Crystal Lake.

[Covems]

Catching the reins with my right hand while my left hand feels around my eye.  “Gonna get a shiner from that one,” I think, trying my damnedest not to laugh out loud as I watch Miss Brandy's discomfort while she walks off.

“Blossom,” I say, “that red hair on her head is no lie.  Come on young lady, I'll bet you'd enjoy a good brushing.”

I take Blossom to the corral and after removing her saddle, blanket and bridle I bring her next to the stable and pull the step out and proceed to give the palomino a thorough, gentle brushing.  “You're still the prettiest horse in the corral, Blossom,” I say, while getting her into her stall next to the General’s and making sure she’s got fresh water.  “Feed bag's ready for you.”

I go back to the fire and notice that the busted chair is gone.  I think that Miss Brandy must have come out in a moment of compassion and picked up the chair.  Looking around, I notice Miss Brandy upstairs in the cabin headed for the bath.

“Don't gawk,” I think as I turn away and retrieve another aluminum chair from the picnic area, “it couldn’t have been her.”  I also pick out the tin tea kettle from the pile of tinware.  I set the new chair up next to the fire.  Then head into the cabin, avoiding the loose board and make my way to the kitchen where I wash the kettle out and fill it with water… and some Yorkshire Tea.  I go back to the fire and put the kettle on.  Looking for my cup, I find it on its side, the contents spilled in the sand.  “Damn, that was a full cup.”  I pour another cup full and once again park my ass in a chair and stare out over the lake.  I say out loud to no one, “I don't think I can stay here.”

The peace and serenity of the evening is shattered by a commotion coming from behind the cabin.  I hear distinctive voices, each one recognizable and there’s a loud squeaking sound.  Even General Hancock lets out a few grunts and groans.  The sounds muffle and become a bit quieter as I suspect that the dwarfs have entered the cabin via the back door.

“Covems,” Sneezy yells from the doorway of the cabin, “come… aah .. ahhh..  ACHOOO! …see.”

Happy pipes in with a giggle “Hee hee… yes, come see what we brought.”

I get up from the comfort of the chair and with my cup of coffee in hand, head into the cabin.  The remaining five dwarfs are in the kitchen and the counters are laden with food.  Some of it in cans and some of it in bags.  There are soup cans, cans of spam, meats, bacon, cheeses, fresh bread and even a pie.

Then I spot the wheelbarrow, and that too is loaded with all types of food.  There are some six packs of beer and I spot a prize among the items … a bottle of bourbon.

“Look what we brought you.”  Grumpy says with a guff.  It’s loud in the kitchen, with all of them talking at the same time.  They start to put the food stuff in the proper places. 

“Where the heck did you lads get all of this?” I ask.

“Stone and Jayc.”  Comes a reply from three of them at the same time.

“They gave this to you to bring to me?”  I question them, “Well, bless their good hearts.”

“Not exactly… but when we first went to Stone and Jayc’s place,” Doc says, “she told us to make ourselves comfortable and to help ourselves.  We knew there wasn’t any food here for you, so we helped ourselves.”

Trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all, and suddenly getting a mental image of Jayc and Stone staring into an empty pantry, I ask another question.  “Did you lads leave them anything?”

The dwarfs all stop and look at me with blank expressions on their faces.  Then without answering, they resume putting the groceries away.

[jayc]

Startled but not surprised, I find myself once again hanging by my heels. A fine booby trap I must admit. As the mayhem settles down I can see  albeit upside down Stone embracing  Covems who sits at the kitchen table drinking tea.

“Ahem, a little help here people” I mutter doing a slow spin dangling from the rope.
Apparently Stone is fine leaving me hanging as she catches up with Covems and begins to tell him that taking care of the gang of 7  was not a problem.

“Not a problem? She only saw them on their best behavior “ shaking my head.
“Great pancakes Miss Stone”,” Yes Miss stone we tidied up the sleeping loft”,” we  re stained the deck for you Miss stone and did it right this time.” I seethe at the thought.
She never saw them cheating at poker, the little terrors took me for over 50 dollars before I wised up. She didn’t find my quad runner  out of gas and sporting some new scratches and dents.

“Speak of the devil and he will appear” comes to mind as the dwarfs enter the room and form a circle around me. Stone and Covems  oblivious to my plight.
“Well if it isn’t Mr. Rules, need some help?”  Grumpy says with a smile.
Giving up I simply say “state your terms for surrender”

Doc puts on his glasses and pulls out a rolled scroll and begins to read.
1 We want use of your boat and dock so we can access our fishing camp.
2  One pancake breakfast  at Hyperion  each month.
Then silence…………………”that’s it?” I say a bit  surprised.
“Oh and consider the pantry raid a welcome back gift for Coves”  Grumpy adds.

