///Indie Journal Daily///

Saturday, May 01, 2004

Sunday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred fifty-two

Marbletank remained quiet, Smithblanket kept sleeping and I sat, blindfolded, using my sense of smell to figure out where the car was headed.

I continued to smell wild pine and recalled that I also had heard a hawk.

Hawks near Wildpine were common, but I did not hear hawks in plural, I heard a hawk. If you know anything about hawks, or even as much as I know about hawks, then you know that a solo hawk is not only a rare thing, it is a rare thing to be able to hear.

Firstly, I thought I was hearing a great American hawk, or Accipiter cooperii, Accipiter gentilis, Accipiter nisus, the bird of prey, the blue darter, Buteo buteo, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Buteo lineatus, buteonine. It could have been a Cooper's hawk or one from the falcon family Accipitridae, a fish eagle, a fish hawk, goshawk, harrier, harrier eagle, hen hawk, honey buzzard or Pandion haliaetus, Pernis apivorus, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, roughleg, rough-legged hawk or any of those types.

Regardless, each of the varieties I mentioned are hard to hear. Mostly, sight provides the best means of identification. But I did hear a certain flapping of wings, a sound that is only made by the wings of a great American hawk, or Accipiter cooperii, Accipiter gentilis, Accipiter nisus, the bird of prey, the blue darter, Buteo buteo, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Buteo lineatus, buteonine. It could have been a Cooper's hawk or one from the falcon family Accipitridae, a fish eagle, a fish hawk, goshawk, harrier, harrier eagle, hen hawk, honey buzzard or Pandion haliaetus, Pernis apivorus, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, roughleg, rough-legged hawk or any of those types.

And, only one. One with two wings, of course, but not a flock of hawks.

Usually, of course, hawks in a flock are rare. Traveling together, hawks rarely flock. There are very few instances of flocking hawks, though the phrase “flocking hawks” is a marvelous one. A person almost wishes hawks would flock so that they could write of flocking hawks. Anyways, I heard a solo hawk, only two wings flapping. And as I recalled that hawks might fly solo near Wildpine, I began to eliminate the types of hawk it might be.

I eliminated it being Buteo lagopus, Buteo lineatus or buteonine. The reasons for this were obvious. Those names sounded more Italian-language based than Latin. And although Latin had origins in Italy, hawks did not. So I tossed out those possibilities. Then I realized it could not be a fish eagle, a fish hawk, goshawk, harrier, harrier eagle, hen hawk or honey buzzard, mainly because there was no large body of water around Wildpine. So, the fish hawk was out. Also, it was a hawk, so the fish eagle and the harrier eagle were out.

Then I eliminated the goshawk because we weren’t in Oklahoma.
Then I eliminated the harrier and hen hawk because we weren’t in Kansas.
Then I eliminated the honey buzzard because, as the old Indian saying goes, “Were the buzzard sweet, the skies would stink of tree sap.” So, obviously, the honey buzzard was out.

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 7:37 PM

Friday, April 30, 2004

Saturday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred fifty-one

Marbletank was quiet, Smithblanket was sleeping and I sat, blindfolded, using my other senses to remember smells and sounds along the way. It was documented many times over that people who had been kidnapped and blindfolded, not necessarily in that order, were later able to trace their ways to hideaways using their other senses. I had never been in a situation before that gave me a chance to test this for myself. And, of course, I had no idea why I was in this situation now, since I wasn’t being kidnapped and did not know why I couldn’t be allowed to see where we were going.

So, I listened and I smelled. I don’t mean I smelled, I mean I used my nose to smell things around me.

First, I smelled onions. That, of course, was quickly identified as Smithblanket’s breath, which blew outward as he snored. I turned to the half opened window and took a few whiffs. We seemed to be moving fast, so I thought we were on a highway. And when I smelled car exhaust I thought, well, all right, we are on a highway. Which way were we going, though?

I felt the wind through the window and it seemed that despite the movement of the car, the wind itself was blowing northeast by southwest. This would mean that we were traveling north. Why? Because if I know nothing else about wind velocity, and I don’t, I know Corpuck’s theory of wind variation. Alija Corpuck developed this theory in the days of the American push Westward. It was a matter of calculating which direction the covered wagons were traveling, even if they were not covered at the time.

Corpuck wrote, “If the west wind blows northward, and the east wind meets the south, then all directions head north.” By understanding this theory, one can replace west with south with north and with east and calculate in which direction one is heading. Easy, even though Corpuck was laughed at and scoffed when he introduced it. But, this theory was proven later, just after the West was won, and often the theory, then proven, is still given credit for how the West was won. More so than all the fighting and killing and legendary people who are still given credit for how the West was won.

