IT WAS A QUIET CLASS DAY, WHERE teachers taught their subjects and went in-and-out. Paul noticed the backbenchers were quiet too – at the rear…

… his twin was in deep thoughts, probably ‘nothing’ good, coming from-a-possessed-boy.

Soon the bell rang for their half-hour recess, and everyone was heading to the canteen. Jane told Paul to ‘not’ to wait for her… as she was going to the girl’s room, a be there a while because she still-had cramps.

In the canteen… Paul wheelchaired himself to the mess-hall which was crowded and chatter-noisy. He could ‘not’ find a private spot at the long-tables, with his food tray of Aussie-burger and a chocolate milk-box on his lap. He decided to sit at the vacant teacher’s corner… with round tables, in the rear of the canteen. It was ‘allowed-privilege’ because he was handicapped.

Blind-Jane found him with his blue-glow, at the back of the canteen room – and she sat across him at the round-table.

“How are your cramps…? Do you think you will be well, for Monday?”

Shaking her head, “Hope it bloody-rains all day, during match-day.”

The tweens laughed.

“Pauly, have Mercury ‘come’ to you?”

He sighed deeply, shaking his head… when she mentioned the Red-demon…

“Nah, but that’s-what he said… he ‘would’ the last time, but ‘no’ show-so far… and Venus too, mentioned to me that – you are the ‘one,’ who would un-do ‘what’ that bloody-Peter did – when he foolishly made a blood-sacrifice to the dark-Asmodeus.”

“Maybe they both are ‘working’ on it – maybe we should be patient and wait...”

“Wait for what – and how long…? Tomorrow is the weekend, and soon it would be match-day Monday – and we both know that something ‘terrible’ would happen on come Monday.”

Now the blind-girl sighed…

“I wished Alicia was here – she would jog my-thinking, as I’m totally blurry now, myself.”

… Paul was quiet when Jane mentioned his girlfriend’s name… who was in a vegetation-state in an irreversible coma. Even Ms King was-quiet back then, where she doesn’t have a clue to avoid, of what would transpire when the demon walk-on Perth – when the full-blood-moon would cast upon the Sphinx, on Monday.

Jane changed the subject… as she humorously shared ‘what’ was happening at her home, with her adopted brother, who was ‘obsessed’ with Disney’s The Jungle Book DVD… and have watched it over-and-over without tiring, day-by-day.

Even though, he preferred Mowgli better… Paul was enjoying the blind girl's small talk distraction...

“… and each time he saw the black panther Bagheera, Sam would shout-out ‘Popobawa.’”

“Who is Popobawa?”

“I don’t know who, but I ‘even’ heard-my ‘Piper’ mentioning Popobawa too… oh-sorry, Paul… let-me, back-track here… I had this weird-weird dream last week, I think… where I was wondering about in the dark, somewhere – and Piper, my-dog found me, and he spoke to me in ‘English’ too and said… that Popobawa is ‘here’ – and my dog was scared-shit of ‘whatever’ this evil is. He also said, he can transform into a werewolf too! Weird-weird dream, duh…?”

Jane laughed aloud, like ‘how’ Alicia used to. Paul chuckled as he went along…

‘Talking-dog after the talking bicycle… now, her baby-brother said ‘Popobawa’ in real-world, while her dog said it too, in the dream-world…’

Paul’s thoughts were interrupted by an accent, man’s voice, calling him from his back.

“Master Paul Walker, I got a memo for you, from the Principle himself.”

It was Mr Muthoo Ganesan, Principle Tom Harris’ personal assistant. He was an east-Indian, who was one of the long-serving staff in Stamford High, who had served under 3 principles before, as a peon and an office-boy when he started off. He was short and dark-skinned – and always wore a white long-sleeved shirt tucked-in, and his pant was funny… as it was worn above-navel, of his short-torso.

One remarkable thing, other than dressing ‘funny,’ was Mr Ganesan has an extraordinary photographic-memory – as he knows all the names of every 455 students of Stamford High school. Everyone used to joke that Alicia Wong ‘lost’ to him, in the memory department.

“G’ day Miss Jane Wilson, enjoying your beef-meatballs, I see.”

“Yes-I am… g’day, Mr Ganesan.” Blind-Jane grinned back while eating.

The school-assistant left… and Paul opened the stapled memo…

Paul Walker,

Please come to my office, after school.

We want to talk further.

T.H.

Paul looked blank, sighed deep and long… and read the note to Jane, and said to her…

“It’s the-relentless bloody Agent Dickson again – I thought I answered all-that-it-is, to him yesterday…”

“I know he is doing his job, but… I don’t like him too – and he is barking at the ‘wrong’ tree.”

Speak of the devil, the ‘tree’ spoke…

“Hey-Janey!”

Paul saw his twin, walking fast to their table, waving with his single-hand – the blind-girl cringed at the sight, of the approaching red-glow.

“Are you going tomorrow for your tennis practice… in your fancy country-club?”

Jane shrugged her shoulders…

“…don't know…”

“Whatever it is that you bullshit-learn over there, don’t forget that I programmed your Boyyo, on how-to PFC winning strategy – don’t share with them okay, it’s ‘our’ trump-card. Just work on your aerobics and stamina-level… and you’ll do great on that day, if you follow my-plan, to the-Tee – on what I ‘had’ programmed on your Boyyo, okay-Janey…? You ‘stick’ to the plan, and everything else would be smooth sailing on the court – we have beaten that mediocre-pair, and have a bloody viral video to prove it, and what else do they want more? Do you get me, Janey – are we on the same page…?”

“Yes-s.”

“You got any question, now is the time to ask…?”

“No-o.”

“Good.”

Peter was distracted by someone from the senior-crowd and called out ‘Jason’ – and he left.

The blind-girl sighed. “So bloody-bossy.”

Paul laughed. “Tell me about it – he’s pushing my bloody-limits too at home – and is ‘testing’ me… when my Mom is around so that I can get angry and electrocute him, in front of her… to lose my Cursed-trio secret identity.”

He lifted his right bandaged hand, and showed his evidence of ‘his’ frustration, to his blind-friend…

“9 stitches to prove it.”

