Part XVII:
As a response was not forthcoming, I could sense the man becoming slightly uneasy and unsure whether to pull his hand back, or once again move it up and down. As is said in many circles, fait accompli! Without him really being aware, I had quickly garnered the upper hand in our exchange, no pun intended.
“So, what brings you wandering these parts at such an odd hour?” I asked the man. “My name is JoJo.”
As I continued to study the man’s facial expression, he seemed rather sunken. He responded back meekly, “I am McKinley. Unfortunately, my mission here is a grave one. I am in search of a lost child. The parents have sent my friend and me here on a mission to bring back their daughter. She has been missing for almost six months now. I don’t suppose you have seen any children wandering around here?”
I, as well as most others, would consider it completely indecent to cover one’s own indecent motives with a blanket of charity, but as I came to learn, this is exactly what was being done. “A lost child,” I remarked, “Now that is a terrible situation, indeed. There is a great deal of dangerous wildlife around here. I can’t imagine how a child would get along alone.”
My heart went out to the two strangers, so I offered them my company. They quickly obliged and set their things down. I grabbed some fresh wood to get the fire, which had worn down to just a few orange embers, going again.
To be continued…
