Chapter 130 Farming Day Disaster
On a farm on the outskirts of the hinterlands, a farmer by the name of Tommy Palmer walks outside of his one story white house to check up on his livestock and the growing of his vegetables. Tommy is 32 years old, he's of Caucasian descend, has short blonde hair, brown eyes, a medium strong build and he always wears the same ol overall suit. I forgot to mention he always wears a brown straw hat as well.
After Tommy finishes his look over regarding his live stock, he walks over to the main field where corn is being grown.. He notices a lot of nuisance bugs making their way over to get to the corn too. These bugs are better known as locusts, and locusts eat almost everything in sight when it comes to farm food. Tommy becomes irritated and worried.
Tommy-Dagnab it! Those damn locusts are back! They'll eat up my corn field again this year!
He thinks of using his chemical spray which is designed to get rid of the locusts, yet there is a chance the spray will harm the corn as well and render it not edible.
So I know its pointless to say, because I'm sure you know how locusts can be when they are in huge numbers, but I'll say it anyway. They do cause damage and within a seconds half of the corn field is gone. Tommy gets out of the locusts way because he doesn't want to be caught in their path.
He rushes back to his house and shuts the door.. He thinks, and looks out of the window.. He sighs because the number of locusts are growing and it only took less than a second.
Tommy-What is it about those bugs.. How can I get rid of them!
He looks at his watch and sees that its 11:30. The sun begins to show its some of its true potential. He exclaims.
Tommy-Ohh it's getting hot already. Oh shoot! That young man is supposed to be here in five minutes to help me out. What am I gonna do about those bugs!
After about more than half of Tommy's corn field is destroyed, the locusts leave, perhaps to find something else to satisfy their hunger. He finds himself relieved when he sees the last one fly away to join the rest of the swarm. Although he's relieved, he's also devastated and you know why.
Tommy-My corn field! Half of it gone! I don't believe it!
He sits in an old rocking chair thinking..
About five minutes pass when a crunching sound of tires upon the ground announces someone's arrival. Tommy gets up from his chair and looks out of the window again. He see's a nice looking blue car filled with a few people.. They get out.. And in case you hadn't figured it out yet, its Joey, Ryan, Nakia, Zelda, Chet and Kimberly.. You see Joey convinced all his friends to join him again on another ride to Palmer's farm.. I say that loosely because on their first trip they weren't able to make it to the farm, but today is different. He also asked them if they would help around with slight chores, reluctantly Nakia agreed, but the others agreed right off hand. So they all decided to wear overalls with respect to their Ranger colors. Nakia didn't want Ryan to go because he had just got out of the hospital the day before but he reassured her he's fine.. So they're here.
Tommy smiles and walks out on his front porch.. Joey is the first to see him.. Nakia looks around the farm and says with a hint of trying to like where she's at for the time being.
Nakia-It's a cool looking spot.
Zelda-Oh come on Nakia, it'll be fun to do this kind of work for a day.
Nakia-Yeah, and then it'll turn into two days, and then three days, and then a week, and then a month, and finally a few years.
Everyone starts shaking their heads and chuckling at what Nakia just said.. Ryan puts his arm around her shoulder and speaks out playfully and unwittingly about the bug problem.
Ryan-Don't worry babe. I'm here to protect ya from those menacing bugs.
Nakia-Yeah, yeah.
If only Ryan hadn't spoke too soon regarding a seriously bad bug problem.. I would say he foreshadowed but how could he? He hadn't noticed the spot where the locusts, only minutes before their arrival tore half of the corn field to nothing. Perhaps its just a play on words.. Yes, I'll go with that, for the time being.
Anyway Joey introduces himself properly to Tommy. Although he had spoken to him over the phone before because he wanted to take pictures of the beautiful looking farm.. He still felt that a proper introduction was needed.. So forth he introduces all of his friends as well. You see, Tommy contacted Joey again earlier in the morning to ask him to come out to help him with chores around his farm, all of his helpers had abandoned him because they found better things according to them. Joey thought it would be a good opportunity to take a lot of pictures while he and his friends also help out with chores. Tommy said he would only need them for the day but like Nakia implied, he may need them for many other days as well if he can't find some permanent help.
Everyone is assigned a certain chore.. Nakia, Zelda and Kimberly are to climb the trees in Tommy's orchard which I must say is quite vast.. There are apple trees, peach trees, lemon trees and orange trees. They each have three very big brown wagons that they can push from tree to tree to collect all of the freshly new fruit. Nakia complains already, right before they even start to pick anything.
