Hi, My Name is Tessee

Wonder if Evie was a sister to Gertie

No Gertie and Evie were not sisters. They knew of each other, they did after all live in a small community, but no relation. I almost wrote myself into a corner, and had to think of how to get out, tie up a few more loose ends, and keep the story going.

BUT, the mint man lives on and is soon to make another appearance! He is also not connected to any of the solutions that have happened so far. But he is the most dangerous.

So, Gertie's daughter was the Sue Apperton character? I noticed that when she named off her sisters, Sue wasn't among them.

I am grateful you found a way to get out of the corner and keep the story going forward. The story going on IS the most important thing!

Oh noes! The mint man! I had forgotten about him, will he follow them to their new home?

Thank you Pac. And BK...maybe we should form a TB2K production company to get some of these excellent stories on the big screen? (or at least a tv screen)

Sue may or may not be a second name or a first name of one of the sisters. Sue Apperton was the 'supposed' name of the woman that was the adult in the house that raised Ben, Clora, Sandy and the two youngest, Zander and Jane. But maybe they only thought Sue was their mother, maybe she was a sister caring for the children of all of the sisters. That might account for her dumping the children and taking off...they weren't hers.

O the tangled web you weave Pac, this chapter answers more of the questions that have be looming in the background for quite some time. I agree that the continuation of the story next to your's and Mr. Pac health most important, not a little detail. Thanks for the chapters.
Wayne

#42

Mark was a thinking man, awake in the darkness of the early morning he thought about Clora, Gertie and the valley. To his suspicious mind; events were falling into place a bit to smoothly to be a happenstance possibility. Now what, or who, or why, would a person go to all this trouble to orchestrate the clan to be in the valley.

Mark felt that Clora was so bedazzled by the thought that Gertie was her grandmother, that she wasn't seeing the forest for the trees.

Very curious, Mark was mulling over all sorts of possible consequences and kept getting stuck with Gertie and the price she was asking for the valley. Being that he was an engineer, and a touch of a nerd, and a man with OCD, the facts were not lining up in a neat time sequence. Mind spinning gears in his head kept getting as far as the purchase price, and then stuck.

The price was far below what the valley was worth, and Gertie seemed to be more savvy than the ancient old horsewoman was letting on. Admittedly, Mark looked for boogy men in every event that happened to Clora and thus the Clan, but he decided that he had every right to be jumpy and suspicious.

Mark could not name one person that had come in contact with the family that hadn't caused them harm. The fence crew and the teenage friends of Christy's simply hadn't had the time to bring in their brand of trouble, yet.

Now that was another branch in the trouble line. The teenagers had a nasty mother distantly related to Milo and Teddy, and Mark bet she would eventually cause them heartache. So Monday, legal custody of the boys was going to be the number one priority on his agenda. Mark also made a mental note to ask the bank if the first check given the Hanson's was a good one, and that also gave him the opportunity to check out the safe deposit box mystery.

Clora had been up and down with Teddy all night and she was still asleep. Mark could hear the kid's bedroom door open and Milo wander out to the kitchen. There was the scrape of a chair and Mark listened as the cookie cupboard door opened. Actually that didn't seem like a bad idea, so Mark eased out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

Milo whipped around so fast he nearly fell off the chair, when Mark eased up and whispered "BOO", and he had to reach out and steady the tipping child. The cookie already in Milo's mouth was bit in half and Milo grabbed for the half that was falling to the floor. "Hang on Sport." Mark saved the day and the cookie.

"Hey Uncle Mark, is me and Teddy gonna go with you guys to that place?"

"I sure hope so, I have to do some legal work and and then we shall see.."

"Uncle Mark, is that other guy gonna be there? I didn't like the way he was lookin at us, he looked real mean."

Mark stopped and got real quiet, then said. "What guy Milo, where was he?"

lol! I wasn't sure if that would work or if that was a big enough CLIFF!!!!!!

LMBO!!! thank you for so much great story!

ha ha the photo of the cliff is so appropriate!
yeah.... I am spoiled and I too want more.

What a GREAT CLIFF, I need one of those. lol.

Oh that picture is perfect. ROFL!!!

