Copyright Jeff Resnick 2022
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
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New EPISODES are added regularly.
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EPISODE ONE
New EPISODES are added regularly.
Oh, did I tell you? The entire site is FREE!
EPISODE ONE
Sometimes you just know it’s time to quit! As much as I enjoyed playing in this band, the venues weren’t what we called upwardly mobile. We took tonight’s gig just for the money, which is never a smart idea. Especially when the money wasn’t that good. Even worse when we got stiffed! But there we were, a group of long haired rockers playing in a biker bar packed with a couple hundred very drunk and stoned patrons. The beer was bubbling. The weed was wafting. The waitresses were half-naked hustlers. A few strung out ladies of the night were slow dancing in their own little corner of the world.
Pool tables and card tables were in high demand, bets placed in a frantic bidding war. Regardless, we continued playing, oblivious to our sorry surroundings. What choice did we have, other than to concentrate on the music we were playing? At that moment, it was the song ‘Beginnings’ by Chicago Transit Authority, of course! For us, this was just another paid rehearsal. We were actually in the middle of singing the lyrics, ‘Only The Beginning,’ when all at once, electricity filled the air like a bolt of lightning. Looking down from the stage, I saw a muscular bald headed bouncer locked in a threatening stare-down with a beefy tattooed biker in full leathers. The crowd was closing in around them, pool cues and beer bottles already raised high, everyone excited by what they all knew was about to explode in a frenzy. We’d been through this routine before. This time, though, we knew exactly what to do. We’d even rehearsed our escape! As if on an orchestra conductor’s wave of his baton, we managed to drag our equipment out the back door just as all hell broke loose. Not a second to spare, either! Into our van in a flash.
As we pulled away, warring combatants were already flying out the front door. Beer bottles and pool cues were breaking across heads. Then, gun shots echoed from inside. Sheer bedlam! We were only a mile down the road before we heard the sirens and saw the flashing reds coming from the direction we were heading. Thankfully, we were driving away, while the flashing reds were speeding towards. It took a few minutes before we felt the relief of escape and managed to share some nervous laughter. We stopped for a much needed pot of coffee and a box of jelly doughnuts. Sitting there, shaking our heads in amazement, I suddenly realized that I was the only one thinking that this might be my last gig with the band. Given the gun shots we experienced earlier that evening, I couldn’t help but wonder if lives would soon be lost to violence.
Sometimes you just know it’s time to quit! As much as I enjoyed playing in this band, the venues weren’t what we called upwardly mobile. We took tonight’s gig just for the money, which is never a smart idea. Especially when the money wasn’t that good. Even worse when we got stiffed! But there we were, a group of long haired rockers playing in a biker bar packed with a couple hundred very drunk and stoned patrons. The beer was bubbling. The weed was wafting. The waitresses were half-naked hustlers. A few strung out ladies of the night were slow dancing in their own little corner of the world.
Pool tables and card tables were in high demand, bets placed in a frantic bidding war. Regardless, we continued playing, oblivious to our sorry surroundings. What choice did we have, other than to concentrate on the music we were playing? At that moment, it was the song ‘Beginnings’ by Chicago Transit Authority, of course! For us, this was just another paid rehearsal. We were actually in the middle of singing the lyrics, ‘Only The Beginning,’ when all at once, electricity filled the air like a bolt of lightning. Looking down from the stage, I saw a muscular bald headed bouncer locked in a threatening stare-down with a beefy tattooed biker in full leathers. The crowd was closing in around them, pool cues and beer bottles already raised high, everyone excited by what they all knew was about to explode in a frenzy. We’d been through this routine before. This time, though, we knew exactly what to do. We’d even rehearsed our escape! As if on an orchestra conductor’s wave of his baton, we managed to drag our equipment out the back door just as all hell broke loose. Not a second to spare, either! Into our van in a flash.
As we pulled away, warring combatants were already flying out the front door. Beer bottles and pool cues were breaking across heads. Then, gun shots echoed from inside. Sheer bedlam! We were only a mile down the road before we heard the sirens and saw the flashing reds coming from the direction we were heading. Thankfully, we were driving away, while the flashing reds were speeding towards. It took a few minutes before we felt the relief of escape and managed to share some nervous laughter. We stopped for a much needed pot of coffee and a box of jelly doughnuts. Sitting there, shaking our heads in amazement, I suddenly realized that I was the only one thinking that this might be my last gig with the band. Given the gun shots we experienced earlier that evening, I couldn’t help but wonder if lives would soon be lost to violence.
EPISODE TWO
Joshua, their tour bus driver, was driving up a long curvy mountain road. Suddenly, he screeched to a halt, the rest of the band still sleeping despite their rather violent gig last night. He slammed on the brakes, pulled the emergency brake handle up, opened the door, and jumped out to see what had prompted his obvious fear. And there, off to the side of the road, was a body. The rest of them were quickly awakened by Joshua’s screams. Looking out the open bus door, they couldn’t help but see what Joshua saw. Terrified, they all followed suit and jumped out of the bus.
And there was Joshua hovering over the body lying on the side of the road. Thank goodness, none of them recognized the man. But Joshua couldn’t help but see the bloodied bullet wound in the man’s forehead. A quick check for his pulse revealed the obvious. Dead. Joshua took off his jacket and covered the man’s head. He then jumped back onto the tour bus and called for help on the telephone sitting beside his steering wheel. As they waited for help, they were in shock. Joshua told them to stay seated in the tour bus while he waited outside for the cops to show up.
They passed the time by talking about everything that had been happening.
“What the hell is going on?” Barney asked. “The last thing I remember is playing my guitar . . . and now this!”
“I was wailing like crazy on my drums,” said Henry, as Betsy, their very talented and incredibly gorgeous singer, was at a total loss for words. Joshua could only wonder, “Have any of you ever experienced anything like this before?” They shook their heads vigorously. “No choice but to wait for the cops, I suppose. Right?”
About an hour later, the cops showed up, sirens blaring, rooftop red lights flashing. They had questions galore. The first thing they did was order Renaldo to open the storage area under the tour bus. “What are you hiding in here?” the cops demanded.
“Our music instruments,” they answered.
“Aha!” the cops bellowed.
Convinced they’d found a bus full of drug addicts, the cops ordered all of them to get back on their tour bus and wait until they first drove to the jail house. One cop pulled out his gun and stayed with them, of course. Joshua and the rest of them waited for several hours, wondering why it could be taking so long.
Finally, they saw not just a few cops approaching, but an entire battalion . . . not to mention a police Paddy Wagon! They quickly stormed onto the bus, roughly tied their hands behind their backs, and literally dragged them off the bus . . . and threw them into the Paddy Wagon.
In the meantime, one of the cops had grabbed the ignition key to their bus. He drove it behind the Paddy Wagon. They were all in shock. With raised eyebrows, Joshua looked at the rest of them while chained inside the Paddy Wagon.
“This must be all about the body we found on the roadside!"
Soon enough, they arrived at police headquarters. Each of them was assigned a small 6’ x 6’ jail cell, complete with a metal toilet in one corner; a metal sink in another corner; and a very uncomfortable single bed in between. Barney was assigned cell #1; Lester, cell #2; Henry, cell #3; Jacob, cell #4; Betsy, cell #5; and yes, Joshua, cell #6.
Each cell had a small door at its bottom where food could be left for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just like a hotel, right? If only! Finally, there was one small shower to be shared individually, one at a time, by the ‘hotel guests.’ Before long, they each had a ‘visitor’ who explained the jail rules and regulations that they must follow. Should they not follow these rules, they would be subject to harsh penalties, which certainly included baton beatings.