“Paul… whatever it is, don’t resolve to over-negativity – and end-up seriously hurt him, for doesn’t know ‘what’ he is doing – because he is possessed by the dark-force – furthermore, Peter is your brother… please don’t hurt him.”

He sighed inwards when she said ‘that’ – as he had decided to use his ‘Plan-B,’ in the last resort on Monday if everything else had failed – and deny Asmodeus of using his twin, as his ‘vessel’ to walk the earth, in Perth.

The school bell rang, ending the break-time – it was time now, for their Science lesson, at the lab.

<><>

MEDITATING, HAJJI WAS SEATED CROSS-LEGGED ON THE FLOOR in his hideout, in an abandon medium-sized warehouse…

… he was chanting voodoo Blackmagic spells… using smoking holy-incense, to summon the goddess of destruction, BlackStar, in his make-shift altar.

Pyre-holder of the incense, exploded in the Nigerians face, scalding his face with hot ashes. Hajji was violently tossed around… by a dark entity present which had attacked him from the rear – when the winged-beast then grabbed the man, flying above…

… and pinned the terrified Hajji at warehouse ceiling…

… the red-eyed, vampiric bat-beast looked into the screaming Hajji’s eyes… before screeched loud-pitched, and bared its fangs in its foamy-mouth, at him.

“Please Lord Popobawa – don’t kill meee… I beg-of youuu…”

Hajji was begging for his life, to evil, demi-god of animal-spirit… who was a human-bat hybreed. The devilish-African dwarf grew 3 horns, with-curled-fur covered its entire dark body … and with bat-like wings span.

Popobawa made every man and beast that it bit, to be feral and brutal like itself.

The beast dropped him from above – crashing, Hajji laid hurt on the floor, with Popobawa hanging upside-down at a cross-beam, staring down at him – WAITING FOR ITS master…

… a sudden strong wind blew, in the contained-interior of the warehouse, with lightning bolts striking the concrete floor, where the terrified Hajji screamed in fear. From a dark portal, BlackStar emerged in front of the Nigerian, who then held her bare-feet, and pleading out…

The dark-entity was an old woman was descending, cloaked and clothe, with the hide of a horned female rhinoceros – and she waved an old, crooked staff towards Hajji…

“How dare you summon me, AFTER YOU FAILED ME BEFORE! You should have died in the battleground and to rebirth as a demon, yet you cling dearly onto your insignificant mortal LIFE – AND YOU even MADE A PACT WITH OUR ENEMY, the Red-demon, Mercury. Don’t you know what sins of disloyalty, which you had done – under my command!!?”

“Have mercy, O’ Mother…”

“Begone my betrayal-child – His Lord-o-Master Asmodeus is NOW LOOKING FOR YOU, for these Acts of Treason, and soon he will set his Hellhounds onto you, to drag your mortal-soul to the ever-waiting underworld – TO PUNISH AND TORTURE YOU, for your sins of unfaithfulness!!?”

“Please Mother, hear the reasons-why that I betrayed – because I-see that of our-own Blackmagic voodoo, which is deemed inferior to those came from the Middle-east – and as your high-priest, I had betrayed Asmodeus because I wanted our-own African voodoo-practice to live-strong – and should ‘not’ die, like how our ritual and tradition of our Mother Africa.”

“You fool, don’t you KNOW OF OUR HISTORY? That We are servants to the All-father, coz we HAVE SOLD OUR HERITAGE-GOD SOULS to him before – ever-since the war of the Abrahamic, IN WHERE WE LOST!”

“What happens when Asmodeus walks the earth, during the full blood-moon in the Sphinx? WHAT-IF HE BREAKS HIS PROMISE, and ‘not’ favour us-Africans, and what then next?

“The cunning All-Father had ‘not’ kept his ‘word’ – and He is already favouring those Chinese-demons in the Diyu-Underworld – and their oriental Blackmagic, that would the next-big-thing – and we-Africans would then be discarded to the side – like how he broke his promise to the Aztec civilization, times-ago.

“Do we have to suffer a similar genocide, O Mother?”

“There are possibilities the All-father WOULD TURN-ON AGAINST US – but what are we to do? – We are MERE PAWN AS HIS-SERVANTS… but if you have a ‘solution’ to that matter, LET’S HEAR IT…”

“Yes, there is a ‘way,’ Mother – Asmodeus is going to walk on earth soon, through a ‘vessel’ in a mortal-Peter Walker, while at the ‘same-time,’ the eclipse of the sun, is ‘happening’ back in Africa, where the All-Father is ‘TOTALLY-BLIND,’ in this short period – we let Mercury save this mortal-vessel in that duration, and that would deny the Old-man this opportunity of his ‘rebirth,’ that smells-of-betrayal from afar that would favour us, in the end!”

“What if the RED-DEMON FAILS!!? – then Asmodeus would know, we were behind this ploy, and that would RAGE HIM MAD, TO DESTROY us-all-the demon-gods!”

“No-Mother – Mercury would ‘not’ fail – because he is a villain to Asmodeus, where he is also planning a mutiny in the Underworld… to free the pre-existing, old-gods – into his very ‘own’ revolution.”

“This Is a HIGH-STAKE GAME YOU ARE PLAYING NOW, my high-priest – where there would be a price to pay with lots of misery and sufferings in the name of the all-father… for this life of this ‘vessel’ that Asmodeus would live in – to be spared – and that needs a sacrifice!”

“O, Mother… what do you ‘want’ – to spare the life of this-Peter Walker?”

‘You deliver me the ‘one,’ whom you failed before to deliver… as a human sacrifice – I want him-and-only him!”

Hajji nodded, and bowed to her…

“I will fulfil your-appetite, Mother – I will get you the boy, Samuel Jaheem Wilson – on the eve of the blood-moon in the Sphinx…”

<><>

THE SCHOOL BELL RANG AND TOMORROW WAS THE WEEKEND – the wheelchaired Paul sighed – as he doesn’t have a plan, clue nor strategy – of facing the coming-evil, come-Monday…

… Jane distracted him, by saying that she would be in the library.

Ever since Alicia’s attack, her doctor-mother picked up her blind-daughter from school, after finishing her work, in the clinic.