Absolutely love it. Our writers all know it perfectly well, and now so do we.

Yes perfect picture. Thank you pac.

#42b

"Play a game with me Milo, 'kay" Milo nodded, always eager to play with Mark.

"Was the guy tall or short."

"Short"

"Did the man have dark hair or yellow hair?"

"Don't know, he had a hat on."

"Was it a cowboy hat, or a ball cap?"

"One like Uncle Wayne wears."

"Was it light or dark?"

"Kinda both with squiggles, like your pants. His clothes had squiggles too."

"Did you see a gun?"

"No, just him."

"Did you see anyone else?"

"Just that old lady, she was watchin Auntie C."

"Thank you Milo, would you like another cookie?" Mark whispered his thanks.

"Sure," Milo had his priorities straight.

"Shall we fix breakfast, just you and me?" Mark asked as he scooted the chair away from the cookie cupboard. "Maybe we should surprise Auntie C and make her breakfast in bed."

"Why does she want to eat the bed?" Milo was the picture of childish curiosity.

That was worth a shout of laughter from Mark, and that woke Clora and Teddy. Clora was thanking her lucky stars she got the Queen for a day meal stopped, she didn't want to strip the bed and change it after a circus buffet.

Clora was very pleased to have breakfast made by her very favorite boys. Teddy did three stirs in the pancake batter and then wanted to sit on her lap.

"We need milk, and eggs," Mark reported, "Do you want to attend church this morning or stay home?"

"Home," Clora said simply. "Teddy's in no shape to go out."

"How about this, I'll take Milo into the Sunday School program and then I need to move some things in Borg's house. I'll get the groceries on the way home. That way you and Teddy can have a quiet day. Clora, I want you to alert the family that Gertie's deal might not be as great as first presented. There were people watching us yesterday and Milo said they were wearing camouflage."

"Gracious," Clora looked out the window at the breaking dawn, checking for boogymen of her own. "I'll be careful and you be careful too."


Ben and Lainey had a lazy breakfast, Ben had been wearing the CPAP apparatus at night and he was feeling well rested. Because he was rested, Lainey and Anne were rested. They listened as Mark pulled out, and Ben said "He's sure leaving for church early,"

"I doubt that Clora goes, they got in pretty late last night and then Will left really early this morning in Mark's old Jeep." Lainey reported.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ben scowl heavily.

"See Lainey, that's what I don't like about that blamed machine, I can't hear one single thing when I have it on and that really is way outside my comfort zone. I was so tired last night so I used it, but blast it, I can't have something happen here and me not hear it."

"Ben, those were run of the mill happenings. If it had been something dangerous, I would have woke you." Lainey said softly. "You are our first line of defense, you know." Ben nodded, not happy but the night's sleep had been so good, it was difficult to pass up another.

Anne fussed, and Ben reached for her. Babbling baby talk at his daughter, they had a 'I said, you said' kind of conversation while Lainey cleared the table. "So Ben, what are your thoughts on the valley?"

"I think I don't like it as well as Clora does," Ben said forcefully. "There is so much work before we ever get to the 'making a living' part of farming and ranching there. The house situation is drastic, I sure don't like the way that is shaping up at all. "

"Yeah," Lainey drew water for the dishes. "I sure wish we had a choice, rather than be herded like cattle into that decision. It's just so....soon. I prefer to think a while on a decision, not jump in with both feet and then regret later."

"That's one of the reasons we match up so well," Ben grinned as he let Anne reach for the pen in his shirt pocket. Her hand closed around it and quicker than a wink she had the pen in her mouth.

"That's acky," Ben gently removed the instrument from her hand and set it on the table. Anne looked like she was going to pucker up and cry. Ben shook his head,"no crying over that," he admonished her, "save it for later." Anne's eyes followed him as he packed her around the kitchen. "You're a lug, how does your Mama carry you all the time?" he teased.

"It's time she had some floor time," Lainey suggested, "the sooner Miss Groceries gets to motivating on her own, the better." and she spread a quilt on the floor for Anne's exercise time.

"Ben, we could use another basket of meat and I know Clora is ready for one. It can be thawing today, while we go to church."

