Godzilla’s Son, Cermit
by TS Caladan
by TS Caladan
The terror of Godzilla was alive again! It couldn’t be true but the news was true and struck at the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Again. The good people of Japan and the rest of the world were mortified when they heard the awful report that the “Monster had returned.” It emerged from Seto Inland Sea and first appeared to a few small children who played on the beaches of Shikoku, Naoshima.
Before all facts of the initial encounter were broadcasted over Media sources, widespread panic had happened throughout the eastern islands with only the first words that “Godzilla was alive again.” Tragic memories were rekindled from five years earlier when the terrible Monster over 150 feet tall wreaked havoc and chaos in Tokyo and other cities. Thousands of people were killed and there were hundreds of millions of yen in damages because of Godzilla. Citizens of Japan had not forgotten the widespread destruction of two atomic bombs during wartime and they would also never forget one more catastrophe as a result of the same radiation.
Experts first believed Godzilla was a dinosaur, a creature from the Jurassic Age that awoke after a slumber or dormant period of millions of years. Natural earthquakes or unnatural impacts and upheavals and even radioactivity from nukes were thought to have “unfrozen” the Monster and unleashed it upon a modern world. Evidence proved otherwise. Nuclear detonations on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were shown to have caused the mutation of a single Komodo Dragon to colossal proportions decades later. A ten-foot long lizard was turned into a giant, 2-legged, upright, radioactive monstrosity with armored plates that breathed fire! The scientists’ conclusions were confirmed when other freakish, gigantic creatures were produced later such as “Gamera” from a tortoise, “Rodan” from a bird and “Mothra” from a moth.
The people of Earth also remembered who destroyed Godzilla, “King of Monsters”: The recluse marine biologist, not part of Japan’s Science Academy, Daisuke Serizawa. He developed the ‘Oxygen Destroyer’ which disintegrated oxygen atoms and organisms in the area died of a rotted asphyxiation. The mystery man with a distinctive eyepatch on his left eye was presumed dead along with the death of Godzilla. He was also rumored to live as a hermit somewhere on Odo Island, the first place the creature attacked. As the story went: Serizawa remained in mourning for all the fish and other lifeforms that died in the Sea of Japan as a result of his Oxygen Destroyer. Godzilla was dead, the radioactive menace to the people was over, but the loss of life and physical damages were so great that the country still had not recovered. And now…
The horrible news that another Monster, another Godzilla existed and “terrorized a group of children on the shores of Shikoku” was too much to conceive for the people of Japan, so unfairly decimated. Could it happen again? Giant Monsters in recent times were contained and dealt with by various methods. Nothing had threatened the planet in years.
But the complete report of the “attack on children” was really…GOOD NEWS?
New Godzilla was only three and a half feet tall! It talked and wanted to be called...
"Cermit"
The small critter, lizard creature or whatever, was INTELLIGENT. Cermit spoke well. The thing was extremely brilliant and sophisticated and stated clearly that he was “Godzilla’s son” in perfect English. He knew a lot and droned on and on very peacefully to the crowds that swarmed around him on the beach at Shikoku. Cermit was nonaggressive and cooperated in every way. He recalled precisely what he knew to the children, at first, and then the frightened adults that came later. The son of the King of Monsters talked up a storm as the soft, green, little thing was shackled and roughly taken away in a police van.
One strange mystery surrounded the moment of First Encounter between the Monster’s son and little Mindy May, 6-year old daughter of vacationers, Lia and Bradley McConnell. The initial report later described the parents’ reaction from more than 50 feet away from shoreline. They saw what they thought was another child who emerged from the waves and walked toward Mindy May. The two, about the same size, played and sat in the sand for a while. A few other children ran over to them. Minutes passed until the parents noticed. When they saw that the ‘child’ was green and had a tail, they screamed and ran over to it!
Mindy was fine and smiled very big.
The other children were unharmed. The kids viewed “Cermit” as a cuddly, talking doll or plaything and not a monster at all. They were excited and had a new friend.
Mindy appeared to have given the creature her small Kermit the Frog doll.
The smart Lizard was also very happy. He held onto the doll for dear life and sweetly showed off his big teeth.
Something was written in the sand and rubbed out.
Lia and Bradley McConnell were shocked and immediately separated the beast from the kids and phoned the authorities.
Cermit and the young children had no idea why the grownups responded so violently and with anger at their new, cool friend.
Mindy May told her parents what the first words out of the Lizard’s mouth were. Mindy’s mother kept that tidbit to herself. Lia later stated for International Press that the creature said, “Everything is all right.” In truth, she got the wrong impression and lied to news networks.
There were legitimate fears in backs of minds from the authorities and the average person:
Was the creature a newborn and would it grow to vast proportions like its father? If it gained amazing strength and size in time with the added quality of high intelligence, what new threats were possible? Would what appeared as a green teddy bear with little claws and four fingers become big and evil? Should it be destroyed now, before any further damage occurred?
The same group of scientists and specialists from five years ago was reformed to handle ‘Son of Godzilla,’ or was attempted to be reassembled…
~ American journalist Steve Martin was known as the “Godzilla guy” for so long that for credibility and upward mobility, Steve changed his name to “Perry Mason” and had an extremely successful law practice in the States. In fact, in three years of being a Defense attorney, Perry had ‘never lost a case.’ Yet when he heard news that a baby Godzilla, a part of the gigantic beast he remembered had survived and TALKED, Perry was aboard the first flight to Tokyo. Distancing himself from a tiny, green Kewpie Doll, smarter than a Harvard graduate, named “Cermit” with a “C,” was not going to happen. Perry’s (Steve’s) aversion of the G subject was: Out the window!
~ Daisuke Serizawa was possibly alive but his whereabouts was unknown. Volunteers swept Odo Island and surrounding islands for the genius. It was thought the marine expert and technician did not die 5 years ago, but lived as a poor hermit away from society. Serizawa might be of great use if the son of Godzilla ever posed a deadly danger.
~ Once a colleague of Serizawa, respected ‘elder statesman’ of paleontology, Dr. Kyohei Yamane accepted the role as lead investigator as he did when his team found giant, radioactive footprints and a giant trilobite on Odo Island. His theories of Godzilla as merely a dinosaur were disproven. Monsters spawned as a direct result from the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki detonations. Dr. Yamane was only a figurehead leader of the Science Academy at the present time.
~ Yamane’s daughter, Emiko, was also called in because of the intimate relationship she once had with her ex-lover, the missing Serizawa. It was never stated in the press or on TV that her breakup with her father’s colleague for a salvage ship captain (Hideto Ogata) could have sent Serizawa over the edge since also burdened with the guilt from his Oxygen Destroyer…
…But many rumors to that effect circulated and were firmly believed by most people. People assumed Serizawa was not in self-imposed exile; they thought he committed suicide. The ones that believed the scientist remained alive, thought the newly assembled team was the best way to find Serizawa. The strange man was the “people’s hope” with the dreaded and secret and only means known to stop the “un-killable” Godzilla.
On the south shores of Odo Island, at night, the living and breathing marine specialist that the whole world searched for called Daisuke Serizawa…
By a fantastic coincidence, washed up almost into the ‘arms’ of the very last search boat. On the final night of the search, the volunteers had orders and called it off in the early morning hours. They made one more, desperate pass along the shores. They found him: filmed him from air, landed, gave the unhurt man First Aid and quickly brought the scientist to a medical facility of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The guarded hospital was the same place “Cermit” will be examined in greater depth, after his speech to the U.N., UPI, Tele-Media Marketing and TMZ…
A large crowd at the United Nations General Assembly, also called “Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium,” quieted with a loud, long hush that faded to silence. Nearly everyone on the planet watched the well-advertised live Special Report on television screens. The world also watched on multiple incorporeal levels as a cute, green, Cermit (Caaragliapoid) stood 3½ feet tall on a raised platform at a podium in front of a microphone and addressed the human beings of Earth…
Cermit smiled with innocence, beauty and grace. He still tightly held onto the Kermit doll, his constant companion. (People figured his name came from the doll, but were unaware of the whole story). He looked in a few directions, cleared his throat and sincerely said in a soft, friendly, childlike voice, “I am deeply, deeply sorry and truly regret to the fullest extent of my heart the horrendous incidents of 5 years ago and actions of my father. He is dead. You killed him, or I should say the one responsible…was a particular maker of an Oxygen Weapon…”
People noticed a short moment when the sweetness disappeared from the Lizard’s face.
