Voynich Shift - Season One (COMPLETED)

Leonis, 1:1, 2:11 - Part IV - Decisions And Deciduous Trees

12:05 PM

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Parker asked as he approached the dark blue Ford with its hood raised into the azure sky. The vehicle rested beneath the shade of a flowering Deciduous White Cedar tree reaching skyward from the side of the dirt road. A somewhat familiar figure stood at the front end of the machine with arms crossed, a frown upon their face.

"Mr. Raymond? What a surprise!" the elderly woman said cheerfully, stepping away from the vehicle. She lifted a wrinkled hand over her eyes to shield them from the hot sun. "Well now, I was not expecting to see you again today, young man, especially out here in the bush. Regardless, I can honestly say you are a welcome sight for these old eyes."

Parker smiled, placed his hands on the front of the machine, and leaned in over the warm engine. "Well, truthfully, Mrs. Childers, I was on my way to your farm to see you about a job when I saw you stranded here."

"You saw me from the bus? There is no doubt you have young eyes."

"I suppose," Parker said with a smile. "Well now, this is interesting."

"What is, Mr. Raymond?"

"Please, call me Parker, ma'am."

The old woman nodded in understanding. "Very well, Parker it is."

"This is a '44 Ford, right, Mrs. Childers?"

"1941 I believe, although my dear late husband would have been the one to ask. Do you know something about automobiles, Parker?" the old woman asked, now standing next to the young man as he examined the engine.

"Some. When I was a kid, my neighbor had an antique 1944 Ford almost just like this one..."

"Antique?"

Parker felt the old woman's curious eyes on him.

"Uh, yeah, I meant....oh, look!" Parker reached forward and tugged at a black wire, the action thankfully pulling him from the verbal hole he dug himself into. "It looks like the wire to your alternator is loose. Your battery is probably just dead."

"Oh, dear."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Childers, I think I can get you back on the road. These old Ford's had a manual crank option." Parker spun the nut down on the loose terminal connection and within a few seconds, had the wire semi-secured. Parker stood and wiped his hands on his pants. "Damn, I just bought these...."

"That can be washed out, never you fear, Parker," she said. "I have a woman who works for me on the farm that can get any number of stains out of any material."

"I suppose I feel a little better, then," Parker replied with a sigh. "At any rate, Mrs. Childers, there was one other, more important issue for heading out this way. I needed to thank you for your more than generous gift back at the train station. I just kinda felt guilty about taking it once I knew how much it was."

"Well, young man, if you can get me home, I will say you have definitely earned what I gave you."

Parker grinned. "Yes ma'am! Now, if you can point me in the direction of your lug wrench engine crank, I'll..."

"Here you are, fella," said a voice from behind Parker.

Parker spun around, fists clenched, discovering that the stranger who uttered the words was the same man he spotted at the train station. "Who the f...erm, where did you come from?"