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Episode summary:
“In 1952 the Korean War is in its second year, Queen Elizabeth II has just come to the British throne and Harry S. Truman is president of the USA. America is segregated and the civil rights movement is in its infancy. But for Noah Washington that’s all irrelevant; he’s embarking on a long cherished motor cycle ride down the west coast of America. He draws a lot of attention being a young black man on a motorcycle; some of it not very welcome. But he starts his journey in San Francisco and heads down the Pacific Highway, where he ends up brings Jericho and team 74 on the case. Noah is definitely not where he should be!”
IMPORTANT STATEMENT
“THE READER SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THIS EPISODE CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, RACIST SLURS AND CENSORED LANGUAGE, THE WORDS AND PHRASES USED WOULD – SADLY – BE AUTHENTIC FOR THIS TIME PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY. I HAVE REDUCED ONE WORD TO JUST 'N' FOR THE MORE SENSATIVE READERS, DESPITE BEING AGAINST ‘SANITISING’ OR REWRITING HISTORY. HISTORY WITH ALL IT FAULTS SHOULD BE SEEN AND READ AS IT WAS, ONLY THEN CAN THE FUTURE BE A BETTER PLACE. YOU DON’T REALLY LEARN FROM CENSORSHIP, EXCEPT HOW TO HIDE THE DISTURBING TRUTH AND FACTS ABOUT HUMANITY'S PAST. ”
SJW.
Episode may contain the following warnings:
“All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Author’s notes about this episode:
[1]
This episode is currently NOT PUBLISHED and is a working draft copy.
[2] It contains language that is appropriate for the time period which may offend some people, also contains strong language and sexual references. [See 'IMPORTANT STATEMENT' box above.]
[3]
The original Title for this episode was: ‘NOAH WASHINGTON.’
[4]
A ‘Temporal Detectives’ original story.
[5] "NOAH WASHINGTON: A TIME HONOURED MAN.” This episode, was conceived and written by the author. Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without written permission. The episode ILLUSTRATION is an original drawing created by the author. It is copyright ©2011 - 2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without written permission.
Concept
date: 18th March 2021
First
published: Unavailable
Status: IN DEVELOPMENT & UNPUBLISHED.
Location:
BOOK SERIES 0 – EPISODE 0.
Revisions:
0 [Last revised unknown]
Version: Working draft copy.
Published
Episode No. 00
Previous
episode: NONE.
Next
episode: NONE.
Age
recommendation: 15+
Average
reading time: Approximately 60 Minutes.
Angel-in-charge: Margret
Team
Assigned: Team 74
Mission: 0 - 847733 - 3– 1952
Human years:
Episode Preview:
1. NOAH WASHINGTON STARTS HIS JOURNEY.
Noah scratched his head and stared at the timetable again, then carefully
drew a black line around the 13.45 and pushed the paper back into his shirt pocket.
He walked back to the coffee stand and picked up a newspaper, dropping a couple
of cents into the wire cup’s mouth. The headlines were all about the peace
talks in Korea and he sighed. Having just served six dreadful months in that
shithole, he really didn’t want to start bloody reading about it, now he was home
and about to start his dream ride. He had booked him and his motorcycle on the
13.45 Express to Third & Townsend station – Depot in San Francisco.
Then from that great city he would hit highway 80 all the way to Chicago and a re-union with his brother and his
family. He was going to cross America on his beloved motor bike, an Indian
Chief Blackhawk. That had kept the young man going during his tour in Korea, a
single little ray of light in a darkness of misery, fear and sudden death. Now
discharged from the US Marine Corps but obliged to serve in the Marine reserve
for another couple of years, this was his trip of a lifetime: for now, he was
still young!
Noah Edward Washington was twenty-eight, just six foot tall and fit from army service. He also had plenty of cash: he spent little on active service and saved his ‘dough’ for this very trip. He had spent three days going over his bike, ensuring it was running at it’s best. Then another full day just sitting going over the maps for Route 80 and had decided to start in San Francisco. So, with his usual care, he booked a train that had a freight carriage and bought tickets for himself and freight slips for the bike. Once in San Francisco he would sight-see for a day or two, then set off, making regular calls to his brother – Joshua – from any payphone he could find. The only problem Noah really had was his colour: he was black, and America was segregated. Well, except on the battlefield, then the colour of your skin didn’t mean shit. You got killed or mutilated whatever your bloody colour was.
