Henry Wilson in the Enchanted Flask with Cameron Schultz

Henry Wilson in the Enchanted Flask with Cameron Schultz

Copyright © 2024 by Christopher A. Salvo

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN

978-1-962868-94-5 (Paperback)

978-1-962868-95-2 (eBook)

978-1-962868-93-8 (Hardcover)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter 1The Return

Chapter 2Henry and Sorcerer Murphy

Chapter 3Sorcerer Murphy

Chapter 4Henigson’s Report

Chapter 5Greenwich Avenue Starbucks

Chapter 6Indignation

Chapter 7International Intrigue

Chapter 8Behind the Scene

Chapter 9Cameron Schultz

Chapter 10Wary Trust

Chapter 11Reunion of Allies

Chapter 12Grand Entrance

Chapter 13Group Meeting: Walter Deposes and Says

Chapter 14Cameron’s Intrigue

Chapter 15Henry the Dreamer

Chapter 16Counter-Intelligence Studies

Chapter 17Henry Reaches Out and Touches Someone

Chapter 18Back at Greenwich Avenue Starbucks

Chapter 19Cameron Returns Home

Chapter 20Presidential Message

Chapter 21Thoughts, Contemplation and Exploration

Chapter 22Back in His Lair

Chapter 23Henry’s Dreams

Chapter 24Awakening

Chapter 25The Other Side of the Coin

Chapter 26Knowing Discovery

Chapter 27Noetics and Cameron

Chapter 28The Department of Extraordinary and Supernatural Events Reconvenes

Chapter 29Walter’s Secrets

Chapter 30Surveillance

Chapter 31X Factor Continued

Chapter 32Back at DESE Headquarters

Chapter 33Conceit Will Betray You

Chapter 34Polo at Conyers Farm

Chapter 35Surprise, Surprise!

Chapter 36Cameron’s Fate

Chapter 37Clarification

Chapter 38Cameron’s Interrogation

Chapter 39Solitude and Silent Contemplation

Chapter 40Resolution

Chapter 41Mary Kent

Chapter 42Tuning In

Chapter 43Proposition

Chapter 44Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Chapter 45Cogito-Lector

Chapter 46The State of Clear

Chapter 47Citizen Cameron

Chapter 48Integration and the Next Adventure

Chapter 49The Mouth of Truth

Chapter 50The Flask

Chapter 51King Edyvaard

Chapter 52La Bocca De La VeritA

Epilogue

Addenda F.Y.I.

Meet the Author

Acknowledgements

I am most grateful to Cyndy Salvo, my loving wife, Sally Tedesco, a very dear friend along with assistance from her husband Michael and my sons Philip and Matthew Salvo. Each has contributed to the creation of this book.

Cyndy and Sally are credited with manuscript editing and erudite criticism and corrections. Philip is credited both with editing and helping in the creation and composition of the cover.

Matthew is the model subject in the photograph. Matthew is both a gifted and experienced surfing instructor and a custom surfboard shaper at salvosurfboards.com in Rincon, P.R.

Prologue

This adventure continues the episodes of Henry Wilson Worthington in the book "Henry, Black Lightning and the Rubber Band". Henry’s name is too long and is shortened in the future to just Hennry Wilson. It centered about the United States’ super secret agency, the Department of Extraordinary and Super natural Events, known in short as "DESE".

This agency continually investigates, as its name implies, events starting with the Area 51 extra-terrestrial crash and its survivors. It continued to develop national protection against terroristic destruction by evil, malcontented witches and demonic allies. DESE’s star Federal Agent is Mary Kent, the director of the agency with exclusive and secret connections only to the President and Vice President of the United States.

The Area 51 incident introduced agent Jack Henigson, a scientist and secret agent who uncovered the extraterrestrials who changed their bodily form into Mr. Mrazy Xilx and the beautiful Elizabeth Sam. Both of these extra terrestrials became acclimated and stuck here on Earth because all of their communications and space vehicle was destroyed and beyond repair. Both became very special agents of DESE.

Henry, while a high school teenager, learned that he was endowed with extra special gifts and talents which border on the superhuman, extra sensory and near magical abilities.

Mary, on a vacation to Scandinavia, met up with Seemore Manlein, an extraordinary being. He was a Gnome. He, his wife Hepseva, and their very special friends, including some out of mythology, became involved in DESE activities in the dealing with evil witches.

The previous adventures dealt with evil witches, demons, black magic, voodoo and more. This earlier assignment ended in success. All members of DESE are secret federal agents, including the exceptional Henry Wilson.

The continuation of this story starts where the last escapade ended. All members of DESE may not all take part in this book, but they remain in the background as supporting Federal Agents.

This next adventure starts soon after Henry returns home. It is as though Henry really has no time to rest before this next episode begins with an extraordinary surprise message from Walter Murphy.

Read on.

CHAPTER ONE

The Return

Black Lightning and Henry had just gone through a gauntlet of an ordeal. Even though one would think that Black Lightning’s experiences throughout her space travels could have toughened her for her most recent experiences, the fact is that some of the creatures, which she and her associates encountered, were of universal existence in time and space from the beginning of time, albeit in one form or another. The ordeal exhausted them and they needed rest and relaxation.

