Prologue

18th Century Caribbean

It seemed to be a hanging ceremony conducted by Commodore Norrington of the royal British navy. The name of the man being hung was Captain Jack Sparrow. His faithful friend, Will Turner, had done all that he could to stop the hanging, but it was to no avail.

The command was given. Sparrow was hanging by the rope, gasping for breath. Finally, he stopped struggling and was limp. It was over. Captain Jack Sparrow was dead. Will Turner and his wife Elizabeth were choked with tears. They took the responsibility to bury him upon themselves. But before they did so Will cut off a lock of Jack’s hair and put it in a plastic container.

The next day Will set out on another quest across the high seas. He knew that it was scientifically possible to recreate a man’s body and mind in a process of copying the cellular tissue in his body. He also knew that this procedure was far beyond the time of most 18th-century scientists. He set out to find a scientist that could perform this process.

Elizabeth was, to say the least, reluctant to let Will go. She had almost lost Will once and she did not want to go through it again. But Will was determined to accomplish this and find the advanced scientist who could clone Jack.

Jack’s former crew agreed to take Will, and he would be captain until he was finished. So Will, along with Jack’s lock of hair set foot aboard the Black Pearl, going to find a way to bring Captain Jack Sparrow back.

Eventually Will found a man in China and he performed the procedure. He came to Will after it was over with some good news and some bad news. The good news was that the procedure was successful, and had recreated Jack’s body 100%. But the bad news was that there was a malfunction in the process, due to the fact that this was his first attempt. Jack’s body would remain in suspended animation for over 200 years - until the year 2004.

Will was stricken by the news. He had traveled all the way from the Caribbean to China, but Jack would not be brought back until 2004. He now had nothing to do but turn back and go home.

The Black Pearl, being the fastest ship on the seven seas, brought them back to the Atlantic in only two months. But they encountered a fierce storm that drove them off course, northward on the American continent. It ran them aground far up the coast, by where now is New Jersey. The ship was damaged, and would sink in two days if not repaired. So Will took ‘Jack’ and got off the ship.

He went a ways ashore and was attacked by natives. They came ferociously at Will, and he did all that he could to defend himself. By himself against 50 natives, he bravely fought and killed many. There were only ten left when they finally killed him. They left him lying there and they took the body that he had with him and ran off with it.

A day later, the first mate of the Black Pearl, Mr. Gibbs found Will laying on the ground and brought his body back to the ship, which had been repaired. They set sail for the Caribbean, their original destination. When they got there, they bore the dreadful news to Elizabeth, who shut herself up in her house for weeks after she heard.

A.D. 2004, Corry, Pennsylvania

Chapter I

Buried Alive

Captain Jack Sparrow awoke from his suspended animation. All was dark. He could see nothing. Then he realized that he was underground. He was buried alive - inside a wooden coffin. ‘I didn’t die at the hanging?’ thought Jack. ‘They must’ve thought that I was dead and put me in here.’ He struggled to get out of the coffin. He realized that he still had his ‘effects’ with him. They were next to him in a bag that was buried with him. He got one of his knives and quickly cut through the wood. Then he realized that there was probably six feet of dirt between him and the outside world. ‘Being buried alive is a most unpleasant fate. I hope I can get out of here before I suffocate,’ he thought. It was no use talking for he was already running out of air. Then he heard digging above him.

‘Jolly old Will!’, he thought. ‘He must have heard me digging under here. I hope he’s got rum; I could sure use some right now. Or maybe it’s Miss Elizabeth. I wonder if they’re married yet. Pity it never worked out between us.’ He kept up digging with his knives and finally he and the digger finally met and Jack got some air. He took a deep breath and thanked his rescuer. ‘Thank you so very much. I was just about to run out of bloody air. Oh, you’re not Will. Or Elizabeth!’

‘No, I don’t believe that either one of those names belongs to me’, said his rescuer.

‘Oh well, do you have any bloody rum? I’m dying of thirst.’

‘No, I don’t believe that I do. Not very many people drink rum anymore. I am afraid there is no rum, at least, not in this area.’

‘Why is the rum gone? By the way, what’s your name?’

‘I am Special Agent Jon Zinger. And yours?’

‘I’m Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?’

‘Well, I don’t think that I’ll be arguing with you right now. I was just passing by on my way to work. I’ll be seeing you later then.’

‘Wait, just a moment’, said Jack. ‘Do you, by any chance happen to know a chap by the name of William Turner, or his wife Elizabeth?’

