CHAPTER 30 (PART - A)


This just couldn’t be right Tintin thought. His mom and dad wouldn’t have just abandoned him and his brother. What were they thinking? Why? Did they not love them? The more Tintin found out, the more questions he had. Mrs. Finch could not ease his pain. The truth seemed to be a bit more than he could bear. Why would Mrs. Finch lie? Mrs. Finch had raised Tintin to be an honest, compassionate, and hard working person. It seemed all these years Mrs. Finch harbored a heavy secret which had to be hard on her. She was the person closest to a mother Tintin had.

Tintin was glad he didn’t let the Captain accompany him. The tears welled heavily from his eyes. He didn’t want his partner to see him so vulnerable. The fact that his brother rejected him, and also that his parents did too cut him deeply. The only rays of light he had were his current family, and how Lucille had welcomed him with open arms. Maybe Tintin could win his brother’s approval through her.

Mrs. Finch opened the gate of emotions she had kept shut for so long. She and Tintin bonded again finally confronting a painful past. It felt good to be free of any more secrets. Tintin was a man now and he needed to know the truth. She knew the time would come and had waited for the day she and Tintin would have this ‘Mother and Son’ talk. Mrs. Finch also knew of Tintin’s love for Captain Haddock which at first she was not approving of. Over time she came to accept Tintin’s love and Captain Haddock. Mrs. Finch was there for Tintin’s twenty third birthday where she had unspeakably given them her blessing.

She also remembered the conversation she and Haddock had about Tintin’s future while he was in another room. Haddock promised that Tintin would never want for anything while they were together. It reminded her of a suitor who once courted her who came from a wealthy family. Her family wanted her to marry him instantly she remembered, but fortunately she found someone else not nearly as well off, but the magic was there. She recalled how sincere Haddock was about Tintin. She knew herself how difficult love was to find and how easily it can be lost if not nurtured. It made her reminisce about her younger days when she was a young girl in love. Maybe now the healing of an old wound could begin.

“Snowy, something doesn’t feel right…did you just feel that?” Cocoa began looking around nervously.
Snowy got up and trotted next to Cocoa and pointed his nose up and took a couple sniffs.
“It feels like a cold draft… I’ve felt this feeling before…it’s not natural” Snowy began to realize.
“Somethings coming” Cocoa’s ears perked up.
Snowy darted ahead of her into the next room as a window unlocked and opened. It looked like some black smoke began to come into the window.
“This can’t be good!” Snowy thought running back into the room barking.
“What is it Snowy?” Cocoa stood with her ears and tail in alarm.
“We got to warn Tintin and Mrs. Finch there’s something here” he began barking loud as Cocoa joined in as they both faced the back room.
“Snowy! Cocoa! What’s the matter with you two?!” Tintin said turning around to look.
“Oh dear God!” Mrs. Finch shouted grabbing an umbrella next to her seat backing up against the wall.
“Great Snakes! How did they get in here?!” Tintin shouted.
Snowy and Cocoa stood their ground both with their teeth barred to one of the Doberman Pincers. Tintin glanced around at anything in the nearby vicinity that could be used as a weapon. The only things in reach were a couple of porcelain vases Mrs. Finch has sitting on the coffee table.

Snowy and Cocoa were able to keep one of them back at a stalemate while the other advanced on Tintin. Tintin quickly grabbed one of the vases and smashed it into the Doberman as it lunged at him. Tintin retreated back a few steps next to Mrs. Finch. The Doberman recovered quickly and continued advancing.

“Back you beast!” Mrs. Finch said swinging her umbrella at the Doberman.
Without warning Snowy and Cocoa were in a major scuffle with the other dog biting and rolling on the floor ferociously. Loud growling and snarling could be heard. The other Doberman focused its’ next lunge at Mrs. Finch as she had the only weapon. Mrs. Finch swung one more time and the vicious dog caught her umbrella in its mouth slinging it away from her.

“Oh no!” she shrieked. The Doberman began its snarling renewed now seeing it had its prey right where it wanted it.
“I can’t let it attack Mrs. Finch!” Tintin thought. Tintin wasn’t too sure how Cocoa and Snowy were faring against the other beast.
Right as the Doberman was about to lunge at both Tintin and Mrs. Finch, Tintin cocked his leg back and kicked with all of his might at the Doberman scoring a kick on its chest right when it lunged at him. The kick only seemed to anger the beast, but kept it from getting any closer.

“A kick like that would have sent a normal dog flying back!” Tintin exclaimed.
“What are they Tintin?!” Mrs. Finch couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Don’t worry Mrs. Finch I won’t let it hurt you!” Tintin said standing in front of her. The Doberman barred its’ fangs once again as Tintin could hear both Snowy and Cocoa shrieking out in pain.

“Snowy! Cocoa!” Tintin shouted now not thinking of his personal well being.
Tintin balled his fist and punched with all of his might punching right down the Doberman’s throat. The beast felt cold to the touch. Tintin did not hesitate and followed up with a left hook to the beasts eye causing it to clamp down on Tintin’s arm. Tintin punch it again with his left fist and it opened its mouth and let go. Surprisingly Mrs. Finch grabbed a cane while Tintin was dealing with the beast and began beating it.