Paul said bye to her…

… parted ways and headed to the principal’s office, holding his memo.

-O-

Paul reached the office – and was greeted by senior-staff Muthoo Ganesan… the principal’s personal assistant, who was filing at the file-cabinet…

“Hi G’day, Master Paul Walker… you came on time. Our Principle Harris is waiting for you inside.”

Through the open door, Paul saw Ms Peggy White, the principal’s secretary with Tom Harris, discussing something. Paul looked around for Agent Joe Dickson, who was nowhere at sight when the secretary left.

Principle Harris waved, invite him to come-in – and Paul parked himself at the left side of the room – with an empty chair, facing him when the agent arrived.

“So-Paul, how are you? How are your studies? Are the teachers teaching you well, can you cope? – I see that the only subject you flunk was Maths, in Ms Bloom’s class.”

“No-Sir… there is nothing wrong with Ms Bloom’s way of teaching– it’s just me… I’m ‘not’ good with numbers.”

“Practice more daily and do your homework. Maths is a numbers game – you should know its law-first before you solve its-puzzle, understand…spend ‘more’ time in your weak subjects?”

Paul in silence nodded… thinking…

‘… it is easier said than done…’

“How is Peter doing? Are you getting along with him, as in no troubles at home?”

“We are fine.”

Paul was feeling nervous when Harris was playing the ‘good-cop’ once again… while the ‘bad-one’ was ‘not’ there yet. He felt more uncomfortable because he was one of the students before, who was rarely got into trouble and get sent to the principal’s office to be punished – except for Terry Donovan’s case where he was let off-the-hook. But with Agent Dickson poking the Cursed-trio’s hive, and more of his ‘related’ troubles were resurfacing…

“How is Alicia doing, do you visit her every day?”

Paul passively nodded while thinking of Harris’ question, because he saw Mrs Burnell on 2 occasions in his hospital visits – WHAT WAS HARRIS IMPLYING? Was it that his visiting Alicia… was the cause of low grades in Maths test – with time wasted by hospital-visits?

The small-talks continued…

“How is your mother-Carol? She is now promoted to Det. Insp – and I heard in the news, that she is still investigating the ‘Hajji-case.’”

Paul anticipated Harris was wanting him to join in-conversation – but before he open-his-mouth, Agent Dickson came through the door with his briefcase, and apologized for being late. He then began to scramble into his briefcase…

The crippled-tween knew the 2 men were both ‘talking’ behind his back – and, he remembered his mom saying… be truthful and be law-abiding…

… but can he as the Cursed-trio…?

Dickson had set-up his tape-recording device, laptop and his written notebook on Harris’ desk – and the counter-terrorist agent bluntly shot his first question…

“During you and Peters’ ‘visit’ to the zoo… you were said-telling for the record – that you had called an Uber driver but – ‘not’ your regular driver, Gary Morrison?”

“It was way past midnight, I thought it was ‘not’ practical – to call a family-man-Gary, at that hour.”

‘Oh-yeah Dickson, guess what too…? I flew over there like Superman – and saving me the Uber fare…’

The agent-man was twirling his ball-pen in-between his fingers, looked at his notebook before he asked…

“But the-Uber-company said – when we had contacted them… that ‘nobody’ had called for any e-hailing ride, from your phone number.”

Paul shrugged his shoulders…

“Well, somebody-came, it's not’ that we took Qantas… and flew over to the zoo.”

“Who was the driver? Can you describe him?”

“I don’t know… some ‘White-Bruce,’ picked us up.”

“Can you be more specific, Paul…? Can you describe how he looked like? Was he a tall or short person? Fat or thin, anything…?”

“He was seated, and I don’t know his height… and it was dark, and I did ‘not’ see his face?”

The ‘concerned’ principle spoke…

“You should have at least asked for his name, for your ‘own’ safety – what if, you 2 got kidnap too, as minors?”

“Sorry Sir, we both ‘ourselves’ sneaked-out that late-night, while our mother was sleeping back then – I called for the Uber, and ‘he’ came… and I paid him and ‘no’ question asked, whether-if he was a registered driver from the company, or ‘not.’” Paul deflected in his answers…

… after a brief silence, the agent-man spoke again...

“You said for the record, that both you-brothers went to the Wilsons’ to pick up your blind classmate, Jane Wilson – and then, you 3 headed to the zoo?”

“Yes… we picked-up Jane, who had ‘lost’ her brother, at the zoo.”

“That was when Alicia Wong tipped you-3 off… that Samuel was at the zoo? And, how did Alicia know, the boy was at the zoo?”

“Then-Agent Dickson… you should ask ‘her’ yourself, when she wakes up from a Level-7 comatose state, in the near future.”

Paul thought ‘why’ the questions was were about the abduction-zoo case – and ‘not’ the SHS phone-bombing.

“Okay – when at zoo… you were said to be-on separate ways, from Peter and Jane?”

“Yes”

“Then it rained… you took shelter in ‘monkey-world?’”

“Primate world.” Paul corrected him… and both men chuckled.

“Later, you were picked-up ‘there’ by the police. Were the cages open when you got there?”

“Yes.”

“Why you entered Primate-World when the cages were open?”

Paul shrugged his shoulders again and responded…

“Curious, I guess.”

“Did you see anyone there, at that time?”

“No… only our ‘missing-link’ cousins?”

“Are you ‘sure?’”

“Come on, Agent Dickson, you know the answer to that question – my-Mom solved the case and arrested the animal activist blokes… who released the apes and monkeys, that night.”’

The agent wrote ‘something’ in his notebook, before he looked up at Paul, and asked…

“Did you join the closed-group – ‘Indie Teen-Rescue Street Animal of Perth’ on Facebook?”

“I don’t have a FB account.”

Dickson turned his laptop towards the crippled tween and asked…

“What about this account?” The CTU agent pointed at the screen.

… Paul’s eyes lit up once he saw that, he ‘did’ have a Facebook account, ages ago – when he got his ‘first’ email address in Google-Mail, where he had used it, to set-up his FB account, and shared ‘cute’ cats and dogs’ videos with his friends and cousins, back then.

