Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 4 No. 79 - 73

  I received this issue of Remind, or what Alison calls "my old people magazine," which ranks the top 100 Science Fiction movies of the 20th century.

Remind does have many pop culture stories, focusing primarily on the 1950s through the 1990s, although there are some references to earlier decades. Each issue focuses on different topics, such as country music, westerns, where are they now issues, and much more. I enjoy it, as I love pop history. They also have puzzles and a monthly guide to what's on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

I thought it would be fun to review the movies on the list in reverse order and share my thoughts. The magazine's ranking of the movies is not mine.  

I won't go into detailed reviews, but I will share the IMDb ranking and my own on a 1 to 10 scale.

79)

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Year: 1954  IMDb: 6.9 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   No  Service found on: Flixhouse

Bits of  this seemed familiar, but I don't recall seeing it in it's entirety. This is not so much one of those movies about how humankind has caused mutations with their destructive acitivity, but more about our encroachment into areas where we're not supposed to be treading too hard. The creature is a predator, true, but it's mostly defending its territory, and all its moves are met with hostility. The overall feel is kinda retro, but I think it's underwater photography was actually ahead for its time.

78)

 

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Year: 1931  IMDb: 7.6 Tom: 7  Had I seen before? No Service found on: Classic Movies & TV

This is a great rendering of this classic tale, really quite sharp and dramitic.  Fredric March is incredible, winning his first Best Picture Oscar for his performance. It does back away from some of the seedier aspects of Hyde's personality. The ending does not quite lead up to the impact you would expect, but I find that true in a lot of movies. The monster is actually more vulnerable than you would expect.

77)

 

The Time Machine

Year: 1960  IMDb: 7.5 Tom: 8 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Classic Movies & TV

My favorite author when I was young was H. G. Wells, so much so that in 7th grade I was determined that my writing career would use the pen name T. M. Strait.  Some of my love for his works came from his books and stories, but it also came from the movies. And one of the best was this 1960 adaption of The Time Machine.  Done with special effects flair by Director George Pal, and with the gifted Rod Taylor in the lead role, it was one of the first time travel movies I saw that really felt like a journey to the future.  Moving from 1899 with stops during the 20th Century, and then sweeping some 800,000 years into the future, reflecting an exaggeration of the social trends we see presently. 

76)

 

Night of the Comet

Year: 1984  IMDb: 6.3 Tom: 7 Had I seen before? Unsure  Service found on: MGM+

Maybe I've seen this before.  All I can say for sure is that this time it stood out to me more than I was expecting.  Valley girls surviving a horrible apocalypse brought on by a closely passing comet?  Sounds weird, but it was more quirky than stupid.  

75)

 The Truman Show

Year: 1998  IMDb: 8.0 Tom: 8 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

Some movies don't age well.  This isn't one of them. It's theme, of our lives being more and more turned into a reality show, is more relevant than ever. And the special effects used still hold up.  Jim Carrey gives one of his strongest performances. I think more and more of us are questioning whether what's happening around us is real, or whether we are stuck in the Matrix.

74)

 

   Gattaca

Year: 1997  IMDb: 7.7 Tom: 7 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

I liked this pretty well, but I wanted to like it more. It reflects a near futire where most people are genetically engineered at the time of conception. Those who aren't are considered inferior.  Discrimantion against them isn't official but it exists nonetheless.  This centers around a character who is not genetically engineered (refereed to as in-valids) and tries to pass by disguising himself as someone is engineered but disabled by an accident.   My hesitation on the movie is that the character really wanted to go to Titan, and I REALLY wanted to see that happen, but the movie ended before it transpired. Another important by-product of this movie is Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) - it's where Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman met and began their relationship.

