Tunnels

AN UnderBelly Case File

File#: 04

BY: Steve Campbell

When you see what others do not
Do you walk away or argue?

CHAPTER 1
Empty Promise

Today was a great sunny day in LA, and the morning got started as usual, with traffic and waiting for a few feet at a time to get to the place where you make money to buy gas so you can wait in traffic some more. I was thinking it was a full circle of my own little chaos when, as I was waiting, I looked over to the city reservoirs, and I had to pull off the road to see what I thought I saw. The whole thing was draining like down a drain to a hole that was a perfect circle at the bottom. I had never seen something like that, so, of course, I was thinking that was a strange way to clean it out, as I was waiting for the cleaning crews to come out and hose down the sludge that was in the bottom. However, it was very clear from what I saw, with all the people watching, that this was not a normal event. Everyone at the site was looking in and pointing at the hole in the bottom.

And that was when I knew it was time for some fancy driving, as I had to maneuver through slow, barely moving traffic to the exit five lanes over to the outside. I will not say there were no scraps; there was no screaming or stopping, so I think I got a check on that maneuver. Then I went to the off-ramp and drove around and up over to get to the site in question. As I did that, I got a better look, and there was indeed a newly formed drain in the bottom of what was once a pond.

As I got there, there was a crew starting to get into their gear to go down the hole and see what was making it, when another guy came up from the hole as if he was going off for a stroll on a normal road. I could not see him clearly, as I was still getting to the location over a road not designed for a Mustang for sure. I did see him hold up a stick, and a bright light came from the end. I did continue to watch as all the people around him started walking in the other direction and putting away their gear. As I drove up and jumped out of the car, the man seemed to be very surprised that I was still walking his way, where he pointed that annoying stick at me with another blinding light. I closed my eyes and walked on.

Now I could see him, and he was an older man with a hat as well as a suit that just came out of a hole in the ground, as I held up my hand saying, “May I have a word with you, stranger?” He rather annoyed me even more with that blasted light toy he kept blinking. Well, since it seemed that all the people were gone, I did take the opportunity to jump the fence and continue down to the hole, where I stopped only once to take a picture of the strange man from the hole. I am a news guy, you know, so when others question what I continue to ask why, that is what I kept doing until the man jumped down the hole and went away. When before my eyes the hole filled in as if it was never there.

A few people started screaming at me, “Hey, mister, you can not be in there. We just emptied it for cleaning, so get out before you get washed away.” I knew from what I saw that they did not drain this. I knew that it was a strange man from the ground, and I also knew they never drain a reservoir for any reason. Well, those were the facts that seemed to me for me only. When I got to a man on the other side of the fence, I was informed how dangerous it would have been if they had not turned the pumps off that drained the pond.

I must say I did stare at him with total amazement, because I knew that was not what took place, but as I looked around, it was clear right then I was the only one with that opinion, so I kept quiet and just nodded, as I left the pond and drove off to fantasy land.

When I got back in my car, I heard on the radio that there is going to be, in effect, until the following month, an emergency ban on car washing and yard watering due to a valve problem at the downtown reservoir. This should not last for long because there will be an emergency transfer from the north to refill the reservoir within a few days. I again was amazed that there was no mention of the round circle that I clearly saw in the bottom of the area they are talking about. I did decide, due to the lack of any evidence, not to tell anyone of the event in my way of seeing it.

Right then, I remembered I did take just one picture, and I ran to the developing crew to get this up ASAP, where I got back the usual response of you will have it delivered to you if it is able to be seen in 12 to 24 hours from the time you dropped it off. So I went to my desk and started to think about how I was going to write about an invisible man that opened a hole in the ground large enough to drain the lake in an hour, and then closed it up, and no one saw it at all but me. I looked at the page and knew that would never go, and all I would do is get everyone to ask me if I was feeling alright.

I went over to Veronica’s desk and asked her how she would feel about reading an article I was unsure of. True, because I was there, but unsure the world was ready for some hard truth. She looked at me, saying, “Karl, you know I am always ready for your wacky stuff, I find it entertaining. But the best thing is you, my friend, are still here, so others must also, or you would be gone,” and she tapped the end of my nose with each of the last four words. So I walked away after I told her, “OK, you will be my first stop when the future seems bright next time.” I did feel that was a strange comment to make, but I did so. I just walked away, hoping she might forget it before she got ready to talk to someone else about me.

I got back to my desk, and there was a note on the desk with no pictures: “Come to the photo department for an update on your film dropped off.” I went down to the basement, where the film department was, and waited for some word as I read the signs around the desk about all the things you can do wrong with a camera. When a nice young, I mean very young boy walked up, he told me, “Ya, Karl, is it? Your little camera just does not do well in distant lights, so the whole thing was really blurry, so we dumped the film. I would suggest getting another picture again.”