“I was 9 or 10 back then… and might have joined a closed-group or two back then – I can’t remember, it’s a long-long time ago.”

“So… you ‘did’ join the closed-group?”

“I’m ‘not’ active on FB since I was involved in the car-crash – I don’t even remember my FB password now…”

“Do you know Daniel Bennett and Charles Ross?”

“No… who are they?”

“They are ‘blokes’ your Mom arrested, along with Kirk Kiperman – they were the animal activists, who freed those monkeys from the cages that night?”

“So, ‘WHAT’ ABOUT them?”

“They were members ‘too’ of the same Facebook closed-group that you are in – and they too joined the ‘group’ in the same year too.”

“So…? Are you going to ask the ‘rest’ of the 2000 odd-member of the Group, if they knew who this-Bennett and Ross were?”

“Wished I could – but this FB-Group had long-been pulled down, for the radical comments exchanged by the members… which were anti-animals-in-zoos of nature.”

Paul stared… at him in blur-silence.

“Let’s come back to the night at the zoo, Paul – it was raining – you took shelter in Primate World, where you said cages were open – now, let’s talk about ‘how’ this Capuchin monkey that was strung up in the tree?”

“That what I said to the police officer… that I couldn’t have climbed the tree, as a cripple.”

“So, either Bennett or Ross had hung the monkey?”

“I don’t know ‘who’ hung that monkey up there.”

Looking back at his notebook writings…

“That monkey had bite-marks on it – probably a dog – was it the Hero-dog? Err, Piper, is that the name of Jane’s dog?”

“I don’t know about that – and-yes… Piper is the name of Jane’s guide-dog.”

“The police-officer arrested you in the Bobono-confinement… ‘where’ you entered the cage with the dead monkey

“There were other monkeys ‘too’ in that cage when I went in – and there was this big-old gorilla...”

It was when Paul had hidden his folded wheelchair in the Bobono enclosure, and flew over, to his ‘rescue-Samuel-mission’ – and when he returned back later to get his chair, he was surprised to see every primate were ‘celebrating’ the dead Capuchin-monkey, strung-up high in a tree – which even puzzled him today as he had ‘no’ knowledge… that the ‘missing-links’ were celebrating the ‘death’ of the evil-Popobawa.

His principle looked shaken, as he spoke…

“Paul, did you enter a cage with a zoo-gorilla? Didn’t you think of your ‘own’ safety, that you might endanger yourself”

Paul was quiet… but he ‘could’ had responded…

‘No-Principle Harris, but I was cautious when the silverback gorilla approached me – if it was hostile, I would zap it with my electro-blast, as I have superpowers as the Cursed-trio. If you don’t believe me – let me demonstrate electrocuting this dick-Dickson here as target-practice. And, another-thing Sir, the gorilla was friendly and kind – it even gave me a loving hug…’

Paul’s reverie-bubble was burst… by another of Dickson’s blunt questions…

“Since the zoo case, your twin Peter and Jane Wilson have been a media sensation – but you were lowkey – how come…?

“I’m ‘not’ like them… well I’m a cripple, aren’t I ‘not,’ and – I can’t play tennis, for squat…”

“Back-then before your accident, you ‘did’ manage Peter’s YouTube channel account… since he won the school-junior championship?”

“Yes, I did – but after we both were crippled from the crash – we did ‘not’ do much in that social media platform… and let it slide.”

“You had your-friends to video-shoot the match Peter played in their cellphones cameras – and you edit then… and put up on YouTube, was that so…?”

Paul nodded a-yes… and, Dickson played a tennis video clip FROM YOUTUBE, AND PAUSED – and turned the laptop towards Paul… and pointed at the screen…

“Do you know ‘who’ are these 2 among the crowd?”

Paul shook his head-no…

“It’s Daniel Bennett and Charles Ross – did you invite them over to the clay-court, that afternoon, Paul?”

The accusation appalled Paul…

“What…? No! I don’t even know them!”

“Do you know their phone number – where I could contact them?”

“What?”

Paul was totally-flabbergasted.

“Can I have your-phone, Paul…?”

“No, you may ‘not’ – it's personal…”

He glanced over to the good-cop-Harris… and the principle too looked-back at him in suspicion – Paul then handed over his iPhone to the agent. Dickson checked all 58 of Paul’s contact-list against his info in his written notebook – and did ‘not’ find a match.

“Did you have it ‘memorized’ in your head… so that you don’t have to store ‘that’ number into your phone?”

Paul was appalled again, of the accusation – Principle Harris then spoke…

“Please, be truthful Paul – you are the ‘son’ of a police-inspector of Perth.”

The mention of his mother brought tears in his eyes… as he sob-and-watched Agent Dickson who used his hard-drive to clone the all-content of Paul’s phone, for the counter-terrorist RECORD DATABASE OF the ‘culprits’ of criminal-minded youths – who were causing anarchy in Perth in recent years.

He was then excused from the Principal’s office – and went to the library – but Jane had already left home.

-O-

“’ Not’ you chatty-self today, Paul – everything alright, mate?” Asked Gary Morrison.

“Failed my Math test.” Lied Paul.

“No worries… I used to flunk-my Math too, back then in school…” Said Gary, as he made a right on the road.

… ’Across the Universe’– by the Beatles – sang-sad, in the car-stereo…

‘… Jai Guru Deva, Om… Nothing’s Gonna Change my World…’

Paul was quiet… as he mulled over the CTU inquire-session just now – contrasting with the bigger-picture which he had to deal-with, where he had ‘bigger’ fish to fry – when big-bad ASMODEUS CAME to town…

The Nissan Almera came to the Walkers’ front gate when they both saw a drone flying away from the lawn, after making its delivery – of the one-armed Peter – who they-both saw, entering the main door in-a-hurry inside.

“… just-look-at-that… the wonders of 5G technology, making home-deliveries… who would have thought of that? Soon it would replace ‘me,’ Paul – and you will be travelling by a self-automated Uber-car, when you are in high school.”

“Nah-Gary… I won’t replace you, cos’ you’re my 6G.”

Paul said… as he paid his Uber fare, before saying his byes.

