Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:27:30 -0600
From: Pete McDonald <bajabudfan@hotmail.com>
Subject: TIME-TO-SEE-78-

TIME-TO-SEE-78

"Do you think Spirit is safe in the baggage hold?" Sean asked Kevin as
everyone tromped down the long adjustable loading boom.  The boom reached
from the terminal building to the doorway of the waiting aircraft.

"Oh, no question, Sean. The airline ships pets on all of its flights.
Spirit is just another doggie passenger to Lufthansa.." Kevin said, trying
to put Sean's mind at ease.

"When can we get him?" Sean asked.

"As soon as we pick up our suitcases in Frankfurt.  He should be in the
baggage claim area, maybe in the office there." Kevin replied.

"Oh, that's good, 'cause he'll be hungry for another bottle, I know..."
Sean said.

"Well, that will be no problem.  I think the flight is maybe 3 hours long?
And you'll be thinking about feeling hungry yourself, by then," Kevin
replied with a friendly smile, not revealing his own disconcerting,
lingering discomfort with their new travel partners...

And those travel partners followed the group at a respectable distance down
the boarding boom to the aircraft. As they reached the aircraft door Hans
turned to Keil and spoke but made his words soft enough to avoid being
heard by anyone else.

*****

"Welcome to Lufthansa," the cabin steward smiled and spoke to Kevin and
Hugo as they entered the aircraft.  "Your party will be traveling in the
first class cabin; please see the stewardess in there for assistance with
your seating."

Jilder had arrived in the first class cabin first. "Wow! look at the seats.
We got the kind that go in circles and rock too!"

Nicky was right behind, flopping into one of the chairs and setting it in
motion, "Yeah! These are cool, just like the seats we had when we came to
Ireland..."

Sean looked up at the Stewardess who said, "You may choose any seat in here
that you wish.  If you'd like a window seat, maybe you can use that one
over there," and she pointed to an empty window seat.

Murph said, "Yeah, Sean. Let's sit together.  I get the seat next to you."

Artie was a little intimidated by the whole process. He'd never flown
before.

Artie turned and walked back to Kevin and asked, "Where do we sit, Kevin?"

"Oh, Artie.  Don't worry.  You have your choice of any seat in this
area... Choose one of the big white seats. Maybe you'd like one by the
window too," Kevin replied.

Then Kevin stood facing all of the boys, "Listen up, Guys! We're going to
be guests here for our three-hour flight.  Settle down; you've flown
before; so you don't need to behave like chimpanzees on vacation...."

Jilder found that remark irresistibly funny, and he started laughing, which
infected Nicky, which infected Murph... and before long ALL the boys were
laughing.

Kevin turned in their direction and said, "Jilder?! Nicky!... Murph. Come
on, now.."

Sean sat surprisingly composed... He looked out of the window with his eyes
fixed on something down on the tarmac.

"What'cha looking at?" Kevin asked softly, leaning down close to Sean and
looking out Sean's porthole himself.

"That black Mercedes down there...Why would there be a Mercedes on the ramp
where the airplanes park?" Sean pondered.

"Good question... Humm?" Kevin commented.

As they were both looking at the car, one of its occupants got out.  He was
dressed in a grey suit very much like the suits that Keil and Hans wore.
The wind along the tarmac was quite strong and gusty, and one such gust
blew open the man's suit coat revealing a sizeable black handgun in a black
leather shoulder holster underneath.

Sean looked up at Kevin. He looked deeply into Kevin's eyes but didn't say
a word.  Kevin reached over and patted Sean on the shoulder and said
softly: "I think we'll be on our way in a few minutes... Don't worry,
Sean," reading the worry in Sean's mind...

Sean looked back out of the window just in time to see the man waving to
someone up inside of the aircraft.  Then Sean glanced over at Kevin, but
just behind Kevin, looking out another window Sean saw Keil nod to the man
down on the tarmac.  Sean realized that something was going on. "They were
NOT just going to the Heidelberg seminar early; they were traveling with
men who carried guns..." Sean thought to himself, and then he remembered,
"The people who killed my mum and daddy carry guns!"

