Wapsi Me Again

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jwhouk
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Wapsi Me Again

Post by jwhouk »

After reflecting on the fact that it's been nearly a decade since I found Wapsi Square, I decided to go revisit things - though not literally. This isn't going to have the EWV characters too involved - it's more or less me and Monica, and Shelly, and the "old school" group, with a MacGuffin or two.

---

I guided my car onto the 11th Street exit, and up the long off-ramp into downtown Minneapolis. It'd been a long time since I'd actually driven in the city, but because of the occasion – and because I finally had a bunch of time off to enjoy a drive over – I was guiding my HHR through the streets of Minnesota's largest city.

The mid-morning was crisp and bright – I'd headed out early, with the promise to Sarah that I'd make sure to stop at Tina's on my way home – and the traffic was pretty easy going as I turned to head down 3rd Avenue South.

The sight of the Holiday Inn Express brought back a memory. Had it really been nearly a decade ago, that I'd accidentally stumbled upon the strangest of things – things that I wouldn't have even imagined happening before that? And now – I was pretty much right in the middle of it all.

The light at East 16th, just before the viaduct over I-94, changed and I was shortly after back in the Stevens Square area of Minneapolis.

Or, as I jokingly called it, the Wapsi Square area.

My phone buzzed, and the MIDI sequenced notes of one-hit wonder Tommy Tutone's famed song rang out. Clicking it on and pressing speaker, I carefully guided my car through the narrowing streets.

"Hey there, M," I stated.

"Hey, you," came the reply. "Wherefore art thou? Been waiting on ya."

"Just heading down to Franklin now," I replied. "Should be there in a few minutes. Parking in the back?"

"Yeah, there should be a spot open; I still don't get why you wanted to drive," she was whining a bit. "You have a portal and all."

"Considering what we're doing, it's more appropriate," I explained. "Besides, I have the time and – if I'm really behind – I can bug Glytch about getting it and me home."

"All right," she said. "See you in a bit."

"Sounds good," I said – relapsing into my adopted "Nor'central 'Sconsin" accent.

"Silly cheesehead," she said with a laugh, clicking off the phone.

I turned onto Franklin, heading down to Lyndale. I turned onto Lyndale, then quickly guided my car into the parking lot of what used to be a furniture store – or, at least that's what M had told me. I always smiled when I saw the sign for the shop: ANTIQUIERA. Of course, I was one of only a handful that understood the joke behind the name, but it was a special inside joke. Though I had to admit that the Mayan gear-shaped centograph was always a bit spooky when I saw it on the front of the shop awning.

The ding of the bell on the entry door announced my presence, and shortly thereafter a petite busty Latina poked her head out from a door behind the front counter.

"Be out in a minute," she said.

"Who's waiting on who, again?" I said, trying to act annoyed – and failing. She only giggled as she slipped back into the office. I took the opportunity to browse around the front part of the shop. They had many different odds and ends – a few antique dolls, a display case of black-and-white photos of old-time Minneapolis, and some construction photos of the capital building over in St. Paul.

I went back over to the counter, and saw that there were some older "tech" items for sale behind the glass – including what looked to be a rather pristine-condition Sony Walkman, sans earphones, from the 1980's.

I heard a chirp from the other room, and Monica emerged from the office.

"Hey Joe," she said with a smile. "The statue's in the back by the old receiving area. You find a spot close enough?"

"Yep. Figured you'd be in front, still, so I didn't just go through the back door." She led the way to the back, tapping on a door just beyond the double-doors leading back.

"Tiff? You wanna take counter? Mr. Houk's here," she called out into what appeared to be the break room.

"Sure thing, Miss M," the young woman with the side-hawk and rose-tinted glasses said, rising from the small table with coffee in hand. "Takin' that statue over to the auto shop?"

"Yep," she said. "Finally tracked it down for Brian, and Phix insisted."

"Gotcha," she said, heading out into the main shop.

"Shall we load this thing up?" I asked.

"Well, like our Limey friend's always saying, 'do lets'."

We both had a laugh at the expense of Al, and headed off.

