Patrick burst into the hut in a flurry of panting and perspiration. “I'm really sorry, boss, but I couldn't understand a word the guy in there said...he was foreign, I think...anyway, I couldn't get any sedatives, but I got you a porn mag and a tube of wine gums inste--” He cut himself off as he saw Jimmy lying lifeless on the floor, and Hannah up and about, cheerfully dusting the windowsills.
“Oh...hello, Patrick,” Hannah said, smiling sweetly.
Before Patrick had a chance to speak, Jess, Ian and Dylan burst in.
“What the HELL is going on?!” Jess asked in confusion, desperation and a touch of lunacy.
“Oh visitors!” Hannah clapped her hands, excited. “Now, Jess...because you're a good friend you can go on the chair - here - there you go, that's it!” Hannah ushered Jess over to the only bit of furniture in the hut that was concocted of bamboo strips and palm tree bark. “The rest of you can sit on the floor, apart from you Patrick, I need you to be a good boy and run and get Mummy a jar of chopped tomatoes, a jar of tomato puree and some bay leaves, oh and an onion...and some garlic...and some pasta. Now, would you like me to write that down for you darling?”
“Oh sweet Jesus,” commented Jess finding the chair very uncomfortable and moving down onto the floor beside Dylan.
“What happened to Sir? I mean, Jimmy?” Patrick leant down over Jimmy's body.
“I don't know, but we're getting married...Patrick, you're going to have to move out.”
“Wha--?” Patrick started, yet interrupted by Hannah's ramblings once more.
“That's IT,” Jess muttered, furiously. She got up and stomped out of the hut and into the trees.
“Oh...oh, Jess, wait...I'm making a cherry pie for pudding!” Hannah called after her.
Jess ignored her and marched through the creepers.
Dylan and Ian got up to follow her. “Where are you going?!” asked Dylan, running after her.
“ANYWHERE! ANYWHERE BUT HERE!” Jess shouted back.
“Why?” asked Ian, jumping over a log.
“Because I'm...I'm...”
“Mad?” offered Dylan.
“NO! P*ssed off,” Jess concluded. “I'm sick of digging Hannah out of trouble! Kidnapping, gambling, bombs, time-travel, dragons!?” She shook her head. “SCREW THIS!” She pushed a creeper out of the way and stomped on.
Above them came a deep rumbling sound.
“What was that?” asked Ian, looking up.
“Rain,” said Dylan, ominously.
Suddenly a deluge of water fell from the sky.
“MONSOON!” All three of them yelled running for cover.
“What's this?!” cried Dylan, narrowly averting a palm tree. “The frickin' eedgits said that it never rains here!!”
“They lied!” Jess screamed, skidding into the 24-hour store.
“'Ello? How can I help you, indeed to goodness.”
Jess jumped when she turned around to see an Indian shopkeeper in her face.
“Hi, we're fine thank you...just keeping out of the rain.”
“Oh I'm sorry but you'll have to leave or stay and buy something.”
“What did he say?” Dylan shook water off his hair. “Frickin' frickin' eedgit.”
“Just 'cause he's not Irish...let's buy something,” stated Ian, starting to wander around the shelves.
“I've a better idea!” Jess called, pointing out of the door towards the locked Casino. The three of them ran out and across the sand. Jess dug the key out of her pocket and threw it to Dylan as they ran. They all reached the Casino at the same time and Dylan fumbled with the lock.
“Hurry up!” Ian and Jess both exclaimed at once.
Finally the doors swung open and the three fell inside, soaked not only to the skin, but to the bones as well.

“Oh, look at that...it's raining,” said Hannah, looking out of the window. “Did you bring the washing in, Jimmy, love?”
There came a groan from a bed that Hannah had spruced up in ten minutes. “Where am I?”
“At home,” Hannah said.
“This isn't my home...there's less furniture in my hut.” He pulled himself up, rubbing his chin.
“I brought some chairs and a table and made you a bed whilst you were unconscious - you feeling ok darling?”
“I don't understand--” Jimmy started but he was interrupted by Hannah's flusterings over him. He began to get very scared when he realised he was in his pyjamas and that Hannah must have dressed him while he was unconscious. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“What, this?” Hannah lifted the bamboo leaves wrapped around her middle. “It's an apron! Do you like it?”

Over in the Casino, Jess wrung her hair out and sat on a stool.
“Hannah's gone mad.”
“Totally,” agreed Dylan.
“She thinks she's a housewife.”
“Uh-huh,” nodded Ian.
“If she marries Jimmy in the jungle, who am I going to have to argue with over comedy books and which room to bags or where to shop?!”
Dylan and Ian both looked up hopefully.
“No-one! That's who...absolutely--”
There was a huge bang in the distance.
“What the frickin'?” Dylan started.
Slowly they heard hurried pattering footsteps getting louder and louder until finally Hannah burst into the Casino drenched through, with her bamboo leaves falling off her, covered in red liquid that looked ominously like blood.
“KELLY SHOT JIMMY!!”
“Yeah...great...lovely,” Jess said, moodily.
“Don't you CARE?!” Hannah asked.
“Not much,” said Jess. “He was trying to kill me.”
“But...I think he might be DEAD!”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Sort it yourself,” she said. “I've had enough of THIS, I've had enough of THAT, I've had enough of HERE, I've had enough of THERE--”
“What's your point?” asked Hannah, innocently.
“I've had enough of you!” Jess pushed past her and glanced outside. The sand was covered in most places by large puddles. Flooding seemed imminent.
“Jess! What are you doing? You can't go out there!” Ian shouted above the wind blowing into the Casino.
“Watch me!” she shouted, stepping out and marching over the sand.
Hannah and Dylan both headed for the door to follow her, but a sudden strike of lightening blasted out of the sky and struck the palm tree outside the door. It fell across the doorway, closing the doors and blocking them shut. There was a silence.
“Holy leaping leprechauns,” said Dylan.

“I'm not a doctor though!” cried Ian.
“Do I care?” Hannah mumbled through tears, “Check his pulse rate!”
“He's dead!” Kelly shouted through the small window of the Casino. “Be satisfied! I got rid of a waste of space!”
“But he was...” Hannah searched for the right word, failed, and concluded, “Jimmy!”
“He's dead. Kaput. End of story,” Kelly said, “Now put him back in!” Kelly had been waiting outside the Casino after Hannah had seen him running off to bury Jimmy's body in a wheelbarrow and had stopped him, taking Jimmy in but leaving Kelly and the wheelbarrow out in the storm. “Look, can't I just bury him and get the whole thing behind us?” Kelly shouted through the window, that had blood all over it.
“Oh...” Hannah sighed heavily and sniffed. “Fine! Take him!”
Dylan sombrely posted Jimmy's body back through the tiny window into Kelly's clutches.
“Where's Jess?” Hannah moaned staring out of the window.
“Look...how many jobs do you want me to do at once?” Kelly called back.
“Just bury his bloody body somewhere then and bring your cute butt back here, but if you happen to see Jess on your travels...tell her that 'Hannah loves her very much and she wants to talk to her but she's trapped in the Casino by a stupid huge tree.'”
“Ok.” Kelly gulped, soaked, running off into the distance with a squeaky wheelbarrow.

<< back to Book 2.4

� Jess and Hannah 2002