When Time Became Immobilized

Jake Simmons was an amateur magician as well as a petty con man, but these would just be a minor footnote to what he would pull off in his notorious side career.  Due to his fascination with time, Jake would find a way to forever bend the boundaries of the fourth dimension.  Using his talent for manipulation, Jake would find the eternal secret on how to stop time and in the process use his new found power for his own edification as Dr. Faustus did in his deal with the devil.  There have been others who have tinkered with such power, but it was Jake who found the lever  that controlled the carousel.  

“Step right up.  Three balls for shilling. C’mon mate, show us whacha got.” Even his long face could not conceal his boredom with his midway concession. Nearing forty years old, he had grown tired of the constant travel.  His face had become a roadmap of the places he had been over time.  His assistant Marty Mudham was a pimply faced kid of barely twenty who saw this as a ticket out of the slums of London.  Marty took one of the balls and knocked over a stack of tin cans as if there was nothing to it, but Jake had weighted the cans his customers would be aiming at.

If only time could stop even for a few seconds and reveal what the immediate future would hold.  He was tired of waiting for fortune to find him, because it was becoming painfully obvious that fortune was not interested in finding him. Marty on the other had talked about his “bird” that was waiting for him back home.  

Waiting?  Really?  People don’t wait.  If anyone knew that, it was him. His life had become a checkerboard of possibilities and disappointments.  

After closing his concession, Jake would go to his trailer and run a hot game of poker where he could clear a cool amount since his cards were marked in such a subtle way.  Rubes just wanted you to take their money and Jake was more than happy to oblige.  

He had once been a sleight of hand magician, but alcohol had been his downfall.  It was the ball and chain he had been shackled to and even now the sweet taste of the whiskey soothed him like mother’s milk with a nip here and and nip there to help him off to sleep.  

Reduced to a concession barker had been a serious blow to his ego, Mr. Bailey was generous keeping him on at all since his reputation was always in question.  

“Are ya gonna close up, Marty?” He asked as he took a hit on his flask.

“Sure thing, Mr. Simmons.” He nodded.  Jake hated the boy calling him mister since that was what he called his late father, but time always seemed to remind him what a failure he had become.  There had come a time when he could no longer change course in his pathetic life and he had to be content with where he was headed.

Mildred Stommy was a witch of a woman who read tarot cards, ouija boards, and tea leaves in her ten of the occult.  Her beak of a nose and her missing eye made her a relic of a human being, but there were things she knew and did that intrigued Jake.  

“You want me to read your palm?” She asked, reaching out her bony arms.

“No thanks.” He shook his head.

“You have to believe in magic, eh?” She cackled.

“Magic is for suckers.” He scowled.

“There are things from Heaven and Hell that connect to this world.” She shrugged still wearing her turban with the crescent moon affixed to the purple fabric. 

“I’d like to believe that, I would.” He laughed.

“Say whacha will, Jakey, but you have seen the cord.” She put her hand over his on the table.  He abruptly pulled his hand away.

“Ain’t no cord.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You used to be part of the circle.” She tsked. 

“It’s all a ruse.” He waved his hand at her.

“There was a time when you believed.” She reminded him.

“Yeah…but I was a fool for it.” He put his chin on both of his fists.

“Believe.” She whispered and it blew over him like a gentle breeze. 

“Believing is for fools.” He sighed.

"Don't be so negative." Her hands fished in the collar of her robe and pulled out a small timepiece which she showed him.

"By deal, love." He shrugged, unimpressed.

"This piece was made by my grandfather who was an alchemist." She held the ticking Piece in her fingers.  it was barely bigger than a shilling. "He dabbled in the dark arts and this was his masterpiece."

"So?" He shrugged again.

"In the gears and wheels, he could stop.time with this." She put the piece back in her collar.

"You are daft." He shook his large shaggy head.

"Non Believers are why the possibility of magic falls short." She held the gold locket that contained the piece. Putting between her skeletal hands, she closed her eyes as time became immobile. All motion ceased around them and in that instant any hint of one second following the next, vanished. Jake was able to move freely in the frozen world where time no longer held dominion.

"Amazing. Simply amazing." He marveled at how time had stopped like the ferris wheel to let customers on and off like he had done months ago before he got drunk and passed out letting the customers ride the wheel for over an hour.  Some of them complained vehemently which is how he wound up in concessions.