So I concluded we were heading north on a highway.

Then I smelled wild pine and heard a hawk.

Wild pine was not common in the north of Pennsylvania except for one area where pine grew wild. That area, I knew from my studies of the history of Pennsylvania, was known as Wildpine, Pennsylvania. Named for the pine that grew wild in the area, Wildpine was originally two words. That is, wild and pine. But it was made into one word in 1912, just after the sign-painting strike that spread through the state like a sheet of rain from a storm cloud gone berserk.

The one-word version of Wildpine stuck after that, even though the strike was settled and any amount of letters was then legal for the name of a noun appearing on a sign designating a place in the state.

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 6:45 PM

Thursday, April 29, 2004

Friday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred fifty

“How long is this ride going to take?” I asked Marbletank.
“You already asked me that,” he said.
“Well, I figure to pass some time while we are riding. You could make it easy on me and give me some details. You will do that, won’t you?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Can you answer me using another word?”
“No,” he said.
“But you just did.”
“No,” he said.
“What if I just opened the door and jumped out, hurdling myself to a fate worse than death?”
“You won’t,” he said.
“True, but it was worth a shot to ask, no?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Do you think I have an idea now as to why the President wants Recktangle dead?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Well I do. You know I know that the President knows about the blackmail deal, right?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Do you think I can put all of this into my history of Japan book?”
“No,” he said.
“You don’t think it would be interesting?”
“Maybe,” he said, “but it ain’t the history of Japan and it’s all top secret.”
“Who said?”
“Me,” he said.
“And the President, of course?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“But this is all part of the history of Japan?”
“Is not,” he said.
“Oh yes it is. You remember that Recktangle thinks I am hunting Akira Yakamoo to kill him and that I was there when Akira escaped The Branch’s raid of Shaki and that I got closer to Akira then did any non-Japanese person in history. You know all that?”
“Yes,” he said, “but it ain’t the history of Japan.”
“I disagree with you.”
“Go ahead and disagree. Doesn’t mean nothing to me.”
“What does?”
“Mean something to me?”
“Yes.”
“Fear.”
“And hate?”
“And hate.”
“And the dredges of courage.”
“What?”
“The pain and suffering of bravery.”
“That’s more like it.”

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 6:28 PM

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Thursday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred forty-nine

Smithblanket and I heard Marbletank make all sorts of sounds just before the car engine turned over and the motor began to hum.

Smithblanket said, “Sounds like we are on our way.”
“To glory,” said Marbletank over the hum of the car.
“Or to hell,” I said.

At that point I recall thinking we were making a terrible mistake trusting Marbletank, even though Akira Yakamoo probably had everything worked out to the last detail. I just didn’t like this part of the deal, that was, going to an unknown destination in a car guided by a special device. And, of course, there were holes in the story, holes that Akira had filled but I didn’t.

Plus, I got dizzy and sometimes got nausea from riding in a car with my eyes closed.

“How long is this ride going to take?” I asked Marbletank.
“Just relax. You will be perfectly safe. I cannot let anything happen to my mastermind assassin,” he said.
I heard snoring. Smithblanket had fallen asleep. I said to Marbletank, “Am I going to use a special weapon?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“A gun?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“A rifle?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“A machete?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Poison arrows?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“An ice pick?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Will it be messy?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Will he see me doing it?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Will it be over quickly?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Is it bigger than a bread box?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Can a rabbit see at night?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Did the bell toll for whom?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Can a woodchuck chuck wood if a woodchuck would chuck wood or wouldn’t he?”
“Maybe,” he said.

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 7:43 PM

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Wednesday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred forty-eight

Marbletank finally hung up from the President. “He is tough to talk with sometimes,” he said.
“Yeah, but what a voice, huh?” Smithblanket said.
“What’s that mean?” said Marbletank.
“Smithblanket means,” I said, “that the President’s voice is part of his great personality and just one element that made him so appealing to voters.”
“That’s what I mean, I guess,” said Smithblanket.
“So,” I said, changing the subject, “let’s get on with it then.”
“Now you really know what this is all about? You promise?” said Marbletank.
“Absolutely,” I said. “I am ready to kill that bastard Recktangle.”
“Good,” said Marbletank.
“Let’s get going,” I said.
“I’ll drive,” said Smithblanket. “Just where are we going?”
“I can’t tell you that,” said Marbletank. “So, you will both have to be blindfolded.”
“What?” I said. “How will Smithblanket drive?”
“There is a special mechanism in the car, built by experts at The Branch,” said Marbletank. “I will set the controls and the vehicle will drive itself to our destination.”
“This sounds fishy,” I said. “Why would our destination be a secret?”
“That, too, is a secret,” said Marbletank.
“Are there any more secrets in all of this?” I said.
“Yes.”
“So we have to trust you now? After all the deception?” I said.
“Yes.”
“What about dinner? Can we get dinner where we are going?” said Smithblanket.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s just go,” I said.