Sean got up and walked over to where Hugo was sitting, sat down, and spoke
to him quietly, "Why are we here?"

Hugo looked up and replied with an answer that was consistent with what
Kevin had explained to everyone earlier.

"Don't FUCK with me!" Sean said completely restrained, but with fire
dancing in his eyes....  "Those men in suits have guns!  Dr. Kavanaugh's
doctors don't carry guns. What's going on?" And Sean suddenly took on the
demeanor and power of a grown man, as he glared at Hugo waiting for the
answer he had just demanded.

Hugo immediately explained to Sean what Max told them- the whole truth- how
someone was trying to find them, and that the men in suits were from
Interpol, the international police and security agency sent to protect
them.

Sean continue to glare at Hugo, his expression taut and his eyes livid with
anger. "You stupid fucker!"  He stood up.

"Sean, where are you going?" Hugo asked quickly.

"I gotta go pee." Sean said in a low monotone voice as he moved slowly,
stepping sideway, down the main aisle toward the first class cabin
restrooms at the cockpit end of the aircraft.

No one paid any attention to his heading to the restroom except Hugo, who
rose and followed along a few steps behind him, as if he too were going to
use the restroom.

The two passed Keil and Hans who had seated themselves at the forward end
of the first class cabin, just aft of the hallway off of which the forward
restrooms were situated.

Sean didn't look in their direction as he passed by.  Hugo looked at them,
smiled, and nodded politely.

When Sean reached the first restroom, which was out of Keil's and Han's
sight, he passed it deliberately, allowing Hugo to use that one.  Sean went
into the second lavatory and bolted the door.

"What the fuck can I do?" Sean thought frantically.  While he paused, there
was an immediate knock on the lavatory door.  "That HAS to be Hugo...." he
said to himself...

"Yeah?" Sean said out loud.

Hugo whispered with his mouth up very close to where the door and the
doorjamb met. "Please, Sean, let me in." he asked.

There was a click of the lavatory door lock, and the door opened inward,
toward Sean.  Hugo didn't wait for Sean to clear the doorway; he forced
himself into the tiny space quickly and closed the door behind him.

"Sean.  How do you know that these men aren't here to help us?  Your dad,
Max, said that we were to be met by men from Interpol... I have no reason
to disbelieve these men..."

"God! Hugo.  You are so naive. My REAL dad, before he was killed, told me
NEVER to trust any man who carried a gun, unless I knew his family.  These
men can be frauds, fakes, and YOU are ready to put your life in their
hands.  That's STUPID!  I'm gettin outta here, Hugo," Sean said looking up
into Hugo's eyes, again with the boldness of an equal..."

Hugo just returned the penetrating visual connection, realizing that Sean
knew more about the deceptions of these kinds of men than he could ever
dream. After a moment he spoke. "I won't try to stop you, Sean.  Here," and
Hugo pulled out his cell phone and gave it to Sean.

"Look in the directory, here...." and Hugo pointed out Jake's telephone
number in the United States, Jerome's cell phone number, Max's cell phone
number, and Kevin's cell phone number... Keep in touch.  Don't ever use
your name.  Call yourself SPIRIT! You got that? SPIRIT!"  And Hugo looked
deeply into Sean's eyes unable to give him more than the most profound
infusion of love, respect, and deep concern possible.

Hugo reached into his pocket, "Oh, and here..." he handed Sean $1,800 in US
currency, in small bills. "You may need this..."

Sean took the cell phone and the cash and looked into Hugo's eyes conveying
his surprise and innocence.

"Don't worry, Sean.  You'll make it.  When you get away, telephone our
friends, Jake & Craig, in San Diego.  Tell them you are Spirit and whatever
else you need.  They will try to help you."  And Hugo reached over and
embraced Sean.  "You're a great kid, Sean.  We all love you and look
forward to seeing you again when we're all safe and peaceful..."

"Yes, sir," Sean said choking back tears but aware of the element of time.

