A warm, sleepy Saturday finds Minnesota Jones (MJ) relaxing in an Adirondack chair overlooking Lake Crystal. A warm, sleepy Saturday finds Minnesota Jones (MJ) relaxing in an Adirondack chair overlooking Lake Crystal.
MJ picks up the coffee mug off the table next to the lantern. The coffee is lukewarm but satisfies, as a breeze gently rustles the pages of the morning paper.
Just as MJ drains the last of the coffee, the drone of a small plane interrupts the silence of the quiet afternoon. MJ grabs the empty coffee mug and retreats to the cabin to brew another pot.
MJ puts down the coffee mug,chooses a coffeehouse blend and scoops coffee into the machine. MJ hears a thump and a crash. Remoting off, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto, MJ turns toward the windows overlooking the lake.
The lantern on the table next to the chair has been knocked over and lies on the grass and a small brown parcel has been left in its place.
MJ strolls toward the lake and picks up the parcel and places the lantern back on the table. The parcel is wrapped in brown paper it looks damaged and aged.
The postmarks were strange and looked foreign. The writing in an old-fashioned script was barely legible, it was addressed to:
And there was no return address.
MJ gently opens the parcel. Inside are papers their edges stained, yellowed and torn. MJ unrolls the papers slowly, but they crumble at the slightest touch. It looks as if it were a contract of some type. The writing is faded and difficult to read. One of the inner pages has a strange symbol and is wrapped around a square object. MJ unfolds the paper revealing an old floppy computer disk. The floppy’s cover is scratched and bent, but in good shape considering the rest of the papers.
Odd the parcel shows up the day before leaving for a conference on antique contracts in London, England. MJ declined to participate in the conference as an arch-rival; Jamie “Fitz” Fitzhugh was the key-note speaker for the conference. MJ enjoyed professional challenges, but Jamie’s interpretations of contract law were poorly backed by case law and research. Jamie had an uncanny knack of alienating everyone.
Jamie’s goal was to one-up MJ at every opportunity. MJ didn’t want this conference to be one of those opportunities. Therefore, MJ respectfully requested to withdraw from the conference. But the organizers had been insistent that MJ attend. They had sent a round-trip ticket as an incentive and it worked.
MJ was asked by the conference organizers to make a presentation on a model contract, discussing its similarities and differences to legacy contracts. MJ had planned a few days of sightseeing in England with Nigel, a fellow colleague with an interest in historical contracts.
Perhaps Terry could give some advice on the papers in the mysterious package. Terry, a long time friend has a fascination for old documents and collects old contracts, letters and memorabilia.
But these papers aren’t just old, they look and feel ancient. MJ picks up the cell and calls Terry. Unfortunately, Terry is not answering. MJ leaves a message. Terry may be able to tell where the papers originated or at least point MJ in the right direction as to their source. MJ settles back into the Adirondack chair and takes a long swallow of coffee. Startled by the sound of an engine MJ looks north and sees a taxi yellow float plane. The plane circles around the lake and vanishes from sight. MJ is left with the soft smack of a fish looking for an afternoon snack.
Just before leaving for the airport, MJ grabs the package and squeezes it into the carry on luggage. Driving north MJ calls Terry and once again Terry does not answer.
Begin the Model Contract Lesson