73)

 

Barbarella

Year: 1968  IMDb: 5.9 Tom: 6 Had I seen before? No  Service found on: Prime Rental

Yowza! Is this movie weird! The plot kept making me feel like I needed a drug check.  Hard to follow, but it was fun.  Not quite the X-rated romp some are led to believe, it's actually rated PG.  It seems maybe a little bit much for that rating, but it's not a raunchfest either.  Jane Fonda is beautiful and enthusiastic in the part, if not a shining beacon of acting ability (which she would prove to be in later films).  The chief antagonist is named Durand-Durand, and yes, that is the inspiration for the band named Duran-Duran!  Girls on film!

As an added feature, I would like to keep a running list of those movies I have rated 8 or higher.

90) Akira 8

89) Cocoon 9

88) They Live 9

84) Face Off 8

77) The Time Machine 8

75) The Truman Show 8

Next up? We go on a Quest of the Galaxy, a couple of time romps, and a movie featuring the greatest superhero of all time.

Until next time!

T. M. Strait (thanx, H. G. Wells!)

AOC '28

Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 3 No. 86 - 80

  I received this issue of Remind, or what Alison calls "my old people magazine," which ranks the top 100 Science Fiction movies of the 20th century.

Remind does have many pop culture stories, focusing primarily on the 1950s through the 1990s, although there are some references to earlier decades. Each issue focuses on different topics, such as country music, westerns, where are they now issues, and much more. I enjoy it, as I love pop history. They also have puzzles and a monthly guide to what's on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

I thought it would be fun to review the movies on the list in reverse order and share my thoughts. The magazine's ranking of the movies is not mine.  

I won't go into detailed reviews, but I will share the IMDb ranking and my own on a 1 to 10 scale.

86)

Videodrome

Year: 1983  IMDb: 7.2 Tom: 4  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Peacock

I say yes that I have seen this, but I think I had blocked most of this from my mind.  As I will again. I am figuring out that body horro, which David Crionenberg specializes in is not my thing.  Additionally, the plot is deliberately confusing.  Fine, if you want to take the time to anaylyze it.  I did not.  Positive side?  It had Deborah Harry in a feature role, a singing favorite of mine from the group Blondie (easily in my top ten bands).  Negative side?  In addition to the goopy guts and bizarrre storyline, the lead was James Woods, who has turned super-repulsive MAGA MAX in his senior years.

85)

Repo Man

Year: 1984  IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 5  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Prime Rental

This fared a little bit better than Videodrome, but not much. At least I could follow the story even though I wasn't all that interested. Emilio Estevez plays a punk rocker who has had little job success, taking a job helping repo men. There are some aliens and a glowing item in a car trunk. Often, the science fiction elements are minimized and muted. It was an okay but not memorable trip.

84)

Year: 1997  IMDb: 7.3 Tom: 8 Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Peacock

Don't think about this one too much. The idea of exchanging faces like they do is not much in the realm of possibility, even for a science fiction film. But Nicolas Cage and John Travolta do some first-rate acting in this, switching personalities and helping make the implausible at least slightly plausible. It's filled with action, and it's a fun ride.  

83)

Marooned

Year: 1969  IMDb: 5.1 Tom: 5 Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Tubi

Oy. Unlike 2001:A Space Oddesy, this one has not aged well. Big budget and big star production, with a slow moving and dull story that made me have to snack and hydrate to stay awake through. It's a shame. It had my Dad's quasi-lookalike in it, Gregory Peck. And a very game, Gene Hackman. I get it. Astronauts stranded in space. Will we get them back or not? Oh, please! Just get on with it. 2 hr and 14 14-minute runtime felt like six hours. And since it was Tubi, I'd have to sit through innumerable commercials. This is emblematic of what science fiction was often like before Star Wars.

    82) 

Quatermass and the Pit

Boy, did this one take a while to find! Part of the problem is that the movie has a different name in American distribution - Five Million Years to Earth. But when I finally found it, it was pretty good! Set in London, an archeological excavation unveils an alien spacecraft, and the danger increases as the movie progresses. Well plotted, you think the movie is, like many movies of its time, cut short where it could go. But it does not! Loved the pacing and acceleration of this nifty little story. Unlike Marooned, it still holds up really well!