"I gotta go now, Hugo." And Sean opened the lavatory door carefully.  He
noticed that the bulkhead door into the aircraft from the loading boom was
still open and unattended at that moment.

That was the instant he had to move.  Sean opened the lavatory door far
enough to squeeze past, and then bolted across the aisle and out the door
in the aircraft bulkhead; Sean disappeared back up the loading boom into
the terminal...

*****

Hugo left the lavatory and made his way back to his seat in the first class
cabin where the boys were still visiting one another and keeping the cabin
in general confusion.  Sean's absence was just not that apparent with such
roaming about going on.

"Are you feeling alright, Hon?" Kevin asked when Hugo was close enough to
hear him.

"Yes. Why?" Hugo asked as he seated himself back in his chair.

"Because you took a rather long time in the restroom.  And where is Sean?
Didn't he go to the bathroom about the same time you did?"

"Yes." Hugo replied, but with no real explanations to Kevin's inquiries.

"HUGO!" Kevin said, sounding desperate!  "What's happening?"

Hugo looked into Kevin's eyes and spoke very slowly and very carefully....

*****

Just at that moment, the Steward came on the aircraft public address system
and drowned out Hugo's reply: "Good day ladies and gentlemen, Meine Dammen
und Herren... "

Hugo heard the whirring of the bulkhead door as it slammed shut and
latched.  "Sean is free and safe!" ran through Hugo's mind.

A little while later, when Hugo finally finished telling Kevin what had
transpired in the lavatory, Kevin slumped in his seat, his eyes unfocused
staring into space.

"Kev! What's wrong?" Hugo said.

"God! I failed Max. I told him that we would take care of Sean, and now we
aren't with him, AND we don't even know where he is!"

"Oh, Babe.  You didn't fail Max. We both did the right thing... I did what
the moment required. And you kept all of the boys cooperating with us. I
didn't have any idea what to do when I went into that lavatory with Sean.
I just allowed my mind to go blank and wondered what does God want me to do
to help this boy. And then it came to me: 'You are not here to stop Sean;
give him your cell phone; give him cash; tell him you love him, and explain
how to get in touch with Jake and Craig who will surely help him...' And so
that's what I did..."

Kevin put his head in his hands as the engines revved, and the aircraft
moved slowly out of its parking spot.  It lumbered out onto the taxiway
from the tarmac as the engines screamed their way through the pilot's
checkout routine.

Very shortly everyone was pressed into the backs of their seats as the
force of the engines at take-off seized everyone's bodies...

The aircraft left the earth. Its wheels folded into its belly, and the
whole fuselage rolled up on one side making a graceful turn to head out
over the North Sea.  The boys were enthralled, as they usually were, and
Artie was taking in the experience with eyes bulging out of curiosity... On
the surface, everything was perfect.

*****

Once back out in the terminal, Sean realized that he had to conceal himself
before people began looking for him.

He went over to a long row of seats and took one nearest the big glass
windows on the outer sides of the terminal.  He pulled out the cell phone
that Hugo had given him, and he idly scrolled through the names.  When he
came to Jake and Craig's names, he decided to call them, but he had no idea
what he would say...

Sean pressed the Place Call button and waited.  It took quite a while for
the call to be completed, but finally Craig answered.  "Hello.  Craig,
speaking. Can I help you?"

Sean sat speechless just looking straight ahead and listening to the empty
airwaves...

"Hello?  Hello.  This is Craig.  Who is calling?" Craig spoke again.

"Uh. This is Spirit," Sean said.

"OH!" Craig replied suddenly alarmed lest he not handle the call
properly...

"Oh! We weren't expecting your call, but we're very happy to hear from you.
Are you alright?" Craig asked.

A little voice, now very different from the bold adult-voice who took its
fate into its own hands and bolted from the departing aircraft said: "Uh!
Yes, Sir..." Sean replied.

"Where are you? Aren't you with Hugo and Kevin and the boys?" Craig asked.

"Uh! I was, but I got away.  There are men who have guns, and they can't be
trusted... I'm very afraid for my life, because my dad told Kevin that some
men are after me.  They want to kill me..." Sean said practically in tears
now.

