I’m bored. So I have decided to attempt to build another serial story on RMN. This time, however it will be different. Rather than allow the story to be completely from my demented mind, I request audience participation… I.e. you, the readers. Thus the story line as well as characters will “evolve” in accordance with the collective demented minds of many.
Hence where the story will lead is thus unknown. You readers are requested to submit your ideas / suggestions as it proceeds.

Yes, I will retain veto rights as the game continues, and suggestions may or may not be incorporated, and no particular acknowledgement will be explicitly stated.

You will have to tune in to each subsequent chapter to see whether your thoughts are included. If they are, I promise you will recognize your thoughts in the story. If not? Well please try again…

So, let’s start…

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It’s Maybe Just Another Mile Or So… Chapter 1
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The heat of the August Sun was already becoming unbearable for 17 year old Cindy O’Connor. She guessed that it was not much later than 11 AM because the sun had not yet risen high enough. And, knowing the precise time of day was not important anymore, anyway. No one talked about time anymore, nor really seemed to care, ever since it had happened. She walked toward home on the narrow dirt trail that ended at the small spring fed lake in the woods behind her, carrying a cane fishing pole and one of her makeshift gear bags. The bag held some fishing essentials, a nice Rapala filet knife and most importantly, her morning’s wages … 4 hand sized bream and two small bass. As she exited the woods, she glanced toward the large reservoir nearly a mile distant, where the sloping hills became mostly level ground.

The reservoir was the water supply for the small town of Espy, and was spring fed from many small streams in the hills that surrounded it. “Her” lake was only one of many, but it was remote enough that she had often skinny dipped in it’s cool water. But not today. In fact not for nearly a month.. It was not really that safe anymore. With that fleeting thought, she unconsciously fingered the butt of the Springfield XDS tucked securely in a concealment holster in her shorts. Ha, she mused… shorts!! Well, she thought, they are now but they began life as fashionable full length CK jeans, which she proudly wore to classes. She had made her two ’gear’ bags from their cut off legs. Glancing again toward the formerly grass covered picnic area of the reservoir, she grimaced that the grassy area was now mostly bare and muddy, and filled with ruts where towns people had brought wagons and buckets and wheelbarrows to take water home. She was glad that they had a well, and dad had installed a backup hand pump at the insistence of mom.

Mom!! I need you, she silently screamed. I am having to be mom now to my younger brother, and thus chef to dad and Russell. Come HOME. Linda O’Connor had driven to Georgia for the funeral of an old high school friend who had been killed in an accident just 3 days before ‘it’, and had taken her 5 year old sister Julie along. When it happened, Rusty and I became all frantic with worry for mom and Julie. Dad was of course, Dad. The rock.

Finally, Dad sat us down. Kids, Mom is OK. That gal can take care of herself, believe me. She was probably on her way home when it happened. She and Julie will be back home, safe and with more stuff than she left with. She has a great GOOD bag in her SUV. She is the reason we are fixed up as well as we are. Worrying will not help. Work helps. Get to it. That was nearly a month ago, er --I think it’s been a month…. She trudged on down the trail, sensing the comfort of her XDS. Linda had given it to her on her 14th birthday, and had trained her well. Mom had said -- Cindy, you are getting a bit too filled out to be wandering the woods and Espy with Premier alone. Cindy smiled at that thought, and glancing down she spotted some of the old tracks Premier had left in the trail. Premier was her buddy, a now 9 year old quarter horse she had raised from a colt. Dad recently had to confiscate Premier and was training him to do some farm work, so she hoofed on home alone.
As the trail intersected the gravel driveway from the paved road that led to Espy, she turned toward home, and within a few paces, topped the rise. She whistled and as Dad and Rusty looked up, she pointed toward the house. Rusty waved, and Dad would have, except Premier, on hearing her familiar whistle had decided to try to drag Dad and the harrow he was lashed to through the fence. She smiled as Dad regained control of Premier before he did too much damage to the furrows. Uh oh, she thought… I’m going to hear about THAT later, she thought…

Cindy stopped at the hand pump, and filled a bucket with fresh water, leaned her fishing pole against the house, and climbed the two steps to the back door, which was the kitchen entrance. She washed her hands in a bit of the water, then put her fish in the bucket of cool water to wait for supper. Right now, we all need lunch, she thought. She had put a pot of beans on to soak last night, and she lit the burner on low under them. They and the fish were supper. Don’t know how much longer that propane tank will last, she mused. Dad is working the problem. She went into the former utility room that mom had urged dad to convert to a pantry, with shelves floor to ceiling. Cindy was always in awe of her mothers’ stash, but for the past few weeks had become almost reverent of mom’s wisdom. She selected 2 cans of commercial corned beef and one jar of Linda’s home canned new potatoes. She placed a large skillet on beside the beans, splashed in a bit of olive oil and sliced a large onion into the pan. When the onion had sufficiently wilted, she dumped in the corned beef and potatoes, and turned the flame to low. I’ll go get them for lunch, she said to herself, and grab a couple of fresh tomatoes and some peppers on the way back from the garden.

