MISERY, the story and update by Denni Don Hunting, stagemanager and author
Hello, Misery's Company. Here is a review of the week.
It was warm Wednesday night August 25th.in late August. Evening shadows stretched across the parking lot of Old Town Playhouse. Ed Mulcahy, the acclaimed Director of "Misery", stood next to the Super producer, his beautiful wife Mugs. She stared at his soulful face above his massive manly shoulders, her green eyes sparkling like shimmering emeralds. "Ed", she whisper breathlessly. The slight quiver in her hands echoed the excitement she was trying so hard to hide from his warm gaze. "Yes," he responded. Anyone could see the muscles in his chest beneath his cotton shirt, tense in anticipation. "Ed" Mugs repeated, " Are we going to just stand here bathed in the lavender shadows that are beginning to hide us from the rest of the world..." "Yes", he answered again stepping so close to her that the aura of his presence almost smothered her. "Ed", she raised to her tip toes, her lips nearer and nearer to his face. She inhale once more. Her hand moved without thought or plan. She could feel the strength swell within him as she touched his arm. " Ed, are we going to stand here forever, together, alone bathed in the coming darkness or, are we going to Brady's Castle with Denni and Joe and talk about what we need to for the set next week." Ed's response was positive, quick and passionate. The rest is history. End Chapter 2. chapter3
With our first week of rehearsal over, it was clear to everyone, specially Joe Kilpartick who spent and entire evening on a bed made of six or seven of the hard black chairs, that what we need is a BED!.
Friday Ed found a typewriter, a wheelchair. On Saturday Ed and Mugs and Denni went to the storage unit and got a second wheelchair and a window frame, some kitchen chairs and a podium but no bed. The three, still undaunted stopped at WRC and St Vinneys, but still no bed. The search ended in partial failure.
On Monday a bed, frame and head board magically appeared in the alley between 9th and 10th Street. After rehearsal that evening Maria, Joe and Ed picked it up in Maria's van and brought it to the playhouse. Yeah!!!!
Diana Jean has been a rehearsal a couple times this week, She is working on the special make-up Joe and Maria will need. She will be meeting with the owner of Hocus Pokus. She has taken some rehearsal photos also.
Sherri, who has been busy with "Assassins" plans to meet with Brian "Buzz" Smith the weekend. Buzz will be doing the fight choreography for the end of the show. A time with the cast needs to be scheduled.
The schedule for next week will be Tuesday 9/7, Wed 9/8 at OTP at 6pm and Thurs 9/9 at Mulcahy's at 7pm.
Tuesday Don K. will be there to take pictures of Joe that are needed for the book covers and posters that are props for the show.
I am, Calling all techies for that night! (Tues.9/7) Our plan is to have everyone watch rehearsal of Act II, and then stay for a half hour to discuss some projects that we need to get started with right away. Seeing the rehearsal will give everyone a better idea of what we are working with and what we are needing. I am hoping everyone can be there. Please come at 6pm. We should be out of there before 9pm. Let me know if you cannot make it.
That night there will be a BAD meeting. I will be attending for a few minutes to ask the board for the option of adding two performances, if our show starts selling well enough to warrant it. The proposed are Thurs. and Friday the 28th and 29th of October. Tech folks, running crew, please let me know if this will be a problem for you. If you don't wish to do those extra nights or you can't because you grandmother is getting married in Borneo, it is OK. I just need to know.
There are some other things to talk about but, I am going to save them until Tuesday when we are all together.
Break a leg!!!!! Sherri, Don, Gary, Tom, Brett, Elizabeth! Have a wonderful show.!
Don't forget Don and Deb's party on Sunday Sept. 5th, starting at noon. There will be a bonfire around 9pm and the party will end after the International Space Station goes over us several times.
Oh, by the way, Maria and Joe are doing a great job! Between their acting and Ed's direction they are going to creep you out!
The clouds were grey and the warm summer air smelled like rain, on Wednesday Sept.1st. Ed and Mugs left the theatre, stood for a moment in the darken parking lot. The warmth of his gaze lit her face. They appeared to be fixed in time, their souls embracing through the passion in their eyes. For a moment the world appeared to stop. No wind, no sound, no movement. Then without a word, they turned in unison, his great hand grasping her delicate fingers, and they disappeared into his great black power machine. They were gone. They left a dark emptiness behind. Denni turned, mounted her white palfrey, Moonlight, and followed Don on his mighty steed, Yamaha, to Brady's Castle. There, in the great hall at the round table, they would find music, food, drink and the good company of many Assassins. Denni smiled knowing where ever her friends Ed and Mugs had gone, their story will continue. End Chapter 3.chapter 4
Hello Misery's Company: Here is the weekly update but first... Back to our story...
