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Jackie sat outside on the whicker chair watching her two boys, and their best friends scrimmage in the yard. It was good to see them have a bit of fun since they were going to be leaving Kentucky for sure. Brian was only eight, but still the sadness at leaving the only home he knew was evident in his actions he had portrayed in the past weeks. Baker took it in stride for the most part, which was typical since he was a little older and had moved from place to place when she and her husband were first married.

“Mom” Brian walked up to her, resting his hands on her knees patting them to get her attention, her eyes had diverted to her mischievous thirteen year-old-son who was climbing a tree “Mom!” Brian said again, she looked at him, looking at his hair; it was getting a little long.

“What?” she asked smiling putting her glass of ice tea down.

“Davie and I want to go and play in the field down by the creek.”

“No” Jackie said.

“Please” he begged holding his hands up clasped together.

“Brian, I’m not letting you go down there, I don’t want you to get into anything, you remember your –“

“Please I swear” his blond hair blew with the small gust of wind “Baker will come with us.” He plead again before she elucidated what a nervous breakdown she would be if he were hurt.

“Baker” Jackie called watching as her son, dropped from the tree, bracing himself once he hit the ground with his hands and his bent legs “your father would kill you if he saw you in that” she whispered to herself as she watched. Patting her leg again Brian made his best puppy face. “No, Brian, I already told you.”

“C’mon Mom” Baker said wandering over with his best friend “We’ll keep an eye on him.”

Jackie looked up at the sky, it was mid-noon, and she supposed they could go for a couple of hours then be back “Alright, but Baker, I want you with him, you understand.” She said, Baker, who was twisting from side to side making his best friend laughed, nodded in a quick agreement ‘Baker” she said looking at him hard, after having that scare with Brian’s defect she wanted to make sure he was ok.

“I will, I promise” Baker said smiling, he stopped his twisting, and grabbed onto Brian’s shirt. Jackie looked down at him “I will” he said.

Jackie sat back in her chair, looking at all four boys, after a few moments she sighed “I want you back in two hours.”

“Yes!” Brian jumped in the air, he was so excited, he was actually going with the big boys, it wasn’t too far, but Brian had never been there without his parents. They ran through the fields jumping and dogging prickly branches the whole way, it was like a race to see who could make it to the creek first.

They made it past the farthest tree that marked where the terrene changed. Making their way through little rocky knolls Baker made Brian stick between him and Basely, his best friend. It was a nice day, with only a few clouds hours away from touching anywhere near their county, a soft wind that took the edge off the heat from the summer day.

“I can here the creek” Davie said excited as they made it out of the rock bound area towards the fields. All four boys bolted in the direction of the running water. After they found it everyone started at it in excitement, it was early spring and the water was just below flood level, perfect for swimming in if you could find a small inlet, so far the closest one was on a hunter’s property at least a good few miles down further. This place was safe though; it was fenced off from the hunting grounds and barricaded against a large ridge.

Baker and Basely wandered around the area trying to find their spot where they had hidden their toys the last time they had come out while Brian and Davie set out on their adventure of throwing rocks into the creek “Brian, Mom want’s you to stay away from the creek.” Baker yelled watching the two boys scoot closer and closer.

Glaring back at his big brother, Brian stuck his tongue out and continued his armature rock-skipping game. It was tough for the two to get along at times especially since Brian had been out of the hospital. Baker seemed to have to make it his mission in life to point out things Brian wasn’t supposed to be doing. Baker stuck his tongue out back and then went back to searching for his G.I. Joes.

Two hours passed quickly as the boys started their own game of hide and seek, the tall grass and random bushes made for good hiding places, they had staked out their boundaries and everyone was enjoying the cooling air the incoming clouds brought.

“..Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One” Baker said, he was leaning against the tree, the only one that was within the perimeters, his eyes shut as he counted “Ready or not here I come!” he said wandering around, it was only a span of at least twelve yards that any of the boys would dare to go, if they went to far south they would reach the ridge, to far to the east the river would cut them off, to far to the west was a horse farm and if they went back, they would be heading back towards the house.

