The Secret Manuscript (13 page)

“Don’t worry,
nobody will get hurt.”

“Oh really,
and how do you know that? How does it all play out in your little
life-guide?”

“Well,
actually, I don’t know. It’s not in the manuscript. In the story,
I… never mind. Are you in or out?”

“Sorry, dude,
it’s late and I just want to get some sleep. I suggest you do the
same,” Kyle said before trotting off upstairs.

Ben sat alone
at the table, contemplating what he should do. He was not adverse
to dangerous or foolish things — he had stolen a car, robbed some
apartments, and tricked a woman into going on a date with him. He
figured robbing a robber could not be any worse than those things.
After mulling it over, he reached a decision.

While Kyle was
in the shower, Ben went upstairs and grabbed a few items and tossed
them in his backpack. After changing into some darker-coloured
clothes, Ben went downstairs and left out the back door.

The bus slowed
to a stop and Ben got on. There were a few people on the bus, but
none of them paid any attention to Ben as he sat inconspicuously at
the front under the dim lighting. His backpack was on his lap. He
unzipped it and took out a small container, which contained a few
shots of alcohol. He opened the container and took a big swig to
calm his nerves. It also served to give him courage for what he was
about to do. After he choked back the cheap scotch, he wiped his
mouth, and put the container back in his bag along with the other
contents he had brought to assist him.

When it was
time, Ben signalled for the bus to stop. Ben stepped out and began
walking down the sidewalk as he had done earlier in the day. The
streets were quiet and bare, which allowed the perfect opportunity
for Ben to get into position without being seen.

He looked at
his watch and saw it was nearly 1:00 a.m. As he approached the
house, he noticed none of the lights were on. This either implied
the robber was home and asleep, or was out. Ben looked up and down
the street, took a deep breath, and contemplated turning back. The
alcohol circulating in his bloodstream silenced any inhibitions he
had. He proceeded as planned.

Dressed in all
black and under the guise of darkness, Ben crept around to the rear
of the house. He slowly tiptoed up the back porch and placed his
hand on the doorknob. It was unlikely to be left open, but it was
at least worth a try. Just as he had suspected, it was locked. He
contemplated breaking a window, but that would cause all sorts of
problems. Not only would it awaken the robber or a neighbour, Ben
would risk being lacerated by the shards of glass on the climb in.
Besides he had no faith in his athletic abilities. What he did have
faith in was his ingenuity.

Being careful
not to make the old wooden planks creek, Ben slowly exited the
porch. He went around to the side of the house, looking for
something — anything — that would assist him in getting into the
house. He searched all around his feet, looking for a rock that
seemed to be out of place. Hopefully with a little luck, the robber
would have hidden a spare key under one of them. Unfortunately,
there was nothing of the sort.

Just then, a
small creature emerged from the shadows and scurried past him. Due
to his heightened state of alertness, Ben nearly had a heart
attack. He screamed and jumped backward, tripping over a small
bush. He quickly cupped his hand over his mouth and remained still.
He waited in the shroud of night to see if anyone would look out
the window or enter the backyard. Given the type of neighbourhood
he was in, he figured the neighbours were probably not the type of
people to be too bothered by bumps in the night.

Ben waited for
what seemed like a long time, trying not to move a muscle. In the
distance, a dog barked, but other than that, all was calm and
quiet. In the moonlight, Ben was able to see the creature that
frightened him was just an ordinary house cat, and was nothing to
be afraid of. The cat watched him for a moment, but continued on
his way. He slithered through some tall grass and jumped on top of
a fence. Not knowing what to do, Ben continued to watch the cat.
From the fence, the cat jumped onto a large tree branch and began
to climb up. Ben’s eyes followed the cat’s movement as it ascended
to the top. Once at the top of the tree, the cat leaped onto the
roof of the house. Ben had not realized it until that very moment,
but the cat was showing him a way in, almost as if it were a sign
from God.

