One Dark Night

Casino winced as he heard the heavy wooden doors slam shut behind him. Casting a swift look at the blond thief who stood beside him, he drew back his lips in a snarl and, still glaring at Goniff, he made his way over to the stacked crates in one corner and took a seat.

Goniff nervously licked his lips and took his seat on the other side of the room, as far away from his seething friend as possible.

"You just had to do it, didn't you?" Casino snapped fifteen minutes later. "When you saw that thing on the desk you just had to steal it." The annoyance in his voice caused Goniff to sink further upon his crate.

"You know they're going to be searching for us by now," Casino continued, getting into full swing. "Endangering their own lives because of a stupid damned lighter."

Goniff listened to the tirade for a few more minutes until finally, jumping off the crate, he yelled back, "Alright... alright. I made a mistake. I didn't plan for us to get caught, but stealing... It's what I do... remember?"

Casino also leapt from his seat and, poking a rough finger into the smaller man's chest, hissed, "How you survived this long... is beyond me."

"I don't find that too hard to believe," snapped back Goniff, wisely retreating back to his corner.

Casino glared at him for a few more moments before saying, "To hell with it... what's the use?" He returned to his crate and silence once more filled the cellar where they were imprisoned.

As the minutes ticked by, Goniff began to take an interest in his surroundings. Casually he glanced at the wet walls, wrinkling up his nose at the damp smell. He sighed and looked back at Casino. Pulling a silent face, he returned to inspecting the cellar. "Do you think they'll send for the SS?" he finally queried.

"You had better believe it," Casino snapped, sending a steely glance back with his words.

Goniff swallowed and shifted uncomfortably upon his crate. It wobbled under him, then crashed to the floor. In the instant before it went, Goniff managed to slip out of harm's way. "Gor blimey," he cried. "Did you see that?"

Casino leapt up at the first creaking sounds. "Goniff?" he yelled rushing to the smaller man's side. Catching his arm, he spun Goniff about. "Are you alright?"

Goniff leant against the offered support for a few seconds, shaken... until Casino realised that he was touching the man responsible for his capture. With a sharp gesture, he pushed the blond thief away.

Goniff straightened his shoulders and pulled his jacket closed in pure indignation. "Thanks for your concern," he mumbled, sliding away. Then he stopped and sniffed. Tilting his head, he turned back to the broken crate and sniffed again.

Casino also took a deep breath. "Alcohol," he murmured, licking his lips.

"Whisky," Goniff confirmed, squatting down. Reaching out a hand, he touched a broken bottle and lifted his wet fingers to his lips. Gingerly he tasted them. "Not bad," he commented, searching about for an unbroken bottle. Standing up, he held up his prize.

Casino made a snatch for the brown bottle, but Goniff was faster and retreated once more to the other side of the cell, clutching his precious burden. Casino watched him go. "So, now what? You're going to get so drunk you won't be of use to anyone."

"Listen mate, I'm helping the war effort," Goniff stated brightly, as he finally pulled the cork and took a swig. He lifted his hand and coughed as the burning liquid laid a molten trail down his throat. "Not bad," he hissed, holding out the bottle.

Casino took another look about the cell, then squinted at Goniff, only just realising how much the light had faded. Sighing, he made his way reluctantly over to the thief and took the offered bottle. Swallowing, he choked on the burning brew. "How do you're figure your helping the war effort?" he asked after he had gotten his breath back.

"Well, it's like this," the other man began, taking back the bottle. "This is obviously where the local Germans keep their liquor, so every bottle I drink deprives them of one," he finished smugly.

Casino looked at him, agreeing with a cold smile, "That's very good, Goniff, very good... except that very soon some members of the local SS are going to walk in that door," he pointed to the door in question, "and rip your nails out." He paused. "Unless we find a way out of here."

Goniff waved his words aside. "The Warden will get us out." He took another swallow and protested as Casino snatched the bottle away.

"And if he doesn't?" the darker man snarled, waving the bottle in front of the smaller man.

Goniff swallowed and looked into the burning eyes before replying, a slight edge of dread to his voice. "Then I won't give a damn when the SS walk in here and start ripping my nails out, will I." He snatched back the bottle and took a good draught. Casino, seeing the real fear behind his words, allowed the bottle to go.