"Ok, I'll go get them," he headed out the door and Anne disapproved of her Daddy leaving. Laughing, Lainey picked her up and together they watched Ben walk down to Ev's. Anne's eyes followed Ben for as long as she could focus.

Wayne was down by the locker plant watching the cows and horses, he pointed out to Ben as he came along side, "There's a dog out in the pasture, I'm been watching him, waiting for him to step out of line. "I'm surprised that he's in there. I thought the fence would keep them out."

"Look there," Ben said low, "there's a human slinking along the inside of the fence, crawling on his belly. Now what's gonna happen."

Insert cliff pic here. LOL

AARGHHHHHH!

Pac; Got to love this story, you leave us hanging by our finger-nail's while weaving another web of intrigue and danger from some new or old foe in almost every chapter. Thanks for this epic story that has brought us so much enjoyment, and looking forward to much more of the same.
I pray both you and Mr. Pac are doing well.
Wayne

OHHHHHHHHHHHH no my toes are over that cliff.

#43

There was a pffffttt sound and a puff of dust was noticed between the tail of the dog and the head of the crawling person. The person stopped immediately and flattened themselves as close to the ground as possible.

"I thought that Mark left," Ben said out of the corner of his mouth.

"He did," Wayne said with surprise, "that had to have been Clora. WOW, I didn't realize she was that good with a rifle."

"Remind me to stay on her good side," Ben unshouldered his weapon and shouted across the pasture for the person to stand up and walk toward them. Holding his rifle on the figure as the person stood and move toward them slowly, Ben and Wayne discussed who it might be.

It was one of the fence builders. "I misplaced my hammer, it was a gift from my Dad and I wanted to get it. I didn't think you folks would be up yet," the man stammered.

"Pardon me, if I don't believe you," Ben said dryly. "What a stupid dumb stunt to pull. You knew the reason we had the fence put up was because we had snipers firing on us, then you do such a stupid, stupid thing. You'd better be happy our sister is such a good shot, we would have probably missed and shot you. Do you know the three S's? We practice Shoot, Shovel and shut up."

By that time the young man was shaking so hard, he could barely stand.

"We are going to walk the fence line and see if we can find your hammer, if it is there." Wayne took up the harsh line and stressed how lucky the man was that he wasn't already dead.

Of course there was no hammer to be found, and the young man sent on his way with many warnings. The young man was stupid, but smart enough to stay away from the farm. He had no explanation to the brothers of his real reason for being there, and they were perplexed as they walked up to talk to Clora.

"Calamity Jane Clora," Wayne reached for a cookie, and got a shake of Clora's cooking spoon in his face.

"Yes I had breakfast," he mimicked, and offered the plate to Ben.

"No thanks, Lainey filled me up this morning. Clora, ...Clora dear we need to talk about buying the valley. Things are moving too fast for us, we want to investigate the area a bit longer." Ben finally got the whole sentence out.

"I understand, Mark said we were being watched yesterday, by a guy in cammo." Clora dropped her bombshell.

"Oh, I knew my hinky meter was ramped up and working overtime," Wayne said with relief. "Usually I am tuned in to that type of strangeness, but there is something else overlying that valley. A sense of suspended animation, perhaps?"

"Mark say's things are falling into place way to easy. That we need to be careful, and do some backtrack thinking."

"We agree," the brother's chimed in together, and then laughed. "That old lady is weird and seems to have an agenda of some sort," Ben observed. "She really gave Lainey the creeps the way she kept staring at Anne. Lainey started calling her the 'baby snatcher' and tried to keep the baby away from her."

"That's heavy," Wayne intoned in a Boris Karloff type voice, breaking the tension. "Well every body, start thinking. I'll go talk to Ev and Cheryl. SHE," Wayne said in a superior tone, "SHE invited me to Sunday dinner. So it's good you guy's got to see me."

"Ok, you get to help me," Ben countered, "You can take a basket of frozen to Cheryl, I need to hurry or I won't be ready to leave for church. Thank's Clora for being on the lookout, you're a pretty decent shot," he complimented, knowing that was a long, difficult shot for anyone to have made.