His large pupils in both eyes retracted ever so slightly to a thinner size then returned to the normal size. Baby Godzilla, who was articulate as hell, continued his prepared speech, which he read off the tele-prompter. He wrote every word. “There are no giant Monsters, presently, out there or in here. I am not subject to growth. This is it; I’ll grow no more. I have already grown…mentally. My mind has grown 10 times the physical size than the marble of a brain my father possessed. It is why I can speak English and I chose English because it is a global language rather than French, German, Russian or Japanese. I hope the dear people of Japan will not be offended in my choice…”
People of the planet breathed a sigh of relief at the young Lizard’s smooth words and calm demeanor. It was the most watched television broadcast in history.
There was nothing to fear in the respectable boy-Lizard. He did not appear to have one threatening bone in his scaly body or bad atom in his cold blood. He was believable to billions of viewers. He was animated like a Japanese animatronic toy come to life. He spoke the honest truth:
“Let me describe my birth and what happened. At the moment the Destroyer asphyxiated my father, he was able to transfer all of his Caaragliapoid energy or Katra to me which formed a protective shell or egg around the fetus. You see…” Cermit’s eyes narrowed again and he was a bit serious. “…Godzilla was also my mother, my pregnant mother. The Weapon that saved Tokyo, which you want to possess again today, also killed my pregnant mother. But I hold no bad feelings and perfectly understand why it was done. It was the invention and actions of a one-eyed recluse who was not killed by the Weapon, but discovered alive the other day. I hope to meet Daisuke Serizawa and express my humble and sincerest appreciation. I would not be the intelligent, well spoken, passive…Lizard (smiled) I am today if not for this man. [Cermit went off tele-prompter]. Ha. If not for the events of five years ago, I could have wound up a stupid animal that, who knows, grunted and blew smoke rings? (laughter in crowd) Whatever the result of his Oxygen Destroyer, it, it…must have made me intelligent, mixed with whatever I absorbed from my parent in the egg shell. Oh! To conclude…”
A huge “aaaw” from his many fans was heard in the big auditorium, a rare sound in this venue. “Where did your name come from?” Other “Your name” and “Cermit, Cermit” outbursts were heard and repeated.
The little Lizard was unclear and asked a question into the microphone, “Why are you all saying SIR-mit like yes sir, no sir. It is KER-mit, like Kermit the Frog. It’s only spelled with a “C.” Cermit waved the green Muppet doll in front of his face a few times and smiled again.
The crowd in the auditorium laughed and also a billion others who watched the event.
“Please. It’s the same as Kermit the Frog. Say it like that, please.”
“Why?” was heard a few times.
The son of Godzilla answered, “I made a special promise to a very special person. I have to keep my promises.” Cermit clutched his Muppet doll tighter like it was a ‘security blanket.’ Before he left the huge stage, he said, “They want to run more tests so I have to go. Bye dear, dear people.”
The international crowd was in awe. Everybody unanimously loved this animal! He was a Media sensation. Even Japanese families devastated by the tragedy, forgave the beast and cried.
Cermit was whisked off to the same hidden medical facility where Serizawa was treated.
A federal official believed the speech and made the Lizard-boy’s dream come true:
Cermit had a roommate in the modern facility where his medical tests were scheduled by Self-Defense Forces. In the other bed, only five feet away…
…Laid the mysterious recluse and inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer. On one side of the room was the son of Godzilla and on the other side was the hero of Japan, the slayer of Godzilla.
The last scenes of ‘Frankenstein’ played on the TV screen in the hospital above the patients.
Cermit was intensely into Karloff’s performance. Then he turned and spoke to his roommate. “This is weird.”
No one was in the room. The Kermit Muppet doll was nowhere in sight.
Daisuke was in a good mood. He said along with a few laughs, “You know, it’s probably weirder for me? Talking to his son? Ha, ha. Talking to the offspring of a Komodo Dragon affected by radiation from a Hydrogen Bomb?”
“That’s not what created Godzilla,” Cermit replied with certainty in a lower register.
“Gamma radiation?”
“Dr. Yamane was wrong and so were later investigators. Godzilla’s creation had NOTHING to do with radiation! There’s no connection between my father and any type of radiation at all.”
“What?” Serizawa was speechless. He thought the statement was false since there was no doubt that the King of Monsters was highly radioactive. Daisuke did not know what to think. He looked above at the blank TV monitor.
Both Serizawa and Cermit were smart. They knew their actions and sounds were recorded.
The Lizard-boy pulled a tube out of his arm and walked over to Serizawa’s bed. The Son of Godzilla had a mean expression on his tiny face that was not seen before. He approached and the beast was only inches from a semi-scared marine biologist. Cermit’s four small fingers with claws closed and formed a fist. He was not the cute and adorable Lizard anymore. He showed his teeth. His yellow eyes flared. He was pissed and pumped his fist. “Serizawa! You didn’t believe any of the crap I spilled to my stupid, adoring fans at the U.N., did you? Thank you? Thank you for making me smart? You didn’t make me smart, my father did! You murdered my father…and my mother!” The Kewpie Doll that was Cermit was now an enraged hellion, a green monster in a small package. “I feel like killing you right here and now and then spit out your bones, Serizawa! In fact. In fact, I think I’ll do that. I think I’ll do that…right now,” Lizard-boy stated in a cold, deep voice.
“…You murdered my father…and my mother!”…“I feel like killing you right here and now and then spit out your bones, Serizawa! In fact. In fact, I think I’ll do that. I think I’ll do that…right now.” It was only the first time the video recording played on a screen for the jury, the judge and the rest of the courtroom. It would not be the last time.
The big drama ‘Trial of the Century’ was mass-marketed and the first Pay-Per-View event.
The bloody body and savior of Tokyo five years ago, was discovered badly mutilated to the point authorities were sure that Daisuke Serizawa was eaten alive in his hospital room! It was a “slam dunk,” “open and shut” case. District Attorney and police investigators were positive and believed the overwhelming evidence, a mountain of evidence, which pointed to one living being…
That being was a Media sensation, a cute, soft, emerald, cuddly doll Lizard-boy that talked and might soon be executed for First Degree murder.
Who else would defend Cermit, certain to go to the gallows, with every shred of evidence against him?
Perry Mason.
Of all the fucking people. No. The one the Self-Defense Forces imported from America and sat at the other end of the long, wooden table. It was none other than Perry’s usual opposition that eternally lost a ‘perfect’ case in the eleventh hour by a surprise confession: the intrepid Hamilton Burger. Unbelievable. No. The other one they brought in from the States that sat next to him: old Lt. Arthur Trask. Both of them grinned and nodded to Perry.
For the big Trial of the Century and first against an articulate Lizard, Mason had Paul Drake in the back of the courtroom and the beautiful Della Street next to him at the table. Cermit also sat on the Defense side. The little guy was nervous and extremely concerned of his own council even with the American’s immaculate record.
Earlier, in one of the courthouse bathrooms, Perry had an impromptu conversation with his client…
The Lizard’s response to the question was a turned head to the toilet in back and the question: “How could I shit you?”
Perry continued with, “You KNEW, my Lizard friend…you know who killed Serizawa?”
“Of course.”
“All this time? How?”
“I’m smart,” the little Caaragliapoid stated with pride and a smile.
Perry Mason replied, “You’re not that smart. Why didn’t you tell me this before? I could have laid a trap for him, for the one I instinctively know did it.”
“Why don’t you know? It’s so elementary simple. What are you getting paid for, Mason? This is not like the movies, I found out. Or I’m in a bad movie. I have to do your job?”
“Just button it in interviews, kid, and play your cards right and maybe, maybe the State won’t have fried Lizard for dinner, eh? So…who did it?” the slick American, destined for Hollywood, thought he’d squirt out the answer to the Big Question the world wanted to know.
“Not so fast, Mr. Mason, who is a mason, I found out…” Son of Godzilla had a sudden realization. Not that it wasn’t easy being green. Not that his douche attorney was a complete looney. How’d he win all those cases? The realization was: I’m not going to divulge the Billion Dollar Answer to this idiot lawyer. Fuck it. Go fish. Another Bomb is going to go off…
“You’re not going to tell me, you little bugger?”
“Fuck no. Yeah, make it easy for you.”
“Why you little…” Perry’s anger subsided. His hand that was ready to grab the fucker’s ‘pencil’ neck, halted a lunge forward.
The soft creature leaned back and gasped. “Huh.”
They only had a short time before someone entered…
The attorney calmed himself with a quick chant and closed eyes. He opened his eyes. Mason was mellow. Perry shined brighter and smiled again. “Doesn’t matter.”
Cermit had no confidence in his ‘perfect’ lawyer. He asked him plainly, “Perry, have you seen the evidence stacked against me?”
“Doesn’t matter. I always win.” He showed his teeth, which seemed larger than Cermit’s.
Cermit rolled his eyes. “Yeah. That was defending humans, right? Cocky son of a bitch.” The Lizard cussed at his council in a deeper register and with some emotion. “This is my life here, partner! You know, you’re just a smooth-talking salesman?”
