Untitled #1
Contributors: White Russian, The Diesel, Brother Nature, Sandman, Albuquerque Tom
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen (stay tuned...)
“...angel of the morning, angel, just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby ...” both Gustaf and Herman sang loudly as they drove the SUV through mud and weeds, slowing down as they approached the river. With tall oak trees and wild raspberry bushes lining the riverbank, Herman looked at Gus and said, “This looks strangely familiar.”
“I used to bring you here with momma back when you were very little. You would try to climb every oak tree as high as you could and scream the Tarzan yell all day long. When you went away, I would come down here and fish, and think about those times. I felt this was a safe place so I brought Sunshine here and set up a tent for her to get things back together. She really has been a wonderful girl. I want you to meet her first before we go find momma. We set up a nice little trap for the hippies, and the river can be awfully convenient for disposal. But that usually goes on up at my place,” Gus commented as he brought the SUV to a stop.
Herman looked back toward the river and noticed an arrow shaped sign that read “The Rainbow” nailed to a tree. As both stepped out of the car he could hear the rushing river and some laughter and music coming from upstream. Herman flashed back to waking up near the railroad tracks and making his way toward the purple van with the sound of rushing water and music coming from the river.
“Wait, son, I think there might be some hippies up there with Sunshine,” Gus whispered. He turned toward Herman and pulled him around to the back of the SUV. Gus opened the back of the SUV, but it was empty. Herman reached around to his back and pulled out the .44. Gus whispered, “Oh no, we won’t need that. Not yet. We want them to come with us to my place, then we can get to business.”
Herman stepped back. “Wait a minute, I don’t know if I can still do this. I didn’t expect to find you, and now...I...” Herman started to get a little choked up as a tear began to form on his lower eyelid.
“Second thoughts, huh? You think this kind of life is just gonna blow away in the wind?” Gus started to get worked up as he looked into Herman’s eyes. “Listen son, we can be an unstoppable team now. Both of us working together – we can eliminate this whole hippie race. With Sunshine luring them in, there is no telling what we can accomplish. Who knows, you might like Sunshine, if you know what I mean. If you get my drift,” Gus chuckled.
Herman sat down by the side of the SUV and said, “Hold on. I need to think about this for a second. Let me catch my breath.” Herman had never felt so confused about anything before. Everything in life seemed to be so black and white. And now he found his father. All this torment he had been going through seemed to end as they sang their way down the highway. Now his father wanted to delve back into the darkness that he had just left.
Gus knelt down beside Herman and said, “Ok, I understand. You have had a lot to take in today. I guess we both have. There’s no rush. Let’s go sit by the river and relax for a minute. You’ll feel better.” Gus helped Herman to his feet and they slowly walked to the river and sat on a log on the bank of the quickly flowing river.
Still adjusting to his new reality, Herman immediately started kicking himself for hesitating back at Gustaf’s SUV. He could hear the opening lyrics of Aquarius coming from the direction of the tent. As he listened to the words, “The peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars,” Herman realized how right Gus was. Now was the time to finish things for good and put a stop to these unrealistic utopians. It seemed as though whenever he started to get second thoughts, the hippies themselves would push him back to hating them. It happened in the car when the blubbering Doobie starting talking about deer eating from his hand. And it was happening now as he listened to how Jupiter was aligned with Mars.
But first, something Gus said was sticking at the back of his mind. Staring at the water going by, Herman began, “You said that when I went away you would come down here and fish. The way I remember it you were murdered. Now I’m finding out that you kind of disappeared on us. I didn’t go away – you left us.”
Gus chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, “Nothing gets by you, son. I kind of say things that way to soften the blow of what I did. Saying that you went away makes it easier than saying ‘I ditched my family to exterminate hippies.’”
Herman nodded, still staring at the water. “You also said you wanted me to meet Sunshine before we look for momma. I thought that’s why we came here – because you thought that weak-kneed longhair would bring momma here.”
“Boy, you sure are full of questions,” Gus replied as he looked at Herman. Herman continued to stare at the water. “At first I thought Scout might bring momma here, but I don’t see the van, and I’m sure that if he did bring her here we would have heard from Sunshine since then. It’s been quite a while since Scout took off with that van.” Gus got up and stretched his legs. He continued, “But really, I gotta tell you, I’m not in any mood to find your momma. I got nothing to say to her. I’m glad I found you, or more like it – you found me, but that woman is another matter. I know you’re all fired up to get back to her, but I’m not all that certain what your intentions really are.”
The last phrase sort of hung in the air as Herman thought about what Gus said. The sun was in the final stages of setting and the effect on the water was mesmerizing. Herman continued to stare at the water and both father and son were silent for a minute. Herman reached into his pocket and pulled out the three bullets. He held out the one that had momma inscribed on it. As Gus took it and turned it over in his hands, Herman said, “I’ve had that for a long time. I was going to use it today. But now…I just…don’t…know…” Herman’s voice tailed off as he returned his gaze back to the water. He noticed that the music and laughter coming from the tent had stopped.
After a few minutes of reflection while Gus examined the bullet and Herman stayed focused on the river, Gus said matter-of-factly, “Your mother always had that effect on people.” Gus handed the bullet back to Herman, who put it back into his pocket. “She can make y—,” Gus started to continue, but was interrupted by Herman’s rough nudge on his leg. Gus was still standing, his back to the river. Herman, looking intently at the river, was quickly moving closer to the riverbank. Gus turned to see what had caught Herman’s attention.
In the river, floating by, was a body, face down. The hippie clothing looked familiar, but it all looked the same to Herman. The thought of a dead hippie quickened Herman’s pulse and he felt the adrenaline rush that he never could find in any other activity. Herman rapidly made his way downstream to some rocks in an effort to intercept the body that was being steadily taken by the flow of the river. Gus followed, already having a pretty good idea of who it was.
Using a long tree branch, Herman was able to steer the body close enough to pull to the side. He flipped it over and gazed at the lifeless, partially chewed face of Doobie. His neck had been broken and his stomach region was gutted. Both Gus and Herman instinctively knew that Wendy must have done this, though Herman thought her role was to guide the hippies to Gustaf’s cabin. Gus answered Herman’s questioning gaze with, “Sometimes Wendy can get a little carried away.”
Before he pushed the body back into the flow of the river, Herman took a few moments to admire Wendy’s work. As they watched the flow of the river carry Doobie’s body away, Herman felt a strong desire to meet Wendy Greenbottom.