The Fortune Cookie Story - Part Three

The Fortune Cookie Story - Part Three

by Rod Jones Artist-Writer

After much posturing, Ethan and Jetta are finally on the road to Nevada. Traveling together in Ethan's truck and pulling his fifth wheel trailer.

After three hours on the road to Nevada, mostly heading towards Las Vegas, Ethan and Jetta said very few words to each other, then Ethan spoke.

"Jetta, I have to go to the bathroom. We can pull into the next truck stop and use the bathroom in the trailer."

"I was hoping Ethan, you'd make that suggestion, I have to go too. I don't think I could held out much longer. We must've drank too much coffee this morning before we left."

When they pulled into the truck stop Ethan had to jockey his truck and trailer between two commercial big rigs. He managed to squeeze it in. The truck stop was overloaded with truckers. They both got out of the truck and went into the trailer. A couple of the truck drivers saw them, and started whistling at them, like they knew they were up to something in the trailer. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth, at least what those truck drivers were thinking. But Ethan and Jetta certainly were up to something, it just wasn't going to happen until they reached their final destination in northern Nevada. 

After Jetta went to the bathroom, she went over to the table and pulled out a tightly folded paper map from her pocket.

"Hey Jetta, is that a map of where we're going? Can I see it? Where did you get this map? How long have you been carrying it, and why didn't you show it to me so I could see where we were headed?"

"It's not for you to see Ethan, you don't need to see this map yet."

Ethan was mad, more than a bit taken aback by the tone Jetta took with him. He thought to himself, "This certainly isn't the sweet person that I started this road trip with this morning."

"Jetta don't start getting cross with me. We've only been on the road for three hours and I didn't expect you to speak to me in such a harsh tone. I thought we're in this together? After all, I've literally changed my whole life for you, all based on some fantasy story you've been telling me. Well, actually you haven't been telling me anything I can understand."

The belongings that Jetta brought along with her and stowed in Ethan's trailer were not much more than a small train case that she kept locked up. Ethan thought that she probably had her makeup and personal belongings in that case. She also had with her, a backpack and a small duffel bag.

"I've something to give you Ethan, maybe it will help ease your mind." 

Jetta picked up her backpack, brought it over to the table, there she pulled out a bag of fortune cookies. She chose a particular one, set it on the table and told Ethan to open it.

"Another fortune cookie Jetta, are you serious? It looks like you have several in that bag, are you going to be presenting me with fortune cookies periodically? Like a trail of breadcrumbs to help me find my way, like in the Hansel and Gretel fairytale?"

"I don't know who those people are Ethan, just read the fortune in the cookie."

"I really don't like playing stupid games Jetta, if it will make you happy, I will read the fortune. But it won't make me happy!"

Ethan cracked open the fortune cookie and there was another fortune, which simply read, "Trust the beautiful girl with the long black hair."

"You had to give me a fortune cookie, telling me that I need to trust you. What the hell do you think I’ve been doing? Let's close up the trailer and hit the road. Please no more nonsense Jetta."

Ethan and Jetta ventured on. They left the main freeway that goes into Las Vegas and headed up 190 towards Pahrump. From there they made their way over to Interstate 95 and headed north.

"Ethan, we need to find a place to park and spend the night. Our travels are going to become complicated as to the roads we need to take. I'm glad you have a four-wheel-drive truck."

"Four-wheel-drive truck Jetta? That tells me that we're going to be going on dirt roads. And most likely we will not be able to pull the trailer, if those dirt roads become too rough. Maybe it's time for you to give me another fortune cookie. Not one telling me how I should trust you."

"I just happen to have the perfect one for you to read now Ethan."

"You may have noticed Jetta that I am driving. How am I supposed to open a fortune cookie and read while I'm driving? I don't think it's safe to do that. The first fortune you gave me, I thought was great and it certainly came true. The second one asking me to trust you, well at this point that's become a given. Open the cookie and read the fortune to me, Jetta dear."

"I love the way you said, "Jetta dear." It sounded mean-spirited to me. Okay I will open the fortune cookie for you, I want you to drive safely. Here's what this fortune says.

“Your future is bright with me. That should make you happy. That means this could be the start of a beautiful relationship between you and I."

"I like the part about the beautiful relationship between you and me, Jetta. Again the fortune is suggesting to me, what I had already hoped for. But I guess that's kinda good. Now I'm starting to get anxious to read more of these silly fortune cookie fortunes. Although I have a strange feeling these fortunes are going to change unfavorably like a dust storm in the desert."

It was early afternoon by the time Ethan and Jetta found a place to park and spend the night.

