My writing group had a prompt suggestion to find an article published on your date of birth and tell a story using information from it. After lots of digging, I found a few articles that I thought were interesting (and a bit terrifying). I ultimately chose one with a hint of inspiration from another.
Stefan flicked the remains of his cigarette
into the shifting water at his feet as he watched the police force work further
down the port at another dock. He had been waiting for more developments since
the initial announcement on Monday that the missing boat had been
found. There were four bodies found on board, but not ones that interested him.
"Sir!" Nicolae was breathless by the time he stumbled onto the pier
and bent over, resting his hands on his thighs to recuperate.
"What did they find? I can't see anything this far away. Hurry,
hurry." He tapped his walking stick against the knotted wood planks below
him to express his urgency and Nico nodded weakly. "Two bodies. Captain
Markey and another crew member. Young guy."
"Excellent! Well, not for Charles and his men. But for us; for her! That's
everyone accounted for as far as the police are concerned so we can do our work
in peace."
"I don't mean to bring you down, but if she isn't dead in the Tug doesn't
that mean she was taken?"
The older man smacked Nico's leg with the cane
and shook it at him unsteadily. His accent thickened with his irritation at the
young man’s comment and he muttered in between words to himself. "Taken
means she is alive! Her safety is what matters. Go to Vasile's shop and collect
Anton and Cornel. You are to search the ports and buildings until she is found.
Put out word at the shops that we are looking for the illusionist’s daughter.
If she was taken, it was by someone Yuri hired and we have not gone to all this
effort to see her fall into that Russian’s hands. Da?" The younger man had
been rubbing his injured knee, but upon receiving new orders he shook it out
and backed away meekly.
***
Jake pushed the door open slowly and peered
into the small room beyond, studying the woman on the bed with interest until
she looked his way. He took a deep breath and opened the door further to slip
in with a plastic bag. "Hello again."
No response as usual.
"I brought you some food and soda. I thought I might find you some
sneakers or something, but I don't know your size." He gestured to her
bare feet and though she looked at them, she was still silent.
With a quiet sigh, Jake sat down on the bed beside her and dug through the
convenience store bag and removed a few snacks and bottled sodas. Despite her
apparent muteness, the girl seemed generally unperturbed by her bizarre
situation. He and his compatriots had commandeered the tugboat as per their
employer's instructions and he was sent into the bow of the ship, for what, he
didn’t know until it was all over. The barge being transported was loaded down
with scrap metal, but the item they were hired to get was a large crate. They
were all shocked when they removed the lid to find a woman inside the box.
That was last night and she had been sitting in this little room ever since
without speaking a single word. She looked a little older than him, maybe late
twenties or even early thirties, but she reminded him of a child through her
actions. The woman was fascinated by everything around her and while he opened
a bag of chips, she inspected a bottle with her bright doe eyes. She tilted the
bottle, turning it over to watch the liquid move and he gently corrected it.
"If you shake it, it will taste bad." He twisted off the lid and
handed it back to her, "It’s like water, but better." He tilted
another bottle to his lips in demonstration and she followed his example. She
winced, her nose wrinkling at the abrasive taste and strong flavor and he
chuckled at her surprise. "Never had it before?"
There was still no verbal response, but the answer was clearly written on her
expression. She took another drink, then another and repeated this until the
frown disappeared. It was apparent that she still wasn't a fan, but it had
certainly grown on her. He offered her the bag of chips, eating one as well and
she mimicked him again.
"So, can you not talk? It's okay if you can't, my friend's dad can't talk
either. Maybe you know sign language?" He held up three fingers and moved
them toward his lips. "That's the only one I know; water, right?"
He was getting nowhere. She was still silent and staring at him with wide eyes.
They would be delivering her to the Russian who hired them in a few days
so there was no point in getting attached. He stood and made his way to the
door, "Well, good talk. Enjoy the snack and yell 'Jake' if you need
anything." He jerked his
thumb towards himself as he spoke the name and she grew anxious as he tried to
leave.
"Jay?" He froze at the door and looked over his shoulder at the woman
who was struggling through the sounds. "Jay."
"Jake," he pointed to himself and returned to her side. "My
name's Jake."
"Jake." She pointed at her chest and he fought down a chuckle.
"No, I'm Jake." He emphasized his words by taking her hand and
redirecting her pointed finger to him. She repeated his name quietly like a
mantra, then pointed to herself in confusion.
