The Adventures of Mark Spinner - The Detective Read online

  The Adventures of

  Mark Spinner—The Detective

  I. T. EREN

  Copyright © 2012 I.T.EREN

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 148021681X

  ISBN-13: 978-1480216815

  To my daughter

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank T. Tanridagli, A. Alpay, A&D. Ceylan, and H.Eren for their patience and help in bringing this book to life …

  CHAPTER 1

  Mark’s legs were shaking. “I can do it!” he said. Then he took a deep breath and started taking very careful steps. Trying to cross the river by walking on a tiny log that was fifty meters above the water was no fun at all. Besides, it was windy, and the weather was far from being agreeable. Just when he took the second step, the wind started blowing faster, and Mark had to lean to the left to prevent falling. Thankfully, he was wearing the trekking shoes his dad had given him on his birthday—at least they were providing some traction.

  After taking a few more steps, he reached the middle. Now he no longer had the chance to turn around and go back to where he had started. In an attempt to get rid of thoughts, such as “I shouldn’t be afraid” or “I’ll make a fool of myself,” he thought about humming a melody. As he tried to come up with a song he could croon, he suddenly found himself humming a song he had learned at school: “Be brave, be brisk, and remember to laugh and frisk.” As he sang, his steps started becoming faster. Yes! It was working. The funny thing is that when he first learned this song during a class three years ago, the teacher had scolded him and a few of his friends because they laughed, saying it was a silly song.

  He managed to reach the end of the log while he kept humming. And when he finally put his left foot on the ground, he took a deep breath and thought, “I’ll find whoever wrote this song and congratulate him. I might even apologize for having made fun of it once!”

  Then he heard his sister Lisa scream with joy, “Woohoo!”

  Lisa had watched Mark from the other side. The nice thing about the game simulators in Crestville Park was that spectators were also allowed into them. This way, Lisa could witness the success of her twelve-year-old brother, and now she would even be able to tell her mom and friends about all she saw when she went back home.

  Although Mark was twelve, he looked much younger because he was such a puny kid. He was not shorter than his peers, yet he looked as if he would fly away, if the wind so much as blew on him. His auburn hair, freckles, and his huge, prowling eyes fit his mischievous character. The fact that he had begun poking around the entire house right after beginning to crawl had heralded that he would give his parents a hard time. And the older he got, the more he fulfilled such expectations. When he was three, he had caused his maternal and paternal grandparents to quarrel about whom he took after. Each grandparent had tried really hard to prove that Mark had not taken after him or her.

  When he turned twelve and reached the age he was allowed to use the game simulators, he and his father had visited Crestville Park. After all, it was the birthday present he had managed his father to promise him. The park personnel did not believe he was twelve, so they had to receive an official confirmation by connecting to the birth registry center. Mark had been shortsighted since he was ten, but he had not worn his glasses, thinking they made him look even younger. Instead, he narrowed his eyes as much as he could so he could see.

  Now he had to climb the mountain by using ropes. He took a deep breath. Just as the log looked terribly real in the previous stage, the ropes and the act of climbing also felt real now. The only difference was that in the game of using a log to cross to the other side, the chasm below him looked like fifty meters; however, it was not deeper than fifty centimeters and was covered with soft cushions.

  In the climbing game, the wall came down, each time he climbed a little, by the use of a rotating mechanism; in other words, he was never higher than one meter above the ground at any given time. Still, the 3D-video effect caused him to break out in a cold sweat since he thought there was a deep gorge below.

  And that was how it happened. Mark started to lose the power in his arms as he climbed higher. He still had to go up quite a bit to reach the peak, but the ropes were getting slippery—or at least he thought so. He had to complete this leg of the game without falling. He had told his friends that he would show them the recorded video of the game. If his friends saw him fall, they would tease him for at least a whole week for sure!

  A video of Doyle, the kid who sat in front of Mark in class, showed him falling from the back of a horse. Kids had gotten a hold of it, and they passed it back and forth between each other. And Mark, together with two buddies, had created a sarcastic clip of the video, leaving it where everyone could see it. The song he and his friends sang, as the background music played, was called “We Thought Horses Were Dumb.” And that song had caused others to watch the video more than three hundred times. What’s more, it had also caused Mark and his two pals to get punished since their voices easily gave them away. “Doyle froze when got kicked by the horse / They had taught us wrong, we thought horses were dumb / Who let Doyle out there? / A kick landed his face and bells rang in his head / We thought horses were dumb.”

  They had written the lyrics and composed the song in just fifteen minutes, and yet the study hall punishment they were given lasted more than five hours! So if Mark fell down now, it would give Doyle a perfect opportunity for revenge. Mark couldn’t risk that.

  Buried in those thoughts, Mark hung onto the ropes and hauled himself up. Lisa was supporting her brother once again, and each time he moved forward she said, “Keep on! You can do it!”