Hurricane Frances swept across their private island like a vengeful dragon. The torrential winds and rain laid waste to everything in sight. Ed, Acclaimed Director of "Misery", and his beautiful wife Mugs, Super Producer, escaped to the sky in their airship moments before Frances arrived. They watched the storm ravish their beautiful romantic hideaway, from the portholes in their airship, as it flew before the winds. Great crystal tears ran down Mugs cheeks, as she clung to Ed, her arms around him and her head pressed against his massive chest. " Oh Ed she whispered her lips quivering, "Everything is gone, the beautiful palace you carved out of the wilderness, the furnishings you brought in ships from the far east, and all the lovely clothes and gifts you brought to me over the years." "Look, she gasped, now convulsing in grief, "even the schooner, our schooner, ''The Rory's Bride', is sinking beneath the sea." She swooned, her body seemed to melt against his chest. As he lifted her in his brawny arms, his lips moved softly across her forehead and down the path of the tears on her cheek. He carried her to the satin sofa, in the airship lounge, and laid her down gently as though she were a bouquet of orchids. Her face was pale, her breath was shallow. Her bosom rose and fell slowly. He knelt beside his beautiful wife. He moved a lock of her strawberry blond hair from her cheek, as he whispered to her. "Please don't cry my love, every stick and stone will be replaced, a new castle will rise from the sand there will be more clothes than you can ever wear and more gifts that you can open. I will have this started as soon as we reach safety, and Frances is gone. I will have a new schooner made for you. Just for you my dearest. We will call it 'The Return of Rory's Bride' . But, first, he whispered so close to her that his lips touched her delicate ear, "first we have to get back to Traverse City and work on the "Misery" set." With the magic of his voice, color came slowly back to her cheeks and a smile appeared on her lips. Her eyelids fluttered. A she looked up at him, her eyes and his became locked in the bliss of the moment. The air seemed to fill with the perfume of their passion and the drone of the airship engines. The ship now flew above the storm, following the sun to the north and west. End Chapter 4.chapter5
UPDATE: We got a lot done this week.
Diana Jean continues to work on make-up for bruises and broken legs.
Sherri is finding props. She also has a friend who will come in a give our beautiful old wheel chair a look over and tune up is needed. We lost a couple nuts a small bolt during rehearsal. That made Joe's eyes get really big.
Karen Haspas brought in some animals, that have been stuffed. ( As opposed to stuffed animals) Ed wants a spooky looking old farm house. So we have Wylie Coyote, Mindy Mink and Bobby Bobcat. We don't have to feed them or take them for walks.
Thanks to Margaret Schall, Ed has been able to finish the fire effect in the Bar-B-Q. WE are going to burn a couple scripts, as per The Script, without fire. Theatre Magic!
A friend of the playhouse, Chris Gorence, ( his son Kyle played Winthrope in Music Man) donated some sheets to our show. Mugs, Debbie Bowman and Karen are dying and sewing sheets for curtains on Saturday. I am dying the bed sheets.
Cinder took some pictures of Maria. Roland is painting a flat for the book award scene.
Don took pictures of Joe so we can have his photo on book covers.
Brian "Buzz" Smith worked with Joe and Maria on the fight scene at the end of the show. He is great at fight choreography!
Sharon Olson, a nurse practioneer friend of Maria came in to work with Maria and Joe on transferring him from the bed to the wheelchair.
Kathy Verstraete found some nurse costumes for Maria. ( She does have to do some surgery.)
Joe and Maria are working on lines. They are doing real well!!!!!
Mugs is working on another flat that will look like a book cover for a "Misery" novel. Mugs has also designed our poster and program.
I went to the BAD Meeting on Tuesday to give our show report to the Board and ask for the option to add one or two more performances Friday Oct. 29th and possibly Thursday Oct. 28th. These will be added if the box office demand appears to warrant it, and if the Board finds no conflict either within OTP or with Samuel French.
What a week!!!!
Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 6:00 PM at the playhouse for rehearsal. Cast will be off book for ACT 1 on Monday. Sherri, by popular request, will be sitting book for them.
We are going to try to work the scenes that require the strobe, with a strobe on Monday.
Tom Pritchard is going to start building our set.
There has been a slight change in the air and in the angle of the sun. The little meadow across from the playhouse has changed its color from green to a silver brown. Twilight comes sooner than last week. September has arrived and summer is growing lean and pale and cool.
Joe and Maria and I watched Ed and Mugs leave the theatre on Wednesday. Mugs lovely green eyes reached out to her husband who was hold fast to a strange object. He turned his back to her to place the object in his mighty motor machine. She reached out playfully and tickled him on the back. " What is it?", she cried in an almost child like voice. "Is it a present for me?" "No, my darling," , he replied, his base voice softening as he spoke to her. "Oh, please let me see it." She begged. She reached past her husband and grabbed the object. She let out a soft cry and let go almost dropping it to the ground. "Oh Ed, It's a leg!" "Yes, my love it is a manikin leg. We need to work on it for the show."
Mugs looked at the leg, a smile began in her eyes and move across her entire face, "Oh Ed, are we going to put a lamp shade on the top and turn it into a Christmas present?" "No my darling, he answered softly, "Get in the motor machine and I will explain everything."