Dad and Rusty had placed Premier back into his stall and were serving him lunch, just as she had reached the garden. Together, the three walked back the house-- all were hungry. As Dad and Rusty stopped at the pump to clean up, Cindy went in to slice the tomatoes and peppers. She gave the hash a good and final stir and turned off the burner, and as she retrieved three paper plates from mom’s huge stash and was just placing the hot pan on a trivet on the table, in they came, sniffing the air and grinning.
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Precisely 27 days earlier, Linda and Julie O’Connor were standing beside the now filled in grave of Linda’s good buddy from high school, Courtney Wills, nee McVean. Her widower, Paul, and their 19 year old son, as well as another of Linda’s good school chums Carla, and her hubby, Ron Speaks were talking together in muted tones. Actually all of them except Paul had been really close as seniors in high school.

Carla and Ronnie were so into each other, they secretly married three months before graduation. No one, including their parents as well as Courtney and Linda actually knew for sure, though Carla did seem to gain weight during those last 3 months and spent little time with them. Carla had given Linda the slinky prom dress she had worked on for months for Linda to wear, finally telling Linda all the truth, and that she would not be going to the prom anyway.

The biggest news was that Ron and Carla’s Son, Ron jr was 23, had finished Engineering school at Tech and was just married three weeks ago. Carla had had a tough time with the baby, suffering a tough breech delivery with complications, and was never able to get pregnant again. They both were totally in love with 5 year old Julie O’Connor. With minimal arm twisting, Ron and Carla convinced Linda to follow them home and spend the night with them. It’s right on your way home, they argued. Besides, we three need to get refreshed on the last twenty three years since high school. And, we now have an extra bedroom, and we have a bunch of steaks in the freezer.

Linda agreed. She considered that she had planned on hanging around the night after the funeral, but she would feel weird hanging around Paul whom she had never met before today, and especially with Courtney no longer around. After hugs and goodbyes. They walked to the parking area. Linda did a double take as her eyes spotted Ron and Carla’s ride. Yes it is, said Ron proudly as they eyed the spiffy now 26 year old Red Dodge Charger that Ron’s Dad had given him when it was but three years old. That car had made Ron the envy of every kid in school. Actually, She and Courtney had got to ride in it occasionally. In the backseat, of course as Carla always got the front seat with Ron.

Ron had always been a car nut, and he was meticulous in his upkeep, It had been repainted twice, and the chrome kept polished. It looked like it had only recently left the showroom floor at the dealer. Ron chuckled at her look of amazement. I drove it today out of nostalgia for Courtney, he said. They loaded up the vehicles, and Carla opted to ride with Linda, just to jaw and make sure Linda did not get lost, because there were a few secondary roads to negotiate. Ron headed out and Linda and Carla followed.
After an hour or so, and Linda being the coffee junkie she is, she asked Julie to please pass her a bottle of water. For her birthday 2 years ago, hubby had bought Linda a 3 kiss/
2 long hug and one happy squeal gift. It was a single cup Breakstone k-cup coffee maker that plugged into a standard auto cigar lighter receptacle, and whose bottom was designed to sit firmly in her center console cup holder. The aroma of the brewing coffee got to Carla, quick.

Carla liked coffee also, and as the aroma wafted, Linda requested Julie to please hand up one of the mugs in the small cardboard box. Linda never went on a road trip without at least two spare mugs. Her personal one rested in the dash holder near her door, empty now, but not for long. The led soon lit. Carla got the first one, as Linda instructed her how to empty and refill. Soon the led blinked on again, and both ladies were soon in high spirits. “That’s the neatest thing” exclaimed Carla… Linda smiled, nodded and told her the story, except for the details of that third kiss and it’s long hug.

Carla and Linda discussed their families and details of their lives for the past 23 years, and they were inadvertently reviving their close friendship they shared long ago. Linda talked about how long it had been since she last saw Carla’s son, Ron jr. With that, Carla whipped out her cell and called him. They lived very close by to Carla, and had returned from their honeymoon a few days ago. Ronnie readily agreed to come join their steak party and visit for the evening. Linda smiled. It was going to be an interesting evening, she quipped.

Little did anyone at all know exactly how ‘interesting’ it would turn out to be.

:: To be continued…