Barney was the first to meet Dr. Albert Marshall, the police investigator in charge of running a smooth jail operation. Strange, but they all heard every word spoken in each cell. In other words, extremely thin walls and, of course, no windows. Dr. Marshall’s interview with Barney took exactly 15-minutes. And so it went with Lester, Henry, Jacob and Betsy. Exactly 15-minutes each, word-for-word. Joshua was last in line. Unlike the rest of them, he actually had the balls to ask Dr. Marshall a question!
“Why are we being held here, Dr. Marshall?”
“Simple answer? Each of you is being charged with murder in the first degree,” Marshall scolded.
What murder are you talking about, if I may ask?”
“The murder of the man whose body you claim you just happened to find on the roadside!” Marshall screamed.
“Are you shitting me?!” Joshua hollered back. “That’s exactly what happened!”
“That man was one of our best police officers!”
Joshua was flabbergasted, to say the least, not to mention his colleagues in the adjoining cells! It would seem that a world of hurt awaited them in the coming days! He decided that Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob and Betsy must figure a way out of this mess, so they began communicating through the ultra-thin walls.
“Hey, guys? We’re definitely up shit’s creek!” Joshua bellowed. “Here we are, locked up in these cells awaiting death at the hands of so-called police officers who share a criminal agenda we know nothing about!”
“Time for the shit to hit the fan!” yelled Barney. Betsy was so pissed she couldn’t help but pound her fists on the door. “We’ve gotta get out of this place . . . if it’s the last thing we ever do!”
Jacob, normally Mr. Cool, was hot under the collar. The six of them agreed that nothing could be more important than figuring out why Marshall had a hard-on for them. In other words . . . just who was the real criminal here? End of discussion.
And there was Joshua hovering over the body lying on the side of the road. Thank goodness, none of them recognized the man. But Joshua couldn’t help but see the bloodied bullet wound in the man’s forehead. A quick check for his pulse revealed the obvious. Dead. Joshua took off his jacket and covered the man’s head. He then jumped back onto the tour bus and called for help on the telephone sitting beside his steering wheel. As they waited for help, they were in shock. Joshua told them to stay seated in the tour bus while he waited outside for the cops to show up.
They passed the time by talking about everything that had been happening.
“What the hell is going on?” Barney asked. “The last thing I remember is playing my guitar . . . and now this!”
“I was wailing like crazy on my drums,” said Henry, as Betsy, their very talented and incredibly gorgeous singer, was at a total loss for words. Joshua could only wonder, “Have any of you ever experienced anything like this before?” They shook their heads vigorously. “No choice but to wait for the cops, I suppose. Right?”
About an hour later, the cops showed up, sirens blaring, rooftop red lights flashing. They had questions galore. The first thing they did was order Renaldo to open the storage area under the tour bus. “What are you hiding in here?” the cops demanded.
“Our music instruments,” they answered.
“Aha!” the cops bellowed.
Convinced they’d found a bus full of drug addicts, the cops ordered all of them to get back on their tour bus and wait until they first drove to the jail house. One cop pulled out his gun and stayed with them, of course. Joshua and the rest of them waited for several hours, wondering why it could be taking so long.
Finally, they saw not just a few cops approaching, but an entire battalion . . . not to mention a police Paddy Wagon! They quickly stormed onto the bus, roughly tied their hands behind their backs, and literally dragged them off the bus . . . and threw them into the Paddy Wagon.
In the meantime, one of the cops had grabbed the ignition key to their bus. He drove it behind the Paddy Wagon. They were all in shock. With raised eyebrows, Joshua looked at the rest of them while chained inside the Paddy Wagon.
“This must be all about the body we found on the roadside!"
Soon enough, they arrived at police headquarters. Each of them was assigned a small 6’ x 6’ jail cell, complete with a metal toilet in one corner; a metal sink in another corner; and a very uncomfortable single bed in between. Barney was assigned cell #1; Lester, cell #2; Henry, cell #3; Jacob, cell #4; Betsy, cell #5; and yes, Joshua, cell #6.
Each cell had a small door at its bottom where food could be left for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just like a hotel, right? If only! Finally, there was one small shower to be shared individually, one at a time, by the ‘hotel guests.’ Before long, they each had a ‘visitor’ who explained the jail rules and regulations that they must follow. Should they not follow these rules, they would be subject to harsh penalties, which certainly included baton beatings.
Barney was the first to meet Dr. Albert Marshall, the police investigator in charge of running a smooth jail operation. Strange, but they all heard every word spoken in each cell. In other words, extremely thin walls and, of course, no windows. Dr. Marshall’s interview with Barney took exactly 15-minutes. And so it went with Lester, Henry, Jacob and Betsy. Exactly 15-minutes each, word-for-word. Joshua was last in line. Unlike the rest of them, he actually had the balls to ask Dr. Marshall a question!
“Why are we being held here, Dr. Marshall?”
“Simple answer? Each of you is being charged with murder in the first degree,” Marshall scolded.
What murder are you talking about, if I may ask?”
“The murder of the man whose body you claim you just happened to find on the roadside!” Marshall screamed.
“Are you shitting me?!” Joshua hollered back. “That’s exactly what happened!”
“That man was one of our best police officers!”
Joshua was flabbergasted, to say the least, not to mention his colleagues in the adjoining cells! It would seem that a world of hurt awaited them in the coming days! He decided that Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob and Betsy must figure a way out of this mess, so they began communicating through the ultra-thin walls.
“Hey, guys? We’re definitely up shit’s creek!” Joshua bellowed. “Here we are, locked up in these cells awaiting death at the hands of so-called police officers who share a criminal agenda we know nothing about!”
“Time for the shit to hit the fan!” yelled Barney. Betsy was so pissed she couldn’t help but pound her fists on the door. “We’ve gotta get out of this place . . . if it’s the last thing we ever do!”
Jacob, normally Mr. Cool, was hot under the collar. The six of them agreed that nothing could be more important than figuring out why Marshall had a hard-on for them. In other words . . . just who was the real criminal here? End of discussion.
EPISODE THREE
So! If Barney had been following everything that’s been happening, he must be wondering how it had come to be. Here he was, locked up in a jail cell with his colleagues with no hope of escape, death in the wings. All of them were convinced that their jailers were truly murderous criminals!
Looking back in time, Barney couldn’t help but dream about his earlier life. Believe it or not, as a youngster he studied classical guitar in the University Music Conservatory. He’d devoted a minimum of ten hours to practice . . . seven days a week! Life was good. And soon to become financially rewarding, he hoped. Celebrating his 18th birthday, Barney was approached by the owner of a well known upscale restaurant located mere blocks from the university.
“Young man, a close friend of mine has heard you practicing your classical guitar. Indeed, you may have heard him practicing his upright bass in the practice room next to yours! Frankly, he is jealous of your talent! To the point, he has encouraged me to hire you to perform every Friday and Saturday evening in my downtown restaurant. Is this something you might consider?”
“Umm . . . Really?”
“Absolutely! I can offer you $200 in cash to perform every weekend between six o’clock PM and ten o’clock PM. What do you say?”
Barney’s eyebrows flew up in disbelief!
“Sir, I am thrilled to accept your most generous offer,” he responded. “When do I start?”
“Today being Thursday, how about starting tomorrow?”
“Wow . . . tomorrow works for me! Please note that I will show up at your restaurant at 5:30 sharp to set up on your corner stage, tune up my guitar, connect a microphone and my guitar to a small amplifier, and invite your guests to request favorite songs they might wish to enjoy. Does that work for you, sir?”