Clora raised her forefinger and blew off the imaginary smoke, waving the guys out the door.

Thank you Pac .

#43b

Mark took Milo into the Sunday School class, where the youngster was greeted with happiness. Milo squared up his shoulders, threw a smile at Mark and walked in, ready for adventure.

Mark signed Milo in, and arranged to pick him up in three hours. Setting the alarm on his watch for his Milo alert, Mark drove confidently to Borg's house. It would be very interesting to see if anyone had been in the house, plus the fact that this was the second Sunday in a row that he was setting a pattern.

On high alert, Mark unlocked the front door and kept a keen eye on his surroundings. Yes, someone had been in the house. The human hair he had put in the lock mechanism was gone, and there was a dusty half shape of a footprint on the formerly spotless carpet.

Once again Mark mapped out where he thought the clan might be able to stay. He started moving the stacks of boxes containing Borg's old law practice into a tighter pattern, consolidating the banker's boxes into the far corner. It was clear he needed to get a shredding service in to destroy most of the twenty years of paperwork.

Flipping open his notebook, Mark added another notation to his list of things to do tomorrow when he was in town. He thought about bringing Clora and the kids in with him, giving her the advantage of selecting which of the bedroom suites she was most interested in.

Mark thought about the pantry and food downstairs. He believed there wasn't enough room to house the canning and life accumulation the family would have to have, and as a group, they had less than most people. The fire had cleaned them out, but since then, they had been busy. There was always the garage, and Mark thought about removing the cars and allotting each family a stall for storage. That seemed the best solution, for now.

Mark was using Borg's newest Jeep, and he had destroyed the landscaping pickup in his tussle with the shooters. So, that left the Jaguar, the Caddy, the Yukon, the next oldest Jeep and a Smart car. The idea of giving the cars to the clan, flirted around the edges of his conscience. For sure they all needed new wheels, and maybe he could trade the two luxury cars for a couple of used pickups. The little orange crate on wheels, he'd sell, or maybe give to Christy.

It was a satisfaction to have some of the problems settled. As almost an afterthought, Mark ran his handy-dandy little homemade 'bug' locater over the house, finding two of the little critters that he squashed and flushed. The location of the listening devices was so blatant, Mark decided they were decoys and there had to be better, more well hidden devices still concealed. His alarm went off, sending him out the door to the day care.

Cheryl and Ev conducted their own church service, mostly silent prayer and reading of passages they felt revel ant to the day. The smell of the cooking meatloaf had their stomach's rumbling by the time Wayne sauntered down to knock on the door.

After dinner Wayne asked Ev a lot of yes and no questions he could answer, concerning the move, his thoughts on what he wanted to take and what did he feel about the place."

Christy was busy on Ev's phone, enjoying her Sunday afternoon alloted talk time, when there was a rumbling and it wasn't hunger. Another sizable earthquake was re-arranging the internal earth pressures.

Thanks for the chapter Pac.
Wayne

Yikes! Earthquake. Makes my stomach queasy just thinking of it.

Ruh-roh. Wonder what the quake will do to Gertie's valley?

thank you for the new chapters Pac.

#43c

Mark was on route to pickup Milo when the world started to come apart. Like a fat ladies girdle that was giving up the overburdened containment ghost; overpasses swayed, buildings tore apart at the seams and the pavement rippled like a flapping flag.

Mark got within a mile of the church, before he was gridlocked. Swerving into a parking spot, he jumped out, locked the doors and took off running. All the time he was dashing down the street, all Mark could think about was Milo and the fact that every time his feet slapped the pavement, it hurt his concussed head.

The old stone church had damage, people screaming and darting to and fro and as he got closer he could hear the children yelling in fright. In the basement nursery room, Mark tore through the semi blocked entrance and into the dusty and dark hallway to find Milo. In the confusion and yelling, Mark couldn't yell loud enough to be heard, so he did what Clora would have done. He gave a whistle blast that hurt the ears and gave him Milo's location when the boy yelled, "Uncle Mark, I'm here. I'm here."