Ben quickly
rushed over to the fence and attempted to pull himself up. Nearly
every muscle fibre in his body twitched as he struggled to scale up
the six-foot-high barrier. He eventually found a foothold and
climbed on top, but not without scraping his shin first. He winced
in pain, but pressed on.

Like a
tightrope walker, he placed one foot in front of the other with his
arms stretched out to the sides to aid his balance. His lack of
coordination and the buzz from the alcohol made this extremely
difficult. He wobbled back and forth, then decided to crawl on his
hands and knees. Inching his way along the top of the fence, Ben
maintained his balance until he finally reached the tree.

Once at the
tree, Ben reached out and grabbed the highest branch he could. At
that very moment, he lost his footing, leaving him dangling from
the tree. The rough tree bark dug into the palms of his hands,
causing excruciating pain. He bucked and kicked his legs wildly as
he struggled to maintain his grip. Eventually, one of his feet
found its place on one of the lower branches, allowing Ben to
steady himself. Then he began to climb.

Heights were a
problem for Ben, especially at one in the morning when he had been
drinking. As he continued to make his way up the tree, he tried his
best to block out any fear, and to constantly remind himself not to
look down. He kept climbing, and after a while he could tell he was
really high off the ground. Then he looked down. Vertigo set in and
nearly caused him to fall out of the tree. He was at least forty
feet off the ground and a drop from that height could be deadly.
That was a scenario he could not afford to have happen or even
think about happening.

Ben regained
his composure and pressed on. Climbing a tree was one thing, but
making the transition to the house was a completely different feat
altogether. He looked up and saw the cat perched atop the house,
staring at him. He waited a moment to catch his breath and plot his
next move. Luckily for him, the tree extended to the roof, so all
Ben needed to do was crawl across the branch and he would be on top
of the house.

Without
looking down, Ben straddled the large branch and slowly moved
across. Inch by inch, he continued to shimmy himself until he could
touch the edge. From there, he positioned his body to make the
transition onto the house. He placed one foot on the roof, then the
other until he was lying face down. Ben now felt a little more at
ease.

He
repositioned himself so that he was sitting down. In the distance,
the city lights sparkled. It was like nothing he had ever seen
before. He remained in a gaze, enjoying the view, almost as if he
had forgotten why he was there.

Still sitting,
the cat sauntered over to Ben. After a cautious sniff, the cat
realized Ben was not a threat and began to purr and rub up against
him. Ben extended his hand and petted the cat. The purring grew
louder as Ben scratched the cat behind its ears and underneath the
chin. It was at that moment that he read the name on the collar —
Santa Claws. Ben laughed to himself as if it were another sign from
God.

When it was
time to go, Ben pivoted onto all fours and slowly ascended up the
steep roof in a crouched position. He reached the chimney and
ensured his feet were stabled before peeling off his backpack and
setting it down in front of him. He went through his bag until he
found what he was looking for. With his multi-purpose knife in
hand, he stood up and used it to disassemble the chimney crown.
Fortunately, the chimney did not taper at the top. The exhaust
chamber was as wide at the top as it was at the base. With a little
work, Ben eventually unfastened the chimney crown and set it aside.
He then shone the flashlight down the smoke chamber. Just as he had
hoped, it was free from obstruction.

Ben placed the
flashlight and the tool back in his bag and slung the pack over his
shoulders, but the opposite way so the main compartment was in
front of him. Without wasting any more time, he hoisted himself
onto the chimney top and swung his legs inside. He placed one foot
behind him so the sole of his shoe was flush against the back wall
and put the other foot in front of him. His arms gripped the top of
the chimney as he lowered himself down. Using his back and all four
limbs for support, he began his slow and steady descent into the
black pit.

The chamber
was filthy and covered in a thick layer of soot that had
accumulated over the years. The soot transferred to Ben’s hands and
shoes, making it difficult to maintain traction. On top of that, he
was out of shape and his muscles began to fatigue quicker than he
anticipated. With each movement, the once-sedentary soot was now
being disturbed. It filled the chamber with an ashy cloud of
debris, which inevitably found its way into Ben’s lungs. Now
breathing heavily and inhaling the dust particles, Ben began to get
lightheaded and knew he had to move quickly. He coughed profusely,
creating a lot of noise and also making his body even more
unstable. The muscles in his arms and legs began to shake from
bracing his body weight. Immediately, Ben knew he would not be able
to hold himself up much longer.

