In a world where curses and amulets and mythical creatures exist, rules of engagement must be modified by necessity. Jack spent his sleeping hours wandering aimlessly in a dreamscape of his own construction fighting a faceless adversary in a hazy fog of slumber.
The next morning Jack drove to the designated point of attack, accompanied by Chitto and Maska, and he parked the Caddy with trailer in-tow on the summit of two converging canyons and Chitto and Maska opened up the trailer to release the horses and saddle them up for the trip.
“Hmm, Looks like some rain coming over the northern hills.” Jack remarked with concern in his voice. “Guess it comes with job,” he added.
Following instructions from Chitto and Maska, Jack rode up into the mountains navigating the winding roads overlooking the deep canyons both beautiful and foreboding. The view was spoiled by the rain and of course the mission too. There is no good day for killing giants and Jack felt that. A beautiful morning would be marred by the task and a bleak morning was all the more bleak because of it.
The wind and rain increased and visibility was poor. Raindrops pelted his skin like pesky insects bent on further testing his resolve. Just the kind of conditions one doesn't want when navigating down into the canyon and into the belly of the beast. The twists and turns on perilously narrow ledges passing around striated rock and stone eventually led to the cave opening wherein the Giant dwelled. Several yards away the large orifice in the canyon wall came into view.
“The monster spends its time sleeping then eating. It normally does not venture far from the cave where it lives except for hunting food.”
“Tito, I gotta give mad props to your mom for making this trip when she did. This ain't no cakewalk. This is some kind of treacherous terrain for anybody to tackle."
All three secured their weapons strapping them to their backs and saddlebags and then mounting their horses. Jack stopped and held the reins tightly as he sensed Banjo was nervous. “You feeling okay, fella? Do you see something...” But Jack wasn’t prepared for the reaction to come.
Banjo, Poncho and Cisco all became restless, sensing danger. Chitto and Maska quickly dismounted from their horses while Jack remained on his. Suddenly out of the sheets of rain and mist emerged a colossal figure that stared down at the three intruders and gave out a growl as powerful and as loud as a mastodon on a rampage.
The horses suddenly reared up and whinnied nervously, startled by the immense creature and this sent Jack sprawling backwards off Banjo and onto the muddied ledge.
“It’s him Jack. The Maccapitew!” Chitto warned.
“We need to take cover around this next bend.” Maska added. “ Go now before it sees us.!”
Jack was somewhat dazed by the sudden unexpected appearance of the thing that he had come to kill ,but at this precise moment he was initially in awe of the size of it.
“Holy shit Marco. Did you see the size of that thing? Why ... it’s got to be 30 feet tall!
No way man!” Jack exclaimed as he ran following Chitto and Maska around the bend.
“Wait we must go back for the horses” Maska pleaded. “ I will calm them so they don’t give us away.”
“No,” Chitto insisted. “It’s too late. Its already seen us and them. We should lay low till it passes.”
“ Man, did you see the hammer that thing was swinging.” Jack replied dumbfounded.
“Hammer? We do not understand.” Maska answered.
“You know , it’s junk . Geez, would it kill him to wear some boxers? Way to make a guy feel inadequate. Chitto and Maska, let me just say, I’m not the kind of guy that talks about somebody else’s mother but honestly your mom really dropped the ball on this one. She really screwed up dudes! It would have been so simple just to bash it on the head and bury it when it was toddler size. Now it’s like a Godzilla problem.!”
Chitto responded quietly. “No offense to you Jack but Godzilla was way bigger than the Maccapitew. Most estimates say Godzilla was anywhere between 160 feet to 330 feet tall, and always bigger than King Kong.”
"Excuse me," Maska interrupted. " Actually more recent versions of King Kong and Godzilla show them both at about 393 feet so that their battles between one another would appear more evenly matched."
Chitto responded annoyed. " Oh really? I missed that. Thanks for bringing me up to date."