Throwing blocks aside like they were small bricks, Mark uncovered the basement door far enough to break it open with a well placed kick.
Wiggling inside, he passed the littles out to waiting hands and then Milo was the last one. Mark was in the process of getting himself out, when a huge block of stone fell, smashing his hand as he forced himself out the narrowing hole.

Assuring himself that all the children were out of the basement, Mark picked up Milo, hollered at him to hang on and started running back to the Jeep. The explosions started fires, and the wails of the responding trucks added to the desperate confusion. The undulation of the ground seemed like it was going on forever, but Mark paid no attention. Loping down the street with a child under his arm, he looked like a avenging angel and people scattered like dry leaves in front of his running figure.

Unlocking the Jeep, he tossed Milo into the seat and gunned the vehicle around and headed out of town. He drove like a madman, coming to the 205 bridge across the Columbia, the bridge was empty and Mark could see the law coming in his direction to block access to the bridge.

Praying, as he fish tailed with speed across the barren expanse, Mark concentrated in his terror. Focused on making it across the bridge he floored his vehicle into the 100mph range, he could feel the swaying and buckling. It was a good thing he was on the move, as the bridge was destroying itself right behind him. It was a scene worthy of a terror film, as Mark made it to the Washington side and the road slid under the last span of the bridge.

Chunks of roadway dropped like chunks of Oreo dunked into the glass of milk, hitting the water below. Mark didn't look back, he swallowed hard against the fright attempting to rise like bile in his throat and took every curve and straight stretch at the maximum speed allowed by the Jeep.

The closer he got to the farm, the more he started to relax. Milo was crouched on the passenger's side floorboard, with his eyes closed and whimpering. Mark got to the wash on the town side of the farm and screeched to a stop. The older concrete structure was peaked up in the center. Impassable to a car, but Mark had long legs and a burning desire to be at home. Grabbing Milo, Mark took off on another run. Because of the fence he couldn't cut across the pasture, but had to go the long way around and up the driveway.

The farm was silent, the electricity cut off and the dust hardly settled when he went lurching in haste toward his house.

Clora was standing outside, well away from the bricks that were tumbling from the chimney to land on the roof and cartwheel to the ground. Teddy was wrapped in her shawl and Clora had Mark's sniper rifle and that was all.

The single story homes of the clan were in better shape than the three story monstrosity that had been the main house. The roof sagged over the bedroom side and the weakened foundation where the tunnel had been chopped through collapsed into the widening hole in the ground.

The wood tore and splintered, the popping and cracking sound a funeral dirge for the grand old Victorian lady. Puffs of smoke from the Monarch that had been cooking Sunday dinner got darker and darker as fire leaked from the dismantled stove pipe and found new fuel.

"Grandma's skillet," Clora was whispering as she cried. Mark came pounding up beside her, Milo whispering,"Golly be, will you look at that. WOW," he pointed at the flames licking around the chimney.

Grabbing Clora by the shoulders Mark spun her around and checked her over for any hurts. She was crying and Mark was having a hard time deciphering what she was whimpering about. "Grandma's skillet," Clora finally made herself understood.

Mark stared hard at the building, thrust Milo at Clora and dashed around back. There was the sound of splintering wood, as Mark dashed inside . Grabbing the skillet full of pork chops and onions, he dropped it as soon as his hand closed around the hot handle. Grabbing the napkins from the basket he snatched up the skillet and threw it out the door. Hearing the flames roar, he executed a divers move out the door and slammed smack dab into the skillet with his head.

Wayne came running up, staring transfixed at the increasing flames. "Where's Mark," he yelled at Clora. She pointed at the back of the house and he ran to assist in any way he could.

Oh ... my .... my ....... my .......... and Wayne ran towards the fire ....

I'm a blithering basket of nerves.

Wow what a chapter. Hope Mark didnt hurt himself to much.

Mark is gonna have drain bamage if he keeps getting his noggin knocked.

WWWWHHHOOOOOOOWWWWWEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!



WAB

Wow. Just. . .wow. Three incredible chapters. And the clan burned out again. Pac, you've pulled me in to the point that I'm feeling their loss myself. That's writing. At it's best, too.

