25 comments/ 20615 views/ 7 favorites The Third of July By: PTBzzzz I'm back! Actually I never left. I've been reading what everyone else has to offer. Some is really good. As usual I have written and edited the story on my own. Any mistakes are mine alone and will remain as first submitted. There is no overt sex in my stories, I don't feel it is necessary. I've been around for a while so you know how I feel about life, and I write about how I feel. I like this story and hope you do too. If not... Ptbzzzz ***** It is the fifth anniversary of the loss of my dearest husband. Let me tell what happened that day such a short time ago. I am Sarah Fisher. I married Joel a little over 15 years ago. We have two children, 13 year old Mary and 8 year old Emmanuel. Joel and I met in college, I work as a structural engineer. He is a CPA, with a PHD in math. If there is a problem with someone's ledgers he will find it. I am visiting Belvoir State Park today, and am hoping to find out something about Joel today. This is the fifth time I have made this pilgrimage since he disappeared. First I visit with the rangers to learn anything new since my last visit, any tiny hint will be welcome. Then I return to the waterfalls where he disappeared, to grieve and pray for him. I miss him so much in my life! I know in my heart he is still alive, we are soul-mates. Every time one of us hurts the other knows instantly. I can feel that he is doing well. When I return to this wall I'm sitting on I can feel his presence. He is alive somewhere nearby, I just know he has to be missing me as much as I miss him. I felt him especially near last time, the fourth year. Thinking back to the day he disappeared. Joel has always been a heavy man. Oh, Who am I kidding? The doctors call him morbidly obese. He is 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighs in at a little under 400 pounds. He also has severe diabetes. He does not get as much exercise as he should because he works at a desk and he constantly eats. The weather that visit had been like a monsoon, heavy rain and high winds were the order of the day on the first and second. Wednesday, July Third dawned bright, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. There was a light breeze. Being toward the bottom of the mountain the water was moving fast and high in the stream. We came here each year for the first week of July to celebrate at the spot where he proposed. We were sitting on this very wall, way over in the far right corner. If you have been here, you know that's where the wall begins to slope downhill and disappear into the forest. It is a short walk of about one half mile from the parking lot. The last few years we were together, Joel had to stop and rest a few times while we walked here from the car. His weight seems to climb about twenty pounds each year. He had walked to the metal railing to take a photo of the falls from the top. There was a loud shriek from a woman and I saw a red flash go over the falls. If there were others there I never noticed. He had worn a bright red sweat shirt that morning. There is a spot at the bottom of the falls where the water can roll you over and over for a long time before it might let you go. They call it a death roll. The stream is over 6 feet deep leading downstream from that point on a normal day. They found his fanny-pack along side the stream; with his wallet, camera and important medical items he always carried. They also found torn bits and pieces of his shirt, washed ashore, on both sides, for 2 to 3 miles along the stream. The man who owned the hotel we always stay at was there that day. He was more than kind and tried to comfort me. Last year there was a fellow who looked like a backwoodsman who sat in the far corner and seemed to be lost. His body was massive, all solid muscles. He had the longest, most unruly hair and beard I ever saw. A woman who was similarly attired sat a distance away from him. I wanted to speak with them, but I was so frightened by his appearance I just couldn't. I was working up the nerve to approach them; when I turned back they were gone. If they return I will speak with them this time. Carolina's story, beginning five years ago OK, I know your first thought is, "Who the hell is Carolina?" Carolina is the last surviving member of a family that has inhabited these mountains for almost three hundred years. She guesses that she is about thirty five years old. Carolina is what you could call a handsome woman. Her hair is beginning to turn silver, after being blond all her life. Life has been hard on her since Momma and Daddy died within months of each other. That happened about six years before the beginning of our story. She is strong and moves quickly and quietly when needed. This beautiful woman can lift four hundred pounds of stone or firewood and carry it over a mile on her shoulder. She can plow the three acre garden in the spring, using a one bladed plow and mule, in less than a morning. Not many people know of her. There is the neighbor down the road a spell, she takes Carolina's produce and eggs into town each Saturday to the farmers market. There is the postal lady who drops off the mail every Tuesday. And, there is the recorder lady at the courthouse who receives the tax payment on the property each spring. It is rare for her to walk into town. When she does it is almost as if she is invisible to the townfolk. She lives in the same cabin that the first generation of her family built with stones and