“I’m paid to do a job and a good job I do. You’ll see in the end, my boy.”
“Rats.”
“I have a friend, Paul Drake. He’s checking a few promising leads. Always works out, Cerm. Like maybe it was Emiko Yamane, ah, in her hot, checkered blouse. I remember that cookie well. She’ll testify; we’ll get her to; we’ll get the goods on her. She has motive…”
“She didn’t do it.”
“Maybe the old guy, her father. That’s it, huh? He wanted Serizawa out of the way, so, so she’d marry the salvage ship captain. Or, or steal his Destroyer invention, yes? His status wasn’t honorable in the Academy these days, eh? Shit. All right. If I guess the murderer, will you confirm it, you…Mr…Do you have a last name?”
“Yes. It’s Caaragliapoid. But you’ll never guess the murderer, Mr. Mason. Not even you…”
The lawyer smiled. “I’m very good.”
“You’ll never believe it!”
“Try me. OH, I got it!”
“Hmmm.” Cermit was skeptical.
“Of course!” For a second, Perry checked his notes in a folder with his glasses on. “Hideto Ogata, the salvage ship captain. He did it. They were rivals for the hand of Emiko.” He looked down at the small, soft version of Godzilla. “Right? Right? That’s exactly right, right?”
Cermit closed his eyes and shook his head for no. “That’s not it. Precisely. But you’re close.”
The great Perry Mason was frustrated. “Aw. Fuck you! Just tell me…”
The Lizard told the truth, a truth that Perry Mason did not understand. “Daisuke Serizawa was murdered by Daisuke Serizawa.”
“What?”
“Should I answer…the question?” sweet, small Mindy May McConnell whispered a delicate question to Cermit from the stand. The Lizard sat near Della Street at the table. Mindy wore pink. The little girl should have replied to Mr. Mason who stood in front of her. “That’s our secret.”
“Unresponsive, your honor,” DA Burger stated in a mild objection.
Judge Oti ruled, “Overruled.”
Cermit responded to the child and he should have ‘zipped’ his snout from his seat. “You can tell our secret.”
Hamilton Burger with his fine black suit and curly brown hair got up on his feet, buttoned his jacket and objected, “Your Honor, please. Instruct the child she must answer the question.”
Perry Mason chimed in with, “I will repeat, Miss McConnell. What happened when you first met your green friend and could you explain how he got his name, please?”
All eyes and the ones at home with Pay-Per-View focused on the cute girl.
“I played with him like, like he was Kermit the Frog, come, come out of the sea…”
“It was then you gave him the doll?” Mr. Mason asked kindly.
She shook her head up and down. “Ah, huh. I named him and spelled it in sand. Hee, hee. Ba. But I, I spelt Kermit wrong…”
“You know?” The Lizard tilted his head and placed his four fingers over his heart. “Aw.”
The judge let it go.
Cermit spelled his name wrong to the press, over and over to honor his first friend.
Mindy seemed advanced for her age. She turned and looked up into Judge Oti’s narrow eyes with her big, blue eyes and said, “He’s a good Frog, sir. He rubbed out my name, when, when…” The child cried and millions of others cried along with her. “He didn’t want others ta see the sand, where I messed up.” She smiled through her tears and it was adorable.
“Your Honor,” the DA repeated from his seat. “This is a murder trial.”
Mr. Mason stated, “I have no more questions for this witness, your Honor.”
“Cross, Mr. Burger?”
Mr. Burger grabbed an important note from Lt. Trask. He got up and buttoned his buttons while Mason unbuttoned his. He said to Perry as he sat, “Mind if I take a whack at her?”
“Your witness.”
Burger winked at Trask. He was sure he had dynamite in his hands. He asked her, “Do you know what a lie is, Mindy?”
“Yes, sir. I do. It’s not good to lie.”
“Yes, dear. But your mommy lied about the first words that came out of Cermit’s mouth now, didn’t she? He didn’t say Everything’s all right…he said something else now, didn’t he? And he did something to you and that was the real SECRET between you two, yes? Tell us what he said and what he really did to you. It’s Okay. You have to say now what you were told not to say.”
The girl screamed! She had different tears in her eyes as she looked to her parents in the back. They could not help her. She shook a bit. She didn’t know what to do. She had to answer.
Almost the whole world caught its collective breath as they heard…
“Cermit touched me!”
Everyone gasped…
The DA was relentless and asked, “Where did he touch you, Mindy? What did he say?”
“My legs! He asked to touch my skin!” She cried hysterically, uncontrollably.
Perry Mason stood up and did not button. He was loud and assertive. “I object! My client never saw a human before! They played in sand for a minute like kids. He compared differences in their skin, that’s all, like: children of different skin colors first seeing each other and playing harmlessly. Mr. Burger has turned pure innocence into a sordid thing. Your Honor, please.”
“Get her off the stand,” ordered Judge Oti.
The bailiff brought the child to her parents and they left the courtroom.
Judge Oti ruled: “As far as I’m concerned, both attorneys are guilty. Yes, one for turning innocence sordid. Other guilt belongs to a famous American lawyer who grandstands, often breaks courtroom protocols and has now attempted to pull on heartstrings of millions of viewers…”
“Ah…” Mr. Burger was about to proceed with a “Bravo” but didn’t; he was just as guilty.
“Mr. Mason? Next?”
“Defense calls Emiko Yamane to the stand.”
Emiko Yamane was sworn in and sat on the stand. She wore a checkered blouse in blue.
“I only have one question for you, Miss Yamane…” The distinguished attorney inhaled a large breath. “Did you kill your ex-lover, Daisuke Serizawa?”
“No, Mr. Mason. I felt sorry for him. I once loved him. I hurt him enough. Why would I?”
Perry told the court, “No more questions. Nothing further for this witness, your Honor.”
Oti said to her, “You can step down now, Miss Yamane.”
The lady did and then took her seat in the back.
“Next? Mr. Mason?”
“The Defense calls Dr. Kyohei Yamane.”
Cermit got the attention of his lawyer with a wave of his claws.
Perry leaned in near the Lizard-boy as the old doctor was called and brought to the stand.
Cermit scratched his head. He was befuddled. He whispered to Mason: “Who hired you? Do you know what you’re fucking doing? Why are you calling these people? How does this defend me? I think everyone knows they didn’t do it. Or maybe prove that they did? That would help me.”
Mason only smiled with 100% confidence. His teeth shined. “It always works out for me, Frog. You’ll see.” He looked over at Paul. “Good. I’ll take that.” Mason grabbed the folder.
Cermit was cynical. “Yeah. Your PI knows who did it.” The Lizard was nervous.
When Paul Drake retracted his hand, he said his first words to Cermit and winked at him: “Hey, big guy.”
“You kidding me?” the Lizard commented in a daze. He was getting to hate these people.
Dr. Yamane was sworn in and was on the stand.
Perry Mason turned and walked closer to the witness.
The accused turned to Della Street. The Lizard was more worried.
Her very red lips smiled a fake smile. She assured him, “Perry’s the best. He’s a genius.”
The little green genius knew better.
“I only have one question for you, Dr. Yamane…”
Cermit said quietly, “Oh, Christ.”
“Let’s say if you wanted to steal Serizawa’s Oxygen Destroyer, wouldn’t a good way to do that is…KILL him?”
The Lizard whispered, “That’s a little better.”
Later, more witnesses took the stand like the salvage ship captain, Hideto Ogata and present lover of Emiko. He had a glass right eye from an accident on a salvage operation. He flatly denied the allegations. He had Emiko. His story was like her story: Why would he hurt Daisuke further?
Paul Drake found a few other suspects that had ‘dirty closets’ and loose connections to Serizawa, but nothing substantial. Nothing made sense to this point. Accusations and denials.
In the next days would come forensics and there was a mountain of forensic evidence against Cermit. No one was worried in the least from the Defense side, except one little guy.
Weeks passed in the Trial of the Century…
Closing arguments were stated by both Mr. Burger and Mr. Mason. It didn’t go well for Cermit. Burger described how the Lizard was found in the hospital room: unconscious, covered in blood of the deceased with parts of the deceased discovered inside his little tummy.
Mason’s tactics of badgering witnesses until they confessed didn’t work during the trial. He was brilliant and brought the doctor and his daughter to the point where they nearly confessed to a crime they didn’t commit. He was that good. Perry could have made arguments where he was the killer and the jury would have believed him. He pressed Captain Ogata the most. [Mason hadn’t figured out, exactly, the solution to the puzzle the “Frog” laid on him: Serizawa killed himself?].
