Abduction of the Plesiosaur

Ever felt trapped and no one even knows who you are? What if you were seen as someone else entirely?

The vehicle stopped in front of the elementary school. The driver sat for a moment, then stepped out away from the building, so the children couldn't see the attire of pale green foam. Then the driver reached in to get the mask and put it on. Closing the door, the animated character of Pleasy O'Saur stood in the parking lot with green flippers for hands and feet and silly, googly eyes. For a moment, Pleasy stood in the sunlight, unmoving, then walked around the car to enter the school. Well, it was a job. It paid well. Looked good on the resume. Even with the shoes built in to the bottom of the costume, the gait definitely resembled a walking fish and took time. Sure enough, as Pleasy walked in front of the building, excited screams were suddenly heard from within, as the students saw their favorite beloved character of learning and friendship, Pleasy O'Saur. 

Pleasy turned to 'look' at the children, with the googly blue eyes and big toothy grin and waved a flipper at them. The screams got even louder. Pleasy didn't stop walking, wanting to hurry up and enter the building. It was hot out here. Pleasy walked up to the main entrance, waving at children looking in the adjoining windows on either side. Teachers could tell it was futile to try to get the children to return to their seats with the one-and-only Pleasy O'Saur outside. 

Pleasy was almost at the door and took a deep breath upon hearing the children's screams and yells. Once out of view of any windows, Pleasy was puzzled as to why the screams seemed to be even louder, and there was a definite different tone occurring now. Pleasy was almost at the door when the door opened first, striking Pleasy against the brick wall behind the door. Pleasy turned the head to try to see who exactly it was.

There was an unknown person, a stranger, emerging from the building. His face was red and his eyes were glaring even bigger than Pleasy's. The costumed dinosaur tried to back away from the figure, but suddenly felt an arm in one of the foamy flippers being grabbed. 

"Mr. Danton!" a female voice called from within the building. "Please, don't hurt anyone!"

"I've had it with you!" this individual shouted back, startling Pleasy with the gruff voice. "Come here, you! You're going with me!"

Pleasy struggled to resist until the abductor showed the gun up high enough to be seen. 

"Quit resisting or you'll get this!" he hollered. Pleasy followed instructions, unwillingly but no longer resisted.  

Children were now hollering upon seeing their beloved Pleasy, who came all the way from Scotland to see them, being shoved into a car on the passenger side and the door slammed on the flipper. Only the fabric was caught, the person within wasn't injured, but the inner foot being the one trapped left Pleasy in a difficult position in the seat. Before Pleasy could manage to do anything in the automobile, the gunman had made his way to the driver's side and opened the door, getting into the driver's seat. Quickly he reached across and grabbed the seat belt and further inconvenienced Pleasy, strapping upper flippers with the belt. 

Pleasy tried talking, but the costume muffled anything said. The driver cranked the car and sped out of the school parking lot. Pleasy was tossed to and fro in the seat, resulting in further disorientation. It was hard to breath in the mask and the car was hot as well. Pleasy tried bringing a flipper up to pull off the mask to get better air, but once again, was restrained by the belt, so the plesiosaur was stuck, trapped, unable to move. 

The car flew down the road, barely stopping at stop signs, if at all. fortunately most traffic by then had already arrived at work, but sure enough, the way this guy was driving, he'd find a vehicle to sideswipe. Pleasy was rattled by the hit and again, didn't know if someone had been injured or not and could only sit in the dark mask, barely able to see out of the viewing mesh around the neck. 

Tires squealed as the crazed driver sailed down the road. In the distance, Pleasy began to hear sirens, faint, then they grew louder and louder. Pleasy knew he heard them too. One almost seemed like it was right upon the vehicle. Pleasy was trying to be braced, but was already so with the trapped flipper and the seat belt, so any hope of the vehicle flipping and Pleasy not being hurt had to be in the costume padding acting as a buffer. The vehicle made another swerve, throwing Pleasy the other way, but again, the figure didn't move, just the sensation. 

Another strike, something, a car or whatever. Light came through the costume eyes, but all that could be seen going out was the roof of the car. Pleasy tried lowering the head to try to see what was in front and viewed dodging cars and trucks with close calls and definite jarring hits. 

I just wanted to make some money and have fun while doing it, Pleasy thought. How did all of this happen? Pleasy pressed the hand in the left flipper to the passenger window, since the right arm was pinned. Straightening up the mask was now achieved by being able to tug on the neck of the mask and pull on it, so Pleasy could now see out of the googly costume eyes. 

Vehicles flew by. Pleasy looked at the occupants and pressed the flippered hand against the window. People looked and pointed. Some were surprised the vehicle was moving so fast and wondered what that silly children's dinosaur was doing in the speeding car. They soared by a car with two preschoolers on the back seat who, upon seeing the beloved Pleasy O'Saur, began laughing and waving. And the lime green dinosaur face smiled back. 

Other motorists were aware of what had happened, listening to it on the news or getting an alert on their phone. They were trying to let law enforcement know where the car and kidnapped dinosaur was heading. Some phones emerged from the vehicle to get a picture of Pleasy O'Saur flying by, taken captive in the automobile. They were immediately uploaded.

Pleasy sat back in the seat. With a little movement of the left hand, the mask was managed to be lifted a small tad, allowing air within. Pleasy breathed in the much cooler air with absolute relish. It was now hot in the costume. Maybe if a flipper could reach a window and roll it down would help. 

"Bet you want to know what I did, don't you?"

Pleasy had all but forgotten the fellow was in the car, the costume was so stifling and receiving air became the main focus. 

"I didn't do nothing!" the driver screamed. 

The yell made Pleasy jump, extremely startled. 