logs from the nearby forest. Momma and Daddy had five children who survived their first three years. They were all named for nearby towns and other states or countries that the family knew of. Carolina was their last child; what most might call an oops. The family called her "Their gift from heaven." She was both wanted and loved. She was the only girl to survive. She was sickly as a tiny child, then she began to grow when she was about five. There was no stopping her after that. When she was 15 she was as strong as any of her brothers. They were all eight years, or more, older than her. Her four brothers all died early in life leaving her to care for her parents. She was too busy on Tuesday and Wednesday to run down to the box. There was no mail on Thursday. It was the Fourth of July, five years ago, Carolina was heading back up the deer trail that ran along the stream. She was moving a little fast and making no noise at all. As she moved she startled a few rabbits and racoons, they all scurried of the side of the path and were gone long before she reached them. If she had been hunting they would have already been in her basket. As she moved on she heard noises she had never heard before, kind of a scratching and moaning noise. It would start and stop and then began over and over. She stepped off the side of the trail toward the water and looked over the edge. There was a massive human form at the bottom of the short hill. At first she saw no face or even the head. Then she saw bubbles coming up from beneath the form. Soon after the head slowly rose out of the water making soft coughing and hacking sounds, and the head dropped into the water again. The head did not return again. The water was higher than normal, but the stacked stone wall of the swimming hole would keep her there if she slipped in the water. She jumped into the water and turned him over so his head was to the side, water slowly trickled out. She saw no signs of breathing. She remembered a story her Daddy told when she was still a girl. "A young boy had fallen into a pond and had drowned. The father was so full of grief that he took off running with the child over his shoulder to find the town doctor. By the time he had run the two miles to the doctors office the boy was laughing about the crazy ride." It might work she thought. She threw him up on the bank, jumped out of the water and ran all the way to her cabin with him facing downward. She felt his shallow breathing when she put him on the porch. She turned him on his side and a little more water trickled out. Soon the flow got heavier and the man coughed out a large amount of water. It was warm that afternoon and the sun was shining on him so she left him there and carefully watched him. Soon no more water drained from his mouth; his breathing began to return to a somewhat normal rhythm and he dropped into a deep sleep. Carolina had no formal education of any kind, but somewhere deep inside she knew that if he was showing signs he was alive she should hold off taking any more action. Not to mention that she didn't know anything else to do. She had made fresh bread that morning. Being tired from her efforts and very hungry she cut some ham and a chunks of cheese and bread. She soon returned and found the sun was no longer shining on him. In it's place three of her dogs were curled up around the man keeping him warm. It gets cold many nights in the mountains, so when she went in for her jacket she brought out a blanket for the man. She hung a lantern in the rafters so the light shown on him. About four or so in the morning he moaned, the dogs got up and moved away from him, the blanket pulling off as they left, and she watched as he wet his pants. He went back under whatever spell held him. The next morning she woke much later than normal, she rushed to catch up with her chores while she kept an eye on her charge. The sun rose higher in the sky and he finally began to return to the living. After finding he was unable to sit up due to dizziness. He turned his head to the side. He saw the trees and undergrowth and what passed for a yard up there on the mountain. Soon she noticed his eyes were open and she abandoned her work to look after him. Early that morning she had brought out her Momma's nursing notes, she searched until she found the recipes she needed. He had what was called a death rattle in his chest. She knew he had pneumonia and if not treated quickly, it could kill him. She set about mixing the tea from one recipe and a poultice from the other. He only took a few sips of the tea, he would take no more. She scooped the poultice out of the bowel and applied it as she had been taught. He hated that even more than the tea. Soon he tired and fell asleep. When he woke many hours later much of the rattle was gone. Carolina gave him some warm broth to drink, lightly laced with more of the tea. That evening he slept in the bed beside her, as there was no other place that was suitably large enough for either one of them. He could not remember any name he had been called, so she suggested William. Through motions he revealed to her that he did not remember anything, even a name. She knew he could hear because he jumped a few times when the dogs would run up behind him. After telling him they were dogs and their names he tried to speak and only made grunts and squeaks. She hummed a note and soon he was able to hum too. It took months before he began to use simple words correctly. He wanted to help around