Martoons

Cast of characters

Mr Go

Taxi driver

Miss No

*

Two and a half hours away by cab and nearing Chinju, that last unsettling radio news story was still echoing through Go’s head – the one about the Seoul billionaire’s kid disappearing.

“Kidnapping…” He shook his head. “Kidnapping … Aigo!”

Then his hand phone rang but only once – the incoming call was aborted. An amber light went on in Go’s mind.

Within seconds it rang again – two rings this time and then it ceased.

Go got a chill down his spine; his eyes widened while his neck and shoulders stiffened.

* What’s happening to him? *

What he suspected was unfolding had happened all too often before.

A sense of horror emanating from his subconscious seemed to discharge into his bloodstream and his whole body tightened up.

Military prison camp imagery flashed through his embattled mind – watchtowers, concertina wire atop his cinder block walls and, finally, standing in front of him ominously … Comrade No.

Yet the image didn’t fully take hold and washed out after a second or two. 

The cabby glanced over and saw a noticeable change in his customer. Strange smells entered the cab. “Did you light a candle, Mr Customer?”

He looked over but his patron was sitting frozen, staring rigidly ahead. Cabby chuckled nervously.

“For some bizarre reason I detect a scent of paraffin in the interior of this vehicle. I guess it’s the just the stale tobacco smell in here.”

“I really should give this vehicle a thorough cleaning and stick an air freshener in here.”

* What could be emanating that scent? *

Go cut cabby’s babble short with a slow-motion wave-off. Go’s phone rang for its critical third set of rings.

With glazed eyes, the now half-civilian, half-soldier uttered in a slow, robotic voice. “Kidnapping … kidnapping.” These were his last conscious words.

Cabby did a double take. “What the…? Mr Customer, are you okay?”

Sweat beads popped out on Go’s temples. At ring two and a half, his mind fully switched to its pre-programmed mode.

Sitting catatonically, Comrade Go popped open his phone and stated in a dull tone, “I pledge allegiance…to the Dear Leader of our Peoples’ Republic of North Korea.”

Cabby was befuddled and shrugged. Out of courtesy for his customer – and so he could eavesdrop on this bizarreness – he turned down the radio’s classical music and then focused on his driving.

Despite Go’s recent discovery via Dame’s disclosure that Miss No had been brainwashing him, his current state of extreme fatigue had temporarily suspended his defences.

“…Hello? Comrade No?” Comrade Go response was reflexive; he was presently only dimly aware of what he was saying and on auto-pilot.

“Where are you?” Comrade No asked authoritatively, assuming – somewhat prematurely – that she was already firmly in control of Go’s mind and liking the deliciously evil feeling of it.

Comrade Go was undulating in and out of hypnosis for a split second, like a sine wave. “Kidnapping…” he muttered again.

“Huh?” Comrade No squinted. There was some interference on the line and she was getting frustrated with Go’s gibberish.

“Hello? Hello? Comrade Go? What are you talking about? Please explain more clearly…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Why … did … you … mention … kidnapping?”

A bewildered Go paused; said nothing; wanted to hang-up but couldn’t bring himself to do so; had to follow orders; had to answer this question.

All the questions.

* Is Go about to reveal his plan to Miss No? *

For her part, Comrade No sensed she might lose him very soon and had better make use of her last few seconds of mind control.

“Comrade Go – I ask you again – where are you?”

“In a taxi.”

“Where where where? What place are you near?”

“On the way to … Chinju,” he said defensively.

“Why did you leave the motel and beach so early this morning?”

* Will he tell her? *

*

Tomorrow: Go brings himself out of his stupor… but what did he say while still in its midst?