Swamp Thing
Summary: "Dad" inspired this very short "missing" scene story.
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to their creators. No
copyright infringement intended. No profit is being made.
Author's Notes: Okay, so it's a goofy title, but it just wouldn't
leave me alone. Go figure. The story kinda "wrote itself" after that
.
Author: Tracy Diane Miller
E-mail address: tdmiller82@hotmail.com
Swamp Thing
He had never been so cold, wet, and dirty in his life. It seemed as
if the entire bed of mud and filth from the swamp had cleaved to
every pore of his skin. He wondered if one shower would succeed in
allowing him to ever feel clean again.
It wasn't enough that he was getting "up close and personal" with the
mosquitoes who had apparently decided that he'd make the perfect late
night snack. The leeches, if uninvited to the "banquet", were still
aggressive and territorial. These bloodsuckers decided to crash the
party anyway. He thought that it was bad sharing his bed with a flea-
infested feline. He was wrong. Spending the night in a swamp was
hundred times worse. What had he ever done to deserve this kind of
punishment?
Gary could hear Jennifer's father ranting in the distance. The man
was searching the wooded area for that "worthless coward who had run
away". Poised with his Louisville slugger, the over protective father
wielded the bat with the intent of doing significant bodily damage;
he was going to teach that loser a lesson about taking advantage of
his daughter. Gary could hear Jennifer, upset and frantically trying
to calm her father down. And there he remained, very still and
quiet, undetected in the swamp. He had been cast as the unwilling
understudy for Jennifer's boyfriend, Ted.
He had never had this kind of grief when he was dating. Gary
remembered a time when he was seventeen. One night, he had planned a
more romantic date for Genie than just a movie. He had used his
allowance and some of the money that he had earned over several
months of doing chores for the neighbors to take Genie to a nice
restaurant. Afterwards, he had taken her to a quiet and secluded
spot where they gazed at the stars. That was the night that he first
told Genie that he loved her and promised her that they would have a
future together. And the kiss that they shared that night was pure
magic.
Unfortunately, it was getting late and he and Genie needed to get
back in time for their curfew. However when he tried to start the
car, it wouldn't start. The engine had died! There they were
stranded in the middle of nowhere. Gary had briefly considered that
they could walk back towards the main road where they were sure to
find help. But the fact that it was also cold changed his mind.
They ended up spending the night in his car, cuddled very closely
together sharing body warmth. The next morning, when they finally
made it home, it was time to face the music. Two sets of parents
were grateful that their children were alive. The Hobsons and
Berlatskis had envisioned terrible scenarios when Gary and Genie
failed to show up at the designated time the previous night. When
they heard the "car trouble" story, Mr. Berlatski initially was very
angry. Genie's father had implied that Gary had set the whole thing up
as a means of getting Genie alone and vulnerable so that he could
take advantage of her. The Hobsons jumped in to defend their son. A
short while later, Mr. Berlatski apologized to Gary and admitted that
he had jumped to an unfair conclusion. Gary had never shown him that
he was the kind of young man who couldn't be trusted with his
daughter. But never once had Mr. Berlatski or any other father of a
girl that he had dated come at him with a baseball bat!
It seemed like an eternity, but finally Jennifer's father had given
up the search. Gary let out a sigh of relief. All he wanted to do
was get home to a nice, long hot shower. Tonight had been one of the
longest nights of his life. Perhaps tomorrow would be better.
Of course, only the early edition knew that for sure.
The End
Summary: "Dad" inspired this very short "missing" scene story.
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to their creators. No
copyright infringement intended. No profit is being made.
Author's Notes: Okay, so it's a goofy title, but it just wouldn't
leave me alone. Go figure. The story kinda "wrote itself" after that
.
Author: Tracy Diane Miller
E-mail address: tdmiller82@hotmail.com
Swamp Thing
He had never been so cold, wet, and dirty in his life. It seemed as
if the entire bed of mud and filth from the swamp had cleaved to
every pore of his skin. He wondered if one shower would succeed in
allowing him to ever feel clean again.
It wasn't enough that he was getting "up close and personal" with the
mosquitoes who had apparently decided that he'd make the perfect late
night snack. The leeches, if uninvited to the "banquet", were still
aggressive and territorial. These bloodsuckers decided to crash the
party anyway. He thought that it was bad sharing his bed with a flea-
infested feline. He was wrong. Spending the night in a swamp was
hundred times worse. What had he ever done to deserve this kind of
punishment?
Gary could hear Jennifer's father ranting in the distance. The man
was searching the wooded area for that "worthless coward who had run
away". Poised with his Louisville slugger, the over protective father
wielded the bat with the intent of doing significant bodily damage;
he was going to teach that loser a lesson about taking advantage of
his daughter. Gary could hear Jennifer, upset and frantically trying
to calm her father down. And there he remained, very still and
quiet, undetected in the swamp. He had been cast as the unwilling
understudy for Jennifer's boyfriend, Ted.
He had never had this kind of grief when he was dating. Gary
remembered a time when he was seventeen. One night, he had planned a
more romantic date for Genie than just a movie. He had used his
allowance and some of the money that he had earned over several
months of doing chores for the neighbors to take Genie to a nice
restaurant. Afterwards, he had taken her to a quiet and secluded
spot where they gazed at the stars. That was the night that he first
told Genie that he loved her and promised her that they would have a
future together. And the kiss that they shared that night was pure
magic.
Unfortunately, it was getting late and he and Genie needed to get
back in time for their curfew. However when he tried to start the
car, it wouldn't start. The engine had died! There they were
stranded in the middle of nowhere. Gary had briefly considered that
they could walk back towards the main road where they were sure to
find help. But the fact that it was also cold changed his mind.
They ended up spending the night in his car, cuddled very closely
together sharing body warmth. The next morning, when they finally
made it home, it was time to face the music. Two sets of parents
were grateful that their children were alive. The Hobsons and
Berlatskis had envisioned terrible scenarios when Gary and Genie
failed to show up at the designated time the previous night. When
they heard the "car trouble" story, Mr. Berlatski initially was very
angry. Genie's father had implied that Gary had set the whole thing up
as a means of getting Genie alone and vulnerable so that he could
take advantage of her. The Hobsons jumped in to defend their son. A
short while later, Mr. Berlatski apologized to Gary and admitted that
he had jumped to an unfair conclusion. Gary had never shown him that
he was the kind of young man who couldn't be trusted with his
daughter. But never once had Mr. Berlatski or any other father of a
girl that he had dated come at him with a baseball bat!
It seemed like an eternity, but finally Jennifer's father had given
up the search. Gary let out a sigh of relief. All he wanted to do
was get home to a nice, long hot shower. Tonight had been one of the
longest nights of his life. Perhaps tomorrow would be better.
Of course, only the early edition knew that for sure.
The End