Hello everyone. Last week I got a sudden inspiration to write this story. The Ghost of General Lee is my all time favorite episode of the Dukes, and I thought what would happen if the Duke boys actually died in that crash into the pond. The muse wouldn't leave me alone so I wrote the entire story within three days. I hope you all read and review. I'd love to hear what you have to say on my take of that beloved episode. The faster you review, the sooner I'll update the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard or anything of theirs except for two seasons of DVD's. There is a lot of dialogue from the actual episode and I use it with the utmost respect to those who wrote it.

The Ghosts of General Lee

Chapter 1

The General Lee, the orange 1969 Dodge charger raced along the road. The car held two passengers, the blonde one is Bo Duke and the dark haired one is Luke Duke. They're cousins and they own the General Lee together. The General pulled a 180 degree turn spinning dust into the air. Bo pressed the horn and the sound of "Dixie" flew into the air as the car holding both a smiling Bo and Luke sped away.

The sounds of police sirens was closely followed by Sheriff Rosco who pulled off a side road and got behind the Dukes who were in the General. Bo looked into the mirror and looked annoyed.

"Dang it Rosco! Can't he just leave us alone. Don't he know we're just testing a camshaft?"

"Well unless you want that camshaft in the front seat with us, you better take her outta second gear."

"Cute."

Bo continued to drive and they remained ahead of the police car that still chased them. Sheriff Rosco picked up his CB mike and called into it.

"This is your leader sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. I got the Duke Boys on I 11 between there and the county line. You got your ears on Enos?"

"I hear ya sheriff. I'm over here on Snake Nation Road. I like …."

Both the Duke boys and Rosco listened as Enos talked but then the reception of the message went fuzzy. Enos' voice came in and out. Bo commented to Luke.

"Sounds like Enos' radio's all bustin' up."

"Guess so"

Luke smiled because he came up with an idea. "Think I could fool Rosco with my Enos impersonation?"

Bo shook his head. "Five bucks says you cain't"

"You're on."

Throughout that little conversation between Bo and Luke, we could still hear the comings and goings of Enos' broken up speech. Rosco got annoyed and cut him off.

"Enos, what are you maunchin' on? I can't understand what you're sayin', I'm not copyin' where are you?"

Luke picked up his CB mike and adjusted his voice. It sounded exactly like Deputy Enos Strait's voice.

"Right here sheriff. I…it's milkin' time sheriff. Them Duke boys are gonna be turnin' off at Hopkins' Crossin'. Better cross the country sheriff… Ha! I'm gone.

"Well now that's better. Now you're usin' your head. Now just maintain radio silence. I'm standin by. I'm gone"

Rosco put away his CB and turned off the road in a cloud of dust letting the General Lee go forward unfollowed. Luke chuckled when he saw the sheriff leave them alone.

"Guess that did it."

Bo agreed with his own smile and chuckle. Luke looked over at Bo and then said "Five bucks." Bo just smiled and shook his cousin's hand.

Enos heard all of the things that happened and tried again to talk into the CB to Rosco while continuing to drive.

"Sheriff that wasn't me talkin'."

Rosco got a little upset and yelled back at him.

"Enos! When I say maintain radio silence I mean for you to hush!"

"Yes sir."

The two police cruisers continued to move fast. The two different roads they were driving on came together and the two cars smashed into each other, Rosco's car spun out and hit a fence, a piece of it stuck to the side door. The General Lee drove up from behind and sped away after taking a turn right next to the two dented police cars. A very angry sheriff yelled over the CB.

"Get outta my way you dipstick! We're gonna search every inch of ground from the county line to that Duke farm, and this time we'll get 'em."

Rosco got out of the tangled mess and began the long search for the General Lee and the Duke Boys. He began to search high and low for them on all the roads nearby with Enos close at hand.

While the Sheriff department looked for them, the Duke boys decided to go skinny dipping. They stripped their clothes and left them in the General and hopped into the water of the nearby pond. Bo giggled and splashed Luke and shook some water out of his hair.

"After that car, the water sure feels great."

"Well I figure as long as Rosco's waitin'…" Luke spat some water out of his mouth that Bo splashed onto him "…waitin' for us to show our faces, we might as well lay low 'till the heat goes away."

Rosco spotted the General Lee and hid his police car. He got out and crept up close. He pulled out his gun and jumped out from behind a nearby pine tree.

"Well now you Duke boys, you ain't laid low enough."

"Dang it Luke, it's Rosco. He found us"

"O' course it's me Bo Duke now just hush and freeze and come out o' that water. You too Luke."