“I’m thrilled,” he laughed aloud. “I have no doubt that my dinner guests will not only enjoy your music, but more important, your guitar performances will soon be the talk of the town!”
At that, a bond had been formed. One that would certainly last for many years.
Looking back in time, Barney couldn’t help but dream about his earlier life. Believe it or not, as a youngster he studied classical guitar in the University Music Conservatory. He’d devoted a minimum of ten hours to practice . . . seven days a week! Life was good. And soon to become financially rewarding, he hoped. Celebrating his 18th birthday, Barney was approached by the owner of a well known upscale restaurant located mere blocks from the university.
“Young man, a close friend of mine has heard you practicing your classical guitar. Indeed, you may have heard him practicing his upright bass in the practice room next to yours! Frankly, he is jealous of your talent! To the point, he has encouraged me to hire you to perform every Friday and Saturday evening in my downtown restaurant. Is this something you might consider?”
“Umm . . . Really?”
“Absolutely! I can offer you $200 in cash to perform every weekend between six o’clock PM and ten o’clock PM. What do you say?”
Barney’s eyebrows flew up in disbelief!
“Sir, I am thrilled to accept your most generous offer,” he responded. “When do I start?”
“Today being Thursday, how about starting tomorrow?”
“Wow . . . tomorrow works for me! Please note that I will show up at your restaurant at 5:30 sharp to set up on your corner stage, tune up my guitar, connect a microphone and my guitar to a small amplifier, and invite your guests to request favorite songs they might wish to enjoy. Does that work for you, sir?”
“I’m thrilled,” he laughed aloud. “I have no doubt that my dinner guests will not only enjoy your music, but more important, your guitar performances will soon be the talk of the town!”
At that, a bond had been formed. One that would certainly last for many years.
EPISODE FOUR
Surely you’ve noticed that Betsy was the only woman in serious trouble here! Yes, she was what most people simply called the ‘female vocalist.’ Like the rest of her bandmates, she was locked up in a minuscule jail cell, #5, as it happened, fully convinced that her jailers were truly murderous criminals who looked at her with ugly leering eyes. Guess who had to shower alone in fear for her life.
How did all this begin in the first place, anyway? As a young lady just beginning her career in music, she hooked up with an extremely talented group of young men who provided the instrumental backup to her vocals.
Thankfully, they protected her in so many ways. Good guys, for sure! The more they performed together, the better they got. And the better they got, the more venues demanded their talents.
Eventually, they found themselves performing six nights a week, Sundays off, of course. They toured the US, France, Germany, Great Britain, and, believe it or not, New Zealand. And that wast just the beginning of another life!
They Called Him Mellow Yellow. Quite Rightly. Not in his mind! At the moment, he was far from mellow. As you might already know, Lester was locked in jail cell #2, held captive by Albert Marshall and his goons.
The worst criminals you’d ever encounter, claiming to be god’s gift to justice. In truth, they were the devil’s gift to injustice! But a most interesting and powerful memory suddenly buzzed his mind.
“Young man, a close friend of mine has heard you practicing your classical guitar. Indeed, you may have heard him practicing his upright bass in the practice room next to yours! Frankly, he is jealous of your talent!
To the point, he has encouraged me to hire you to perform every Friday and Saturday evening in my downtown restaurant. Is this something you might consider?”
That upright bassist was Lester! Still locked in jail cell #2, as he had already mentioned. Of course, Barney, the classical guitarist who shared the stage with him for such a long time . . . was now locked in jail cell #1.
Now that all these memories invaded his thoughts, Barney had no doubt that Henry, their powerful drummer, was locked in jail cell #3; Jacob, their organist, was locked in jail cell #4; and Betsy, their wonderfully talented (and beautiful) singer, was locked in jail cell #5; And Joshua was locked in jail cell #6.
In his heart, Joshua had no doubt that all of his colleagues were thinking this through, just as he was, along with you! And all of them were singing the exact same musical lyric.
“We’ve got to get out of this place . . . if it’s the last thing we ever do!”
They patted each others’ backs. Murder and Mayhem awaited. They discussed their approach to make sure they all agreed on how to proceed.
“In the dark of night, we’ll follow their earlier escape route and count how many of them remain,” Jacob explained. “In the quiet of night, we’ll each kill an evil goon.”
“Betsy, we agree that you, as the only woman, should remain behind,” Lester cautioned.
“Absolutely not!” admonished Betsy.
“Woman or not, I’m part of this team!” she boasted.
They all looked each other in the eyes, finally nodding agreement. Renaldo continued the instructions.
“Each of us will carry a large tree branch, lift it high in the air, and bring it down on a sleeping goon. As for me, I will carry the large hunting knife and stab an evil goon in the chest. We’ll punch, kick, smother, whatever is required. We will not stop until we have killed them all. Any questions?”
No questions required. They were all on the same page!
How did all this begin in the first place, anyway? As a young lady just beginning her career in music, she hooked up with an extremely talented group of young men who provided the instrumental backup to her vocals.
Thankfully, they protected her in so many ways. Good guys, for sure! The more they performed together, the better they got. And the better they got, the more venues demanded their talents.
Eventually, they found themselves performing six nights a week, Sundays off, of course. They toured the US, France, Germany, Great Britain, and, believe it or not, New Zealand. And that wast just the beginning of another life!
They Called Him Mellow Yellow. Quite Rightly. Not in his mind! At the moment, he was far from mellow. As you might already know, Lester was locked in jail cell #2, held captive by Albert Marshall and his goons.
The worst criminals you’d ever encounter, claiming to be god’s gift to justice. In truth, they were the devil’s gift to injustice! But a most interesting and powerful memory suddenly buzzed his mind.
“Young man, a close friend of mine has heard you practicing your classical guitar. Indeed, you may have heard him practicing his upright bass in the practice room next to yours! Frankly, he is jealous of your talent!
To the point, he has encouraged me to hire you to perform every Friday and Saturday evening in my downtown restaurant. Is this something you might consider?”
That upright bassist was Lester! Still locked in jail cell #2, as he had already mentioned. Of course, Barney, the classical guitarist who shared the stage with him for such a long time . . . was now locked in jail cell #1.
Now that all these memories invaded his thoughts, Barney had no doubt that Henry, their powerful drummer, was locked in jail cell #3; Jacob, their organist, was locked in jail cell #4; and Betsy, their wonderfully talented (and beautiful) singer, was locked in jail cell #5; And Joshua was locked in jail cell #6.
In his heart, Joshua had no doubt that all of his colleagues were thinking this through, just as he was, along with you! And all of them were singing the exact same musical lyric.
“We’ve got to get out of this place . . . if it’s the last thing we ever do!”
They patted each others’ backs. Murder and Mayhem awaited. They discussed their approach to make sure they all agreed on how to proceed.
“In the dark of night, we’ll follow their earlier escape route and count how many of them remain,” Jacob explained. “In the quiet of night, we’ll each kill an evil goon.”
“Betsy, we agree that you, as the only woman, should remain behind,” Lester cautioned.
“Absolutely not!” admonished Betsy.
“Woman or not, I’m part of this team!” she boasted.
They all looked each other in the eyes, finally nodding agreement. Renaldo continued the instructions.
“Each of us will carry a large tree branch, lift it high in the air, and bring it down on a sleeping goon. As for me, I will carry the large hunting knife and stab an evil goon in the chest. We’ll punch, kick, smother, whatever is required. We will not stop until we have killed them all. Any questions?”
