Magic Tales

There were about a dozen or so vanilla folders sitting in front of Agent Kinney when he picked them up and started shuffling through them. When he found the one he wanted, he put it right in front of him and opened it. He was very deliberate in his movements as his eyes gazed over the content of the top page. He didn’t say a word or even look up as he consumed each word into his memory like a computer. He took his time as if he was playing a game, as if to see how long it would take for one of the Tales to break the silence. Ryan looked down at the page that sat in front of the agent. It was type written and there was lots of it. Apparently, these guys have been spending a good amount of time making files about me. “So,” asked the agent to Ryan. “Do you know why you are here?” Ryan knew, but he wasn’t going to make it that easy for them. “I have no clue.” “First of all, do you have any idea what we do in this building?” the condescending agent asked, extending his arm outward. Ryan took no time to answer. “Spy on everybody?” Ryan thought that would rattle his wagon a little bit, but the agent didn’t flinch. He just sat there looking back at him with the same goofy smile he had on before the comment. Rita elbowed her oldest son, “Ryan?” “Our core mission here is to protect U.S. national security systems and to produce foreign signals intelligence information,” the agent answered matter-of-factly. ”I’m a little confused,” Ryan said. “What does that have to do with me?” “We have conducted an investigation concerning your part in an incident last Saturday where you were involved in an altercation with an individual by the name of,” Agent Kinney stopped to look at the file to make sure he got the name right. “Darius Small.” He looked back up at Ryan. “Does that ring a bell?” The small pit in Ryan’s stomach grew to watermelon proportions as he listened to the agent’s report. He knew that lying wasn’t going to get him anywhere. They seemed to know a lot already. He figured his best strategy was to move into damage control mode. “That sounds about right.” Agent Kinney leaned back and eased into what looked like a smirk, feeling a bit more at ease when Ryan came clean. It was a stark contrast to yesterday afternoon when the agent traveled downtown to the County Jail to interview Darius Small. Agent Kinney used all twenty-two years of his experience to try to finagle any information out of Darius, but he was getting nowhere. Darius had been through the system before and just clammed up tight, asking for a lawyer. “So why don’t you tell me what happened?” the agent leaned back and asked Ryan calmly, his hands folded together across his lap. The teenager detected an oddity in the agent’s voice, and suddenly Ryan started to doubt that the agent knew the whole story. Don’t fall for it, dude. He doesn’t know everything. He’s just trying to get it out of you. They do use those sorts of tactics, you know. Ryan decided to play it cool and see what these guys actually knew. “I don’t really know,” Ryan lied. “All I know is that some guys stole my book and we stole it back from them.” He stopped his thought right there to look into the agent’s eyes to see if he believed him. The agent didn’t give any indications one way or another so Ryan continued his deceit. “Then there was a small fight and it was over.” Agent Kinney did not react at all, but just sat there glaring at Ryan as though they were engaged in a staring contest. The agent’s face was unwavering as he studied Ryan’s every move, every breath. He watched Ryan’s energy and looked for nervous tells that would indicate he was lying. It was going to be tough to get something by this agent. This guy was trained to get information out of professional terrorists and fugitives, and frankly he was their best. A wry smile finally appeared on the agent’s face as he concluded that Ryan’s nervous energy and evasive eye contact was a sure sign that he was not being totally honest with him. The agent broke eye contact with the boy to close his file and then folded his hands once again across his lap, before giving Ryan another chance. ”Are you sure that is all you would like to tell me?” The manner in which the agent spoke made Ryan feel like he knew more than what he was letting on. The agent was trying to establish what state of mind he thought Ryan represented. Was Ryan being truthful? If not, what was he hiding? Was he really a threat to National Security? By allowing Ryan to tell his side, the agent would be able to make a solid assessment as to Ryan’s state of mind. “I don’t know what to tell you,” Ryan maintained. “I do!” said the agent, raising his voice and slamming his fist on the table, startling the family. “The truth!” Rita interjected passionately. “Sir. If he says he doesn’t know anything, he doesn’t know anything.” “I beg to differ, ma’am.” Agent Kinney opens up the laptop and pushes a couple of buttons. Suddenly the video of Ryan on YouTube comes on, showing his encounter with Darius. Ryan turns away from the screen and catches the eye of Agent Kinney, who is now smiling from ear to ear. Rita and Randy watch intently as Ryan wanes in and out of invisibility, making Darius fall to the ground. Darius gets up with the look of pure fear on his face and starts to run. The video then gets shaky right before it abruptly ends. At this time, silence rang out an empty roar, while the only smile in the room belonged to Agent Kinney. This was the first time Randy or Rita had seen the video. For Rita, it was the most incomprehensible moment of her life. She grabbed for some understanding, but could only find Randy’s arm. Her life, which seemed so perfect a couple of weeks ago, seemed to be tumbling down a dark hole and into an abyss. Randy had not been totally honest with her, leaving out some major parts in his stories, and she knew it. The room became so quiet, Ryan could swear Agent Kinney could hear his heart beating out loud. The only sound that was audible was the sound of the wall clock marching through their beleaguered minds. The agent felt out the situation and knew that none of the family members were going to forward any information. So he decided to try again. “Ryan. You are going to have to tell the truth. We know too much already. With what I saw on that video, and from what I have uncovered from my investigations, I feel that you could be a threat to our national security.”