Lawyer and Frog once more met for a ‘pow wow’ in the same courthouse bathroom they had met a few times previously. They placed a bailiff outside the door, which gave them more time to speak. But at any minute, the bailiff could call them to court. THE JURY HAD A VERDICT!
Perry, for the first time in his stellar career of law practice and impeccable courtroom maneuvers and drama…
…Paced back and forth, was unsure of himself and his career choice away from journalism. He sweated bullets of sweat and ‘had a bad feeling about this one.’ Could his ego take one loss?
Cermit was pissed in the extreme~ “Did you have any strategy? What was our Defense?”
Mason’s cockiness did not overcome the worry he felt inside, but his mouth said, “Defense, Schmense.” It was a quip out of habit or inertia.
Son of Godzilla was appalled and asked, “Where was the evidence I didn’t do it?”
“What do you mean? You DID do it, Frog. You lied to me about the victim to throw me off. Everything’s fucking throwing me off!” [Perry was frustrated because no one confessed]. He said to himself, “Must be because I’m on the opposite side of the Earth, yeah. That’s the ticket.”
The Lizard corrected him, “That’s China. This is Japan.”
“What?”
“Hey, Mason. What’s got you so spooked? You’re looking worse than me.”
“I never had a case that went to verdict before.”
“Wait a second. Seventy-eight cases, yes, all winners I read. And you never, ever heard a jury foreman recite the words ‘Not Guilty’ before? Is that what you just told me?”
“They all confessed,” Perry informed him.
“Some were probably innocent?” Cermit asked.
“Probably.”
“Christ. You are the best salesman in the world. Yet. Why is my goose cooked?”
“Never fear. Hey, Frog…”
“Stop calling me that or you’ll regret it.”
Tensions built in the world, in the courthouse and inside the Lizard. The verdict was about to be announced.
“Why did you attack Serizawa? You said your dad wasn’t radioactive, you despised the biologist for killing your mother; he didn’t make you smart; you went at him…and then the camera mysterious shutdown for some unknown reason. No one witnessed you eat him and you had his guts in your gut. [to himself] “That must be it. You’re my first client who was really guilty.”
Cermit neared Boiling Point. He spoke the truth: “Of course Godzilla was radioactive! I was LYING! I hated the biologist’s guts for what he did to me! I mean, I mean, my father. I wanted to scare the pants off the one-eyed fucker! But I did not kill and eat him. I’m Vegan!”
Perry Mason was mystified. “And you know who really did it and what happened? Tell me.”
The bailiff opened the bathroom door and told them they had to report to the courtroom.
“No. Come on, Mason. You being one ain’t gonna help us here, eh, partner? Let’s see how your spotless record stands against 12 Japanese jurors you didn’t impress with my innocence?”
The actor put on a ‘happy’ face as he passed the bailiff.
Cermit Caaragliapoid, the accused Lizard, knew what was going to happen in the courtroom. He also was aware of a strange phenomenon that was about to ‘strike the heart of the city’ that absolutely no one knew of [except two others] and would completely ‘turn the tables.’ In a deep voice, Cermit uttered, “Loser. All of you pink skins are. You deserve what’s going to happen to you.” Rage was in his yellow eyes and dark soul. Was he the reincarnation of his father?
Only Mason heard the last statements from the creature and asked, “What?”
When the GUILTY verdict was announced in court and in the world, the bloody Lizard came apart at the seams!
Burger and Trask leaped high into the air and were so goddamn happy! They even embraced and kissed. One of them was gay.
Della Street fainted.
Paul Drake stopped his awkward leers at the prettiest girls in the courtroom, which was his trademark throughout the trial. It took seconds and a few stares at both ends of the long table for him to realize what had happened. “What?” Perry lost?
The great Perry Mason collapsed down into his chair and slumped forward. His thoughts were: I should have kept my old name and went into comedy. There goes my future acting career.
The once passive Lizard had enough. He ran over to the councilors’ table, jumped up on it and pointed a scaly, green arm directly at Judge Oti. “I’ll tell you fuckers what really happened!” Then he pointed at Ogata in the back of the courtroom who stood next to his girlfriend, Emiko. “There’s your killer, you bastards! Not me! He made it look like me. He framed me so the truth would never come out. That’s not Ogata, that’s Daisuke Serizawa’s brother! You didn’t know he was a twin? What? Are you all morons? He’s only recently became his brother, in disguise, and soon faked the death of a person that had not lived in years!”
Most people in the universe gasped.
The Defense team did not understand.
The mad Lizard went on with, “The truth is that’s Tetsuo Serizawa, identical twin of the deceased. He knocked me out in the hospital room; spread his brother’s remains around; put blood on my mouth! He killed his estranged brother long ago, the real inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer. This guy couldn’t invent shit; he’s a salvage captain! All for the love of lovely Emiko, so they’d have a happy relationship: nothing to do with a stigma of Monsters and Monster Destroyers…”
Emiko busted out in tears. “Tetsuo is a good man! So very, very sorry, son of Godzilla. His sister handled the evidence and preserved remains of his brother were used as evidence. Oh God!”
Cermit wrapped the whole case up with the perfect ‘McGuffin.’ “He made one crucial mistake that tipped me off, eh? Check the helicopter film and photos when Daisuke conveniently washed up on Odo and was brought in by you punks! He had the eyepatch on the wrong eye! He had to. His other eye was taken out in a fishing accident. Check it out, you fucking bastards!”
The crowd went crazy in the room. Vast throngs who watched outside of court did the same.
Perry watched in despair. The fucking Frog did what he couldn’t.
The little bugger figured it out and made the guilty parties confess.
BUT…
The audible confession was NOT accepted by Judge Oti.
“What?”
“You were found guilty, Mr. Caaragliapoid. You’ll be imprisoned for life.” His gavel banged.
Judge Oti had veto power over any decision the court rendered. He was under strict orders from the very beginning to find the Lizard ‘guilty’ and ‘throw the book at him.’ Cermit was to be imprisoned for life at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock [strangely] Nevada, USA.
Cermit roared and actually breathed fire that extended from his snout for 10 feet! No one was hurt. “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?” The little guy exploded like a Hydrogen Bomb at the exact same moment that a delayed Bomb went off over the entire city of Tokyo~
Ogata (Tetsuo) held Emiko tight. They both knew what would happen and looked into each other’s fearful eyes. He whispered to her: “The other Device.”
This was the moment. It went off…
The salvage/fisherman was not the gifted genius his brother was. The marine biologist and brilliant technician had another plan to contain the great beast five years ago. The first plan. He never wanted to use the Destroyer. A powerful alternative, safe, clean, Shrink Bomb was detonated long before the Oxygen Destroyer at the feet of Godzilla when he was within an evacuated area. It would have worked perfectly, but the timing device was off. The Bomb did not go off, then...
Serizawa’s Shrink Bomb went off now!
An area of miles was affected. Not structures, but all living organisms within the area were suddenly transformed to smaller sizes by a factor of ten. Nude people were only inches tall, but…
Cermit was not affected in the least. He now towered at a colossal three and a half feet over a society only inches high, a society that virtually condemned him to death. The same society, headed by a (pink) human judge and jury (the People) that wanted him dead…
…Not for a bogus murder rap of Serizawa, but for the sins of his father.
I really want to kill them. I want to kill them badly! I’m the Frankenstein Monster and their torches and pitchforks didn’t work. Look how weak they are, Look at them scatter…so afraid of me. His yellow eyes saw red as the big crowd in court was now a small crowd that ran out of court. They screamed small screams and ran for the exits in a flow like helpless, puny, frightened bugs.
Their clothes did not shrink and were left behind in piles.
He was even more enraged. The Monster slowly charged the shrunken masses and followed them through the halls of the courthouse. The large and small group just about made it through the front doors. The Monster pushed over various things on the walls and ROARED again! Debris flew near the crowd and missed them. At the moment, he was his father. He wanted to know what it felt like if he stepped on them. Cermit waited and thought again about what he was doing…
The front entry was cleared of people…
Except for 3 people covered in ripped pieces of a handkerchief. They remained behind the horrified public. They were Lia and Bradley McConnell and the bravest one was their child who stood in front of them. Her name was Mindy May. The little girl said, “You’re not a Monster. You’re my friend.”
The Monster barely heard her words, but he heard her words and melted into the green teddy bear he always was. Cermit fell upon the black and white checkered pattern of the tiles in the front entry. He cried. He cried more. He saw that Mindy walked close to his head as he laid flat on the floor.
She hid her naked parts, covered by the hanky. She smiled and blew him a kiss.
The Lizard remained distraught. “I wanted to step on them, Mindy.”
“But you didn’t. You did a good thing instead. I knew you would. I’m proud of you, Cermit.”
“That’s SER-mit.”
“What?”