81)

The Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Year: 1984  IMDb: 6.2 Tom: 5 Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: MGM+

Sounds exciting, don't it? Sometimes campy is good. Sometimes, it misses the mark. This hits occasionally but mostly misses the mark. I think it's trying to play off Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, but that's a guess. Most of it is played too cool for school, and the intriguing multi-dimensional premise is not used well. John Lithgow plays the villain, and he leaves no scenery unchewed.

80)

Altered States

Year: 1980  IMDb: 6.9 Tom: 5 Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Prime Rental

Another oy. More body horror and incoherent plot. Something to do with sensory deprivation and reverting to a more unevolved state. I think. I'm not sure. About ten or fifteen minutes of it near the two-thirds mark was interesting (like a Jekyll and Hyde thing), but most of it was not my cup of tea.

I know there was a big time gap between this one and the last one (October 24). I'm doing the best I can. They're not always easy to find, and the dystopian horror of our country's real-life descent has been very distracting.

The good news is that I have already seen four of the next seven films on the list, so it shouldn't be too much longer.

Unless, of course, in the meantime, I am sent to a reeducation camp.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

AOC '28!

A Glimpse of Better Times

 There were some tough times.

That was inevitable with how history flows - it's not always a smooth course. There are always steps forward and steps back. You just have to hope you're lucky enough to live in a time when the forward steps exceed the backward ones.

Finally, in the deep twilight of my life, I feel blessed to have seen us progress towards a brighter future.

I thought we would never get a handle on global warming. And we didn't. Not completely. But it's nowhere near as bad as it was in the late twenties. We finally did the right things, moving to renewable fuels and taking better care of the Earth.

Sadly, poverty still exists. But very few live in starvation and misery, and we've ended the Age of Billionaires. Population peaked and stabilized, and we've learned much about sustainable agriculture.

In 2033, we finally gained true universal health care, thanks in large part to the efforts of President Ocasio-Cortez and the Progressive majority. Electoral reforms, such as the elimination of the Electoral College and ranked-choice voting, universal voting registration, increases in the Congressional delegation (Senate and House) based on population, the outlawing of legislative gerrymandering, increasing the Supreme Court to 13 (matching the number of circuit courts) and limiting their terms to 18 years, all of these increased the democratization of the American experiment.

Education flourished as public universities were made free, and critical thinking skills took preeminence at our public schools. Public libraries became central, parks were prioritized, and urban planning was implemented to beautify many cities, including the blooming of urban gardening.

People were free to love who they wanted. Gender and sexuality were a brilliant rainbow. Diversity was respected and enriched us all. We were no longer a white majority country, and except for a stubborn few, that made the country richer, more tolerant, and more loving.

With the essential safeguards in place, people felt more secure in becoming entrepreneurs, pursuing their dreams, and making the nation a rich patchwork of businesses and enterprises.  

At times, it looked like Christianity would be a thing of the past. But once the domination of the Christian Nationalists was broken, the Christian Progressives took center stage, and now Christianity is stronger and more purposeful than ever. The power of love and inclusivity, the desire to bring us closer to heaven on Earth, proved to be more potent than the power of hate and exclusivity.

As I sit here, on my porch in the Catskills, overlooking the beauty of nature, here in 2113, I look back to the early days when I was a child and my parents who fought so hard to end the country's teetering toward fascism, and the remarkable turnaround that began with the election of our first female President (amazing to think that it's been almost seventy years since our last male President), I see a world that is far from perfect but is so much better than it could have been.

God bless President Harris, and god bless all who voted for her. You made my world so much better.

Love to all,

Pastor Retta Strait

Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 2 No. 93 - 87

 

 I received this issue of Remind, or what Alison calls "my old people magazine," which ranks the top 100 Science Fiction movies of the 20th century.

