Annabel Aerosol waved goodbye to her parents who watched her through the window. Then, she stepped off the curb into the path of an oncoming
Bus that killed her upon impact. It also nearly ended the lives of her parents on the spot, who wished they died along with her, and they no longer look through that window. That day
Carl found a lottery ticket. He won big, and instead of having a party for his friends and blowing his winnings, he bought a shipping Container of Chinese electronics that he used to set up a small
Distribution company. Because of his initial investment he was able to secure credit from his Chinese suppliers and was on his way to becoming rich. According to the manual, the
Electronics were to connect back to the manufacturer to allow the manufacturer to update the software automatically. What the manual did not Explain was the device relayed every use of the device back to a covert operation run by CIA and MSS rogue intelligence agents intent on becoming rich. The information was sold to both
Facebook and
Google, because they both wanted to know what the other knew even if the other knew they knew it. It worked like a charm for a while until the Chinese authorities got wind of it (one of the agents had Gambling issues) and they shut it down. The CIA operatives were sent home and the Chinese spooks Got a bullet in the back of the head and an unmarked Grave. Carl didn’t know about that, but when the electronics company shut down, Carl lost everything.
Heroes are in short supply in this story, but meet Harold. He drove the bus that Hit Annabel. He stopped, called 911, and when EMS and the police arrived He was giving Annabel CPR and wouldn’t stop until EMS declared Her DOA. That was the only thing that saved Annabel’s parents from killing themselves right then — watching Harold’s selfless act of Heroism.  They died of a shared broken Heart, months later, within Hours of each other. Harold experienced PTSD and had to work it out through therapy and meditation.
“Isabel waved out the window of her state room to the crowds on the dock, scanning them anxiously for a sight of her lover,” wrote Ida P. Ida was well on her way to writing another romance novel.
Jersey Joe was a gambler and couldn’t resist a bet. He hated Jelly Beans In A Jar — he never won — but he couldn’t resist them. His therapist suggested whenever he saw a Count The Jelly Beans And Win The Jar contest, he should just buy some Jelly beans instead. That worked for a while, but he got fat. He hated that. He had to
Kick the habit. He decided he surrounded himself with the wrong people and the neighbourhood was the problem, so he Knuckled down and moved. It didn’t work. Meanwhile, the SVR RF (formerly KGB) hacked the Chinese electronic devices and re-started the program. What they do with it is anyone’s guess. Back home, Jersey Joe is
Living above a Laundromat. He has a really nice view of a ravine through his bedroom window. He’s going to discover that after staying there for a while, he’ll kick his gambling bug, as far as count How Many Jellybeans In The Jar went. He’s going to Lose his money at the track Like anyone else.
Marjorie Manages a Millinery store and is in charge of display. Display is where Marjorie’s heart lies. Unfortunately, a lot of other shit comes with the title — complaints, staff issues, inventory counts, late nights. Sometimes Marjorie doesn’t have the strength to make a Meal. She sits watching TV, eating ice cream before falling asleep. wondering how she’s ever going to meet a nice guy.
Nana Demeter wished the window looked out on something — there was just a brick wall about 10 feet away. Her window looked out onto the back alley of the loading dock leading to the
Old folks homes where she lived. Most days she stayed in her room, calling her family to make sure they were coming to visit. She had a big Greek family and she was still the matriarch. Then, when they visited, she was so mad, she wouldn’t talk. She didn’t want to be there, she hated her room with that damn window that didn’t look Out anywhere. After a while, Only her daughter would visit, so Nana would complain to her about her brothers and sisters who wouldn’t visit.
Persephone (her daughter) had the Patience of a saint and didn’t mind listening to her mother if it made her feel any better. Nana had once been a very Powerful woman in agri-business but commodities is a dangerous game, and Nana had lost her fortune. It was true the room was horrid but these days it was all they could afford. Persephone wished it hadn’t come to this, but the wheel turns. What she could do was love her mother.
Quarrels were inevitable. Persephone kept asking her brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts for more money to take better care of Nana, but everyone had their excuses. Everyone asked why she wanted to upset them — didn’t they do enough for Nana as it was? It didn’t matter — in the end, Nana quit eating and died. Heart failure, the doctor said. “Broken heart,” Persephone said and everyone fought at the funeral.
