Mathew and Amy listened to David’s story in disbelief. “You’re just trying to scare me,” Mathew said. “You want to prove yourself the bravest. Well I’m going tomorrow night!”
The next night the moon shined bright again. This time Mathew climbed from his bedroom window while David slept. Amy saw him leave and asked him not to. He went anyways.
The leaves on the ground once again were dancing with the wind and the trees creaked from side to side. Mathew sorted his way to the old farm. He climbed over fences, he stumbled through the corn field, and he jumped the flowing creek. When he reached the farm he saw the silo David went into the night before.
“No ghosts,” Mathew mumbled. He was a bit nervous from David’s story, but shrugged it off and entered the abandoned barn. It was old and dusty and littered with spider webs.
Moonlight shined through cracks in the walls and ceiling. Shadows danced around outside from trees blowing in the wind. Every timber echoed a haunting creek with every gust of wind.
He saw a horse shoe hanging on the wall and grabbed it. It had the letter M for Montgomery stamp in the metal. He shoved it in his back pack and began to make his way towards a door. Just then a ferocious wind blew and the barn began to shake violently. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! The thumping got louder with each one.
Then all went silent and eerily calm.
David heard a low grumbley voice: “Montgomery’s my name and this is my farm. Steel from me and I’ll cut off your arm!”
It was something big and it was coming his way!
The thing was very angry about the M David had taken. Mathew hid under some straw in one of the cattle pens.
The thing began to open doors around the barn. It looked inside the cracked and broken windows. It sifted through the cattle pens.
Grasping the horseshoe in his hand, Mathew jumped out of the straw and ran to the door. He jumped the flowing creek, stumbled through the corn field, and leaped over the fences till he found his way back into his bedroom.
Mathew told David and Amy all that happened. “I told you!” David said while holding a blanket over his head. “I’m never going back there again!”
Mathew shoved the stolen horseshoe deep in his closet. “Me either.”
The next day David went to school and Mathew stayed home. Mathew was too tired from his scary adventure the night before.
When David returned home he ran to Mathew and said, “Mathew I had a horrible day. Every time I saw the letter M my arm started hurting and it wouldn’t stop. I got sent to the office for refusing to work and I missed recess!”
“Me too! Every time I saw anything that looked like a horseshoe my arm started hurting and it wouldn’t stop! “
Mathew looked out the window. He saw the Montgomery farm. “We need to return what we took.”
So David and Mathew waited till midnight. Both boys were very scared, but they knew what they had to do.
Mathew being the oldest and worried about his little brother, volunteered to take the stolen items back. So that night he headed back to Montgomery farm.
David and Amy stayed back and waited impatiently for their big brother. They waited a long time, but Mathew never returned. David sat back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling of his room when suddenly he heard a soft knock on his bedroom window. He excitedly jumped to his feet and opened the window only to find a young boy near his own age.
They boy was dressed in old clothes similar to those worn in the late 1800’s. The boy said he was a friend of Mathew’s and that Mathew needed David to come to the farm right away. David asked why and the boy said he didn’t have time to explain and that Mathew needed him right away.
Most people would have been suspicious of the young boy but the boy had a way of speaking that made David trust him. It was like he put a spell on David and David could not resist.
The story goes that David left with boy never to return. Never to be seen again. There was a massive search for the boys that lasted weeks. However the boys were never found.
Years later the boy’s sister Amy went to the old Montgomery Farm with her husband. They went there to plant some flowers in remembrance of her missing brothers. It is rumored that she found a picture in the farm house and in the picture was a young boy. To her horror, the boy in the picture was the same boy who came to the window that eerie night and took David.
That boy died on that farm decades before David and Mathew disappeared. In the background of the photo were two scarecrows. Each scarecrow had a remarkable resemblance to Mathew and David. Each had a missing arm.
Today, you can see the big M placed back on the silo and rumor has it, there’s a horseshoe hanging in the barn with a big M stamped in it. Some people say they glow when the Moon is full. Some have claimed to see blood seep from them. And some have even claimed to hear the voice of the Montgomery ghost warding people away.
THE END
So that’s the Montgomery Farm story. I hoped you liked it.
Now let’s continue with my crazy day.
Dad’s plan is to ride his bike home from his work which is nearly fourteen miles. My dad’s in good shape and can ride that distance with his eyes closed. However, he can’t leave his classroom till his principal gives the ok.
Some days he may have to stay overnight if it’s his turn to stay and watch the remaining kids that haven’t been picked up or released to walk home.
However, Mom works forty miles away and is not in good enough shape to ride that far (she hates to exercise). The plan for Mom is to stay with a friend of hers that lives close to work.
