History of the Trap Vol. 2; Chapter Three - A Week at the Farm Part 2

 

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“Come with me.”

I tried to shake myself awake.  Who was talking to me? “What?  Who is this? I’m trying to get some sleep.”

“Sorry, buddy.  I know you’re tired.”

I squinted, and Robert Bond came into focus.  Artie’s lifelong friend and neighbor, who had left the main campus to work on the Farm, was sitting on the edge of my bed.  Taller than Artie and me, short-cropped brown hair, grinning like the Cheshire cat, Robert continued, “Come with me to the Farm. You need to get away from this hen house.  We got room for you to heal and relax, regain your strength and your soul.”

The Farm.  How important of a discovery had that been?  Two lost souls, Krissa Sellenraad and Danny Truman,  looking for raspberries (and probably a place to snocker) stumbled past what we thought was the Trap barrier and came across an entire farm, fully stocked with animals, a silo of grain, a big red barn, and a large farmhouse.

Several months ago, Robert had decided to leave our group and join the crew at the Farm.  After the tunnel collapse and as Ginny and Artie moved closer, I suspect that Robert felt displaced.

It had been a wise decision.  We did not see Robert often, but he seemed to be in a better mood, more confident, and happy when we did. He came to the school once a week to make deliveries, and I can’t lie to you.  I didn’t catch him every time he came, but he was very happy to see me when I did.

Artie made an occasional trip out to the Farm to see Robert.  I’m ashamed to say that I was not as good a friend and had not once been out to the Farm.  All I knew about it was what other people told me.

I had lost one of my best The Sands of Loren actors to the Farm, David Deneau.  He had played a central character, a police detective in love with the female lead, Dr. Brenda Marr (portrayed by the super-talented Franny Cranfield).  He’d had one or two guest appearances since, but he was now a real leader at the Farm. And according to Artie, Robert had become David’s closest assistant.

“I’m getting stronger, Robert.  I think maybe I can get out of here in a day or two.”

“Look, the break I’m talking about is mental as well as physical.  I think it would do you good to set aside all this Granite nonsense for a little while, get your head on straight. The fresh air and slower pace will do you a world of good.  Trust me!”

Well.  My Dad, who grew up taking care of a large family farm in Southern Michigan, had tried to entice me into a better appreciation of farm life.  He had a small field of crops he cultivated on some farmland that Mr. Bruchow, our biology teacher, had.  I did not take to it, to put it mildly.

Nevertheless, I knew what Robert was offering was different. Nothing on Earth would turn me into a maven of agriculture.

Robert continued to plead his case.  “You’ll still see your father.  He and Mr. Bruchow come out quite often. Their advice has been invaluable in helping us be a success.”

“I don’t know, Robert.  You’re very kind, but…” I was running out of excuses.

“And we do have medical staff out there. I mean, accidents do happen on farms.  We wouldn’t want to be unprepared.  Do you know Annie Popper?  Cheerleader, and starred in some musicals before the Trap?  She’s our lead nurse out there.”

I knew Annie.  It would have been great to have her in The Sands of Loren.  She often got the romantic lead, whereas Franny got the funnier, more memorable roles. 

“Well…let me think about it.”

“Don’t think! Go!  I’m sure Artie will come out some, and Ginny too!”

“Ginny too?”

Morgan was approaching my cot, her face twisted in a bitter scowl.

“You know what, Robert?  You talked me into it.”

 

The next day, I was at the Farm.