‘Hmm, Turner. I don’t believe that I know any Turners. I’m sure there are some though’, said Jon.

‘Well, perhaps I’ll find them around. I’ll check out the other Caribbean islands’, Jack said.

‘I beg your pardon, but we aren’t in the Caribbean’, Jon said. ‘We’re in Corry, Pennsylvania.’

‘Pennsylvania. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of that. What country is that in?’, asked Jack.

‘It’s in America.’ After seeing a puzzled look on Jack’s face, he added, ‘the United States of America. The Caribbean islands are far south of here.’

‘How in the blazes did I get up here, mate? Oh well, which way is the nearest harbor? I’d like to get back down there and find Will. And maybe they’ll have rum down there.’

‘There are no harbors for hundreds of miles. The closest large body of water is Lake Erie, and that’s about an hour away if you’re going the speed limit.’

‘What’s the bloody speed limit, matey? I’ve never heard of such a preposterous thing in all my life.’

‘Well, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, unless otherwise marked. And I believe I had better get going or I’ll be late for my job. Have a nice day, Jack Sparrow’, said Jon as he walked away.

‘Captain Jack Sparrow’, he corrected him. ‘Captain Jack Sparrow. They always forget the Captain.’ Oh well, I guess I’ll try to get to this Lake Erie he was talking about. But how in the world am I going to go 55 miles in one hour without a bloody ship?’

Chapter II

A Strange Place

Captain Jack Sparrow looked around, wondering what kind of strange place this Corry, Pennsylvania was. The streets were made out of some kind of rocky substance. There were things, somewhat like horse-drawn carriages, but without horses. They seemed to be propelled by something within. Some made very strange noises as they went by, very disturbing to hear. Some even made noises that made you think you were under attack from cannon-fire. Everyone was walking on paths made of a similar stone-like substance. Some people had remarked that his hair was strange, but the hair of some of these people was stranger still. Spiked up really high and straight, or even of strange colors: purple, pink, or orange. Everyone wearing a strange sort of trousers, hard and of a bluish color. Even the women were wearing trousers. That was something that he had never even heard of. Back in the Caribbean and anywhere else he had ever been all women wore dresses or skirts. But a woman wearing trousers was absurd. Men and women were wearing earrings in their eyebrows, lips, and tongues.

He eventually got up to the courage to approach one of these strange people. He chose one who was not quite as strange as the rest of them. His hair was not very long, he had no earrings, but his trousers were still strange, made of that strange hard bluish stuff.

‘Hello, matey,’ said Jack. 'I was wondering if you might tell me what way Lake Erie is.’

The young man looked strangely at Jack, pointed to the road to the left of them, and said, ‘That way. I can’t really give you good directions, because I don’t drive yet.’

Jack said, ‘Drive? What kind of strange place is this? All these bloody carriages without horses and the people with strange hair and clothes. And why are the women wearing trousers? Why aren’t they wearing dresses?’

‘They’re not called trousers anymore. They’re called pants now. And women have been wearing pants for many years. Ever since I was born. There are still a few radicals who wear dresses, but for the most part, they all wear pants.’

‘Many years? What bloody year is this?’ asked Jack. He was more confused than ever.

‘This is 2004. Are you all right, sir? The hospital is right up that way if you need any help.’

‘No, no, I’m quite all right. But that’s more than 200 years since I last remember. And I really need some rum. Maybe that will help me figure out this bloody puzzle.’

‘200 years? What do you mean? You don’t look a day over 30. Are you sure you’re all right?’

‘Yes, yes, quite all right. By the way, what’s your name? You look very familiar.’

‘My name is Rick. Rick Turner’, said the young man.

Jack’s face lit up upon hearing the name of Turner. ‘Turner, eh, boy. You wouldn’t, perchance, have any Williams in your ancestry, do you?’

'Yes, my grandfather’s name was William’, said Rick. ‘And we’ve had quite a few William’s. My family came up here several generations ago from down around the Caribbean.’

‘Ah, so you’re descended from jolly old Will and Elizabeth. Splendid. Who’d have thought that I’d run into their great-grandson in Corry, Pennsylvania?’

‘It’s possible. I’m not sure, though. I know where we can find out. There is a genealogy at the library. I may be able to find out whether I am related to this Will and Elizabeth that you mentioned.’

‘And where can we find this library? I’d like to find out if you are the descendant of Will and Elizabeth.’

‘I can take you to the library. I’m not expected home for another few hours. It’s this way.’

