| A Dream Within a Dream! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Nine |
Jennifer scoffed, "Feelings? Don't flatter yourself! Here you are at it again, kidnapping! Honestly...I heard all about the first time that you nabbed Cathy! A man who would kidnap a wonderful person like Cathy, and try to kill her, must be heartless! Thank God Vinny saved her in time! You should be ashamed of yourself! I think that you should see a therapist!"
Paracelsus was finding Jennifer's repartee quite amusing! He then in a mock seriousness inquired, "Have you one you would like to recommend?"
Jennifer replied sarcastically, "Yes as a matter of fact I do! Do you get into Queens very often?"
Paracelsus approached the cage and as he looked at Jennifer, he shook his head in wonder and reflectively said, "Queens...Queens, I loved Queens when I was a boy...I lived with my elderly Foster parents there for a period of time, Mr. And Mrs. Applebee."
Jennifer nodded and with a sympathizing tone said, "It sounds like you still think of them fondly."
Paracelsus, smiled only slightly as he remembered, "Oh indeed yes I do. They kept me for as long as they could, but they were older, and had failing health. I lived with them for eight months until they sent me back to the orphanage, they had been the only parents I really ever had... and I..."
Paracelsus stopped, a moment and cleared his throat, and Jennifer prodded him onward with encouraging words, as she asked, "Don't stop Par-a-seltzer, go on...you were sent back to the orphanage, and then what? Weren't you ever adopted?"
Paracelsus sadly said, "No, I was much older than the other children...and people always wanted the infants, or the toddlers...not a homely older child such as I."
To which Jennifer softly said, "But those circumstances had no reflection on who you were as a child. You probably were not homely, it's just the way it is. Many adoptive parents, not all, but there are some who want a younger child, so they have a chance to teach and raise them from the start. You should not have taken that personally."
Paracelsus dreamily said, "That was a long time ago, and I had nearly forgotten about my life with the Applebee's in Queens."
Jennifer excitedly reminisced, "My Auntie, who used to live in Ridgewood, worked for the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society off of Flushing Ave, and she used to..."
Paracelsus interrupted Jennifer as he in astonishment said, "My Foster parents lived in Middle Village, just NE of Ridgewood! What a lovely place for a child to grow up in... Oh yes, I attended P.S. 49, on 79-15 Penelope Ave."
Jennifer squealed, "Get out of here! Really? So did my Uncle Fester! Hmm, I always loved the name of that street! I swore if I ever had a little girl, I would name her Penelope!"
Jennifer chuckled to herself as she thought back on Auntie Flora and Uncle Fester.
Jacob and Catherine looked on mesmerized, as Jennifer had managed to touch an old memory, and had showed them a different side to Paracelsus.
Suddenly, Paracelsus realized he was giving away personal information, which may reveal something vulnerable about his psyche.
He then raised his finger, and pointed it at Jennifer as if she had been a naughty girl. And with a chuckle, said, "Ah, ah, ah, ah...you nearly got me! You are getting me off the task at hand! However...that will not happen again! Quit asking me so many questions!"
Jennifer innocently said, "See, that is your problem, you cannot open up! What are you so afraid of?"
To which Paracelsus angrily said, "I said stop asking me so many questions!"
He then turned on his heels and walked out of the cavern to collect his thoughts.
Catherine worriedly said to Jennifer, "Jen, I told you to let Father handle this. We don't know Paracelsus like Father does."
Thoughtfully, Jacob gently corrected Catherine as he said, "Catherine, I do believe Jennifer may hold the key to opening his diabolical heart! In all the years I knew him, I never knew he had grown up in an orphanage. Never once had he spoken about it."
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Meanwhile the rescue team being lead by Mouse was nearing Paracelsus's lair where he was holding Jacob, Catherine and Jennifer as prisoners.
As they all sat momentarily to rest, Vincent continued on for about a quarter mile. He wanted to scout ahead to make certain none of the drones were lying in wait for them.
Ronald decided after-the-fact to go with Vincent too, and caught up with him just as Vincent was nearing a corner, where a trap had been set for him. Paracelsus had it built and designed to collapse for only a person of Vincent's immense size.
Vincent suddenly felt the ground begin to crumble beneath his feet! He tried to grab hold of the edge of the hole, but he lost his grip!
Ronald quickly slung his belt out for Vincent to grab, and with all the power he could muster, he pulled him up out of the cavernous hole to safety!
The two men sat looking at one another, heaving huge deep gulping breaths, as the realization set in, Vincent could have just been killed!
As they caught their breath, they also began to grasp the fact, they had just won this first battle against Paracelsus!
They both began to nervously laugh, as Vincent then said, "Ronald, I am thankful you were behind me."
Vincent passed his canteen to Ronald offering it to him to take the first drink, and then took a drink from it himself before he lightheartedly said, "Yes our daily workouts have proven to have paid off! You exhibited great strength my Friend!"
Ronald declared, "I believe the Good Lord was at my side helping too Vincent. I don't know where that burst of strength came from, enabling me to pull you up like that, but I am sure glad I found it from somewhere!"
Vincent placed his hand on Ronald's back and said, "There are no words..."