Remind does have many pop culture stories, focusing primarily on the 1950s through the 1990s, although there are some references to earlier decades. Each issue focuses on different topics, such as country music, westerns, where are they now issues, and much more  I enjoy it, as I love pop history. They also have puzzles and a monthly guide as to what's on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

I thought it would be fun to see the movies on the list in reverse order and see what I thought of them. The magazine's ranking of the movies is not mine.  

I won't go into detailed reviews, but I will share the IMDb ranking and my own on a 1 to 10 scale.

94)

The Blob

Year: 1958  IMDb: 6.3 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Max

Not too bad, but kinda cheesy (blobby?). A growing blob threatens a small town, slowly rolling towards threatening more and more citizens. Only a small group of teenagers try to wake everybody to the menace, led by a young, intrepid Steve McQueen (not looking too much as a teen at 28 years old). One of the most popular themes in these kinds of movies is to have the alien defeated by something otherwise common. This dates back to at least H. G. Well's book The War of the Worlds.

92)

Enemy Mine

Year: 1985  IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Prime Rental

A war between an alien race and humans results in one of each being isolated on a remote planet. The two sworn enemies find themselves trapped with each other, and over time, their initial hostilities are replaced with grudging respect and interdependence and, gradually, a devoted friendship. I try very hard to ignore that the human, Dennis Quaid, has become a Trump supporter, but in the spirit of the movie, I do my best to look past it. Louis Gossett Jr. is amazing as the alien.

91)

Things to Come

Year: 1936  IMDb: 6.6 Tom: 7 Had I seen before?   No  Service found on: Prime 

I am a great fan of H. G. Wells, especially when I was younger. This movie is prophetic in parts, but like any movie set in the future, it doesn't always hit the mark. Its predictions are even more impressive when you consider that they were originally written in 1933 and predicted the effects of World War II, atomic weapons, pandemics, and more. It is dated but enjoyable.

90)

Akira

Year: 1988  IMDb: 8.0 Tom: 8 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Hulu

I had the privilege of seeing this at an Atlanta movie theatre when it first came to the United States. Although I am not a hater of anime, I am not a superfan, but this movie is the exception that proves the rule. It is an awesome story set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, where young teens are experimented on to disastrous results.

89)

Cocoon

Year: 1985 IMDb: 6.7 Tom: 9 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

Trying to find this movie slowed my progress considerably. It's not available on any streaming service, and getting a digital copy to own or rent is impossible. I requested it from my library, and it took a week or so to locate it, but they finally located a copy for me. Remember that - don't forget about your friendly local public library!

This film is a great favorite of mine. Elderly men find that bathing in a pool near their nursing home has rejuvenating properties—they now feel young and energetic. 
They share the pool with alien cocoon entities. They gradually meet and befriend the aliens shepherding the cocoons.

To me, this movie is extra special in that the seniors are given the opportunity to travel to the alien's home planet and live forever. In virtually every other movie I've seen, those offered eternal life would turn it down. Spoiler alert!  - in this movie, it's different!

Another interesting anecdote is that one of the senior citizens, Wiford Brimley, was just 49 years when the movie was filmed!

Don Ameche (winning Best Supporting Actor), Hume Cronyn, Wilford Brimley

88) 

They Live

Year: 1988 IMDb: 7.2 Tom: 9 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Peacock

Another all-time favorite of mine! I am a big fan of director John Carpenter, and this is one of his best! Set in the near future, the movie shows a world where the gap between rich and poor has increased (talk about prophetic!), and one of the downtrodden, Roddy Piper (of wrestling fame), finds a pair of glasses that allow him to see the world as it really is. And yes, most of the rich are actually alien invaders! Or, well, frankly, many of the Republicans. John Carpenter made clear that this movie was an extension of what was happening under Reaganism.

And guess what? Minus the aliens, that's about what's happened!

