by L. S. Wood
“Hear you had a real hard time of it stuck up there all by your lonesome self in space with a bunch of them their crazy male Russian cosmonauts. I sure hope they all had some good manners, and treated you all right.” “They sure did Dave. They were a great bunch of good guys and gals up there.” “Girls, too? Heck I thought there were only a bunch of Russian men up there with you missy, and you being the only gal up there and all.”
“No, Dave! There were about two woman cosmonauts to every male onboard.” Ann said that to diffuse any rumors going around. “Damn! I should have been one of them there lucky cosmonauts myself, I guess. Two to one you say?” “Yes sir, Dave. Two women to every man up there. Boy what a bunch of lucky men they all were, huh, Dave?”
Ann smiled, as Dave hit the air lever to his automatic air starter, to fire up his diesel engine pickup truck. The starter whistled out a loud whirring shrill deafening rush of air noise from its exhaust, as the diesel engine in his pickup truck fired up without any delay.
“You are going to have to put yourself in one of these here fancy air starters Ben. They sure come in real handy at times. Don’t know what I would do without it now Ben?” “I guess you’re right, Dave. Thanks again for the push, pal.” “You are welcome. Glad to have you home Missy”. “Glad to be back home.” “See you all in church Sunday morning.” “Thank you, Dave. Say high to the misses for us Dave.” “I will Missy. You have to come to church on Sunday morning Missy. I hear everyone in the whole town is a going to come out to welcome you back home you know. See you all on Sunday.” Ann and Ben waved as Dave drove away down the South road towards his farm in South Lunenburg.
“I guess we all have to go to church on Sunday morning right Ben?” Ann asked Ben turning towards him with a funny smile on her face. “I told you I wasn’t the only one who missed you around these parts Ann. When everyone found out you were back on earth safe’ and sound. Father Michael after having a prayer in his morning worship for you and the other astronauts every Sunday morning wanted to have a day of thanksgiving in your honor, and Sunday was chosen for your return party. I told you, you would be surprised when we got back home, to just how many people around did miss you when you were gone. Now you will see for yourself just how everyone around Lunenburg missed you, and Sunday will be the day.”
Ann’s mother heard Ben’s loud diesel pickup truck come roar howling, clap-pity-clap the engine valves singing out as the diesel engine barked, racing up the road and dirt driveway. “Pa! Pa! Ann is home, Pa! Come quickly,” Ann’s mother, hollered out in excitement. Ann’s father came running out through the front door of the farmhouse and onto the front piazza to great their only daughter, his only child. He moved with great speed, gliding easily for the ailments of his old age. From sitting in his favorite maple rocker in the front parlor to the front porch, he shot in a flash.
He was so ecstatic to hear the good news about his little girl being home, he went running to the door instead of his usual stiff hobbling along. He held his old Hickory cane in his left hand while bracing off the furniture with his right hand as he hustled along. Today he was like an Eagle in hot pursuit of a swift fish in a stream or a rabbit on a dead run across a field.
Ann’s parent’s eyes became blurry eyed, filled with happy tears of loving joy for a change, instead of their usual worried sick looks. Their returning daughter Ann ran up to the front porch to great them standing there, with happy joyful tears of her own streaming down her face as she saw their happy aging faces. Throwing out both her arms she grabbed the two of them together as one, and cried happy joyful tears right along with the two of them. She hugged and squeezed the two of them almost half to death she was so happy to be home and seeing them still alive.
“I missed you two guys so much. I love you Mom. I love you Dad. I just love you two to pieces,” she said without taking a breath, with a frogeye, half-clogged low happy sounding joyful voice. “How are you two doing anyway, you two look so grand.” “We are doing just fine, Ann, much better now thank you dear especially now that you are back home with us safe and sound here at the farm.
The question is, dear, how are you doing? That is all that is important to us right now, sweetheart. We did not know if you were dead or alive up there in the heavens aloft. We have been worried sick for months over you dear. Everyone worried for you up there all alone without Ben, and the two girls! How are you doing?”
“I am doing just fine, thank you! I could not be doing any better if I tried. The question is, how are you doing, Dad?” “Real good Pumpkin. Damn good, and you look pretty good to me too young lady. I am doing better than good now. I am doing great, Ann. Especially now that you have gotten yourself back home to us, safe, and sound from off up yonder in that damned flying machine of yours.
Damn those high fall luting flying machines anyway, and you had to go off and pick one that goes up in to outer space, you damn fool child. I am good now honey. Glad to have you back home safe and sound with us! You aren’t going to go off and do that dang flying machine thing to us again are you Ann?”
“No Pa, not if I can help it, I am not. My life of high flying machines into outer space is over, Pa. I do not have an inkling in me to take it up again, if I can help it that is. Maybe a hot air balloon ride or something like that someday that doesn’t go quite so high, just for the fun of it.” They all laughed in unison, as Ann laughed while making the comment.
“Isn’t any good to try and fly any those flying gadget things these days anyway child? I hear a guy down Springfield way went up in his hot air balloon, and was killed by that monster thing living in the sky when one of his ties down lines dragged along the ground, and the monster turned the man and his balloon orange. Then the balloon crashed and burned with him still inside the balloon’s basket. I sure hope you are not a going to go and try something stupid like that, are you?” “No way, no more flying for me, Pa.”
