“Jafar, oynamaq vaxtı deyil, tez ol, çıxış yolu tap, birazdan itlər axışacağ (again speaking in Azeri so others don’t discover the scam)”

I imitated a terrorist trying to pull the trigger, griping my thumb into fist to hundred percent be sure that, they all are afraid to death and won’t chase us if we make it ‘like a tree and leave’. Crowd went crazy, some of them instantly lay down, other took refuge under the desk, some ran away from the terminal.

“Jafar, let’s go!”

After escaping the tumultuous area of the terminal, we made a left turn at British airways’ ticket counter, encountered a young Asian kid, in the uniform of airline technical employee who very much resembled the “Shorty” from the Temple of Doom, whispering something and indicating to conveyer belt currently devoid of any baggage but still working.

“You two, come on , lay down on load belt before you get killed…hurry up… it will take you to aircraft after sorting process…just remember, when traveling through screening system make sure to skip or somehow overcome laser rays, I’ll direct you to flying airliner from then on.”

“But why?” I asked in a blatant tone.

“All questions after, we are ordered to save your asses, so hurry up and follow my instructions.”

He was right, there was whole army of police heavily equipped and armed, some kind a German special police clearing the crowd and most probably looking for us. I ordered Jafar to help me rest on conveyer as out of something my back started to pain badly. He looked shocked hesitating between choices like a broken robot.

After while Jafar himself touched down the belt with his gigantic body, unable to conform to sleeping position of embryo… his long legs now giving him a bad time, he couldn’t stretch himself properly. Several seconds later, belt entered through square shaped hole with badly smelling straps touching our faces and all body parts and we found ourselves in labyrinth of baggage pathways which belonged to different airways, yet part of the same moving system. Vibration and irritating noise of conveyer caused strong nausea.

“Hey boss, beware red laser rays!”

Where I was looking,…Hadn’t it been Jafars warning, I would have been misdirected to unidentified baggage department by the automated system.It was the end of the line when some black material pressed my face before I fell onto slippery floor. It was sort of burlap sack put over my head, I couldn’t see anything. First I thought it was some kind a packing process, imposed on us exclusively as a result of technical error. But I became suspicious of unknown foul play, after heard same screaming voices from Jafar, who was very much claustrophobic as far as I knew. Seconds later blow to my head out of somewhere and total blackout. The next time I opened my eyes, yet burlap sack over my head, unable to see anything, it happened to me that we had been kidnapped and currently were in a van driving as fast as 120-140 kms/hour.

CHAPTER 3

Misdirected

Driving almost 2 hours on the highway nonstop, the van out of a sudden made hasty left turn like running away from pursuit and entered bumpy gravel road, my and Jafars shoulders touching each other after every single rise and fall. I heard him mumbling something like an old grumpy lady.

“Bunlar düzgün deyil, plana görə belə olmamamlıydı (Something went wrong, it didn’t go the way it was planned)”- he said slamming backside of his head to the left side .

“What plan Jafar, what are you talking about ?”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t act like a stupid, you just uttered the word plan”

“I must…I thing…Damn it!...O.K… I think we are now being kidnapped, I mean you are being kidnapped.”

“So what, it’s already obvious”

“I mean your father didn’t plan your abduction.”

“What!”

“Just take it easy… I’ll tell you everything…We all know that you have this condition of yours, regarding the sunset”

“Yes“

“So all these traveling thing going on for several years has been part of great scam, mastermind of which is your billionaire father…Your daily flights all around the world for avoiding sundowning have all been invented to somehow help you relax. Don’t get it wrong. It doesn’t mean that your father, couldn’t afford to undertake your traveling expenses. The main issue was your being safe and sound. He couldn’t allow you to travel around the world on your own. He was concerned about your safety. Therefore instead of ordering at least 3 tickets daily and putting you on jeopardy, he hired best reality show producers and directors from France, the best designers, technicians and all, and constructed an enormous glass-enclosed studio along the river Kura, within hectares of unsettled lands, involved local and international artists, actors and actresses to make this scam more realistic and persuasive. You have never flown an inch on a plain. The thing about, takeoff and landing have been nothing but pitch-perfect balance of sound effects and vibration….Are you following me? –he asked to be sure if I was taking in this news all right.”

“What about flying planes in the sky?”

“Visual effects and only.”

“What about you, Jafar, you say I befriended imposter playing the role of my bodyguard. What about this strike in airport, those raged passengers beating the hell out of manager, what about the bribery thing?”

“As I’m saying, well designed plan, I’m sorry to say, but my real name is Tofig Arslanov, 29 years old actor from Azerbaijan Drama Theatre , people fighting amid strike are well-trained stunt-men and nobody was hurt, I assure you.”

“Too much for me for just one day. My heart pounded in my chest after what I heard. With my hands tied behind my back, I could only strike his leg with good kick, which I did.”

“All those years, I’ve been f…n deceived, misled and you didn’t even give a sign, or somehow told me, what a junkie person you are Jafar…or whetever your name is?”

He bended towards leg to somehow relieve his pain.

“I totally understand your anger…. But you must also understand me. I’m professional actor paid to keep my mouse shut and do what I’ve been told to. I signed affidavit for not disclosing this scam to you or any third person, thus mass media and other agencies. It can sound insensitive , but to be honest, I think your father idea was brilliant, it very much helped your condition, by the way lighting has also been fake, I’ don’t know if you remember but in 90’s there was similar Hollywood movie “Truman show” where exchanging from daytime to nighttime was only the matter of one click of a button. I’m pretty sure your father was inspired by its screenplay when coming out with this plan.”

“Now what? We are trapped in a van and most probably taken hostage by unknown people. I think they will hold us hostage for multi-million dollar ransom.”

Van suddenly stopped. We heard two men getting out of car, speaking to each other in unknown language , grunting in a harsh tone. Crank of a backdoor latchet and they are in. I was scared to death as they climbed in. Also was my imposter bodyguard who appeared to be a junkie actor.

“Move away your fu….en legs, or I’ll smash your face open with this hammer” one of them told, shoving my feet aside, God knows for what. But after they grabbed “Jafar”‘s shoulder and pulled him out of the car, it became apparent to me what was this all about

As they put gun on his head, he began to whine and beg like a poor baby.

“Please don’t kill my. No matter who you are, I’m pretty sure they’ll pay ransom for me and the … “ very loud gunshot and they didn’t even give him a chance to complete his last words