John Frum The Reluctant Messiah

Lucy You Got Some Splainin' To Do

Meanwhile, back home...

Just off a little used walking trail along a small, hidden pond sat Professor Wharton and his dog, Jack. Jack, a sweetheart of a dog but you'd never know it by looking at him. He was a Mastiff / Pitbull mix who had what felt like two boneless chicken breasts under his sleek fur on his forehead, muscles that were dedicated entirely to creating bone crushing bite pressure. When he'd yawn and it was like looking down the throat of a hippopotamus, only with sharper teeth.

 He'd spent the first eighteen months of his life training to be a prize fighter until Social Services raided his owners' home and placed him in a local shelter. The professor often brought him to class to socialize him, although he spent most of his time napping under his desk. Most students loved him. Others were scared to death.

Jack's head popped up as John approached, then realizing it was only John, put his head back down to continue his sun-drenched nap. A fishing pole sat between two rocks and an idle float drifted a couple of feet out on the surface of the water. A metallic green tackle box supported Professor Wharton's feet on top of a beat-up cooler filled with a few beers and a sandwich. Professor Wharton continued staring off towards the far shore of the pond.

"The ones on the bottom are cold," he said, motioning towards the cooler. John reached in, rummaged around, and popped the top on the coldest one he could find.

"Thanks. I gotta tell ya', I am just this side of a little freaked out."

"Business Marketing 101?" said the professor, looking him dead in the eye. A lone eyebrow raised, and his head lowered ever so slightly.

"It just isn't that hard and with a few of these tutoring sessions, you'll get it- don't worry."

He casually held a finger to his lips. John had never noticed the nautilus tattoo on the professor's forearm before or the nautilus ring on his finger for that matter. He had lived his entire life without ever giving them a thought and suddenly nautiluses were everywhere.

"Jack!" whispered Professor Wharton. He removed the nautilus ring from his finger and attached it to his collar.

"Jack! Ale'!" he snapped, and Jack turned lumbering away down the forest trail. He turned to John and motioned for him to follow in silence.

Professor Wharton led him back into the woods and into a small clearing filled with magnolia trees. They were more bushes than trees really but did an excellent job of hiding the entrance to a long forgotten salt mine. Right from the start the shaft went perilously downward and within 50 feet seemed to end in a small pool filled with rainwater and woodsy debris. But as John would find out, just before the pool began, the darkness hid an old, padlocked doorway hidden from view by a small rock ledge protruding out from the left.

The professor opened the door and flipped on the light.

"Batteries," he said to a confused John. "It's ok," he continued. "You're not walking into the next episode of Dexter." John smiled nervously.

" What is all this shit?" John asked.

"Stuff," Professor Wharton corrected him.

"Stuff," John replied.

"Old, abandoned salt mine. Three more feet?... they might've discovered these humongous veins of copper. Welcome to nature's perfect Faraday cage." John looked baffled. "Yeah, not what you'd expect in the middle of the woods. I guess you can tell it's been here a while," he said while brushing away the cobwebs.

"How'd you-"

"Look, I know you've got a million questions, but we only have a little while before Jack comes back... and when he does, we'll be back on their radar so-"