  Mark felt he could persevere even more. If only he could rest his feet against something, he could diminish the weight on his arms even if for a short while. However, when he scanned the surface he was climbing, he could not find anything on which he could put his foot. “In real life, walls are never this steep!” he complained. He had to make one last effort. Mark held the rope with his right hand and grabbed the ground with his left, and finally, he made it! This section was also complete now, and although he felt consumed, the joy of success was indispensable. He was pleased, and now, he felt like an adult—a real man!

  At school, in the reports his teachers wrote about him, they had mentioned that he was a kid who was naughty and yet full of the drive to succeed. He could accomplish great things in the future if he directed himself in the right way. He had made it into the first one hundred brightest students of his age that the government followed, but he did so without informing his family.

  In truth, the game simulators in the park conveyed to the government information about those who played them because it was the government that supported and financed these machines. More than a decade had passed since additional taxes had been inferred on computer games that did not require action as a precaution against obesity. On the other hand, the gaming machines that made the gamers move and keep active were subsidized in accordance with the number of calories they made people lose. When some entrepreneurs, who overdid their efforts related to this side of the story, invented silly machines that looked more like fitness equipment and made one’s whole body vibrate, the government made an adjustment to also see how many people used those machines.

  “Woohoo!” Lisa screamed again with joy. For a ten-year-old girl, she was really mature. From the way she behaved at home, one might even wonder whether she was the older than her brother. Mark’s hyperactive behavior was too much. Thankfully, Lisa was a good-natured, calm kid, and that prevented their parents from going crazy. Mark kept hearing the words “Follow you sister’s example” ea
ch time he misbehaved. And Mark often responded to this reprimand by imitating the way Lisa sucked her thumb—his sister’s only obsession—and thought that he had fulfilled his duty of making his parents regret what they said.

  Lisa was a scrawny kid like her brother. But her long blond hair, green eyes, and good behavior made it difficult for people to believe that she was Mark’s sister. In fact, she had already realized she’d better give up trying to convince people about that. These days, she even sat far away from her brother on the school bus to make sure she didn’t lose any popularity just because of her brother’s mischief making.

  The third section of the game simulator included a game that required getting on a train in the Wild West without being shot by the cowboys. You had to roll onto the ground with agility, crawl, and even jump when necessary to reach the train without getting hit by the cowboys shooting from behind the barrels. In this version, you didn’t get a shotgun or a rifle to shoot back. “I wish I had a gun to beat these guys. Things would have been more fun,” Mark muttered. In the last years, the government penalized anything it thought would encourage people to be aggressive. This game was the one Mark was most ambitious about, and he thought he could get on that train in less than two minutes. The electronic-blowpipe and oil-water wars he had with his friends had brought him to the level of a black belt master at bending, jumping, hopping, and springing when attacked.

  The first head appeared over the water tank. By the time the cowboy directed his gun at Mark, the kid had already wiggled into a cavity inside a rock. The assaulter disappeared each time you warded off the attack, but then a new one appeared a few yards away. Since the ground was, once again, on a rotating platform, it moved under Mark’s feet as he advanced. In other words, he was actually making small movements in a big room. Every now and then, he suppressed his perturbation by reminding himself that he was in just a room full of three-dimensional images, wind and scent machines, and an ever-changing ground with bumps and holes.

  When the second man appeared behind the drinking basin, Mark took out his electronic blowpipe from his pocket and shot the guy. The electronic blowpipe sent limited electric waves that were not harmful and yet hurt a little. The other side could realize he was shot and feel pissed off because of this mild, harmless pain. Although parents did not really like this toy, kids were able to buy it easily with their pocket money since it was sold freely in toy stores.

  When Mark hit the guy with the blowpipe, suddenly all lights went on, causing one to think that the sun had born into the room. Now they weren’t in a Western town but in a room! A man in charge came in and checked the decor. The bullet of the electronic blowpipe was soft, and luckily it hadn’t harmed anything. Although the man raised his hand toward the control cabin above, meaning all was well, he announced angrily through the speakers, “Our dear guest, your program has been terminated because you have broken the rules. You can pick up the recordings you have created so far. However, your admittance fee will not be refunded in accordance with the agreement stated on the backside of your ticket. Please leave the area.”

  Mark couldn’t believe his ears. But how had his friend Jeff hit the guy in the game with a slingshot he had taken along? Jeff had even gotten extra points from the move. Mark had been practicing with his blowpipe for the last two days, improving his shooting skills on Lisa, just because of Jeff’s slingshot!

  Nothing changed, however—even when he objected by saying, “But...but I thought I was allowed to do this.”

  Apparently, Jeff had played a trick on him. That fatso would have to pay for this! Crying or complaining would not change the situation now. His amazing birthday gift had been spoiled for nothing. It would take at least another year to convince his father to take him there again. That meant the earliest he could come here again would be on his next birthday. He imagined he would be coming to the simulator on each of his birthdays until he was thirty years old. Eventually, he would end up coming here with his own kid, and what’s more, his kid would perhaps complete the games. But Mark himself would still be unable to finish it! Suddenly, he felt sorry for himself. The fat boy who was next in cue was excited about having his turn earlier than expected and started getting ready. He cast Mark a nasty smile, as if he were pleased Mark had been disqualified. The boy’s friends who had also come now were making a big deal about the game. They opened a placard that said: “John Drek, you’ve got to win this event!”

