The Memory Garden

Chapter 2 by Robert J. Parizek Kaplin walked down the filthy and dirty road that lead to the door. Munching on his French croissant, he did not notice the older man he had almost run into. "Pardon moi.", Kaplin said with his mouth still full but covering with his marked left hand as the older man turned and looked at Kaplin from his robes."Ah... it is wonderful to see you again, young Kaplin.", the robed fellow mentioned as his mate stepped up beside him, in an almost defensive stance while playing with a handful of cards.Kaplin almost ended up choking on his bread feast when he managed to reply, "Mr. Mohr, what a pleasure it is to see you again. How have you been?""Well. I am tired these nights. Are you still apart of the Ministry?""Sadly, yes..", Kaplin trailed off, not wanting to mention his new position which in truth is a step down to anyone in the Ministry."Then I shall not keep you, officer.", Mister Mohr mentioned as he nodded his white robed head."Ah. I can stand to be late now and again...""Witty as always, dear Kaplin. The Ministry not paying you enough in this life?"
Kaplin chuckled, he always knew Mister Mohr wanted to be apart of the Ministry but he had one great slight against him although word was he was trying to redeem himself, "The Ministry pays fine but one cannot live indoors forever. Fresh breath is required every now and again. I am sure you can understand."Along side the tall Mister Mohr, robed in his white Islamic wear, Kaplin was your average size. Similar in size to the associate alongside Mister Mohr who was dressed in the finest suits and properly trimmed beard while a set of gold-rimmed sheik glasses crafted an image of business and trend. Kaplin was so unlike either of these fashion statements with his torn jeans, slip on sandals and green hoodie. He looked more like a person working on a movie set than an officer of the Ministry. His slight five a'clock shadow covered his dark skin and deep set crystal blue eyes. Unlike many of this kind, he was able to have a common look outside the Pinnacle.Mister Mohr nodded and so did his associate who now took a stance beside Mister Mohr and was more attentive to the young women walking by than Kaplin's words."Again Kaplin, it was a pleasure to see you. I hope one day we can sit and have some tea, talk of the old times, the future and beyond.", Mohr calmly said in a soft voice as he gracefully turned his head to the direction that he and his associate were previously headed. Kaplin smiled and continued on, it wasn't until he was sure he was out of earshot that he muttered, "Bloody vampires... thinking they know everything... talk about old times... yeah right."Kaplin came across a small cafe, like many here in
Paris; it was upon the cobblestones of the city streets and barely had anything inside other than a small kitchen and bar. He swung past the entrance and between the maze of outdoor table and chairs, shiny metal creations, while making his way to what seemed like the side of the cafe. A gentleman in a half tuxedo approached and was about to ask Kaplin something when he was called to the nearest table; the patrons required some more water with their savory crepes. As Kaplin nearly reached the edge of the cafe, he quickly moved his hands to snag a cup of freshly brewed java in those small European cups. Sipping it quickly he made a right, then a left, then turned, stepped over the small chain which ends the cafe's outdoor venue and went into a very tight alley that was hidden from plain sight off the street behind all the small tree's the cafe had to enclose its seating.While shuffling down the alley; Kaplin took his time as he approached the door, sipping the hot mix of boiled bean juice and fresh watery fat from a local goat, and began staring at the door for quite a while. Then door was barely visible in this tight alleyway. Bronze bars and markings with golden bolts held the ancient wood together. There was neither handle nor knocker. It seemed huge although in truth it really wasn't but when standing before it, you felt very small as you could just feel its age. Finishing his coffee and setting it upon the edge of the brick opposite to the door, Kaplin jumped when the door suddenly it spoke, as it should."Sing me a song as sweet as wine mulling spices!", the Door demanded in a very gentle yet deep voice that rang through your ears, like an echo in a forest.
Like all of the Brethren Doors, a song must be sung or at least hummed to allow entrance into Pinnacle, and if one would not do such a thing, rumor has the door opening to parts unknown and allowing ones to pass into places better suited to the wild imaginations of young children high on the latest medication to calm their nerves. Kaplin cleared his voice and began to hum a tune. The door seemed as though it was breathing to the humming, Kaplin continued and added a few words, "sixty nine it was fine you said by seventy nine it was gonna be mine...", as he began to sing Stiff Little Fingers song '78 RPM'. Knowing the bronze markings upon the door helps you know what type of songs to sing. This door had a marking of the English Lion upside down and broken to impose the thought that it likes to hear very rebellious punkish songs. The Door would sway with the song until Kaplin finished singing it, then it rippled into a solid stance and for a moment, Kaplin though to himself, "Fuck. I should have sung some Sex Pistols" but Door then began to open and it barked, "Thank you, Officer Kaplin. Please do not pursue a career in singing." and then began to laugh as if every other Door just heard what Kaplin sang and all they were all laughing at him. Echoing while the ancient wood swung open. Kaplin slowly slipped his shades on as the gleam from the Pinnacle's long standing building, The Ministry Central with its white topped tipped nipple radiated like a nuclear blast, it was too fucking much after a night of partying at the house of Mos Eisley's resident freaks and associated (soon to be a incorporated reality near your town soon)."Ah. Another fucking day in hell. Hot and boring.", Kaplin moaned as he stuffed the remains of his croissant into his hoodies pocket. Making his way down