"I'm hungry Ethan, I'm very hungry. I hope we fix a nice leisurely lunch and enjoy it together."

"Me too Jetta, I'm not used to going this long without eating. Breakfast seems like it was a long way back. My stomach is rumbling, sounding like an unhappy lion at feeding time at the zoo. Let's have some hearty canned soup and sandwiches. There's plenty of roast beef in the refrigerator. Let's work together to make this lunch, come together."

"That sounds wonderful to me Ethan. I guess we can't live on eating fortune cookies."

"Oh that's very funny Jetta. Not! I suppose you want me to open one up for dessert to see what's up next?

"What a great idea Ethan. I will share another fortune cookie with you after we eat."

Ethan and Jetta had a pretty peaceful lunch on the trailer table. Instead of sitting across from each other Jetta insisted they sit side-by-side. Which was happily agreed to by Ethan.

"As promised, here is your dessert Ethan, a nice fresh fortune cookie. Open it up and read your fortune out loud."

"Okay Jetta, I think this is kind of childish, but I have nothing to lose. Here's what my fortune says. ‘You are going to have a romantic encounter.’ That's nice, so who am I going to have this romantic encounter with, you Jetta? I hope."

"We'll see Ethan. Maybe the next fortune cookie will set a date and time. Meanwhile, let's spend the night here. If we leave early tomorrow morning we should reach our final destination."

6 AM. Jetta went over to where Ethan was sleeping and woke him up.

"Let's get going. Let's eat something, can we take a shower?"

"There should be enough water Jetta for both of us to take a quick shower. We will have to refill the tank again at some point. I'm actually looking forward to today's journey. I've been dreaming all night, wondering if my last fortune cookie fortune is going to come true and when it will?"

"Don't worry Ethan, everything is going to be wonderful."

Ethan and Jetta stopped at a gas station to make sure their gas tank was topped off. Jetta was emphatic about making sure they had plenty of gas. She even asked Ethan to make sure the extra gas cans in the back of the truck were full. Heading north again in the state of Nevada required them to change highways and roads frequently. Carefully following Jetta's map and her instructions to Ethan as to where he needed to go. After nearly 6 hours of driving Jetta told Ethan to pull off the road and find a place to park.

"We should eat something now and make sure our stomachs are full. The rest of this journey could be a little trying on our nerves. It would help if our stomachs were full and we drank an adequate amount of water."

"I'm all for eating now Jetta. I was wondering if I’m going to get another fortune cookie for dessert?

Both Ethan and Jetta sat down at the table again side-by-side, and quietly ate together. Once during their meal Jetta got up and pulled her train case out of a cabinet, she inspected it carefully, making sure it was still locked. Then she sat back down next to Ethan, pulled out another fortune cookie from her backpack, and handed it to him.

"Read your fortune Ethan."

"I don't understand you Jetta? You're beautiful and strange at the same time. You can be sweet and flirtatious one minute, then you become demanding and kinda businesslike. But apparently I must like it because I'm still sitting here with you, and watching you giving me another damn cookie! Okay here's what this fortune says. ‘Face the challenge and never give up.’ That sounds a bit doomy Jetta. Maybe I'm reading way too much into it, but it's pretty ominous, don't you think?"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you Ethan. There will be some challenges to face once we reach our final destination. But trust me everything is going to work out okay. I will not let you down. I will never let anything happen to you that will hurt you in any way, shape or form."

"I'm not sure I find what you just said to me Jetta all that comforting. I may be stupid for going on this trip with you, but I'm here so let's see how it goes, and how it ends."

Jetta took her map out and studied it carefully. Made some comments to herself under her breath, but Ethan could partially hear her over the sound of the truck.

"What are you saying to yourself Jetta? You're mumbling something while you're looking at your precious map. I have a feeling you're going to be telling me to do something. The way I figured, we must be getting pretty close to our final destination."

"You're partially right Ethan. About 2 miles ahead off to the left there is a small trailer park. They know we’re coming. We can drop the trailer off there. It will be safe, so don't worry."

"Were going to leave my trailer in some small trailer park that I know nothing about Jetta? 

"Yes, turn in here Ethan, stop worrying."

“The whole trailer park, I should say the very small trailer park, is rundown, and only has a few very old trailers. Yet I see there is a brand-new white van parked in one of the spots. I couldn't see a license plate. Explain to me why there's one new vehicle in this whole park. Now I suppose you're going to hand me another stupid fortune cookie."

"Ethan. Your trailer is going to be perfectly safe in the park. I've already made arrangements, everything is paid for. They will take good care of your trailer and they won't mess with it. As soon as we drop off the trailer. I'm going to give you another fortune cookie to read."

