The Archfornicator of Canterbury

59 No sleep 'til Hospodar

The bus ride back to Hospodar was as uneventful as the one he'd taken out of there a few days earlier. Jack tried to get some sleep, but his mouth felt like someone had exploded a stick of dynamite in it. He'd already swallowed all the painkillers Dr Mulqvist had given him, with negligible results.

Finally, the ride was over and the bus rolled into a bay at the Hospodar bus station. Jack jumped off and looked for a pay phone. He spotted one on the far end of the station building. Jack hoped Og would be home. Then he realised he hadn't asked Og for his phone number. He also didn't know his real name. Jack didn't think he'd be listed under "OG" in the phone book. Then he remembered what Og had said about the postcard. Sure enough, there he was listed as "OG'S PLUMBING".

Jack called the phone number given for Og's Plumbing. The phone rang.

"Og's Plumbing. And what can I do for your pipes today."

"aaakkk eerree"

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch your name."

"aakkkk."

"Jack is that you."

"eeaaa"

"Where are you Jack. What happened to you."

"oohhooaaarrr."

"How did you get to Zanzibar so fast. Oh. You're back in Hospodar."

"eeaaa"

"Are you at the bus station."

"eeaa"

"Sit tight Jack. I'll be there in just a moment."

"eeaaa"

Jack replaced the receiver and sat down on a nearby bench. It didn't take long before he saw the unmistakable shape of Og's Studebaker. Og rolled the window down and looked at Jack with disbelief.

"It is you Jack. I must say I wasn't exactly sure. You sounded a bit weird on the phone."

Jack pointed at his missing tooth.

"ooohhh"

"I see. No wonder your diction is a bit off. Let's head back to the base. You could probably use a bit of rest. Things aren't exactly going your way are they."

Jack shook his head in agreement. Og lifted his foot from the clutch and the Studebaker was on the road once more.

The Archfornicator of Canterbury by Olli-Pekka Rinta-Koski
is licensed under a
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

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