Joe, Maria and I mounted our own rides and motored off to the west. The sun was completely gone, darkness had fallen as we arrived at Brady's Castle seeking the respite of the Round Table. There was music and food and drink and comradery. For a while we expected Ed and Mugs to arrive. But, they never joined us that night. For a worried moment we wondered where they might be, but then we smiled in a joyful toast. "To Ed and Mugs may they be back soon." End Chapter 5 chapter6
Hello Misery's Company! Here is the weekly update... but first, our story.
We need to step back some months in time to look at the beginning of a drama that will greatly effect the lives of Ed Mulcahy, Acclaimed Director of "Misery" and his beloved wife Mugs, Super Producer.
Ed and Mugs have two wonderful children the handsome dashing Jake and the lovely Mariah with the enchanting smile. This family's heart is as great an ocean. When Clover and her sister Crimson needed a home, the doors to the Mulcahy Manor were thrown open and the girls were welcomed with warm hearts and open arms. Both girls were happy, basking in the love and kindness of their new family. Yet, Crimson would spend hours staring out the window, to beyond the wall, beyond the gate, to a world she believe was bright and exciting and full of adventure.
One evening as the purple shadows of the Lilac bushes covered the garden wall, something caught her eye. She stood staring into the growing darkness, her heart beating with excitement. A pair of eyes stared back at her. Dorian Dartmonger stood in the shadows. He was well bred and handsome. Yet, the people of the village knew him to be spoiled arrogant and reckless.To Crimson he looked like a prince, dressed in his tuxedo. His eyes sparkled. His lips slowly twisted into a rye smile. He had noticed Crimson in the window many times as he passed the gate. Tonight he stopped.Tonight he would not walk away from Crimson's innocence and beauty. He beckoned. Her heart almost flew from her breast. She had seen him before but never imagined this charming, dashing, exquisitely handsome fellow would even notice her. Both Mariah and her sister Clover tried to stop her as Crimson opened the great door and ran into the night. ...to be continued! chapter6a
Here is the update!
What a week! Applause to everyone!
The work Maria and Joe had done on ACT One culminated in a very exciting rehearsal on Wednesday! They are a few lines from being completely off book with ACT One. The characters have grown! On Wednesday we were watching some very exciting acting!
Ed is showing that he has done his home work with this script! His direction continues to tighten each scene.
Mugs has been collecting orders for our "Logo Wear". Anyone interested in shirts or hats please get a hold of Mugs. Poster appears to be ready to go to print. Thanks again to Mugs.
Tom Pritchard has started our set construction. Ed was able to get the doors from the warehouse that are needed so Tom can complete his task.
Deb, Mugs and Karen worked on dying and sewing the sheets last weekend. Dick Cieslik is working on creating a way to hang the curtain. Ed wants a curtain across the front of the stage so the audience will not see the set until the moment we discover Paul in the bed and Annie sitting beside him. What ever Eddie wants, Eddie gets. Well, pretty much!
Sherri has been collecting props. This is one proppy show! Sherri brought in a friend on Monday who went over that old wheelchair bolt by nut and made sure is it all tight and safe for us.
Diana is our special effects make-up. Joe's legs will no longer be Pin-up Calender" material when she gets through with them. They will be bruised and broken, ...looking.
Our Tech Sunday is Oct. 3rd. We want to have all our tech in place before then so the cast can work with set, costumes, props, light and sound that last week. Please look at your calenders. Let me know if you see any problems with this plan.
Schedule for next week!
There are four rehearsals scheduled for next week. Monday Sept. 20th, thru Wednesday Sept. 22nd, are at 6pm in the Studio Theatre. Thursday Sept. 23rd is at 6pm at Mulcahy's. Actors can run lines. We will be working ACT 2. We will work parts and tough spots Monday and Tuesday and hope for a run thru ACT 2. on Wednesday. Actors may not be off book for this ACT yet. The goal for that is Sept. 27th.
We tried the "foot lost" scene and the fight scene with the small strobe light. Some things changed because of the light. It was good to have the chance to see that early. Gary, if you can find that larger strobe, we would love to try it next week.
We are hoping to have Dick, Karen and Sherri there next week to work props and scene changes.If Sherri is comfortable with the props search by then. WE might have Mugs sit book so the running crew can being their dance. I have the first draft of the ACT One scene breakdown done and will have ACT two done this weekend.
Thank-you everyone. This is an ensemble experience. Pretty exciting!
Welcome Home, Don Kuehlhorn! Hope you had a great time vacationing with your son!
Crimson came home just before dawn. Mariah and Clover had fallen asleep a few hours earlier. They didn't see Crimson waltzing and humming and laughing as she entered the house. That night she waited at the window again, but Dorian did not return. Nor the next night nor the night after, nor many nights there after. Crimson finally grew tired of crying and for a while she focused her life on studies and in the company of Jake, Mariah and her sister. Then she became distant, hiding away in her room, sleeping in the day and wandering at night.