‘Thank you, young chap. I believe I’m beginning to figure out why I am in Corry, Pennsylvania in 2004. I remember before I was hung, young Will talked about a way to take a lock of my hair so he could “clone” me, I think was the word he used. I hadn’t the slightest idea what he was bloody talking about. But he said he would try to find a way to recreate my body using only a lock of my hair so I could live again.’

Rick was startled by this. ‘This was back in the 18th century? But they’re only just starting to clone embryos now. But apparently he succeeded.’

‘But how come I only awoke about twenty minutes ago; over 200 years later? And a stranger place than I have ever seen in my years of sailing the seven seas.’

‘You were a sailor?’ asked Rick.

‘A pirate, lad. A pirate. And one of the most famous and notorious ones at the time that I met young Will. A dashing young lad. And one of the best swordsmen I’ve ever faced. I only beat him because I cheated.’

‘You beat him? Did you kill him?’

‘No, no, lad. I was in a hurry. I was trying to escape from the British soldiers. Plus he was much too fine a lad to kill if it could be avoided. He almost made me do it. Then I felt some glass smash against the back of my head and everything went black. The next thing I knew, I was in the British prison awaiting my hanging.’

‘So you were hung then?’

‘No, not yet. Young Will set me free on the condition that I help him find the girl he loved, Miss Elizabeth. She had been captured by some pirates that I knew very well. I went with him and we rescued her. A thrilling adventure. But not without some negatives though. But I don’t want to remember them. Then when Will, Elizabeth, and I got back, Commodore Norrington couldn’t wait to hang me. I was the most notorious pirate of that time, you know, matey. Will tried to talk him out of it, negotiate, you know, mate, but it didn’t work. Norrington hated me too badly. And I was hung. Then I woke up in that empty lot by that big red building down there.’

Jack and Rick were then at the doorstep to the library. It was a big, brown building that Jack was wary to enter, but young Rick convinced him that there was nothing to fear. They then entered the library.

Chapter III

Of the Lineage of Will

Rick opened the door to the library and stepped inside, waiting for Jack to follow.

‘A rather strange door, eh, mate? Made out of a type of metal and glass’, said Jack. ‘How long have they been making ‘em like these?’

‘Quite a while. I’m not exactly sure’, replied Rick. ‘As long as I can remember they’ve been around.’

Rick then opened the second door to the library and turned to Jack, ‘Be quiet. Whisper while you’re in here. The library is like a sanctuary of silence. It’s the rules. You can talk, but just whisper.’

Jack followed him in and whispered, ‘Alright, matey, if you say so. What in the world are these things we have to go by? And those big red things on the top?’

‘That’s the security thing, so it can tell if anybody steals a book. So don’t even think about trying to steal any books.’

‘I’ve never been much of a reader. Never had time for it, always commanding a ship, or being stranded on a island or in prison. And, ah, tables. Do we eat in here, mate? I’m in need of a good meal. And some rum. I really need some bloody rum.’

‘No, we don’t eat in here,’ replied Rick. ‘Those tables are for sitting at to read, not for eating. And definitely not for rum. Nobody drinks rum these days. Not even the drunks. The drunks just drink beer and that kind of thing. But no rum.’

‘Oh well, I’ll just have to go without. And what is this bloody thing on this countertop here? A box-like thing with words and lights and sounds. What kind of contraption in that?’

‘That’s the computer,’ Rick replied. ‘It was invented in the mid-20th century. Just about everyone has one now. It’s electronic. Oh, you wouldn’t understand. It’s a device that is used to store programs and things in. And it’s like a database. It’s hard to explain. But the genealogy program is on here, and we’ll have to use it to see if I’m related to this Will Turner that you knew.’

Rick put his hand on an object that looked like a roundish box and pushed a button on it. ‘I’m opening the genealogy program now. I have to type in my name and my father’s name and that should be enough to find it.’

He typed in his and his father’s name into the computer and it came up with a whole line of Turner’s. There was Rick, his father Thomas, and his grandfather William. He then found the ancestor that came up from the Caribbean named Frederick. That was about 10 generations back, around 1800. He kept looking and five generations farther there was a man named William at around 1750.

‘Is that him?’ inquired Rick.

‘Let’s see, his wife’s name was Elizabeth. Yes, that is Will. What an amazing thing this computer is.’

‘So I am descended from your friend. This is totally cool! Well, I have to get going home now, so I might see you tomorrow.’

‘Alright, matey. By the way where do they have that you can eat around here?’

