The Chardon Chronicles: Season One -- The Harvest Festival (24 page)

When Alfonse entered the library, his mouth
gaped. “Oh my! Amazing. Do you mind?”

“Please do.” Robbie answered. Alfonse
wandered the shelves.

“This is an amazing collection… truly a one
of a kind.” Alfonse announced, beaming. He’d changed into
comfortable clothes, a burly white fisherman’s sweater, comfortable
pants and moccasins.

“Morgan, can I see the coin again? I will
tell you all about it. I feel this audience can appreciate the
story.”

Morgan handed him the coin. He took it out of
the case and put it on the table. He took two other coins from his
pocket. One was a large silver dollar sized coin. He put it on the
table. The other was a gold coin that looked about the same size as
Morgan’s, he put it down next to Morgan’s.

“There is a fascinating story behind your
coin. I can explain it with these two pieces.” he pointed at the
two coins he brought. “This silver one started as an American
silver Peace Dollar, but it was hand carved to this. The general
term is ‘hobo nickel’. It’s a piece of folk art. This is an
exquisite example. Collecting these is a personal hobby.”

Morgan picked it up. It had once been a 1927
Peace Dollar, but someone had carved the profile of Lady Liberty
into a garish skull and neck bones. They cut stylized flame shapes
into the background.

“So, my theory, is someone hand carved this,”
he pointed at his gold coin, “to this.” he pointed at Morgan’s. “My
coin is a commemorative coin from Firenze, produced the same year
as Morgan’s, 1462. You see the FRNZ marking and date is all that
remains from the original. That year was the establishment of a new
academy--like Plato’s Academy--in Firenze. Really, that’s the start
of the modern world.”

Morgan picked up Alfonse’s gold coin. It
showed a man’s profile on the face side and six bumps on a shield
on the other side.

Morgan nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. Very
cool… But what does it mean?”

Alfonse held up a finger, “On my coin, it is
Cosimo de Medici. Do you know who is pictured on yours? This is
Diogenes--in his famous barrel.” he traced his finger around the
raised edge.

“Barrel?”

“Yes, the philosopher Diogenes is famous for
stripping his life to its simple essence, really mocking the rest
of us for our ties to materialism and to constructs like the city
state. He lived in a barrel.” Alfonse took out his phone and
brought up one of many paintings showing Diogenes sitting in his
wine barrel.

He flipped the coin over, “and this, a dog!
And the famous saying… remarkable. Of course, it refers to the
Cynics--his school of philosophy, sort of mocking Plato.”

Morgan asked, “So, why would someone carve up
a coin like that?”

Alfonse’s face brightened. “This is the truly
exciting and interesting part. As you may know the Renaissance
‘started’ when Greek scholars fled Constantinople for Italy. They
brought Greek thought--and many other ideas--to Europe. This
ignited the fire that burned away the medieval order.”

“These two coins are artefacts from that era…
One from the Medici, a token, a touch piece that indicated
membership in a very select circle of philosophers, artists, and
intellectuals. One carved up as a sort of protest… a breakaway
group!”

“Rebels?” Morgan asked.

“Precisely.” Alfonse said.

Robbie asked, “What do you know about these
‘Rebels’?”

Alfonse said, “oh unfortunately not much. In
histories, there are only glimpses.”

Robbie stood up and went to one of the
shelves and pulled a couple of volumes from the shelf. He put them
on the table. Alfonse picked them up and thumbed through some
pages. He smiled and tapped the cover.

“Wow…” he laughed. “I’ll leave it at that for
now.”

Morgan asked, “So, how much do you think it’s
worth?”

Alfonse shrugged, “Wellll. Let me give you an
example. Think of stonehenge… can you picture it?”

Morgan nodded, “Sure.”

Alfonse continued, “So at the time of its
construction and use, Stonehenge was a sort of public building, as
far as we now, something like a stadium, maybe, or a church. People
used it for centuries, but at some point, it was forgotten, and
became a pile of rocks in a field.”