“Remake yourself,” Jersey Joe told his pal Carl, who was down on his luck having been blindsided by market forces. Jersey extended an invitation to go bet on the nags. Carl said he’d do it but he had to wear his lucky hat. “How’s it your lucky hat?” Jersey asked. Carl said, “whenever I wear it, my team wins.” “Who’s your team?” asked Jersey. “I don’t like talking about it,” said Carl, who thought people tend to judge you once they know your team. Jersey, wisely didn’t say more about that. Besides Carl was his Ride—otherwise, it was the bus—and compared to the people you meet Riding the bus to the Racetrack—putting up with Carl’s eccentricity was a Relief in comparison. When they arrived Carl
Strode into the racetrack feeling confident. His luck was turning — he could feel it. First, he made a daily double. That gave him the confidence to try for a trifecta—and he won! Jersey said his horseshoes were golden and buried deep that day. They Studied the program. Jersey knew some of the horses. In the end Carl tore up the program, put the names of the horses in his hat, pulled out four and bet the Superfecta. Someone Should have told Carl no one wins the Superfecta. But no one did…and Carl won! Standing in line at the
Ticket booth to collect his winnings, Carl’s luck Took a real Turn. “Nice hat!” he heard a woman say. He Turned around to see a fine looking woman looking right at him. “Carl’s the name…and you are?” “Marjorie.” “Well Marjorie — this is my lucky hat, and this is my lucky day, so if you like my hat, maybe you would like to join my friend Jersey and me for a cocktail in the clubhouse — my Treat. I’ve won big today. “Well, hey, high roller—I’m game,” said Marjorie. When they met Jersey, he took one look, and said “Two’s company gang…I got a bus to catch.” Cocktails stretched to dinner, dinner to coffee and a late night bet—Marjorie won big on a dark horse win. It was like They had known each other for a long Time. Marjorie heard all about Carl’s business loss, Carl all about her love for hats and no bullshit. By the end of the night they knew they were meant to do business…a whole lot of business… Together. They already came up with a new concept —
Umami hats — hats of Unusual taste. Marjorie looked at Carl as he drove her home, and said, “You’ve known
Victory once, don’t tell yourself you can’t do it again. Just because the market tanked — you’ve still got your smarts… and good looks.” Carl pulled the car to the side of the road, took Marjorie’s hand and breathed “Say that again,” as she leaned toward him. After a long kiss, Carl said, “I started once on a lottery ticket, but this time I’m going to bet, and win large.” Marjorie looked at him and said, “you will, I know it.” Things got steamy after that, fast.
Wilbur Wyandotte was the type of name any agent in his right mind Would Want. But Wilbur was no longer convenient and Walter Whiteout (real name) was on the run.  Walter had disgraced himself in China trying to get rich and he wasn’t giving up now. There was no reason he had to be in China to re-establish contact with the electronic devices. He just needed help. He sent a message to a Gmail account and waited. He didn’t wait long. Not everyone in China had been caught. Wen Wu had slipped the drag net— and had a genius hacker nephew ready to work for them. Using the Aerosol Algorithm (based on revolutionary work done by Professor Aerosol — it tracked and identified separate streams of data, no matter what route it took through the internet.) It didn’t take long for them to find the SVR RFunit. They used a backdoor they’d originally built into the software to get access to the data. Then they started selling, more discretely this time. And if anyone came after them they’d
eXpose the racket, blackmail the SVR RF on that end, and sell them out to Google and Facebook — secretly.
Yes, Annabel’s father was that Professor Aerosol. The Professor was a brilliant man but all he could try to understand these days is whY his daughter Annabel was dead. He couldn’t understand whY. There was no calculation that could explain it, nothing that could make its function transparent and reproducible. All he could do was think, WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY? That was when the Professor’s experienced a massive heart attack and died.
Zeus watched the wheels roll, thinks of his family and how much he really hates Persephone because she is incredibly hot … but family. Zeus knew where that got you. Time to transform again and find some young stuff, he thought. Transform into lightning bolt, flash. Zap! Zeus disappears. Zarathustra was granted a divine insight that let him see how the war in heaven dictates life on Earth — and how, paradoxically, life on Earth determines the fate of the heavens. Either we support the Wise and Good, or we help Evil to win. So turns the wheel.