"What if I just take your stupid fortune cookie and stomp on it, and not read it? What can you possibly do?

"Well for one thing Ethan, I don't think your curiosity would allow you to do that. I know you well enough to know that you're looking for answers, and maybe this fortune will answer at least some of your questions. Then again it may make you even more curious and want to continue with me."

The trailer was safely parked in the small and somewhat remote trailer park. There were about five very old trailers from the 40s and 50s permanently sheltered in this park. Jetta suggested they take some food with them and some extra water. Ethan agreed and put everything in the truck. Jetta grabbed her train case and put it in the cab of the truck.

"It looks like we have everything we need Ethan. But before we start out, crack open this fortune cookie."

"You're right about one thing Jetta, I'm too curious not to read the fortune, hand it over. Seeing how I feel like we're abandoning my trailer that I dearly love, thanks to you. Let's see what the fortune cookie has to say this time. ‘You will be surrounded by emptiness but you will meet a new friend.’ Okay, so I'm going to meet a new friend. A woman or a man? I guess it was too much to ask the stupid cookie to give me the full story."

"It's going to be a man. In fact is going to be a relative of mine. Start the truck, let's get started. We will travel about 40 miles on this road, then we will be turning off onto a dirt road. You probably will not need your four-wheel-drive at least not at first. At some point we will be driving on a road with deep sand. I'm pretty sure you will need to kick it into four-wheel-drive when we reach that point."

Jetta pulled out her map again and told Ethan where he was to turn off the paved road and onto the dirt road.

"Jetta, are you sure this is where we are supposed to turn off? There's a gate and there are signs all over the place warning about radioactivity, and to stay out. There's even big signs that say no trespassing. I'm not up for breaking any kind of law. How are we to get through this gate anyway? It's locked with a heavy chain."

"Just pull off the road and drive up to the gate. The reason you see all these warning signs is because this is the area they used to test the atom bomb. There is very little or no radiation or contaminants left. They just keep the signs here to keep people out. They still do experiments on the desert animals to see generationally what has happened to them since they detonated all those A-bombs. Just stay in the truck. I'm going to open my train case, I have the key to the gate. Drive through and wait for me, I have to relock the gate."

"Well aren't we still trespassing Jetta? And how come you have a key to this gate? That just doesn't make sense. I know you have been very secretive with your little case. What else do you have tucked away in there? Okay, for now I will do as you say, unlock the gate."

Jetta unlocked the padlock, dropped the chain, and pushed the gate to its full open position. Ethan drove the truck through and waited for her on the other side. Ethan realized that Jetta's train case was sitting on the floor next to him. He picked it up to see if he could look inside. It was much heavier than he expected, and it was completely locked. He tried but he couldn't open it. He saw Jetta in the passenger side mirror and immediately put the case back on the floor.

"I saw you Ethan, I saw you trying to look in my case. Don't you dare do that. That could be very dangerous for you. Don't do it! I told you I would look after you, so don't open that case under any circumstances. If something should happen to me just bury it and leave it alone. And don't tell anybody where you hid it. Ever!"

"What the hell Jetta? What the hell is in that case that makes it so damn dangerous? Why have we even been carrying it? If you're looking out for my safety, why’s it in the truck with us? Here we are heading out into this god forsaken desolate desert, where they dropped God only knows how many bombs. We're heading into a no trespassing zone, and sitting next to me on the floor is a case that has something in it that could do us harm. And don't tell me you can hand me another one of your stupid fortune cookies to explain all this away."

"Don't worry Ethan. Everything is going to be okay. As I promised you before, and I'm keeping that promise. Nothings going to happen to you, that you can't easily deal with. I only have two fortune cookies left to give you. I'm not going to give either one of them to you now, that will come much later."

Ethan and Jetta headed straight out into the desert. The further they drove in, all the vegetation began to disappear. The land became very barren and almost looked like the surface of another planet. Up in the distance Ethan could make out what looked like a small house or a shack.

"There's absolutely nothing out here Jetta, you can see for miles, there's not even a cactus or a desert plant. Even the rock formations seem to be disorganized and not very large. I suppose that has something to do with detonating all of those bombs." 

"That's very strange Jetta, it looks like there is a house or something like it up ahead, although it's quite a distance away it's hard to tell."

"You correct Ethan, there is a small house there. And we will be stopping. I'm going to introduce you to someone when we get there."

Ethan pulled his truck up next to the small shabby house. It was obvious to him that this place had no utilities.

"Let's get out, there's someone here I want you to meet."

