Letters from Josh
(A weekly update from Josh Urban’s adventures on the farm and in the city. #116)
Howdy, folks! Previously on Dr. Electro...Aboard an eastbound freight to Chicago, Electro notices a trackside window blinking as if in a signal. Were they being followed? To the East, Lady Wilkes sees a mysterious figure on the lawn outside, and leaps into action. This is...
The Return of Dr. Electro - #11: Sisters in Arms
Lady Wilkes wasn’t one to sit around. Rutherford hadn’t realized what he was asking for when he told her to wait. Although help was on the way, so was she. There was an intruder on the grounds, ready to make her day. A floorboard creaked under her eager foot. She paused, listening. A grandfather clock ticked, unseen in the gloom. She was off again, silently. A moonbeam crept in the window, but couldn’t pierce the shadows. A rummaging in a secret drawer. Easing the latch by degrees, slowly, slowly, with only a single click - now outside. Clouds scudded across a clearing sky. The next moonbeam glinted off cold steel in her hand.
A gleam of ruddy light shone from the garden shed. Lady Wilkes’ eye flashed. She stalked towards the sound of hushed voices.
“Well I say, Smith. Orders are orders. I don’t understand ‘em either.”
* * *
The boxcar rumbled over a switch. Electro started out the half-open door into the night.
His thoughts drifted back to yesterday afternoon. He had been on such a pleasant walk, and the task before him was to finish The Odyssey. Then Rutherford showed up, and this whole adventure started. Odysseus would commiserate. The train picked up speed, and let out a mournful whistle, jolting him back to the present. The night stared back, relentless. With a shrug, Electro hurtled forward into the Unknown.
“Did you hear that?” Junior popped up by his elbow. Electro jumped. “Preacher, Preacher!” Junior hissed excitedly. “There’s somebody on the roof!” The men gazed into the darkness. As the moon darted from behind a cloud, a faint “Yeeeeehawwww!” rose above the roar of the train. The last time Electro had felt that tingly involved bad wiring.
“What the devil is that?” “Alright boys, ready yourselves!” “Steady now!” Before they could hide, a figure swung through the open door. Then another. Then another. Click click click. Three revolvers flashed in the moonlight.
“Hello, boys! What are nice kids like you doing on a train like this?” The three women laughed merrily, the sound of knives on a whetstone. “Didn’t your mothers teach you to pay for your tickets like good little boys?”
To be continued next week...