�We�ve just a few more yards to go, and then we can get off these downs and into the Middle School football field, a few steps away from the Annex, where we will be safe under the protection of Papa Resek.� There was no answer, and Chris turned around to find that his companions had vanished. Even as his mind processed that thought and he turned to flee, a cold hand grasped his shoulder, and he was spun roughly around. A short, wiry Latino man with a short black beard and a bandanna was facing him, his other hand extended with a bar of chocolate.
�Hey, man, want some chocolate?� the man asked.
�Um, no thank you,� Chris replied. �My mom always told me not to take candy from strangers.�
�Hey, I was just trying to help,� the man said. �I noticed your friends trapped in that car back there, and I thought you might need a chocolate-inspired energy boost to get them out.�
�Oh.� said Chris. �I guess that makes sense. As long as you eat some first, that would be great.�
�Sure,� the man grinned. He broke the bar in half, ate one half, and gave the other half to Chris. Feeling reassured, Chris bit into his half. He was surprised to find new energy flowing through him. He felt he could take on the world.
�Wow - that�s some good chocolate,� marveled Chris. �Thanks for the boost.� He turned in the direction the man had indicated and got about four steps before passing out.
* * *
He awoke in the backseat of an old, beat-up Camry with a blazing headache. Dan, Becky, and Brad were sitting beside him, firmly seatbelted and with their hands tied to the car doors. Chris tried to move his hands, only to find that they were also tied. The Latino man was sitting in the driver�s seat, cursing as the engine refused to turn over. Well, we�re in a fix now, Chris thought. How could I have been so stupid?
�Where are you taking us?� he asked out loud.
�I�m going to take you illegally across state lines into the trackless wastes of Nebraska. There you will board a plane at Omaha and be sent to Burma, where you will be sold as slave labor to the Nike shoe plants.� The man chuckled evilly.
�You�ll never get away with it,� Chris objected. �All of the international humanitarian agencies have their eyes on those southeast Asian practices.�
�You�re probably right,� the Wight (for that is what he was) mused. �I guess I should just kill you all now.�
�But I�m sure they wouldn�t notice us,� Chris amended hastily. All the while, he worked at his hands and chanted under his breath.
Colin, Colin, Colin Bolindello
We don�t want death from this creepy fellow
Please help us now, if you aren�t too yellow
If you don�t, then go down deep to you-know-where
With a burst of light, Colin Bolindello appeared on the scene, giggling as he ran around the car and jumped on the hood.
�Go back to your grave, you silly person,� he sang. �Learn to put gas in your car before you go out on long trips. Bring a spare tire! Check your oil! Rotate your tires!� He laughed merrily and pointed at the Latino man, who promptly vaporized. Within moments, Colin had freed them.
�What was that?� Becky asked.
�That, my friend, was a Broken-down Wight,� Colin answered. �I warned you to stay away from them. They thought to combat the laws of physics and the power of Witch-King Arnold by driving without gas, but now these noble souls are broken-down all along this stretch of highway. Embittered by their loss, they prey upon those who happen by.�
�You know, you�re a good man to have along,� Dan commented. �That�s twice now you�ve saved us from strangers with whom we shouldn�t have been associating in the first place. Why don�t you come with us?� The others nodded their heartfelt assent.
�Alas, no,� sighed Colin. �I live in Butternut. And who then would sing with the Lady Laurenberry, and keep her company? And who would pet the squirrels, and make sure they had nuts to eat? And, perhaps most importantly, who would swing on the swings and slide on the slide during the summer, when they get lonely because the little children have gone away? No, that is my realm, and I must get back to it. But you�ll notice that the Wight brought you as far as the Middle School Football Field before I saved you. You have merely to cut across it and you will reach the Annex, and your friend who is waiting there for you. Goodbye, all!� And with a bound, he was back off down the bike trail, heading for his beloved playground equipment and the Lady Laurenberry.
�That is one strange man,� said Chris.
�Yes,� said Becky. �Reminds me more of an eccentric rabbit than a person.�
�But who cares how strange he is?� asked Dan. �Hello here, without him we�d be dead or worse not once but twice.�
�Very true,� agreed Chris. �But time�s a-wasting. Let us make for the Annex before the sun goes down, and perhaps we can enjoy a round of gin with Papa Resek.�
Resolutely, thinking quite wrongly that they were now at the end of their journey, the four companions strode off for the annex.