<><>

IT WAS LATE THURSDAY-NIGHT, AND THANK GOD – that Shelley finally ‘convinced’ her son to go to bed and sleep...

After insisting on watching The Jungle Book for the 2000th-time, where she had refused him and had even threatened him – that she will ‘sell-away’ the television-set if he was still a ‘bad and naughty’ boy…

… and, it ‘would’ work for the day, as-like a Jack-in-the-box… Samuel would spring-up, his ‘stubborn’ head tomorrow.

He pulled a ‘major’ fuss with tantrums that Friday-morning, during when she was going to work at the clinic, when Samuel took his swimming trunk to her and insist that, they went to the country club's pool…

“Now! Now! Now! you promised, Mummy – we go now!”

It was because Shelley had ‘mistakenly’ promised that he would go swimming ‘tomorrow’ – when it was still-now-Friday.

She managed to convince him that his sister – had gone to school, and tomorrow ‘Saturday,’ she had her tennis lesson – and he could go swimming then.

It used to be cute-for-laughs when he was little – and he had only a few ‘words’ to express his frustration – but these days when his vocabulary had expanded, mainly by using his mother’s ‘own-words’ like a parrot…

… and Samuel had grown to be a handful with his demands and also his stubbornness…

… like his B-sister…

When the other time, when Shelley ‘ordered’ him to switch off the TV and go to bed, his loud-response was…

“Wait! No, Popobawa coming! Mummy, Jane sleeping, you-go… sleeping-too upstairs!”

She attributed his stubbornness to Anthony, her husband – who too never listened to her, and grew-a mind to set his ‘own’ business, and invested a big-chunk of their ‘golden-age’ savings – and since then… he was long-gone away from the family, into his ‘own’ world.

Shelley had decided to wear the ‘big-pant’ from now – on to pay the mortgages, loans and what ‘not’ – to keep her existing-family from falling apart. It needed her huge commitment and discipline to pull through at this ‘phase’ that she was in…

… especially disciplining of both of her children.

The mother was relieved that she ‘only’ had to deal with the adopted-son, from now on – and ‘not’ his sister, or both – as she had been noticing that Jane had ‘mellowed’ down, since Alicia’s attack, and with her in a coma.

Since then, Jane seldom argued with her and was responsible too. Maybe, it was a sign she was maturing to womanhood…

… ‘mentally…’

… but it used to be, A FLAT-NO TO EVERYTHING-back then…

… when she was rebellious and wanted to go to school on her ‘own’ via the public transport by HERSELF, WITH THE BAD-influence of her former AI SIMY who had ‘encouraged’ her, to high-risk taking for a blind girl. She too was stubborn like Anthony-before… who let his ‘daughter’ get away with his permission – if Shelley had ‘not’ intervened, Jane would still be wearing shorts instead of dresses…

… but, she now finally ‘listened’… and even waited at the library … to be picked-up, from school after her clinic-work.

Shelley Wilson thought she had ‘lost’ Jane when she found her first love…

… with that one-armed Walker-brat when they paraded themselves as ‘Perth Famous Couple’ – and soon became a media-sensation of the Perth scene, where young girl-fans of Jane and even grown-up women had emulated her hairstyle signature of 3 dreadlocks on one side of her face – some dark-haired girls even-dyed their hair blond… and the talks had gone a long-time debate on Instagram of what-and-which shampoo that Jane used… to give a brief-glow-glint ‘shine’ in the ‘video’ of her hair – when she played tennis in the arvo-sun.

Now the huge-buzz of the PFC fans was – of the ‘big-rematch’ of the viral video, where Jane and Peter beat Douglas-Zoe – that ‘was’ happening in 2 days from now, on Monday. When Shelley asked her B-girl on ‘how’ she felt-of-the-rematch – Jane was unfrazzled by it. The mother saw her studying hard instead, with her AI Boyyo-assist…

… and Jane told her-off that her studies in the finals came first to her…

… and ‘not’ tennis…

Shelley’s Facebook friends had left some-comments – and asked how Jane’s preparations on the up-coming match were – and frankly… Shelley had ‘none’ to reply-comment. So, the mother DECIDED TO ‘CAMPAIGN’ FOR her to her ‘not’ at-all-bothered daughter – and, she took the SHS photo which Jane recently had taken…. and selected the group mixed-double photo, where Peter was holding his racquet against Douglas, like a sword duel – with the girls standing by their side posing.

Although Shelley did ‘not’ like the photo, because Jane had a ‘shocked’ facial-expression – where the mother doesn’t know that – the one-armed brat had ‘touched’ Jane’s shoulder… at the last-second, with his stump-arm when the photo was taken.

For the ‘good’ and well-behaved daughter – Shelley Wilson wanted to ‘reward’ her B-girl…

The mother had digitally written ‘PFC-Rematch’ and the date and time @Stamford High ON MONDAY – and posted it on her FB timeline, with hashtag training at 9 AM #MayorJohnBlake #CountryClub. She went to Facebook’s crypto-Libra… and paid to promote her post – for 2 days to get all-the-buzz, it could attract in the next 2 days.

That’s all she can do for her now – and wished she could do more, if only Jane had been bloody ‘committed.’ She hoped Samuel would be ‘more’ serious when he went to school in later years, and join the swim team, where she would campaign for him too… when his-time comes…

Her 2 children were her main focus as a ‘single’ parent – and, she would give everything to them, for a good comfortable life, and be safely-protected under her care – since, Samuel’s abduction lately at the zoo…

… where she-even had PURCHASED A GLOCK handgun – to protect her family with the perpetrator Hajji… who was still at large in the Greater Perth.

<><>

MAGGIE WONG HAD WONDERED OFF FROM HER SAFE-ZONE, in her dream world. The blind-girl ‘astral-travelled’ as she…

… was crossing a lonely soccer field, at dawn to go to Kuan-Cheng High School. Her blind-senses heard sprinting pounds on the grass, with terrifying growls chasing behind her.

It was always the case when the tween faced occasionally – when she went to school, with the 2 stray dogs cornering her, and barking angry – because, OF HER BLIND-cane – which the canines felt, it was a ‘weapon’ of threat.