“We have ourselves a deal boys, now get my down before I begin to bleed from my eyes” I laugh.
The dwarfs lower me down and I stagger to my feet and make my way into the kitchen and spot my bottle of pilfered whiskey. Grabbing 3 coffee cups and the bottle from the counter I plop down at the table, a bit mused but no worse for wear.
“oh there you are,” looks who’s back” Stone say with a smile as I pour out 3 drinks.
 

[Covems]

After getting all caught up with Miss Stone and Jayc, I sent some of the provisions back with them, thanking them for their generousity.  I was afraid it would spoil by the time I got to it all.  Doc and Happy reloaded the wheelbarrow and followed them back to Hyperion.  The rest of the dwarfs went to where ever it is the dwarfs go, and I found myself alone in the cabin.

Feeling a little uneasy being in the place, I went out to the stable to check on the horses.  Next I took my blanket roll from the back of the saddle and wandered to the fire.  I still had the bottle of bourbon in my hand, and took a couple of pulls on it.

I stoked the fire a bit, placing some wood on it then spread out my bed roll next to the fire ring.  “I can't sleep in there yet,” I thought, “here's hoping it don't rain.”  I took one last pull on the bottle… replaced the cap… stretched out on the blanket roll  and was soon drifting off to sleep, once again under the stars.

[img]http://cache2.asset-cache.net/gc/78454069-cowboy-sleeping-by-campfire-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=ysFeFkkLfT7V5LtQmIV8k3dddHCU2Bg%2B2SccpNdOybw%3D[/img]

[ItsAmy123]

I close my eyes and take a deep breath of the fresh air as I walk out onto the porch with a glass of wine in my hand.

“Doesn't get any purer than this,” I smile, thinking to myself. The moon was out tonight in full form and besides the chirps of the crickets, little creaks from the rocking chair on the porch and sounds other little critters were making, everything seemed to be pretty much still. I make my way down the small boardwalk, conveniently placed at a shortened height in order to comply with the not-so-shallow water of the lake at this end of the shore.

I lucked out being able to purchase this abandoned, small, cosy cabin that was located at a comfortable distance from the rest of the cabins situated around the lake. Through the help of a close friend in Achat real-estate, Leo, I was able to make the purchase with ease and all it took was a little bit of furnishing for everything to be set and become beyond suitable, as well as comfortable, to live in. It took about a month to add my little personal touches here and there, as well as move in whatever little belongings I had.. but having been moved in for about a week now, I was starting to adjust quite smoothly and swiftly.

I take a seat at the edge of the boardwalk, my legs dangling down, allowing for my feet to dip into the cool water. I take a sip from my glass and ease back into a state of relaxation. My mind continues to wander from thought to thought nonetheless as I think about my pending return to the bar the following day. With a planned performance to surprise and entertain all, jitters of nervousness were certainly there but I feel mostly excitement through and throughout.

In the midst of taking another sip from my glass, I notice a star twinkling in the clear sky… resulting in me stopping mid-sip and grinning foolishly, all the meanwhile continuing to look up and gaze at it.

“Love you mom…” I whisper under my breath with a twinkle in my watery eyes, raising my glass to the sky.

[ItsAmy123]

“Mmmph”… I bite my bottom lip, whimpering.

My hands latch onto his thick greyish hair with my knees in the air and my toes curled, as my body writhes uncontrollably on the bed.

He continues to feast on me with the sole purpose of driving me to that point of pure ecstasy. My moans get louder as the seconds go on, encouraging him further.

I wrap my legs around his head all of a sudden and my body begins to shudder, as I near that edge…

“UGH”…

“UGHHH”…

“UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH”…

I wake up, panting and breathing heavily. My body still feels hot as I just sit there for a moment, my skin glistening in a certain glow. “What a dream”.. I think to myself, smirking and biting my lip.

I eventually get up with a bounce in my step and a grin on my face as I engage in my morning activities: Making the bed, cleaning around my bedroom here and there before heading to freshen up in the washroom and shower. In the evening I was planning on returning to the bar so I had plenty to look forward to throughout the rest of the day.

I step onto the front porch with my morning tea and take a seat on the rocking chair. The lake's reflection against the shining Sun above it is simply beautiful.

Sipping away at the tea, my mind continues to wander, as I take in the great view before me.

[Covems]

Waking up with a start in the early morning hours, I wrestle the blanket off myself and sit up.  It's cooled off tonight, the fire has died down some, so I grab a couple of nearby pieces of firewood and place them in the fire ring.  Using a branch, I give the embers a stoking, then I drop the branch into the fire.  The dried timbers ignite almost immediately.