No questions required. They were all on the same page!
EPISODE FIVE
Henry had the feeling that his colleagues and he were finally starting to figure out exactly what was going on here. And it wasn't good. On the contrary, the shit had hit the fan, as they saying goes. Henry was still locked in jail cell #3. There was no question that they were all at the mercy of Albert Marshall and his criminal goons. While they thought they might be figuring everything out, they were still up shit’s creek!
As for Henry, his drums sat idle, no where to practice or perform for who knows how long. He could only travel backwards in his dreams . . . not to mention his emotionally disturbing nightmares. But there was a time not that long ago that Hector's percussive skills were in high demand by bands in many parts of the world.
As much as he might have welcomed employment in the classical theatre environment, honesty demanded that he confide his truth. “I’m all about Jazz, Fusion, even Rock - n - Roll . . . but don’t tell anybody that!”
He prayed that his future was soon to arrive at his door step. Frankly, he couldn’t go on like this for another day!
Aw, man! The Hammond B3 Organ made Jacob’s heart go tick - tock - tick - tock! Hey, with a name like Jacob, he better have somethin’ going for himself, right?
But here he was, still imprisoned in jail cell #4 by some very wicked criminals posing as police as they planned to murder anyone that got in their way, whatever their way may be. Albert Marshall was their head honcho, an ungodly, wicked creature without a conscience! He was on Jacob’s shit list, that’s for sure. “His time is comin’. And it sure ain’t gonna be pretty!”
And yet, something WAS going for him other than music. Despite the many secrets that keep him locked up, he had no doubt that his musical colleagues had something going for all of them!
Yes, Barney prayed for a time when he’d be able to play his guitar again; Yes, Lester prayed for a time when he’d be able to play his upright bass again; Yes, Henry pray for a time when he’d be able to play his drums again; Yes, Betsy prayed for a time when she’d be able to sing again. Yes, Joshua prayed that “Our Time Will Come!”
Just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, they were suddenly knee deep in kaka! At least food, thought not very nutritious, had been delivered daily through the small opening in the bottom of their jail cell doors. Suddenly, food delivery had virtually stopped!
Something heinous was going on. They were talking starvation, with no means of helping themselves. But that’s not all. They heard no human activity amongst Albert Marshall and his criminal goons. It was unbelievably quiet. Had Marshall decided to merely leave them here to die? More to the point, had they kicked the bucket themselves, perhaps due to health reasons out of their control? Indeed, their daily conversations that they’d always been able to hear through the ultra thin jail cell walls had stopped.
Think! Think! Think! What were they to do? What would you have done if you were faced with the end of life, as they were? Morse code? Screaming? Crying? Banging on the walls? Giving up?
As the tour bus driver, Joshua was undoubtedly the strongest among them. If they were to be saved, it would be up to him to be the hero of the day. So he screamed, shouted, and hollered as loud as he possibly could. “Be ready! Josuha here, coming to save you!”
Joshua lay on his back on the floor, slamming his feet into the bottom of the wall of his jail cell for food that never arrived. “Ready? One, Two, Three! Here I come to save the day!” Despite the thin walls, Joshua gave it his all for at least 10-minutes until, voila, he could see into Henry’s cell!
Henry yelled when he saw Joshua! “Thank god! Believe it or not, we’re all alone here. Marshall and his criminal goons are gone, once and for all, forever! Alas, not a moment too soon!”
“Let the kicking continue,” Joshua encouraged. One by one, they managed to kick through the walls of Barney’s jail cell; then Lester’s jail cell; and Jacob’s jail cell. “Don’t give up, now!” Then, they all kicked through the walls of Betsy’s jail cell, knowing she lacked the masculine strength to follow their lead.
They scrounged for any food that might remain. They were absolutely shocked to find unopened cartons of food and drink! Cheerios; Cornflakes; Oatmeal; Potatoes; Bananas; Apples; Fresh Water; on and on.
They made sure Marshall and his goons were indeed gone. Then they ascended from the bowels of the earth and breathed in the fresh air they had been without for far too long. The sun was shining brightly. They all sat together in a circle, planning their future. Yes! A future!
But alas, as they planned their future, they dug into the cartons of food and drink they had just found. They chowed down in ecstasy. “Eat, drink, and be merry!” they encouraged each other.
Mother earth awaited their search. Initially, there was no evidence of any people being there. So they started walking through the woods surrounding them. Trees! Beautiful, tall trees, perhaps thousands of years ancient! Deer eyed them silently. Yes, fresh meat was finally available, despite their dislike of hunting.
As they continued, it seemed there had been some human hunting going on! They came upon the body of Marshall, a bullet hole through his forehead, not unlike the body they had come upon so long ago before any of this nonsense began in earnest. Remember?
“Joshua, our tour bus driver, is driving up a long curvy mountain road. Suddenly, he screeches to a halt, the rest of us still sleeping despite our rather violent gig last night. He slams on the brakes, pulls the emergency brake handle up, opens the door, and jumps out to see what has prompted his obvious fear. And there, off to the side of the road, is a body. The rest of us are quickly awakened by Joshua’s screams. Looking out the open bus door, we can’t help but see what Joshua sees. Terrified, we all follow suit and jump out of the bus. And there is Joshua hovering over the body lying on the side of the road.”
Not far away from Marshall’s body lay yet another body, this one with a hunting knife still stuck in the man’s neck. Dead, of course. They removed the knife and cleaned the blood off with heavy rags, understanding that this large knife would serve many purposes. Protection. Threat. Murder.
Farther along, they saw tracks indicating at least several men had been running from the woods into a large grassy meadow. Beyond that, a curvy paved road led high up a hill. No doubt the remaining criminals had certainly chosen that route, hoping to avoid anyone who might be searching for them.
In the meantime, the six of them all decided to return to the woods, hoping to create a camp site for cooking whatever food they could catch, as well as a make-shift tent where they could sleep without fear of attack from who knows where. But wait! A make-shift tent? The more they talked about it, the more they were intrigued with the idea of building a tree house high above.
Anyone searching for them would have no thought of looking above. Thankfully, they couldn’t help but believe that they were finally out of immediate danger from others. At least for now.
They’d just had a long pow-pow about the tree house idea. Given everything they had been through to get this far, they agreed that they must cover all bases. And that’s not all. It would be dangerous to assume that the evil criminals that remained could be running away now, but they were bound to return to kill them. Who knows why?
Furthermore, the six of them . . . Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, Betsy and Joshua . . . must plan carefully to accommodate all their wishes and demands.
Personal Privacy was key. As much as they loved and respected each other, all of them were now entitled to be alone whenever desired. With that in mind, each of them agreed that they would construct six mini-rooms, each with a comfortable bed, minimal furniture, and the like. After all, they had an ax for cutting wood, and a hammer and nails as required. And they didn’t forget the large hunting knife!
Food Gathering wouldn’t be easy. Being so high up in the air, there was no doubt they had to construct a simple pulley system to raise cartons of food and drink from the ground up to their tree house.
Water Gathering and Disposal were important and easy. Without a toilet, sink, and shower, a healthy environment required that they construct a wooden cistern for catching and storing rain water, not to mention a simple a bucket lowering system for waste.
Cooking was Key! In addition to the obvious collecting of fruits, vegetables, and small edible creatures on the ground below, they decided to construct a small metal grate for carefully burning wood chips for cooking as required.
Common Sense was the Rule. They must rely on the trees and their thick green leaves to completely hide their tree house . . . and themselves . . . from any and all eyes below, be they human or otherwise.