I love your work. Thank you so much for all of this.


Bad

Wow, Pac! Awesome storytelling!!!! Can't wait for more...

Sorry to say but the only bridges that cross the Columbia are the I-5 and the I-205.
The 405 doesn't go across the Columbia.
Great chapter though. Hope Mark is going to be OK. I wonder if Clora got Evie's diary and the money packs out with the diamonds.

#43d

Wayne went tearing around the corner just in time to grab Mark by the feet and drag him away from the fully engulfed home. The skillet he threw toward the woodshed and then he noticed Mark was knocked out cold. The lump on his head open and bleeding, The huge blond giant was barely breathing, and Wayne had a heck of a time pulling him. Finally he screamed for Clora to get Ben, he needed help.

It took both Ben and Wayne to move Mark. Finally they had him around to the front of the house, shielded from the heat by the tractor they used to take him away from the fire.

"Damn Clora, I told you to find a smaller man," Wayne was panting and ashen faced, being that close to his inner demon...fire.

"Let's go down to the house," Ben suggested. "I guess the quake has stopped, I was so involved with getting Mark away from the fire, I didn't pay attention."

Mark was delivered all scrunched up in the tractor bucket, and helped out to fall in a lumpy smoosh on the porch. Clora and Milo sat with him, as Ben and Wayne went back up to the burning house. Suddenly there was a huge whoosh as a new source of fuel was involved.

"What's that about?" Ben muttered as they stepped back, another and then another explosion blew outward, scattering burning boards and debris. "Sounds like something propane just ignited." he mentioned to Wayne.

"That's funny, I don't think they had any propane, I wonder where that is coming from?" Wayne puzzled as he moped his face with a dirt crusted handkerchief. Sooty streaks gave him an aboriginal look, but Wayne didn't care. "I need to back up more," he told Ben, "I can't be this close to the fire."

"Sure thing," Ben agreed. "There's no wind so I think the fire will behave and we can watch it from afar."

Wayne was already beating feet back to Ben's, and he was welcomed by a crying and thankful Clora. She kissed his cheek, thanking him for saving Mark, giving him hugs. Teddy was squished and yelled his disgust at the indignity. Wayne finally said, "Clora, what kind of propane did you have stored in the house?"

"None," she replied, "Mark didn't want to keep any in the house, just because of this," and she motioned toward the fire.

"Humm, well, something really exploded and it sounded to propane to me. Will couldn't have had something in his room, could he?"

"I don't know, I never went in there, he always took care of his own," Clora answered as she gently washed Mark's face. He was awake, but his noggin had been scrambled once again and he wasn't quite with it.

"I think your Grandmother hates me," he muttered as his hand went to his head, feeling the swelling on the top. "She's out to get me with her skillet, you didn't tell her where I was, did you?" he asked Clora as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the porch railing.

Shaking her head at his silliness, Clora grabbed for Milo as he prepared to run up to the fire. "Oh no you don't, you stay right here please." Milo looked at her with a 'Mark' expression on his face.

"I'll stay back," he promised.

"Darn right you will, from right here," Clora stressed sternly. "I have enough problems right now without worrying about where you might be. Tell me, what happened at school when the earthquake hit?" That was all Milo needed. he launched into this long and involved, drawn out explanation of how he was saved by super hero Uncle Mark and how Super Mark saved all the rest of the kids and how he kicked in the door and then held them out so other peoples could get a hold of them and how he drove really, really fast to get home, running while carrying him and a thousand other details that only a four year old could imagine.

Lainey brought out a quilt to cover Mark while he stretched the length of their porch. Ben had visually inspected the foundation and roof of his house and gave it an OK to occupy. Lainey nervously stood outside, but California raised, she was used to the rock and roll but she had Anne to consider and that changed everything.

"I've got to go down and check on Ev and Cheryl, make sure they are alright. I see Christy out on the porch, but not Ev. I'll be right back." Wayne stood up and started down toward the Wilson's. A series of aftershocks rumbled and shook once again. As the shaking started again, several more explosions happened in the remains of the main house.