As he viewed this world without time, he knew he had to have that device for his own.  Mildred eyed him as if she knew what evil was going through his twisted head and she tucked the locket back around her neck.

The company set up their show at the seedy end of Stockton, California where most of the crowd were brown skin migrant workers wearing straw hats on their heads as they smiled and nodded as Jake barked out his usual greeting.  Marty ran around like a scat bug on fire.  

After the gates closed at midnight, the gang gathered in Colby’s tent for a hot game of Texas Hold ‘em.

“So Jake.” Barger addressed him as he shuffled the cards, “What do you think of Mildred Stommy?”

“Never gave it no mind.” He sniffed chewing on the toothpick in the corner of his mouth.  Barger knew better.  Having known Jake for almost twenty years, he knew once the old coot began chawing at his toothpick was a sign he was lying. 

“She seems to have mastered the occult.” Baines added.

“Ain’t inner-rested.” He began to deal.

“Heard some wild notions.” Barger picked up his cards and frowned which told Jake he probably had some good cards.

“Yeah, like what kind?” Jake leaned back in his folding chair.

“She’s got a direct line to Satan hisself.” Barger stroked his chin stubble.  They had been on the road for over sixty days and some of the company was beginning to feel rough.  Jake could smell Barger’s sweat from across the table. “Heard she’s got some kind of charm hanging round her neck.”

“You’d know better than me.” He chuckled, never seeing the right hook heading his way.  Making contact with his jaw, Jake was sent sprawling.

“You don’t make no insinuations.” Barger warned as Jake rubbed his swelling jaw.

It took some extra rum to finally get him to sleep at around two in the morning. 

Mr. Cayton, the owner of the show, decided to pay for train fare to get back to the east coast.  Jake hated traveling by train, but it meant he would not have to drive either.  He hated going through the mountain passes of Colorado.  The slow ascension through the rugged mountains was anguish for most of the travelers. It was not a trip for the faint hearted.  But Jake knew Jennings Cayton was an old fashioned businessman from before the Depression who had not learned the lessons of the past mistakes his father had made before ending his life with his favorite pistol.  

The night before the trip, Jake had a dream about stopping time.  In his Faustian ambition, he went to each of those frozen in place and picked their pockets.  Once he had a fistful of cash, he pressed the button and time resumed once again. 

As they traveled the Central Valley of California, he could not get that out of his mind.  His eyes would fall upon Mildred who sat there clutching her locket.  

After an hour, Jake got up and walked into the next car where there was a game just getting started.  He was surprised to see Boss and Junior McGrudder sitting there since neither of the brothers were fond of cards and they were easy marks whenever they did join.

“C’mon Jake, join us.” Boss waved his cards so Jake could see all of them.

“Alright.” 

Once again as Jake was running the large brothers out of their hard earned wages, they began to talk about Mildred since her tent was always popular and filled with customers.  In the world of carnies, being popular meant that you probably had made a deal with the devil.  

“I’ve seen that thing she has hanging round her neck.” Junior leaned over as if he was telling Jake in strict confidence. “I heard it is some kind of instrument of the devil.”

“Hush there, Junior.” Boss was irritated with his younger brother. 

“This is serious, you know.” Junior insisted.

“I don’t care.  That old woman is off her rocker.” Boss snorted. Yule McGrudder, known as Boss to the other members of the company, was one of the strongest human beings Jake had ever known.  Jake swore that he saw Boss lift a horse in his arms when the beast would not load into the trailer.  Junior was nearly as strong, but he did not have the girth his older brother did. But as Jake sat there watching them argue, an evil thought went through his mind. 

“You want us to what?” Boss was hard of hearing after spending a few years in the mines as a young man.

“We send the old woman over the mountain pass when we get to Colorado.” Jake suggested.  Junior was already smiling like a dunce.

“Why?” Boss squinted. 

“I want that locket that hangs around her neck.” Jake nodded.

“What for?” Boss shrugged.  

“That locket is magic.” Jake moved his hands apart.

“I knew it.” Junior slapped his brother on the back. 

“What does it do?” Boss asked.

“Stops time.” Jake answered.

“What do you mean, stops time?” Boss scratched his head.

“Just what I said.  Everything freezes except for the person holding the charm or the person holding the charm.” Jake looked at both brothers who appeared to be suddenly very interested. 

