The River’s Secret: Chapter IV

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Chapter IV: Gudge’s Mission

            How many times had Gudge placed his right hand over his chest in the last few minutes?  Too many times, he was sure.  Martin had coached him and told him over and over again how important it was to act natural.  Trouble was, Gudge always looked nervous in public.  He rarely made the trip to the big city.  He preferred the simple life on his farm where it was just him and his family.  Even going to the neighboring small town to get supplies was out of his comfort level.  Thinking on Martin’s brief lessons, he had no idea how to act natural on a crowded ferry which is where he was at the moment. 

The letter he was tasked to deliver to the capital was tucked away in his inside jacket pocket and he realized he kept patting his chest so that he could hear the paper and be reassured it was still there.  That is something Martin would have absolutely forbidden him to do so he made a conscious effort to stop touching his chest. But then what should he do instead?

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The River’s Secret: Chapter III

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Chapter III: Gudge’s Predicament

            Gudge the First knew precisely two things when he woke up.  One, he was not a smart man and that meant there was a good chance he may not get out of his current predicament.  And the second thing he knew without a doubt was that he absolutely hated Martin Gregory.  But all the hate he felt for the man was not going to change his current situation so he went back to the first thing he knew.  How was he of all people going to get out of this predicament?  He didn’t even know where he was or where he was going because there was a burlap sack over his head.  He could hear horses and felt the familiar rocking motion of a wagon so he knew he was being taken somewhere. 

            Two men apparently were riding in the wagon also because he could hear them discussing his fate.  So, he pretended to still be unconscious to decide his course of action.  He had been prepared for this kind of outcome, he told himself.  Though he had been assured multiple times it was “unlikely.”  Think of the script, think of the script… he thought to himself.

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The River’s Secret: Chapter II

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Chapter II: Gudge the First’s Final Moments

            Gudge, Sr, or as his posterity came to call him, Gudge the First, opened his and then narrowed them when he saw his captor and watched the man.  He couldn’t tell where they were but noticed the ceiling was so low his captor could not stand straight up but kept his head down.  And he noticed his captor’s uniform was faded and rather tight around his middle with his undershirt poking out between the lower buttons.  His midsection hung over his trousers and Gudge assumed it had been some years since the man had seen his own feet while standing.  One thing was certain, Gudge recognized it was not a friendly uniform whose wearer would be sympathetic to him or his cause.  That told him everything he needed in order to proceed cautiously. The affable and guileless Gudge was going to have to be a very good actor if he wanted to get out of wherever he was at the moment. His mind raced as he tried to recall the exact words of the script he had been forced to memorize. “You won’t get caught,” he had been promised, “but just in case you do commit this to memory.” He desperately tried to calm himself enough to remember. He was a fine tapestry merchant, traveling to see his brother…no sister.  Sister, he was on his way to see his sister who had raised him after their parents died. It was a rather tragic tale intended to invoke sympathy if needed.

But first things first, where exactly was he? His mouth was gagged with a dirty handkerchief that tasted horrible on his tongue, and he was lying prone on a cot with his hands tied above his head and his feet tied at the other end of the cot.  He couldn’t turn his body but he could move his head and look around.

            His captor wiped the back of his neck. “Sure is hot down here.”  He looked at Gudge.  “Look who woke up!”

            Gudge nodded but never took his eyes of the captor.

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The River’s Secret: Chapter I

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Chapter I: The River’s Secret

            The area had been in a drought for years.  Everyone knew it and knew the river was getting lower and lower.   “Wonder what secrets we’ll find when it dries up?” the younger generation would tease.  “Probably nothing that any of us want to see,” the old timers responded. 

The little rainfall the area did receive was never enough to raise the level up.  It couldn’t even maintain the level.  Instead, year after year, the water level dropped.  First the difference was noted in inches and then in feet.   

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The Feud: Chapter V

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The Fishing Hole

            Calvin did not, in fact, witness his first nursing home fisticuffs and to tell the truth, he couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed.  It should be quickly added that he was mostly relieved at not having to stop a physical altercation between two brittle participants and very relieved Nurse Clementine’s attention would not be drawn to his antics.  But still a tinge of disappointment that nothing physical materialized. The confrontation played out exactly how one would think it would play out in a nursing home.  By the time Marty made his way to Gus and Calvin he had expended his energy and the only thing he could do was sit down on a chair next to the couch they sat on to catch his breath.

            Gus stood up when he saw Marty making his way to them but by the time Marty had reached the couch, Gus was already sitting down again apparently tired of standing.

            “So,” Calvin said after letting them both catch their breaths, “you two have been going at this since high school?” He asked then realizing how long ago that was he repeated and emphasized, “high school?”

            “Ha!” Marty said.  “He wishes we had been friends in high school.”

            “I don’t wish,” Gus mumbled.  “You wish.”

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The Feud: Chapter IV

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The Graduates

            Gus cleared his throat a couple of times and then started telling his story. “My parents were rather intelligent but not highly educated people. They both came from families that worked and toiled their whole lives just to barely make ends meet.  My parents never had the opportunity to rise above their families’ meager social class and when the Great Depression hit, our family was hit hard.  So, education was a luxury neither family could invest in.  It was a proud moment for both of my parents when I was able to stay in school and graduate.” He paused a moment, seemingly lost in reflection. “To celebrate, my parents threw a party in our small coal camp town.  The likes of which had not been seen in that area.  Everyone was invited.  Even him,” he narrowed his eyes down the hall in the direction of Marty’s room.  “And his family. It was the polite thing to do, my mom said.”

            Calvin nodded.  Graduation day? This had to be the cause of the great Marty and Gus rift. Then he tried to picture the two 90-year-olds as teenagers and failed. His mind kept reverting their faces to the worn and wrinkled faces he knew. Later on, he would let himself giggle about the images his mind kept conjuring up.

            “I tried to talk my dad out of throwing the party but, what can I say?  He was a proud papa.” Gus’s face relaxed to a near smile.  “My parents were well liked and everyone showed up.  Of course, he came with his girlfriend’s family.  Oh boy, that girlfriend of his.” He drifted off in thought for a moment. “Her dad was a mining official so a bit higher paygrade than the rest of the miners in town.  He never acted like it though.  His wife, however, never fit in with the other miners’ wives.  A bit uppity.  Which meant their daughter, Marty’s girlfriend, was a real piece of work.”

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