{"id":1693,"date":"2022-07-12T13:13:20","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T03:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=1693"},"modified":"2024-07-13T19:21:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T09:21:15","slug":"down-but-not-out-by-the-docks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=1693","title":{"rendered":"Down But Not Out By The Docks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Baker sits alone in a filthy bedsit, in the gritty, down and out area by the docks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">His clothes look and smell like they haven\u2019t been changed in a month of Sundays.&nbsp;&nbsp;The floor is littered with more empty whiskey bottles than he cared to count.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cheap whiskey. The only sort he can afford on his meagre wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Sighing heavily, he sinks deeper into his ratty old chair and takes another gulp of the rocket fuel. Ah, it\u2019s like mothers\u2019 milk to him.&nbsp;&nbsp;How he wishes he\u2019d never left his beautiful wife and loving family all those years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;A wandering eye and a chance meeting with a girl half his age led to the worst decision of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Baker picks up the mysterious note that had been shoved under his door and reads it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Who would be wanting to contact him now? Why didn\u2019t they sign the note?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">He\u2019d been kicked out of the force ten years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;Too much drunk and disorderly on the job.&nbsp;&nbsp;And there was the little matter of the chief\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">His investigation days were over.&nbsp;&nbsp;Or so he thought.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Even though he was half expecting it, the banging on the door makes Baker jump like a kitten seeing its reflection for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWho is it?\u201d he growls drunkenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour worst nightmare!\u201d comes the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell why the heck would I want to let you in?\u201d Baker snarls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf all your nightmares, I might just be the safer option,\u201d is the reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Baker struggles to his feet and staggers to the door.&nbsp;&nbsp;Curiosity had got the better of him.&nbsp;And sitting alone in the gloomy bedsit drinking himself to death wasn\u2019t looking like a great alternative either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">Baker squints through the peephole in his door.&nbsp;&nbsp;The lights in the hallway had gone months ago, so all he can see is a large silhouette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">He slowly opens the door and lets in a blast of cold air along with his visitor.&nbsp;&nbsp;The man is carrying a loaded revolver in one hand and a slice of greasy pizza in the other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon\u2019t mind me,\u201d he slurs, brandishing the pizza slice, \u201cHaven\u2019t had time for dinner.\u201d No mention is made of the gun.&nbsp;&nbsp;Seems it goes with the territory in these parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019d better start talkin\u2019 fast,\u201d growls Baker. \u201cI haven\u2019t got all night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell that, my friend, may turn out to be true if you don\u2019t shut up and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">The stranger shakes off his long black coat, and drops heavily into Bakers chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s trouble down the docks.&nbsp;&nbsp;Real bad trouble.&nbsp;&nbsp;And folks around here tell me Trouble is your middle name.&nbsp;&nbsp;So congratulations, looks like you got the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat the hell are you talkin&#8217; about stranger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe name\u2019s Jonah, most folk call me Joe. Now quit ya gabbing and come with me.\u00a0\u00a0There\u2019s no time to lose. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sitebg-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\">To read more of Amanda&#8217;s writing click <a href=\"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?tag=amanda-gambas\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"9\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Baker sits alone in a filthy bedsit, in the gritty, down and out area by the docks. His clothes look and smell like they haven\u2019t &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[9,126,637,32,636,8,297,11,10],"class_list":["post-1693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-amanda-gambas","tag-crime","tag-crime-humour","tag-humour","tag-investigator","tag-mountain-ash-chapter","tag-satire","tag-story","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pff1uY-rj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3777,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3777","url_meta":{"origin":1693,"position":0},"title":"True Romance","author":"Mountain Ash Chapter","date":"August 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Her exquisite feet skimmed the floor, like ephemeral swallows of passion. She paused in front of the gauzy, billowing curtains in the breast-heaving moonlight. The man followed. His glistening moonlit pectoral muscles glistened. He swept her into his moonlit chest. He groaned in triumph. \u201cNo!\u201d she protested. She was a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mountain Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mountain Life","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":279,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=279","url_meta":{"origin":1693,"position":1},"title":"Voice","author":"Marita H\u00e4m\u00e4l\u00e4inen","date":"November 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I remember my father's voiceLow and slightly accented.He would speak simplyBut deeplyA man of few words. Because of this, his words usually held weight. They resonated Long after they were spoken.He said some of the most important things that I needed to hearAt the time.He told me that I should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/raphael-schaller-GkinCd2enIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/raphael-schaller-GkinCd2enIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/raphael-schaller-GkinCd2enIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/raphael-schaller-GkinCd2enIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/raphael-schaller-GkinCd2enIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3440,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3440","url_meta":{"origin":1693,"position":2},"title":"A Love Story","author":"Maggie McLaren","date":"April 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cDon\u2019t look at me like that,\u201d I said. He moved closer, looking at me directly. That unnerved me even more. \u201cKaz,\u201d he said seriously. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s me.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking,\u201d he said. \u201cWhatever for?\u201d I quipped back at him. \u201cI think I love you.\" My eyes widened and my breath\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kyle-head-p6rNTdAPbuk-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kyle-head-p6rNTdAPbuk-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kyle-head-p6rNTdAPbuk-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kyle-head-p6rNTdAPbuk-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kyle-head-p6rNTdAPbuk-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3268,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3268","url_meta":{"origin":1693,"position":3},"title":"Low Tide","author":"Kel White","date":"February 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"His hands crease around his empty coffee mug like old leather. Paint peppers his fingers, flaking off under the flex of his grip. Brown tide marks circle the faded ceramic to punctuate his cumulative breaks. Boats float in the water, tugging against their moorings like dogs on tightened leashes.\u00a0The sun\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/annie-spratt-KjxH1eHFb8w-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/annie-spratt-KjxH1eHFb8w-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/annie-spratt-KjxH1eHFb8w-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/annie-spratt-KjxH1eHFb8w-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":266,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=266","url_meta":{"origin":1693,"position":4},"title":"A hard man at the end","author":"Helen Jahn","date":"November 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"He couldn\u2019t remember the day that his whole world became soft. Then again, memory was proving to be a funny old thing lately anyway. He was quite sure that once upon a time the things around him were hard. His life was made up of hard things. No nonsense things.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/james-qualtrough-qvXPDFVMics-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/james-qualtrough-qvXPDFVMics-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/james-qualtrough-qvXPDFVMics-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/james-qualtrough-qvXPDFVMics-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/james-qualtrough-qvXPDFVMics-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3781,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3781","url_meta":{"origin":1693,"position":5},"title":"Book Week","author":"Elissa McKay","date":"August 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s Book Week all across Australia, which means parents are putting Harry Potter spell-themed snacks into lunch boxes and frantically scrounging up costumes late at night (note to children\u2019s authors \u2013 we need more children\u2019s books with heroes wearing pyjamas, please). 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