{"id":9865,"date":"2022-06-02T12:11:24","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T17:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/?p=9865"},"modified":"2022-09-05T17:04:16","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T22:04:16","slug":"land-rush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/land-rush\/","title":{"rendered":"Land Rush"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-370x278.jpg 370w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"Red-Wine\">Original Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"Red-Wine\"><strong>Patricia Crisafulli<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Summer of \u201972<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Casting a spinner from shore, Vernon followed the line\u2019s arc to where the lure lit softly on the water and rode the ripples. Raising his eyes toward the horizon, he looked across Little Rocky Lake toward the docks and roof peaks of a half dozen A-frame cottages, barely visible to the naked eye, but he knew they were there. His grandfather had owned that lakefront land, and his father had sold it off forty years ago, lot by lot, leaving only a landlocked parcel worth nothing except timber harvested every five years or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Vernon felt a tug and focused on the line, imagining some nice brook trout swimming in butter and dappled with parsley flakes for tonight\u2019s dinner. The tenseness in his chest loosened. Nothing else existed\u2014not the outside world with the Vietnam War and some idiots breaking into a building in Washington, and not his insular world of checking electrical lines for Adirondack Power. Just him and the fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The strike jerked the pole, and he tightened his grip to reel in a trout nearly a foot long. Casting again, he caught a 10-incher in almost the same spot. He played that rod and reel like a gambler with a hot hand until he hit his limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With the sun riding halfway up the sky on a late June morning, Vernon packed up his tackle to get home. As he headed for his pickup, he saw the orange and blue of a New York State truck through a gap in the trees. Road crew, he surmised. Ttruck tires crunched the gravel of the parking area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cThey bitin\u2019?\u201d the driver asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon got closer. Driving a utility truck for the past twenty-some-odd years, he knew or at least recognized most of the state highway guys around here. The driver looked familiar. \u201cGot five brook trout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWe\u2019re going to be doing a little work here,\u201d the driver added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cOn a Saturday?\u201d Vernon turned toward the parking area with its small boat ramp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The driver cut the engine and opened the door. \u201cSurveying.\u201d Two other men exited the cab on the passenger side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon took off his cap and ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. \u201cI work for Adirondack Power. Didn\u2019t hear of anything going on here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The driver stood next to Vernon while the surveyors set up their tripod and gear. \u201cSomebody is talking to somebody in Albany about developing this spot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon felt the pinch of losing his favorite fishing spot. \u201cFor real?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cHotel, marina. Some bigwig went fishing up here and liked the place,\u201d one of the surveyors added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Vernon fingers moved to the stubble on his chin. \u201cI got thirty-six acres on the other side\u2014not on the lake, but pretty near it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWell, you stick a for sale sign on that property pretty damn quick,\u201d the surveyor said. \u201cBut you didn\u2019t hear that from me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-e1608497702946.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla held a clothespin in her teeth so she could use both hands to pull one end of a bedsheet out of the wicker laundry basket at her feet. She folded a corner over the line and clipped the clothespin, then did the same in the middle of the sheet and at the far end. It caught the breeze like the sail of a ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leaving the empty laundry basket under the line, she walked toward her flower garden where the climbing rose had started to open. Checking for beetles and finding only one, Marla let her gaze caress the snapdragons, petunias, and tall stalks of delphiniums with dark blue star-like blooms. Coming round to the front of the house, she deadheaded the flowers in the pots flanking the step. She heard the rumble of Vernon\u2019s truck and turned as he pulled in a little fast, spewing gravel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWho\u2019s chasing you? The devil?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cYou\u2019re not going to believe what I just heard,\u201d Vernon said, giving the truck door a slam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla followed him into the garage where he spread newspaper over the worktable and began to clean the fish. She pulled over a lawn chair with a ripped back, the woven strip drooping like a flag on a still day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon repeated his conversation with the state crew, drawing out the details the surveyor had shared. \u201cHotel and marina\u2014a whole development. If they buy up property around Little Rocky, they\u2019ll need those thirty-six acres.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He waited for his wife\u2019s reaction, but she said nothing at first. Then a smile spread slowly across her face. \u201cYou hungry for lunch?\u201d Marla got up and pushed the lawn chair to the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon shrugged. \u201cWhen I finish here, I could eat a sandwich.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cGood, because we\u2019re going to The Early Bird.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon glanced around the diner from the stool at the counter where Marla insisted they sit so they could hear the gossip. He nodded to Gene the repairman, who finished the last of his scrambled eggs. The Grabel sisters, Eva and Ava who dressed exactly alike even though they were a year apart and over fifty, both ate soup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019ll have a steak and eggs,\u201d Vernon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dotty\u2019s grin revealed a missing tooth in the corner of her mouth. \u201cHaven\u2019t had a steak order in two days. You strike it rich?