Nakia-Oooo I could be at Jane's Nail Emporium getting my nails done today. I'm owed a free manicure you know.
Zelda and Kimberly laugh.
Kimberly-I'm sure Jane's nail emporium will be there when we're finished.
Nakia-Uh huh.
Ryan, and Chet have been assigned to feed the livestock.. They also have to milk the cows, and tend to the pigs and horses. Joey, however will be taking a few pictures after he and Tommy go through the cornfield to break off some of the bad corn stalks and to remove the ones that were halfway eaten.. With the corn field being so big, Joey sighs in tiredness right before he gets started.. But Tommy assures him.
Tommy-Ah it's good exercising work Joey. That's a promise.
Joey-I bet it is.
So they begin..
The day moves on but not fast enough.. It's only 1:00 now.. The sun is still beating its heat down on everyone.. Nakia is up in the apple tree. She has picked twenty apples so far and dropped them into her brown pushable wagon. Kimberly is up in the lemon tree, she has a few lemons because she had to stop a few times, the reason is because she didn't have a good balance and almost fell a few times. Zelda is up in the orange tree, she has picked 30 oranges already, in fact she's almost done. She only has a few more to drop into her pushable wagon, and then its on to the peach trees for her.
Ryan is in the pig's pen, where its all wet and muddy.. He's like totally grossed out by what he sees all around the pigs, but manages to get them a bucket of slop to put in their trough. When the pigs see him pour the slop in, they start rushing over and pushing him out of the way, he yelps out quick and ends up falling on the muddy ground.. His face is buried deep.. But he lifts it up and exclaims with a muddy look.
Ryan-Oooooohh man! Yuck!
Chet looks over from milking a cow in one of the cow's stables and laughs at Ryan who has gotten up and is walking in a groggy way from the mud on his red overalls.. Chet stops when the cow moo's at him in a painful way, why? Because he accidentally pulled too hard on one of her teats. The cow gets even though.. How you ask? Simple, the cow turns so that her butt is right in front of Chet's face, then moving back she knocks Chet off of his small chair and on to the ground where she sits on him.. Chet shouts out..
Chet-HEY! GET THIS COW!
Ryan notices and laughs, he's still looking all muddy but he doesn't care now.. Not after seeing the cow sitting on Chet's body with only his head exposed.
Ryan-AHAHAHAHA!
Chet-Hey it's not funny, get it off me!
Ryan stops laughing barely and moves over to grab the cow's head.. He then gently moves her off of Chet.. Chet gasps for air for a minute.. Then says with disgust as he stands back up.
Chet-Man, that was horrible!
He hit's the cow on her back but not really hard and says.
Chet-You fat cow!
The cow moos in triumph.
Nakia is on a bigger apple tree now and is trying to pick another apple when she suddenly loses her balance and slips off of a big branch.. She catches herself though and hangs on the branch using her whole body but upside down.. It looks quite funny actually.. She shouts out.
Nakia-Heeeeeeeeelpppppppp! Helllllllllllllllllllllllp!
No one can really hear her.. Not even Zelda and Kimberly because they're too much into picking on other trees that are slightly away from the tree Nakia is hanging from. She shouts out again.
Nakia-I.. SAID.. HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
No one hears her still.. Nakia whimpers funny like.. She then growls..
Nakia-Grrrrrr! No body can hear me.. I'm gonna be stuck like this forever..
She screams out again, this time really long.
Nakia-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
Again no one shows a hint of a response.. Nakia starts pouting..
Nakia-Ohh when I get down from here!
Kimberly thought she heard someone yelling out and you know who that someone was, but she's not really sure.. Anyway the slightness of her thinking causes her to lose balance and she yelps as she falls out of the tree and into her wagon filled with lemons.. When her body hit's the lemons, some of them burst therefore a large amount of lemon juice squirts out on her.. She groans out.
Kimberly-Oh I'm going to be smelling lemony all day! Ugghh!
Over at the horse's stable now.. Chet is brushing some old hair and a few kinked up bugs off of a white horse. After cleaning the mud off of himself, Ryan yells over to Chet from over at the cow's stable.. He's milking a cow.. Anyway his yell startles Chet which makes his hand reflex hit the horse on its butt. The horse neighs and kicks Chet in the stomach.. Chet groans out.