That was only when she was in the ‘conscious-world’ where, she would angrily wave her cane, and loudly cuss in Hokkien at the 2 yellow-dogs…

… but in the dream-world – it was vicious and large-beast of Fu-dogs.

-O-

The Red-demon was guiding the Apollo portal-cube across the Indian Ocean, from Perth to Malaysia… which shared the same time-hours, where mortals rise-and-slept at the same time, in both regions.

Leeu looked annoyed at Mercury – who had ‘taken-charge’ and was hurrying Venus… who was on the control-helm of the Apollo portal, to get the trio faster to the foreign-destination… into the South East-Asia.

“Stop hurrying her, you ugly-demon – she is going fast enough…!”

“Shut-up you-African stray-cat – we are ‘not’ going on a leisure ride, you fool – we are going to hunt for Fu-dogs, and those creatures are mighty-fast, even-for a lame-assed, lazy lion like you!”

Venus the Beauty, who was the driver… shouted at the 2 warring demons at the backseat…

“Shut-up and behave both of you – you are both ‘worst’ than young-mortal brats!”

-O-

Piper and Kitty slept in King Park that night, after their failed-hunt of the criminal Hajji, who gave them the slip, with the use of his voodoo-spell to deflect them-off. In the grass, Piper’s pleasant dream of fathering Kitty’s pups soon ended up…

… with dark nightmares.

The pregnant Kitty was awoken by Piper’s deep growling in his sleep. The grey-Alsatian sprung-up to his feet, with glowing red-eyes… and his feral aggression frightened his mate. She saw Piper bolting away into the dark landscape – and she was too frightened to follow.

Piper ran fast into the night. He had to reach in time, as the gap would close for the portal to crossover – where Maggie Wong was in danger… at the other side…

… where he was the blind girl's GUARDIAN-SPIRIT, AS THE Silverback-Werewolf.

-O-

The red-dawn skies of Kuala Lumpur city broke open… with the Cube of Apollo knifed into the atmosphere, pinpointing straight to the danger site. The comet-fast cube triangulated into the soccer field, and from afar…

… the trio spotted the blind-tween alone-defending herself, with 2 the hulking beasts…

… circling their prey, and were ready to pounce.

Mercury exclaimed with gastronomic excitement…

“Oh-My-Sweet-Dog! they have grown into like hippo-fat… since I last saw them, as the Old-man’s guard door-dogs, of his Treasury Department!”

They grew large of the size of 5 adult-sized St. Bernard, since the last time he saw them in the realm of Shanghai-Hell dynasties ago – that was when Mercury was the bodyguard to Old-man Asmodeus back then…

… when the envoy from the Underworld made a business trip to altered-universe China. It was where the master-gambler All-Father won the wager, against the Mayor sea demon-god Qian-liyant at a high-stake game of Mah-jongg…

… and won his personal-breed of fighting Fu-dogs.

Upon returning home to the Underworld, Asmodeus made the Fu-dogs – as his treasury stone-steps guard-dogs, with each of the beasts on one-side, as he was inspired from another trip-visit earlier…

… to the-other Bank Bridge in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“Bah! They are just ‘mere’ dogs – I will skewer ’em both!”

Leo said… and he rushed out first with his double edged-spear when the cube’s door opened.

“Cautious there, you fool – they are ‘not’ just dogs!”

… Mercury shouted from behind to the dashing man-Lion – who sped into the offence, in his wild cat-like speed. The blind-Maggie too ran away forward…

The Fu-dogs were a hybreed of reptile-dog species – their flaps open from behind their ears like Cobras, where they spat streams of venom-lava, to paralyze the victim … before physically attack their prey.

Leo avoided the projectile-poison by somersaulting aside, to see… the green patches of soccer-field grass, burning-brown like an acid-attack. Behind him, the running Red-demon with his flaming sword looked above at ‘something’ odd happening, above the dawning skies…

Lo’ and Behold…

… Mercury saw another portal opening in the clouds, and entered a leaping Werewolf down into the field, and grabbing the blind-girl and rushing her to her safety. From the side, the one-armed Mercury hacked the male-dog with his sword – but, the canine hybrid’s hides were hard-scaled. In retaliation… the gigantic dog lunged to bite, with its fanged large mouth, and his flaming sword… struck its snout.

The bitch-dog was continuously squirting venom at the defensive Leo… who was in agile-defensive leaps and using his spear to the ground, jaunting-away, from being hit-wet. Mercury then felt a solid-kick landing on his back, and he fell hard to the ground…

… and saw the Wolf-man crying down at him…

“Mercury, I warned you to stay away from Maggie Wong!”

‘Why-you bloody Man-dog…! We are ‘not’ here for the girl – but for the hell-hounds!”

The peeved Red-demon shouted back, – before he sprung up to his feet…

The grey werewolf then leapt on the charging male dog's back, and sank his claws, into the Fu-dogs throat. The huge dog bronco-high to swat-off the intruder from its back. Rushing-in, Mercury stabbed the dog in its belly, that hurt the beast.

Leo too leapt high, at the bitch-dog – and stabbing its head with his long-spear. It shrugged off the Man-Lion, who fell at the field… and the charging beast rushed forward… and bit on his arm and trashing him around like a rag-doll.

The werewolf too fell on the ground, and the hell-beast came forward to maul him. Dodging, the Wolf-man ran away from the jaw of death. Mercury ran after the chasing monstrous Male-beast from the rear, and hacked its hind leg… and dropping it with a thud.

The silverback-wolf saw a window of opportunity, to escape from danger – by grabbing the nightmare-stricken Maggie and taking her back to safety in her dream-world.

That left the 2 demons battling both the vicious dogs.

The bitch-dog chewed onto Leo’s arm, and the crunching sound of bones was heard, with the Man-lion screaming in pain. In the ground, he used his spear-tip and stabbed the dog’s left eye – it let go of his limb… and it too yelped in agony.

The one-armed demon ran up to the male-dog which was recovering from its hurting hind leg. Using his burning sword and rubbing it at the thick fur of the animal where the friction, made the Fu-dog into a flaming-torched beast.

The one-armed Mercury stood alone, witnessing the semi-blinded she-dog running away and escaping its getaway, in an opening portal. Followed by its limping mate, which was burning bright flames… and it too disappeared into the closing void.