Fresh flames shot upward, fueled by an unknown source. This time Mark was staring dully at the conflagration and frowned. The flames should be dying down, not leaping skyward as they were doing. "Strange," he muttered and Clora looked up as another blast rocked the area.

"That is strange, what could be causing that?" she questioned the group standing under the porch roof. The weather was cooling rapidly, clouds scudding in on the winds of an advancing cold front.

"Come in," Lainey urged, "It's too cold for the kids out here and we need something warm to drink. Clora can you and Ben get Mark in here?"

"I can get up," Mark protested and slowly gathered himself by hanging on to the porch standard. Ben shouldered the bulk of Mark's weight and the other arm around Clora was mostly for show. They shuffled in the house and put Mark on the couch. His feet had to hang over the end and his head was pillowed awkwardly on the other couch arm.

"Good heavens, Clora I knew Mark was some taller than Ben, but he is long, just plain long." Lainey sounded amazed beyond words.

Milo stood beside Mark, carefully keeping track of every eye blink and breath his super hero made. "I gots to care for him," Milo was solemn and careful as he stood watch, sitting down finally with his head against the couch to go instantly asleep with exhaustion.

Mark had his eyes closed and even breathing was painful to his mega sized type migraine. He was holding the nausea in as best as possible and it made his saliva run copiously. Swallowing hard, he tried again and again to ease the pain by moving slightly.

Clora brought a cold washcloth to put on the top of his head, patting gently at the reddish blob that was slowly clotting. "You really did this on Grandma's skillet?" she said quietly, "I'm so sorry I thought that old pan was so important. It's not as important as you. Please don't listen to me again," tears formed again as she realized the magnitude of her actions.

"I'm find, I mean fine," thick tongued and fuzzy brained the huge man stirred as he tried to find a comfortable spot.

Ev and Cheryl were fine, their house basically unharmed with only a few dishes and jars broken. Nerves were rattled plenty however, and Christy was chattering like a magpie as her world danced and shook.

"Easy kid," Wayne held up his hand, "you're making your Dad panicky by jittering so. Step outside and get collected, will ya," Wayne motioned to the door, and Christy skedaddled for the coolness of the oncoming stormy night.

"Let me check your stovepipe," Wayne pulled on his gloves and went to wiggle the sectioned metal. Cheryl had shut the damper the minute the quake started, killing the fire. The pipe was still warm, but acceptable to touch. It was solid, so he opened up the firebox and started a new fire. The warmth started creeping into the room, making Ev smile. "Thank you," he said.

"A double thank you," Cheryl patted Wayne's shoulder. "Did you ever get lunch?"

Wayne stopped stacking wood in the wood box and considered her question. "I don't remember," he finally said.

"How about a meatloaf sandwich? Maybe with a dill pickle?" Cheryl offered an irresistible combination and Wayne didn't have the strength to resist. Huge bites demolished the thick sandwich with methodical precision. "Good, thank you," he rubbed his belly and went for another armload of wood. Since Christy was outside, she brought in a armful when she came in to warm up.

"It's starting to snow, the fire is pushing it away with the updraft, but it is. Nasty weather and conditions." she reported. "I think I'm gonna sleep in my clothes tonight."

"I think we all will," Cheryl said with relief, "Thank you Wayne, we so appreciate you coming down to check on us. Is there anything we can do for Clora and Mark?"

"I'm sure there will be, right now they are kinda numb and not really comprehending what has happened." Wayne replied.

"Let us know what ever we can do," Cheryl stood by Ev, her hand on his shoulder. He nodded his agreement.


Wayne walked up to Ben's past his dark and silent house. There was no reason for Clora and Mark not to use his place, he concluded, and went in to tell them.

Lainey was dishing up a baked spaghetti and once again Wayne felt his weak willed appetite succumb to the lure of food. He was forced to eat a plateful and then have seconds on account of Mark not being interested in eating. There was no refrigeration, so left overs would spoil, he told himself.

It was a long night, hundreds of aftershocks and snow seeping it's icy fingers into the human resilience.

thanks for the heads up on the 205. I promise I really did know the difference, but we live at the top of the 405 and that pesky two doubled itself while I wasn't watching.

So we have natural gass on the property?

