Jack and the Beanstalk [SF YA]

CHAPTER EIGHT - The Man in the Moon - Part II

A man who looked like a guard, complete with a sidearm and that just-awakened glazed look, hurried to intercept us. "What's the word?"

"Tittlemouse, it's me."

Tittlemouse looked deeply uncomfortable. "Look. I don't know nobody until you gives me the word."

"Tommy, why I oughta take you out back and..."

Tommy face went red with embarrassment, but he was obviously not about to budge.

"Oh, hell. What was it. Oh, yeah. Ugly sheep."

"Thanks, Jack," Tommy said obviously relieved.

"Why all the trouble?" Spratt asked.

"Mother wants us to crack down. And I don't know him. Even if he is with you."

"It's all right, Tommy. You're doing fine." Spratt motioned to me. "Tommy Tittlemouse, meet Jack, the Giant Killer. Jack, Tommy."

His eyes got wide as he extended his hand. "Mother's been waiting for you." He gestured down the hall.

His response startled me. "All right," I said, "let's get it over with."

Tommy guided me down a number of hallways before stopping at a closed door. "Through that door on the right."

I paused momentarily at the door, then decided that whoever said that fear was the only thing to fear was probably a writer and not all that connected to reality. I turned the knob and entered the room. It looked like an office anywhere. An old slightly battered desk occupied most of the center of the room. It was strewn with papers that hadn't found time to make it into the filing cabinets along the walls. A not so subtle cigar scent permeated the room, I took a tentative sniff and decided that they were good cigars. I decided the room was empty, unless Mother Goose happened to be invisible.

The next room was occupied. A very large fat man was squatting in front of another row of cabinets. The space between his pants and his shirt exposed an excessive amount of flesh mostly covered by coarse, dark hair. I cleared my throat.

"What is it?" His voice sounded like a bear woken from hibernation.

I figured I might as well go on the offensive. After all it had worked with the stalk inspector. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" I don't think he was accustomed to being addressed in such a manner as his head whipped around very quickly. He looked amused, like a lion playing with a lamb. I decided that this very large man could be a danger to my physical well-being if he wished.

"Jack, the Giant Killer, I presume. I'm Mother Goose."

I acknowledged his presence without letting a hint of the smirk appear at his fairy tale moniker. Hell, with all this fairy tale stuff I've been running into lately I should end up marrying a princess and living happily ever after. Either that or turning into a frog.

"Jack, I'm sure you've got a lot of questions. Why don't we go sit down in my office and you can ask them." He looked tired as he led me back into the office and cleared off a chair for me. "Do you want something to drink? The coffee's bad, but the whiskey's pretty good."

"No thanks."

"I understood you were held up."

"Yeah. Your data has been accessed. Luna Customs has it."

"Have they?" he asked, his eyes narrowing under the dark eyebrows and military-style haircut.

I explained as clearly and concisely as possible what had transpired.