When Ed and Mugs arrived home after their near escape from the hurricane Ivan that destroyed their castle on their romantic hideaway island, they saw the problem at once. "Oh Ed", said Mugs,"Our Crimson, have you noticed, her life has changed, changed forever."Ed wrapped Crimson in his great arms, " Who, just tell me who he is." Ed couldn't hide his pain or his rage. "I'll change his life forever." Ed's family had been violated! He stormed from the manor, riding crop in hand. Mugs watched as he beat one of the beautiful marble statues in the garden with the riding crop until the instrument was ragged.
Dorian did return one more time. Mugs was entertaining Maria McKane famous actress of stage, screen, Joe Kilpatrick matinee idol, and Denni Don Stage Manger. All are working on Ed Acclaimed Director's show "Misery". As the company sat in the Mulcahy garden near the pool, Dorian slipped through the gate into the court yard. He looked up to Crimson's window and for a moment caught a glimpse of her. He stared at the unmistakable swelling of her belly. Then he turned and without looking back, walked away into the twilight. "Is that the cad, the scoundrel?" Joe asked. Ed not being present Joe was ready to defend Crimson's honor. Mugs spoke slowly with a hint of tears, "We think so but, she has never said a word. We cannot be sure."
Last weekend during a terrible storm, Mariah heard moans coming from Crimson's room. She summoned the family. " It is time, it is time." Jake volunteered to ride for the doctor but the river usually floods the bridge when it rains. They would never get back in time. "Papa, Mama we have to help her." Mariah cried. A crack of thunder echoed through the manor as the family ran up the great stairway. A tiny cry rose above the storm. When the family arrived at Crimson's door they were greeted with another cry. Ed threw open the door and there lay Crimson, tired but well and happy. She was cuddling the twins, Annie and Paul. Clover was peeking into from behind Jake's legs as Mariah cried out," Oh Mama, Papa, aren't they the cutest kittens you have ever seen! Can we keep them?" Mugs slipped her arm around Ed's waist and laid her head again his massive chest, "Your father and I will have to talk about that, for now, let us let them sleep."
End Chapter 6. chapter7
See you next week! Denni
Good Afternoon. Another beautiful day!
Here is our weekly update. But first, our story...
Ed Mulcahy, acclaimed Director of "Misery", had his arms wrapped around his adored wife Mugs, Super Producer, as they stood in the great window of the Mulcahy Manor. They were staring at the top of the mountain looming against the darkening sky in the West. The bonfires were being lit. Within minutes the top of the mountain looked like a night sky, twinkling with stars."They are going to leave aren't they dearest Ed?" Mugs voice quivered. She could not hold back the gentle tears that rolled silently down her ivory cheeks. Ed tightened his embrace, trying to comfort her. He too felt the sadness that was about to descend upon his home and his land.
"Where will they go Ed?" She whispered softly. She asked the question praying his answer would be more hopeful than the one in her heart.
Ed turned his wife slowly until her face was toward him. He lifted her chin in his massive but gentle hand, " Queen Terry and the Assassins must follow the path that the Thespians are born to follow."
When the closing night comes, they must have a great feast and remind each other of the work and the passion they have shared. Then the campfires will be put out and they will mount their horses and ride down the mountain into the mist of dawn never to be seen again."
"No, no, no" Mugs cried. She broke from her husband's arms and ran to the velvet bell pull on the wall. She barely rang it the second time when Sir Brett, Liaison of the Board and an Assassin himself, threw open the great doors and stepped into the room.
Mugs move to the great oak table and braced herself as she looked at the Knight. " Please, she said, "we must know that Queen Terry and her Assassins will not just disappear into the mist. They have been our neighbors and our friends. Can't we stop this somehow? Can't we keep them?"
The handsome knight moved with the grace of a dancer and the strength of a lion to his lady. He knelt in front of her and took both her tiny hands in his. His eyes were a mix of grey and blue, the color of a storm on the sea. His gaze touched her face as he spoke slowly with both confidence and sympathy. " I can understand your pain, My Lady. But, nothing can stop that which must be. That which is part of our lives and our culture." " Is there no hope? Mugs asked, her tears beginning to fall again. " There is", he answered, "but it is a secret and I dare not tell you for I have sworn an oath." Sir Brett rose to his feet and moved slowly across the room to stare into the flames in the great fireplace. "Please", Mugs cried, "please you must tell me can't bear the pain of this loss any longer."
To be continued....(after the update)
And Now out Update:
Another great week for the Misery Cat and Crew!
Joe and Maria continue to move forward with learning all those lines. There character work is strong. There are time when we forget they are Joe and Maria and just see Annie and Paul in a Colorado Farmhouse.
Dick Cieslik hung the curtain this week. There are some minor adjustments but, it works the way Ed hoped it would. Dick also worked on the Wheelchair. Wheelchair is the Diva in this show. Every now and then she just throws a few nuts and bolts on the floor stopping rehearsal until we can quiet her down.
Our posters will be ready this week. My son Mike printed them at his business The Print Shop, as a donation to the show. Yeah Mike!
Sherri has been bringing in props every night. She still have a few to go.
We tried the little strobe for the horror scene and we tried the big strobe. Maybe next week we will try both and see what that does. Exciting!!!
