Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here on another rousing Thursday to introduce chapter eleven of my story Power Grid Failure. This week I have gotten back to going on my walkies. It has not been as frequent because of rain. I do detest walking in the rain. This means I must wear a raincoat. I detest my raincoat. It is a silly garment with a hood that obscures my ability to see. I could hardly make it out the door to the street without running into things. However, my novelist adjusted the hood and made it better. Still, I dream of sunshine and green grass and flowers to sniff. We often run into other dogs on our voyages. Usually this is not a problem. However, we recently had two larger dogs who, albeit friendly, were a bit of a challenge. My novelist had to sweep me into her arms to keep me away from my adoring fans so I could get down the street. Other dogs are fascinated with me and my story writing. This, of course, is not a common activity amongst the canine community and so I have become a bit of a celebrity with them. They are also drawn to my stunning good looks. I am quite beautiful you see with my uncommon parti poodle coloring. Most poodles have hair which is one color while I am a brilliant pattern reminiscent to that of a Holstein cow. And with that thought, here is chapter eleven of Power Grid Failure. Mwynhau!
Power Grid Failure
by
Gigi the parti poodle
Chapter Eleven
“This is how it’s going to go,” Dragontail says. “We’re taking over this building.”
“What do you mean, you’re taking over this building?” Martin asks.
“I mean we, that is us three,” he says motioning to his two henchmen, “are taking over this building and holding you hostage.”
“Do you mean you are holding all of us hostage or just Martin?” Windy asks.
“All of you. Did I not make myself clear?”
“Well, it was a little vague.”
“Okay, let me simplify this. The three of us are taking over this building and holding all of you hostage.”
“How?” Martin says. “We outnumber you.”
Dragontail whips out a weapon, aims it at Adams and fires. Adams drops to the floor and flops around like he is having a seizure. “This here levels the playing field.”
“Adams!” Tiffany screams and runs over to her fallen coworker. She turns to Dragontail and says, “What have you done to him?!”
“I call it the No Fun Stun Gun,” Adams says. “My newest invention. You see at first, I was afraid to invent things. But after six long years of being incarcerated, I learned fear was just a state of mind. And those six long years and a newfound state of mind allowed me to come up with this beauty. Isn’t that right, Reynolds?”
“You’re still on about that whole thing?” Reynolds says.
Dragontail marches up to Reynolds and looks him in the eye. “That whole thing? That whole thing? Reynolds, we committed the same crime together, a crime you plotted, and you got out a year earlier than I did. Yeah, that whole thing!”
“If you’d been more amicable in prison, they might have let you out a year earlier too.”
“Wow. Just…wow.”
“Are you going to hold us hostage or shoot us with a stun gun?” Crystal asks.
Dragontail pushes Reynolds aside and marches up to her. “Well, aren’t we the impatient one.”
“I’d like to know sooner rather than later so I can get my mindset in order.”
“Get your mindset in order?”
“One has a very different mindset if one is trapped in a building vs if one is trapped in a building while being held hostage vs if one is trapped in a building, being held hostage and shot at with a stun gun.”
“Rest assured your situation is the last one.” Dragontail points his No Fun Stun Gun at her and fires. Crystal instantly slumps to the floor.
“Stop!” Reynolds says, the humor gone from his tone.
“No,” Dragontail says and aims his weapon at Tiffany. He shoots but not before Sloan takes a flying leap into the line of fire.
Tiffany jumps back in surprise as Sloan drops like a marionette who’s just had its strings cut.
“Now,” Dragontail says turning to Martin and Windy. “I mean business.”
“What do you want?” Martin asks calmly.
“What do you think I want?”
“I have no idea.”
“Playing hardball, old man? Have it your way.”
Dragontail signals his goons who each grab one of Tiffany’s arms and drag her towards Martin’s office.
“Get your hands off me!” Tiffany exclaims struggling to no avail.
“Let go of her!” Martin demands marching after them.
Dragontail turns, pushes a button on his weapon and fires it at Martin. Martin yelps.
“You see what’s special about my No Fun Stun Gun,” Dragon tail says, “is it’s not just one setting. It’s an array of settings. A smorgasbord if you will. I can drop you to the ground, make you pass out, or just make you feel pain.”
“Why haven’t you fired it at Reynolds yet?” Windy asks.
“What?”
“Reynolds appears to be the one you’re upset with. Why haven’t you fired your No Fun Stun Gun at him?”
