#79b
"Well I guess I could," Will allowed, thinking about the adventure that had seemed so far out of reach, now suddenly the apple within plucking range once again.
"Where ya going Uncle Will?" Milo talked around his cookie, and earned himself a frown from Clora who automatically said,"don't talk with your mouthful, please."
"The guy's and myself are going back to look at where we used to live, it's a town called Evergreen and it's up over the mountain from here." Will smiled at Milo.
"Why?"
"Best I can tell you, cause we want to. It's a grownup's way of going out to play," Will teased the youngster. "Besides, the ladies don't want to go along during the winter."
"Why?"
"It's cold, wet and hard to get around in the snow, that I suppose is the main reason." Will poured a cup of coffee. "Clora, did you wash the coffee pot, it tastes different tonight."
"Why?" Milo asked again, a puzzled look on his face.
Will looked hard at Milo, trying to gauge if the kid was yanking his chain or not. "Well, sometimes we adults need to go play, and you'll just have to take my word for it," Will quickly shut down any more "why's, forestalling any more questions.
"Milo," Clora warned, "that's enough. Time to get ready for bed please. Don't forget to brush your teeth."
"Auntie Clora, will you tuck me in tonight?"
"Be very happy to do so Milo, give a holler when you're ready and I'll come in." Clora was wiping the tabletop, cookie crumbs and milk dribbles swallowed up by her capable hands.
"Will, do you guy's want some cookies to take with you? How about any other food's?" Clora asked as she rinsed the dish cloth.
Mark quickly said, "Clora you're surely not going to give away all my cookies, especially not to a batch of elderly teenagers out on a lark." he protested, getting ready to joke with Will once again.
"Auntieee Cloraaa, I'm readddddy." Milo used all the power he had to yell down the hall and around the corner into the kitchen, "can you hear meee."
"Oh my goodness," Clora hurried to take care of her young charge. "Milo I'm right here, don't yell so loud." she smoothed the covers back and helped him slide in.
"Auntie Clora, do you love me?" Milo asked out of the blue.
"Yes Milo, I really do. I think you are a very loveable, special young man and Mark and I are happy and proud to have you in our family. I don't want you to be worried about us not loving and wanting you, we do, very very much. If you would let me, I would give you a kiss on the cheek.?"
Milo put his arms up and around Clora's neck and nodded shyly. Clora kissed his cheek and then again for good measure.
"You smell like flowers Auntie C., real good. When do you think I can start shaving ?"
Clora sniffed back her laughter, but some spilled out any way. Clora gathered up Milo in a special hug and said,"I think it will be about ten or so more years, but I think Uncle Mark would share some shaving lotion with you to help your whiskers grow faster."
"Cool," Milo yawned, "I gotta get some tomorrow. Will you tell Uncle Mark?"
"I sure will, you go to sleep now." Clora murmured as she brought the quilt up over his shoulders. "Good night."
Will was working on a list of foodstuff's, he and Mark deep in conversation when there was a crack and the house went dark immediately. "Now what," Mark groused as he put his coffee cup down on Will's fingers and got hot coffee splashed on his own for the effort.
"Clora, where are you, stay down, that was a rifle shot. It sounds like someone hit the transformer, blasted idiots!" Will barked as the sound of his chair scraped along the floor.
"I'm by the back door with Grandma's shotgun," Clora's low voice was a cool rush of water.
"Stay there. Mark you come with me, we're going to crawl into the living room and see what we can see.
The farm was dark all over; not a speck of a light anywhere. There was silence thick and deep as the frozen slush firming up outside in the freezing cold. In the taut depth of the black night, there was a faint whistle sound, as Ben and Ev and then Wayne communicated with each other. Mark eased the door open and blasted his note of well being. In the distance there was a off tune sound of a mocking tone followed by a maniacal spew of laughter.