In his jacket pocket was the latest copy of ‘The Negro Motorist’s Green Book’ which was the black travellers ‘bible’ in these segregated times. It listed accommodation and eating joints for black people, and he had carefully made a note of everyone along Route 80. He had heard all the racist ‘catcall’s’ when on his bike: Monkey man, tyre black, cycle chimp and of course the "N" word more times than he had hot dinners. He often chuckled about that when in the ‘line’ facing the Chinese and Koreans across the wasteland, hiding in his foxhole with other Marines – black & white – especially when the bullets were flying – he never heard that word. Just ‘marine’ or Noah. He always heard the screams for ‘Corpsman!’ or simply ‘Doc!’ and would leave the relative safety of the trench and head out, often under fire. Funny, none of the boys he attended called him the ‘N’ word.
Noah had been trained as a ‘combat medic’ or in this time period, he was a Corpsman, one of the most dangerous jobs there was for the infantry soldier, and he had acquitted himself with honour and bloody cold courage. But back in the good old US of A, it counted for shit. To most white people, he was just another ‘N’.
He shoved the paper in the trash bin and headed for the station, he would watch as his precious bike was loaded and then find the carriage and seat on his ticket. At the rear of the short train [just six carriages] two Railway employee's were pushing his much loved bike up a solid wooden ramp into the baggage compartment. He smiled; they were certainly treating it with care. The older of the pair wiped hand marks from the shining chrome carefully as the younger man fixed straps to the front and rear wheels [to prevent it moving about with the motion of the train] that's when Noah saw the second bike waiting to be loaded and was a little interested; it was a lightweight version of a British Triumph bike with an English plate on the rear.
But his interest in the powerful little motor bike evaporated when he saw the rider approach and talk to the two railway men, slipping them a nice tip for their troubles. Noah ran a hand over his face and for the first time in his black life; wished he was white! She was an absolute stunner in tight blue jeans, lace up boots, tight white T-Shirt and leather jacket with the goggles slung about her neck. The young woman was an absolute stunner with a big smile and loose dark hair. The two porters loaded her machine with great care and she thanked them again, turning to climb aboard the train when the Conductor placed the little wooden steps down she saw Noah standing there: mouth a little open and ticket clutched in his hand. "Come on! She leaves in a few minutes! I take it the Indian Chief is yours?" She shouted, disappearing into the carriage. Noah found he followed her into the carriage and looked for his seat. The Conductor tapped his shoulder and gestured down the carriage without a smile; "Negro's like to sit at the rear." was all he said.
Noah was about to say that his seat was at the front of the carriage but decided it wasn't worth the argument with the railway employee: it would only end in him being thrown off the train despite having a fully paid ticket and the possibly of the local cops being called and he knew full well how they dealt with Negro's who bucked the segregation of 1950's America. He could easily do without all that racist bullshit. He sat down and stared out the window and was - frankly amazed - to see another motorbike being loaded, followed by a stunning motorcycle and combination!
He wiped his sweaty neck and face with his hankie, now watching the stunning young woman settling into her seat and opening a magazine. She looked up as three men joined her; to Noah's surprise one was a Indian fellow and the other two were both white. The younger white man flopped next to the woman and said something that made her laugh. Now her smile made Noah smile and he saw the older white man - who was well dressed for motorcycling - check his watch which hung on a gold chain. He looked like a lawyer or accountant Noah thought. His attention was drawn back to the platform as whistles blew and doors were slammed: the train jerked forward and was underway.
Noah carefully glanced at the little foursome gathered into a circle and saw they were studying a road map; he heard a couple of towns and cities mentioned and checked his notebook; they were on his list. He now listened with real interest as the young white man declared that he would get tickets for the Chicago Cubs at Wriggly Fields as soon as they arrive. Shocked, it dawned on Noah that this little group was clearly doing almost exactly what he had planned!
"NOAH WASHINGTON: THE TIME HONOURED MAN" CONTINUES IN 'TEMPORAL DETECTIVES' BOOK SERIES 0 [EPISODE 0]
End of preview
Copyright ©2011-2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without permission.