Craig realized how intimidated this boy was and was about to go insane to
find a way to help him. "Don't you worry, Spirit! We'll be with you all the
time.  Just be very careful not to run your cell phone battery down
quickly, and you can call us whenever you want," Craig said.

"Alright, Sir." Sean said.

Clearly the boy had no plans whatsoever, at the recognition of which Craig
said, "Spirit.  If you will wait in the airport until late tonight (or if
you go off, then you come back very late tonight), Jake or I will fly there
and join you, then we'll bring you back to San Diego with us.  That way no
one will know where you are"

"Do you really think you can do that?" Sean asked, finding Craig's proposal
highly improbable...

"Well, Spirit, to tell you the truth, I have no idea, but we'll sure as
hell try!  Don't you move or get into any trouble.  Keep out of everyone's
way, especially the police..." And then Craig paused for a moment to think,
and Sean just waited not knowing what to say or do... Finally Craig
returned to the conversation: "Do you have any money, Spirit?"

"Yes, Sir.  Hugo gave me some money just before I ran away... I can eat and
keep myself safe for a few days, I think..." Sean said.

"Good," Craig said.  "Just avoid the police and watch for us. I'll be
wearing a Mad Hatter hat...."

"A what?" Sean asked.

"You know, the storybook character, The Mad Hatter.  He wore a silly
looking hat.  Well, I'll be wearing a silly looking hat, and we'll page you
in the airport.  Do you know what paging is?" Craig said.

"Yes, Sir. I know" Sean said.

"Good.  So let's hang up, and I'll call you back in about an hour to tell
you when to expect us... In the meantime, why don't you go get something to
eat and maybe buy a comic book and look like you are waiting for
someone... Does that sound okay to you, Spirit?" Craig asked, not knowing
AT ALL whether he sounded as mad as a Hatter himself, but this is what he
wanted to do: go get that boy and bring him back home to safety!

"Yes, sir.  I'll do that." Sean said, and they hung up.

After ending their conversation, Sean looked around for a cheerful place to
eat.  Not far away he spied a McDonald's Golden Arches; so he tucked his
cell phone safely in his pocket and headed in that direction.

*****

Sean had just finished his veggie burger sandwich and fruit salad-- not
forgetting that Hugo warned all the boys to eat healthy food, and french
fries and Big Macks aren't healthy.  The cell phone in his pocket jiggled
and tinkled a few bars of Maleguena.

"Hello?" Sean said, realizing from the words and picture that flashed on
the screen that this was Craig and Jake calling.

"Spirit?" Craig queried.

"Yes, Sir." Sean replied.

"I will be on Jet Blue Flight 555 departing Los Angeles at 8am; that's in
just three hours from now. It's 5am here now and 1pm where you are right
now--correct?"

"Uh? Yeah! I think... about that," Sean said.

"There's an 8-hour time difference between where you are and San Diego.
It's LATER where you are, Spirit.)

"I'll be in the air flying for ELEVEN HOURS!  That means my flight ought to
arrive at your terminal at MIDNIGHT tonight your time!  Can you hold out
that long, Spirit?" Craig asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"Where will you go after supper tonight?  The people in the air terminal
may start to notice you being around that long, and they may come up to you
and ask questions..." Craig conjectured...

"Yes, Sir," Sean listened carefully.

"I think it might be best for you to change terminals maybe once every 4
hours or so; that way you shouldn't arouse any suspicions... Think you can
do that, Spirit?" Craig asked.

"Yes, Sir." Sean said

"Okay.  Now I know I've said a lot.  Just remember that I'm on Jet Blue
Flight 555 and I'll arrive at your airport at MIDNIGHT tonight.  I'll be
wearing that stupid-looking Mad Hatter hat, and I'll have you paged.  Be
sure to be back in the international terminal before MIDNIGHT. Okay?" Craig
reiterated.

"Yes, Sir... Are you finished now?" Sean asked.