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon frowned. \u201cSteak ain\u2019t old, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dotty shook her head. \u201cNah, fresh this morning. Bill cuts up the ones we don\u2019t sell for stew meat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He\u2019d remember never to order that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla asked for a tuna fish sandwich, then upgraded to a tuna melt and a small Coke. \u201cWe\u2019re being wicked, spending money like this,\u201d she told her husband when Dotty left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon lowered his head toward Marla\u2019s. \u201cWhen those development people come knocking, we\u2019re not taking the first offer. They\u2019ll lowball the locals. We\u2019ll hold out, just a little. Play \u2018em like a fish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla sat up straight, frowning. \u201cBut we\u2019ve been wanting to get rid of it. You told me a thousand times nobody wants it \u2018cause it\u2019s not on the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cBut when <em>they <\/em>buy the lakefront property, they\u2019ll want what\u2019s behind it, too,\u201d Vernon said, his jaw tensing. \u201cWe\u2019ll discuss it later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cDiscuss what?\u201d Dotty stood in front of them, holding Marla\u2019s small Coke in a glass scratched by too many trips through the old dishwasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla pressed her lips together, but Vernon got an idea. \u201cAnybody stop in here, Dotty? Out of towners, looking at property?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dotty hitched up one hip and planted a fist against it. \u201cNot this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI seen \u2018em,\u201d Gene said from down the counter. \u201cTwo cars driving around with somebody from the state. Office of Tourism\u2014said it right on the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cVacation people come here all the time. Our grandfather built some of the first cottages around here,\u201d Ava Grabels piped up. Eva chimed in, and the two sisters recited a history of the summer people going back to the 1920s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon looked over his shoulder at Dotty. \u201cDon\u2019t you have to fill their cups?\u201d He nodded toward the sisters as they prattled on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cThen I\u2019d miss what you\u2019re about to say,\u201d Dotty replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon got up and walked over to Gene\u2019s stool. \u201cYou still got that property over on Meyer Road?\u201d he asked, his voice low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gene nodded. \u201cI let my brother live there. House ain\u2019t worth much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cBut the land could be. You get it listed,\u201d Vernon told him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cSomebody\u2019s gonna buy it?\u201d Gene\u2019s words silenced the diner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Grabels got up from their table and moved closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cYou never know,\u201d Vernon said. \u201cKeep our ears open.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The next day, Marla overheard no less than five people at church talking about somebody buying up land around the town. Elmer Jonas bragged that he\u2019d painted \u201cfor sale\u201d on a piece of plywood and set it up by the mailbox that morning. Imagining the windfall, people spun tales of travel, moving to Florida, buying a Cadillac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cNot one penny to the building fund?\u201d Marla asked loudly, turning heads. \u201cVernon and I pledge ten percent.\u201d She ignored her husband\u2019s pleading look. \u201cMaybe even twenty.\u201d The realization of what she\u2019d just said hit her like a cold draft on the back of her neck. She rubbed at the spot, wondering if maybe they wouldn\u2019t have to give it away all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rev. Alen Barklin ran his hand across the thin waves of hair that did nothing to cover his pink scalp. \u201cMoney changes people. Remember what Jesus said, \u2018No man can serve two masters.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWe said we would pledge, pastor,\u201d Marla said, her words enunciated with a new emphasis that she supposed came from having money.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Making the rounds in his utility truck on Monday, Vernon stopped at the mini mart to use the bathroom and get a black coffee. He overheard a couple talking to someone about selling a stand of timber and using the money to fix up the house and put in a pool\u2014in-ground, not one of those standup things like a giant water dish. A few hours later, after pulling to the side of the road to eat the lunch Marla had packed, he splurged on a piece of pie at the diner. Eva and Ava Grabel shared a slice of lemon pound cake and talked about selling the land behind the family home and visiting Rome and the Holy Land, as if those two places were right next door to each other\u2014like Vermont and New Hampshire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gene the handyman came in as Vernon was leaving. \u201cYou go by your fishing spot today?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cNo. Been working out by Miller\u2019s Crossing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cYou need to see it. Surveyor stakes all over place\u2014and I mean <em>all <\/em>over the place. Both sides of Little Rocky.