"Do you have a name?" She looked thoughtful and he thought for a
moment that she did not, but she finally tapped her chest just above her heart.
“Irina.”
He had never heard the name before, but it was enough to tell him that her
reluctance to speak was simply because of the language barrier and before long
he had become captivated by her accent and the thought of teaching her to
communicate. There were certain words that, no matter how he emphasized them,
she always spoke them in the same way: ‘da’ for yes and ‘nu’ for no.
The evening had passed quickly and when he
finally left her, she was visibly depressed at the idea of being left alone
again, but he assured her that he would return in the morning. He walked by her
door a number of times that night and paused to listen to the quiet
conversation that she had with herself. She spoke a number of words that he
didn’t understand, but smiled each time she said his name even though he didn’t
know the context.
Monday the police announced that the boat had
been found and that the bodies of the crew were on board. Jake hadn’t realized
that his comrades had killed the men and he panicked internally at the thought
of being involved in the whole business. Theft, rather kidnapping, was by no
means justifiable, but murder was never discussed and he worried about what
would happen to Irina once she was handed over to the Russian that had hired
them.
He kept his concerns from her so as not to
incite worry, but Wednesday night he eavesdropped on his companions and
resolved to abandon the job. The remaining two bodies had been found and the
police were still clueless as to why the boat was stolen, yet nothing taken.
Yuri, their suspicious employer, would arrive to collect Irina in the morning,
but Jake would not let him take her.
He threw open her door and she beamed with
delight until she saw the look of determination on his face. “Ce? What is the
matter?” Jake tore off his sweater and threw it around her shoulders before
pulling the hood down over her eyes and bending down to her level. “Irina, I
don’t think it’s safe here. I’m going to take you somewhere else.”
“We are running away, da?” He nodded, looking
back at the door in fear that the others would find them before they could
escape. “Da, I mean yes. We’re going to go someplace else. If you want to go
with me.” He held out his hand and she grabbed it. “I want to run with you.” He
squeezed her hand and smiled, tugging her along behind him as they maneuvered
through the halls of the derelict apartment complex they had been calling home.
"Where do we go?" He looked down at
her and forced a reassuring smile. "I know some people who can maybe help,
we just have a ways to go." It was a long shot, but if they could get to
East Harlem he could speak to one of the Circus Arts instructors he had worked
with before. As a child he had joked about joining the circus, but now he held
out hope that he would succeed in the endeavor.
"Jake? What are you doin'?"
The couple halted as the harsh voice of Tony stopped them and Irina tightened
her grip on Jake's hand. "I'm just taking her for a walk."
"A walk? She's not a dog. Take her back." Jake stood firm despite
Tony's threatening appearance, "She needs fresh air."
"Well she ain't gonna get it at the docks. She'll get plenty of air tomorrow when she goes to her new home."
Silence was the man's only response and the couple stood unmoving while Jake
searched his mind for a plan. "Jacob, I won't repeat myself."
Irina tugged at his sleeve and whispered from under the hood, "Close your
eyes and we will run."
He was baffled by her command, but her smile and frantic nodding encouraged him
to obey. He closed his eyes and heard Tony's heavy footsteps and muttering as
he approached.
He was in darkness for only a moment as a bright light flashed around him. It
was as if a sparkler had been lit before his sealed eyes and he flinched when a
startling sound followed. He heard Tony shout and felt Irina's tug, "Run!"
He ran looking back to see the kidnapper on the floor, rubbing his eyes and
groping around him as if he had been struck blind. "What did you do to
him?"
"It is all right. He is just, er, dizzy?" They dashed through the
door and into the cold November air. Irina looked around her curiously,
surprised by the new view, but Jake gave her hand a squeeze to remind her of
their urgent situation.
As they ran, he assessed the situation and realized that he was a complete
fool. Was he really going to run away with this strange foreign girl that he
helped kidnap? How many people were after her? Certainly the Russian and now
his former partners, but who else would be looking for her?
It was too late to change his mind now. He looked back at his precious cargo
and saw the joy on her face. He originally wondered if she actually understood
what was happening, but the smile she wore told him she did; maybe even better
than he.
As for Irina, the only thoughts that went through her mind were of freedom.
After years of being in cages, she was free; from her father, from the man he
sold her to, and all the others who wanted her for her gifts. She didn’t care
where they went, so long as they went together.
