Jack: Book One in the Trilogy, the Battle Begins

Midnight Musical Part 23

So there we were - Jack, Brooksy and I - waiting underneath master's bedroom window on a beautiful starry night for the midnight hour so we could begin the festivities. I talked Jack out of throwing the first cherry bomb onto the second-floor porch which was right next to master's bedroom. Jack said he knew it was master's bedroom because he "investigated" master's house one day while master was at school. He said he didn't take anything, just looked, except for a pewter coffee cup and a pewter letter opener and that was only because he wanted some souvenirs.

So it was Jack's job to light the cherry bombs and throw them out onto the grass near the house underneath master's bedroom. That was to announce that the celebration had begun, Jack said. So when it was two minutes away from midnight, Jack took the cherry bombs out of his little burlap bag and Brooksy started saying how this was the most fun he'd ever had and couldn't wait to be sworn in tomorrow as a Midnight Raider, even though tonight was his unofficial initiation.

"You can do the countdown Brooksy," said Jack, and just so we know you're on our side for certain we want you to do the honor of throwing the first cherry bomb. Count down from ten now."

"Oh thanks a lot!" Oh good! Good!" Brooksy said. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..."

Jack lit the first one, the short wick sizzling with sparks and blue-white light in the darkness.

"Here you go sonny boy, set her off!" Jack said as he handed it over to Brooksy.

"Throw it you idiot!" Jack yelled as Brooksy held onto it and then finally threw it up into the air. A big boom like cannon-fire thundered through the night not five feet away. Then Jack lit both the other two and threw them simultaneously way up into the darkness - the blue light trailing sparks - and they exploded one after the other. Jack roared out this deep hideous laugh and began playing his harmonica in a loud, unharmonious, raucous way and Brooksy beat his pale as loud as he could with Jack's mother's iron soup pot spoon and I blared on my horn but I was feeling a little sorry for master at this point, although he did deserve everything he was getting. Then we heard master's voice boom out the window:

"Just you wait Stone you malicious criminal, you're going to jail just like I said and that's where you belong!"

And he slammed the window down.

Jack ordered Brooksy to run over and pin the note onto the front door where there was another porch.

"So he won't be forgettin' his lesson any time soon," said Jack.

Then we left.