“Just kidding.”
They laughed, the family laughed and then others that surrounded them also laughed.
Everything was going to be all right.
The Shrink Bomb wouldn’t have killed Godzilla. It would have neutralized him a bit to a size of approximately 16.7 feet. He still would have been one very nasty killer and wreaked plenty of havoc upon Tokyo and elsewhere. Other methods of neutralization would had to have been employed (such as unfreezing the Blob) if there was no Oxygen Destroyer. If the Shrink Bomb detonated back then, it would only have made the Monster smaller for 24 hours and pissed him off even more…
In 24 hours, the ‘Lilliputians’ of Tokyo will return to normal sizes. The Big Story will not involve untold damages and great loss of life…
The News would be the bizarre accounts from citizens in a “City that Shrunk for a day.”
Perry Mason was permanently injured in the melee that followed the mad rush of nude, little people from a Tokyo courthouse. He lived the rest of his life in a wheelchair as an advisor and was nicknamed “Old Ironsides.” The Ogatas finally married, in prison. Cermit got his own TV show. It was called “The Cermit Show” and had weekly human guest stars. The Lizard was funny.
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New Godzilla was only three and a half feet tall! It talked and wanted to be called...
"Cermit"
The small critter, lizard creature or whatever, was INTELLIGENT. Cermit spoke well. The thing was extremely brilliant and sophisticated and stated clearly that he was “Godzilla’s son” in perfect English. He knew a lot and droned on and on very peacefully to the crowds that swarmed around him on the beach at Shikoku. Cermit was nonaggressive and cooperated in every way. He recalled precisely what he knew to the children, at first, and then the frightened adults that came later. The son of the King of Monsters talked up a storm as the soft, green, little thing was shackled and roughly taken away in a police van.
One strange mystery surrounded the moment of First Encounter between the Monster’s son and little Mindy May, 6-year old daughter of vacationers, Lia and Bradley McConnell. The initial report later described the parents’ reaction from more than 50 feet away from shoreline. They saw what they thought was another child who emerged from the waves and walked toward Mindy May. The two, about the same size, played and sat in the sand for a while. A few other children ran over to them. Minutes passed until the parents noticed. When they saw that the ‘child’ was green and had a tail, they screamed and ran over to it!
Mindy was fine and smiled very big.
The other children were unharmed. The kids viewed “Cermit” as a cuddly, talking doll or plaything and not a monster at all. They were excited and had a new friend.
Mindy appeared to have given the creature her small Kermit the Frog doll.
The smart Lizard was also very happy. He held onto the doll for dear life and sweetly showed off his big teeth.
Something was written in the sand and rubbed out.
Lia and Bradley McConnell were shocked and immediately separated the beast from the kids and phoned the authorities.
Cermit and the young children had no idea why the grownups responded so violently and with anger at their new, cool friend.
Mindy May told her parents what the first words out of the Lizard’s mouth were. Mindy’s mother kept that tidbit to herself. Lia later stated for International Press that the creature said, “Everything is all right.” In truth, she got the wrong impression and lied to news networks.
There were legitimate fears in backs of minds from the authorities and the average person:
Was the creature a newborn and would it grow to vast proportions like its father? If it gained amazing strength and size in time with the added quality of high intelligence, what new threats were possible? Would what appeared as a green teddy bear with little claws and four fingers become big and evil? Should it be destroyed now, before any further damage occurred?
The same group of scientists and specialists from five years ago was reformed to handle ‘Son of Godzilla,’ or was attempted to be reassembled…
~ American journalist Steve Martin was known as the “Godzilla guy” for so long that for credibility and upward mobility, Steve changed his name to “Perry Mason” and had an extremely successful law practice in the States. In fact, in three years of being a Defense attorney, Perry had ‘never lost a case.’ Yet when he heard news that a baby Godzilla, a part of the gigantic beast he remembered had survived and TALKED, Perry was aboard the first flight to Tokyo. Distancing himself from a tiny, green Kewpie Doll, smarter than a Harvard graduate, named “Cermit” with a “C,” was not going to happen. Perry’s (Steve’s) aversion of the G subject was: Out the window!
~ Daisuke Serizawa was possibly alive but his whereabouts was unknown. Volunteers swept Odo Island and surrounding islands for the genius. It was thought the marine expert and technician did not die 5 years ago, but lived as a poor hermit away from society. Serizawa might be of great use if the son of Godzilla ever posed a deadly danger.
~ Once a colleague of Serizawa, respected ‘elder statesman’ of paleontology, Dr. Kyohei Yamane accepted the role as lead investigator as he did when his team found giant, radioactive footprints and a giant trilobite on Odo Island. His theories of Godzilla as merely a dinosaur were disproven. Monsters spawned as a direct result from the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki detonations. Dr. Yamane was only a figurehead leader of the Science Academy at the present time.
~ Yamane’s daughter, Emiko, was also called in because of the intimate relationship she once had with her ex-lover, the missing Serizawa. It was never stated in the press or on TV that her breakup with her father’s colleague for a salvage ship captain (Hideto Ogata) could have sent Serizawa over the edge since also burdened with the guilt from his Oxygen Destroyer…
…But many rumors to that effect circulated and were firmly believed by most people. People assumed Serizawa was not in self-imposed exile; they thought he committed suicide. The ones that believed the scientist remained alive, thought the newly assembled team was the best way to find Serizawa. The strange man was the “people’s hope” with the dreaded and secret and only means known to stop the “un-killable” Godzilla.
On the south shores of Odo Island, at night, the living and breathing marine specialist that the whole world searched for called Daisuke Serizawa…
By a fantastic coincidence, washed up almost into the ‘arms’ of the very last search boat. On the final night of the search, the volunteers had orders and called it off in the early morning hours. They made one more, desperate pass along the shores. They found him: filmed him from air, landed, gave the unhurt man First Aid and quickly brought the scientist to a medical facility of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The guarded hospital was the same place “Cermit” will be examined in greater depth, after his speech to the U.N., UPI, Tele-Media Marketing and TMZ…
A large crowd at the United Nations General Assembly, also called “Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium,” quieted with a loud, long hush that faded to silence. Nearly everyone on the planet watched the well-advertised live Special Report on television screens. The world also watched on multiple incorporeal levels as a cute, green, Cermit (Caaragliapoid) stood 3½ feet tall on a raised platform at a podium in front of a microphone and addressed the human beings of Earth…
Cermit smiled with innocence, beauty and grace. He still tightly held onto the Kermit doll, his constant companion. (People figured his name came from the doll, but were unaware of the whole story). He looked in a few directions, cleared his throat and sincerely said in a soft, friendly, childlike voice, “I am deeply, deeply sorry and truly regret to the fullest extent of my heart the horrendous incidents of 5 years ago and actions of my father. He is dead. You killed him, or I should say the one responsible…was a particular maker of an Oxygen Weapon…”
People noticed a short moment when the sweetness disappeared from the Lizard’s face.
His large pupils in both eyes retracted ever so slightly to a thinner size then returned to the normal size. Baby Godzilla, who was articulate as hell, continued his prepared speech, which he read off the tele-prompter. He wrote every word. “There are no giant Monsters, presently, out there or in here. I am not subject to growth. This is it; I’ll grow no more. I have already grown…mentally. My mind has grown 10 times the physical size than the marble of a brain my father possessed. It is why I can speak English and I chose English because it is a global language rather than French, German, Russian or Japanese. I hope the dear people of Japan will not be offended in my choice…”
People of the planet breathed a sigh of relief at the young Lizard’s smooth words and calm demeanor. It was the most watched television broadcast in history.
There was nothing to fear in the respectable boy-Lizard. He did not appear to have one threatening bone in his scaly body or bad atom in his cold blood. He was believable to billions of viewers. He was animated like a Japanese animatronic toy come to life. He spoke the honest truth:
“Let me describe my birth and what happened. At the moment the Destroyer asphyxiated my father, he was able to transfer all of his Caaragliapoid energy or Katra to me which formed a protective shell or egg around the fetus. You see…” Cermit’s eyes narrowed again and he was a bit serious. “…Godzilla was also my mother, my pregnant mother. The Weapon that saved Tokyo, which you want to possess again today, also killed my pregnant mother. But I hold no bad feelings and perfectly understand why it was done. It was the invention and actions of a one-eyed recluse who was not killed by the Weapon, but discovered alive the other day. I hope to meet Daisuke Serizawa and express my humble and sincerest appreciation. I would not be the intelligent, well spoken, passive…Lizard (smiled) I am today if not for this man. [Cermit went off tele-prompter]. Ha. If not for the events of five years ago, I could have wound up a stupid animal that, who knows, grunted and blew smoke rings? (laughter in crowd) Whatever the result of his Oxygen Destroyer, it, it…must have made me intelligent, mixed with whatever I absorbed from my parent in the egg shell. Oh! To conclude…”
A huge “aaaw” from his many fans was heard in the big auditorium, a rare sound in this venue. “Where did your name come from?” Other “Your name” and “Cermit, Cermit” outbursts were heard and repeated.