When he was at
about the halfway point, his footing gave way and before he had
time to react, he slid down uncontrollably about twenty feet and
crashed to the basement. Upon impact, Ben’s skinny legs did little
to brace his fall. His whole body folded up like a compressed
accordion before he tumbled out into the basement.

Covered in
soot, and in pain, Ben sprawled on the floor. His whole body hurt,
but he was relieved one part of the mission was now accomplished.
Alive and well, Ben had successfully entered the house.

Ben rose to
his feet and dusted himself off. When he put weight on his right
foot, a sharp pain radiated from his ankle. He shifted his weight
and grimaced in discomfort. Fortunately, the adrenaline alleviated
some of his pain and he would most likely be able to walk it off,
but he knew he would definitely be hurting the next day.

He took his
flashlight out once again and turned it on. The light pierced
through the darkness and one by one illuminated several objects
stored in the basement. In its circular glow, the light revealed a
Ping-Pong table, an old TV, and a ragged couch. In one corner,
there was a small weight bench and a punching bag. As Ben shone the
flashlight around the room, he made a mental inventory of some of
the larger pieces of furniture he would have to avoid. The odd
thing about being in the basement was that it reminded him of being
in his own house, but in an alternate world. The robber’s basement
was unfinished as well; however, he had much more clutter than Ben
had.

Out of
curiosity, Ben walked past the bar area and through the furnace
room. From the furnace room, he shone his light straight ahead.
Instead of a secret room, there was a laundry room. Ben walked over
and opened both the washer and dryer. Since most criminals were not
too bright, he figured there was a chance the robber would try to
launder the money, literally. However, upon inspection there was no
money in either machine. Ben shut the washer and dryer doors and
then headed toward the stairs.

The wooden
staircase creaked with each hobbled step Ben took. At the top of
the stairs, the door squeaked loudly as Ben tried to open it. It
was a surprise that with all the noise Ben was making, the robber
had not woken up. Ben proceeded anyway, gripping the handle and
slowly pushing the door open a sufficient amount to allow him to
slip through to the other side. Once on the main floor, he had to
be extra cautious. With each step, he was trying to tread as softly
as possible, but probably ended up making even more noise.

As he had
suspected, the layout of the house was the same. The fact he knew
the floor plan was a huge advantage. Not only could he sneak around
with the lights off, but at this hour, there was a good chance the
robber would be upstairs in the master bedroom. He also figured the
robber would have stashed the money somewhere in his room, but for
safe measure, Ben still decided to search everywhere else first. He
would rather not have to saunter into the lion’s den unless it were
necessary. In a perfect scenario, the money would be left out in
the open for Ben to grab, but that was not likely to be the
case.

The flashlight
was off, but remained in his hand. Having it provided Ben a sense
of security as it was one of the heavy metal flashlights, the kind
police use. In case he needed to use it as a weapon, he wanted it
to be ready.

Ben intended
to search the entire main floor, and decided to start with the
living room first. He checked in and around the couch, flipping
over the cushions, and looking underneath it. He then examined the
coffee table by pushing aside some of the junk that cluttered the
surface. He even looked inside a discarded pizza box that was lying
on the floor. When he was satisfied that he had checked all
possible hiding spots, he went into the kitchen.

As quietly as
possible, he opened all the cupboards, drawers, and even the oven.
Again, he found nothing. He unlocked the back door in case he
needed to make a quick getaway and even contemplated aborting the
mission at that point while he was still in one piece. If he had
any other options he may have chosen to walk away, but Ben was
desperate. He needed the money so badly and was willing to risk his
safety to get it. Once the kitchen was fully inspected, Ben moved
on to the upstairs.