Smithblanket and I went into the backseat of the long car, where Marbletank blindfolded us. He then put on our seatbelts and I heard him close the back door and open the driver’s door and get into the driver’s seat and close the driver’s door.
“I thought you said you weren’t driving?” I said, blindfolded.
“I have to set the device,” said Marbletank, “and I can only do that from the driver’s seat.”
“Just checking,” I said. “No more lies, now, all right?”
“Ok,” said Marbletank.
“Was that a lie?” I said.
“No,” Marbletank said.
“The no could have been a lie, too,” said Smithblanket.
“Was the no a lie?” I said.
“No,” said Marbletank.
“We just want to be sure you are being straight with us now,” I said.
“I am,” Marbletank said.

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 6:08 PM

Monday, April 26, 2004

Tuesday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred forty-seven

Marbletank continued to talk to the President, who he did not know was Akira Yakamoo in disguise. “Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir …”

“It isn’t that confusing,” I said to Smithblanket.
“You want I should still whisper?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“All right, but I am still confused.”
“We have to trust that Akira has it all set up that Marbletank and Recktangle will kill one another or something will happen so that it isn’t me who kills Recktangle.”
“Oh, so Akira is putting on the double cross?”
“Sort of.”
“Hey, he must have Marbletank fooled into thinking he is the voice of the President.”
“Sure he does. Listen, they are still talking.”

Marbletank continued to talk to the President, who he did not know was Akira Yakamoo in disguise. “Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir …”

“So what now?”
“Now,” I said, “we wait until this conversation is over and get ready to go with Marbletank.”
“Should I continue to whisper through the trip?”
“No, act naturally.”
“All right. This could be exciting.”
“It’s dangerous is what it is.”
“What could go wrong?”
“Marbletank and Recktangle could kill us.”
“That would put a kink in our plans. I’ll keep my pistol loaded in case I have to assassinate both of them.”
“Good idea.”

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 9:12 PM

Tuesday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred forty-seven

Marbletank continued to talk to the President, who he did not know was Akira Yakamoo in disguise. “Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir …”

“It isn’t that confusing,” I said to Smithblanket.
“You want I should still whisper?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“All right, but I am still confused.”
“We have to trust that Akira has it all set up that Marbletank and Recktangle will kill one another or something will happen so that it isn’t me who kills Recktangle.”
“Oh, so Akira is putting on the double cross?”
“Sort of.”
“Hey, he must have Marbletank fooled into thinking he is the voice of the President.”
“Sure he does. Listen, they are still talking.”

Marbletank continued to talk to the President, who he did not know was Akira Yakamoo in disguise. “Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir …”

“So what now?”
“Now,” I said, “we wait until this conversation is over and get ready to go with Marbletank.”
“Should I continue to whisper through the trip?”
“No, act naturally.”
“All right. This could be exciting.”
“It’s dangerous is what it is.”
“What could go wrong?”
“Marbletank and Recktangle could kill us.”
“That would put a kink in our plans. I’ll keep my pistol loaded in case I have to assassinate both of them.”
“Good idea.”

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 9:12 PM

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Monday; The Complete and Unabridged History of Japan, part two hundred forty-six

Marbletank continued to talk to the President, who he did not know was Akira Yakamoo in disguise. “Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir …”

I took Smithblanket aside and whispered, “Listen, that isn’t the President on the phone, it’s Akira.”
Smithblanket said, “You want I should whisper too?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Wow.”
“He has Marbletank fooled.”
“He had me fooled too and I didn’t even hear his voice.”
“So now I realize that Marbletank was trying to fool us.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“How.”

Marbletank continued to talk to the President, who he did not know was Akira Yakamoo in disguise. “Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir … I know, sir, but … but … but … but … Yes sir …”

“Akira wants us to go along with Marbletank’s plan,” I whispered to Smithblanket.
“You mean it isn’t the President’s plan?”
“No. Don’t you see?”
“See? No? Does Akira look like the President too? Like he did Reagan?”
“No, look, Akira gave Marbletank the command, not the President.”
“But Marbletank wants Recktangle killed, right?”
“Yes, but it has nothing to do with the real President. It has to do with Akira.”
“Wow, I am confused. Wish we had some more food, too.”

To be continued

Frank Cotolo 6:01 PM