Baker saw a red shirt, hiding behind one of the bushes not far away and smiled to himself, eight-year-olds made it all the easier to play, he had found Davie Messing, his brother’s best friend since kindergarten. Like the silly boy he was Baker swerved around pretending not to see Davie till the small boy thought he was safe “Found Yah”

Baker smiled tapping him from behind “I always get caught” Davie mumbled sadly, It was true; he was very easy to find.

“Hey, Brian Basely, Davies’ it!” Baker announced across the field. Basely stepped out from behind a small enclave of bushes, his hat over his head, he laughed a little watching Davie putter about around the bush.

“Davie you should take off your shirt, it’s like a big tractor!”

“Shut up Basely” Davie said; “I’m going to tell Brian’s Mom!” he pouted.

“You’re a whiner” Basely laughed, “Where’s Brian?” he asked.

Baker shrugged “he better not be down by the river, Dad’ll give it if to him if he is.”

“Give what to him?” Davie didn’t understand.

“A whipping” Basely said scaring the little boy, Baker looked up at the sky seeing the clouds come in deeper, they had gained strength and were touching down over the ridge.

“No he’s not” Baker said searching again around the premise. Brian was nowhere to be seen. Baker looked back at the two as they started sputtering immature insults at each other “Come on, we have to find Brian.” Baker said.

“Brian, Where are you?” Basely shouted across the field, a low crackle from an incoming cloud rattled through the fields, Davie screamed for a second in fright, he went running towards Baker.

“I wanna go home.” He said frightened.

“Help me find Brian.” Baker said, he was getting frantic now, the clouds were surrounding the small area faster than he at first seen, in a few minutes it could be pelting rain and launching lightning to char up the ground. “BRIAN!” he yelled “Come ON! Stop hiding, we need to go home.”

“Where is he?” Basely asked walking alongside, their efforts were fruitless as they ran through the grass calling Brian’s name.

“It’s raining” Davie announced keeping close to Baker, the ground was soaked as the showers came down.

“We already know that dummy!” Basely said trying to keep himself from becoming to scared, his teeth were chattering and they were having no luck finding Brian.

…



The windshield wipers that had been working fine the first of the year suddenly stalled as Harold tried to clear his windshield of the first huge rain pour. He turned the knob off then on again in frustration trying to get the stupid rubber sticks that were classified as windshield wipers to do what they were made to do, clear his windshield.

“Son of a Pee-tree dish” he growled, then smiled to himself, he had caught one of his words he was used to using around the boys, they laughed cause they thought he had said Pete Tree Fish or something like that the first time he said it. “Damn thing, work already” he said frustrated, watching the water pour down in sheets across his car.

Finally after twelve frustrating manual turns with the knob that controlled the contraption, the windshield was finally clear. Harold however, had reached home as it started into it’s back and forth routine.

“You and I are not friends” he proclaimed getting out of the car, he grabbed his suitcase and bag from the passenger seat and shut the car door, as if in refusal it opened again “Don’t start with me” Harold growled at the car, he was getting his suit soaking wet, which his car door refused to shut, he pushed the side of it again against the body of the car, and again it went out “I swear, I’ll rip your engine out” he muttered, opening the door wider to shut it with more force, he stopped seeing his seatbelt was caught in-between the hitch where the door attached itself to the side of the car “The wipers were all you.” He muttered smiling again, moving his seatbelt out of the way, he shut the car for the last time and kept his hand there for a moment making sure it wouldn’t open. “Thank you.” He said then turned around to walk inside.

As he reached the doorway, he looked down at his shoes, the walkway he had used to walk to the house, had collected area’s of water and he had stepped in with his work shoes, now as he stood on the porch they were soaking wet “Damn” he swore again, feeling his socks that were soaked, he opened the door and walked inside his soggy shoes squishing against the tile as he walked from the front room to the kitchen. “I’m home” he announced, walking towards the entryway into the kitchen.

