Author's note: I'm back after a long and restful summer, and I am sincerely
sorry for not being able to update (I don't have a computer with both word
processor and internet access). Here is the next part, and a I hope you
have a good school year!
"Sixteen Tall Folk, and Mamma."
As Scully watched out the window of the passenger seat, she saw the Montgomery landscape changing from city to farmland. Houses became few and far between, and she shuddered at the thought of being so isolated. She turned to Ro, who was driving.
"How much farther, do you think?" The driver's seat was all the way back, and Ro looked like she was in a little bumper car, instead of the rental truck.
"That's it, up ahead." She said, pointing to a slightly larger farmhouse, and barn surrounded by acres of fields. Cows were grazing on one quarter of a very large part of the field.
"Why are the cows in just one part of that field, and not the whole thing?"
"It's called rotational grazing. Every year, we move the cows to another part of the pasture; so one part doesn't get overgrazed. It helps the environment, but it can be a little costly." She explained.
The car pulled up to the house, and fourteen very tall boys of various ages rushed out of the house.
"Ro! Ro's home!" They were shouting. One boy looked older than the rest.
"Hey, she's got the city-slickers with her." He said.
"Ha ha, Mick. Scully, Mulder, meet my brothers. From oldest to youngest, here's Mick, Andy, Chris, James, Mac, Billy, Jeff, Scott, Alex, Tom, Kendall, Everett, George, and lil' Larry." She said, putting her hand on the head of a boy taller than Scully was.
"How old are you?" Scully asked Larry.
"Ten." He said, hiding behind Ro. His voice was the high-pitched voice of a shy boy, not yet gone through puberty.
"I'll git yer bags." Mick said. He popped the trunk, and hauled the bags out. He carried them all up in one load. Ro pulled out the wheelchair and set Mulder into it. George ran up (he was almost six feet) and pushed it gently into the house.
~~
"Mamma!" Ro squealed as she entered the kitchen. A woman who couldn't have been five feet stood at the stove, cooking a large meal for the family.
"Hey, there, baby! How's my girl?" Mrs. Dunsmay had medium length blond hair, and very striking green eyes, surrounded by oval shaped, wire rimmed glasses.
"I'm good, Mamma. These are Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder."
"Well hi there, y'all. Billy!" A tall boy with blond hair and round glasses popped his head into the kitchen.
"Yeah, Mamma?"
"Billy, why don't y'all take Agent Mulder upstairs, and let him settle in."
"Sure, Mamma. Come on, now."
"An' dinner's in ten minutes!" Mamma called after him. "Ro, go set up the extra cot in your room for Agent Scully, here."
"Yes, Mamma." She said, and ran up the stairs, two at a time.
"Now, why don't y'all sit down, and I'll start settin' up dinner." Scully sat down in a regular sized chair by the table.
"Um, I hope you don't mind my asking Mrs. Dunsmay-"
"Please, call me Mamma."
"Okay, how do you keep all these kids in line? I mean, fifteen kids would be hard to handle." Scully asked.
"They learn real fast. When I tell them to do something, they better hop to it, or they get a whoopin'." She said, very seriously. "We do things the old fashioned way here."
"So the kids set up their own social hierarchy?" Scully asked, amazed.
"Mmm hmm. Those kids take good care of each other. When Larry started Kindergarten, Mac was late for his first day of high-school 'cuz he was walkin' Larry to class." Scull sat amazed. "Now, I got a family to call in for dinner." She walked out to the back porch, and started ringing a large bell. "DINNER! EVERYONE IN!" She shouted. Scully felt the stampede of feet running toward the kitchen.
"Sixteen Tall Folk, and Mamma."
As Scully watched out the window of the passenger seat, she saw the Montgomery landscape changing from city to farmland. Houses became few and far between, and she shuddered at the thought of being so isolated. She turned to Ro, who was driving.
"How much farther, do you think?" The driver's seat was all the way back, and Ro looked like she was in a little bumper car, instead of the rental truck.
"That's it, up ahead." She said, pointing to a slightly larger farmhouse, and barn surrounded by acres of fields. Cows were grazing on one quarter of a very large part of the field.
"Why are the cows in just one part of that field, and not the whole thing?"
"It's called rotational grazing. Every year, we move the cows to another part of the pasture; so one part doesn't get overgrazed. It helps the environment, but it can be a little costly." She explained.
The car pulled up to the house, and fourteen very tall boys of various ages rushed out of the house.
"Ro! Ro's home!" They were shouting. One boy looked older than the rest.
"Hey, she's got the city-slickers with her." He said.
"Ha ha, Mick. Scully, Mulder, meet my brothers. From oldest to youngest, here's Mick, Andy, Chris, James, Mac, Billy, Jeff, Scott, Alex, Tom, Kendall, Everett, George, and lil' Larry." She said, putting her hand on the head of a boy taller than Scully was.
"How old are you?" Scully asked Larry.
"Ten." He said, hiding behind Ro. His voice was the high-pitched voice of a shy boy, not yet gone through puberty.
"I'll git yer bags." Mick said. He popped the trunk, and hauled the bags out. He carried them all up in one load. Ro pulled out the wheelchair and set Mulder into it. George ran up (he was almost six feet) and pushed it gently into the house.
~~
"Mamma!" Ro squealed as she entered the kitchen. A woman who couldn't have been five feet stood at the stove, cooking a large meal for the family.
"Hey, there, baby! How's my girl?" Mrs. Dunsmay had medium length blond hair, and very striking green eyes, surrounded by oval shaped, wire rimmed glasses.
"I'm good, Mamma. These are Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder."
"Well hi there, y'all. Billy!" A tall boy with blond hair and round glasses popped his head into the kitchen.
"Yeah, Mamma?"
"Billy, why don't y'all take Agent Mulder upstairs, and let him settle in."
"Sure, Mamma. Come on, now."
"An' dinner's in ten minutes!" Mamma called after him. "Ro, go set up the extra cot in your room for Agent Scully, here."
"Yes, Mamma." She said, and ran up the stairs, two at a time.
"Now, why don't y'all sit down, and I'll start settin' up dinner." Scully sat down in a regular sized chair by the table.
"Um, I hope you don't mind my asking Mrs. Dunsmay-"
"Please, call me Mamma."
"Okay, how do you keep all these kids in line? I mean, fifteen kids would be hard to handle." Scully asked.
"They learn real fast. When I tell them to do something, they better hop to it, or they get a whoopin'." She said, very seriously. "We do things the old fashioned way here."
"So the kids set up their own social hierarchy?" Scully asked, amazed.
"Mmm hmm. Those kids take good care of each other. When Larry started Kindergarten, Mac was late for his first day of high-school 'cuz he was walkin' Larry to class." Scull sat amazed. "Now, I got a family to call in for dinner." She walked out to the back porch, and started ringing a large bell. "DINNER! EVERYONE IN!" She shouted. Scully felt the stampede of feet running toward the kitchen.