Morgan said, “Well, now it’s famous.”

Alfonse smiled, “now it has a
story
tied to it. Imagine if Great Britain sold it, maybe they’d get tens
of billions of Euro.”

Morgan nodded. “I get it.” He picked up his
coin. “It has a story....”

“Stonehenge has a
huge
story. This
coin,” Alfonse grimaced and held his fingers together, “a thin
story. But, imagine a sexy story, drama, and adventure, beautiful
women, and gold, shiny gold.” he stared into the mid distance and
pictured the tale.

Morgan said, “I can imagine it…”

Alfonse smiled, “Good! So the task would be
to promote this tale… Possibly get a TV show produced. If we do
that… Maybe millions?”

Morgan nodded, “OK. This sounds like a good
plan.”

Robbie asked, “Alfonse, can I get you
anything to drink. Coffee, tea, beer, wine?”

Alfonse replied, “Espresso?”

Robbie made three double shot Espressos and
brought them back to the library.

Alfonse kissed his fingers, “Oh my! Fit for
gods!”

Robbie smiled, “I learned from an Italian,
years ago. I think we were in Texas…” He rubbed his chin. “Hey
Alfonse, I think I’d really like to help out on this project. I
have a lot of friends who are in this line of work.”

Alfonse nodded, “This is a big undertaking
for sure, and wildly speculative.
I
think it is a good
story,
you
think it is a good story, but unless we reach the
right
audience, people with money, ‘poof’. Lot of money
gone.”

Robbie sipped his espresso. “Well.... the way
we work really reduces the financial risk…”

“I’m intrigued. I admit, but I need to know
the details, of course. And, I’d like to outline a deal in
principle before we proceed to a more formal arrangement?” he
looked at Morgan and Robbie. Morgan nodded. “I will act as the
agent for the eventual sale of the coin, and I will act as the head
of this enterprise. Consequently, I will take 75% of the net
proceeds of the sale… All expenses will be paid, eventually, from
that sale.”

“75%?” Morgan put his hands together in front
of his face. “Well, this entire thing is only possible because of
you, so…”

Robbie held up a hand, “Morgan, if I might
jump in.” Morgan nodded. “Alfonse, I think you’ve got a really good
plan. Let me make a suggestion, though. Let us put together a team
to make this thing happen, then get to brass tacks later. I want to
introduce you to the way we work. You can take those books.”

Alfonse smiled, “Take them?” Alfonse couldn’t
help assign a price to the volumes. The books already covered his
expenses for the trip, then some.

Robbie said, “In my opinion, not everything
has to be a deal that’s settled in digits. Think about it this way,
those books, all these books, this house, this land what does it
mean to ‘own’ them. Those books will outlive you and me. We just
use them temporarily--hopefully to do good.”

Alfonse agreed. “I think your approach is
good. Anyway, there are countless details to work out. I’ll take
these books to bed… my body clock thinks it is bed time. Is there a
car rental agency nearby?”

Robbie held up a hand, “I’ll take care of it.
I can probably have something here by morning.”

Alfonse went to bed.

Morgan looked at Robbie. “Wow.”

“Exciting stuff.” Robbie said.

Morgan’s face darkened. “I’m not sure how I’m
supposed to do all this… and go to school.”

Robbie said, “Well… I don’t know. It might
take a while for things to really get started, so don’t panic,
yet.”

Morgan complained, “The problem is I have to
pay a $3700 bill to get my diploma, and I have to work every day
and every weekend to do that.”

Robbie sat down, “Morgan, you’re a smart kid.
Mull over that sentence you just said.” he sipped his espresso.
“Say it again, slowly.”

“I
have
to pay a bill to get my
diploma. I
have
to work to do that.”

“Now, imagine the bigger picture of choices…
literally endless possible choices. But
somehow
you
believe
there’s only one.”

The point didn’t really sink in with Morgan,
he still look troubled. Robbie sighed and stood up, he hammered a
fist gently on Morgan’s head.