It took nearly a day to reach the high peaks of the Rockies in Colorado.  Since Jake had been on this train on many occasions, he knew Bolton Springs would be the place to rid the world of Mildred Storm my and remove her locket.  The train crossed a trellis that when it was above the clouds appeared as though it was a bottomless pit.  Boss could toss Mildred over the trellis where she would fall to her death.  Her lithe body would be nearly absorbed by the clouds and then he would have the power to control time.

Mildred had no idea what lay in store for her.  Unlike Jake, Mildred loved the journey cross country on the train.  It was so relaxing and the scenery was breathtaking.  

An hour from Bolton Springs, Jake checked to make sure the McGrudder brothers were in place and he was seated near Mildred.  Mr. Cayton did a walk through to make sure everyone was comfortable and no one had deserted his show as it had happened before.  

The conductor announced that the train would be passing Bolton Springs in ten minutes and it would be the highest point along the trip.  

“Mrs. Stommy.” Jake rose from his seat and walked toward her.

“Yes?” She turned just in time for him to put the chloroform soaked rag across her face.  She fell instantly asleep.

“Oh my, Mrs. Stommy has fainted.” Jake announced as he pulled the chain from her neck.  “Good, you are here.” 

He appeared relieved when the McGrudder brothers appeared to help her from her seat.

“Where shall I put her?” Boss asked as he lifted her easily from her seat.

“In the sleeper so she can lie down.” Jake sounded so empathetic as Boss carried her through the car and through the door.

The cold air blasted the trio once the door opened. Blowing snow stung their exposed skin.

“Now.” Jake ordered, but Boss hesitated a second.  Looking over the edge through the blinding snowstorm, there seemed to be no end to the fall Mildred Stommy was about to take.

“C’mon.” Jake jabbed the big man’s arm.  He growled just as he let her go.  As she began her fall, she regained consciousness.  Realizing that she was now in a free fall, she began to scream.  Her scream echoed for several seconds until all was silent again.  Rushing into the car she had just been taken from, Jake announced in pure panic, “Oh my God, Mrs. Stommy has fallen from the train!”

The half dozing passengers gasped when they realized what had just taken place.

“It is no use.” Jake sobbed letting alligator tears soak his cheeks. “She was taken into the gorge by a fierce wind.” 

Mr. Cayton questioned Jake and the brothers at length concluding that this was indeed an unfortunate accident.  Jake left Mr. Cayton’s cabin with Boss and Junior.  As they got near the car where the rest of the troupe was seated, he pulled out the pistol.

“What are you gonna do with that Mr. Simmons?” Boss asked just as he fired the pistol leaving a red dot in the middle of the big man’s forehead.  When Junior turned, Jake gave him the same treatment.  Both fell from the train assuring Jake there would be no witnesses to the murder of the old lady.

He got back to the car.  Nothing had changed.  The two dozen passengers were nodding off as Jake removed the locket from his coat pocket quite content with the results.  With a twirl of the knob, time became immobilized.

Laughing he got up and walked to each of the passengers.  Removing the money from their wallets and purses, Jake figured he had about five hundred dollars total.  Not a bad take for a few minutes work, but then with time immobilized, who would really know?  He put the cash into his jacket pocket.  Holding up the locket, he pushed the knob.  Nothing happened. He twisted it the other way, but received the same results.  Then it hit him like a lightning bolt.  She had never shown him how to start time again.  The only person who knew how to start time again was lying somewhere at the bottom of a ravine and would soon be dinner for the creatures of the wilderness. 

Thoughts raced through his head and none of them were encouraging.  while time had become immobilized,he had not.  All the money in his coat pocket was worthless without motion.  Time had ceased and with it, he had become trapped in his own coffin. In his frantic attempt to start time moving forward once again, he dropped the charm and when it hit the floor it shattered into countless pieces, never to be reassembled again.

He cursed. No one would hear his harsh words as he ran his fingers through the pieces of wreckage.  

Life would no longer be worth living if he was doomed to reside in this world where time would remain immobile.

Removing his pistol, he put the barrel to his head.  Better to face eternity this way than to be forever frozen in time.  He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.  An object put in motion, needs time to stay in motion.  

Without time, nothing will move.  

With no alternative left, He ran to the door, opened it and jumped from the train. He would let gravity take control, but once again without time forces like gravity were null and void.  He saw the gorge beneath his feet that would remain there for an eternity until someone was able to restore time once again.