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon clamped a hand to the man\u2019s shoulder in thanks and headed out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla set the dining room for supper, instead of eating in the kitchen. Catching her reflection in the mirrored back of the old curio cabinet that had belonged to Vernon\u2019s mother, Marla checked her bright pink lipstick that matched the nicest housedress she\u2019d sewed for herself over the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When Vernon came in, hungry and grimy, Marla refused to lift one pot from the stove until he went upstairs to shower and change. He stomped away, muttering something about certain people getting uppity, but Marla didn\u2019t care. If raising herself and her place in the world meant putting on airs, then so be it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Arranging parsley sprigs around the serving platter, just like they did in restaurants, Marla let her thoughts drift back to her childhood: living in the back country, missing weeks of school because nobody plowed dirt roads out that far, her father working seasonally as a woodcutter, her mother cleaning houses for vacation people. She\u2019d met Vernon at sixteen and had to get married at seventeen, two days after his high school graduation. She never graduated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon worked hard and she knew how to cook; that\u2019s what saved them. When their kids were little, she had babysat for summer people. Later, she\u2019d taken a job at the IGA in the next town, eight hours a day on her feet at the cash register, but the paycheck had helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She caught a whiff of Irish Spring soap and turned to smile at Vernon, as handsome as he\u2019d been at the high school dance a lifetime ago. He opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  For two weeks, Vernon drove past the Little Rocky boat ramp at least once a day to see if anything had changed. When a rainstorm toppled a few of the surveyor stakes, he got out of the truck and propped them back up. He left, mud-splashed and wet to the shins by the tall grass, and headed to an overload out on County Route 2B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  He scrambled up the pole, clipped the safety on his belt. Adjusting his leather gloves with the reinforced palms, Vernon told himself that, as soon as the land sold, he\u2019d put in for early retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  A jolt shot through him like a blast from a rifle. The sky pinwheeled and everything went dark.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wadding a handful of soggy tissues into a tight ball, Marla made a bargain. Take away the land deal, just leave them as they\u2019d been\u2014working for a living and getting by, the kids and grandkids healthy, the two of them with years ahead. They didn\u2019t need to travel or buy new clothes. They didn\u2019t need steak and eggs or a second car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gene sat beside her in the waiting room of the hospital trauma center, an hour away. He\u2019d come upon the scene as the paramedics and volunteer firemen took Vernon off the pole. He\u2019d been the one to tell her what had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A nurse walked past, and Marla looked up, hopeful for any update on Vernon\u2019s surgery on his left hand, so badly burned when the electricity exited his body. No way to save it, the doctors had said. Still, she hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When Pastor Barklin showed up, Gene said he had to be getting on home. Marla hugged him, feeling his beefy hand pat between her shoulder blades. \u201cHe\u2019s a tough \u2018un,\u201d Gene said, and Marla saw him wipe his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Summer of Seventy-Three.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vernon drove himself one-handed, pulling into Gene\u2019s driveway at the appointed time. The other man invited him in, but Vernon suggested they sit outside for the sunshine and privacy. Taking a deep breath, Vernon repeated what he\u2019d said on the phone the day before: he wanted to tell Gene what happened. He hadn\u2019t told anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI got zapped and it all went black. Then I could see everything. I saw the car that stopped, then sped off\u2014knowing that they were heading home to call the fire department. I saw the paramedics get in the ambulance. I watched the volunteer firemen answer the call.\u201d Vernon studied an ant crawling along the picnic table where they sat. \u201cAnd I saw you coming up Meyer Road, making the turn onto Route 2B. You had the radio on\u2014Glen Campbell was singing Galveston.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI love that song,\u201d Gene said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Closing his eyes, Vernon described the scene that came to him in Technicolor, from high above\u2014light as a bird with no pain and one thought in his mind. <em>Marla.<\/em> How a rush like the wind had filled his ears and he slammed back into his body, wide awake and in excruciating pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI knew before they told me that I\u2019d lose my hand. I remember saying \u2018okay,\u2019 in my head, as if that was my sacrifice for being able to stay. I didn\u2019t care. As long as I was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gene looked down at his hands, turning them palms up. \u201cI\u2019d do the same\u2014even give up an arm or a leg.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The following Sunday afternoon, Vernon sat on the shores of Little Rocky Lake, as undisturbed as ever\u2014no development, the surveyor\u2019s stakes long gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He practiced a one-handed cast and hit the water just about where he intended. He held the fishing rod against his body with the prosthesis and used his right hand to feed out the line. Marla stood beside him, ready to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A fish took the spinner, and Vernon set the hook, then handed the rod to Marla to reel in. Next time, she\u2019d have her own gear, he decided, and they\u2019d fish together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A 14-inch brook trout came up fighting, the biggest of the three they\u2019d caught so far. Marla expertly took out the hook and set the fish in the basket lined with damp leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWhat do you say, cast one more time?\u201d Vernon asked. \u201cI\u2019m feeling lucky today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marla grinned back at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yes, he thought, lucky indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/free-online-fiction-poetry-art-e1608497702946.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5712\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Land Rush Image\" class=\"wp-image-9866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-370x278.jpg 370w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/faithhopeandfiction.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/LandRush.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Original Fiction Patricia Crisafulli<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,18,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original-online-fiction","category-patricia-crisafulli","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Land Rush | Faith Hope &amp; 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