‘Well, there are a lot of places, but the closest would probably be Country Fair. You can get a sub sandwich there for about 5 bucks,’ said Rick as they walked out the library door.

‘Bucks, mate? Please don’t tell me you mean male deer.’

‘No, no,’ assured Rick. ‘Five dollars. That’s the money we use here. We don’t use pounds and shillings or whatever. We go by dollars and cents.’

‘And what is one dollar equal to in pounds?’

‘I’m not positive. I really don’t know. We’ve been in the dollar and cent system so long that it doesn’t really matter. They still use pounds it Europe. But I’m really sorry. I really have to get going. If I’m not home in 10 minutes I’ll be in trouble.’

‘OK. Thanks for all your help, matey.’

Jack walked in an easterly direction down the street back towards the main street that they had come up by. ‘Where am I going to get five bloody dollars?’ he said as he got to the main street. He looked to his right in a southerly direction and he saw there about two blocks down a large brick building that read: ‘PNC Bank’. Jack turned and started to walk in this direction as the sun set on his right.

Chapter IV

The Work of a Pirate

Special Agent Jon Zinger sat at his desk at his office. It was 8:30 PM; almost time to go home. All of a sudden the chief ran into his office and shouted, ‘PNC Bank was just robbed! They said it was a strange character with shoulder-length curly hair.’

Jon stood up. ‘Captain Jack Sparrow, I presume.’

‘What in the world are you talking about?’ said the chief.

‘Oh, a fellow I bumped into this morning. Well, I’ll be off,’ said Jon as he grabbed his gun. He walked outside rather fast like he usually did, and then got in his car. He turned on his siren and headed for PNC Bank.

When he got to the bank, there were already local policemen there and they came and told him what information they had gathered. ‘Well, he got almost everything they had here: about $10,000. Security cameras got a shot of him picking the lock with his sword. Strange fellow. Then he headed out the way he came. That’s all we know as of now.’

Just at that moment a young man ran up to Jon, gasping for breath. ‘Special Agent, my name is Rick Turner. As soon as I heard about what happened, I came right down. I talked to the man that did this. I didn’t know he would do it, but I’m sure he did. Captain Jack Sparrow.’

Jon put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and said, ‘It’s OK, Rick. Tell me everything you know. I won’t let him do anything to you.’

‘Well, sir, he was walking up West Smith Street by the park towards Center Street this afternoon at about 12:30. He walked up to me and asked me which way Lake Erie was. So I pointed out the direction and then he was confused about the strangeness of Corry. Then he asked me what year it was. I told him and then pointed out where the hospital was if he needed any help.

‘I eventually found out that he was a clone of a pirate from the Caribbean islands in the 18th Century. A friend of his, apparently my ancestor, William Turner apparently cloned him after he was hung by a Commodore in the British navy. He was a pirate, the most famous and notorious one at that time. And before he was hung his friend Will Turner talked about cloning him. Apparently it worked. I checked out about this William Turner in the genealogy at the library and he was right.

‘Then it was time for me to go home and he asked me where he could get some food so I told him Country Fair. I said that he could get a sub sandwich there for about five dollars. He did not know what dollars were, being from the 18th Century so I explained that to him. Then I went home. That’s all I know. Except that I don’t think he had any money and he wanted rum as well.’

Jon listened to Rick and then said, ‘I too met this man, Rick. Probably only about ten minutes before you did. I was on my way to work, walking through the Topp’s Auto Parts parking lot when I heard a noise under my feet. I ran and got a shovel from Topp’s and started digging. Finally he broke free and thanked me for setting him free. He introduced himself as Captain Jack Sparrow and I introduced myself.

‘He seemed strange to me, but not suspicious. He asked about this Will and Elizabeth Turner. He asked if I knew them. I told him that I did not. He talked about looking on the other Caribbean islands. I informed him that we weren’t on the Caribbean islands and then told him where we were. He was confused upon hearing Corry, Pennsylvania and the United States of America. He asked me how far we were from the coast so I informed him that we were a few hundred miles away but that the closest body of water was Lake Erie. I had to go then, because it was almost time for me to be to work.

‘Well, it seems to me that we know who did it. Besides, the police reported that the security camera saw him picking the lock with his sword. Who else has a sword nowadays. And they also said that he had shoulder-length curly hair. I think we’ve found a match. And it sure looks like the work of a pirate. I believe that, by your testimony, the first place I should go is Country Fair. Thank you, Rick, I couldn’t have done this without you. Now I suggest that you go back home and get some sleep,’ said Jon. He then asked a police officer to escort Rick back home in his car just in case Jack didn’t like his ‘tattling’.

