Obie

A full moon hangs over the misty swamp, shimmering moonlight casting long shadows make it an ideal place for all kinds of skullduggery. High in the branches of a gnarled tree sits a middle-aged man, dressed in black combat fatigues which cover a powerful and muscular frame. His brown hair streaked with gray and his handsome features framed by a long beard and moustache, his face creased with both intense focus and deep consternation at the situation he finds himself in. He shoulders a semi-automatic sniper rifle affixed with a suppressor and stares down a sniper scope at a derelict riverboat in the distance. On the deck stands Mr. Weems, a flabby, balding man in his early 30s dressed in a cheaply made and atrociously colored suit. Mr. Weems periodically removes his wire-rimmed glasses to clean the fog from them, waiting for his accomplice who is in the midst of a dastardly crime. Suddenly, a small motorboat chugs its way into view, the antiquated engine belching great clouds of ugly black smoke into the air. Manning the controls is Ms. Witherklau, a hideous old crone caked in too much cheap makeup and dressed in a gaudy jacket over an ancient lounge dress, she is grinning insanely. “It’s mine! All mine! I finally have the Heart of the Jade Empress!!!” Pulling up alongside the boat, she holds up an enormous green diamond the size of an orange. Realizing, the woman exited the swamp alone, the man’s eyes widen in horror and he quickly finds his first target placing Mr. Weems firmly in his crosshairs. He exhales and calmly pulls the trigger. The muffled c***k of the gunshot echoes through the swamp. Not half a second later, Mr. Weems crumbles to his knees, clutching at a hole in his throat before collapsing face first on the damp wood of the riverboat’s deck. Ms. Witherklau’s eyes are bulging in terror and shock as she races into the riverboat, “NO! You won’t take my diamond!” The man climbs down from the tree and makes his way to the riverboat, grips the railing, and hurdles the side to find himself on the deck. Secure in his footing, he unholsters his pistol and slings the rifle over his shoulder. He heads into the riverboat’s interior and Ms. Witherklau emerges from a back room, wielding a double barrel shotgun. “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” She wildly fires from the hip, emptying both barrels and missing horribly, the man grabs her and slams her against a wall before pinning her against it. The man removes a picture from his pocket and shows it to the hysterical woman. It’s a picture of a little girl, freckles, pigtails and a small gap in her teeth. She is smiling and clothed in a tattered dress. “Where’s the girl?!?” When she refuses to answer, he shakes his head, “I don’t have time for this!” He presses his pistol against her kneecap, “Where is she?” When she refuses to talk, he pulls the trigger and a powerful .50 caliber round smashes cartilage and splinters bone. Gasping in pain and agony, she tells him, “An old mineshaft… …300 yards…” She points out the door towards a stand of trees shaped like a heart, “…That way…” The man lets her drop to the ground and thumbs back the hammer on his pistol, she shakes her head, “I’m not lying…” The man nods in agreement, “I believe you…” He pulls the trigger, putting a bullet between her eyes before rushing off into the swamp to locate the little girl. As he races through the heart-shaped stand of trees, he finds what appears to be the remains of an old mineshaft. Inside he can hear the whimpering cries of a little girl. “Help me! Anyone!” The man’s voice cracks, “Oh dear god, no!” He slides headfirst into the hole but is too big to make it all the way inside. The abandoned mineshaft is filling with water and the little girl is circling around a wicked maelstrom that threatens to swallow her whole. Extending his arm, he reaches to grab her and she reaches her hand up to him, “Mister!!!” She grabs his hand and he uses all of his strength to pull her free of the deadly current. Pulling her to the surface, he collapses and she throws her arms around him crying, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” As he trudges through the swamp back to the riverboat, carrying the girl in his arms, she looks up at him and smiles. “Thanks, mister.” He looks down at her and smiles back, “Don’t mention it, and the name’s Obie, Obie Stonewall.” The girl’s eyes light up, “I remember you! Back at the orphanage, we would watch the Sensational Stonewalls Adventure Hour!” Obie’s eyes narrow, “Yeah, those cartoons were mostly nonsense, but that little boy was me.” As they return to the riverboat, Obie places the girl in the boat but suddenly her eyes well up with new tears. “That mean old Ms. Witherklau stole my teddy!” Obie glances back to the boat and then back to her. “I’ll get it, don’t move.” Reentering the derelict ship, he carefully steps over Ms. Witherklau’s body and discovered the teddy knocked under a sagging, old couch. As he moves to leave, he notices something in the old woman’s hand and pries it open to discover the massive green diamond and proceeds to stuff it in a secret compartment within the teddy bear. Rejoining the girl, he hands her the teddy bear and smiles, “Listen, this bear is very important. There is a gift in here from you to me. Promise me you won’t tell anybody about it and you won’t look inside until you’re older. Okay?” The girl nods and hugs him again, he starts the boat and they leave just in time to see the sun cresting over the distant trees.