the farm but was too week to do much. He tried to do everything she did. Sometimes he would get it right and just spend a day doing the same thing over and over. He never forgot a task when he did it correctly. At six months he was able to fold the laundry, wash the dishes, bring in firewood and many other chores. He had also shed almost sixty pounds. He could speak in short sentences and ask simple questions. On July Third at the end of his first year he was speaking clearly and reading short children's stories. He was also down to two hundred and eighty pounds and much of that was muscle. He walked as quickly and silently as Carolina did. Math soon returned to him on it's own, first it was simple math and then his abilities opened with a speed that she did not understand. He began to teach her everything he knew about math. She was learning it as fast as he remembered the processes. Still he had no recollection of his past. At a year and a half he was one hundred and ninety pounds and mostly solid muscle. A few months later she was dreaming about the dogs when she woke up. She had been petting the dog in her dream. Upon waking, in the middle of the night she realized she had been petting his penis, he was awake with a bewildered look on his face. "Why did that feel so good?" he asked. She was very embarrassed and ran from the house onto the porch. He came out shortly in a confused state, not understanding why she acted so. Haltingly he softly spoke "Did we do something wrong?" And again "Why did that feel so good?" What could she say? How do you explain the birds and bees to the simple man/boy he had become? How to explain the creation of new life? "I 'm tired " she told him. "I'll explain it in the morning. You go back to bed and I will be in shortly." He lay awake waiting to be sure she was OK. She had never put him off like that before; she always answered his questions quickly. Soon he went out and found her asleep in that old rocker. He didn't try to bring her in for fear she would wake up, he just brought out some blankets and wrapped her up to keep her warm. He lit a lantern and hung it where it would light her face. He brought out a few more blankets and went to sleep on the porch floor. She woke long before he did to find them both sleeping on the porch surrounded by all the dogs. She was amazed by how carefully he had wrapped her up to keep her warm. She lay there just looking around and saw a pair of pigs mating in the pen. Now she knew how to explain. She was a thirty something virgin about to explain an act, she had never taken part in, to this large gentle man. She imagined some of the questions he might ask her. OH, how to explain? "Just be as honest as you can" she heard a small voice in her head whispering to her. After breakfast she sat William down to explain. She said, "Every type of critter has two forms: you have the boys, they have a penis. You have the girls, they have a vagina. The boy puts his penis into the girl and she can become pregnant and have babies." He said, "Is that what they are doing when they climb on top of each other?" She nodded "Yes." He continued "So I guess it has to feel good or they would not make the babies?" She replied, "I suppose." "I think I understand." he mumbled. Both felt the discussion was over and went about their daily chores. After supper that evening he asked "Do you have a vagina?" Carolina had not expected that question, "I, I, I'm a girl, so I suppose I do" she stuttered. After a long period of silence he asked "Can I see it?" She was just getting into it deeper and deeper. "I don't think that would be right," she replied, "No more talking about it tonight. OK?" She turned bright red. Quickly he recognized he had embarrassed her, "I'm sorry!" he mumbled and changed the subject to their for work for tomorrow. When they went to bed that evening there was an awkward feeling in the room. They lay down facing away from each other. Neither fell asleep fast that night. After what seemed like forever William spoke softly "I really am sorry." Carolina waited a bit and replied "I know. Maybe it is best if we don't speak about this for a while." She heard a soft response of "Alright, I didn't mean to embarrass you." Shortly after, they were both sleeping the sleep of the dead. The next morning they woke facing each other and lay there for a while before they just smiled and began their day. Late into their third year, around the beginning of June, he spoke to her about a feeling he had been having. "You said you found me in the swimming hole down by the creek on July fourth. I have this feeling that someone is looking for me around that time each year, someone from my past. They are sad and lonely. I think this year I should follow the stream and look for a place where I might have fallen in. I hope I may find something about my past there. Can I do that this year? If I find something I will return and tell you." "I know nothing of the lands much beyond the swimming hole. Mom and Dad said there were bad people a ways beyond there. We should think on it and make a plan before we do something like that." Neither could think of a reason not to go exploring. So they set out July Second, making sure the animals all had enough to eat and drink. They also had enough food to last three days and bedding and oil cloths for sleeping. They traveled, along the creek, a considerable distance before a path began to show. Soon he noticed the path was marked with orange painted squares