.

   "Well then, you'll have to climb. The way forward is the way back. And you must step exactly where I tell you or all will be lost! Be quiet! Be careful and we will reach the next step."

   And so, after a short rest, they started down again. Again, it was a terrible back and forth nightmare that took them twice as long as it should have.

   At last though, they touched down. "What time is it?" asked Justin.

   Jack checked. "It's just going on 7:15."

   "Oh no! And Beddy said they get a rush at 7:30! It's nearly over!"

   "Very nearly! Put we have to keep going Sunshine! We have to break this terrible hold on the town tonight and I do NOT want to do that climb again."

   "Neither do I," Justin agreed wholeheartedly, "OK, let's get going!"

   "Hold your hands behind your back. As if they were handcuffs," said Jack.

   Justin obeyed but Brian's eyes narrowed. Swifter than a thought, he pressed the gun against the small of Jack's back.

   "Don't move a muscle or I'll blow your kidney out through your stomach!" he growled.

TBC