Jack replied. “ First off, how do you even know that? And secondly, what is your point? Bottom line, this thing would have been a lot easier to kill when it was only 3 feet long.”
Chitto answered impatiently. “ Criticizing our mother serves no purpose now. You forget this mission was prophesied by the Great Spirit. Must we again remind you who you are? Maybe you would prefer to travel back in time and fix this there. Surely your Caddy can do that ,Jack Dangerfield. However you choose to fix this, Maska and I will follow you.”
“ No, Dangerfield doesn’t use a machine to...wait a minute, first of all , you said it was maybe 10 feet tall, but this guy.....He's gotta be at least 30 feet tall. You lied to me, man. You left out important information... stuff I needed to know. We have to go back and re-group. Think, is there anything else? I mean does he breathe fire or shoot lightning bolts out of his ass?” Jack queried
"Hmm, well we did mention the cannibalism, right?" Chitto answered.
" Yeah, I guess if you're a cannibal the double set of teeth would come in handy. Thanks for that."
"Hey, that thing just swallowed Cisco and Poncho." Maska lamented. “And Banjo...his sacrifice was equally significant."
"Yes, yes of course Banjo too" Jack said in an apologetic way. “We shared a short ride but it was meaningful for the both of us. Besides we don't know if he ate them, they could be alright. Don't assume the worst." Jack responded with little effort to hide his sarcasm.
Jack began pacing back and forth in his usual problem solving mode. " Okay, its obvious to me that I have grossly underestimated the situation that we are dealing with here. What we need is a carefully thought out plan of attack... there's no room for error."
Chitto paused thoughtfully and suggested. "Earlier you said something about some nut sacks you brought with us in your time machine. I thought that was part of your plan."
Jack seemed a little embarrassed. " Yeah, about that...my original plan involved scorpions in nut sacks and a catapult. But time is short...how long would it take to wrangle 6,000 venomous scorpions in 20 nut sacks? I can tell you already...too damn long! There's got to be another way, Chango!"
"Thats Chitto, Jack." he replied in frustration. " How about this? Horse tranquilizers shot at close range. We have an ample supply in the trunk of your time machine. If we use enough of those , we might even kill it."
" Yes, yes...that might work. Tranquilizer arrows, triangulated attack to maximize the outcome. Sound thinking, Mango." Jack began to pace again.
" That's Maska, sir. And in case you forgot, there's the amulet. Ayana made sure that I brought it. Its here in my pocket."
"Say what? the amulet?" Jack said puzzled.
"Yes, ...the priceless stone... remember Chitto mentioned it in Chapter One when we first met? Sacred to our tribe? I can't believe you don't remember that." Maska declared.
Jack stood silent for a moment processing the new information and then spoke.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. You two find the horses, then gather up the weapons and put them all in the trunk. Give me the amulet and anything else you may have in your saddlebags and ..."
"Put it in the trunk?" Chitto chimed in.
"Exactly. Right now, I'm taking you guys back to the compound."
"What?" they declared in disbelief.
"No arguments. I never should have involved you. This is my fight. My destiny," Jack stated emphatically. "Load up the trailer. I'm dropping you off and coming back alone."
"Don't get me wrong Jack, that was a nice speech...was that from Star Wars? Chitto inquired. “No matter. Maska and I didn't ride out here all this way just to sit in the car. Destiny withstanding, you need us. Both of us are good with a bow, a gun or a knife if need be. Let's pack up what we need and get to it. maybe we can be home for dinner."
Jack knew he was right but still he didn't want Chitto and Maska to be hurt in the process.
" You realize that if either of you two get hurt or killed, Ayana would never forgive me and frankly I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. This is my fight but I do see your point and besides, somebody's got to tell me what to do with this amulet thing."
Maska spoke up." Ayana just said to give it to you and guard it with your life. She said you would know what to do with it when the time came."
"Does it give me special powers...super strength...Anything like that?"
"It is a sapphire stone given to Ayana several years ago by a stranger who entrusted it to our sister for safe keeping. He stayed with Ayana for a time and they grew very close." Maska explained. "He used to say this one thing all the time, "Character is Destiny."