“Your Ben here Ann, has been a great big help since you’ve been gone, dear. Came all the way up here from Florida to live with us, shortly after he got back from doing that God awful job they made him go off to do. Came all this way he did, way up here to Vermont with your two wonderful girls to help us out here on the farm, and to live up here with us.
Your pa needed someone desperately to help him out after that bomb went off. Old Howard our old hired hand went off and got himself killed by that horrible monster thing from the Sky. He was off up in the back forty acre field, fixing some bad fences the cows had broken though, when suddenly that thing lit up the sky with orange over the farm. That monster thing took half our herd of cattle too up there, right along with him, when it took poor old Howard away.
It’s a good thing we had old Dixie out in the barn in her stall or we would have all been in an awful fix without her! Not a darn thing would start up for us, not even our faithful old tractor. It would not even try to turn over when we turned the danged key to start it. The old tractor had died, the new car would not start, and neither would the old pickup truck. Everything went dead all at the very same time. The earth has not had a lick of electrical power on it or around it ever since that day.
Your pa hitched up old Dixie to the hay wagon, and then he and I went out to look for old Howard. The world looked frightfully awful outside, the sky all orange and all, and we did not want to leave poor old Howard out there all by his lonesome alone in the awful storm that looked to be brewing.
Your pa had taken him up there earlier in the day to do some fencing repairs. We could do nothing for the poor chap by the time your pa and I reached him. He looked a real mess like something or someone awful had painted him a burnt orange color like a bad rotting Halloween pumpkin and the odor he gave off was wow, he smelled the high heavens with such an unpleasant odor about him you just could not stand being anywhere near him. He smelt as if someone had emptied an entire jug of burning ammonia all over him in flames or had urinated on an open campfire or something that smelled all
bad like that, and he looked an awful mess.
Your pa had to put him in the back of the hay wagon all by himself, and then drove him over to Dick’s place for him to take care of the arrangements for his funeral before he went over to tell Florence his wife about what had happened to him. Poor old Florence the poor old girl. When your pa stopped by to tell her about old Howard, he could not believe his eyes. She was dead, too. He found her out back by her clothesline looking the same burnt orange, and smelling just like poor old Howard. A couple of hundred folk around these parts lost their lives that dreadful day. Your pa and I were some of the lucky ones, around here I guess.
We were down in the vegetable bin down in the cellar I guess when all hell broke loose outside. Sounded like a million or more angry killer honeybees were just flying around outside the house mad as hell, as if someone had just opened up their hives without smoking them first to calm them all down. Never heard such a horrid racket in all my life, and never want to hear that sound again. Good thing you were way up there in that space machine when that damn thing hit us down here. Guess no one flying around that day ever lived to tell about it either. I heard about a whole bunch of bad news about people flying that day that went down with their airplanes.
Well old Dick the undertaker kept busy for one heck of a long time after that. Too busy if you asks me my dear, and old Doc Roberts was right out straight, and is still trying to help people cope with this disaster. Lots of folk he couldn’t help though, they just stood around in big groups like dumb old cattle grazing in a field, all looking and acting all dopey and lost, as many still do today. Never can remember seeing so many simple minded acting people around never in my lifetime.
Some of these people use to be real smart, too, like Mr. Thompson’s daughter the librarian. She cannot even tie her own shoelaces anymore by herself or get dressed no more. She is simple minded like a toddler. Everything around here has really gone array ever since you went away. Glad to have you back, Ann!
Your Ben here has been doing the work of ten men, never mind one dear. Works harder than most, fingers to the bone every day dear, and does not complain one bit. I could tell by his eyes how he missed you dearly, every time I looked into his eyes. They almost bleed with pain and compassion for you my dear. He has been an awesome father to the girls too, and a very good provider for us all Ann. He has been running the farm, and working his hands raw.
You sure could not have married yourself a better man than that there Ben of yours Ann! Now that your pa is all laid up and all, Ben has to do all the work around here 99% of it all by himself. We just cannot seem to be able to hire anyone else either, seeing there just is not anyone else left around these parts to hire. Every farmer for miles around is all in the same boat and predicament as we are around here, except we have Ben to take care of the load for us.
Folk around here have been trying to run their farms without any help at all, except each other chipping in when they need a helping hand. Some folk around here will not even come out of doors anymore, because they are all afraid of that thing up in the sky. They think if they go out in the open fields to work their crops, that the thing will come right out of nowhere from the sky and snuff out their lives just like it did to poor old Howard.
Damn shame what them fool Russians went and did to us, and the rest of the world, isn’t that right sweaty? How have you been, Ann? You’re pa and I have been worried sick over you ever since you left, and that bomb went off.” “I’ve been OK I guess guys. I am just glad to be back home with you two again!”