on the rocks and trees. She remembered in the old days the travelers would chop a small block of bark off of the trees to mark where they had been, blazing they called it. Dad had told them about it in one of his stories. Shortly later they could hear the thundering of the falls ahead. They walked up to the bottom and stared in wonder. After a while, of nothing changing, it began to become boring, they decided to walk back down the path, until they could barely hear the falls. Then they turned to the left and walked a short distance into the wood and set up camp for the night. The next morning as they cleaned up the camp William began to feel the way he did each July Third, it was light at first like always. Over the next hours it began to feel more intense. Carolina sat near him and they talked quietly for the longest time. When they returned from lunch in the picnic grounds the feeling was very intense. Carolina moved away from him to allow him to concentrate The person was confused and sad, he could feel that. "Which person as it?" he wondered. Over the next hour most everyone else left and was replaced by new people, except the woman over on the wall. Carolina circled around the stranger and soon ended up behind her. The woman sat and watched the comings and goings and the faces as new persons arrived to view the falls. It took two times speaking to the woman before she realized the voice was directed at her. Carolina spoke for the third time "It surely was a beautiful day today" "Yes! It was!" Sarah replied. "Do you come here often?" The accents and sentence formations each used were different, but they began to understand each other as they continued to talk. "Are you with the man over there on the other wall" Sarah asked. Carolina responded that "Let's say William is family." That was the only way she felt she could answer and tell the truth as she considered it to be. Sarah knew all of Joel's family. She was disappointed to hear that. As she looked over at him, he could sense her feelings and felt sad for her. After a little more small talk Carolina returned to his side. William declared she was the one that gave him the feeling. "She is very upset right now, she was hoping for different answers. Can we find a way to get to know her better?" Sarah was near tears as she slowly rose to leave the site. Carolina quickly rose and followed her to the path, "We are sorry to see you leaving upset" she said as she touched her arm to get her attention. Sarah responded, "There was an accident here years back and I lost someone I loved." Her grief was so great that she was unable to relate any of the details. The feelings were so intense that she wanted to burst out in tears. Carolina was thinking that there was much more to the story. She needed more time to find what it was. She suddenly blurted out "We would like you to visit us tomorrow, If you would." Sarah could feel the happiness in William;s thoughts. She had thought about refusing until then. She turned and replied "I think I might like that." "You'll find Gilead on the map, it's east of here. Not being very worldly Carolina figured everyone knew where Gilead was. You come into town from the north, on State Route 34. That ends at Main Street, Turn right and drive out Main Street to the end of the pavement. Then keep going straight up the road. When you find the fencing closing off the Smithe Joines Mine you will see a small dirt road go off to the right, drive until you see the first house and keep going about five miles, until you see a faded red mailbox on the right. Park at the trail head, between the box and the bridge over the creek. The bridge is old and don't look like much but she's strong and sturdy. I will meet you there." The Third of July It was a long walk back to the cabin, they made it there just before darkness settled in for the night. Thank goodness for the long days of summer. They had to walk fast to make it. They talked little as they moved silently down the path. William was sure the lady left the falls in a joyful mood and he made sure Carolina knew that. Carolina was beginning to realize that she might soon be left alone if Sarah turned out to be his wife. She was thinking about that as they moved. Things had been OK before he arrived, and she would survive if she was left alone again. She understood how much a companion added to her life now. Sarah returned to her friend's hotel for the evening. She was full of hope and the happiest she had been for a long time. She could read the moods of that man at the falls, he was the one that she had felt, for all those years. "What could she say to her friend?" she wondered. Rick had comforted her the day Joel went missing, he seemed to be interested in her as more than a friend. Many times he had hinted broadly that he would like to move their relationship to a different level, to be more intimate. Sarah had managed to keep that from happening, as long as she felt Joel's spirit communicating it could never happen. Yet she was beginning to wonder what it might be like to be with Rick. She would never betray her love for Joel as long as she still felt him nearby. The one thing she could not understand was how could that man be the same person who went over the falls. The changes were too great to justify that thought. William was concerned as they went to bed that evening; He could feel the confusion in her thinking and it made him worry. Sarah was asleep by then, she woke with a start, worrying about the