Looking up, I see a light from yet another cabin on the lake.  “What light through yonder window breaks”, immediately comes to my mind.  Rustling around in my saddle bag that I have been using for a pillow, I pull out the binoculars and peer through them at the light.

I search for the bottle of bourbon.  Finding it, I open the bottle and take a long pull from it.  Then I toss the cap into the fire.  With each swallow from the bottle the night seems easier to take.  I peer through the binoculars at the light one more time then slide my view over to Miss Brandy’s cabin.  “Heheh… Peepin’ Cove”, I think, her cabin however is dark.  One last peek at the light then I slip the binoculars back into the bag.

Rising to my feet, I stagger a little as the bourbon has begun to work its magic.  I grab the bottle and take yet another pull on it.  Next I walk, if you can call it walking, to the cabin door and kick it open…. I enter, being careful not to trip the dwarf's trap.  I don't know if they have reset it, but I'm taking no chances.

Walking through the cabin to the back door, I kick that door open too, and head for the corral.  The horses stir as they do when awoken.  Pulling them all out, I tie Lucy and the General to Blossom. 

“Blossom, lead them to Miss Brandy's.  Now, go.”  I say, “Git!  GIT OUTTA HERE!”  Waving my hands and shouting to get them going on their way.  They leave, crying and complaining on their way along the trail.

Taking a few more pulls on the bourbon, I go back inside the cabin and look the place over.  It seems lonely… deserted.  I go up to the second floor and make sure there's no one there, then I go down, grab the hurricane lamp from the fireplace mantle and light the wick.  Next I go to the kitchen and throw the lit lamp up along the ladder to the second floor, it clanks and clangs as it lands with the sound of broken glass.  Quickly, flames begin to leap up, fueled by the spilled oil from the broken hurricane lamp.

I stumble out the front door, back to the fire ring.  I stand there staring into the embers.  One last pull on the bottle drains it, I stagger a little before dropping the empty bottle into the fire.  Then I pick up the branch from the fire… the end burns like a torch.  I begin to stumble as I turn, almost losing my balance.

I stagger to the cabin, with the burning branch in my hand.  I throw the branch through the front door, sparks and embers scatter like fireflies.  I watch as the embers catch the magic sofa, which smolders then begins to burn. 

“More oxygen, ” I say while moving to the kitchen area, I grab the toaster and throw it through the window in the kitchen, next the microwave oven goes through the other window.  Glass shattering and spreading out into the yard, “All good fires need a draft.”  The lower section of the cabin is ablaze, thick smoke from the sofa and rug filling the room.

I stumble out of the cabin's front door and trip over a large rock, cutting my forehead as I land on the ground.  Cursing the rock, I pick it up and get to my feet, then, while shouting, “I BUILT IT… I CAN BURN IT!” I hurl the rock at the balcony's glass door.  The glass shatters with the impact.  Falling backwards after I’ve thrown the rock, I land on the ground in a sitting position then I watch as the cabin begins to fill with fire.  Flames licking the rafters of the second floor, I can see that the magic sofa is fully engulfed in flames.  “Burn damn you, burn.”

I briefly think about moving the pick-up truck, but decide against it.  “Must'nt drink and drive.” I slur out loud, I begin to laugh as I get to my drunken feet.

Next, I find myself in the row boat, my saddlebags are there and my bedroll is neatly rolled up on the seat.  I push off from the shore and begin to row… no purpose in mind… just rowing.  I'm drunk and I’m tired… so very tired… I can feel myself beginning to drift off.  Looking back at the cabin as I row away, I can see that it is completely engulfed in flames… there’s no saving it now.  Great billows of smoke rise from the conflagration.  I slowly row on into the night…

(to be continued)

[Covems]

I jump awake… I am in the boat and it seems I drifted off in more ways than one… the sun is just beginning to rise.  I reach for the saddlebags, but the effects of the bourbon haven't worn off yet.  I stumble… I fall… “SPLASH” …I'm overboard.

My boots are filling with water… pulling me under… I am sinking.  I frantically try to kick the boots off, but I'm tired… I'm exhausted… and I don’t have the strength to get them off.

My struggles become feeble as I sink lower into the depths of the lake.  Looking up, I can see my hat floating on the surface, which gets further and further away as I sink.  Suddenly it becomes peaceful.  “I've been here before,” is the thought that comes to mind.  I see my AChat life passing before me.

Logging into AChat for the first time.  Meeting Ms Pafe and Lady Satoire, “Anyone with WALL-E in their profile can’t be all bad.”   Doing the surveys for them. 

Meeting Miss Brandy … “What time is it where you are?  You’re from the future.  Thank you for your time.” 

MoonCalf and her country ways… “I oughta kick you right in the shins, but I think I'll kiss ya instead…”

Jayc and Stone such a happy couple… “I can’t believe I’m kissing Miss Stone!” 