“Ben kept on telling us, you were all right and all, but seeing you here in the flesh is better than just believing what he was saying to just keep us happy. He is a right nice man. Ben here use to tell your Ma and I to just look up into the southern sky late at night, and wave to you when the lights of that there space station would go flickering on bye for a split second over the top of the horizon. He kept on telling us you were waving down at us when we were waving up at you all at the same time, and after a while we all began believing you were. Were you Ann? Were you really waving down at us when we were waving up at you?” “I sure was pa, more times than you can count.”
“Ben had all kinds of faith in your returning back home to us and so did we, I guess? He use to rock Sarah on his lap out on the front piazza at night in the old rocking chair looking up into the heavens, and kept on telling her and Amber where you were. He said that you would soon be coming back home to them, soon as you possibly could. He sounded very convincing at the time too. We use to pray very hard at night before bed that God would keep a watchful eye out for you, and I guess our prayers were all answered. Here you are now all the more beautiful and all, and home here safe and sound with us thank goodness.”
With another grizzly bear type hard squeezing hug by Ann’s frail father, he told her he was more than glad she was back home with them. He wore great tears of joy in his eyes she had made it home safe and sound, then let her go to stand and listen to her some more.
“Your Ben here Ann is and has been a real good provider. You should be downright proud as a peacock with him the way he has handled everything around here and in the town as well. He has been a good Johnny on the spot here on the farm, and in helping all the other farmers around the area. He went and made up a windmill to help run the water pump out in the well, and made a water holding tank out in the barn so we could have running water all of the time. He hooked up the old diesel engine out of the old White-milk tanker truck left out back that still ran to run the air compressors for the milking machines, and all the other air operated equipment around here. He is one handy individual to have around, and you should be downright proud of him, that Ben of yours. He should have the old pickup trucks new air starter in her shortly, and then everything round here should be very good again for a change.
I guess he plans to dig a huge crater out back and building us a home down in the ground so we can be sure we are safe from that thing, and have the conveniences of some electricity back again, using solar power or something like that, I do not really know, or understand how it works. He is just full of great ideas, Ann. Could not have asked for a better son in-law than that-there Ben husband of yours you married.
Glad you roped him when you did! If it weren‘t for Ben here, half the farmers around Lunenburg and Lancaster, NH would have lost their crops of hay this year. Your hubby Ben has been right out straight helping every farmer around the northeast kingdom of Vermont. They have all pitched in to helping one another out getting in their crops of hay.
Old Dave Silsbee has been using his old diesel powered equipment right along with everyone else in the region, and between him and your Ben here, all the cows of Lunenburg should be able to eat good this winter. Right smart ambitious lad that Ben of yours Ann, glad we have him for our son-in-law.”
For the next couple of days, everyone kept busy doing chores around the farm that had been neglected while Ben was away, and at night telling their tales of what the last year had meant to everyone since the big blast that created the monster in the sky, that now inhabits the earth’s once friendly atmosphere.
There were more horror stories being spread around about the creature, than there were of the good old happy times of old being talked about. Ann could not believe her ears, hearing all these awful things of change that had taken place on and around the globe that had taken place and become the norm since the big blast. It was as if she was waking up into a nightmare, instead of waking up from one.
Ann’s farther went on talking about several stories of the blast and how things were, and might become to pass in the future. “One of Ann’s cousins lost his life that dreaded day, right along with about a hundred or better more. All caught up in the situation these poor innocence people operating or riding along on the Cog railroad steam engine line, almost on top Mount Washington on their way to its summit. That was when the big blast took place.
Some tourists at the base station of the mountain became extremely sick as well, but the ones so high up on the mountain died a suffocating, twisting, and jolted death it looked from all being so heavily exposed to all those wild free floating neutrons, that quickly massed out all around them, all at the same time.
All the animals half way up the mountain or above died the same horrific deaths as did the people there along with the wild fouls of the air that dropped out of the sky like rain. Everyone atop the mountain died that horrific day except for one very lucky young man. The rangers in all their ranger huts, and the other ones stationed around the mountain died in shelters and outside their stations died.
All the hikers half way up or better on the mountain-top died as well, including all the weathermen and rangers stationed at top camp died an awful twisted death, except for a young electrician named Sammy Robinson. He was able to live, protected from the neutron exposure down inside the concrete foundation and rocks surrounding the basement of the weather laboratory. He was better than twenty-five feet beneath the surface below the tower section of the observatory, inside its stone lined cellar trying to repair a shorted out transmitter lead wire for the weather stations Doppler radar transmitter that had failed earlier that day, around 4 a.m. in the morning, and had just arrived to begin his repairing of it.
Suddenly every lighting fixture in the subterranean vault of the laboratory went out leaving Sammy in the black of darkness including his trusty flashlight that had a strange odor about it when he picked it up. He was truly amazed at all that had suddenly transpired around him, leaving him in total darkness, making him quite upset and queasy to his stomach.
He was very upset with his flashlight, for he had just replaced the old batteries in his flashlight, and had put in two brand new supposedly super charged nickel cadmium rechargeable batteries into it from their charger on the wall of his garage earlier that morning. The charger had read fully charged and he had just tested it earlier before descended down into the basement of the Mount Washington’s Top Camp Weather Station’s observatory.