Jon got in his car and took off for Country Fair. He knew that Jack at least had been there. Or he could have gone to another restaurant in the area. He pulled in to the Country Fair parking lot and got out of his car.

Chapter V

A Beast Cornered

Captain Jack Sparrow sat inside Country Fair eating a sub. ‘This is delicious, mate’, he exclaimed. As he ate the last bite, he looked out the window and saw Jon Zinger walking up to the door. He got up and walked over to him and said, ‘Well, mate, long time no see. I still need some rum.’

‘Captain Jack Sparrow, you are under arrest for burglary. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you free of charge.’

‘One thing, mate. Can you prove that I did it?’ asked Jack.

‘We have you on videotape, Jack,’ said Jon.

‘What in the world is bloody videotape?’ asked Jack as he pulled out his pistol. ‘Gentlemen, Zinger in particular, this is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow,’ and he ran out the door and around the side of the building.

Jon was shocked and ran after him. ‘You are facing more charges now, Jack: resisting arrest.’

Jack altered course and crossed Smith street into the park. There were still teenagers there, as usual at around 9:30. Jon followed him across the street. Jack stopped near one group of teenagers and Jon arrived soon after.

Jack pointed out one girl named Samantha and asked Jon, ‘Oh, so are you her boyfriend?’

‘I’m sorry, but that is one title that I cannot claim,’ replied Jon.

‘Then you don’t mind if I claim that title?’ asked Jack.

‘Doesn’t bother me, but you’re still under arrest,’ said Jon.

Jack took Samantha’s arm in his and said, ‘Oh well, goodbye, Jonny-boy,’ and hit Jon in the forehead with the flat side of his sword, knocking him out. He then ran off arm-in-arm with Samantha.

Jack and Samantha came to a stop at the end of the park just before Park Street. Jack whispered something into Samantha’s ear. She slapped him so hard he fell on the ground and then she ran away. Jack moaned, ‘Not sure I deserved that,’ as he got up.

The last thing Jon saw was Jack and Samantha running off arm-in-arm. Jon thought, ‘Praise the Lord, I don’t have to worry about getting teased about her anymore’, and everything went black. In a dream, he was conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Chapter VI

Hot Pursuit

Jon woke up the next morning, still on the ground in the park. The teenagers, as much as they hated Zinger, had left him there unconscious. He got up, holding his head. ‘Oooh. I’ve got one horrible headache,’ thought Jon. He then went back towards Country Fair to get his car. ‘I wonder where Jack’s got to now,’ he thought as he got in his car.

All of a sudden he heard a car roaring loudly by on Center Street going northward towards Route 6. ‘Hey, Jonny-boy!’ he heard from the car. It was Jack. Jon quickly got into his car and started it up. He wasted no time in pulling out of the parking lot. ‘How in the world did Jack figure out how to drive a car so quickly,’ Jon thought. ‘Obviously he didn’t learn too well,’ observed Jon as he watched Jack swerve to one side of the road and the other barely avoiding many oncoming cars.

Fortunately the north-bound lane was empty so Jon could catch up to Jack rather quickly. He got behind Jack and bumped the back of his car. It was a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. ‘Great,’ Jon thought. ‘I have a feeling that this is not going to be pretty.’ Jack wouldn’t stop. He kept on going, but then suddenly turned left on Elk Street, barely avoiding a car going southward on Center Street. Jon put on his brakes and as soon as there were no cars coming down Center, he turned as well. Jack turned into the Rite Aid parking lot and squealed to a stop in a parking space. Jon followed him and parked next to him.

‘I think I’ll go shopping,’ said Jack as he got out of the car. Jon got out of his car as well and Jack started to run towards Rite Aid. Jon followed and almost caught up to him when Jack grabbed a bicycle that was parked outside of Rite Aid and started riding it towards Irving Street. Jon grabbed another bike that was there, a 26” Mountain bike, and followed after. He chased Jack up Irving Street until they got to Mead Avenue.

‘I’m tired, mate. That was a bloody steep hill,’ remarked Jack when they reached the top.

‘Wait until you see South Center Street,’ replied Jon, also out of breath.

Jack wasted no time in heading Southward on Mead Avenue, leaving Jon standing there on the top of Irving catching his breath. Jon, angry at himself for stopping, followed Jack up Mead Avenue. They soon reached a point near Mound Street where it was going downhill. Jon swung his right leg over to the left side of the bike and was standing completely on the left pedal. He began to catch up to his opponent, who said, ‘That’s a nice trick there, mate.’