Luke and Bo both put their hands in the air and slowly made their way out of the water and too Rosco's patrol car. Since they were skinny dippin', they were still in their birthday suits.

"Okay Rosco. We're out. Would you mind us just goin' to the General so we could get some clothes on?"

"Uhh…"

Luke kicked up with his leg and kicked Rosco's gun away. Bo and Luke ran over towards the General and got in and drove away still not having put anything on. Rosco yelled in anger for them to "freeeeeze!" but the General Lee had already gone. Rosco grabbed his gun and got into his car and followed where the General went. After a minute or two, he finally spotted them again. Rosco called on his CB.

"This is Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane eh Enos I got the Duke Boys in sight on route 99 and I'm in hot persuit."

Rosco chased the General Lee all around the area. They made it back towards the pond when Bo took a hard left because they didn't want to cross the county line. Rosco would have gotten them for breaking probation.

"Bo look out!"

"Luke!"

Seconds after that sharp turn the car hit a dirt ramp which launched the General Lee into the air and over the pond.

The General Lee made a colossal splash as it landed in the middle of the pond. When the car made contact with the water, Bo and Luke's heads whipped forward and hit the dashboard knocking them both unconscious in their seats. From above water, the air bubbles from the front seats rushed out.

Rosco and Enos both parked their cars and ran out looking mighty worried at not seeing either of the Duke boys coming up, and all the air bubbles were settling down. The young deputy, Enos, who was a friend to the Dukes since they were schoolboys exclaimed.

"Possum on a Gumbush." Enos took off his hat and ran into the lake. "I'm goin' in."

"Get em Enos."

He dove in and swam forward to where the General Lee was last seen. Movement could be seen and then Enos came up with a yellow shirt and a pair of pants. While Enos moved to shallower ground in the water, Rosco ran back to his cruiser and called out on the CB.

"This is Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. I want ya ta get an ambulance and a wrecker out at the old River Road. The Duke boys done gone in the pond."

Rosco then ran back to the edge of the pond. Enos was now close to shore. He looked up at Rosco and shook his head and held up the two items of clothing he pulled out of the car. There were tears in his eyes, and a lot of emotion in his voice.

"Luke's britches. Bo… Bo's shirt. Can ya help me find 'em Sher? Help me Sher."

Rosco looked upset with tears in his own eyes. "I can't Enos. I can't swim."

Enos just looked incredibly sad. He glanced again back over the water and then brought a hand up to his face and cried. He cried for his two lost friends, they were two of his very few friends, and now they were gone. Bo and Luke were gone and not coming back.

Rosco on shore still had tears in his own eyes. He really couldn't believe it. He tried hard to keep his tears in check but,

"Dam…The Duke boys is… Why'd they had to do that?"

Rosco turned away from the pond and cried. He thought about the Duke boys. He knew that he loved to chase them but they were good boys and didn't deserve to have been taken at that time, especially not the way they did. Rosco wiped away his tears and turned back around to the still crying Enos. He spoke softly with his voice choked up.

"Come on Enos. Lets find 'em."

Enos looked up and sniffed. "But Sher… you said you can't swim."

Rosco walked forward straight into the water. "I cain't but that don't matter right now. Let's find those Duke boys."

Enos and Rosco searched the entire pond for the boys. While they were searching, the ambulance that Rosco called for came and the paramedics stood at the edge of the pond at the ready. When Rosco and Enos found the General Lee, they found the last occupants of it… an unmoving Bo and Luke Duke. Rosco reached in through the driver's window and pulled out Bo first. He trembled as he felt the coldness and stiffness of Bo's still body. Enos helped him get Bo on land where the ambulance personnel took him and placed him on a gurney. Rosco and Enos returned to the General and pulled out the dark haired Duke boy. Luke was just as cold and unmoving as Bo.

This time as Rosco and Enos pulled the Duke boy to shore, they couldn't hold in their tears any longer. They shed them without shame. Enos even collapsed on the hard ground in a weeping heap once the paramedics took Luke. The paramedics placed him on a gurney next to his cousin and checked over him like they did the blonde cousin.

Rosco with tears openly flowing from his eyes looked over at the paramedics asking the silent question that he already knew the answer to. The paramedics shook their heads and gently pulled out two sheets and placed them over the two bodies. The Duke boys were dead. Rosco sat down next to Enos and placed a hand on his shoulder trying to give his deputy some comfort and some comfort for himself. The two officers of the law cried together for the loss of two of Hazzard County's finest citizens.

Now go on and press that little square button on the left side of the screen. You know you want to.