There are some small projects to finish we will talk about a schedule for these this week. Need to finish the podium, re-cover the seat on the "Diva", hush up the white cart, hem the curtains and re-hang them, spike set. Of course, there are probably more. There always are.
We are rehearsing four days this week. Monday thru Thursday. We will start at 6pm all but Wednesday. that will be 7pm. Monday we will start with ACT 1, and go forward.
Diana is working on the special make-up.
Kathy we need to talk about costumes. Let's plan a half hour in person or on the phone.
Gary has been working on our sound.
Don has been to an ACT 2. rehearsal to look at lighting questions. Don, come on down on Monday!
Tom will be working on our set on Sunday.
Cast be sure you have your bio stuff in to Mugs.
Karen and Dick and Sherri, if you get there early Monday I will let you folks begin the process of preset and during the rehearsal, set changes.
Calling all tech!!!!! Remember we go into "Final phase" this week. We hope to have all tech in place before Tech Sunday. If we can all pull together this week, our tech week can be like butter!!!!
Mugs threw herself on the divan and wept. There was no other sound in the great hall but the crackling of the fire and the breathing of the two silent men.
Ed broke the silence, he turned abruptly casting a long shadow across the room. He moved quickly to his wife. He raised her up in his arms, carrying her to the fire as one would carry a child. His lips kissed her forehead as he tied to calm her grief. " You can not speak of this Sir Brett, it would destroy your honor. But, I can, I must, before the loss of our friends destroys my wife."
Sir Brett looked at Mugs and then at his friend, Ed. " You are right, we must save Mugs from a broken heart. But it is my place to tell her even if it means giving up my immortality." Before Ed and Mugs could stop him, Sir Brett turned to them and began to speak. " The secret, he said quietly , the secret is that we never are really gone. We go into the mist only too wait until we can return in another show, as another character in another place. Queen Terry and her wonderful band of Assassins must ride into the mist but, someday you will see them again." "Oh, Sir Brett," Mugs said as she threw her arms around him,"Thank-you, thank-you. You have given me hope. You have taken away my pain. But, now what will happen to you? " Brett took her arms from around his neck and walked silently to the window. He stared out at the mountain with the twinkling bonfires, " I am not sure," he said," for giving up the secret, I may never get cast again. I may have to live out my life, no longer as a knight, or and song and dance man, or as a techie . I may have to be a board member forever." Before Ed or Mugs were able to speak, Sir Brett strode from the hall. The sound of his great horse grew distant as he rode up the mountain to join the Assassins, perhaps for the last time. "Oh Ed, Mugs cried, ''What have I done.? What have I done?"
End Chapter Seven.
The snow came with only moments of warning. It was upon them in a full gale almost instantly. Ed, Acclaimed Director of Misery held his lovely wife, Mugs Super Producer, as the sudden winter storm shook the hot air balloon tossing it through the night like a small ship on an angry sea. "Hold on", the balloon pilot Roland of Woodring, shouted. " Hold on and we will try to get over the next rise and into the valley where the hotel is." The words were barely out of his mouth when a blast of wind tossed the balloon, shaking it, tipping it. Mugs felt her husband's strong hands slip from her. She felt nothing below her feet. In an instant she lost sight of Ed's face as she fell through the freezing air, through the storm, through the darkness. For the slightest moment Ed could not believe what had happened. Her face disappeared below him swallowed in the snowy darkness. He screamed her name and would have jumped over the side of the balloon basket if Roland had not grabbed him and held him aboard.
" She may be dead or she may be alive, we need help to find her. We will need your help. So help me now. We have to get over this stand of rocks and trees or we are gonners." Roland worked desperately to aim the fire pot and it's heat to keep the balloon rising. "Hold my legs!" Roland yelled. He stepped up on the basket edge and forced the fire pot to the great balloon's mouth. Ed, held on to Roland. He forced back the torment and tears. " She can't be gone, she just can't be gone." "It is working, hold on, it is working," Roland yelled as he climbed down into the basket. "We have the height sir, we have it." Ahead of the balloon a tiny light. Ed thought it looked like a candle in the darkness. " That is the valley sir.", Roland yelled."That is the valley and the hotel. Can you see the light?" Ed nodded, He stood in the basket holding the ropes in silence.
The candle became a thousand candles. The outline of the great hotel loomed in and out of the swirling snow. Soon Ed and Roland could hear the shouts of people on the ground over the roar of the wind and the balloon fire pot. The balloon came to rest on the ground with a great thud, dragging the two men along the rough roadway until the other's from the hotel were able to halt its painful progress. Ed and Roland crawled from the basket and lay motionless. They were quickly helped to their feet and taken into the great hall of the hotel where a fire roared in contempt of the storm outside. Paul Sheldon had found his friend. He brought Ed a glass of whiskey and tried to find out exactly what had happened. Ed's eyes were red and tear brimmed. " I was holding her and then she was gone, gone, gone into the mouth of the storm."