Thanks

Goodness me, poor Clora. Lost everything again, but at least Mark seems to be okay. His hands probably need a doc, since he had one smashed and one burned, not to mention his egg scrambled.

So, gas maybe? Just more money. . .oh, but they've already sold the place, haven't they? Darn.


Bad

Thanks for another great chapter Pac. You never fail to amaze us or keep us hooked to this story. Thanks for all of the time you devote to posting your story for us.
Wayne

#44

It snowed all night, the smoldering remains of the main house still spiraling wisps of smoke and steam skyward. Wayne had helped the Linderman's down to his house, and they woke up to the snow and wind. About once an hour, a aftershock would rumble through and set tensions vibrating all over again.

Clora monitored Mark all night, he was in bad shape with a smashed left hand and a right palm with burns. While she was sitting in the chair next to the bed, Clora experienced a faint fluttering in her stomach. She rubbed at the tickle, not thinking much about it. When it happened three times in a row, Clora understood what she was feeling, her baby was moving.

What a time to bring a child into the world, she was thinking. A time of distress and misery, they had just lost everything they owned, the quake had destroyed another tremendous amount of the surrounding area, and Clora felt defeated, tired to her core.

Mark stirred, he was watching her in the vague grey morning light. Clora reached for his right hand, placing his open palm on her stomach. The fluttering was so delicate that it took many times before Mark could feel it. They sat in silence with tears in their eyes, their life was going forward despite the setbacks that had happened.

Mark didn't feel so strong and capable, laying there in the near dawn, busted up and broken with the responsibility's that wouldn't quit. In fact he felt more like a failure than ever before in his life. So many people depended on him to have all the answers, and it was very apparent he had precious few of them.

Way to soon, it was time to get up and get the morning going. Hungry family members needed food, they needed the routine of everyday and they needed their elders to be calm and focused on the important things. Like breakfast.

Almost immediately Clora bumped up against the fact Wayne had no water stored. That particular oversight had her sending him dark looks, while she searched for kindling and matches. There were none in the house. That glaring mistake got the hapless brother a glare, and when she found out he had nothing but a couple jars of her home canned chili in the pantry, that earned Wayne a dirty look.

Wayne was dispatched to bum a couple of matches from Ben and then create kindling and bring in wood. Clora went down to Ev's with a plastic pitcher and asked for water. Cheryl raised her eyebrow at the thought that Wayne had nothing stored, and Clora bummed a kitchen chair because Wayne's had been broken in the fight with Brett.

Clora was in a fine snit by the time the chili breakfast was over. It was one thing to face a calamity with a few set back stores, and another to face it with nothing. Clora absolutely detested having a crisis with no preparations.

While she cleared the table and stacked the dirty dishes in the sink, Clora happened to think about the extra dishes and supplies she and Lainey had stashed in the cafe building. Leaving Mark to babysit for a few minutes, Clora and Wayne dashed up to the building and hustled inside.

A lot of the food Mark had transported home from Borg's had been off loaded into the table and left for the family to sort through. Like a whirling dervish, Clora went through and selected pans, kettles and skillets, cans of weird vegetables and unusual stuff. Wayne staggered like a pack mule as he headed down the hill, bursting in his door with items shedding from his grip.

Mark looked at him and grinned at his mulish expression, "Watch out," he warned "She'll tear a strip from your hide if she catches you looking like that."

"There's a reason I don't have all this ---- in my house," Wayne grumbled as he looked for places to unload his arms. Clora stopped briefly at Ben's and asked for a basket of meat, and any extra jars Lainey might have. Clora felt worse than naked with nothing in the pantry, and a family to feed. That was a major stress that she needed to correct.

awe, the first physical feeling of life. such a precious moment. a bright shining light in their currently dark world. And I think that is ANOTHER reason why I love this story: no matter how "dark" it is, this family finds beams of light, love, and life.

I got to feel my daughter move once, while my wife was pregnant. Whenever she'd be moving around and I'd put my hand on my wifes belly, the baby would freeze. Every blasted time. The only time I can remember feeling her move, was when my wife was leaning against me, and I felt her move with my elbow.