  Mark and Lisa grabbed the videotape and started strolling through the park aimlessly. Normally, Mark loved studying the advertisements of the other simulating machines, but after what just happened, he didn’t feel like it. They sat on a bench and began to watch the passersby. Soon Mark decided he should go home and play on his computer. Only if he destroyed a few tribes on the Tribal Wars game, he would start feeling better again.

  When they returned home, their father was snoozing in front of the TV. Lisa turned off the newspaper because everyone believed that if these electronic newspapers remained on near the human body for too long, they could cause health problems. In fact, this was just a rumor that old-fashioned print newspaper companies had started as a last attempt to survive against the new technology. Their father’s snoring was overpowering the TV. Mark absentmindedly read the news scrolling under the images as subtitles. Then he went upstairs to his room to play on his computer. As soon as he sat in front of the screen, an idea flashed in his mind as if he had read the subtitles just now. As soon as it occurred to him what he had actually read on the TV screen, he rushed downstairs again. He typed in a few words on the TV keyboard and started a search. What he was looking for appeared right before his eyes, in just a few seconds. He clicked on the link and started reading: “The mysterious disappearance of a kid named Jonathan Drek: The investigation related to this issue is currently ongoing. The first public announcement will be made at two pm!”

  Whether Mark would usually run to listen to such news or whether he’d make fun of it instead was not clear, but this time, he was sure he remembered that name. He couldn’t quite place the kid, but he was pretty sure he was not one of his old school friends. He thought about going to his computer to look for the kid’s photo on the Internet, but it was almost two. So he spent a few minutes surfing other channels and then went back to the same news channel to listen to the announcement.

  The third news report the speaker announced was about the topic that whetted Mark’s curiosity: “Dear spectators, today an unbelievable event took place at the Dolce Vita sports and recreation center. According to witnesses, twelve-year-old Jonathan Drek arrived at the simulator room around eleven in the morning and suddenly disappeared inside a cloud of dust while he was competing in the simulator. His friends, who first thought this was a part of the game, started becoming suspicious when there was no sight of Jonathan after five more minutes. Simulator management is currently investigating the mysterious dust cloud. Unfortunately, no clues concerning the disappearance of the twelve-year-old have been found in spite of all efforts. The police are studying the video recording of the incident. The manufacturer and the manager of the simulator have declared that they are also investigating the incident and that they are insured to cover any unfavorable consequence. We are broadcasting now the photograph of Jonathan, who is a seventh grade student. Please contact us if you have seen him.”

  Mark called Lisa and told her about what he had just watched. He said, “I’m totally sure he is the kid who entered the simulator after me. Besides, don’t you remember the placard his friends opened? You had laughed when you saw the words ‘John Drek, you’ve got to win this event!’”

  Lisa hugged her brother excitedly. Then she said, “Brother, we’re so lucky that it wasn’t you who disappeared! Let’s not play on those machines again.”

  When Mark headed for school on Monday, he could not have thought that what happened to John Drek would save him from being ridiculed. What’s more, he couldn’t have known he’d be met like a hero. All of his friends who knew
that he’d gone to the simulator wanted information: “Did it happen when you were there?” “Did you see the kid?” “Can this be a part of the game?” “Did you notice anything weird?”

  Mark found it truly enjoyable that this incident prevented him from being made fun for his unsuccessful performance. He had become the most important person in his group of friends—at least for that day. He told them everything he knew about the subject, including the stuff he watched on TV. Upon realizing how curious everyone was, he even wondered for a moment whether he should tease them by talking about demons and fairies, but he refrained from doing that. The bottom line was that he had reached his goal—he had saved the day without being grilled about his own challenge in the simulator and without being made fun of.

  Nobody heard from John Drek, even after months passed. In fact, years later, when Mark chanced upon John Drek, he would realize how lucky he had been that day, and that John Drek had wrongly become the victim, just because of a small timing error.

  CHAPTER 2

  June fourteenth was the best day of the year for Mark. Starting that day, he would not have to go to school for three marvelous months. He and Lisa were in good spirits when they went to school on the last day. As usual, no actual classes would be held on this day. Students remembered and shared the funniest moments of the whole year. A few hotshots performed comedy sketches they had prepared. Others—girls especially—shared cookies and pastries they brought from home. Any lessons they had finished smoothly in an atmosphere of gaiety and fun.

  No one had heard anything from John Drek yet. Besides, pretty much everyone had lost interest in the subject. Mark had almost forgotten about it altogether.

  Mark was in Ms. Rottenmeier’s classroom at the end of the day. Two well-behaved students had gotten permission to perform a small classical music concert in the classroom. One of them had even brought in her violoncello with the help of her mother. Everyone entered the classroom and took their seats. Soon it was silent before the concert began. The parents of these two kids, Brit and Hank, had been taking their children to a music school every single Saturday for the last three years. So they felt they needed this performance now to show their efforts were not wasted. Over the past few years, Brit and Hank had turned into a familiar duo at school since they kept appearing in school talent shows.