shy stranger and wondering what his and Carolina's relationship really was. William and Sarah fell asleep at around midnight as they both worried and wondered about the other. Morning came early for William and Carolina They had to catch up on their chores before company came. It had been years since there were any visitors at the cabin, it had to be just right. Sarah arrived at the bridge about noon as they had agreed. There was no one to be seen. She walked out onto the bridge and looked at the fast flowing water, she shuddered thinking about floating down from the falls. Why; it had to be fifteen miles to the falls from here. She turned toward her car and was startled to see Carolina stand at the side of the creek. "That is a a bit higher than normal today, you should see what the rains can do to it" They hugged then grabbed a few things from the car and began the short hike to the cabin. The scenery was lush and laden with wild flowers as they moved. One patch of orange day lilies seemed to go on forever. The color variations were exquisite; from the very darkest, almost brown in color, to almost white. There were striped and variegated flowers. Sarah stopped in awe. It had been daylight for hours. But when the sun began to show over the mountain to the east the temperature began to climb rapidly. When they arrived at the cabin, Sarah was beginning to perspire heavily. After sitting on the porch with a glass of spring water she began to cool. It was then that she began to see all of the flowering bushes and plantings of wild flowers floating on the sea of bright green moss that made the yard. She stared in amazement at it all. There was a nearly inaudible call from house and lunch was served. William had prepared soup, sandwich makings and an assortment of fruit. It was arranged on the table so everyone could reach what they wanted. Of course there was more of that cold, delicious, sweet mountain spring water. Sarah was asked to tell the story of Joel and their life together. William was most interested in the story. There were no interruptions and the story was soon finished, Sarah had a difficult time when it came to the part about Joel drowning and never finding the body. William commented that he thought he might have read a story in a book that sounded a bit like that. He could not remember the title or many of the details. The story was very familiar though. Carolina thought it might be nice to dip in the swimming hole since the temperature was close to a hundred degrees. Sarah didn't have a swimsuit, it was suggested that she go in wearing her shorts and tea shirt. At the hole Carolina just jumped in feet first, soon to be followed by William. He took off his shirt and just jumped in in his pants. Sarah was in the midst of untying her shoes when she gasped, then she was heard to say "Oh! ...Oh my!" Soon she was bent double sobbing in hysterical, wracking cries. Carolina was the first to make it to her side. William was a few seconds behind. She sobbed inconsolably for a long time, then she pulled her shirt up a few inches to show a tiny tattoo. There was a tiny heart on her side just above the waistline. "She has a birthmark just like mine!" William called out. Carolina had seen his many times before since the day she found him. All she could say was "OH! Oh my!" Knowing nothing about tattoos she wondered "How could this be?" Sarah had almost caught her breath when she gasped, "That's Joel!" The words were barely a whisper. After returning to the cabin Carolina told her tale of William. She told of the strange noises she heard, how he had stopped breathing, the trip back to the cabin and William's rehabilitation over the years. "We are like brother and sister" she explained at the end. It was soon dark as the discussions subsided. Everyone was hungry. We added some more vegetables to the soup and put it on to boil. While it cooked they cut more bread, meat and cheese. They added many types of fresh fruit to make it a meal. Carolina was quiet through out the meal, the others said little. Occasionally there was a short question and a shorter answer. William made up bedrolls as the ladies cleaned up from the evening meal. Softly Carolina began to explain the relationship between her and William. At one point she felt she knew what Sarah's biggest worry was, "Sarah, You need to understand something about me. I have never experienced a man, I'm a virgin. We truly lived as brother and sister. We slept in the same bed each night, only because none of the others could hold us. It started the second night, I needed to listen for problems...it just continued from there." Sarah replied and hugged her, "I can read that every word you just told me is true." When chores were through they met at the table again. "Sarah, it is too late to let you leave" We can all sleep on the porch tonight and in the morning we will decide what happens next." William woke first the next morning to find himself in a tight embrace between two women. He smiled. All three did chores the next morning. They worked as a team to prepare breakfast. After clean up they sat down to talk. "I'm a bit overwhelmed by all that has happened. I've felt something for years" he admitted. I don't remember much about my previous life: mostly that I always felt so loved and that I hated the work I did. I know that is not much to go on from here. We need to take the time to learn about each other again." he addressed this to Sarah. "I am grateful to you and can never