Judge Ralph met the Sheriff at the old bridge
at the end of Wisner Road.

“What’s the good word Sheriff?”

“Nothing, yet. There’s been someone at home
24/7 since we planted the cameras.”

“You can’t just wait for them to leave,
Chuck. The clock is ticking.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“We
make
them leave.” Judge Ralph
said.

Chuck said, “I thought about that… maybe a
fire?”

Ralph nodded, “Could work, but what if we
burn the library down?”

Chuck nodded. “Yeah, that’s a problem… What
about starting rumors of a cult?”

Ralph laughed, “That could work--but would
take too long. Drug raid?”

Chuck shook his head. “Nah… Too many people
involved. Real chance for escalation and damaging the goods.”

Ralph’s face lit up. He pointed at Chuck.
“Pull my finger.” he said.

“What?”

He let one rip. Chuck stepped away.

“Chemical spill!” Ralph beamed.

“That could work.” Chuck said.

“Benzene… Chlorine.... Something
noxious.”

~End of Episode Four~

Flashback to Four Years Ago

Telia Wells gazed into the depths of the
spring. The water was crystal clear, but its bottom was obscured in
inky darkness. It seemed to bubble up from the heart of the
earth.

“It’s so dark down there!” the Tracy said.
She awkwardly bent over to look in the water. She was a willowy
fourteen year old.

“Look, it’s like a portrait.” Telia pointed
at their reflection. She looked over at her daughter and smiled.
Tracy’s red hair blew around in a mid summer breeze. Tracy managed
to force a smile.

They’d been fighting for most of the summer
break. Telia insisted that Tracy attend Tweedy Pines in the fall.
Tweedy was a girl’s boarding school in the Chagrin Valley. Telia
had been very ambitious when she was a child, but as the chance to
fulfill those dreams passed her by, she boxed them away for her
future children. Tracy was an intelligent, precocious youngster,
but she was impossible to motivate. Telia knew that life on the
Wells Farm tended to make normal, healthy ambitions seem
commonplace even silly, so she thought boarding school, and being
around the right people would get Tracy on track. Matt couldn’t
understand Telia’s insistence. He tried to remain neutral in the
fight, and finally agreed on a compromise solution where Tracy
would go to Tweedy for a year, then they’d reconsider next summer.
The compromise ended the war, and they were slowly returning to
normal.

The rocks around the spring felt cool
compared to the sultry July air. Telia was sitting on a blanket on
a tarp. Matt was lounging in a folding chair. He had dark wayfarers
on and was looking up into the cloudy sky. The July sun was an
intense fuzzy white ball behind the clouds.

“It’s going to rain,” Telia said, “feel
that?” She stood up and held her arms out. She was an impressive
looking woman. Her maiden name was Fensalir, and both her parents
had Scandinavian ancestry. She was tall, nearly 6’, and had long
thick blond hair that she wound in a ponytail. She had a curvy,
substantial body, and a pretty face, that had an angular, slightly
masculine quality. She was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and a pair
of jean shorts and sandals.

Matt held up his arm. The wind ruffled his
arm hair. “I’m not sure how you do it, but you’re always right
about the weather. Let’s get back up the hill.”

They folded up the tarp, which was damp on
the bottom from the spring’s moisture, and stowed the blanket in an
old ammo case and put it on a natural shelf in the rock. He folded
up the chair and propped it against the stones.

“Remember when I had to carry you up there?”
Matt asked Tracy.

“Nope. Not even a little bit!” Tracy said.
She trotted up the hill ahead of them, but stopped every few steps
to watch her parents climb.

By the time they reached the tractor path,
the trees were starting to sway in an insistent breeze. The
temperature dropped noticeably and the light took on a distinct
blue-green tint.

“Uh oh! We better hoof it.” Telia said. They
got to the edge of the yard as the first droplets fell. They jogged
back the rest of the way. By the time they got inside, their skin
was shiny with rain, but they beat the torrential downpour. Thunder
rolled in the distance.