With that, I must have lost it, and said, “Listen here, you youngling, that picture could never be gotten again. I do not care if it was blurry as hell, as long as you could see the subject, it was priceless, never to happen again. I will be the only person who throws out film. I would suggest you get it so I can make that choice.” And this pipsqueak of a boy said, “Sorry, Karl,” and as he pointed to the sign, he said later, “It has been decided and is gone now.” The sign he pointed to said, “Film department will not spend time and money developing your mistakes. If you would like a mistake corrected, tell us before you give us the film, so we can return it to you. Then, after a decision is made, the film will be destroyed. The Owner of your JOB!”

So with no chance of what I could have seen, I had to go and park on a hill that I just hated, and for some reason, it seemed I tested my brakes on a weekly basis here now. So I went into the bar and ignored the comments about me hitting something else again, as I always do now, and sat across from Willy as he was reading another book. And did not say a word, out of respect for the word, as he told me last time I was here.

When he finished the thought in the book he put his special page marker, that looked like an old ID badge, and set the book aside and started by, “I am happy that you remember what I say from time to time, my friend,” where I said to him, “I do not think you should declare that, being there are so many people lately wanting to condemn you for just being a friend of mine, Willy.” Then he said the same thing he always says to me, “Some day in the future, Karl, you will understand why your little problems do not bother me like they do you, so what little issue do you have now for me to examine?”

I looked at him and asked, “Do you have a radio in here?” and he nodded, saying, “It’s on for the morning and noon news.” Then I asked him, “Did you hear today about the pond emptying?” and he nodded. Then I continued, “Well, my friend, what if I were to tell you it was not an accident. When it happened, everyone was running like they were insane, as a perfectly round hole appeared from a tunnel that came up like a drain as a man walked out, and with a ruby on his cane, he made everyone, but me, forget about him. You see, Willy, the guy tried four times with the light thing, then as I got close he jumped in the hole, and there was no more hole then, so what do you have to say for that, my book man?”

I heard Willy say the name Frank, and then just mumble a bit as he turned around and got a book that could not be seen and said, “Ok then,” as he put it on the table and started looking for a person in it. And when he stopped, he turned the book around so I could see the picture, and under the photo were the words, “Middle-earth warlock danger 10,” and I said, “You’re trying to tell me there are witches that fly around on brooms now?” And as he took the book back, he asked, “So was that him or not?” And I had to say, “He was at a distance, but it could have been. Why did you show me that picture, Willy?”And he started to stare at me as if he was trying to see if I could really listen to him, and he started in with, “Well, Karl, I got that book out because what you are describing is an ancient way to travel unseen. It is very old and archaic; however, the very old ones like it because you just reverse your path, and the tunnel will close behind you, so you can not get lost. However, with tech in the new world, you do not know exactly where you will end up when you come up from the ground, kind of like a gopher in a golf course. He did not want to put a hole in the green; it just is. You said he had a staff, Karl. That is an old way of carrying your magic stone, which many of the old warlocks got their power from. You see, the old tales tell of different items being stuck in that ruby , things like dragon tears, to special blood potions made from fairies. As you know, you dealt with someone already that could have been a fairy or a witch, Karl.”

I just sat there in a look of amazement again, like I seem to get every time I come here from the knowledge, I am told from the books Willy collects all around him. And some day I will get the real story of where all that comes from but not today, because I needed to locate something I had no idea how to find if he or it was still around, so I asked Willy, “Okay, Willy, what if that was him, does that mean he has a purpose to be here and how would I find him again?”

Willy started to laugh and said, “My dear Karl, no one with a mind of sense would ever want to find a level 10 wizard anywhere near them. I mean, these are the people the dark stories are built from? You with a whip of a wand, and you’re a toad or a frog. You know things like that. So if you were to find him, the chances are high that you would not make it back to me here to tell me about it, and that car of yours would end up rusted and buried from being ignored in today’s quick-moving sports cars. So no, I will not tell you how to find him, or I would have no one to tell my tales to, and someday I will tell you the true story, but only when I think you’re ready or I am at the end of my span, my friend.”

And then he started reading where he left off when I got here, his way of saying he was done talking about that subject. But then I asked him, “Willy, since he did see me and he tried to spell me, and it did not work, would he not be looking for me as well since he knows I did see him and could be talking about it as I am now?”

That is when he just placed his book down on the table and leaned in to say, “If you see him and it looks like he is looking for you, find old wood and hide behind it and make no sounds at all, then run like the wind to get away. Do not approach him, or you could be gone in a flash without the power to fight him. You have to understand these beings are only in books, so we normal folks know to let them be so they can do as they want, Karl.”And then he was done for real and said not another word to me. So I left with a sense that I might not see him again for a while, for some reason. And I would miss him if that were the case.