"I didn't do nothing!" he yelled again. "It was that hag in charge of the school! It was her and Andy's mother! They were all the problems! They caused all this!"

Pleasy tried maneuvering again to see where that gun might be, but to no avail. Even if the gun was seen, there was nothing Pleasy could do about it, trapped in this predicament. 

"Tried to work with her, but she wouldn't have it! I wish I had never gotten in a relationship with her to begin with!" 

Pleasy sat back and rested. Just rest. 

"She wanted to deny me visitation if I didn't pay child support, but my lawyer didn't say it like that! That wasn't the amount we agreed upon!" 

The car made a sharp turn, striking . . . . . something. Pleasy didn't know anymore. Then there was another swerve. 

"I just wanted to see my son. And they wouldn't let me! She made me hit her! She stood in my way! I didn't want to do it!"

Pleasy just took a deep breath and listened. 

"Was I wrong to want to see my kid? NO!"

The yell made Pleasy jump again. Then the car made another hit, hard, on the passenger side. 

"I just wanted to see Andy!"

There was another turn. Pleasy was all but like a limp rider on an amusement park ride, tho obviously there was nothing amusing about this. There was another strike, another jolt, then a jarring hit and the car came to a stop. Pleasy heard steam emerging from somewhere outside. Pleasy tried once again to twist and turn the mask to see their location. All that could be seen was cyclone fencing. Must have struck a post. Brick wall beyond the fence. 

"I provided for him! I did what I could! Do you hear me?"

Frightened, Pleasy managed to move the mask up and down in agreement. 

"I was a good father! She was the one who didn't want a kid, so now she's keeping him away from me. She doesn't even want him. She doesn't love him. I tried telling them that at court, but they wouldn't listen to me! Lousy female judge!"

Pleasy waited to hear more, but the person grew quiet, save for hard breathing. The hissing from the motor was diminishing. The abductor sniffed, then he started crying. 

"Andy was the only good thing I ever did," he wailed. "She's not getting everything from me. It's going to Andy. It's all tied up in a bank account she doesn't know about, and there's even more for him in a storage unit and she's never going to find it! It's all for Andy! All for Andy!" 

Pleasy strained to hear a possible siren in the distance coming closer, but couldn't detect any. 

"I was going to try to tell Andy about it at his school, but that sow wouldn't let me! She's friends with Andy's mother. She made me hit her! She wouldn't let me see my son."

There was a thumping, dull thud noise coming from the car. 

"She wouldn't let me tell Andy. Said to tell her and she would tell Andy. Like I'd trust her. She's friends with Andy's mother!"

There was a click which Pleasy thought at first came from the engine, something in the engine, but then realized the click was in the car with them. 

"Here it is," Danton said, holding up some papers Pleasy could see twisting the mask around again. 

"This is the bank account information, in my son's name, and the storage unit address and key, also in his name. All for him. All for you, Andy. Daddy loves you! Daddy loves you." He was crying again. 

Suddenly he grabbed Pleasy by the collar. 

"Are you friends with her? Huh? Are you? You were going to that school! Are you friends with that principal?"

"No," Pleasy managed from within the costume. 

"No?" Danton repeated. "That's good. You better not be, because I got to trust you to do what's right by Andy, . . . and by me." 

Pleasy detected paper being shoved within the neck, sudden crinkling paper poking flesh within the outfit. 

"That's the bank account information and the storage unit information, and the key. I'm trusting you to see that Andy gets it."

"Andy," Pleasy repeated, trying to reach the distraught father, sensing what was next. Sirens were finally heard slowly approaching. 

"I'm never going to see Andy again," he sobbed. "Good bye, Andy! I love you, son!"

Pleasy could make out the flashing red of the distant sirens drawing near, but it was suddenly intermingled with another crimson red, after a very loud pop. There was a sudden strike toward Pleasy and a weighty form slammed on the left flipper. Pleasy knew what it must mean and struggled to hit the button, find the button first, that would release the seatbelt. The corpse's shoulder and back were pressing on Pleasy's arm within the suit, but finally Pleasy hit the button, releasing the seat belt. 

The sirens were very loud to the point of they seemed to be as close as they could possibly get. It was then Pleasy realized an earlier thud noise was something burning in the motor and it was gradually intensifying. With the seatbelt off, Pleasy struggled with the door handle to open the door, but apparently whatever the driver had struck while speeding caused some damage. Finally the door unlocked, but still wouldn't open. It was jammed. Pleasy pushed as much as possible. The burning from the motor was growing stronger. Pleasy could smell the black smoke. Where were the police? 

Pleasy pushed on the door, hearing a loud creak and the door opened. The dinosaur stumbled out onto the ground and began to crawl over pavement. Police now began approaching the vehicle to make certain the gunman was indeed immobilized. Pleasy struggled to become upright, then started the waddle away from the car. There was another boom noise and breaking glass. Something exploded in the car. An officer had seized Pleasy by the foamy flipper and moved in the direction of a paramedic vehicle. 

The delight of children everywhere was placed on the bumper of the vehicle and the sleeves were pulled off the costume to better get at the person within. Then the mask was pulled off. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes, I am now. Just very shook up."

"Paramedics will help you, check your blood pressure and all. There's blood splattered all over the costume."

"Don't let any children see that. Hide it from them."

"Don't worry. They're not going to see it. Did you know anything about that guy?"

"He grabbed me at the school," as sobbing started, "where I was to entertain children." 

"It's okay now," said the paramedic. "We want to take you to the hospital to give you a check-up, but you seem okay, considering the ordeal you've just been through." 

"So tell me," the officer said, "did he say anything to you at all?"

"No. He said very little to me. I have no idea why he did this or what he was after. I don't even know his name." 

The papers had slipped down into the costume and were nestled securely about at the waist.