A great pine had faced over a hundred winter storms. It stood with the strength of age facing one more. It's long branches swayed as if they were reaching for the bundle of fur and fear that was falling from the sky. They passed her downward, branch to branch until they let go to fall the final few feet. She came to rest on a bed of snow, mattressed with pine needles. She made no sound while falling from the balloon. Upon landing she screamed. Out of pain and fear she wailed one word into the night. "Eeeddddddd," It cut through the snow and wind and darkness. When she came to the end of her breath, she also came to the end of her consciousness. She did not hear her plaintive call answered.
"Whaoooooaa,eeee." The wolf's answer ended in a sad whine that cut upward along the high pine ridge. Then there was no sound but the mountain, the night and the cry of the wind in the tops of the pines and the almost hushed whisper of thousands of flakes of snow.
Mugs lay still, enveloped in her great fur cape. A trickle of blood oozed from a wound on her right leg, soaking though the dress and the fur and melting the surrounding snow into a small red puddle. She did not hear the almost silent steps of the night hunter as he crept through the underbrush. He stopped and stood a few feet from her. Simachee's steel blue eyes stared at her face as he tasted the air around her. She did not move. He stepped forward, with some confidence. He sniffed and snorted quietly. Dare he move closer? The large silver and black male wolf stood on three legs. His right front paw was poised in the air. He reached out ever so slightly. Mugs did not move. There was hardly the sound of breath but there was the smell of blood. He pawed the air gently, then he reached farther to touch the edge of her hood. His black nose now touched Mugs face, she moved slightly. The wolf jumped backward. He stood again wondering what creature this intruder could be. He was puzzeled to find the fur of a dead animal with a live creature inside. Mugs whimpered, she sounded like a child lost and afraid. She moved just a little but, never opened her eyes. The sound brought the beast to her side. He sniffed her face and mouth and eyes. He found nothing fearful. He felt a need to help and protect. He was drawn to this creature, as he was to his own pups. Although he did not understand his instinct spoke in the loudest voice. He turned to the darkness. Other eyes were peering toward him. Looking silently from Simachee to Mugs and back to Simachee. At his signal, Nihnah, his mate and her four brothers moved toward Mugs. One brother found the blood pool near her leg. " Heal the wound." Simachee demanded. Soon the wound on Mugs leg was clean and almost dry. With another silent signal the family lay down surrounding the unconscious woman. Nihnah lay her head across Mug's shoulder and neck. Simachee faced his mate and lay is head across Mug's side and arm. She would have been very frightened if she had seen them. But, she did not. She did not know that it would be their body warmth that would keep her alive. The night moved on. Snow covered the family and their strange charge. Again there was no sound but the mountain, the night and the cry of the wind in the tops of the pines and the almost hushed whisper of thousands of flakes of snow.
End Chapter Nine
And now our story...... Chapter 11, The Final Journey
The coldest hour of the morning was the hour before dawn. Ed lay in an exhausted sleep on a couch in the great lobby of the hotel. His friend Paul Sheldon was near by asleep in a chair. The hotel manager had stoked the fire and covered both men with blankets as the grey of morning revealed the end of the storm.
Beyond the ridge Simachee stirred. His nose and ears told him of the approach of more strangers. The tinkers cart, pulled by a strong young pony, broke the morning silence. Simachee woke Nihnah and the brothers. He stood a moment looking down at Mugs. She was cold and white and almost lifeless. Simachee knew creatures of her kind were approaching. He and his family could do no more. They ran silently to the high rocky place where they could watch the road. Until last night's snow, the road was clearly visible. It lead past the great hotel to Dick's Road House a few miles on and then down the mountain to the city. Nihnah tried to coax her mate to think about hunting. They had been a while without food. He shook off her attention and lay down to watch the tinker cart approach below them. His ears moved when heard the high pitched voice of the young woman in the cart.
"Dad, Dad, stop the cart." " What?" " Stop the cart Dad there is something in the snow." "What?"
Hanna was a out of the cart and half way to Mugs before her father Tom pulled the pony to a stop.
" It is a woman Dad, I think she is dead. She is real cold."" She must have been attacked by wolves, Dad, look at the tracks and the blood in the snow." Tom shook his head," That is strange. If they had wanted to kill her they would have." He leaned over Mugs. He could feel the slightest cool breath on his cheek. "She isn't dead yet. We better get her to the road house in a hurry." Hanna held Mugs close to her. Their great dog Bozo lent his warmth to the stranger, even though she smelled like wolves. Tom drove the pony as fast as it could go in the snow. The wolf pack followed along the ridge above the road, until they reached a place where the road house could be seen. There they stood silently, watching. Nihnah did not understand the importance of this but she did not question Simachee.
" Help, we need help out here." Tom yelled as they pulled in front of Dick's Road House door. The door opened. Dick, the owner met Tom in the doorway. " What kind of help?"" We found this woman almost frozen in the snow a couple miles back. We need to get her inside." Dick closed the door behind them and called to Gwendolyn his cook. The dark haired woman came out of the kitchen she stared at the travelers. " Gwendolyn, take them to the back room. There is a fire in there, it will be warm and comfortable. " Gwendolyn led the three to the back room. There was a warm fire and a small bed. Gwendolyn held Mug's fur cape a moment touching it to her cheek. She and Hanna tucked Mugs in the bed. Her smile was warm but her words were icy as she turned to Tom, " She got any money? This isn't a charity house." " I'll pay for her. Just get someone out there to take car of my pony and cart."