Elizabeth Sam and Henry Wilson left DESE headquarters hand in hand with stars in their eyes and a warm feeling in their hearts for each other. They were both more than just fond of each other and that presented a problem. Even though Henry matured greatly after his DESE experiences, he still was a high school student. He was not an adult by any means and would have to wait four years to achieve that ripe old age. It was possible that the DESE adventure might have caused the development of premature grey hairs despite his age. However, the traumatic episodes and stresses did not cause the development of even one grey hair.

Henry still had a mother and father. He would have to account to them regarding his activities and he had to live at home. It was fortunate that Mary Kent was able to help him in his activities at DESE by having school officials create special assignments for him in civics classes to which his parents assented. That enabled his absence from home and trips on DESE assignments. Henry’s parents were none the wiser.

It bothered Henry that he kept his parents in the dark concerning his special gifts. He assumed that at some future date all would be revealed to them. However, Henry had no idea about the how of such revelation. He would love to relate the stories of his DESE adventures to them, but realized that could never be. He was sworn to secrecy. The most his parents could ever know was that he was enlisted in a special service to his country on a voluntary basis and that such service was honorable but required complete secrecy.

Additionally, revelation to his parents detailing his escapades could put them in danger from forces both known and unknown. That was a risk he was not willing to subject his mother and father. His secret would remain with him, at least for the time being. The less they knew, the safer they would be.

Henry and Elizabeth decided that it was necessary for Henry to maintain the charade of a schoolboy living a normal life at home with his parents. Elizabeth would return to Mary Kent’s house and continue her life as Black Lightning. After all, she had accustomed herself to a well-developed routine that was now quite a few years old.

Henry and Elizabeth found it difficult to part, but it was a choice thrust upon them by current circumstances. They both mutually agreed on the necessity to keep appearances just as they were before the recent DESE adventure. They expected to meet periodically here and there. However, the fact is that Henry’s paper route was still quite viable and that alone would provide for regular meetings at Mary Kent’s house.

Black Lightning was not as happy as she was before her DESE experience. She had also changed and had become accustomed to life as a full-fledged human being. Life as a cat in disguise had its restrictions. First of all, it was beneath her station in human terms. After all, she was a gifted Interstellar Starship Yeoman. She had abilities no human could ever conceive. Her diet of salmon and tuna in cans left her instead with a propensity for the more eclectic human diet and lifestyle. Black Lightning, in the form of the charming Elizabeth Sam, developed a liking for feminine clothing styles, especially shoes. Elizabeth spent her life in the form of a cat which is the way the intelligent inhabitants of the planet Ida appeared.

The presence of feet in human form opened a completely new vista for her and the existence of shoes was a delightful and completely new experience. It was an experience that she loved and indulged in their wearing with delight. The continued existence in the form of a cat was a complication in her military station even though her position as a starship officer no longer existed, at least for the moment. She also liked the excitement of interaction with intelligent humans. She enjoyed being human. Black Lightning became a bit unsure of whom she really was, but eventually realized that she could be whomever she wanted to be.

She realized that she could make that change any time she wished.

However, for the moment, her role as Black Lightning, Mary Kent’s cat, would be sufficient at least until she has time to digest her situation.

CHAPTER TWO

Henry and Sorcerer Murphy

Perhaps the meeting was accidental, and perhaps it was not.

Henry’s adventures with the D.E.S.E. organization left him quite changed. He was no longer just an ordinary young man, and neither was he an old man. He was somewhere between youth and middle age which is not exactly where his actual numbered age would put him. However, Henry did not display the immaturity and optimism of a carefree, irresponsible, happy-go-lucky youth. He was excessively serious and mature beyond his years. After all, he had met with mythological creatures and even demons. It would be most likely very safe to say that virtually no human being ever meets such beings during their lifetime. Those two experiences alone should be enough to sober anyone into immediate maturity.

Contending with the adventure in meeting such uncommon creatures was not all that Henry had to do. He had also developed an encyclopedic mind. He knew about things he never studied or experienced. He developed the ability to read minds, even unintentionally. He developed the ability to transfer thoughts into the minds of others without their knowing it. He had no idea as to why this was happening to him, of all people. Oddly enough, he was also improving his skills in telekinesis and teleportation. Henry was almost afraid of what skills he would next acquire but he was aware that unknown skills were still developing in his body and in his head. There was no telling where such growth would lead.

It was not enough that he was the son of a Fairfield, Connecticut dentist and a Greenwich, Connecticut schoolteacher mother. He was a young man with extraordinary gifts and abilities.

Those gifts put extra pressure on him. Henry hoped that when he next met his mentor, Jack Henigson, some light might be shed on Henry’s uncertainties and further that Jack might provide him with sorely needed reassurances. Jack Henigson had told him earlier that such developments would occur, so the situation was one of which he had to be aware. Jack did not say that as a warning, but perhaps he should have.

Henry knew more than almost anyone around him. Of course, the exceptionally special persons knew more than he did. He defined these people as Jack Henigson, Mr. Xilx, Elizabeth Sam, and Seemore Manlein. He had fearfully taken school exams, but he deliberately entered incorrect answers so that no one could look upon him as some kind of mental freak. Henry liked the idea of just being ordinary and he wanted to remain inconspicuous, especially to his friends. He wanted all to be just as it was before he became Jack Henigson’s protégé and secret government agents