Miss JemStar… “It’s a small world after all…”

Miss Concerto… Who, on a secret date, opened my closed mind.

The Pookie and Terri show… AChat spilling into real life at the Windmill. 

Joining the forum… Those threesomes with Norwich… all the others whom I've met and enjoyed.  TightFit74, Miss Sexilicious, Bear, Miss Rukya, Lover, Miss Kittenlepurr,  Hukk, Miss Cheya, James… may he rest in peace, Miss Mollie, Tango, HB, Miss Momma Andrea, Mrsexlover, Lady Azrielle, Miss Marilyn, Miss Bluedenim, whom I still owe an apology to “I’m sorry Miss Bluedenim… itwasn’tme… itwastheVicodintalkin’… itmademedoalotofstupidthings…”

Miss Amy… “the kharma is strong tonight”….

Eva… oh Eva… always faithful… always there… “Hi, Honey!”

I sink lower and lower…

Peace and serenity are over taking me now.  I can see the light, I know the way.  I was here once before in my past… in another life.  I was so close to getting in that time, but I was turned away at the last moment.  There’s peace on the other side, I just know it.  This time… maybe they'll let me in…

[Covems]

I feel myself being lifted up, but lifted up by something from under my back.  My hands reach out and I can feel something to hold onto.  I grasp them.  “My God!” I think, “What is it!”

I burst out of the water, gasping for breath… I roll over onto my stomach, keeping a tight grip of those handholds.  I vomit up water, coughing it from my lungs, gasping.  I feel very weak, and with an effort I raise my head to look around to see where I am.

My hands are holding on to two horns… antlers of a sort.  That's when I realize that I am on something that's moving!  I’m on a creature! …IT’S ELLIE!!  We're moving with great speed and just her head is out of the water… she glides along almost effortlessly and has me perfectly balanced on her head.

I'm beginning to fade out again… weak from the struggle… but I'm alive.  I can feel myself being dumped onto the ground, face down in the dirt on some shoreline of the lake.  I want to look around… I want to see where I am, but exhaustion overtakes me and I collapse…

***************************************

Time passes, I am now lying on my side and something is moving over me… I can sense it without opening my eyes.  There's a shadow moving.  I pop my eyes open… it is bright… my eyes adjust to the light… judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it must be mid-morning.  I sit up and take a look at my surroundings.  My mouth is as dry as if the entire Cheyenne Nation rode through it, and my head is pounding, I rub my forehead with my hand, feeling caked mud on it.  I feel my still sore left eye.

I'm next to the fire ring.  The fire is out, even the coals are cold and there's a broken bourbon bottle in the ring.  I hear some noise from behind me, turning to look, I see Happy moving towards the cabin. 

My Cabin… my unburned, intact cabin.

“Whew,” I think, “it was all a dream.”  I rub my head again and wince when my fingers touch a cut on my forehead.

I stand up and realize that my clothes are wet… and… I was lying in some mud.  “The boat?” I wonder.  “There it is.”  The boat is on the shore, pulled up in its usual place with the oars in their holders.  I go over to the rowboat, look inside and find my hat, which I take and plop on the back of my head… my bedroll… all rolled up neatly on a seat… the saddlebags are there too… and one opened, empty can of Spam.

My head's pounding as I walk towards the cabin, my boots squish water with each step.  I notice Lucy, Blossom and General Hancock grazing in the corral.  I get to the front door of the cabin and a little memory bubble pops in my head.  I bend down and lift the edge of the mat… “Oh look… there it is,” I say out loud, “my heart… right next to the key!  I’m going to need that.”  I bend to pick up my heart and the key… my head is throbbing.  “Wowsers.”  I mutter as I pick it up then I finger the key lightly, feeling its weight in my hand, next I slide it into my pocket.  “Well…” I think, “I never lock the doors anyway.” 

Happy is making himself some toast in the kitchen, he giggles a bit when he sees me come into the cabin.  “Is everything okay?” He asks me, stifling another giggle.

“Yeah Happy,”  I reply, knowing that I must look a real mess, “everything is okie dokies…  it will be even better after a shower.”  I go over to the sink and pour myself a large glass of water… I down it in just a few gulps.  “…and I found my heart.”  I go to the ladder and start to climb up to the second floor, putting one foot up on a rung.  I stop and come back down off the ladder.

“Happy,” I say, “lets shoot off some fireworks tonight… gather the lads… lets have some fun.”

“Oh Boy!”  He nods his head quickly while he’s buttering his toast, then he starts to laugh in that way that only Happy can laugh.  “Let’s invite everyone.”

