original story 14 - the chinese expedition

by bofa xesjum

i wish i was young again, jerry the joker thought despondently. jerry was standing on the shore of the atlantic ocean, looking out at a raging storm, and wishing he was young and strong enough to swim to europe or africa, he had been scheduled to travel to paris with the chinese expedition, which had failed to conquer america, but he had overslept - something he was prone to - and had missed the boat.l he was getting wetter by the minute. and wished he had someone to tell his troubles to. as if in response to his wish, a figure emerged from the shadows of the breakwater behind him. it was a young woman of breathtaking beauty but somewhat shabby appearance named eleanor castaway. eleanor was a reporter for the metropolitan prole, a left leaning newspaper and website which was what it was and had the audience that it had.. eleanor had been assigned by bud craw, the cigar chewing city desk editor of the prole, to interview the departing chinese expeditioners, but had been caught in a flash flood out on the outskirts of town, and, like jerry, had missed the boat. who are you? eleanor asked jerry, getting right down to business. i was called jerry the joker, jerry replied unselfconsciously, but now that i have been left behind by a jury of my peers, i am in the market for a new name and identity. do you think you can help me out? no, eleanor replied promptly. helping people out is not what i am about. i thought as much, jerry replied, given your breathtaking beauty which must cause you to be constantly pestered and importuned by complete strangers, but i thought i would ask. can you lend me ten dollars for a cup of coffee? if you have any information about the chinese expedition, i will buy you a cup of coffee, how about that? jerry was not a nice person or sympathetic person, but he had a modest ability to manipulate people in small ways. i like your style, begraggled as you may be from the effects of this raging storm. could you throw in a cheese danish? why not?’ i just happen to know where the best cheese danish in the metropolis can be found. follow me.