Gwendolyn expression changed as she screamed at the three young women who were working in the kitchen. "Karen get out here and take care of this gentleman's pony. Elizabeth, get in the kitchen and warm up the soup and you, Missy Sherri get in the back room and put a hot iron in the bed."
Dick offered Tom and Hanna a round table near the fire place. Bozo stretched out on the floor in front of the fire absorbing the warmth. I"ll have Gwendolyn bring you something from the kitchen. That was a pretty lucky find. A few hours more and I bet that woman would be dead." " Thank-you for your help", Tom answered. "Glad to, this is rough country." Dick smiled and returned to the bar and his daily duties. Tom and Hanna watched the fire as they waited and waited. "Where do you suppose she is Dad, I'm really hungry." "What, Yeah I'm real hungry too."Tom stopped Karen when she came in from the barn. " I am sorry sir, I am not allowed to serve the customers, only Gwendolyn does that."
Ed woke praying for a moment that all he had experienced had been a dream. As he looked around he was assured that it was not. He had really lost Mugs in the dark snowy night. Roland brought him a coffee and a pair of boots."We are going to look for her, sir. She has to be just the other side of the ridge. I found a guide and a couple fellas to help search. Deb Bowman stepped forward. Her companion Donald Q. MacGreggor followed just behind her. "The guide is a woman!" Ed could not hide his surprise. "Yes sir, she knows every inch of this mountain. If anyone can find Mugs it is Deb." Roland replied. Behind Don stood a tall mountain man, Gary Boldman. Ed stared at Gary's rifle " Are we going to need guns? "Never know." replied Gary with a grin." Horses were brought to the front door. Deb and Don mounted quickly and waited as the others get organized. They followed Deb on the road that led across the ridge.
The sound of a carriage brought Dick to the window. "Oh no, he mumbled, the crazy ladies are here." Gwendolyn rushed to the door and met the three ladies in green hats. She sat them at a table on the other side of the fireplace. Gwendolyn scurried to get them their tea. " When is the bed and breakfast going to open? she asked. Diana De Morgan smiled, " Soon very soon, do we have time to talk business?" Gwendolyn sat at the table, "Of course, but first do you want to settle up. That will be..." Kathy Ver Straight stopped her. "We will talk money when you talk business."
"Excuse me." Tom called.. We would like to order some supper. " I'll be there right away." Gwendolyn replied with a sweet smile.
" Which one are you going to sell?" asked Kathryn K. Patrick? We need a good servant for our new Green Hat House, Bed and Breakfast. You have three women working here, we want the best one and we are willing to pay."
"Well, I have good news for you. I just happen to have a lovely lady in the back room who appears to have the kind of class you would need for your place. If you can stay for a few more hours she will be ready to go. But, because she is of better stock, the price has gone up." Gwendolyn smiled and thanked the ladys politely as she scooped up the money left on the table. She turned to Tom," Now, what would you two like for dinner?"
Elizabeth grabbed Karen and Sherri and pulled them into the back room where Mugs was now beginning to move and moan softly. " Gwendolyn is going to sell her to those ladys. She was going to sell one of us, but thinks she can get more money for her." Karen was wide eyed. "She can't do that . We don't even know ho this woman is." "Think about it, said Sherri, She will sell this woman and we are going to be next. All this because we couldn't pay our bill. We will never be able to work off the bill and the room and board she is charging us." " We got to get out of here and take her with us." "Good idea Liz, but how?" Karen asked. Sherri peaked out the door and closed it again. " We have to ask Tom and Hanna to help."
Ed stared downward wondering if he would ever find a trace of his beautiful wife amid all the trees and snow. The sun was high in the sky as they began the descent. "Spread out," Deb yelled. "Ed, you come with me, Don and Gary and Roland will comb that area."
The sun was moving toward the ridge when Deb let out a shout. She saw the branches of a tall pine freshly broke and bending downward. She got off her horse and stopped in the place where Mugs had spent the night. Ed followed her and stood transfixed. Then he let out a terrible cry. "My God they killed her an took her away. Wolves killed my wife. He began to sob. Don and Gary and Roland rode toward the place where Deb had stopped.
"No Ed, they didn't kill her. I am not sure what I am seeing but it looks like they slept here beside her." " What about the blood?" " She probably her herself falling through that tree." Deb spoke softly trying to comfort Ed. "Where is she? Where is she now?" Deb followed Tom and Hanna's tracks to the road. She looked at the sky. "I think we should camp here for the night and follow this road in the morning when the light is better."
Simachee and his family had heard Ed's terrible cry. They ran to the place above the road where they had watched Tom and Hanna take Mugs away in the tinker cart. Simachee watched the searchers dismount and stand looking at the ground and sky. Simachee's nose flared. He raised his head and tasted the air through his mouth and nose. The scent was familiar.