“YES!”  I shout… “YES!!” throwing my hat onto its wall peg… a bit of dried mud drops from my hair, “We’ll fire up the grill… cook some food… after all, we got LOTS of food!”  We both roar with laughter at that. 

“We’ll get some beer…. But no bourbon… I’ve had enough bourbon for a while.  Oh, oh, oh… And Spam, Happy…  lots of Spam.”  I feel giddy… I’m almost jumping about the place, “Music… we’ll need music…  it is short notice, but maybe we can get Cocks and Roses to play.  Get the lads to go around and offer the invitations… go to the bar… tell Old Joe what we need… I’ll be by with the pick-up later.  Invite everyone… including the couple from the old cabin across the way.  I’ll get cleaned up and start the preparations.”

“The crew are all at Miss Brandy’s cabin” Happy says.

“At the Bee Hive?  I ask with a puzzled look on my face, “What are they doing there?”

I’m not sure,” he replies, “but Miss Brandy is driving a bulldozer.”

I start to chuckle, then I double over with laughter, at the mental image of Miss Brandy on a bulldozer.  Happy starts laughing with me.  “Go get the lads anyway… and tell Miss Brandy what’s going on.”

“Go Happy, go!” I say to him.  Happy eyeballs his freshly buttered toast.  I wink while saying, “Eat your toast first, of course…. Then scoot.”

Happy stuffs the entire slice of toast into his mouth, then scoops up the other slice and goes out the back door, heading for Miss Brandy’s.  “Man, those guys can EAT!”  I think while he scampers off.

I go up to the second floor whistling the “Heigh Ho” song and start peeling off my wet, muddy clothes…. I feel good…. I feel free… I feel… Reborn…

[Brandybee]

“Aha, There’s the bulldozer” I tell the dwarfs as I pull into the driveway. It’s parked outside all yellow and bright. I feel quite excited.

“Ok guys,  I just need a bit of a practice run first. I’ve never driven one before”  It seemed bigger now as I get closer.

The dwarfs sit on the fence looking bemused.  Suddenly I feel a little self conscious as I climb up on it.

I sit in the seat and feel 7 pairs of eyes on me. I take a deep breath and  turn the key. It bursts into life. So far so good.

I press the pedals and throw it into gear. It’s a bit stiff but seems ok. I push a button and the bucket moves down.

I start it to go forward, it kangeroos a little but settles again much to my relief and I try and remember if the bucket should be up or down.

I move the bull dozer on to the grassland by the lake. It’s clear, long and perfect to drive up and down.

It ambles forwards and I shift gears. Then … something goes wrong!  I press a button and the bucket keeps going up and down. I panic and try to stop it and  accidently shift it into the next speed, it’s not too fast but would hurt if I had cause to jump off.  It was a steady but determined pace.

The dwarfs are standing on the fence, stretching their necks wondering what the hell I was doing!

“O oh” Doc says trying not to laugh, then looks alarmed as I manage to turn it and head straight for them.

They scatter in a starburst as I knock into the fence they are on. The fence gets flattened, as does the cabin sign “Moose Lodge” and I head on, rambling on target for my truck!  Unfortunately. The see-sawing bucket obscures my view!

“Oops”  I manage to turn it, fighting with the steering wheel but I glance off my truck toppling it into the ditch!

[img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4xv8X6uq6Q1TeUq0CZpWNGeyTQ80d0brm_IOJTANm2Xcoy4ky[/img]

“Damn and blast” I cuss, turning the steering wheel some more and heading back onto the grassland.

A wasp suddenly decides to enter the cab and I swat at it and scream my annoyance when I loose the steering wheel.  It  buzzes round my head and lands on the steering wheel and looks at me evilly.

[img]http://misssymartin.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/wasps_vespula_vulgaris_queen_face.jpg?w=300[/img]

“This is not going well” I scream at the wasp, “I’d leave if I was you” trying to scare it off. But it just sits there buzzing its tail.

Meanwhile, Coves is in the shower and is just switching the water off when he hears my stricken shout.

Never one to leave a lady in distress, he grabs his muddy cowboy hat and high tails it outside, naked as the day he was born, except for the hat of course. He stands on the porch in disbelief.

He sees a runaway bulldozer and a panicking red head waving her arms wildly around.

He grabs his lasso and shouts “Put it in neutral”

I hear his shout and look over.  “Covems you’re naked!   I can’t hear you”  still waving erratically. The noise of the bull dozer drowns his voice out.

The bull dozer carries on and I try and swat the stubborn wasp again off the steering wheel.

Next I feel something whiz by my face and see it’s a rope neatly landing on the gear stick pulling it into neutral and then a naked cowboy, smelling delightfully of brut shower gel crowding into the cabin and turning the key to off.

The bulldozer rumbles to a stop. He leans over and pulls the hand brake on.