The little Lizard was unclear and asked a question into the microphone, “Why are you all saying SIR-mit like yes sir, no sir. It is KER-mit, like Kermit the Frog. It’s only spelled with a “C.” Cermit waved the green Muppet doll in front of his face a few times and smiled again.
The crowd in the auditorium laughed and also a billion others who watched the event.
“Please. It’s the same as Kermit the Frog. Say it like that, please.”
“Why?” was heard a few times.
The son of Godzilla answered, “I made a special promise to a very special person. I have to keep my promises.” Cermit clutched his Muppet doll tighter like it was a ‘security blanket.’ Before he left the huge stage, he said, “They want to run more tests so I have to go. Bye dear, dear people.”
The international crowd was in awe. Everybody unanimously loved this animal! He was a Media sensation. Even Japanese families devastated by the tragedy, forgave the beast and cried.
Cermit was whisked off to the same hidden medical facility where Serizawa was treated.
A federal official believed the speech and made the Lizard-boy’s dream come true:
Cermit had a roommate in the modern facility where his medical tests were scheduled by Self-Defense Forces. In the other bed, only five feet away…
…Laid the mysterious recluse and inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer. On one side of the room was the son of Godzilla and on the other side was the hero of Japan, the slayer of Godzilla.
The last scenes of ‘Frankenstein’ played on the TV screen in the hospital above the patients.
Cermit was intensely into Karloff’s performance. Then he turned and spoke to his roommate. “This is weird.”
No one was in the room. The Kermit Muppet doll was nowhere in sight.
Daisuke was in a good mood. He said along with a few laughs, “You know, it’s probably weirder for me? Talking to his son? Ha, ha. Talking to the offspring of a Komodo Dragon affected by radiation from a Hydrogen Bomb?”
“That’s not what created Godzilla,” Cermit replied with certainty in a lower register.
“Gamma radiation?”
“Dr. Yamane was wrong and so were later investigators. Godzilla’s creation had NOTHING to do with radiation! There’s no connection between my father and any type of radiation at all.”
“What?” Serizawa was speechless. He thought the statement was false since there was no doubt that the King of Monsters was highly radioactive. Daisuke did not know what to think. He looked above at the blank TV monitor.
Both Serizawa and Cermit were smart. They knew their actions and sounds were recorded.
The Lizard-boy pulled a tube out of his arm and walked over to Serizawa’s bed. The Son of Godzilla had a mean expression on his tiny face that was not seen before. He approached and the beast was only inches from a semi-scared marine biologist. Cermit’s four small fingers with claws closed and formed a fist. He was not the cute and adorable Lizard anymore. He showed his teeth. His yellow eyes flared. He was pissed and pumped his fist. “Serizawa! You didn’t believe any of the crap I spilled to my stupid, adoring fans at the U.N., did you? Thank you? Thank you for making me smart? You didn’t make me smart, my father did! You murdered my father…and my mother!” The Kewpie Doll that was Cermit was now an enraged hellion, a green monster in a small package. “I feel like killing you right here and now and then spit out your bones, Serizawa! In fact. In fact, I think I’ll do that. I think I’ll do that…right now,” Lizard-boy stated in a cold, deep voice.
“…You murdered my father…and my mother!”…“I feel like killing you right here and now and then spit out your bones, Serizawa! In fact. In fact, I think I’ll do that. I think I’ll do that…right now.” It was only the first time the video recording played on a screen for the jury, the judge and the rest of the courtroom. It would not be the last time.
The big drama ‘Trial of the Century’ was mass-marketed and the first Pay-Per-View event.
The bloody body and savior of Tokyo five years ago, was discovered badly mutilated to the point authorities were sure that Daisuke Serizawa was eaten alive in his hospital room! It was a “slam dunk,” “open and shut” case. District Attorney and police investigators were positive and believed the overwhelming evidence, a mountain of evidence, which pointed to one living being…
That being was a Media sensation, a cute, soft, emerald, cuddly doll Lizard-boy that talked and might soon be executed for First Degree murder.
Who else would defend Cermit, certain to go to the gallows, with every shred of evidence against him?
Perry Mason.
Of all the fucking people. No. The one the Self-Defense Forces imported from America and sat at the other end of the long, wooden table. It was none other than Perry’s usual opposition that eternally lost a ‘perfect’ case in the eleventh hour by a surprise confession: the intrepid Hamilton Burger. Unbelievable. No. The other one they brought in from the States that sat next to him: old Lt. Arthur Trask. Both of them grinned and nodded to Perry.
For the big Trial of the Century and first against an articulate Lizard, Mason had Paul Drake in the back of the courtroom and the beautiful Della Street next to him at the table. Cermit also sat on the Defense side. The little guy was nervous and extremely concerned of his own council even with the American’s immaculate record.
Earlier, in one of the courthouse bathrooms, Perry had an impromptu conversation with his client…
The Lizard’s response to the question was a turned head to the toilet in back and the question: “How could I shit you?”
Perry continued with, “You KNEW, my Lizard friend…you know who killed Serizawa?”
“Of course.”
“All this time? How?”
“I’m smart,” the little Caaragliapoid stated with pride and a smile.
Perry Mason replied, “You’re not that smart. Why didn’t you tell me this before? I could have laid a trap for him, for the one I instinctively know did it.”
“Why don’t you know? It’s so elementary simple. What are you getting paid for, Mason? This is not like the movies, I found out. Or I’m in a bad movie. I have to do your job?”
“Just button it in interviews, kid, and play your cards right and maybe, maybe the State won’t have fried Lizard for dinner, eh? So…who did it?” the slick American, destined for Hollywood, thought he’d squirt out the answer to the Big Question the world wanted to know.
“Not so fast, Mr. Mason, who is a mason, I found out…” Son of Godzilla had a sudden realization. Not that it wasn’t easy being green. Not that his douche attorney was a complete looney. How’d he win all those cases? The realization was: I’m not going to divulge the Billion Dollar Answer to this idiot lawyer. Fuck it. Go fish. Another Bomb is going to go off…
“You’re not going to tell me, you little bugger?”
“Fuck no. Yeah, make it easy for you.”
“Why you little…” Perry’s anger subsided. His hand that was ready to grab the fucker’s ‘pencil’ neck, halted a lunge forward.
The soft creature leaned back and gasped. “Huh.”
They only had a short time before someone entered…
The attorney calmed himself with a quick chant and closed eyes. He opened his eyes. Mason was mellow. Perry shined brighter and smiled again. “Doesn’t matter.”
Cermit had no confidence in his ‘perfect’ lawyer. He asked him plainly, “Perry, have you seen the evidence stacked against me?”
“Doesn’t matter. I always win.” He showed his teeth, which seemed larger than Cermit’s.
Cermit rolled his eyes. “Yeah. That was defending humans, right? Cocky son of a bitch.” The Lizard cussed at his council in a deeper register and with some emotion. “This is my life here, partner! You know, you’re just a smooth-talking salesman?”
“I’m paid to do a job and a good job I do. You’ll see in the end, my boy.”
“Rats.”
“I have a friend, Paul Drake. He’s checking a few promising leads. Always works out, Cerm. Like maybe it was Emiko Yamane, ah, in her hot, checkered blouse. I remember that cookie well. She’ll testify; we’ll get her to; we’ll get the goods on her. She has motive…”
“She didn’t do it.”
“Maybe the old guy, her father. That’s it, huh? He wanted Serizawa out of the way, so, so she’d marry the salvage ship captain. Or, or steal his Destroyer invention, yes? His status wasn’t honorable in the Academy these days, eh? Shit. All right. If I guess the murderer, will you confirm it, you…Mr…Do you have a last name?”
“Yes. It’s Caaragliapoid. But you’ll never guess the murderer, Mr. Mason. Not even you…”
The lawyer smiled. “I’m very good.”
“You’ll never believe it!”
“Try me. OH, I got it!”
“Hmmm.” Cermit was skeptical.
“Of course!” For a second, Perry checked his notes in a folder with his glasses on. “Hideto Ogata, the salvage ship captain. He did it. They were rivals for the hand of Emiko.” He looked down at the small, soft version of Godzilla. “Right? Right? That’s exactly right, right?”
Cermit closed his eyes and shook his head for no. “That’s not it. Precisely. But you’re close.”