Personal Security was a necessity. Luckily, they had binoculars to scour the woods at all times. They took nothing for granted. Hope for the best, but always assume the worst. They would be very naive and foolish to assume that anyone searching for them would have no thought of looking above. They dare not believe that they were finally out of immediate danger from others.
Were they paranoid? Undoubtedly! Paranoia saved lives!
As for Henry, his drums sat idle, no where to practice or perform for who knows how long. He could only travel backwards in his dreams . . . not to mention his emotionally disturbing nightmares. But there was a time not that long ago that Hector's percussive skills were in high demand by bands in many parts of the world.
As much as he might have welcomed employment in the classical theatre environment, honesty demanded that he confide his truth. “I’m all about Jazz, Fusion, even Rock - n - Roll . . . but don’t tell anybody that!”
He prayed that his future was soon to arrive at his door step. Frankly, he couldn’t go on like this for another day!
Aw, man! The Hammond B3 Organ made Jacob’s heart go tick - tock - tick - tock! Hey, with a name like Jacob, he better have somethin’ going for himself, right?
But here he was, still imprisoned in jail cell #4 by some very wicked criminals posing as police as they planned to murder anyone that got in their way, whatever their way may be. Albert Marshall was their head honcho, an ungodly, wicked creature without a conscience! He was on Jacob’s shit list, that’s for sure. “His time is comin’. And it sure ain’t gonna be pretty!”
And yet, something WAS going for him other than music. Despite the many secrets that keep him locked up, he had no doubt that his musical colleagues had something going for all of them!
Yes, Barney prayed for a time when he’d be able to play his guitar again; Yes, Lester prayed for a time when he’d be able to play his upright bass again; Yes, Henry pray for a time when he’d be able to play his drums again; Yes, Betsy prayed for a time when she’d be able to sing again. Yes, Joshua prayed that “Our Time Will Come!”
Just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, they were suddenly knee deep in kaka! At least food, thought not very nutritious, had been delivered daily through the small opening in the bottom of their jail cell doors. Suddenly, food delivery had virtually stopped!
Something heinous was going on. They were talking starvation, with no means of helping themselves. But that’s not all. They heard no human activity amongst Albert Marshall and his criminal goons. It was unbelievably quiet. Had Marshall decided to merely leave them here to die? More to the point, had they kicked the bucket themselves, perhaps due to health reasons out of their control? Indeed, their daily conversations that they’d always been able to hear through the ultra thin jail cell walls had stopped.
Think! Think! Think! What were they to do? What would you have done if you were faced with the end of life, as they were? Morse code? Screaming? Crying? Banging on the walls? Giving up?
As the tour bus driver, Joshua was undoubtedly the strongest among them. If they were to be saved, it would be up to him to be the hero of the day. So he screamed, shouted, and hollered as loud as he possibly could. “Be ready! Josuha here, coming to save you!”
Joshua lay on his back on the floor, slamming his feet into the bottom of the wall of his jail cell for food that never arrived. “Ready? One, Two, Three! Here I come to save the day!” Despite the thin walls, Joshua gave it his all for at least 10-minutes until, voila, he could see into Henry’s cell!
Henry yelled when he saw Joshua! “Thank god! Believe it or not, we’re all alone here. Marshall and his criminal goons are gone, once and for all, forever! Alas, not a moment too soon!”
“Let the kicking continue,” Joshua encouraged. One by one, they managed to kick through the walls of Barney’s jail cell; then Lester’s jail cell; and Jacob’s jail cell. “Don’t give up, now!” Then, they all kicked through the walls of Betsy’s jail cell, knowing she lacked the masculine strength to follow their lead.
They scrounged for any food that might remain. They were absolutely shocked to find unopened cartons of food and drink! Cheerios; Cornflakes; Oatmeal; Potatoes; Bananas; Apples; Fresh Water; on and on.
They made sure Marshall and his goons were indeed gone. Then they ascended from the bowels of the earth and breathed in the fresh air they had been without for far too long. The sun was shining brightly. They all sat together in a circle, planning their future. Yes! A future!
But alas, as they planned their future, they dug into the cartons of food and drink they had just found. They chowed down in ecstasy. “Eat, drink, and be merry!” they encouraged each other.
Mother earth awaited their search. Initially, there was no evidence of any people being there. So they started walking through the woods surrounding them. Trees! Beautiful, tall trees, perhaps thousands of years ancient! Deer eyed them silently. Yes, fresh meat was finally available, despite their dislike of hunting.
As they continued, it seemed there had been some human hunting going on! They came upon the body of Marshall, a bullet hole through his forehead, not unlike the body they had come upon so long ago before any of this nonsense began in earnest. Remember?
“Joshua, our tour bus driver, is driving up a long curvy mountain road. Suddenly, he screeches to a halt, the rest of us still sleeping despite our rather violent gig last night. He slams on the brakes, pulls the emergency brake handle up, opens the door, and jumps out to see what has prompted his obvious fear. And there, off to the side of the road, is a body. The rest of us are quickly awakened by Joshua’s screams. Looking out the open bus door, we can’t help but see what Joshua sees. Terrified, we all follow suit and jump out of the bus. And there is Joshua hovering over the body lying on the side of the road.”
Not far away from Marshall’s body lay yet another body, this one with a hunting knife still stuck in the man’s neck. Dead, of course. They removed the knife and cleaned the blood off with heavy rags, understanding that this large knife would serve many purposes. Protection. Threat. Murder.
Farther along, they saw tracks indicating at least several men had been running from the woods into a large grassy meadow. Beyond that, a curvy paved road led high up a hill. No doubt the remaining criminals had certainly chosen that route, hoping to avoid anyone who might be searching for them.
In the meantime, the six of them all decided to return to the woods, hoping to create a camp site for cooking whatever food they could catch, as well as a make-shift tent where they could sleep without fear of attack from who knows where. But wait! A make-shift tent? The more they talked about it, the more they were intrigued with the idea of building a tree house high above.
Anyone searching for them would have no thought of looking above. Thankfully, they couldn’t help but believe that they were finally out of immediate danger from others. At least for now.
They’d just had a long pow-pow about the tree house idea. Given everything they had been through to get this far, they agreed that they must cover all bases. And that’s not all. It would be dangerous to assume that the evil criminals that remained could be running away now, but they were bound to return to kill them. Who knows why?
Furthermore, the six of them . . . Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, Betsy and Joshua . . . must plan carefully to accommodate all their wishes and demands.
Personal Privacy was key. As much as they loved and respected each other, all of them were now entitled to be alone whenever desired. With that in mind, each of them agreed that they would construct six mini-rooms, each with a comfortable bed, minimal furniture, and the like. After all, they had an ax for cutting wood, and a hammer and nails as required. And they didn’t forget the large hunting knife!
Food Gathering wouldn’t be easy. Being so high up in the air, there was no doubt they had to construct a simple pulley system to raise cartons of food and drink from the ground up to their tree house.
Water Gathering and Disposal were important and easy. Without a toilet, sink, and shower, a healthy environment required that they construct a wooden cistern for catching and storing rain water, not to mention a simple a bucket lowering system for waste.
Cooking was Key! In addition to the obvious collecting of fruits, vegetables, and small edible creatures on the ground below, they decided to construct a small metal grate for carefully burning wood chips for cooking as required.
Common Sense was the Rule. They must rely on the trees and their thick green leaves to completely hide their tree house . . . and themselves . . . from any and all eyes below, be they human or otherwise.