87)

eXistenZ

Year: 1999 IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 4 Had I seen before? No  Service found on: You Tube

I had to watch this on YouTube in 10-minute segments. It didn't help make this movie any better. As big as a fan I am of John Carpenter, I am apparently the opposite with director David Cronenberg. I guess I'm just not a big fan of random guts and body parts. This has something to do with the otherwise talented Jennifer Jason Leigh leading Jude Law through one of her reality game simulations. A huge mess that made little sense to me.

I hate to end this on a down movie, but it did include some gems like Cocoon and They Live.

Next edition!  - more of one of my least favorite directors, and another Trump-loving actor. But then it gets better - I promise!

How Does My Garden Grow?

How does my garden grow?

Not at all. Nothing I planted came up.  

Except one frond emerged that indicated the potential of a carrot. One solitary carrot. When I pulled it up, it was black and sludgy. And it smelled like a backwoods outhouse.

I'm not a scientist, but I had read enough to know something had gone terribly wrong. Something in the atmosphere was making it difficult to grow crops. And it wasn't just here. It was all over the world.

Much of the world's foods had to be grown in hot houses, green environments where the air and temperature could be controlled. Only purified water was used.

Could the world's needs be met by greenhouse environments alone? No, but everyone was struggling to open as many facilities as possible.

Some of my friends insisted it was just a temporary problem, caused mainly by incompetent growers and using the wrong mix of fertilizers and chemicals. But they weren't having any more luck than I was.

Ender Fenton, down the street, had put up a fancy greenhouse. His success was mixed. The right balance was hard to get. He had to filtrate the water and air, which was hard for one untrained individual to do. Nevertheless, he showed enough promise that others were jealous of his achievement. Jealous enough that last night, some neighbors tried to raid his greenhouse and did devastating damage to it in the process.

No, I was not one of the neighbors. Yes, my family was becoming desperate, but I still had too much civility and pride. I don't mean to sound too noble. I may yet hit a breaking point.

We were in for a tough haul. Not all of us will make it through it.

It's not entirely hopeless. Amateur and small gardens and farms may be becoming a thing of the past, but governments and large industrial agriculture had the potential to thrive.  

Of course, scientists could figure out how to rebalance the atmosphere so that it was not so poisonous. Media stressed how hard the scientists worked on it, but genuine breakthroughs and progress remained theoretical.

I came inside from my failed gardening. Little Sarah was coughing, her eyes watering, her nose running. Seasonal allergies, or something more?

Maybe it wasn't just the plants that were being affected.

History of the Trap Vol. 2: Chapter 3 - A Week at the Farm Part 5

 5

 

What an operation!  Where did all the animals come from?  I had thought that when they first came out, there were a few cows and goats.  Over time, there were pigs, chickens, rabbits.  There were even a few dogs and cats.

The chickens were there from the beginning, even though I didn’t know it.  I swear nobody mentioned them until recently.  The others were found nearby, wandering in the woods near the farm.  The acreage around the farm seemed to be much bigger than when first discovered.  The boundaries of our Trap must have changed.

Like the plant life (vegetables, fruits, crops), the animal life seemed to breed and mature at an accelerated rate.  Odd, because we humans weren’t breeding at all.  Not that some weren’t trying, just that there were no pregnancies since the Trap fell.  And those who were pregnant at the time of the Fall miscarried the first day.

I had heard about the big red barn, but it was even more imposing seeing it up close.

The message in white lettering was still there: SEE BRONNER’S IN FRANKENMUTH THE WORLD’S LARGEST CHRISTMAS STORE HO! HO! HO!  I could see the picture of Santa, larger than life.  There were some spots where Santa’s paint was chipped away – nothing you would notice from a distance.  This was a sign meant to be seen from a roadway.  But the freeway taking you north to Huron, or South to Bay City, was nowhere in sight.  It had vanished, replaced by woods that the Trap electrical border would not let us explore in-depth.

Inside the barn were stalls for the cows, farm equipment (including a tractor), hay bales, and more. Initially, the chickens had been inside the barn, but chicken coops had been built, mainly for the hens to lay eggs. The chickens were able to wander the grounds of a large fenced-in area.

