He considered “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” by AC/DC,
decided quickly that one stanza would cost him control of
the duar permanently.
He decided to take a chance with some golden oldies.
Maybe a few of Roy Orbison’s songs, even if his voice
wasn’t up to it. It seemed to work. The porcupine lazed
back in his chair, obviously content, but still holding tight
to the cord.
Jon-Tom segued into the part of one song where the
lyrics went “the day you walked out on me” and the jailer
didn’t stir, but neither did the walls part to let them
through. Discouraged, he moved on to “America” by Neil
Diamond. A few faint images of the Statue of Liberty and
Ellis Island flickered fitfully in the cell, but Jon-Tom did
not find himself standing safe at either location.
Then he noticed Mudge. The otter sat back in the shad-
ows making long pulling and throwing motions. It took
Jon-Tom a moment to understand what his companion was
driving at. In the middle of humming “Won’t Get Fooled
Again,” he figured the otter’s movements out.
The porcupine had tied the cord to the duar in order to
be able to jerk it quickly out of Jon-Tom’s hands. If they
could somehow gain control of the rope, they might be
able to make a small lasso and cast it toward a weapon or
even the big keyring lying on the table.
In order to try that, of course, they had to somehow
incapacitate their jailer. Since he seemed half-asleep al-
ready, Jon-Tom softened his voice as much as possible and
sang the sweetest ballads he could think of, finishing with
“Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. That par-