Personal Security was a necessity. Luckily, they had binoculars to scour the woods at all times. They took nothing for granted. Hope for the best, but always assume the worst. They would be very naive and foolish to assume that anyone searching for them would have no thought of looking above. They dare not believe that they were finally out of immediate danger from others.
Were they paranoid? Undoubtedly! Paranoia saved lives!
EPISODE SIX
The time had come. They were all on the same page. It was the middle of the night. Pitch black. Luckily, there was a full moon brightening the sky, along with stars galore. So all of them could see each other easily. They arrived and stood above the three remaining evil killers.
Betsy lifted her large tree branch above her head, ready to bring it down on the head of a sleeping goon. As she did, she had second thoughts, of course. And she wondered to herself. By doing what they were all doing simultaneously, were they not becoming murderers themselves? Were they no better than Marshall’s evil goons?
“Please don’t hurt me,” a woman’s voice pleaded, looking into Bryanna’s eyes.
Joshua prepared to stab an evil goon in the chest as promised.
“Please don’t hurt us,” another woman’s voice begged, looking into Joshua’s eyes.
Lester was ready to kill, as agreed.
“Please don’t kill us,” yet another woman’s voice broke the silence, looking into Leonardo’s eyes.
Henry was ready to become an evil murderer.
“I’m not ready to die. Please don’t do this,” another woman begged, looking into Henry’s eyes.
Betsy lowered her heavy tree branch and asked these pathetic women a simple question. “How did you come to be here?”
With tears in her eyes, the first woman answered Betsy. “We were all kidnapped by a group of evil and murderous men. They threatened to return here from the fires they set to burn down the forest and kill us all. This is not how we expected to meet our deaths. We beg you to help us escape!”
Betsy, Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, and Joshua lowered their weapons to the ground, look at each other, and nodded their heads in the affirmative.
Betsy spoke softly. “We will protect you. You see, these same evil goons have been trying to murder us for a very long time. But they’ve been unable to find us. Please, come live with us. You will be safe. We’ll construct private living quarters for each of you. We live high in the forest in the massive trees, unable to be seen from below.”
Betsy offered her hands to the women, helping them stand up from the cold forest ground. Tears streaming down their cheeks, they hugged us as they offer their names.
“I am Naomi.”
“My name is Ruth.”
“Me? I’m Delilah.”
“Esther is my name.”
“Finally!” Betsy laughed loudly. “I’ve been the only woman in this group for far too long! Welcome, welcome good ladies.”
Naomi spoke. “God knows you, as He knows us. He shall protect us all. Today is a new beginning to all our lives. The brightly lit full moon and stars in the skies are proof of what is to come. Love rules.”
Marshall may be dead, but his evil goons were on the way back from the fires they had set, eager to burn down the forest as they had earlier threatened. But more important, they were excited, indeed thrilled, to deal with the four women they had abandoned in the woods in a coffin-like environment.
So, the evil goons walked for hours on end, back from where they had come. As darkness approached, they arrived at their destination, shocked that the women they sought had disappeared. They fanned out in each direction, wondering how the four women could have escaped. Suddenly, they all too clearly understood what must have happened.
“Hey! No doubt the bitches were rescued by the creeps we chased so long ago! As before, put on your green glowing Night Vision Binoculars. Find them, and we find the bitches!”
Hearing the shouts from below only a short distance from their virtually invisible tree house, Betsy quietly whispered to warn her colleagues so as not to be heard by those searching below in the darkness. “Hurry . . . Lights out . . . As we have learned the hard way so many times before, Marshall’s evil goons are always with us, murder and mayhem their only goal.”
“Does this madness ever end?” Naomi asked quietly.
Ruth answered softly, “Only if we take matters into our own hands, I’m afraid.”
Joshua interrupted the women with a terse whisper. “Once and for all, ladies, the time has come to rid ourselves of Marshall’s all too evil criminal goons. Forever! As Betsy has so clearly warned, murder and mayhem is their only goal. May they be in perpetual fear of us, our commitment, our strength, our goodness, and our protective abilities! May the lord watch over us and protect us as we create a new world for the good of mankind. This is not only our duty, but our destiny!”
The time had come. They were all on the same page. It was the middle of the night. Pitch black. Luckily, there was a full moon brightening the sky, along with stars galore. So all of them could see each other easily. They arrived and stood above the three remaining evil killers.
Betsy lifted her large tree branch above her head, ready to bring it down on the head of a sleeping goon. As she did, she had second thoughts, of course. And she wondered to herself. By doing what they were all doing simultaneously, were they not becoming murderers themselves? Were they no better than Marshall’s evil goons?
“Please don’t hurt me,” a woman’s voice pleaded, looking into Betsy’s eyes.
Joshua prepared to stab an evil goon in the chest as promised.
“Please don’t hurt us,” another woman’s voice begged, looking into Joshua’s eyes.
Lester was ready to kill, as agreed.
“Please don’t kill us,” yet another woman’s voice broke the silence, looking into Lester’s eyes.
Henry was ready to become an evil murderer.
“I’m not ready to die. Please don’t do this,” another woman begged, looking into Henry’s eyes.
Betsy lowered her heavy tree branch and asked these pathetic women a simple question. “How did you come to be here?”
With tears in her eyes, the first woman answered Betsy.
“We were all kidnapped by a group of evil and murderous men. They threatened to return here from the fires they set to burn down the forest and kill us all. This is not how we expected to meet our deaths. We beg you to help us escape!”
Betsy, Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, and Joshua lowered their weapons to the ground, look at each other, and nodded their heads in the affirmative.
Betsy spoke softly. “We will protect you. You see, these same evil goons have been trying to murder us for a very long time. But they’ve been unable to find us. Please, come live with us. You will be safe. We’ll construct private living quarters for each of you. We live high in the forest in the massive trees, unable to be seen from below.”
Betsy offered her hands to the women, helping them stand up from the cold forest ground.
Tears streaming down their cheeks, they hugged us as they offer their names.
“I am Naomi.”
“My name is Ruth.”
“Me? I’m Delilah.”
“Esther is my name.”
“Finally!” Betsy laughed loudly. “I’ve been the only woman in this group for far too long! Welcome, welcome good ladies.”
Naomi spoke. “God knows you, as He knows us. He shall protect us all. Today is a new beginning to all our lives.
“The brightly lit full moon and stars in the skies are proof of what is to come. Love rules."
They all started walking through the woods surrounding them. Trees! Beautiful, tall trees, perhaps thousands of years ancient! Despite the darkness, the moonlight and starlight lead the way. The young ladies they had adopted were in awe of the journey. Several hours later, they finally arrived at their home.
“Here we are, friends. Home Sweet Home! Take a look around you. Do you see our dwelling?”
They looked around, and around, and around again.
Betsy chuckled. “Look up, into the trees. Can you see our lovely home above?”
Our guests were certainly confused! So Joshua explained the very nature of our home.
“Common Sense is always the Rule. We rely on the trees and their thick green leaves to completely hide our tree house . . . and us . . . from any and all eyes below, be they human or otherwise.”
Betsy concluded the conversation.
“Personal Security is always a necessity. Luckily, we have binoculars to scour the woods at all times. We must take nothing for granted. Hope for the best, but always assume the worst. We would be very naive and foolish to assume that anyone searching for us would have no thought of looking above.”
With that, they took their guests and climbed up into their lovely and protective tree house. Their guests were in awe. Not surprising, for sure.
They had long ago constructed their six mini-rooms, each with a comfortable bed, minimal furniture, and the like. After all, they had an ax for cutting wood, and a hammer and nails as required.