Craig laughed and said, "Yep! I know I talk too much, but I just wanted you
to know that I mean business, and I'll be there at MIDNIGHT-- Jet Blue
Flight 555-- unless the flight gets screwed up... I'll telephone you! Don't
run your phone battery down..."

"Yes, Sir." Sean replied.

"Just hold on, Buddy.  I'm going to hang-up right now, but I'll be calling
you back... Call me if you want. " and Craig closed their connection.
"Click."

Sean carefully returned his phone to his pocket, looked around the
McDonald's restaurant, and began thinking about what he could do for the
next 14 hours... "Jesus, that's a long time.... By the way, God, what do
YOU think I ought to do?"  And he stopped talking and listened.

*****

Sean went to a travel store and bought himself a little carry-on bag; so
that he looked like everyone else-- just a traveler waiting in the airport.

"No, Mama." Sean said to the cashier...  "I don't have any Irish money."

The cashier smiled and said, "I think I'd go over to the exchange window
and have a few dollars changed into Irish money.  It will cost you a little
bit, but if you're going to be in Ireland for a while, you'll need some."

"Yes, Mama.  I'll go do that now, and then I'll come back for me carry-on
bag."

"I'm not going anywhere, my boy..." she said smiling again.  "Whenever
you're ready..."

Very shortly Sean had his little bag, and he went to the magazine shop and
bought some interesting looking, shiny magazines with pictures of cool cars
on the front. Books in his bag, he then decided to take a little walk
outside of the terminal....

"Oops!" he realized. "If I go outside of this boarding area, I won't be
able to get back in without tickets...  I'd better stay put and outta
sight." So, again, he went to the end of a remote row, near the huge
windows, where he sat down to read his new magazines...

Sean looked up at one of the big clocks and noticed that just barely two
hours had passed since he spoke with Craig... "Only 12 more hours to go,"
he thought.

"Hummm?" Then it occurred to Sean that SOMEONE would need to feed the real
Spirit very soon.  "How could he get a message to Murph?  Certainly, Kevin
and Hugo would make sure that Spirit got to eat... "

But Sean was worried like any loving parent would be.  To put his mind at
ease he began to think of things he might do.

Finally Sean couldn't resist any longer.  He pulled out his cell phone and
dialed Craig again....

"Hello?" but the voice sounded different to Sean.

"Uh... Hello. Is Craig there?" he asked.

"No.  He won't be here for a while.  Who shall I say is calling?" Jake
said.

"Uh... This is Spirit, and I gotta get a message to Murph, my brother who's
riding with Hugo and Kevin on the plane."

Jake realized that he had the boy on the line... "Of course, I'm Jake.  You
can talk to me while Criag is gone."

Sean continued "Well, Spirit needs to eat. Murph has got to feed him a
bottle.  Please send Kevin an email message telling him to get Murph to
feed Spirit," Sean asked, speaking very clearly and with an edge of urgency
in his voice.

"Oh! Of course, Spirit.  I'll send an email right away.  You know that you
shouldn't telephone anybody there in Ireland, unless it's a MAJOR
EMERGENCY-- and I emphasize MAJOR, because they can trace your call and
find out where you are that way.  Just hold on... Craig's flight is due to
arrive at your location at MIDNIGHT tonight your time-- like in less than
12 hours now.... Just stay put and keep out of the way of police and
airline authorities until Craig finds you... And now, don't worry about
your message to Murph.  I'll send it off to Kevin as soon as we hang
up... DON'T YOU WORRY!" Jake was very reassuring the way he handled Sean's
concern for his dog... Jake understood.

Jake went on: "Right." I'll be here anytime you want to telephone me...
Just call ANY TIME, Spirit!"

"Thank you, Sir.  And thank you for sending the message to Murph. He'll
know exactly what to do..."

"Good boy!" Jake said.

"Alright, then, Sir.  I'll hang up and read some more of my new car
magazines... Some of those cars are awesome."

"I'm sure they are... Okay. Good-by for now, Spirit. Be Well..." and at
that moment Sean closed his cell phone and returned it to his pocket.

"Maybe things would go smoothly after all," Sean thought to himself, and he
began to relax.


*****