Mugs sat up in bed. " Oh , where am I ? Ed, Ed she called."Elizabeth hushed her." Please, you are in danger. Don't call out again." "Who are you, Mugs asked. Where am I?" Sherri explained all they knew about Mugs. Karen told her that Gwendolyn was going to sell her in a very little while. " We are trying to get you and us, out of here." Sherri went to Tom and Hanna and suggested she show Hanna where they could let Bozo out back. There was something desperate in Sherri's voice. Tom encouraged Hanna and his dog to go with her. When they got outside, Sherri told Hanna that they meant to take the stranger lady and steal the carriage and leave. " We hope you and you father will help us. He will have to drive the carriage. None of us can do that."
Simachee took a step toward the searchers. Nihnah tried to stop him. He turned to her demanding that she and the brothers stay behind. He moved silently through the under brush until he reached the road. He sat a moment then stood and howled. Deb and the men turned. He ran off a few feet down the road then came back and sat. Gary raised the great Sharps rifle. Deb looked at the wolf, then turned to her companions, "No, put your gun down." "Are you crazy it is a wolf." Ed cried. "No," said Deb," He wants us to follow him. That is what we are going to do." " Are you nuts lady?", Gary asked. Deb turned, her brown eyes snapped, "You want to find Mugs? It is getting dark. I am following him and you can do what you want." Deb and Don were on their horses and quickly got to the road where Simachee stood. Ed, Roland, and Gary followed.
Simachee ran like the wind. Deb's horse questioned the wisdom of following a wolf, for only a moment. He responded to Deb's determination and closed the gap between he and the wolf. Deb's hair whipped about her face as she, and her horse and the wolf rounded the last curve. Dick's Road House was in full sight. Deb turned to see her companions right behind her. She looked forward and Simachee was gone. There was the road house and a carriage and two horses and a group of people outside. Something was terribly wrong. She waved the men on and rode full speed stopping near the carriage. The two horse were, snorting their frosty breath and stepping back and forth nervously. She dismounted and stopped in her tracks.
Gwendolyn was wearing Mug's fur cape. She held a large kitchen knife to Mugs throat. Liz and Karen and Sherri stood with Tom, Hanna and Bozo on her left and the three ladys in green hats stood on her right. " You all thought you would cheat me, Gwendolyn screamed. "You three throw the money on the round and you can take this one and leave." Mug's was too weak to protest. She could barely stand. Through the dying daylight she thought she saw Ed. Her handsome wonderful Ed. She whispered his name and fainted.
Roland and Don held Ed back. Deb and Gary walked forward. "I can drop a bear at a half mile with one shot through his left eye, "Gary said softly. " Wanna bet me lady? Put the knife down." Don had moved to protect Tom and Hanna and the women. " I wouldn't bet him, lady."
Ed could be restrained no longer. He pull from Roland grasp and like a madman screaming his wife's name he ran with all his strength straight at Gwendolyn.The scene took on a slow motion quality. Gwendolyn's eyes grew large, the blade of the knife caught the last rays of the sunset and flashed like fire. Mugs woke to see her husband moving toward her, "Edddddddd!" "Muggggggs!" Bozo who would never hurt a fly, sensed the danger and ran to Ed's side ready to spring on Gwendolyn. Everyone stood frozen in the moment. Above it all a loud voice yelled, "Enough!", as Dick raised a large bottle of Scotch and dropped Gwendolyn in her tracks. Dick smiled, " Well, she hit me with this, I thought it was only fair."
Ed scooped his wife up in his great arms, He could feel her velvet cheek against his face and her her frail arms grasping his neck. Hanna took the cape from Gwendolyn and threw it over Mugs.
Gary and Roland carried Gwendolyn into the back room and locked her in as Dick had asked.
The ladys in the green hats had already hired Sherri, Karen and Liz. "What a deal, we got day jobs and we will be able to entertain at night. They want us to sing." Liz was jumping up and down. Karen looked at Sherri," I don't know if I can sing, but I will try. How about you?" " Oh, Sure I can Sing,"Sherri smiled.
The tinker cart crested the ridge. Below them lay the great hotel. Tom and Hanna had not heard a word from Mugs and Ed in the back. " I think we did a good thing Dad." "Yeah, me too." Hanna hugs their great dog "You were a hero too Bozo.". Deb and Don, Gary and Roland were leading the was down the road in the dark.They dismounted in front of the hotel door.
Stable boys grabbed the horses and the cart. Hotel guest poured out to greet them. Maria and Joe had come to the hotel to surprise Mugs and Ed. They waited all day with Paul Sheldon. Maria's eyes filled with tears." We were so worried." Joe turned to Paul and said, you know if you ever write another novel, I'll bet they have a great non-fiction story for you."
As Ed carried Mugs to the door a sound rang through the crisp black winter night. "Wolves howling," Mugs said looking longingly into her husband's eyes." "No", came a voice from behind them, as Deb took Don's hand in hers, "Friends saying good-by."
Two words........ The End