I feel bad because I totally forgot to say goodbye to Hailey before I left. I was in a rush to get my brother and get out of there before the school decided to keep us longer. I hope she understands. I will make it up to her the next time I see her. I already miss her.
When Tanner and I got home, we had to go over Dad’s to-do-list for when the power goes out. We had to turn the water off, lock the doors and stay inside (although it was hot and we took our chances outside), make sure the pole barn is secure and locked, pull the shades throughout the house, fill the kerosene lamps and set them on the back porch in case we need them for night, fill jugs with water from the pool and set near the toilets so we can flush them, get the candles out and set on table, set out blankets and pillows in basement so we can sleep there (it’s cooler down there at night during the summer), and some other things I won’t bore you with.
It must have been Dad’s turn to stay with the kids at his school because he didn’t come home. The power stayed off all day and is still off. I thought it was cool at first having no parents around. But now I’m a little worried about them and a little scared being home alone with just Tanner.
The clouds are darkening outside and the wind is picking up. I think a storm is coming. Dad won’t be able to make it home even if he does get released early. However it is Dad and I can see him riding through the storm anyways.
I double checked the doors to make sure they are locked. Tanner and I have been killing time playing Stratego and Monopoly. I hope Dad gets home tonight and that Mom and Dad are alright. It will be hard to sleep tonight. I hope the power comes back on soon.
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 137
Date: May 28
Day: Friday Morning
Weather: Hot and sunny
Training: None
Holy Crap! What a night! The dark clouds turned into a funnel and then the funnel turned into a tornado!
This is how it went; Tanner and I had settled in for the night down in the basement. We had a candle lit and were finally able to fall asleep. I made sure the radio was plugged in and the volume cranked all the way up so it would wake us if the electricity came back on.
Anyways, sometime in the middle of the night we were awakened by Molly (our dog) barking and whining. There was nothing going on that we could tell. It was eerily silent, which made it even creepier.
Then slowly like a train coming from far off in the dista
nce you could hear the wind pick up. Lightning lit the outside and became stronger along with the wind.
Then the outside exploded and chaos was unleashed around us. It sounded like a jet landing in our backyard. Tanner and I could hear trees breaking and being uprooted. Debris was hitting the side of the house and we knew we were experiencing a tornado. Hale began pelting the roof.
We couldn’t see outside, (other than when lightning struck) because it was dark, but we knew what was happening. I grabbed Tanner and we hid under the stairs in the basement. We made sure Molly was with us and then we just huddled there holding each other preparing for the worse.
Tanner was screaming and crying. I did my best to comfort him, but I was so scared myself. I kept thinking of Dad. I was scared he may have tried to get home to us. I was worried the tornado got him and that he was seriously hurt. I wouldn’t allow myself to think he was dead. I was very worried though. I thought of Mom and wondered if she was safe. I thought of Hailey and all my friends and wondered if the school was hit. Who was hurt if any?
It seemed to last forever, but was actually only a few minutes. Tanner and I stayed under the stairs until we could hear no more wind. We each lit a candle and walked the house looking for damage.
Amazingly, there was no damage to the interior of the house. I wasn’t sure of the outside. Dad was on my mind and Mom too. Even if Dad didn’t try to make it home, he still may have been caught in the tornado since his school is only about fourteen miles away. Who knows, maybe Mom got caught too.
With us having no communication, I really felt alone. However, within minutes our neighbors were knocking on the door asking us if we were ok. I told them we were fine and everything was good. They offered to let us stay with them till our parents returned. I said thanks, but no thanks. I wanted to make sure we were home when Mom or Dad got home.
Morning came and we went outside to check for damage. The house was in good shape, but the yard was littered with debris. Our house has a stone exterior, so it held up well. None of the windows broke and the worst was all the junk in the yard.
We started cleaning the yard when we saw a man stumbling through the corn field behind our house. He was covered in dirt and looked like he had blood coming from his brow. I told Tanner to go inside and lock the doors.
I was worried for the person, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I grabbed a baseball bat, but didn’t hold it in a threatening way. I didn’t want to scare the man away if he needed help. I was raised to help people if I could. But I also wasn’t going to take a chance of letting him fool me and possible hurt me or Tanner.
Dad warned us that people may turn bad when things got tough. Did today qualify as “tough” for this guy? I didn’t know and I wasn’t letting my guard down. But I also wasn’t going to not help him if he needed it.
However, as the man got closer I could see something in his walk that looked oddly familiar. The better you know people, the more you recognize their movements. I knew this man and this man was Dad.
My heart sank and my eyes began to tear. I dropped the bat and yelled at Tanner to get a first aid kit. I ran to Dad as fast I could. As I ran I could see Dad hold up his hand as he fell to his knees. He had a faint smile on his face, but I could tell he was really hurt. I knelt down and picked him up and helped him walk back to the house.