---
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Sgt. Howard
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Re: Wapsi Me Again

Post by Sgt. Howard »

???...you didn't pull something out of the Marinas Trench, did you?
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GlytchMeister
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Re: Wapsi Me Again

Post by GlytchMeister »

Sgt. Howard wrote:???...you didn't pull something out of the Marinas Trench, did you?
Oh, man, sooo many people would be sooo pissed

I mean, if it was for science, Glytch would go "Ok, I can see where you're coming from, but I don't think that's the best way to go about it."

And John would simply ask "Why? D'ya want to break or burn him even more? I'm sure Glytch can send him into a black hole or something. I've done about all I can do with that piece of crap."
He's mister GlytchMeister, he's mister code
He's mister exploiter, he's mister ones and zeros
They call me GlytchMeister, whatever I touch
Starts to glitch in my clutch!
I'm too much!
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jwhouk
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Re: Wapsi Me Again

Post by jwhouk »

---

"You know, it doesn't look anything like her," I said as we pulled up in front of South Minneapolis Auto Repair.

"That's kinda the point," Monica said. "I don't think Mr. Wahnee wanted it to look exactly like her." We both got out as I clicked the tailgate of the HHR. "I mean, you think it'd be a bit creepy when he came into work every day?"

"You have a point." I looked as we pulled it out of the tailgate area. "Where'd you find it, anyways?"

"I had a few scouts who pointed me in the right direction," she said. Between the two of us, we managed to get the box onto the ground - just as Peter Wahnee came out of the shop.

"Hey, Mon, hey there - that the statue dad was looking for?" I nodded as Pete wiped his hands on a shop towel.

"Yeah - your dad around?" Monica asked.

"He's in back - you need help getting that inside? I don't quite know where dad wanted to put that thing."

"Probably over by the service desk to scare Robbie into working," came a laugh from the shop. "Hi Monica, hey... it's Joe, right?" Brian Wahnee, owner of South Minneapolis Auto Repair, said to me in greeting.

I nodded in acknowledgement. "Think we might want to use a dolly or something to get it over there, though," I suggested. "It's easy enough to get in and out of the car, but try to move it past all these service bays might be a challenge."

"Pete, you know where that one cart is," he told his son. Pete ran off into the back to get the cart. "Many thanks for tracking this down, Monica," he said, turning to the Latina.

"Once we knew what we were looking for, it was easy to find," she said simply. "Now, keep in mind, it's not the real thing - Greek Antiquities is a bit touchy about taking the originals out. This is a scaled-down model of the original in the Athens National Museum."

"Which is what I wanted," Brian said. "Enough of a reminder that no one asks questions."

Pete came back with a cart, and together the four of us guided it onto the wheeled contraption and over by the service desk. After navigating the maze of lifts and equipment carts, a place for the statue had been cleared - and Pete handed his father a pry bar for the unboxing.

Brian edged the lid and one side off, and there, sitting in a crate filled with straw and newspapers, was a statue of a Grecian Sphinx. The sphinx was seated on its haunches, clothed in a toga and its hands down in front of it on the front of the pedestal. The wings were up-swept and directly behind, with the tail molded into the back legs, wrapped around them.

Carefully, Brian and Pete guided the statue into the open area right next to the service desk, at the entry to Brian's office.

"Well? Whatcha think?" Brian asked.

"It's kinda ugly," Pete said. "But a nice ugly..."

There was a gentle smack on the back of the head - but not from the elder Wahnee.

"You're such an idiot," the owner of said hand - attached to a chiseled female form - stated to her brother. "Hi daddy. Hey M, Mr. Houk."

"Shel, I've already told you to not call me that," I said. "I'm not like Al, but I'm also not THAT much older than you two."

Shelly raised an eyebrow at me, then turned back to the statue. "The mythology said that people in ancient Greek had these statues outside their estates as a means of guarding their homes and businesses." She considered a moment. "I'd still think it'd look better outside the main entrance off Lyndale."

"It's not weatherproof, though," Monica said. "It'd probably crack and disintegrate after the first Minneapolis winter."

"And I wanted it right here, just outside the office - since Shellybean can't be here for 'protection' anymore." Brian grinned and winked at his little girl, even as they reached over for a hug.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Just Old Al
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Re: Wapsi Me Again

Post by Just Old Al »

D'awwwwwww....lovely.
"The Empire was founded on cups of tea, mate, and if you think I am going to war without one you are sadly mistaken."
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