The great Perry Mason was frustrated. “Aw. Fuck you! Just tell me…”
The Lizard told the truth, a truth that Perry Mason did not understand. “Daisuke Serizawa was murdered by Daisuke Serizawa.”
“What?”
“Should I answer…the question?” sweet, small Mindy May McConnell whispered a delicate question to Cermit from the stand. The Lizard sat near Della Street at the table. Mindy wore pink. The little girl should have replied to Mr. Mason who stood in front of her. “That’s our secret.”
“Unresponsive, your honor,” DA Burger stated in a mild objection.
Judge Oti ruled, “Overruled.”
Cermit responded to the child and he should have ‘zipped’ his snout from his seat. “You can tell our secret.”
Hamilton Burger with his fine black suit and curly brown hair got up on his feet, buttoned his jacket and objected, “Your Honor, please. Instruct the child she must answer the question.”
Perry Mason chimed in with, “I will repeat, Miss McConnell. What happened when you first met your green friend and could you explain how he got his name, please?”
All eyes and the ones at home with Pay-Per-View focused on the cute girl.
“I played with him like, like he was Kermit the Frog, come, come out of the sea…”
“It was then you gave him the doll?” Mr. Mason asked kindly.
She shook her head up and down. “Ah, huh. I named him and spelled it in sand. Hee, hee. Ba. But I, I spelt Kermit wrong…”
“You know?” The Lizard tilted his head and placed his four fingers over his heart. “Aw.”
The judge let it go.
Cermit spelled his name wrong to the press, over and over to honor his first friend.
Mindy seemed advanced for her age. She turned and looked up into Judge Oti’s narrow eyes with her big, blue eyes and said, “He’s a good Frog, sir. He rubbed out my name, when, when…” The child cried and millions of others cried along with her. “He didn’t want others ta see the sand, where I messed up.” She smiled through her tears and it was adorable.
“Your Honor,” the DA repeated from his seat. “This is a murder trial.”
Mr. Mason stated, “I have no more questions for this witness, your Honor.”
“Cross, Mr. Burger?”
Mr. Burger grabbed an important note from Lt. Trask. He got up and buttoned his buttons while Mason unbuttoned his. He said to Perry as he sat, “Mind if I take a whack at her?”
“Your witness.”
Burger winked at Trask. He was sure he had dynamite in his hands. He asked her, “Do you know what a lie is, Mindy?”
“Yes, sir. I do. It’s not good to lie.”
“Yes, dear. But your mommy lied about the first words that came out of Cermit’s mouth now, didn’t she? He didn’t say Everything’s all right…he said something else now, didn’t he? And he did something to you and that was the real SECRET between you two, yes? Tell us what he said and what he really did to you. It’s Okay. You have to say now what you were told not to say.”
The girl screamed! She had different tears in her eyes as she looked to her parents in the back. They could not help her. She shook a bit. She didn’t know what to do. She had to answer.
Almost the whole world caught its collective breath as they heard…
“Cermit touched me!”
Everyone gasped…
The DA was relentless and asked, “Where did he touch you, Mindy? What did he say?”
“My legs! He asked to touch my skin!” She cried hysterically, uncontrollably.
Perry Mason stood up and did not button. He was loud and assertive. “I object! My client never saw a human before! They played in sand for a minute like kids. He compared differences in their skin, that’s all, like: children of different skin colors first seeing each other and playing harmlessly. Mr. Burger has turned pure innocence into a sordid thing. Your Honor, please.”
“Get her off the stand,” ordered Judge Oti.
The bailiff brought the child to her parents and they left the courtroom.
Judge Oti ruled: “As far as I’m concerned, both attorneys are guilty. Yes, one for turning innocence sordid. Other guilt belongs to a famous American lawyer who grandstands, often breaks courtroom protocols and has now attempted to pull on heartstrings of millions of viewers…”
“Ah…” Mr. Burger was about to proceed with a “Bravo” but didn’t; he was just as guilty.
“Mr. Mason? Next?”
“Defense calls Emiko Yamane to the stand.”
Emiko Yamane was sworn in and sat on the stand. She wore a checkered blouse in blue.
“I only have one question for you, Miss Yamane…” The distinguished attorney inhaled a large breath. “Did you kill your ex-lover, Daisuke Serizawa?”
“No, Mr. Mason. I felt sorry for him. I once loved him. I hurt him enough. Why would I?”
Perry told the court, “No more questions. Nothing further for this witness, your Honor.”
Oti said to her, “You can step down now, Miss Yamane.”
The lady did and then took her seat in the back.
“Next? Mr. Mason?”
“The Defense calls Dr. Kyohei Yamane.”
Cermit got the attention of his lawyer with a wave of his claws.
Perry leaned in near the Lizard-boy as the old doctor was called and brought to the stand.
Cermit scratched his head. He was befuddled. He whispered to Mason: “Who hired you? Do you know what you’re fucking doing? Why are you calling these people? How does this defend me? I think everyone knows they didn’t do it. Or maybe prove that they did? That would help me.”
Mason only smiled with 100% confidence. His teeth shined. “It always works out for me, Frog. You’ll see.” He looked over at Paul. “Good. I’ll take that.” Mason grabbed the folder.
Cermit was cynical. “Yeah. Your PI knows who did it.” The Lizard was nervous.
When Paul Drake retracted his hand, he said his first words to Cermit and winked at him: “Hey, big guy.”
“You kidding me?” the Lizard commented in a daze. He was getting to hate these people.
Dr. Yamane was sworn in and was on the stand.
Perry Mason turned and walked closer to the witness.
The accused turned to Della Street. The Lizard was more worried.
Her very red lips smiled a fake smile. She assured him, “Perry’s the best. He’s a genius.”
The little green genius knew better.
“I only have one question for you, Dr. Yamane…”
Cermit said quietly, “Oh, Christ.”
“Let’s say if you wanted to steal Serizawa’s Oxygen Destroyer, wouldn’t a good way to do that is…KILL him?”
The Lizard whispered, “That’s a little better.”
Later, more witnesses took the stand like the salvage ship captain, Hideto Ogata and present lover of Emiko. He had a glass right eye from an accident on a salvage operation. He flatly denied the allegations. He had Emiko. His story was like her story: Why would he hurt Daisuke further?
Paul Drake found a few other suspects that had ‘dirty closets’ and loose connections to Serizawa, but nothing substantial. Nothing made sense to this point. Accusations and denials.
In the next days would come forensics and there was a mountain of forensic evidence against Cermit. No one was worried in the least from the Defense side, except one little guy.
Weeks passed in the Trial of the Century…
Closing arguments were stated by both Mr. Burger and Mr. Mason. It didn’t go well for Cermit. Burger described how the Lizard was found in the hospital room: unconscious, covered in blood of the deceased with parts of the deceased discovered inside his little tummy.
Mason’s tactics of badgering witnesses until they confessed didn’t work during the trial. He was brilliant and brought the doctor and his daughter to the point where they nearly confessed to a crime they didn’t commit. He was that good. Perry could have made arguments where he was the killer and the jury would have believed him. He pressed Captain Ogata the most. [Mason hadn’t figured out, exactly, the solution to the puzzle the “Frog” laid on him: Serizawa killed himself?].
Lawyer and Frog once more met for a ‘pow wow’ in the same courthouse bathroom they had met a few times previously. They placed a bailiff outside the door, which gave them more time to speak. But at any minute, the bailiff could call them to court. THE JURY HAD A VERDICT!
Perry, for the first time in his stellar career of law practice and impeccable courtroom maneuvers and drama…
…Paced back and forth, was unsure of himself and his career choice away from journalism. He sweated bullets of sweat and ‘had a bad feeling about this one.’ Could his ego take one loss?
Cermit was pissed in the extreme~ “Did you have any strategy? What was our Defense?”
Mason’s cockiness did not overcome the worry he felt inside, but his mouth said, “Defense, Schmense.” It was a quip out of habit or inertia.
Son of Godzilla was appalled and asked, “Where was the evidence I didn’t do it?”
“What do you mean? You DID do it, Frog. You lied to me about the victim to throw me off. Everything’s fucking throwing me off!” [Perry was frustrated because no one confessed]. He said to himself, “Must be because I’m on the opposite side of the Earth, yeah. That’s the ticket.”
The Lizard corrected him, “That’s China. This is Japan.”
“What?”
“Hey, Mason. What’s got you so spooked? You’re looking worse than me.”
“I never had a case that went to verdict before.”
“Wait a second. Seventy-eight cases, yes, all winners I read. And you never, ever heard a jury foreman recite the words ‘Not Guilty’ before? Is that what you just told me?”
“They all confessed,” Perry informed him.
“Some were probably innocent?” Cermit asked.
“Probably.”
“Christ. You are the best salesman in the world. Yet. Why is my goose cooked?”