“Get out of my house you filthy beast!” she shouted striking the dog three times.

The blunt trauma the hardwood cane produced made the beast retreat back and suddenly the other beast stopped its’ attack against Snowy and Cocoa and returned to the back room. Tintin picked up the dropped umbrella and chased them to the room. One stood barring its fangs while the other began ransacking Mrs. Finch's closet until it pulled out a black velvet sack.

“Oh no Tintin! That’s the sack where I have your heirlooms and keepsakes” she gasped. Tintin started on the offense swinging the umbrella at the snarling beast backing it up next to the the window. Once the other dog had a good hold of the black velvet sack in its mouth, both dogs jumped out of the window and were gone.

Tintin dashed out of Mrs. Finch’s apartment building looking left and right for any sign of the dogs or anyone who might be calling them, but there was nothing.
“Tintin! You’re bleeding!” Mrs. Finch exclaimed.
Tintin looked down at his right arm, and he had a moderate bite wound.
“First let’s take care of this bit” Mrs. Finch ushered him back inside her apartment which had only been slightly wrecked.
“Snowy! Cocoa!” Tintin exclaimed running back in to check on them. When he reached them they were both injured, not severely, but enough to where they needed medical treatment. Both had been bitten.
“Poor Snowy and Cocoa, you risked your lives to save us!” Tintin said sympathetically.

“We have to take care of you first before you can help them” Mrs. Finch said grabbing a wet wash cloth washing Tintin’s wound.
“What was in velvet sack Mrs. Finch?” Tintin asked with a burning curiosity.
“A pocket watch with your father’s initial on it, a red ribbon that belonged to your mother, a couple other trinkets… I can’t remember all of them… I haven’t taken that sack out in almost four years,“ she said unable to remember.
“There wasn’t a stone with strange markings was there?” Tintin suddenly remembered what Benton had shown him.
“Why yes, I do remember now there was a dark colored stone with strange markings in yellow on each side in the shape of a cube…but one corner of it came off and I lost it…” she said wrapping Tintin’s arm up in bandages.

“Oh great snakes! I think I might have just stumbled on the reason they may be after me now!” Tintin said with a serious tone.
“You think they after that strange stone I held on for you?” Mrs. Finch said finishing the wrappings.
“I think so…” Tintin nodded knowingly.
“How can you say that for sure Tintin?” Mrs. Finch said looking at Snowy and Cocoa washing their areas where they were bitten.
“Because my brother had a similar stone as you described, but only with strange green markings” Tintin noted.
“Oh Tintin I hope your package didn’t get damaged during all that” Mrs. Finch noticed his small sack looked all crumpled up. Tintin opened the sack and two of the buildings were damaged and some of the figures were now lying on the ground.
“I’m afraid so…” Tintin nodded. Mrs. Finch glanced at the model.
“Tintin! Look at that stone on the corner how evenly carved it is…it looks like the piece I lost!” Mrs. Finch gasped.
Tintin pulled the glued stone off the model and it was perfectly cubed and had a couple of stray yellow markings.
“That’s strange! The stone Benton had was whole and this one a corner came off. I wonder what the significance of that is?” Tintin said putting the stone in his pocket and helped Mrs. Finch dress Snowy’s and Cocoa’s wounds.
Snowy and Cocoa whined a little in pain, “Don’t worry Snowy, Cocoa, I’m going to take you two to an animal doctor” Tintin reassured them.
“Are you sure you’re going to be ok to go home Tintin?” Mrs. Finch asked with concern.
“I feel ok, I really didn’t feel the bite to be honest” Tintin said stoically.
“You know you may want to go see a doctor yourself too” Mrs. Finch advised.
“I will, I need to go tell the Captain what happened first, I may need him after all” Tintin nodded.
“That may be a good idea” Mrs. Finch agreed. “You can use my phone”
“I’m sure they have our phone tapped, I don’t want to get you any more involved than what you have been Mrs. Finch. I’m so sorry this happened” Tintin apologized.
“It’s not your fault Tintin, I should have told you the truth a long time ago” Mrs. Finch nodded.
“It’s alright now; it’s all in the past we’ve got to keep moving on. I have a feeling by solving these enigmas that all the answers I’m seeking will be revealed as well” Tintin made an educated guess.

“The question is will you be alright Mrs. Finch?” Tintin returned the question.
“I’ll be fine. This time I’m going to bar the windows shut so they can’t unlock them” Mrs. Finch said resourcefully.
“Well, if you need something, call us at Marlinspike and if we’re not there I’m sure Nestor or Professor Calculus will be more than happy to help.
“Thank you Tintin, you make me so proud” Mrs. Finch said giving him another hug before he left. Keeping his promise to the Captain was important, so he gathered Snowy, Cocoa, and the rest of his model and quickly returned home on his bike.

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