"Oh, wait a minute." Jack interjected." The owner of the guitar in her studio...that’s the guy?"
"Yes.. and its funny in a way. He was much like you but a little older...and probably wiser too.." Maska replied. "But anyway, Ayana says it is a key that will unlock a great mystery for you. That’s all she told me."
"Really...your sister gives me way too much credit." Jack admitted." And it also sounds like she knows more than she's telling."
"Well, Jack you're supposed to be the Enkoodabaoo. ." Chitto argued. "We should run with that."
"Yes, yes...thanks for reminding me. Okay, lets get our gear from the caddy and don't forget to unhitch the trailer in the process. We may need to make a fast escape. I just hope this rain lets up soon."
The rain subsided after an hour or two finally allowing the trio of giant killers to descend into the lair of their king size prey carrying all the gear they anticipated they would need for discovery and capture. Although the rain had ceased, the earlier deluge had left the rocky terrain slippery and treacherous. As they approached the entrance of the cave Jack couldn't ignore the noxious odor emanating from the entrance as they moved closer.
"Wow, do all caves smell this bad?" Jack questioned.
Chitto spoke up." No, actually most caves have a nice earthy pleasant-smelling air supply, but this one here is a bat cave. It isn't the bats themselves that smell bad though, it's the tons of bat shit on the cave floor. The good news is that the bats nest near the opening so it won't be so bad once we get inside,"
“I think it would be smarter to make him come to us.” Jack said smiling.” Smoke, courtesy of my local army surplus store. America is a great place to live.” And with that Jack hurled three canisters deep into the cave opening.and watched the smoky fog disperse. “ Now we wait!” Jack declared confidently. Maska and Chitto had no choice but to agree to sit and wait now.
But the expectation was premature because the Giant in question emerged immediately in an agitated state and marched boldly past them apparently unaware that they lie in wait.
"Oh shit, change of plans . Maska, Chitto, Lets triangulate and follow ...I'll give the signal when to shoot when it stops and we're all in position. Maska you take the ankle. Chitto you take the hip and I'll target the neck. Let's hit it. I think its spotted the Caddy. We take it down before it destroys everything.
The three moved quickly but the slippery rocks were a hindrance. Jack marveled at how agile the two brothers were as they navigated swiftly to the plateau where Jack's Caddy was parked. They took strategic positions and waited for Jack to catch up. As he struggled to make it, he thought back to Ayana's words, "destiny...its all about destiny." he told himself. "but how?"
Previously in Jack's life, he had spent many hours trying to rebound from ill-conceived plans when things didn't go his way but despite his prior misgivings about taking on a giant, today, with the help of Maska and Chitto, everything would finally play out in his favor. Once in place, Jack gave the order to shoot and miraculously everyone hit their mark and the giant went down with incredible ease like a drunk on a Saturday night. Jack seemed stunned for a moment as Maska and Chitto gathered round to survey their victory. "Thats it? We're done? That was too easy. We have to make sure he stays down. He may not be dead.” Jack said.
The three secured the giant to the winch on the Caddy and Jack placed a large stone onto the gas pedal, steered the car toward the canyon precipice and started the engine. With one final look at his prized sweet ride, Jack slipped it into gear and watched as the Caddy and its cargo careened over the cliff in a long suicide dive into the river. The giant woke up briefly in midair before finally plunging to his death below. The deed was done.
“That was a great idea ,Jack.” Chitto declared,”but how do we get home now?”
Jack paused momentarily realizing the consequence of his hasty decision.
“Hmmm, good point. I can't believe I didn't think that through. Where’s Maska, we’ve got to find those horses.”
Fortunately Poncho, Cisco and Banjo weren’t lost, the horses were alive and well, and so Jack, Maska and Chitto set out for the compound to relate the outcome of their hunt to Ayana. But before leaving Jack made his way into the cave alone to try and piece together the significance of the amulet.