“Never fear. Hey, Frog…”
“Stop calling me that or you’ll regret it.”
Tensions built in the world, in the courthouse and inside the Lizard. The verdict was about to be announced.
“Why did you attack Serizawa? You said your dad wasn’t radioactive, you despised the biologist for killing your mother; he didn’t make you smart; you went at him…and then the camera mysterious shutdown for some unknown reason. No one witnessed you eat him and you had his guts in your gut. [to himself] “That must be it. You’re my first client who was really guilty.”
Cermit neared Boiling Point. He spoke the truth: “Of course Godzilla was radioactive! I was LYING! I hated the biologist’s guts for what he did to me! I mean, I mean, my father. I wanted to scare the pants off the one-eyed fucker! But I did not kill and eat him. I’m Vegan!”
Perry Mason was mystified. “And you know who really did it and what happened? Tell me.”
The bailiff opened the bathroom door and told them they had to report to the courtroom.
“No. Come on, Mason. You being one ain’t gonna help us here, eh, partner? Let’s see how your spotless record stands against 12 Japanese jurors you didn’t impress with my innocence?”
The actor put on a ‘happy’ face as he passed the bailiff.
Cermit Caaragliapoid, the accused Lizard, knew what was going to happen in the courtroom. He also was aware of a strange phenomenon that was about to ‘strike the heart of the city’ that absolutely no one knew of [except two others] and would completely ‘turn the tables.’ In a deep voice, Cermit uttered, “Loser. All of you pink skins are. You deserve what’s going to happen to you.” Rage was in his yellow eyes and dark soul. Was he the reincarnation of his father?
Only Mason heard the last statements from the creature and asked, “What?”
When the GUILTY verdict was announced in court and in the world, the bloody Lizard came apart at the seams!
Burger and Trask leaped high into the air and were so goddamn happy! They even embraced and kissed. One of them was gay.
Della Street fainted.
Paul Drake stopped his awkward leers at the prettiest girls in the courtroom, which was his trademark throughout the trial. It took seconds and a few stares at both ends of the long table for him to realize what had happened. “What?” Perry lost?
The great Perry Mason collapsed down into his chair and slumped forward. His thoughts were: I should have kept my old name and went into comedy. There goes my future acting career.
The once passive Lizard had enough. He ran over to the councilors’ table, jumped up on it and pointed a scaly, green arm directly at Judge Oti. “I’ll tell you fuckers what really happened!” Then he pointed at Ogata in the back of the courtroom who stood next to his girlfriend, Emiko. “There’s your killer, you bastards! Not me! He made it look like me. He framed me so the truth would never come out. That’s not Ogata, that’s Daisuke Serizawa’s brother! You didn’t know he was a twin? What? Are you all morons? He’s only recently became his brother, in disguise, and soon faked the death of a person that had not lived in years!”
Most people in the universe gasped.
The Defense team did not understand.
The mad Lizard went on with, “The truth is that’s Tetsuo Serizawa, identical twin of the deceased. He knocked me out in the hospital room; spread his brother’s remains around; put blood on my mouth! He killed his estranged brother long ago, the real inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer. This guy couldn’t invent shit; he’s a salvage captain! All for the love of lovely Emiko, so they’d have a happy relationship: nothing to do with a stigma of Monsters and Monster Destroyers…”
Emiko busted out in tears. “Tetsuo is a good man! So very, very sorry, son of Godzilla. His sister handled the evidence and preserved remains of his brother were used as evidence. Oh God!”
Cermit wrapped the whole case up with the perfect ‘McGuffin.’ “He made one crucial mistake that tipped me off, eh? Check the helicopter film and photos when Daisuke conveniently washed up on Odo and was brought in by you punks! He had the eyepatch on the wrong eye! He had to. His other eye was taken out in a fishing accident. Check it out, you fucking bastards!”
The crowd went crazy in the room. Vast throngs who watched outside of court did the same.
Perry watched in despair. The fucking Frog did what he couldn’t.
The little bugger figured it out and made the guilty parties confess.
BUT…
The audible confession was NOT accepted by Judge Oti.
“What?”
“You were found guilty, Mr. Caaragliapoid. You’ll be imprisoned for life.” His gavel banged.
Judge Oti had veto power over any decision the court rendered. He was under strict orders from the very beginning to find the Lizard ‘guilty’ and ‘throw the book at him.’ Cermit was to be imprisoned for life at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock [strangely] Nevada, USA.
Cermit roared and actually breathed fire that extended from his snout for 10 feet! No one was hurt. “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?” The little guy exploded like a Hydrogen Bomb at the exact same moment that a delayed Bomb went off over the entire city of Tokyo~
Ogata (Tetsuo) held Emiko tight. They both knew what would happen and looked into each other’s fearful eyes. He whispered to her: “The other Device.”
This was the moment. It went off…
The salvage/fisherman was not the gifted genius his brother was. The marine biologist and brilliant technician had another plan to contain the great beast five years ago. The first plan. He never wanted to use the Destroyer. A powerful alternative, safe, clean, Shrink Bomb was detonated long before the Oxygen Destroyer at the feet of Godzilla when he was within an evacuated area. It would have worked perfectly, but the timing device was off. The Bomb did not go off, then...
Serizawa’s Shrink Bomb went off now!
An area of miles was affected. Not structures, but all living organisms within the area were suddenly transformed to smaller sizes by a factor of ten. Nude people were only inches tall, but…
Cermit was not affected in the least. He now towered at a colossal three and a half feet over a society only inches high, a society that virtually condemned him to death. The same society, headed by a (pink) human judge and jury (the People) that wanted him dead…
…Not for a bogus murder rap of Serizawa, but for the sins of his father.
I really want to kill them. I want to kill them badly! I’m the Frankenstein Monster and their torches and pitchforks didn’t work. Look how weak they are, Look at them scatter…so afraid of me. His yellow eyes saw red as the big crowd in court was now a small crowd that ran out of court. They screamed small screams and ran for the exits in a flow like helpless, puny, frightened bugs.
Their clothes did not shrink and were left behind in piles.
He was even more enraged. The Monster slowly charged the shrunken masses and followed them through the halls of the courthouse. The large and small group just about made it through the front doors. The Monster pushed over various things on the walls and ROARED again! Debris flew near the crowd and missed them. At the moment, he was his father. He wanted to know what it felt like if he stepped on them. Cermit waited and thought again about what he was doing…
The front entry was cleared of people…
Except for 3 people covered in ripped pieces of a handkerchief. They remained behind the horrified public. They were Lia and Bradley McConnell and the bravest one was their child who stood in front of them. Her name was Mindy May. The little girl said, “You’re not a Monster. You’re my friend.”
The Monster barely heard her words, but he heard her words and melted into the green teddy bear he always was. Cermit fell upon the black and white checkered pattern of the tiles in the front entry. He cried. He cried more. He saw that Mindy walked close to his head as he laid flat on the floor.
She hid her naked parts, covered by the hanky. She smiled and blew him a kiss.
The Lizard remained distraught. “I wanted to step on them, Mindy.”
“But you didn’t. You did a good thing instead. I knew you would. I’m proud of you, Cermit.”
“That’s SER-mit.”
“What?”
“Just kidding.”
They laughed, the family laughed and then others that surrounded them also laughed.
Everything was going to be all right.
The Shrink Bomb wouldn’t have killed Godzilla. It would have neutralized him a bit to a size of approximately 16.7 feet. He still would have been one very nasty killer and wreaked plenty of havoc upon Tokyo and elsewhere. Other methods of neutralization would had to have been employed (such as unfreezing the Blob) if there was no Oxygen Destroyer. If the Shrink Bomb detonated back then, it would only have made the Monster smaller for 24 hours and pissed him off even more…
In 24 hours, the ‘Lilliputians’ of Tokyo will return to normal sizes. The Big Story will not involve untold damages and great loss of life…
The News would be the bizarre accounts from citizens in a “City that Shrunk for a day.”
Perry Mason was permanently injured in the melee that followed the mad rush of nude, little people from a Tokyo courthouse. He lived the rest of his life in a wheelchair as an advisor and was nicknamed “Old Ironsides.” The Ogatas finally married, in prison. Cermit got his own TV show. It was called “The Cermit Show” and had weekly human guest stars. The Lizard was funny.
How to order novels by TS Caladan
- http://www.twbpress.com/authortraycaladan.html Promo-page from publisher: TWB Press in Colorado
- http://www.twbpress.com/sonofzog.html
- TWB Press in Colorado
or go to publisher’s site: TWBPRESS.COM
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TS Caladan's 3-Book "Traylogy" can be purchased thru TWB Press.
9" x 6" books with cover art are less than $18.00. EBooks are $3.99.