“Excellent question,” Dragontail says glaring at Reynolds. “I’m saving the worst for last.”
“Unhand my secretary,” Martin tells Dragontail’s henchmen inside the glassed-in area where Tiffany’s desk is located.
“You mean administrative assistant,” the first henchman says.
“What?”
“It’s not secretary anymore. Her title is administrative assistant.”
“He knows it’s administrative assistant,” Tiffany says. “But I actually like the term secretary, so I requested he refer to me as such.”
“Unhand my secretary,” Martin says again.
“We’ll unhand her when we’re ready to unhand her,” the second more sinister henchman says.
“Alright, Peak,” Dragontail says as he strolls through the door. “I think it’s time we separate you kids. Tiffany’s going into your office with my friend Craggy. You and I are going to hang out here with Remmel.”
“I’m not giving you access to my office,” Martin says.
Dragontail points his No Fun Stun Gun at Martin’s face and fires. Martin convulses and goes limp.
“Get Peak’s wallet, Tiffany.”
“And if I don’t?” Tiffany says.
Dragontail pushes a button on his weapon, aims it at Tiffany and fires. Tiffany feels a shock followed by searing pain. She grabs her cheeks and screams.
“Now, get Peak’s wallet out of his hip pocket.”
Tiffany moves over to Martin’s crumpled frame and rolls him over so he’s bottom’s up. Then she reaches into his hip pocket and retrieves the wallet.
“Now open it up and take out his keycard.”
Tiffany locates Martin’s keycard and holds it up. Dragontail snatches it from her and puts it in front of the keycard reader near the walnut doors. The reader turns from red to green and the doors unlock.
“Excellent,” Dragontail says. “Craggy, drag Blondie here into the big guy’s office.
Craggy grabs Tiffany’s arm and takes her into Mr. Peak’s office and shuts the door behind them.
Dragontail marches out the glass door and into the office space. “Reynolds,” he calls. “It’s time for you and me to do a little catching up.”
MY BOOKS
You can check out my books Chicane and the five installments in my Musicology book series Musicology: Volume One, Baby!, Musicology: Volume Two, Kid!, Musicology: Volume Three, Twist!, Musicology: Volume Four, Sweetie! and Musicology: The Epiquad on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback editions. You can also check out Musicology’s web site at www.musicologyrocks.com and vote for who you think will win Musicology!
STREAM OF THE WEEK: WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKING ABOUT HIM?) (2010)-FREEVEE, PEACOCK, PLUTO TV & TUBI
On January 2nd of this year Rolling Stone Magazine released what might be the most bizarre best of list of all time: 200 Greatest Singers. The list had peculiar rankings, odd choices and glaring omissions including:
Judy Garland
Pat Benatar
Billy Joel
Bobby Hatfield
Bonnie Tyler
Meatloaf
Art Garfunkel
Jim Morrison
Rodger Waters
David Lee Roth
Grace Slick
Peter Gabriel
Jennifer Hudson
Celine Dion
David Byrne
Dionne Warwick
Brandon Flowers
P!nk
Anne Wilson
But perhaps the most glaring omission of them all was one of the best voices of the 60’s and 70’s. Maybe the best with a staggering near four octave range and a tenor voice. So incredible was he, The Beatles collectively called him their favorite band. His name was Harry Nilsson, and he wrote a hit called “One” in 1968 made famous by the band Three Dog Night before bursting onto the scene singing “Everybody’s Talkin’” by Fred Neil featured in the Oscar winning movie Midnight Cowboy.
Harry went on to write and sing mammoth songs such as “Jump into the Fire” and sing other masterpieces such as “Without You” by Pete Ham and Tom Evans from the band Badfinger. Harry was known for using his own voice for his backup singers for recordings. He was also known for his novelty songs such as “Coconut” and was the creative force behind an animated film called The Point. Harry’s life was an odyssey in and of itself, rising from poverty in the slums of Brooklyn where his family was so poor, they had to eat dog food to stardom in Los Angeles and around the world. From his fragile first and second marriages, self-destructive nature, wild rock and roll lifestyle to his finally finding the love of his life and siring a large family, Harry was a music legend in his own right. Quite honestly, if you are making a list of best singers of the 20th and 21st century and you do not include Nilsson, your reputation and knowledge of modern music is up for serious debate.
Gigi Catches Air 