do enough for all the things you you have done for me." he addressed Carolina. "I would love it if we could all be together here as one big family. Those are the first and most important things on my mind. Oh! Since I , maybe, died and was brought back to life I would like to keep the name we used for the last 5 years. I want to be William. I am comfortable with that." Sarah then began; "I never did believe you were gone, on that first day I was afraid... I, I,... I was afraid because I could not feel your presence. Late in the afternoon the next day I began to feel something again. The feeling was very faint, I never doubted your love again. Having said that, we need to contact others to let them know what has occurred. " Sarah continued "Carolina, I can never tell you how much I love you for saving his life. I pray it won't be necessary but, if I have to I would continue to live. To live without the man I love has who has survived all of this. Carolina spoke last. "I knew from the beginning that you loved someone else. In your sleep you would whisper of your unending love. As it looks, I will be the last of my kin to live on this land. I do not like the thought of dying alone, of not being comforted as I slip away, or having no one to continue in this wonderful setting. We need to find a way to keep all of you close, as family. We need to go into town and find someone to tell this news to." Sarah smiled. "We don't need to run into town, I have a phone in the car that we can use to bring them here. They will want to see the places we are talking about. AND, I'm beginning to like it here." "Do you mean like one of those bag phones Mom and Dad had on their boat" he questioned. Sarah looked at me with questioning eyes, "Yes, but a lot smaller now. How and when did you remember that?" William just shrugged. Carolina had no idea what they were talking about. At the car Sarah pulled out the cell phone. The others just gawked. Dialing 911 she asked to speak to the State Patrol, gave them directions to the cabin and asked if they could call the park rangers too. The first to arrive was an ambulance from town, they had a doctor from the local hospital with them. A short while later three police arrived, then two forest rangers. All totaled nine people showed up. The police wanted to arrest Carolina for kidnapping until William stepped out onto the porch and aimed the hunting rifle at them and ordered them to "throw down their guns" "It was all so dramatic" Sarah would later tell the family as she giggled. Sarah also called his parents to tell them the news. "I don't want you to hear this on the news she started out saying. I have found Joel!" She said to his mother. She heard a scream on the other end and an angry voice came on the phone. "Who is this and what did you say to frighten her like this?" Patiently she began again. " This is Sarah... Yes that Sarah! Sit down... Did you sit?... Good... I've found Joel! He has that tattoo you raved so much about...Yes the one you hate so much! You need to get Mom looked at by a doctor after she fainted and all of you need to get a good nights sleep. Pack the children. I will call you in the morning to give you directions. OK? ...Yes, you can bring her too." She put the phone down and smiled. "Mom and Dad are still the same." William smiled. More memories were returning. Meanwhile back at the ranch the villain was tying up Sweet Sue... excuse me, I always wanted to use that line... Meanwhile back at the cabin: The questions began: Sarah pulled out her copy of the report to give the police some background on the case, then Carolina began to tell her story. Things were falling into place to explain the disappearance and the finding of one Mr. Joel Fisher. The park ranger was following his reports and everything fit like a glove. "We sent searchers all the way down the creek to the river. There was a note about the swimming hole having some disturbed ground in the stream bed. We never found a trail leading away so we figured it was some local kids playing and having fun on a hot day. The only disturbed ground lead to the road and back." Someone questioned the truth about her carrying him at about 400 pounds. She got fire in her eyes and asked the guy "How much you way?" "Bout three fifty" Carolina picked him up so fast that she was halfway across the yard before he was aware of it. She ran him to the hog pen and asked if he wanted to go visiting. He shook his head to indicate he didn't wish that , so she ran him back and dropped him very unceremoniously on the bottom step to the porch. She stood back and was not even winded. "Come back for a year and I can get you in the same shape he's in" She motioned toward William. Then she giggled. When all the dust settled the doctor asked if he could examine William. William shrugged and said "Sure." He did an entire physical and drew some blood for tests. William remembered some of the things he did, from doctors before him. "CBC and A1c test?" he asked. He was remembering more still. The doctor nodded and mumbled..."and a lot more." After getting his mouth swabbed he asked "DNA test?" The doctor nodded again to that. The excitement slowly died down and everyone went back to their everyday lives. Everyone except one forest ranger. William slowly headed in the direction of David Fisher, the ranger, and Carolina. She motioned for him to continue. "William this is David. David meet William." Carolina giggled every so often, so did David. William made his