Probably the most impressive part of the Farm was the unexpectedly large basement.  There were at least four dormitory areas down there, room for a couple of dozen people in each one.  Three accommodated guys, but one was occupied by girls (a growing misnomer – more of us were 18 or older now).  They also had two large wash areas – including showers.  Water was never a problem inside the Trap.  It constantly flowed through the high school and the farm pipes -where it came from; we didn’t know.  Were we still connected somehow to the outside world? I’m not sure I ever understood how that worked.

They had a dining hall about half the size of the school’s – which still made it pretty darn big. I sat at a table with Ginny, Artie, and Robert.  We also had David Deneau and Annie Popper sitting with us.  Annie was my regular nurse when Ginny wasn’t visiting.  Like me, both Ginny and Artie resided at the school.

It was a fantastic feast—a salad featuring fresh carrots and radishes, creamy mashed potatoes, Salisbury steak, and sweet corn.  We drank sweet raspberry tea.  The dessert was a scoop of maple ice cream.  That was a surprise – did we have maple trees, or was this from the underground larder at the school?  I didn’t ask.  I just enjoyed it.

“My God!” I said, amazed, pushing back in my chair and patting my full belly.  “If I lived here, I would be about 300 pounds!”

“Trust me,” said David Deneau.  “If you were out here, you’d have plenty of work to help keep you in shape.”

“Speaking of which, it’s good to see you getting around.  Maybe you’re ready for the next stage of your recovery,” said Robert, a devilish grin creeping across his face.

“Sure!” I replied.  “What do you have in mind?”  They had done a lot for me.  I would not mind doing some chores. It might help me take my mind of Mark Granite and all his nastiness.

“Oh, I’d rather keep it a surprise.  Just be sure to get up bright and early tomorrow.”

Well, that part seemed less interesting.  I had gotten used to sleeping in.

When we got up from the table, Ginny and Artie approached me.  They were getting ready to go back to the school and wanted to say goodbye.  Artie shook my hand.  “Get strong, brother.  We still have a lot of challenges ahead.”

Ginny hugged me.  “Good to see you up and about, Lance. You take care of yourself, ok?”

I nodded that I would.  She kissed me on the cheek, then pulled back, giving me a warm smile. She then took Artie’s hand, and as they were leaving, she turned to look back at me, giving me a wave with her free hand.

I admit it.  My heart sped up.  I looked at them until they disappeared through the dining room doorway.

Maybe I wasn’t as over her as I thought I was.

 

History of the Trap Vol. 2: Chapter 3 - A Week at the Farm Part 4

 

4

 

The farmhouse was big.  Much bigger than I anticipated, or even thought possible.  When it was first discovered, I don’t remember it being described in such grandiose terms.

Once out of my room, Ginny led me on a tour.  I had been around some, but never with a guide, especially one as attractive as Ginny.

Outside my room, in the hallway, I noticed several rooms, perhaps as many as four.  Interesting, but not enough to accommodate everyone staying out here.  “There are not enough rooms for everybody to stay. Are these reserved for teachers?  Or some of the student management?”

Ginny laughed.  “No.  They’re reserved for something else.”

I still wasn’t getting it.  “You mean like for guests?  Like me?”

“Occasionally,” Ginny said.  “But not primarily.”

A light started to shine in my head, and rather than pursue it, I decided to move the conversation forward. “So, where does everybody go?  Do they sleep in the barn?”

“Well, I can’t rule out that nobody’s ever slept in the barn.  It takes all kinds to make the world go round.  But, no, the sleeping quarters are in the basement.” Ginny slipped her arm into mine. “C’mon.  I’ll show you.”

Before we could leave, one of the doors opened up, and Robert Bond walked out, buttoning up his shirt.  Robert was a founding member of our group, Artie’s Pals.  He’d left to be at the farm shortly after its discovery.  Before he could entirely shut the door, I caught a glimpse of someone else in the room, but I couldn’t tell who.