Looking down at the smaller man, he suddenly realised that Goniff actually believed that the others would not find them. "Hey man, they'll find us," he said lamely. "And you know the Warden will take you apart if you're too drunk to move."

"At the moment, I don't give a damn about that, either," Goniff snapped uncharacteristically.

Casino watched as the thief continued to down the whisky, shaking his head when the bottle was offered his way. Casino could not hide his concern at Goniff's over-reaction to this particular capture. They had been in the hands of the enemy many times, and the little thief had never been so down-hearted. In fact, Goniff was usually the cheerful one in this kind of situation. Yet, Casino had to admit that - lately - the smaller man had not been his usual self.

As the night crept in, so the darkness slid across the cell. Only the light from the full moon allowed Casino to watch his partner finish the bottle and reach for another. "What's your problem, Goniff?" he suddenly asked.

"What? You mean apart from the prospect of being held captured in a dark damp cell... then being tortured by the local SS?" came the slightly slurred reply.

"We've been here before, and the Warden's never let us down," Casino shot back.

"Yeah... well maybe I'm growing tired of being suckered into these trips, then tossed out of planes, chased halfway across the country, being shot at, captured and tortured." He lifted the bottle and swallowed.

Casino watched him, his features set to show his displeasure. Goniff threw him a few glances, then purposefully turned his back on him as he continued to sink further into his darkening mood.

"Do you know it's my mum's birthday today?" Goniff suddenly stated. "She's sixty-five years old today." He paused as he took a swallow from the bottle. "Sixty-five, and I can't even wish her a happy birthday."

Casino winced at the bitterness he heard in the other's tone. "Did you send her a birthday card?" he asked, moving closer to the smaller man.

"Can't... was told I couldn't... nobody is to know where I am, see, and sending a card would give our position away, like it's some big military secret or something."

Casino paused, he hadn't thought about that. He knew that they could receive letters that were posted to an address in the States, but as he wasn't into letter-writing himself, he never really expected to get a letter. Although he had a loving family, they never really worried about him. He reached out and rested a hand upon the slumped shoulder.

"I mean... how many more birthdays is she going to have?" Goniff turned suspiciously wet eyes upon his friend.

"Hey baby... if she's anything like you, she's got years to go," Casino said with more humour than he felt.

"Yeah, right." Goniff took another swig from the bottle.

Casino suddenly snatched the bottle up and threw it with great force against the furthest wall. "And drinking that stuff is not going to get you out of here alive," he snarled, angry that his friend could not see the danger he was placing himself in.

"Hey..." cried Goniff, jumping up and reaching out a hand, as if to pull the bottle back through time. "I hadn't finished with that."

"Yes you have, and if you try to open another one," Casino threatened, "I'll plant you where I just put that bottle."

Goniff looked at the safe cracker and could see that he meant it. "I was just wishing my mother a happy birthday," he stated belligerently.

"And I'm just making sure you're about next year to do it in person... if you get the chance," snapped back Casino.

"Do you really think they'll find us?"

The dark haired man shrugged. "Don't see why not."

"But what if they don't?"

"Look, Goniff, I don't know all the answers, but I do know that crawling into a bottle isn't going to help. What if we do get a chance to escape and your being drunk fouls it up?" Casino asked, desperately trying to reach the other man.

Reaching up a hand, Goniff swiped it through his blond hair. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I guess I just got a little wrapped up in my own problems."

Reaching out, Casino gripped the other man's shoulder. Giving it a quick squeeze, he stated, "We've all got problems, Goniff, but we don't have to carry them alone."

"It's just that... I thought..." He paused, searching for the words to explain his feelings. "I just hoped that I'd be out of prison this year. I really wanted to be there to wish her happy birthday. I mean... I kept my nose really clean and did as I was told. Even had the parole board all wrapped up." He stopped again, remembering that fateful day that Garrison had walked into his life. Turning away, he mumbled, "It just seems that we're always apart, and she's not getting any younger."

"My mother died when I was fifteen," Casino said quietly, his tone displaying more emotions than his words.

"Man, that must have been tough." Goniff could feel the sorrow emanating from the other man, and could have kicked himself for causing pain to his friend.

Casino, as usual swept it aside. "Hey, what the hell... I had a large family and at least seven aunts to tell me to wash my face and eat my greens."