Chet-OOOOHHHHH MAN! This is just not my day.. I guess the horse missing something else on me that would of hurt like hell was kind of nice.. Ooooooohhhhhhh..
He then falls slowly to the ground.
Ryan notices Chet on the ground and let's out a big laugh..
Meanwhile, in Terra Falls at the old weather station.. Jeremy is sitting in front of his computer typing in a few things.. He hears Princess Andromeda's voice coming from the jar which is harboring the power cell she's still trapped in.. He looks at it and says.
Jeremy-You won't be getting out of there anytime soon! Oh.. No!
Perhaps he spoke too soon.. Lightwing appears behind him.. He speaks.
Lightwing-Jeremy. There was something I forgot to tell you and the others.. I don't know why it slipped my mind but I'm very sorry.
Jeremy turns around and looks up at him.
Jeremy-What is it Lightwing?
Lightwing-The power cell holding the evil Princess.. Well it's holding power is only temporary.
Jeremy gulps.
Jeremy-Umm. And just how long is temporary?
Lightwing-According to my calculations.. The power cell's holding power will diminish in exactly 13 minutes.
Jeremy-What?!
Lightwing-You have to get rid of it.
Jeremy-And where do you suggest I take it?
Lightwing-Away from here.. Far away.
Jeremy-Gee I'd love to Lightwing, but as you know I can only travel so far. Seeing how I don't have any special powers to send the cell far away.
Lightwing-Not true, you do have the power to teleport the power cell to wherever you choose.
Jeremy slaps his forehead.
Jeremy-Oh yeah. Where should I send it though?
Lightwing-How about to another planet?
Jeremy-Another planet? Um which one.
Lightwing-Pick one.. There are many in this vast universe.
Jeremy-Words of wisdom and truth I have to say..
Jeremy turns back to his computer and prepares a scanning probing command line that his computer activates so that he is able to scan the planets..
Down in the underground pits that provide a base for Queen Minerva and her evil court.. She sits on her dark throne staring dazed like.. She says to herself.
Queen Minerva-The Rangers.. The Rangers.. They have thwarted all my plans. How can they be so powerful.. How can I stop them so that I can drain energy from this planet! There must be a way.. There has to be.. They are mere humans..
She growls..
Queen Minerva-Mere humans with special powers! But not only are the powers special, they are the power of nature itself!
An idea comes forward in her mind after saying those last words again.
Queen Minerva-Hmm, the power of nature itself..
She slowly smiles.
Queen Minerva-Perhaps that is what I'll need to focus on next. Yes.. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak!
Her eyes glow superbly red.
Queen Minerva-Yes, a creature which will give the Rangers the fight of their pathetic lives!
She chuckles..
Back to the farm.. Everyone is sweating heavily due to the sun. Joey and Tommy are cutting down all of the bad corn stalks when a new swarm of locusts reappear seemingly out of no where.. Tommy doesn't take notice till one of the locusts lands on his hand right after he cut down another bad corn stalk. He stops and looks at it.. Joey is still cutting down more bad corn stalks when Tommy calls his name.. He doesn't answer till Tommy calls out his name for the third time.
Joey-Yeah?
Tommy-Um I think we're going to have a bit of a problem here.
Joey-What problem?
Tommy points towards the huge swarm of locusts coming towards them very fast.. Joey exclaims.
Joey-HOLY…
He stops just when the locusts swarm onto the both of them.. They start yelling out in protesting groans.
Joey-LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!
Tommy-UUUHHH! DAGNABIT! THEY GOT HERE SO FAST!
The two break away from the swarm.. Luckily the locusts prefer corn stalks and not humans, because the menacing bugs stay put to feast on the bad corn stalks laying on the field's ground.
Joey and Tommy make it to the front porch of Tommy's house to catch their breaths.
Joey-Man! I have never seen so many locusts!
Tommy-They come around every so often to tear up my field.
Joey-Nothing you can do about it?
Tommy-Well yeah, I just don't want to risk hurting my corn at the same time.
Joey-Hmmm. What about the not so harmful pesticides? They have those don't they?
Tommy-Yeah, but the problem is they're not as effective.
Joey-Man!
Tommy-Wish there was another way to get rid of them without the risk of destroying my corn..
Joey-There might be.. Hmmm.
The locusts begin to grow in numbers.. Chet and Ryan spot them from the stables, they rush up to the house, and in the orchard fields, Zelda is done with another tree.. She gets down and notices Nakia hanging from the tree she was hanging from a while ago.. She gasps and rushes over to her.