“Hey, Lance!  Good to see you out and about!”  Robert had a good sense of cheer about him.

“Good to see you, Robert!  You look good.  You must be taking to farm life.”

Robert glowed or turned a shade of red.  I’m not sure which. “I am!” he answered.  “Maybe you ought to take it up too?  Get out of that cesspool of nastiness at the high school.”

“Sure.  Maybe I will.” No, I wasn’t.  Too many people there to care about and help protect, not the least of which was my sister and father.

Ginny said, “I’m showing him the whole enchilada this morning, Robert.  Maybe that’ll convince him.  You want to join us, Robbie?”

That was new.  He’d never heard Robert called Robbie before. “Wish I could, Ginny.  I got to oversee egg production this morning.”

“What? Those hens won’t lay eggs without you?” Ginny playfully asked.

“You’d be surprised,” kidded Robert.  “Anyhoo, Lance, you are in good hands with Ginny. I can’t think of a better person to show you the farm.”

Robert left down the hall. I looked at Ginny, smiling.  “Ok, Ginny.  Show me the wonders of Farm Land.”

We started down the hall, heading to a staircase that would take us to the ground floor.

As we came to the head of the steps, I heard a door open down the hall.  It was David Deneau, once my lead actor in The Sands of Loren (the soap opera I wrote for school broadcast), and now the student head of the farm community.

What room was he exiting?  Wasn't that the same room Robert left?

At first, I tried to rationalize away what I saw.  Eventually, though, I was not able to that.

I’ll be honest.  I had trouble with it. But only for a while.  The more time I had to think about, the more time I saw them together, and how much caring and love was in their relationship, the more I came to accept it.

Not, as Ginny would later remind me, that they needed my acceptance.

Over my years in the Trap, Doc, I learned what a precious commodity love was. I stopped questioning it.  Wherever it came from.

 

 

History of the Trap Vol.2 : Chapter 3 - A Week at the Farm Part 3

 I know.  This ain't much, y'all.  But I'm trying to get back to it.  I hope to be up to five to seven pages a week.  Please follow the thread label History of the Trap Vol 2 for more parts.

3

 

 

What were those sounds?  Was that a rooster?  Do I hear cows moong?  Is that a sound of a dog barking? 

The animal cacophony was interrupted by the sound of curtains quickly pulled back.  Bright light flooded the room.  I had to cover my eyes.

I saw a figure standing above me, but I couldn’t make out who it was. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead!  Time to riseth and shineth!”

She came more into focus as my eyes adjusted to the brilliant sunshine.  The auburn hair, the button nose, the gorgeous face.  “What are you doing here?”  Boy, was I groggy!

“You aren’t used to these farm starts, are you? Did I interrupt your twelve hours of beauty sleep?” asked Ginny.

“Give me a break!  It’s only my third morning out here.”  I pretended to swat at her. “And I’m not sleeping twelve hours, I swear!”

“Whatever.  C’mon.  They may need this room for…something else,” she said, mysteriously.  “Do I have to pull you up, or can you do that yourself?”

I had recovered enough not to have to suffer that humiliation.  I threw back the sheets and started to rise, only to suffer a different humiliation. I was only dressed in underwear, white briefs, and a white undershirt.

I tried to pull the bedspread around me. My face was a deep red.

“Good Lord, Lance.  I’m a nurse.  Well, sort of a nurse.   Anyway, you know what I mean.  No need to be embarrassed.”

“Uh, I’d like to get dressed now.  If you could leave, I can meet you in just a couple of minutes.”

Ginny laughed, A bright, joyous laugh that, despite my exposed vulnerabilities, pulled me into its infectious nature. “I’ll be right outside.  Don’t take too long. I’d hate to have to worry about your recovery and take your temperature.  Of course, all I have available is a rectal thermometer, so I would hurry if I were you.”

She left, and I dressed in record time.