A collection of somewhat odd tales from the famed A.A.F Mansion...

Part 5: Tape 47

(in which fiction crossed the line and becomes reality)

all Paul...
 
 Why does the sun always wait till the end of the afternoon to show?

The day was slowly warming with the promise a hot ride home and Paul wished he'd put a little more sun cream on his neck, which was slowly
turning a very southern states shade of red.

The Tannoy on the lawns below drawled the results of the concours in its peculiar British manner... 'Could the following cars please come forward..."
Paul didn't care. It was time to go. He'd seen the machines close up - they were *all* stunning, that wonderful 275, that stunning 512 and, damn, you
could have turned Dave Rochford's Dino upside down and eaten your lunch off it!

It really didn't matter which was judged to be the best. It had been good to meet David and to see the pictures of the once rusty stripped frame
of the now perfect Grigio 246. It was both strange and quite wonderful, he thought, how he'd now met so many people from the newsgroup, and best
of all, he smiled, he was engaged to one of them. Gretchen returned his smile and gave his hand a warm squeeze.

They walked slowly back up the slight incline, weaving their way through a through the sea of gleaming red horses towards the group of 308s.

"It's odd, isn't it' Paul mused aloud, 'that this must be the only time where I'm in a car park and  I can't instantly see which is my car..."
Gretchen was less uncertain "It's that one. The nearest."
Paul had to take her word - despite having owned the 308 for over seven years and having racked up tens of thousands of miles, at that moment they
simply all looked the same...

Reaching the car, Gretchen noticed a package sitting on the drivers seat, a small rectangular brown paper bag,  and within it, just visible a grey
plastic case, a little larger than a VHS cassette. For a moment Paul wondered if Gretchen had been as confused as he and perhaps were now looking in
the wrong car. He glanced nervously around fearing that he might be taking someone else's property, but a moments double-check of the
82,000 mile odometer proved reassuring - none else did that sort of mileage.

'What is it?' Gretchen asked.
'I don't know.' Perhaps someone else had mistaken his car for their own.
He leaned in and retrieved the package. It was heavier than he thought.
For a moment he wondered if it might be a vehicle handbook in some sort of case - it was about the right size.
'Well?' Gretchen prompted impatiently.
He pulled the grey plastic object from the paper bag, and as he did he saw that it had a plain white label around the spine and front of what now
was clearly some sort of tape media container, very much like an oversized VHS case. The label was overprinted simply with a few words, in stark
black Times New Roman.

Paul froze. Gathering his thoughts rapidly he turned to scan the scene, searching for a face he'd never seen, but that he knew was there.
"What's the matter?" Gretchen asked, noting his sudden change of mood; "What's wrong?"
"Look around, quickly!" Paul answered "can you see anyone watching us?"
"What?" The quizzical laugh stalled in her throat.
"Just look! Is anyone watching us? a man, probably older than me...
probably laughing."
"Laughing?"
"Yes, laughing... or smiling... anything  - just look for someone watching us!"
They both scanned the scene, seeing only the distant country house, the concours cars lined up for judging, the stalls, the F1 car, the beautiful
Enzo, and row upon row of Ferraris with people idly wandering amongst them, chatting, pointing, photographing.
"I can't see anyone...What's going on!?" Gretchen demanded
"The tape!" Paul replied "This is *actually* it!" He opened the case and read the embossed details on the cassette within - 'Sony Broadcast Quality'
It was genuine, of that there was no doubt, but as to what it might contain...
"What tape?" Gretchen insisted "Paul, you're scaring me!"
"There's nothing to be scared of - look." He said handing it to her.
She took it, and propping her Oakley's on her head read aloud:
" 'Tape 47 - Property, Jerry Springer Show.' Jerry Springer??" she echoed "The Jerry Springer? What is this?"
"Tape 47 - that's what!" He looked around again, searching for a reaction from any passers by. "The one where Bob doesn't know that girlfriend Sherrie
is a man."
Gretchen looked worried "But what does it mean? How did it get here?"
Paul took a deep breath. "It means he's here... somewhere..."
"WHO!?!"
His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped a full tone as he spoke the words he had not used nor seen for over a year.

"The Funkraum."

...to be continued.