CHAPTER 2
Meeting or Warning

So, with no leads and no reason to think I could find this man traveling through the earth, I moved on to the next item on my list, which would be lunch. So I went downtown to eat as I watched the crowds of people walk by. I know, but it is a thing I do, as I try to find the freak, as I call it, that one person that is stretched to the breaking point. I never know if I am right, but it is a thing I do, like an advanced people-watching exercise.

So I got my meal and was starting the watch when I looked at a person watching me back from across the street. I had the burger halfway to my mouth, and it slowly went back on the plate, not because of what I saw but from what I heard, as if he was in my head talking to me. As I looked, I saw him raise his cane and in my head I heard, “There you go, I can see you see me now. I have been looking for you because you are special, oh ya, you are. You do not accept my reality. See all these people, they do not see me, see look,” and right then he knocked someone’s hat off and pushed another and started a fight as he walked through, then said, “As you can see I can do as I please among the basic. However, you are different; there is something there, something special. I think I might come over and see what you are like now, so do not move or run away…”

I got up, went out the back door, and ran to the big hill just down and around the corner, where I got lucky; I was on the top of the hill and not the bottom, and ran in, and Willy was not there. I said, “Andy, where did Willy go?” and all I got was a shrug, so I ran out the back door and saw what I had never known before, a large metal box. Anyway, I ran past that, and then I realized he said he had no car, so what am I looking at? And I walked back to the road and started back to my car when in my head I heard, “Why are we going to play cat and mouse for a conversation, I swear on the beads of oasis, you will not be hurt at all today young man, just stop and lets talk on that bench to your left, there you go,” and I sat and waited to become a frog or snake.

The strange man who looked like he was the one in the book came over and sat down, where I said to him, “Hi Frank, what might I say you want with me today?” and he sounded delighted and said, “Oh, my we do have a special person here. I did not think you could read my mind, so you must have seen me in a book; there are a few. Was it the one that I looked distinguished with my cane in it? Oh my, I have no idea your name, that is not fair at all, not at all, so what is your name, young man?”

I looked at him and said, “Why, so you turn me into a toad with a name tag,” and he laughed at that and said, “Silly, I can not do that until tomorrow because of the warlock code, so what is your name sir?” and I looked at him and said, “Ok, Karl, Karl Kolchak, and I must say I am not glad to meet you sir,” and again he gave me a laugh and said, “You really do not understand, so let me enlighten you Karl. Do not worry, you might not know it, but you have at least one foot in the underworld due to who knows what, a spell, an injury, or, the best way, you come from an old magic family. Either way, that gives you the rights of the underworld as well as of the living world, Karl. So I know you have no idea what I am saying, but let's say we have a box of rats all running like they have no minds, Karl. Now, let's add you. You will not be a rat; you will be a human in the rat box who controls the rest, so we must treat you with respect because you are one of us, my man. Now, with that being said, Karl, I can also warn you with no problems that if you interfere in my business, you open the door to me interfering in yours. See how that works. I think you have a stupid saying of I wash your back, and you wash mine. Do you understand me, Karl?”

I looked at him sitting up straight now and said, “Well, what would your business in my town be then, sir? I kind of protect people from what I know is bad, and you seem bad for us, but I do not know because your water thing could have been a mistake, was it, Frank, a mistake after all?”

And he looked me over and said, “You seem not knowing, but I have a feel you know more than you think you do, so I will tell you this, I did not mean to be where I was, however I did mean to be when I was, and the water became a distraction I did not want or need, so no Karl, I guess we can agree that I am not here to hurt yourself, but there is someone I was sent for and he has something from another that they want back. And you just happen to get in the way of me finding Wilford. So with that, I will be on my way, and we can both call this an interesting meet-up, interesting indeed, my man.”

Then he walked away, and he fell to the ground. I then had a place to camp out to help a friend who might be in trouble. So I wandered around the area a bit, and when I was really hot and sweating, I walked into the bar and went to the counter, and before he said anything, I shushed him and said, " Give me something cold, sir. I wandered over to Willy’s table and said, “Sir, are you busy? Can we have a chat, sir? I just wanted to comment on the books, and do you by chance have a paper to write on, man?”

Willy gave me a paper, and I wrote. First, I met Frank, we talked, and he said I was special. Then I wrote that I was in the way, no worry, he was here for a man that took what was not his, and he will find WILFORD. Then I turned the note to Willy, and Willy gave me a card in my hand and said, " It was nice talking to you, hope you visit, then I got up and went to another table that asked me to leave, so I went back to the bar and sat down.

When I finished my drink and walked out and away to my car, I drove off and did not plan on finding Willy again in my life. I did keep the card in my wallet for a rainy day or just because I enjoyed his company. As far as the strange man in the tunnel, I never saw him again, not even now, after I am settled down and have my Julie; he just never found me again. I guess I never took what was not mine. I did, however, see Willy one more time, which will be a later file because it is special in its own way, you see.

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