Food Gathering was never easy. Being so high up in the air, they had constructed a simple pulley system to raise cartons of food and drink from the ground up to their tree house. They took them on a tour of their personal mini-rooms, explained how they would begin construction on their new homes immediately.
Naturally, their names would be chiseled above their mini-rooms, as our names were likewise chiseled above our mini-rooms.
Betsy lifted her large tree branch above her head, ready to bring it down on the head of a sleeping goon. As she did, she had second thoughts, of course. And she wondered to herself. By doing what they were all doing simultaneously, were they not becoming murderers themselves? Were they no better than Marshall’s evil goons?
“Please don’t hurt me,” a woman’s voice pleaded, looking into Bryanna’s eyes.
Joshua prepared to stab an evil goon in the chest as promised.
“Please don’t hurt us,” another woman’s voice begged, looking into Joshua’s eyes.
Lester was ready to kill, as agreed.
“Please don’t kill us,” yet another woman’s voice broke the silence, looking into Leonardo’s eyes.
Henry was ready to become an evil murderer.
“I’m not ready to die. Please don’t do this,” another woman begged, looking into Henry’s eyes.
Betsy lowered her heavy tree branch and asked these pathetic women a simple question. “How did you come to be here?”
With tears in her eyes, the first woman answered Betsy. “We were all kidnapped by a group of evil and murderous men. They threatened to return here from the fires they set to burn down the forest and kill us all. This is not how we expected to meet our deaths. We beg you to help us escape!”
Betsy, Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, and Joshua lowered their weapons to the ground, look at each other, and nodded their heads in the affirmative.
Betsy spoke softly. “We will protect you. You see, these same evil goons have been trying to murder us for a very long time. But they’ve been unable to find us. Please, come live with us. You will be safe. We’ll construct private living quarters for each of you. We live high in the forest in the massive trees, unable to be seen from below.”
Betsy offered her hands to the women, helping them stand up from the cold forest ground. Tears streaming down their cheeks, they hugged us as they offer their names.
“I am Naomi.”
“My name is Ruth.”
“Me? I’m Delilah.”
“Esther is my name.”
“Finally!” Betsy laughed loudly. “I’ve been the only woman in this group for far too long! Welcome, welcome good ladies.”
Naomi spoke. “God knows you, as He knows us. He shall protect us all. Today is a new beginning to all our lives. The brightly lit full moon and stars in the skies are proof of what is to come. Love rules.”
Marshall may be dead, but his evil goons were on the way back from the fires they had set, eager to burn down the forest as they had earlier threatened. But more important, they were excited, indeed thrilled, to deal with the four women they had abandoned in the woods in a coffin-like environment.
So, the evil goons walked for hours on end, back from where they had come. As darkness approached, they arrived at their destination, shocked that the women they sought had disappeared. They fanned out in each direction, wondering how the four women could have escaped. Suddenly, they all too clearly understood what must have happened.
“Hey! No doubt the bitches were rescued by the creeps we chased so long ago! As before, put on your green glowing Night Vision Binoculars. Find them, and we find the bitches!”
Hearing the shouts from below only a short distance from their virtually invisible tree house, Betsy quietly whispered to warn her colleagues so as not to be heard by those searching below in the darkness. “Hurry . . . Lights out . . . As we have learned the hard way so many times before, Marshall’s evil goons are always with us, murder and mayhem their only goal.”
“Does this madness ever end?” Naomi asked quietly.
Ruth answered softly, “Only if we take matters into our own hands, I’m afraid.”
Joshua interrupted the women with a terse whisper. “Once and for all, ladies, the time has come to rid ourselves of Marshall’s all too evil criminal goons. Forever! As Betsy has so clearly warned, murder and mayhem is their only goal. May they be in perpetual fear of us, our commitment, our strength, our goodness, and our protective abilities! May the lord watch over us and protect us as we create a new world for the good of mankind. This is not only our duty, but our destiny!”
The time had come. They were all on the same page. It was the middle of the night. Pitch black. Luckily, there was a full moon brightening the sky, along with stars galore. So all of them could see each other easily. They arrived and stood above the three remaining evil killers.
Betsy lifted her large tree branch above her head, ready to bring it down on the head of a sleeping goon. As she did, she had second thoughts, of course. And she wondered to herself. By doing what they were all doing simultaneously, were they not becoming murderers themselves? Were they no better than Marshall’s evil goons?
“Please don’t hurt me,” a woman’s voice pleaded, looking into Betsy’s eyes.
Joshua prepared to stab an evil goon in the chest as promised.
“Please don’t hurt us,” another woman’s voice begged, looking into Joshua’s eyes.
Lester was ready to kill, as agreed.
“Please don’t kill us,” yet another woman’s voice broke the silence, looking into Lester’s eyes.
Henry was ready to become an evil murderer.
“I’m not ready to die. Please don’t do this,” another woman begged, looking into Henry’s eyes.
Betsy lowered her heavy tree branch and asked these pathetic women a simple question. “How did you come to be here?”
With tears in her eyes, the first woman answered Betsy.
“We were all kidnapped by a group of evil and murderous men. They threatened to return here from the fires they set to burn down the forest and kill us all. This is not how we expected to meet our deaths. We beg you to help us escape!”
Betsy, Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, and Joshua lowered their weapons to the ground, look at each other, and nodded their heads in the affirmative.
Betsy spoke softly. “We will protect you. You see, these same evil goons have been trying to murder us for a very long time. But they’ve been unable to find us. Please, come live with us. You will be safe. We’ll construct private living quarters for each of you. We live high in the forest in the massive trees, unable to be seen from below.”
Betsy offered her hands to the women, helping them stand up from the cold forest ground.
Tears streaming down their cheeks, they hugged us as they offer their names.
“I am Naomi.”
“My name is Ruth.”
“Me? I’m Delilah.”
“Esther is my name.”
“Finally!” Betsy laughed loudly. “I’ve been the only woman in this group for far too long! Welcome, welcome good ladies.”
Naomi spoke. “God knows you, as He knows us. He shall protect us all. Today is a new beginning to all our lives.
“The brightly lit full moon and stars in the skies are proof of what is to come. Love rules."
They all started walking through the woods surrounding them. Trees! Beautiful, tall trees, perhaps thousands of years ancient! Despite the darkness, the moonlight and starlight lead the way. The young ladies they had adopted were in awe of the journey. Several hours later, they finally arrived at their home.
“Here we are, friends. Home Sweet Home! Take a look around you. Do you see our dwelling?”
They looked around, and around, and around again.
Betsy chuckled. “Look up, into the trees. Can you see our lovely home above?”
Our guests were certainly confused! So Joshua explained the very nature of our home.
“Common Sense is always the Rule. We rely on the trees and their thick green leaves to completely hide our tree house . . . and us . . . from any and all eyes below, be they human or otherwise.”
Betsy concluded the conversation.
“Personal Security is always a necessity. Luckily, we have binoculars to scour the woods at all times. We must take nothing for granted. Hope for the best, but always assume the worst. We would be very naive and foolish to assume that anyone searching for us would have no thought of looking above.”
With that, they took their guests and climbed up into their lovely and protective tree house. Their guests were in awe. Not surprising, for sure.
They had long ago constructed their six mini-rooms, each with a comfortable bed, minimal furniture, and the like. After all, they had an ax for cutting wood, and a hammer and nails as required.
Food Gathering was never easy. Being so high up in the air, they had constructed a simple pulley system to raise cartons of food and drink from the ground up to their tree house. They took them on a tour of their personal mini-rooms, explained how they would begin construction on their new homes immediately.
