Everyone liked him. Henry Merci was a Jack-of-all-trades. He was a gondolier, a puppeteer, mime, messenger, water taxi pilot, a ventriloquist and a fisherman. He was a wharf waif. His parents had worked the rides at the pier arcade until one day they went to the public library to look up something and they were never seen again.
Henry was always there for anyone in need, eager to return the kindness so many had shown him after the abrupt and mysterious loss of his parents.
There was a commotion in the kitchen of 101 CRABS JAZZ CLUB. Henry excused himself from the elderly couple in the gondola he had just moored and rushed to see what was the matter. Henry knew sign language and it appeared his deaf friend Otis was in some sort of trouble.
There was quite a lot of clattering and several serious sounding thuds. When Henry opened the back screen door of the kitchen, a peculiar looking crab with blood on its tattooed paw blasted between Henry's feet and right out the door like a hockey puck.
Otis had trouble telling the score in sign language because he was wrapping a dish towel tightly around his bloody thumbs.
"Did he bite your thumbs, Otis?! Did he bite your thumbs?!" Henry was outraged. Otis nodded. Without hesitation Henry was after the creature who had injured and insulted his friend.
~ To Be Continued ~