“Are you ok Miss Brandy?” Covems asks.

“I had it under control” I mumble  a little embarrassed by the whole episode and very aware that I was sitting down and he was standing and a certain part of his anatomy was near my ear.

The wasp then conveniently decides to fly off through the opposite window.

Coves jumps out the cab and I get out after him.

His eye is still showing the bruise I’d given him and being a red blooded female, the temptation is too much not to check him out. I look down. Bad Brandy.

He was … OMG  IMPRESSIVE!!!

“Wow, You are so not like a straw that’s for sure” I mumble.

“What? Did you hit your head Miss Brandy?” He moves towards me to check for bumps.

“No. No I’m fine” I quickly assure him,  flat hands raised to stop his approach.  “And go put some clothes on before you catch your death”

Coves chuckles as I stomp off towards the cabin.  “You’re very welcome Miss Brandy”  he chortles at my retreating back.

He looks at the keys in his hand and then at the Bull Dozer.  “Wonder what she wanted to do with that?”

I return to the dwarfs who are laughing their heads off.  “Ok guys, funny, funny. I’d appreciate it if you would get my truck out the ditch and collect all the fencing up for firewood.”

I pick up the broken sign. It's the name of my cabin “Moose Lodge” and look at it sadly.

“Don’t worry Miss Brandy, I’ll make you a new one” Dopey promises.

“You hired a bulldozer to knock your fencing down?” Doc asks incredulous.

“Yes! … No. I was going to flatten my cabin but I changed my mind” I mutter, looking up at my beloved home.

“Why would you want to do that?” Bashful blushes.

“Change my mind? Why, It’s a woman’s prerogative of course” I grin and go inside to get some rope, and fix up donuts and drinks for the thirsty work ahead of them.

“I’ll never understand women” Sleepy yawns

“I don’t think we’re supposed to” Grumpy agrees.

I return with the goodies and Happy pipes up, his mouth full of donut, “Oh I forgot to tell you, Master Covems is having a party at his place. Everyone’s invited”

“Hey that’s cool” I brighten up. Suddenly my dented truck doesn’t seem so bad after all.

[Covems]

“What?  No hug?” I ponder as I make my way back to my cabin while coiling the rope back up.  “Dang.”  I start to chuckle slightly… the chuckling soon turns into a giggle.  “Man,” I say, “the things you see when you don't have a camera.”  I hang the coiled lasso back on its hook.

Having shaved and gotten dressed, I grab a chain and a few tools from the crate on the back porch.  Then I climb into the dozer and start it up, it rumbles while black smoke puffs from the stack.  Putting the dozer in gear I head for The Bee Hive and Miss Brandy's truck.

I stop the bulldozer and leave it in neutral, applying the hand brake, I drop out of the cab and go inspect the truck.

It's not too bad, the front quarter panel is smashed, but there's no chassis damage.  I open the hood, “that's a good sign” I think while peering into the engine compartment.  There's no internal damage, but the fender is smashed into the wheel… headlight is busted…  the tire is scraped, but still inflated.  I shut the hood, then using a hammer and a pry bar I manage to get the fender off the wheel to where the truck will be steerable.

“We can always get a new quarter panel…” I think, “it is a bolt on part and an easy fix.”

Using the bulldozer and the chain, I pull the truck up out of the ditch.  I put the chain into the cab of the dozer along with the tools, then I put it in gear and drive off to The Cove.  Putting the machine into neutral, I apply the brake and bound out of the cab.  “Need a peace offering.”  I go around to the back of the cabin…  I try to conceal my little bundle by putting it in a box, I take it with me and I climb back into the cab of the bulldozer.

Using the levers to manipulate the blade, I start to plow a path from my cabin all the way to the old cabin.  Angling the blade slightly to one side, the machine cuts a neat trail through the terrain.  The old cabin looks nice, maintained… lived in.  That makes me smile. 

Once again I put the machine in neutral and carefully pick up the box and tip toe my way onto the front porch.  There’s a small table there… I place a little gift on the table…

…then sneak back to the bulldozer with the empty box, trying to be as quiet as I can be… like no one would be able to hear the rumbling of the machine.

Settling into the seat,  I put the dozer in reverse and drop the blade another few inches, then back my way along the little road I just cut.  The blade compacts the soil and covers the tread tracks.

Satisfied with the “road job”, I take the bulldozer back to Miss Brandy's and park it.  “That could be a handy machine to have around here.” I think as I switch it off… leaving the keys in the ignition, I pick up the chain and tools then I get out of the cab and down to the ground I go.

After putting the tools and chain away it’s into the pick-up truck and I head off to the AChat Bar & Grill.

[ItsAmy123]

Seemingly growing quite a fondness to these quiet mornings by the lake, I admire the stunning view before me while sipping on my freshly brewed tea.