Naturally, their names would be chiseled above their mini-rooms, as our names were likewise chiseled above our mini-rooms.
FINAL EPISODE!
Marshall may be dead, but his evil goons were on the way back from the fires they had set, eager to burn down the forest as they had earlier threatened.
But more important, they were excited, indeed thrilled, to deal with the four women they had abandoned in the woods in a coffin-like environment.
So, the evil goons walked for hours on end, back from where they had come.
As darkness approached, they arrived at their destination, shocked that the women they sought had disappeared.
They fanned out in each direction, wondering how the four women could have escaped. Suddenly, they all too clearly understood what must have happened.
“Hey! No doubt the bitches were rescued by the creeps we chased so long ago! As before, put on your green glowing Night Vision Binoculars. Find them, and we find the bitches!”
Hearing the shouts from below only a short distance from their virtually invisible tree house, Betsy quietly whispered to warn her colleagues so as not to be heard by those searching below in the darkness.
“Hurry . . . lights out . . . as we have learned the hard way so many times before, Marshall’s evil goons are always with us, murder and mayhem their only goal.”
“Does this madness ever end?” Naomi asked quietly.
Ruth answered softly, “Only if we take matters into our own hands, I’m afraid.”
Joshua interrupted the women with a terse whisper.
“Once and for all, ladies, the time has come to rid ourselves of Marshall’s all too evil criminal goons. Forever!"
"As Betsy has so clearly warned, murder and mayhem is their only goal. May they be in perpetual fear of us, our commitment, our strength, our goodness, and our protective abilities!"
"May the lord watch over us and protect us as we create a new world for the good of mankind. This is not only our duty, but our destiny!”
Joshua had made up his mind. He knew that Marshall’s criminal goons were up to no good below in the forest.
“Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, and yes, even you, Betsy, the time has come to rid the world of this evil once and for all!"
"As always, we rely on the trees and their thick green leaves to completely hide our tree house . . . and us . . . from any and all eyes below, be they human or otherwise."
"We have the weapons we need!"
"An ax."
"A hammer."
"Heavy duty nails."
"A large and sharp hunting knife."
"Our fists."
"Even our feet."
"Finally, we will steal their guns to use against them."
"Fear not, my friends! Follow me into the battle of our lives!”
No argument here!
In the darkness of night, they lowered themselves from their tree house into the forest below.
Immediately, all hell broke loose, for the goons were surely not expecting their surprise attack against them!
Joshua tackled the first wicked, evil goon, and stabbed him in the heart with his sharp hunting knife.
Blood flowed in all directions.
One evil goon . . . dead.
At the same time, with all her physical strength, Betsy slammed another goon on the head with a heavy tree branch, thereby breaking his neck.
Evil goon number two . . . dead.
Simultaneously, Barney hammered nails into the forehead of evil goon number three, drawing endless blood.
He was already dead as the blood stopped flowing.
Lester took a wicked swing with the ax, beheading evil goon number four . . . dead.
Henry punched, kicked, and pounced solidly and endlessly, no different than playing his drums.
Evil goon number five . . . dead.
In the meantime, Jacob rushed to gather all their guns, which they would now store safely in their tree house above, assisted by Naomi, Ruth, Delilah, and Esther.
The Murder and Mayhem finally concluded, they all hugged each other, tears flowing, reminding each other that love conquers all.
Years ago, when Barney, Betsy, Jacob, and Lester were mere teen agers, they performed regularly at famous night clubs and massive concert halls around the world.
So, what did all that have to do with the present?
Let’s just say that ‘Stranger Things’ had invaded their souls!
And you, friends, are about to encounter these ‘Stranger Things’ first hand!
Fear not, for you are destined to visit another world, first with Barney, then with Henry, Betsy, Jacob, and Lester.
I suspect that most of you remember ‘The Twilight Zone’ so many decades ago on Television.
A word of warning: You are soon to journey to another dimension!
But more important, they were excited, indeed thrilled, to deal with the four women they had abandoned in the woods in a coffin-like environment.
So, the evil goons walked for hours on end, back from where they had come.
As darkness approached, they arrived at their destination, shocked that the women they sought had disappeared.
They fanned out in each direction, wondering how the four women could have escaped. Suddenly, they all too clearly understood what must have happened.
“Hey! No doubt the bitches were rescued by the creeps we chased so long ago! As before, put on your green glowing Night Vision Binoculars. Find them, and we find the bitches!”
Hearing the shouts from below only a short distance from their virtually invisible tree house, Betsy quietly whispered to warn her colleagues so as not to be heard by those searching below in the darkness.
“Hurry . . . lights out . . . as we have learned the hard way so many times before, Marshall’s evil goons are always with us, murder and mayhem their only goal.”
“Does this madness ever end?” Naomi asked quietly.
Ruth answered softly, “Only if we take matters into our own hands, I’m afraid.”
Joshua interrupted the women with a terse whisper.
“Once and for all, ladies, the time has come to rid ourselves of Marshall’s all too evil criminal goons. Forever!"
"As Betsy has so clearly warned, murder and mayhem is their only goal. May they be in perpetual fear of us, our commitment, our strength, our goodness, and our protective abilities!"
"May the lord watch over us and protect us as we create a new world for the good of mankind. This is not only our duty, but our destiny!”
Joshua had made up his mind. He knew that Marshall’s criminal goons were up to no good below in the forest.
“Barney, Lester, Henry, Jacob, and yes, even you, Betsy, the time has come to rid the world of this evil once and for all!"
"As always, we rely on the trees and their thick green leaves to completely hide our tree house . . . and us . . . from any and all eyes below, be they human or otherwise."
"We have the weapons we need!"
"An ax."
"A hammer."
"Heavy duty nails."
"A large and sharp hunting knife."
"Our fists."
"Even our feet."
"Finally, we will steal their guns to use against them."
"Fear not, my friends! Follow me into the battle of our lives!”
No argument here!
In the darkness of night, they lowered themselves from their tree house into the forest below.
Immediately, all hell broke loose, for the goons were surely not expecting their surprise attack against them!
Joshua tackled the first wicked, evil goon, and stabbed him in the heart with his sharp hunting knife.
Blood flowed in all directions.
One evil goon . . . dead.
At the same time, with all her physical strength, Betsy slammed another goon on the head with a heavy tree branch, thereby breaking his neck.
Evil goon number two . . . dead.
Simultaneously, Barney hammered nails into the forehead of evil goon number three, drawing endless blood.
He was already dead as the blood stopped flowing.
Lester took a wicked swing with the ax, beheading evil goon number four . . . dead.
Henry punched, kicked, and pounced solidly and endlessly, no different than playing his drums.
Evil goon number five . . . dead.
In the meantime, Jacob rushed to gather all their guns, which they would now store safely in their tree house above, assisted by Naomi, Ruth, Delilah, and Esther.
The Murder and Mayhem finally concluded, they all hugged each other, tears flowing, reminding each other that love conquers all.
Years ago, when Barney, Betsy, Jacob, and Lester were mere teen agers, they performed regularly at famous night clubs and massive concert halls around the world.
So, what did all that have to do with the present?
Let’s just say that ‘Stranger Things’ had invaded their souls!
And you, friends, are about to encounter these ‘Stranger Things’ first hand!
Fear not, for you are destined to visit another world, first with Barney, then with Henry, Betsy, Jacob, and Lester.
I suspect that most of you remember ‘The Twilight Zone’ so many decades ago on Television.
A word of warning: You are soon to journey to another dimension!