He cannot countermand my orders or order you to disobey me or serve only him,” I stipulated. Barry was elated.“No! Please! Adam? What about,” Er...ca seemed to be stuck thinking of an alternative to suggest. I realized now that the girls had been suggesting alternatives when I gave them orders they didn’t want to do on any level. I assumed my order that they ask for punishment when they do something wrong had created a logical paradox in their minds that over-rode their inhibitions. Mom didn’t. Her voice squeaked out.“Hello?” Barely a whisper had escaped from her mouth. A couple of seconds later nothing had happened so she tried again this time with a little more confidence. “HELLO, IS THERE ANYONE THERE?” The darkness echoed back her voice hollow and unanswered.“f***, what the f*** is going on here?” she muttered to her self.The she heard it, a sound a little way in the distance but she definitely heard it like something walking on stone. Something large and heavy hitting stone from. Even though you’re no closer to an answer, there’s something calming about the process. It gives you, for a few moments, the illusion of control.As you turn your head, you feel something brush against your eyelashes. A blindfold? It feels hard, leathery, and you don’t know if this should make you more or less nervous. You move to take off the mask when you realize you can’t move your arms.The reaction is almost instantaneous: your heart starts pounding, your lungs heaving. As you begin to. Andrew was out ofluck, now, and out of sympathy, too.So he'd made an executive decision to call it a day. Fate was NOT on hisside. He got his things together, fluffed up his coat as he put it abouthis person, and gathered the few chips he had left. Except, as he beganto trudge toward the token exchange, he was intercepted by an extremelywell dressed man, immaculately groomed, almost straight out of one ofthose gangster movies that everyone loved so much."Hey, buddy. You giving up the ghost.