There's a certain tangible serenity around me with everything being quite still and none of the loud sounds that I had grown to be familiar with, living in the city for most of my life and all, being present.

A bee continues to buzz annoyingly around me as I gaze on. Growing quite frustrated, I refrain from swatting it away for the fear of being stung but mostly for the fear of killing or injuring it. Taking a deep breath, I think to myself… “Hmm.. maybe it's the tea. I did unusually mix a spoon of honey in it to make it sweeter…”

Moving in closer to the lake, I throw my cup in, without really thinking. I smile to myself, feeling kinda relieved as the annoying bee finally leaves me be, even though I instantly feel bad for soiling the lake's clear water.

I step in closer again, in order to attempt to retrieve my cup without getting too wet, only to find the floating cup having disappeared from sight and slight traces of the tea slowing diluting into the water. My thoughts wander back to the time there was chatter of some monster named Ellie that supposedly resided in these waters.

With a sudden feeling of unease dawning over me, I make my way back to the cabin and busy myself in getting ready for work.

[Covems]

It's a little after 1 am… I gather up some needed things from the crate on the back porch.  “Lets see,” I muse, “a half inch dowel, pointed on one end, check… flashlight, check…  garden trowel, check… gloves, check.”

Checking over at The Bee Hive, I see that all the lights are out.  Then I see Miss Brandy standing on her porch with a bucket and a pair of gloves in her hands.

The night is clear with a big, bright moon.  As I walk to her cabin, I see that the grass is wet with condensation from the hot day cooling off so.  Perfect conditions for night crawler hunting.

We greet each other with a hug, both of us tilting our heads slightly so we don't bump brims.

“Okay,” I start to explain, “I don't know how you folks in the UK go crawler hunting, but I can show you the Montana way.”

“The flashlight”, I begin

“Torch,” Miss Brandy interrupts.

“Flashlight,” I repeat.

“Torch,” she says again.

“Light” I say.

“Better,” she say smiling that smile she does.

“Okay… the light,” I continue, “is for spotting the crawlers with.  It's a clear night and wet turf, so the conditions are right.  The moon also helps to draw them out.”

I shine the light on the ground and we spot a night crawler.  “Next we take this dowel and plug his hole.”  I do that and stick the pointy end of the dowel into a little hole in the ground.

“Now we can pick him up.”  having the gloves on, I reach for the worm, and it slithers quickly, trying to get back into its hole, which we have effectly blocked.  Then I pick it up and place it in the bucket.

“We'll need to put some fresh dirt and grass in the bucket, Miss Brandy,” I say, “so we can keep them alive and comfy before we feed them to the fishies.”

Miss Brandy uses the garden trowel to shovel some dirt and grass into the bucket.  We then move off into the grassy area between the two cabins and go night crawler hunting.  “We'd be much more efficent if we split up with two pails,” I say, “…but it wouldn't be nearly as fun.”

I hand her the dowel.  “You get the next one.”

We spend the next couple of hours, laughing, kidding each other, telling jokes, laughing some more and generally having a good time while hunting night crawlers.

[Brandybee]

Coves shows me how to catch the grubs and I watch fascinated as he expertly picks them up and places them in the bucket. I’m not quite as successful as some manage to slither away and disappear back down their holes that I hadn’t blocked properly.

I try and teach him English, but end up giggling when he says the yank words back in his best English accent. It turns into a fun game of word tennis, swapped teasing accents and hunting the earth worms.

“Torch” – “Flashlight” ;
“Bucket” – “Pail” ; 
“Car Park” – “Car lot”; 
“Bin” – “Trashcan” ; 
“Rubbish” – “Trash” ;
“Suppose” – “Guess” ;
“Snog” – “kiss” ; 
“Tramp”  – “Bum” ;
“Curls” – “Bangs”
“Trousers” – “Pants” ;
“Pants – Briefs”

And quickly degenerates –  “Bum” – “Ass” ; 
“Arse” – “Fanny “; 
“Fanny “-  “Pussy” ;
“Shagging” – “Banging”. 
“Besotted….”    Coves looks puzzled.
 
“Ah haaaaaa  got ya!  I win,”  I gloat delighted and hold up a wiggly worm in triumph.

“One day I’ll have the last word,” he mutters and flicks his head for me to follow him to his boat. We had enough night crawlers now.

Both laughing I catch up with him with the bucket. His strides are two of mine and we are soon at the lakeside.

“You packed food,” I say spotting the picnic basket and the bottles of bourbon, bicardi and coke with glasses.  The moon comes out from behind the clouds and reflects on the water.
Cove nods and grins. “Fishing is thirsty and hungry work.”

