A Short Story for Children

Over the Olde Den Fireplace in Jeremiah's Home, hung an Artist's Rendering

of his Paternal Grandfather Bowmann (Professor and Poet while he lived):

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(to be continued)

Jeremiah looked at the oil painting. He was so much like his Grandfather
with his fair hair and his piercing blue eyes that could look through steel.
He wanted to shake off the shackles of this old town. A town of 1600 people
where nothing ever happened. A town of one big general store two restaurants
and a honky tonk bar.

The pick up trucks would gather there every Friday night. Chevys and Ford F 150's.
The Hillbilly men attempting to look their finest in front of the few good women that
populated this God forsaken place. The whole town consisted of two intersecting
roads, a lake and a railway that flew through and carried on without stopping.
Jeremiah longed to take Annie on that train and head for Boston, where he wanted
to train as a lawyer.


Cont'd

He could see himself now sitting in his plush office.
Dark mahogany desk with his name on the top.
Jeremiah Bowmann Attorney at law.
The deep red carpet and the comfortable black leather
swivel chair with it's chrome work.

Diplomas framed and decorating three of the magnolia
painted walls. Just then the rumble of another train.
He went outside to look at it. A powerful Amtrak engine
with 14 carriages. As usual it whistled through at 70 miles
an hour without stopping. The only sign of life in a dead town.
He would be on that train one day.




Cont'd

Annie was in her uncles house watching them get ready for the
honky tonk bar. Her aunt Jane was in a floral summer print dress
and her uncle Jeb was wearing the blue suit he got married in 15 years before.
He was pleased that he could still fit into it. Hard farm work kept him slim and trim.

Jeb owned a spread and raised cattle and chickens. Jane looked after the poultry
while he took care of the bovine end of things. Together they scraped a living
and every Friday night they went to the bar to let their hair down and listen to
the banjo's and the fiddles.

Annie was in charge of their 8 year old son Todd while this event came around
every Friday.



Cont'd

Ain't nobody, gonna help meeeeeee with ma storeeeee. ( Harmonica )

I said won't you help meeeeee oh yeah......mercy Lord...( Harmonica )

I need mo' good words from the sage yeah.................( Harmonica )

gotta write these blues down on the page...........( Harmonica solo )

A hot August night and the full moon lit up the valley.
The sound of country music filled the air as the towns folk
drank and danced their way through the summer evening.
The conversation flowed along with the Sam Adams beer
and happy faces laughed as they watched people who
couldn't dance. Over in one end of the room a shy couple in
their late teens starting out on the road to innocent love.
Their eyes more often staring at the floor instead of each other.
An awkward moment as they went to kiss was ruined by the noise
of the last train running through the valley.

On the other side of the lake a knock came upon the door.
Annie asked who it was and Jeremiah answered. Quickly she
admitted him. What did he want at that time of night?
Who did he think he was coming 'round here so bold and so late?



cont'd

"On the other side of the lake a knock came upon the door.
Annie asked who it was and Jeremiah answered. Quickly she
admitted him. What did he want at that time of night?
Who did he think he was coming 'round here so bold and so late?"

"Annie, Annie... Wait, Wait! It's just me. I hurt my neck trying to straighten the Painting of Grandfather Bowmann. It was hanging crookedly on the wall above the Olde Fireplace in the Den. I fell off that cheap ladder. My neck hurts sooo bad. That's not all; I think my head's on crooked, too...."

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~Jeremiah

(to be continued)