The horned Red-demon walked up to the injured Leeu… who laid sprawled on the field, in dying-pain…

“You are ‘not’ good hunter for an African-god, aren’t you-Leeu…? Hah! What were you arrogantly thinking, when you charged out blindly – at a-predator of the unknown – now look at you…!!?”

The dying lion looked up at the Red-demon, gasping weakly out…

“Shut-up… Merc, no lessons… come, mercy-kill… me, please… Don’t want Venus to see me… like this coz… will break… her heart…”

The Man-lion DOESN’T HAVE THE SELF-HEALING superpowers powers, like the one-armed Red-demon – but the wild-cat CAN BE REINCARNATED, AS HE had 9-lives – and had lived ‘again’ into his 5th… since his last-death…

“No-can-do…! You ‘OWN’ YOUR OWN DEATH, you fool – come now, Venus is waiting – she might have a-way-to heal you.”

The one-armed Mercury heaved and placed the bleeding giant-demon on his shoulder… and walked away to the Cube of Apollo. Before passing out, Leeu whispered…

“Merc… promise me… take good care… protect her… for me…”

The Red-demon did ‘not’ respond… as he kept walking, bearing the load.

He knocked at the closed force-field entrance, of the cube – the praying and meditating Venus came – and was traumatised when she saw her mate… fatally injured and dying. Mercury dropped the Man-lion, on the couch with his-woman crying.

The Red-demon spoke to Venus, speaking in their mother-tongue…

“Don’t cry – he’s ‘not’ dead-yet… heal him – and, I’m leaving now…”

“What…? You are leaving – where to…?”

“I’m continuing the HUNT FOR THE FU-DOGS, they will be in that Dark-tower by-now, at the eastern desert.”

“But Mercury, those vicious beasts might kill you…”

“I will take my chances because of duty-calls – that I must prevent the Old-man from walking on earth, and cause more destruction and miseries for the mortal-denizens.”

Venus the Beauty, nodded and said softly…

“May the God Apollo walk with you…”

“No… I prefer walking alone…”

“Well, may my-prayers be with you then…”

“Bah! Prayers…? What use are those – can it win my-battles and wars by reciting wishful thinking…don’t think so, as a fallen-god…?”

Mercury scoffed and left alone – while the Cube of Apollo…

… soared away into the atmosphere.

<><>

PETER WAS IN A KITE-HIGH STATE – AND WAS FINALLY IN-FOCUSED. He was in a spending mood and bought his needed prescription opioid, in eBay from a dealer in Perth – who sent his delivery by drone.

Although it was expensive – but, who bloody-cares, he needed the perk-up badly – to stay focused on the ‘conspiracy’ build-up surrounding the rematch on Monday. And, it’s also safer to deliver his cache by drone, when his rivalling twin-Paul had found out of his earlier UPS manual-delivery…

… and told ‘their’ secret cabal – that he was on-drugs.

.., his main concern was HIS INSPECTOR-MOTHER, to ‘not’ be suspicious of his altered-behaviour – that was why he played ‘2-faces’ when at home and at school, with his ‘good’ behaviour – so to get into his mom’s good-books, which was similar to Santa’s good list.

‘Janey is training at the rival camp – would she sabotage and back-stab me on Monday?’

He mulled over and over of his ex-GIRLFRIEND’S LOYALTY…

But he needed this play-off, and whether the PFC won or ‘lost,’ it doesn’t matter – Peter concluded – because it will be a stepping-stone to his ‘original-plan’ of competing in the more prestigious Boys’ category when his ‘ban’ would be lifted next school term…

… and when his robotic-arm would be ready-and-delivered, in-time by Kimura Star Corp – to be on his straight-road… towards his stardom-birth-right.

Peter picked up his iPhone, and called Jason Lang…

He was impressed with his ‘minion’ who was a hardworking PFC’s brand ambassador, who had done a good job for the branding and managing, with his viral-video – of blind-girl playing tennis with her one-armed coach, which had now had more than a-mil viewership globally in the channel – which had also brought monetary ‘benefits,’ for Jason Lang, from YouTube… that in-return – would skyrocket Peter’s chances in ‘benefits’ of endorsements and sponsorships, in his old-road… to the Australian Tennis Academy, in Sydney.

But Jason responded… at the other end of the call, sounding ‘down.’ He was denied to have a spot, in the first 6, in the school’s selection of the basketball team’s competition next year. Being an ambitious sportsman too, Jason was frustrated that Coach Jonah was holding him ‘back’… as a reserve-player for 2 years.

The ‘pissed-off’ one-armed tween ‘emphasized’ with his fellow senior-schoolmate…

“That Bloody-Coach Jonah should be fired a Head-coach, by Principle Harris, but – that’s ‘not’ happening because Harris too doesn’t care much about sports anyways, and more-bloody into-the shitty-academics!”

Jason replied…

“Yea-yea, I agree. Next year’s sports season is coming soon – and the ‘both’ of them are ‘not’ paying any bloody-attention – whereas, you and I should be bloody-playing tennis and basketball next year, ‘not’ held-back…heating our bum-arse in the seat, as reserves.”

Peter was heated-up as he was denied having a seat in the Boys’ category, in the photo-day – where he was ‘ordered’ to stand behind, the Top-3, as reserves. He further bad-mouthed…

“The culprit here is the bloody-pain-and thorn-in-the-arse Coach-Jonah, who is the trouble-maker here! He is practising favouritism… in this school and is unfairly side-lining those he ‘hated,’ that is discrimination for handicap sportsmen – whom he looks-at us upon-as a freak-circus-show… his ‘very own’ words… And-what is ‘our’ stupid-principle doing about it…? Nothing!

“Harris is ‘not’ fit for his job too since he became a widower… and having some sort of mid-life crisis or-what… and now have more free time in hand – and what he does? He is now more interested in playing his new-sidekick-role, as a pseudo-sleuth with that Dick-CTU agent –solving Stamford High’s phone-bombing case – come-on, but that is old-bloody-news – what he wants? A medal from his bestie-clobber, that useless and sleazy Mayor…?