After several minutes Jack re-appeared at the entrance of the cave, with his lantern in one hand and the sapphire amulet in the other, having finished his investigation and subsequently having his eyes opened wide to the truth. It was more than he had ever hoped for. He realized now that the quest was not ,and never had been, about the giant.
It was more… much, much more.
The following morning Jack and Ayana set out on horseback to re-visit the cave. The rain had moved on from the day before and on this day the sun was shining brightly as if giving its approval for all that had occurred. Jack and Ayana rode side by side in a slow gait down into the canyon and toward the cave entrance, Jack on Banjo and Ayana on Vixen navigating the perilous curves.
“You know, if I stuck to it, I might actually learn to ride Banjo as well as you ride Vixen.” Jack speculated.
“Well, I’ve been riding since I was a young girl, but if a horse likes the rider, it will go easy on him and Banjo likes you well enough from before.” Ayana answered.
“From before? You think in just the short time I’ve been here that Banjo recognizes me?”
Ayana hesitated . “Jack, there are some things we need to talk about before you leave…things that will help you understand.”
“What… about Banjo?” Jack seemed a little puzzled. “Let me stop you there Ayana, there’s a lot I need to tell you too. The Maccapitew was not the baby your mother abandoned in the cave those years ago. I saw the body wrapped in a baby’s blanket… at least what was left of it. The giant was from somewhere else … from some other place. When we get to the cave I’ll show you everything you need to know and then maybe you’ll tell me who this stranger was that you were involved with and who gave you this amulet that is so sacred to your tribe now. Maybe you can explain why it was so important to give it to me now.”
“I knew this time would come, when you realized that I had kept things from you but I had my reasons, Jack.”
“Wait, wait... everything is starting to make sense now. Your dreams, visions, the Maccapitew ... that’s what brought me here but it wasn’t about the giant, and it’s not what this whole thing is about. It was never about the Giant. I realized that when he went down so easy. That was a ruse but it was connected. It was the cave or should I say, what was in the cave. Did you know what was in there?”
Ayana lowered her eyes as if shamefully having to admit something.” Yes I knew... I knew because you told me what it was… a portal, a rift, a bridge of some kind that leads to... I don't know where.”
Jack replied confused. “ What do you mean I told you… I just found out yesterday.” Jack said defensively. “ And as of right now I don't actually know that it is what you say it is.”
Ayana seemed frustrated.” Today you're going to find out that I’m telling you the truth. You ,Jack… it was you ... you came to me those years ago. The Maccapitew followed you through the rift because you had the key… the stone to open the rift. You told me that when the time was right that the amulet should be given to you... to you now, to fix what went wrong before Everything I’ve done I did because you asked me to.”
“Ayana, what you're saying is crazy. How is that even possible? And you and I were together... I mean, we had a thing? I don't mean it that way. I could easily fall in love with you Ayana but how could you love me?”
“ The only way you will ever know the answer to that is to take that step.. over the bridge into the rift. Isn't that why we’re making this trip? To say goodbye… at least for now. I know what you become Jack… more than you are today.”
Jack and Ayana arrived at the opening to the cave. They dismounted and Jack handed the reins of Banjo to Ayana. “ Ask Maska to take care of him. He's quite a change from driving a Caddy… may it rest in peace.” Jack said.
This is hard for me Jack. When we gazed at the moon that night I realized that your destiny must be fulfilled. I won't join you in the cave. Lets say our goodbyes right here.
Ayana moved closer to Jack and kissed him gently and then held him tightly as if for the last time.
“Ayana, I…” Jack whispered softly.”I have to go.”
Jack retrieved his lantern and the amulet from his saddle and walked slowly into the cave alone. He walked past the hundreds of bats hanging from above desperately trying to avoid the guano on the cavern floor until he reached the spot that was clean and clear. It was there that he once again experienced the shimmering wall of light erected before him... beautiful and mesmerizing and beckoning to him to cross over and embrace his destiny.
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