Jon maneuvered his way directly to the right of Jack, and just after they passed Congress street, Jon jumped and tackled Jack in the middle of the road, pushing his own bike to the right side of the road. ‘I always liked bikes better than cars anyways,’ he exclaimed.

‘Oh, mate, that hurt. Where did you learn to hit like that?’ groaned Jack.

‘Instinct. Remember, you’re under arrest.’

‘Not if I have anything to do with it, said Jack as he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Jon. ‘Sorry to have to do this again,’ he said as he hit Jon in the head with his pistol and knocked him out. Jack picked him up and dropped him in the big field on the East side of the road and rode off on the bike he had stolen, nursing the bruises that Jon had given him.

Note: The humour of this story stops after two paragraphs in the seventh chapter. At that point the message or moral of the story comes. It is important to remember that that is not humour.

Chapter VII

Divine Intervention

Jon awoke with an even more splitting headache than before. He looked around, finding himself in the big field on the corner of Mead and Congress. He got up, and noticed that the sun was setting, meaning that it was about 8:00. ‘Consciousness sure hasn’t been my ally in the past 24 hours,’ thought Jon. He walked up towards Mead Avenue and saw the bike that he had ridden there still across the street, laying where it had fallen when he tackled Jack.

‘Well, I suppose I’ll take that back to Rite Aid and get my car back,’ he said as he mounted the bike. He rode it back to Rite Aid, parked it out front, and went to his car. The car that Jack had used was still there, parked next to his. Jon got in his car, and pulled out. ‘I don’t think sleep will be a problem for me tonight,’ he thought. ‘With how much I’ve been unconscious recently.’

Jon pulled out of the Rite Aid parking lot wondering where he would go from here. He decided to go back into town, because Jack had not been any farther out of town than Elk Street. But he must know the inner part of town pretty well by now. Jon decided that he would pray. He pulled over in the Country Fair parking lot and parked.

‘Dear Lord,’ he started. ‘I thank You for this wonderful day and I thank You for my job as special agent. Lord, please help me to find this pirate. I don’t know where in this city he is. He could be anywhere, but I know that You know exactly where he is. I ask You that you would show me where he is and that You’d help me to find him. Thank You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.’

With that he decided to get out of the car and walk over to the park. He felt the Lord leading him there. Then he saw Jack sitting on a park bench, eating another sub from Country Fair. ‘Thank you, Lord!’ exclaimed Jon, as he walked up to the park bench behind Captain Jack Sparrow.

‘Hello, Jack. I’ve found you, with the Lord’s help. I couldn’t have found you without His help,’ Jon said.

‘God?’ said Jack. ‘God is foolishness. Just for that, you’re not going to catch me. God’s not going to help you,’ said Jack as he got up. Jack turned and started running through a throng of people in the middle of the park, forcing Jon to follow.

‘You’d better not disrespect the Lord, or you may find yourself sprawled out in the road, dead once more. And nobody’s going to clone you this time,’ said Jon.

Once Jack had passed through the throng, he ran to the south-east corner of the park, squatted down next to a man-hole, opened it, and jumped in. Jon was close behind as Jack jumped in. There was a huge explosion inside the man-hole as Jon approached, forcing him to fall to the ground. He got up, went over to the man-hole, and looked down inside. He saw no one. ‘What caused that explosion?’ asked Jon aloud.

A man ran up to Jon and explained, ‘We were conducting an experiment, sir. Something went wrong. I don’t know what. But it caused a terrible explosion. I’m afraid there’ll be nothing left of the man who just jumped in there. I’m sorry, sir.’

‘Don’t be sorry. It was the judgment of God upon a blasphemous individual,’ declared Jon. ‘I’m sure he would’ve died somehow or another had you not been conducting this experiment. God would have made sure of that. It was not your doing. Just a few moments ago, he stood over there, blaspheming the Lord. Well, so ends the second life of the pirate, Jack Sparrow. Praise the Lord. I needed divine intervention, and I got it. I might’ve caught him yesterday, had I only thought to pray.’

Jon walked back to his car and got in. ‘Thank you Lord,’ he prayed. ‘Thank you for helping me solve this case and I also thank you that no one got hurt due to this man. I ask you that you would help me to remember to pray more often. I know that I should have prayed when I first started this case, but I neglected to. I pray that you’ll help me remember. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen.’