Zelda-Nakia! Are you Allright?
Nakia in a whimper.
Nakia-Huh, who said that?
Zelda-Me, Zelda!
Nakia-Oh.. Zelda.
Her tone changes.
Nakia-GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!
Zelda chuckles.
Zelda-Just let go of the branch..
Nakia-No way!
Zelda-It's the only way you'll get loose.
Nakia-I'm not letting go.
Zelda-Nakia. Let go and fall into your wagon.
Nakia-No!
Just then a slight breaking sound is heard.. Nakia starts to whimper..
Nakia-Oh no! This branch is going to snap!
Zelda-It's best if you just drop in your wagon..
Nakia-Those apples would hurt!
Zelda chuckles again..
Nakia is about to say something else when the branch completely snaps off from the rest of the tree.. Nakia yelps and drops right into her wagon filled with apples.. She moans..
Nakia-Uuuuuhhhhhhh that wasn't too bad..
Zelda chuckles.. Nakia stands back up with pieces of apple on her face, in her hair, and on the rest of her body. Zelda lets out a big laugh now.
Zelda-Oh you look funny!
Nakia-Yeah, yeah..
Zelda helps Nakia out of the wagon..
Nakia-Jeez.. I never thought it would be like that.
Zelda-It's easy once you get the hang of it.
Nakia looks at Zelda crazily.. And Zelda immediately knows what she means. Which is a cliché regarding Nakia hanging from a branch and not wanting to let go.
Zelda-Oh sorry.. I didn't mean.. uh.. Well.
Nakia laughs.. And so does Zelda once again..
Nakia looks around the orchard and doesn't notice Kimberly.. She asks.
Nakia-Did Kim finish early?
Zelda-I don't know. I didn't notice anything except for what I was doing.
Nakia-Yeah..
Zelda clears her throat after Nakia's obvious yeah remark meaning she didn't take notice to Nakia's hanging till much later.
Zelda-Well let's go to the front and take a break.
Nakia-I'm with ya on that.
They are about to leave when they hear a faint voice coming from the area where the lemon tree stands. They walk over to it..
Zelda-Hmmm.
They look into Kimberly's wagon and sees her just laying there in a mess of broken lemons and their squirted out juice. Nakia exclaims and starts to laugh.
Nakia-Kim come on, get out of there!
Kimberly looks up at them and says to try to make them believe she didn't fall in.
Kimberly-Oh, no I'm quite comfortable.. I'm just relaxing..
Nakia-Relaxing? You fell in didn't you?
Kimberly-Um..I'm just relaxing.
Zelda chuckles.
Zelda-Yeah sure.. I guess you squeezed a few lemons too.
Kimberly begins to laugh.
Kimberly-Okay okay.. I fell in.. Jeez.
She gets up.. Nakia helps her out of the wagon and comments on her lemony smell.
Nakia-You're lemon fresh today!
Kimberly looks at Nakia's apple mess all on her and responds.
Kimberly-Yeah and you're an apple pie..
Nakia-Very funny.
They all laugh out heartily and walk up to the front of the house. Quickly, they notice the huge swarm of locusts feeding on the corn stalks.. Nakia gasps.
Nakia-Good lord! Look at all those bugs!
Ryan notices them from the porch and yells out..
Ryan-Hey girls come on in the house!
Nakia looks back at him and takes off running.
Nakia-Don't have to tell me twice.
Zelda and Kimberly follow behind her..
They make it to the house and walk through the door.. When the door is shut they all relax on Tommy's couch..
Chet, Joey and Tommy are in the kitchen..
Ryan takes notice of Nakia's look and of Kimberly's smell. He's about to say something when they both say in unison.
Nakia and Kimberly-Don't say a word Ryan!
He chuckles.
Nakia looks at his overalls though and sees the remnants of the mud.. She asks.
Nakia-Looks like you got down and dirty Ryan.
She laughs.
Ryan-Yeah babe.. And you got apple punched..
Nakia stops laughing..
Nakia-I guess I deserved that.
They all smile.
The locusts finish their meal and soon they move away from the Palmer's Farm.. Nobody knows until Zelda looks outside and tells them.. Chet comes into the living room and says.
Chet-Hey Tommy is fixing us lunch. It'll be done soon.
Nakia-Oh good. I'm starving.
Kimberly-Me too.
Zelda sits back down and relaxes.. Everyone starts talking and waiting for lunch to be finished as everything fades to black.