excuses and walked away. When he got to Sarah they both spoke at the same time, "They are sweet on each other." The laughter drifted all the way over to the pair, who soon returned to the porch. David asked William, "You are the closest family she has. May I come visit from time to time? " "If she wishes to see you, I think it would be fine." Everyone smiled, especially Carolina. It was nearing dark and David needed to get back. She, and a dozen dogs, walked him to his truck. She reached for his hand as they neared the edge of the yard. They walked like that until they were out of sight, and presumably all the way to the truck. The next morning Sarah drove to the hotel where she had stayed outside the park. Rich was furious about her disappearing. He began to berate her over it. He did not notice as Carolina and William closed in behind him. Carolina spoke in a firm, low soft voice, "You never speak to a lady like that, and you have no claim on her." He turned toward Carolina to correct her about his claim; when a hand reached over his shoulder and lifted him off the ground. He was spun quickly around to face a mountain of a man standing beside an equally large woman. After the vision sunk in he pissed himself and his knees buckled. He was still upright because of the hand holding him that way. The huge man was staring into his eyes trying to figure where he had seen the little mouse of a man before. Williams eyes began to turn red, his face soon had a look that would have sent the devil away in fear. Carolina had never heard the noise that soon erupted from William's mouth. The words would have made a drunken sailor blush in shame. William picked the man up and threw him on top of a row of roses. The roar began to slow down to a crawl. The last words he shouted were "YOU'RE THE SON OF A BITCH THAT PUSHED ME INTO THE FALLS THAT DAY!' He turned around to walk away, Carolina was dazed by the words and actions she had just witnessed. She did, however, have the presence of mind to make sure Rick went nowhere. Sarah was on the phone to the police who arrived very quickly and took him into custody. Swearing he had just seen the devil in person, Rick confessed and pleaded to be placed somewhere safe. After he was taken away everyone searched for hours and didn't find William anywhere. Finally in tears Sarah returned to her car; where she found him sleeping like a little baby in the back seat. Her sobbing woke him. He sat up with a confused, dazed look on his face. He softly stroked her arm and whispered "What happened?" He never did recall his actions and lived the rest of his life as a very gentle man who was especially loved by children and animals. They never had any reason to fear him. When the doctor checked him, his blood pressure was barely readable because it was still off the top of the instruments, but it was coming back down slowly. Later Rick was found guilty because of his own admission and sentenced to ten to fifteen in the state prison. He died five years later, a lonely and broken man. The other residents in his new home, the state prison, didn't take kindly to his actions and made his life so tough that he hung himself late one evening. Some said the devil got his due. A few years later the hotel began to look rundown, the taxes were not paid for a while and it went up for auction. The state Parks bought the land for a song, tore the hotel down and added the three hundred and forty six acres to their holdings. They eventually allowed a big chain to build a hotel on it. The land rent on the five acres they used more than covered the taxes on the commercially zoned property. It was a few days later that the long, gray limo pulled slowly down the road and stopped behind Sarah's car. A path had been worn into the trail, they followed it. As they approached the cabin the children were giddy about finally meeting Daddy again. They were disappointed to just see their Mother and another woman sitting with a huge man, he had to be the other woman's husband. Lily pulled the leash right out of Emanual's hand and ran like a shot right to the man. She leaped right into his lap from about six feet away. There was no mistaking her long lost friend. The little white dog was still sniffing him and crying on his lap as she danced for joy. "Hi Lily!" was the response. The dog danced all over his lap, jumped up and down and bathed his face in kisses. Both children had stopped to stare. Mary was the first to take off at a full run, soon followed by Emanuel. Each stopped a few feet back, "Daddy? Is that really you?" and another hundred other questions flew at him like machine gun fire. His lopsided smile was about the only thing that still looked the same, as soon as he smiled they rushed forward to surround him. How he fit the two children and the little, white dancing dog on his lap was anyone's guess. It took a while before things calmed down. Soon he was answering everyone's questions with a little help from the ladies. The processions of the vehicles going up the road, coming back down and heading out of town was soon noticed by the townsfolk. Rumors began to spread through the town; there was a murder on the mountain, the Mafia had hidden up there, Bigfoot had been sighted and then caught, someone had re-opened the coal mine and found silver or gold (depending on the teller) The rumors soon reached the weekly newspaper and a reporter was sent to get the story. Well, it was actually the owner of the paper, there were no other