“… with the bloody Harris over here, and bloody-Coach Jonah over there, are ‘our’ 2 obstacles – they ‘both’ should be sacked on the same day, that is now!”

After bitch-venting ‘their’ airs-of-frustrations, the opioids made Peter ‘more’ focused, at the task-at-hand – which was Monday’s PFC-Rematch…

“Look at the bright-side, Jace – we-go where the money-pot is, at the end of Monday’s rainbow. Forget those-old school Harris and Jonah – they can both go-and-die… as they can’t understand nor comprehend the shit-we-do as Rock-stars to be ‘relevant’… because, those are beyond the scope of their limited-sandbox-minds, while-pigeon-holed by their pathetic salaried pay-checks!

“So-Jace, let put our brilliant minds together, and come up with a winning strategy – and I say first, we need the TV-MEDIA ON BOARD, to cover this PFC-Rematch, although you might say ‘what – this is just a mere school qualifier, Pete?’ and I will answer you, ‘look-Jace, look at the boom of viewership of the YT-viral-video got after the Mayor’s Cup, where anyone who watched that-live telecast had-gone-out of their going ‘curiosity’ – had gone on later and followed-up, back to our viral-video, as they are rooted for ‘their’ beloved blind-girl playing tennis, with her AI Boyyo.

“Yes, although we lost at the Mayor’s Piss-Cup due to our inexperience – but the fans don’t care, and they were forgiving-and-still loyally support the PFC brand.

“It’s simple as that – our blind-school IS THE ‘STAR’ HERE – and whatever she ‘does’ the loyal fans ‘would’ watch and support because these ‘Perthians’ are love-crazy about her sensational ‘ability’ – and that is good for our branding. Since I will be on the court with her, Jace – this is where you come in…

“… you are the PFC brand Influencer, who is the go-to-guy for the fans of Jane Wilson – where you create the necessary buzz in all social media – and from a-Mil, we will easily hit another-Mil-half viewers globally after MONDAY – THAT’S OUR goal, provided the TV-stations turns up, mate?”

-O-

Peter made a big mistake last time in the Mayor’s Cup where he gave a TV interview dissing the Aussie ex-international, in the pre-match – where they had ‘not’ aired, because it was offensive – where he mistakenly treated TV interviews as a dog-and-pony show – but this time around… with a lesson learned – he would get into the media’s good-books too.

<><>

THE AURA OF THE BLIND TWEEN CRAWLING aimlessly into the irreversible-coma of Alicia Wong’s subconscious-mind. Her cursed-scar on her upper-forehead lit up, like a coal miner's lamp – as she trod on her fours, on the uneven path, of folded grey-matter – and since Alicia was a smart-academically, THE ‘MULTIPLE-FOLDS’ were irregular and unbalanced-trenches – narrow-passages, to cross.

“Ali! Ali! – Alicia… are you there?”

All the response Blind-one got, was the silence of mindfulness, of a distant pin-drop echoes-vibration, that heightened the SENSE-OF-HOPELESSNESS of her in the own-blind-world. She lost the sense of time, being trapped in this claustrophobic ‘place’ – where her 3rd-eye ‘too’ was blind… in the unfamiliar terrain.

Blind-Jane was crawling on a steep-terrain and was panting to breathe when the air was getting thinner – she soon gave-up hope and her body ‘refused’ to move further, as she herself was slipping back…

… into her ‘own’ consciousness… of deep-sleep…

But at the last-let-go, she HEARD A FAINT-dog bark…

‘Piper…?’

The tired-aura began to crawl again. The barks were getting louder in the dark crawlspace, and Jane was breathing-even harder, to get to the ‘peak’ of the mind-folds of her BFF. She managed and reached the ‘top’ – and a gush of air blew on her sweaty face…

… she crept to the direction of the on-coming air blowing – and the dog bark was finally distinct loud. The blind-girl whispered, in fatigue…

“Piper…”

“Jane, I’m here – don’t go to ‘sleep!’”

… Jane nodded at the instruction… and she made a final-crawl until she came to a narrow and small window-gap – her barking dog, was at the other end of the opening, encouraging her…

“You can do it, Jane – just crawl out!”

The tired-aura pushed herself… in the last effort further, to squeeze herself into the gap.

“It’s just a shortfall, you can do it, Jane!”

The blind-girl dropped down 3 meters and landed on a soft springy-surface – where it was like her King Living Queen-sized mattress, at home.

The excited big-dog Piper came forward… jumping and licked her face… and with the delighted Jane hugging him tightly.

“Hey Piper, my loving talking-dog…”

“Jane-Jane, SIMY-DOG SENT me, to fetch you.”

… Jane stood up and felt was ground-surface was like when she stood on her home mattress, which was bouncy, she took out her walking-cane from her backpack to balance-herself.

“Where is SIMY?”

“It is waiting for you AT ‘OTHER-SIDE’ – let me guide you there.”

The bind-girl and her guide-dog walked, in the dark.

“Piper… how is Kitty?”

“You mean my wife? Hehe, I’m going to be a father soon...” Said Piper, with more tail-wags.

Blind-Jane went down on her knee… and hugged him again…

“Congratulation, my handsome-boy, I’m so happy for you.”

‘Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you so much...”

Jane and her dog start to walk.

“Kitty has been my loyal companion, she there always by-me – especially when I’m frightened with nightmares – crossing into scary-worlds...”

“Where ‘was’ SIMY then…?”

“She ‘not’ there-always, in my head – she goes away, tending HER ‘OWN’ PUP. When-when sometimes – it’s terrifying when Wolf-man ‘comes’ – and I fight Popobawa.”

After a brief thought, blind-Jane spoke…

“Samuel also mentions ‘Popobawa...’”

“Samuel-Samuel, my good-pup – Jane, do send him my love...”

… Jane patted his head, and the dog was wagging his tail. They walked to the end of the passage.

“Jane, the door is here.”

… Piper stood on his hind-legs, pushed the door with his fore-paws for his Blind-Master – and the GATEWAY TO THE UNDERWORLD ajar.

“Please be careful on the other side, Jane – Popobawa is there...”

… Jane’s aura crossed-over…