Yuri kept staring at him and then took a few deep breaths, calming himself and once he felt comfortable he walked behind Kaplin and started to ask Kaplin if various items were accounted for within the journal and all ended with the answer, "Yeah" in a tone that echoed, "Please fucking shoot me!". Hours passed and it was soon after the nick of noon, time for lunch, but before either of them could close up a ringing came from a small metal shoot on the far right wall from either of them. This disturbed their checkers game they were playing."Mail!", Kaplin said with some excitement as mail is at least fucking something to do, like read something and maybe his transfer went through and he could be a field agent again, although he knew it was unlikely. Suddenly the metal shoot quickly opened and a small chimpanzee stepped out smoking a big cigar with a mail pouch slung over its shoulder. Its hair was all punked out in green and yellow and was wearing a
St. Louis hockey jersey that dragged on the ground. With one hand digging into the pouch, the monkey glared at both of them, and with a quick wrist shot, it threw a metal tube container at them - hard! Kaplin and Yuri covered themselves as it struck their checkerboard and everything shattered and fell on the floor but the metal container just spun around on the table. Looking back, one could see the monkey leaving while giving both of them the finger. SWOOSH and both the metal shoot door closed and it was gone. "Dae no nice 'nymore!", Yuri exclaimed as he picked up the pieces off the floor, showing his bullish but crack from his coveralls. Kaplin really didn't need to see that nor wish he didn't, turning his attention to the mail he answered, "Ever since they became a fucking union they lost all their pride of the job... well, that and the whole clipping of their wings episode I guess pissed them off. From a flying assault squad to postal workers can't be easy to swallow."Opening the metal tube, Kaplin jerked it a number of times over the skewed checkerboard table until its contents finally fell out. Lots of bills, to which both laughed at like as if they were going to pay for any of those - sometimes the Energy Farm is just plain silly, and then two items which struck both of them like a arrow into their chests. Yuri stepped back a bit as Kaplin cocked his head to read what was written on the pieces of mail. One was a Pull-Tab Postcard from AOracleINC and it was addressed to him and the other was a sleek silver envelope addressed to the Ministry of Belongings Att: Yuri Kei, Mgr. A silver note was an internal mail from the Ministry itself and often was a notice to the department itself from the Estate. Yuri was not keen on opening it while Kaplin slowly took hold of the Pull-Tab postcard then the silver note."Do you want me to open it?", Kaplin asked. Yuri nodded.
Kaplin decided to open the silver note first, just in case he lost his job the Pull-Tab postcard at least couldn't give him that as a reading since it then had already happened. Kaplin opened the silver note and suddenly it melted in his hands and dropped upon the table as a silvery slime. The silvery slime pushed aside the checkerboard, which fell to the ground, and then began to speak to the department itself in various words that it formed upon the table. After the message was sent, the silvery slime seemed to curl up into itself until there was no longer any on the table. The message was: Ready. The. Dawns. Package.Yuri and Kaplin took a deep sigh of relief, it wasn't a bad message, just a heads up that someone is coming for the Dawns Package. Calming himself, Yuri put away the checker pieces into the box under the table and then reached down for the board, putting it away as well. Kaplin then sat back down and took a moment. It had been a while since the Ministry itself sent a message as such and why would the Ministry have to tell them to get something ready? Especially the Dawns Package?Without a second though, Kaplin turned his attention to the postcard in his hands. He had never gotten one of these before although he was a member of the AOracleINC and was a fan at reading their newsletters while on the john, it was that important of news to him. Before he began, Yuri looked over."You opening?""Um... yeah, is there a reason I shouldn't?""Cousin mine open. Next moment piece of a plane fell. He die slowly and card say so.""Fuck me!", Kaplin said as he hopped off the seat, "Shit. Should I open it then?"
Yuri took a moment to think and then said, "Yes. Need new worker.", with a smile."Fuck you too! Shit. Your bull shiting me, your cousin never died from a... did he?""She did. Very messy. Fur everywhere!"Kaplin was now fucking scared and put down the postcard."Well... is lunch. I go. Get package for you.""yeah.. okay, Yuri. Wait. For me?""I go lunch. No here.""Oh. Right."With that Yuri went into the hanger and hunted out the Dawns package while Kaplin contemplated what the fuck he was going to do. Should he open it or just fuck it, maybe he didn't need to know what his future was. The postcard just lay on the table while Kaplin kept looking at it and wondering what to do. He had heard of these postcards, often they are either Good or Bad news but he never knew that they could be so bad that you could die from them. I mean, if its fate, then what the fuck, right? Neither of these thoughts comforted Kaplin. He kept staring at the postcard until Yuri returned with a small black OPs-like army duffle bag. Various zippers and pockets about and could hold a small child within if required."I go. Lunch. Kaplin-san. Be well...",Yuri mentioned with his head hanging low while putting his bullish hoof-hands on Kaplin's shoulder. Grabbing his lunch box, which looked more like a large keg of beer, he went around the table. At the door he took his last look at Kaplin, dropped his head again and sighed, as the door faded into solid form. Kaplin just stared at the door, he mouth a jaw, as Yuri is just going to let him die..."Fucking shit.", Kaplin commented and before he could even think, a loud thunderous laughter came from the other side of the door. It was Yuri and he was laughing his head off, the door then suddenly became transparent again and Yuri was standing there, Keg over his shoulder and crying because he was laughing so hard."Got you!"Kaplin jumped back and screamed, "You COCK!" and threw the office stapler at the door but it had solidified before the stapler could reach its target and it ricocheted off the door and broke apart on the floor. Kaplin was pissed. He was the comedian and not Yuri. Fuck, it was Castday and here Yuri was playing with his head. With a quick swipe, he opened the postcard via the Pull-Tab and read his fate:
Your wish is granted as you shall journey, Now. Say "Hello."While reading his postcard, he did not hear the door become transparent and someone walk in, he looked up and saw someone standing in the doorway. Dressed in wears that would fit a 1940's adventure movie set was a man."Hello. My name is Mathew Lemon."Kaplin just said what he was told to say, "Hello."