"Meet who Jetta? I don't see anyone around, and I don't see how anyone could actually live here. There's no utilities. I don't even think there's a generator. I don't see a water well, none of this makes sense."

"Come on Ethan, come with me we're going inside."

They both entered the shack of a house. You could see sunlight shining through the cracks in the walls. Dust in the air was being highlighted by the rays of sun, making it hazy and difficult to see. There was a table in the middle of the room with three chairs, one of them was occupied.

"Jetta, who is in this room with us?

"Ethan, I want you to meet a special person from Mongolia where I grew up. His name is 

Chagatai. He is very old but you will not be able to see that in him. He has a wise expression and a youthful voice. He's here to help us."

Ethan walked over to the table, looked back at Jetta wondering if he should extend his hand in friendship. Chagatai stood up, and in a perfect English voice reached his hand out to shake Ethan's.

"I'm honored to meet you Ethan. I appreciate you taking very good care of Jetta. Now please sit down so we can have a brief conversation. We don't have much time."

Chagatai stared at Jetta for a moment then he looked back at Ethan.

"We only have a few minutes before they come to pick you up Jetta and the case. Ethan, I want you to do everything that you are told to do. You will not be harmed in any way just follow their instructions. Do not ask questions, it's very important that you just cooperate and keep quiet. Everything is going to be okay. Now Jetta give Jason the fortune cookie, I believe you have two left."

Jetta did as instructed by Chagatai. With some apprehension she handed Ethan the second to the last fortune cookie. Ethan took the cookie and cracked it open to read the fortune. This time he didn't say anything, he just did as he was instructed. He felt something big was going to happen very soon. He was concerned for Jetta's safety and his own.

Ethan started to open the fortune cookie and stopped, he could hear several vehicles drive up and surround the house he could see through one of the cracks, a white van.

"What's going on Jetta? You never told me about this. Who are the people in these white vans? What's going on? These white vans look official, like there from the government. I told you we should not trespass and come in here. What's going on, tell me Jetta.

"Hurry up and read the fortune Ethan, quickly."

Ethan looked at the fortune from the broken cookie. There wasn't much light so it was difficult for him to see what was written. About that time the door opened and three large men entered. They were dressed in what appeared to be dark black jumpsuits. There were no insignias, nametags or anything to identify who they were. One of them approached the table.

"Do you have everything Jetta, do you have the case? It's time for us to go, you need to come out and get in the van."

"Yes I have the case right here, and I'm ready to go. You know what to do with Ethan."

"Wait a minute Jette, what do you mean, you know what to do with Ethan? Why are we separating? Who are these guys? I'm worried for your safety and I'm worried for my safety."

"Read the fortune Ethan. I must go with these men, everything will be okay for you, just remember what I told you. Don't worry about me, I will be perfectly okay."

One of the men from the van told Ethan to stand up. Chagatai just sat there calmly. He knew who these men were, and he knew what this was all about. He spoke to Ethan.

"Ethan, just follow the instructions like you were told by Jetta and I. Everything is going to be okay for you and Jetta."

"Oh yeah Chagatai, I don't find anything remotely normal about this whole situation starting with how I met Jetta, and all of these stupid fortune cookies, not to mention this mysterious train case. This looks like we are being abducted, especially me. I just want to get back to my trailer and go back to San Diego. I don't want to be any part of this."

As Ethan was being led out the door to one of the white vans, he looked at the fortune he had crumpled up in his hand. It read, 'It’s time for you to do as you're told.’ Ethan decided he better heed that advice. He didn't think Jetta would allow anything bad to happen to him. He followed the instructions she had given him before, and in the fortune he just read.

Ethan was told to get into the van and sit down. He was told to stay quiet, don't ask any questions. He was reassured that everything would be okay and that Jetta was safe.

At this point Ethan did exactly what he was told. He could see off in the distance the first white van that was carrying Jetta. There was a second van following the one Jetta was in.

The caravan of white vans was making its way across the desert. After about an hour and half the vans drove up to a large pile of boulders. It took another 30 minutes of driving on a barely distinguishable road to get to what appeared to be their final destination.

There was a hidden opening in the rock formation. The van that Jetta was riding in and the second van went through the opening. The van Ethan was riding in continued on, then turned onto another indistinguishable dirt road.

This is the end of part three. Part four will reveal what's going on inside Jetta's train case. Why all the secrecy? Why all the twists and turns. In part four much will be revealed.

If you haven't read part one and part two of the short story entitled, The Fortune Cookie That Did Not Lie, then give it a go, you won't be disappointed, especially if you like a good mystery.