Silence fell over the small room as each man was caught up in his own thoughts. "It was an accident," Casino said, remembering the rain that had fallen that day and the expression upon his father's face as he gathered the family together to tell them. "She was walking home from the store... got hit by a car."

"It must have been hard for you."

"Yeah... it really hit my dad, took him a long while to get over it." He paused, considering, then continued, "I guess he never really got over it, though. I didn't help much; I went a bit wild after that, which didn't help matters." He swallowed at the sudden lump in his throat and coughed in an effort to clear it.

Goniff, feeling the unshed tears, thought desperately for something to take the other's mind from his pain. "I can remember one time, just before Christmas," he began. "I saw a toy in a shop. I really wanted it and kept on at mum to get it. Anyway, the day before Christmas I couldn't stand it any more so I went and nicked it. My mum blew up when she found out and made me put it back, got right annoyed with me. I realised why on Christmas morning." He stopped and waited patiently for Casino to ask the inevitable question.

Casino looked up and, smiling, asked, "Okay, why?"

"She'd bought it the week before," he finished with a laugh. "Paid hard-earned cash for it, too." He hesitated. "She was like that. She always paid for the stuff she got me."

"I remember the last Christmas we had... Mum had done a really big dinner. Most of the family was there; we were packed in like you wouldn't believe... I mean, we have a big family. Us kids had a separate table from the adults, it was grand. Man, did she know how to cook." He smiled, lost in thought.

Suddenly a noise from outside the cell caught their attention. They threw a look at each other, then moving with ease, Casino positioned himself by the door, ready to jump whoever entered, and Goniff waited to assist him. They listened tensely to the voices outside, but could not understand because they spoke German.

The door opened and two tall SS officers stepped into the room, followed by a guard.

Actor looked them over with obvious disdain, then motioned for the guard to escort them from the room while he spoke to the German officer who had captured them.

Garrison stood by his side, acting the attending aide to perfection.

Fifteen minutes later they were speeding their way across the countryside to their pick-up point. Goniff was smarting from a sharp dressing-down by Garrison, who had smelt the alcohol on the little thief's breath. Casino had tried to defend him, but had wilted under the Warden's glare Number Eight.

Chief looked back from his position behind the wheel and smiled, his teeth showing clearly in the dark. Casino pulled a face and settled back further in his seat, then started when he felt the bulk of a bottle suddenly press against his side. With a hiss of annoyance, he reached over and pulled an unopened bottle of whisky from the little thief's deep pocket.

Without a word, Casino handed it over to Garrison, who raised an eyebrow at Goniff... who just smiled innocently and shrugged. "It must have slipped in when I wasn't looking," he offered in his defence.

Winding down the window, Garrison was about to toss the bottle out when he stopped and, after a few moments of struggling, got the cork out. He lifted the bottle, saying, "To Goniff's mother... Happy Birthday." He took a deep draught then passed the bottle to the others who repeated the toast before they, too, drunk.

***

Six weeks later, Goniff burst in upon Casino as he was trying to catch up on the sleep he had lost the night before, because of an illegal trip to the local pub.

"Here mate, look what I got." The small man slumped himself down on the other's bed, totally ignoring the threat from under the blankets. Reaching out, he pulled the covers back to reveal an ill-looking Casino. "Thought you said drinking was bad for you," he commented, seeing the other's sorry state.

"Get lost, rat face," snarled Casino, trying to pull the covers back.

"No... listen... this is important," Goniff said, remembering the reason why he had come. "I got a letter from my mum."

"Your mum?" Casino stopped fighting for control over the blankets and looked at the smaller man. Since their imprisonment, a bond of comradeship had grown between them.

"She thanks me for the card, flowers and chocolates." Goniff was obviously reading from the letter. "She missed me not being there, but the presents made her day, knowing that I hadn't forgotten her and all."

"But you never..." Casino began.

"No... I didn't, but I can guess who did." Goniff nodded his head as he saw the enlightenment come.

"Garrison?" Casino asked.

"Who else."

"Man, I'll never understand the Warden if I live to be a hundred."

Goniff nodded his head in agreement, then smiled as a thought struck him. "I wonder when it's his birthday?"

Giving the matter a few moment's thought, Casino stated, "It's bound to be in his file."

Looking at each other, they suddenly grinned. If Lt. Craig Garrison had seen the smile, it would have sent a shiver of concern down his battle-hardened frame.

THE END

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