The light was off, and there was no sign of dinner or even remnants of “Jackie” Harold scratched the side of his neck, looking at the table, then back in the kitchen “Baker? Brian?” he turned around and walked to the stairway, looking up, the lights were all off, Harold haphazardly looked to his left at the wall trying to think of where else they would be. Then he looked down and saw his shoes were leaving puddles, he sighed and walked up the stairs making a little trail with his wet shoes searching in each of the rooms, finding no one in sight.

Shrugging he walked back down the stairs and through the kitchen to the back door, he saw his wife was a ways out in the field, perplexed he opened the door and walked out to meet her “What are you doing?” he asked as he reached her, she was soaking wet, he had to take note it seemed like everyone and thing was getting that way. A lightning bolt struck down, a few yards in front of them.

“Brian and Baker are out there.” She said looking at him, her hair was wet and water was dripping from her chin.

“What?” Harold asked whipping the water away from his face, he looked out at the field, he could see a lightning traveling from the east side of where the old creek would’ve been. “How long have they been gone?” he asked.

“Four hours” Jackie said worriedly “I just tried to go out by the river, they’re not there.

Harold nodded, understanding, he was wondering what they would be doing out there, and why his wife would’ve let Brian just wander off, with or without Baker “I’ll go search.” He muttered, looking down at his brown suede shoes, they weren’t exactly salvageable at this point anyway.

He marched into the field and felt his teeth start to chatter as he walked down a ways, he was hoping the boys had veered off to the right towards the horse farm, it would’ve made things a lot easier if it were dry.

“Brian!” He yelled across the field, another bolt touched down, near the creek, Harold counted to three figuring out how far the lightning was away. “Baker!” Harold yelled walking faster now, the mud was gripping to his shoes as he walked “BAKER!!” he yelled again, he could feel the cold pelts of water on his back. “BAKER! BRIAN! ANSWER ME!” he yelled again praying to god they weren’t thinking this was a game. He walked further along the way finding the river, and some G.I. Joes surrounded by puddles “BRIAN, Boys!” he hollered looking for something, a shirt or something that would stick out, nothing did. “BRIAN!!!” he yelled long another low crackle of thunder roared through, Harold was starting to panic, as he looked around, the only place the boys could’ve possibly gone now would be over the ridge, or into the river, he know the Paisleys, the horse owners would’ve called if the boys had gone there, unless they had ducked out in their horse barns. He walked over again towards the river searching along the bank, seeing if there was a mudslide someplace or any signs the boys had tried to play near the creek. There was none, “Baker!!” he yelled again “BAKER BRIAN!”

A small soaked white shirt came into view, then a dark red, and then a blue, Harold ran towards them looking at their pale faces, Davie, his son’s friend from a few blocks down looked like he was sick, his eyes were wide and his small lips were quivering

“Dad” Baker exclaimed running up to his father, Harold felt a sigh of relief for a moment kissing his son’s head, he was drenched and shivering as were the other two.

“Baker, where’s your brother?” he asked simply, the thunder rolled over as short bursts of lightning burst over above the ridge.

“I” Baker’s teeth chattered “we couldn’t find him” he said he was crying now, but it was mixed in with the downpour, he coughed and hacked.

Harold gripped his son’s shoulders bending down to look at him “Didn’t you keep an eye on him?” he asked, his son nodded, shaking “Where’d you last see him?”

“He, I don’t know we were playing hide and seek” Baker whimpered, then coughed, the other two joined in the coughing

Harold grabbed at his mouth sighing then let his hand down “I want you boys to run home as fast as you can, Baker you hold onto Davies and Basely’s hand. Tell your mom to call the police. Go, get” he said spanking his son lightly to get him to move, Baker nodded and ran off with the other two in the direction of the house.

Harold stood up, looking around he was in desperation, he decided he would need to get a horse to move anywhere around the area in enough time, he headed towards the Paisley’s to grab one of theirs.