Ronald smiled and said, "I only knew, I didn't want to lose my dearest friend...not yet anyway, not to mention Catherine would have been furious with me!"
Vincent knew Ronald was trying to make light of the situation, but turning serious, Vincent told him, "You are hiding your concern for Jennifer quite well. I know what you are feeling."
Ronald looked over at Vincent and said dreamily, "This whole thing has opened my eyes. I have realized Jennifer means a lot to me, I am still trying to figure it all out. All I can say is I don't want the chance of finding out, to be stolen away."
Ronald lowered his head, and as a tear fell to the stone floor, emotionally he said, "Vincent, I have to tell you...if we don't get there in time, well, I don't think that I can live with another loss, another, failure. They are depending on us to save them. We cannot let them down."
Vincent nodded and stood as he said, "We are nearly there Ronald, and we will get there in time."
The two stood and assessed the remaining passageway, and they could see if they clung closely to the wall, they should be able to still pass here without taking a timely detour.
As the other's caught up with them and heard what had happened to Vincent, it served to only make them all more determined to go on and put an end to Paracelsus's evil deeds.
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Meanwhile, Catherine helped Jacob, as he needed to lose a few layers of his clothing. It was like an inferno down there with the huge debris fires burning and the numerous torches blazing.
Catherine and Jennifer also removed what they could to cool down, and then they tried to speculate what could be in store next for them. It was then they heard Vincent call out from the ledge above them. As the three of them thankfully looked up, He heaved a relieved sigh, as he could see they all seemed fine!
They quietly lowered ropes through the cage, and Vincent jumped down atop of it, to pull the bars open.
One by one they pulled them up to the upper level, starting with Jacob, as the girls were needed to help boost him up since he had limited upper body strength.
Catherine then insisted Jennifer be the next one to go, and she was then pulled up safely to the level above.
Ronald stood and looked at Jennifer for a moment before he said, "I am so glad you are all right Jenny...so glad."
Jennifer with great confidence said, "Ronny, I knew you would help find us."
Ronny smiled and said, "Ah Jenny, I couldn't stay behind. I had to come."
Jennifer smiled and simply said, "Somehow I knew it Ronny, I just knew."
By the time it was Catherine's turn Paracelsus's army of drones descended upon them.
Vincent yelled to Ronald, Mouse, Pascal, and Jamie to go on ahead, he ordered them to take Father and Jennifer back home to safety.
Ronald and Pascal looked to one another, and knew they could not leave Vincent. They instructed Mouse and Jamie to lead Father and Jennifer on to safe ground.
Just as the remaining rescue party rounded the corner, Ronald and Pascal returned to join Vincent.
Vincent looked up and when he saw his friends returning to help him save Catherine, it was one of his proudest moments.
It was now the three of them against Paracelsus's army of brainless muscle!
The drones were all over, and they first took Pascal and tied him up. Although he was immobile, he was still able to yell! So from his vantage point, he could see a couple of drones coming up behind Ronald!
With Pascal's help, Ronald was forewarned, and was then able to flip one of the guys over his shoulder! The other guy however over took Ronald, and soon he too was tied up and unable to help Vincent.
As the drones climbed up on the cage, they prepared to take on the ultimate, they then did battle with Vincent.
Vincent had fought a fierce battle, but there were just too many of them, they had him out numbered by ten to one, and he was unable to fend them off.
After they overpowered him, they held him down, and were able to give him an injection. The syringe contained a drug Paracelsus had prepared especially for him. It was a drug designed to heighten the beast side of Vincent's nature, and they then put him in the cage with Catherine. Now Paracelsus had what he had always wanted...Vincent under his influence.
Soon the drones had all dissipated carrying Pascal and Ronald with them, leaving Vincent and Catherine all alone.
As Mouse, Jamie, Jennifer, and Jacob stopped in a small cave, they put a plan into place.
It was decided that Mouse would go back to the cavern to see what was going on, and they would remain there and wait, until he came back with his report.
Jennifer in an insistent manner said, "I know Mouse should go Pops, but you must let me go too. Catherine is like a sister to me! I can't just sit here! If I could somehow talk to Pair-a-seltzers, I really believe I could help! In an odd way, I think he likes me."
Jacob agreed and said, "Yes Jennifer, John does seem to like you. I say we must all go back together to aid them."
As they heard the army coming, they remained silent in their safely hidden crevasse.
They quietly watched as the drones walked by them in a single file back to their dungeon like chamber-dorm, and they then watched in horror as they saw them drop Pascal and Ronald all tied up, off to the side of the pathway!
They anxiously waited until they were sure that the drones were gone, before they could run out and check on Ronald and Pascal. Luckily they were fine, only restrained.
This time it was Jennifer who said, "Oh Ronny, I am so happy you and Pascal are not hurt! It looked like you two were dead!"
Pascal and Ronald looked to one another and Pascal said, "I thought that was to be the outcome, but thankfully since we played opossum, they just dumped us off."
As Mouse, Jamie and Jennifer quickly untied them they were then ready for another attempt at a rescue. The rescue team, fully intact once again doubled back to the cavern to rescue Vincent and Catherine.
To be continued
Chapter Ten
