Martoons

Cast of characters

Dame

Miss No

*

Dame’s Scoop     

Miss No’s office right after Dame’s ‘hearing’ for Fred had collapsed.

Dame quickly collected himself and moved ahead to other matters – like having his last solitary smoke.

He fumbled around in his pocket for the pack.

Over at the window, he inserted the cigarette in his lips and grasped for the pull string on the blind, yet the breeze was blowing it around and he couldn’t grab it.

“Come here you little bastard…”

The hearing had sapped every last joule of his energy.

He made a calculation in his head and realized he hadn’t slept for almost a whole day.

* Sounds like Dame needs to rest and get some sleep! *

Now, his bubble had been burst and it was back to reality – and that was that wherever Miss No had gone, she’d likely be returning to her office soon.

She’d go ballistic if she caught him smoking in here.

* Do you think she’ll catch him? *

After a quick few puffs, Dame moved away from the window but felt dizzy.

Whether from the cigarette’s noxious chemicals or pure physical exhaustion, he needed to sit down for a moment.

He quickly nestled himself into the swivel chair behind the desk. Something was bumping up against his shins.

By wheeling the chair back slightly he could bend over and rummage around beneath the desk.

He spotted a box, about the size of a grocery store fruit carton.

“Aha! Qu’est ce que c’est?”

He slid it out slightly and nosily fished through it, all the while taking quick glances at the door. The cheesy Dear Leader portraits.

Huh? Why on earth would the owner of a respectable business keep stuff like this on hand?

Must be for something really important because this is South Korea, and this kind of stuff is illegal.

Then the wine bottle. Grasping it by the neck, he slid it out carefully and perused the fat, irregularly-sized green glass product:

“Manufactured in the People’s Democratic Republic of North Korea.”

He snickered. Ha! If that place is democratic, then I’m the one and only Jesus H. Christ! 

Further admiring the bottle, he liked the idea that maybe Miss No took a little shot once and a while.

He imagined her sitting here in her palace plotting her next move and stealing a hit.

Hiccup!

The thought fizzled. “Naw,” he muttered. “Wicked witch probably doesn’t even touch the stuff.  Too bad for her – and everyone else.

“She could use a good stiff drink once in a while. Might loosen her up…” He shook his head and then felt a cold chill reverberate down his spine.

“Why does all this stuff look like it’s for a séance or something similarly sinister?”

As he carefully slid the bottle back in the box, a toilet flushed in the adjacent washroom.

A few seconds later, high heels pitter-pattered around, a sink tap ran, and some paper towels were pulled out.

“Oh shit!” Dame exclaimed. “Her Highness is in the can…”

He slid the box back under the desk, fled the chair, and scurried over to the door. It was too late though – the high heels were almost there.

He was trapped. All he could resort to was the old hide-behind-the-door trick.

When No entered he’d dart out behind her into the hallway and hopefully be unnoticed.

Yet the high heel clicking had stopped – still in the hallway, right outside the office door.

Had she detected him? She said something. Dame froze, stricken with terror.

She talking to me? How could she know I’m here?

Someone else was coming up the stairs.

Dame stood fast, waiting, listening.

He abandoned his quick escape plan and instead glanced around the darkened room, which his eyes had now adjusted to.

In front of No’s desk was the low glass table with the couches on either side; one was over near the wall so he slithered down behind it and concealed himself.

Getting out might be a bit of a pain but he’d worry about that later.

The second set of footsteps stopped outside the office.

Miss No’s voice: “Comrade Go, welcome back from your mission.”

* What is Damion about to overhear/witness? *

*

Tomorrow: Miss No conducts a debriefing.