[pshrynk]

An hour later, the Goose came in for a landing in Havana Harbor. She floated up to the docks and a mand there tied her off. Vivaldi jumped out and laid on the ground, muttering "Thank you, God!" over and over.

Armistice grabbed the mail bag and jumped to the dock. "I'll just run thi over to the Post Office and see if we have any return mail. See if you can do something with that... contraption."

"I have a Knack with mechanical things..."

"Yeah, I know! But not with electric things! I'll be right back!"

He and Vivaldi walked up the avenue toward the samll US Post Office building that was their base of operations in Cuba.

"This is a really nice little country," said Armistice, "I wouldn't mind living here. they've got some great casinos and hotels. Maybe some of the rich tourists would like to have a sight seeing tour in an airplane between losing money to the Mob. We could call it 'Flight Seeing Tours'."

"Yeah, we could cater to the terminally ill thrill seekers who want one last flaming abll of glory as they go out," said Vivaldi.

"We'll get that thing straighted out, eventually. MAybe we could look up Mr Hughes and get him to fix it."

"He lost the Goose to you in a rigged poker game. Do you really think that he would give away a prototype aircraft if he could have fixed it?"

"Well you can't blame Mr Hughes. How was he supposed to know that his Knack would manifest itself at that stage in his life? I mean, electric devices are new thing. Having a Knack that brings them to life wouldn't have been something that anyone would have known about. Besides, he did warn us."

"If you call laughing hysterically and screaming, 'Free at last!' a warning."

They arrived at the door of the Post Office. Walking in, Mr Gonzales was sitting behind the counter, reading a book. After standing politely in front of the counter for a few minutes, Armistice was finally noticed. He had learned long ago not to interrupt Mr Gonzales in the middle of a chapter.

"Walker?" Gonzales asked.

"Hello, Mr Gonzales! Mail from Miami."

"Are you still walking with that Spawn of Satan?" Mr Gonzales had definite Views on the propriety of dogs talking.

"Hey! My mother was a well known bitch in the streets of Havana and my fther was probably the leader of one of the packs of feral dogs that run the neighborhoods. No red colored guys with horns, tail and pitchfork were involved."

"I will not bring myself to converse with a demon!"

"Maybe I'm an Agngel," said Vivaldi, all evidence to the contrary.

"No, you are not!"

"Gotcha!"

"Damn!"

"Well, then. Now that we have that straightened out. Here's the mail."

Mr Gonzales picked up the leather bag and dumped the sole occupant out on the desk. Looking at it, he opened it up and read the contents. Armistice hadn't noticed that it was addressed to "Postmaster, USPO, Havana, Cuba." That worthy looked at the paper and a frown developed on his face.

"Bad news, Mr Gonzales?"

"Yes and no." Looking up at Armistice he said, "You're fired."

"What? What was the good news?"

"That was the good news. The bad news is, so am I. Apparently there isnot enough mail going back and forth between Cuba and The US to justify an Airmail run."

"What about the Jamaica and Puerto Rico runs?" Armistice could feel his world sliding out from underneath him.

"Those are even worse."

"You should have written more letters," said Vivaldi, ever the one to see opportunities.

"Well, crap! I guess I gotta find a new contract, then. I'll just go fuel up and get back to Miami, then."

"The fuel depot is closed , as well," said Mr Gonzales, proffering the letter.

Armistice grabbed the letter and read down the list of instructions. Termination of contractor (him), closing of post office (Gonzales), cessation of fuleing privileges from USN depot Havana (Crap!).

"What do we do, now?" he asked

"Me, I'm going to go and see if my brother needs any help in his cigar factory. The way you Americans smoke them up, there's an endless future in Cuban Cigars. You, I could care less. Go back to the Hell that spewed you forth!"

"Iowa? Iowa is a good place to be from, not in!"