reporters. He came back a few days later, with the story. The story was copied and sent out over the news-wires. There was a national award for small town reporting the next year. Soon all the folks in town were waving and smiling at each of the cars. When William and Sarah decided to accept Carolina's offer to settle down in the hills; Mom and Dad found a house for sale and moved to town. They were warmly welcomed, even if they were Yankees. The doctor ran DNA tests on Mom, Dad and both children just to be sure. The decision was there was a ninety nine point eight percent chance they all were related. Carolina had no idea just how much land she owned. All she knew was she could walk for a long time before she needed to turn around. As the deeds were investigated it was soon discovered the she only owned five thousand acres of the original fifty five thousand that were in the first deed. Over the years the family had sold parts off as they needed money. Other parts disappeared by adverse possession. She was going to look into reversing the legal decisions that took her land from her. She and her family had been paying all assessed taxes over the years, so the requirement that the persons claiming the land must pay the taxes was not met. Even if they did pay them. Years later the courts decided that the owners must pay a fair price for the land, at the time they came into possession, plus interest. If they refused the land returned to Carolina for her disposal. Only one person thought they could win on that. His possessions were hauled away and he was forcibly evicted. No one missed him. Carolina donated the funds collected to charities. Almost everyone won on that deal. The Third of July The biggest missing piece of land was the top of the mountain, that was taken by the state to create the park. Her great, great great grandfather had unwillingly sold it off. "I don't have a snowballs chance in hell of keeping it he wrote above his signature, the state has too much money and power to allow me to fight this." Attached to the back of the deed was a note signed by him to just invest it for him. That land had been taken in the middle of the Great Depression. He never mentioned the money to the family before he died three years later. The original investment still continued to grow. Who ever had been handling the fund had turned One hundred and fifty thousand dollars into over one hundred and seventy five million. Carolina and I promised to never tell anyone for a long time. The money was all in her name.. We decided to continue living off of the land as her family had done for a long time. We also found out that years back when the mine shutdown and no one wanted to buy it her great grandfather bought it at auction for the princely sum of eighteen hundred dollars. The taxes were a little over two hundred a year. Carolina sold the land to me for not much more. Sarah and I continued to work at repairing our relationship, we had to learn to live together all over again. As we work toward that goal, we also began to discuss what we wanted in the way of a house. The children spent their weekdays living in town with Mom and Dad and we all spent our weekends with Carolina. After six months we restated our vows. Soon after that we asked for plans to be drawn up to create a house much like Carolina's. Ours was to be of stone, with a full basement and incorporate newer building techniques to make it more energy efficient. We also would have electric and indoor plumbing. We began to look for contractors and found two old men who wanted to do the job. They always wanted to build one last house the old, old way. They completed the outside and the massive fireplace before handing the rest of the job over to their sons, who now ran their company. When completed it was a showplace. They drew as much material from our land as they could. The stones were collected from the area around the entrance to the old mine. Afterward the entrance was dynamited three times to close it forever. David and Carolina had fallen madly in love, their wedding was held in the fall, in the new house before we moved in. Carolina loved the place so much that the old men were pulled out of retirement one more time to build an addition to her place. She chose to use stone and logs to match the old work. She did allow inside plumbing and electric to be installed in the new part. The old part was gone over and there were no repairs to be made. They had their first son in the late spring with three more children following in hot pursuit. The last was the little girl she had always wanted. Sarah and I had another boy and a girl. We finished up about the same time. The children wore out the road between the two houses. Mom and Dad lasted well into their ninety's, they were grandparents to both families and were excited about every single child. They lived with us their last years. Our oldest son bought their house and soon moved his new wife into it. He longed for the days when he lived near other people, the solitude of the mountain was too much for him. Two of Carolina and David's sons and their daughter married into our family. Soon there were houses all along the old dirt road. Most were built of local materials on the outside. At my last count between the two families there were forty two grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Sarah and I spend each July Third visiting the falls and sitting on our wall. Carolina's dream of repopulating her mountain came true.