I see the moon diamonds bobbing and winking on the surface. We push the boat out and jump in. We both row out to the middle and Cove indicates the best spot to stop.

“Did I ever tell you about moon diamonds?”  I muse wishing I had bought my camera. The view was pretty spectacular in the moonlight.
“I don’t believe you have.” He tilted his head thinking.

“One day, I’ll show you how to catch one but you can only do it in special circumstances and you have to look after it… or it’ll wither and die.” 

He nods and passes me a rod, patiently showing me what to do…

[Covems]

Miss Brandy and I reach a spot where it looks as if the fishing will be good.  I tuck the boat against a partially submerged tree so we won't drift.  Next I produce some cord from the pile of things in the bottom of the boat and proceed to tie the bottle of Bacardi to one end and the bottle of bourbon to the other end, then I drop them over the side into the water and loop the middle of the cord around one of the oar locks.  “Nature's cooler”, I say in answer to the puzzled look I get from her.  Finding another piece of cord, I do the same thing with the bottles of coke.

The sky is beginning to brighten as the sun begins to rise.  “The fishies will be stirrin' soon.” I say, while getting the fishing rods up and ready.  I reach into the pail and pull out a wiggler, and begin to bait the hook.

“What are you doing?”  Miss Brandy asks in a shakey voice.

“Baiting the hook,”  I reply.

“You're going to kill it?!”  She asks a little louder.

“No,” I answer, while still holding the unskewered worm, “the fish are going to kill it when it gets eaten…”

“You didn't say we were going to kill them,”  are the next words that come from Miss Brandy.

I answer, “We're going fishing, what did you think was going to happen to them?”

“I don't know”, she answers, “but I can't kill anything… it will make me cry to watch it wriggling on the hook.”  I can see her eyes beginning to tear up at just the thought of it.

I drop the night crawler back into the pail.  Murmuring a few words under my breath, I open the tackle box and inspect the lures.  I find some rubber worms in the box and we decide to use those instead of the live bait.  “I have a small can of WD-40 we can spray the rubber worms with before dropping the lines into the water.  It's a fish oil based lubricant and the fishies love it.”

It begins to come up on noon time, and by now we have the umbrella up in the boat to protect us from the sun.  The day is heating up nicely and the fishing has been lively.  We catch and release them and chatter away about all sorts of things while also relieving the picnic basket of some of it's contents.

Resting her fishing pole against the side of the boat, Miss Brandy starts to take off her light jacket and that's when I notice it.

“You've got my red shirt!”  I exclaim.  “When… wait… um.  How did you get it?”

“I'm not sure.”  Miss Brandy states, “remember when we were drowing our sorrows that night by the campfire?”

“Yes”, I answer, then state, “I thought the shirt fell in the fire or something… the last thing I remember was you doing that little hootchie kootchie dance in front of the fire and… uh oh… what else happened?”

[Brandybee]

“Hmmmm,” I frown trying to think of that night round the campfire and fish out my phone from my pocket. I feel Covems eyes watching and waiting. I blush under his intense beautiful eyes.
“Well, we were kind of dancing to the moon god or something,” showing him the pics on my phone…..

     

He leans over to look more at the pics and groans.  “The bourbon has a lot to answer for” he murmurs into my ear, eyes on his dad dancing and my swaying hips.
“and the Bacardi.  It gets worse” I agree and flick to the other picture.
“You begin to start singing about boobs for some reason and wanting to try on my blue shirt”

“So…  I do take it off so you can try it on…

“ Let me see”  Coves says impatiently and I move the phone away to check the picture.

He grabs the phone off me and looks…

[img]http://rs273.pbsrc.com/albums/jj231/kdfritz/happy%20birthday/Cowgirl_PaulRoberts.gif~c200[/img]

And then looks at the next pic to see if it shows more …

It shows Coves with the shirt on but a tad too small.

And a close up of another …

“You never told me you took that” he exclaimed.

I grin at him, looking at that pic.  “Well that’s for my private collection”

Coves raises his eyebrows.

“That’s mine and I’m keeping it,”  I giggle at him, “Besides you look hot in it. ”  I pause for awhile admiring the pic and say,  “Then we swap shirts and I put some jeans on because I was cold.”  Quickly snatching the phone back and showing him the final pic

“See, and that was that” I finish. “And that's how you got my shirt and I got yours”

Coves looks at me suspicious.  “What arnt you telling me?” he asks

“Why? Have you got pics on your phone?”  I ask him, looking apprehensive, then mutter under my breath…

“I think I might have drawn a rose on you somewhere in indelible ink”

I'm not sure if he heard my last comment and I press my lips together to stifle another giggle, pretending to be busy with releasing more of the fish and pouring us another round of double shots ….

[Author]

Posts