Dad said he was released in the middle of the night from his school and he decided to come home to us. On his way home, he found himself caught in the tornado. He said the only reason he survived was because he hid in a drain pipe of a culvert. But before he could reach the culvert he was pummeled with flying debris.
Dad was hurting, but wouldn’t let it show. He asked if we’d seen Mom. I said no. He looked discouraged and I could tell he wanted to go looking for her. He said she should be ok, since she is nearly forty miles away from where the tornado hit.
We took him in the basement and had him lay down on the couch. Tanner got him food and water while I cleaned his wounds. He had a big gash on his head and several pieces of wood stuck in his skin around the right side of his body.
Dad had me get a pair of needle nose pliers so he could pull them out. I offered to pull them out but he chose to do it himself. I never really saw my Dad as a tough guy (more like a goofy third grade teacher like he is), but that morning he was Rambo. I watched him pull slivers two inches long from his skin without even a yelp.
I bandaged Dad’s head the best I could and asked him if he wanted me to go get help. He said not to worry and that he would be ok after he rested. Dad gave me orders to get one of his bikes and make sure it was in good shape. I think he has plans to go find Mom. I don’t think he has the strength to make it. I won’t bug him about it now. But if he plans on going, I’m going to offer to go in his place.
I know I can make it. I want to prove this to him. He fought his way through a tornado to get to us. I can push myself forty miles to find Mom.
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 138
Date: May 29
Day: Saturday
Weather: Moderate and Cloudy
Training: 5K (155 Average Heart Rate)
Good news! The electricity came back on and Mom is safe at home. It came on mid-day. Dad was about to get on his bike to go check on Mom when it finally came on. I was relieved. I told Dad I wanted to go in his place, but he insisted he go since he knows the where and way. He’s in pretty bad shape and it’s good he didn’t go.
Mom called him on her phone and quickly came home. He brushed off any idea of him going to the hospital. Dad said he was fine and didn’t want to leave us alone unless he had too. He’s worried the electricity may go out again soon. He still plans to go to work on Monday to finish the last couple days of school.
We spent the rest of the weekend cleaning the yard and making minor fixes around the house. Dad tried to help, but wasn’t strong enough. So he spent his time searching the web and printing off stuff. He printed things like blue prints for a chicken shed, medical information, proper gardening, how to make different animal traps, etc.
He has a pretty good library started. Mom’s usually the organized one, but Dad’s impressing everyone with his filing system.
He has it all organized with color coded folders; red for emergency medical and long term medical, green for planting and gardening, blue for water purification and irrigation, brown for self defense and home defense, purple for maps and atlases, gray for food preservation (canning, how to build a smoke house, etc.), black for calendars and planting seasons, and a few more.
He makes sure to explain everything he does to us just in case something ever happens to him. He also makes sure Tanner and I are involved in everything he does like cutting wood, organizing supplies in the pole barn, filing his papers in the folders, etc.
Tanner complains a lot because he’s young, but I know Dad is doing it so we understand and can be independent if ever we are left alone.
I used to think Dad was going overboard, but after this last TB (total blackout), I’m happy to see him doing it. I feel more secure if anything does happen. I just hope nothing does.
I called Hailey as soon as I could. She had to stay at school since she lives so far away and has no backup plan. She had to stay there overnight. Hailey said the Tornado never reached the school. I was happy she was alright.
Later after I helped clean the yard, Hailey and I met and went for a run together. It was nice seeing her and I hugged her for a long time before letting go.
She playfully punched me in the arm and told me to stop being such a wuss. She doesn’t realize what Tanner and I went through. I didn’t let her know how scared I was.
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 146
Date: May 30
Day: Sunday
Weather: Rainy
Training: Rest Day
I had another weird dream last night. This dream was in the future. I was a few years older. I was near the edge of a river staring at a pack of wolves. The wolves were staring back at me. It was a
s if we were studying each other. We were not studying each other out of curiosity, but more to gain an advantage over the other.
I had a sense these wolves were very dangerous to me, even though we were separated by a river. However, I had a sense that I was contemplating doing them harm as well.
In the dream I had an overwhelming sense I had to get somewhere and these wolves were in my way. It was very vivid. I wasn’t scared, just very motivated.
I also had a feeling of being all alone. I felt as if my family and any friends were a great distance from me. It was a very lonely feeling. I felt tired, desperate, hungry, and determined to get somewhere. The somewhere is a mystery, but I felt that if I could just get there, all my problems would be solved.
There was an ominous feeling of something bigger going on also. Something important was happening in the world that would determine the future of the world and everyone in it. I could sense other people’s suffering, anger, desperation, etc.
Will of Man - Part One Page 4
