Chapter 6: Dirt Farmer
(Later, at Chamberlain Hardware…)
Callie pulled a can of Behr Premium Plus Interior Eggshell Enamel from a shelf.
A man, by the name of Chamberlain's Hardware Ower to Stephen King, was standing at the table, he looked at Callie.
"Doing some painting?" The owner asked.
"Yeah." Callie replied.
"So, you stay here?" The owner asked in concern.
"Um, that old apocalyptic ranch off of 99. It was my father's place." Callie replied, as she grabbed two roller brushes.
"Dirt Farmer had a family?" The owner asked.
"You all called him the Dirt Farmer?" Callie asked, as she got a roller and turned to the owner.
"Meant nothing by it. Man spends every week working a piece of land... but never seeding, never watering, never growing a ding-dang thing." The owner said, as he nodded no.
He rang up Callie's stuff.
"It's curious behavior. Great customer though. He- He bought some bizarre shit." The owner said.
"Yeah, that sounds like him." Callie said.
(Later, at Chamberlain Junior High School…)
In the Grooberson's office, they sat in on a lecture and watched the "Cujo Attacks Car" scene played on the TV. Suddenly. Dog snarling and woman screaming on TV.
*RUMBLING*
There was an earthquake. The students looked around. Gary went to an instrument and watched it record data. Phoebe walked in and stared at her research on the wall.
"What is this?" Phoebe asked.
"Hello." Gary said, as he stood up. "Um...here's a highly entertaining movie about a killer dog happening right over there." He said, as he tried to sway her to go back to watching "Cujo" in the other room.
"Is this a seismic map?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes. How did you know that?" Gary asked.
"Because it's a map of seismic activity." Phoebe said.
"Right. But-" Gary said.
"You're a seismologist?" Phoebe asked, as she turned to Gary.
"Does that seem so hard to believe?" Gary asked.
"Figured you for a football coach." Phoebe replied, as she turned to Gary.
"Oh. Um…" Gary replied, as he looked down. "Thank you."
Gary was at a loss for words. Phoebe looked over her papers and noticed the earthquake was neither.
"These don't look tectonic or volcanic." Phoebe replied.
"Okay, smarty. Here, check this out. This is a volcano, all right?" Gary asked, as he scoffed and went to the white board and drew a volcano. "It builds and crests. But this is a tectonic earthquake. Notice a little P-wave was followed by a large S wave." He said, as he turned to Phoebe.
"Yeah, I'm not an idiot." Phoebe said.
"Clearly. Well, this is the pattern in Chamberlain. Large P-wave then a small S wave like an explosion." Gary said, as he erased the waves and drew.
"Where is it coming from?" Phoebe asked.
"I don't know. I don't know. I set up geophones, but I can't triangulate." Gary said, as he turned around to Phoebe.
"Are you using three?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah. I know how many sides there were in a triangle." Gary said.
"I just thought you were being obtuse." Phoebe said, as she winked.
"Was that a geometry joke?" Gary asked.
"Yes, that's why I winked." Phoebe said.
"Ah. Ah. That's terrible. No, I loved it." Gary said.
Gary directed her to the seismic map.
"I mean, somehow, a town that isn't anywhere near a tectonic plate, that has no underground volcanic activity, no fault lines, no fracking, no loud music even, is shaking on a daily basis." Gary, as he directed her to the seismic map and turned to Phoebe.
"Maybe it's the apocalypse." Phoebe said, as she turned to Gary.
Gary looked at Phoebe.
(Later, at Ewen High School…)
Thanks to the map he had, he was able to find the classroom, which was up on the second floor, without too much difficulty where the teacher was waiting outside the door. After greeting Trevor warmly and shaking his hand, he told Trevor to wait outside, as he was going to announce him to the other students in the room and then welcome him in. Trevor agreed as the teacher went into the room, where most of the other students were talking with friends before class began. Trevor got out her notebook.
"Okay class…listen up…" He called out with a voice that had years of experience in dealing with students. Silence fell, and all heads in the room turned to him. "…now before we begin, I'd like to announce that we've got a brand-new student who'll be attending Ewen High for the rest of Senior Year. No doubt some of you may have seen him out in the corridors or sitting in the cafeteria a little earlier this morning." The history teacher said. A lot of those in the class were genuinely curious of the new boy they'd seen walking in the corridors or sitting with the school's outcast in the cafeteria a short while before.
Trevor looked around to the students.
"Now everyone…this young man comes from Ireland and is taking part in the student exchange programme that this school is taking part in. As you all know, one of our own students went over to Ireland for two months earlier on in this school year and, in return, one of their students has come over here for two months. So, I want you all to make a good impression while he's here. Agreed?" The history teacher asked.
"Yes, sir." The students said.
"Outstanding." The teacher said, and then he looked to the open door and nodded. A second later, a somewhat nervous Trevor stepped into the room as all eyes fell upon him.
"So…please introduce yourself young man." The history teacher said with a smile, as Trevor took a deep nervous breath.
"Hi everyone, I'm Trevor. I'm from Chicago and I live in an apartment. I hope that I'll have a good time while I'm over here; it's the very first time that I've ever been over to the United States, and this is also the twentieth country that I've been to." Trevor said in his distinctive accent, as he glanced calmly, but at the same time very nervously, around the room at all the faces which were staring up at him from their seats.
"Very good, Trevor. Now…do any of you have any questions for him?" The history teacher asked, turning to the class, as a few of the students raised their hands. Trevor pointed to one.
"What other countries have you been to, and which continent are they on?" One boy asked.
"All the other countries that they've been to over the years are all located over." Trevor said, as he spread his hands out. All the other students before him looked impressed; most of them had never been outside the continental United States before.
"So, you're quite a well-traveled person then?" The history teacher asked.
"Yes sir, you could say so." Trevor said, as the history teacher chuckled. A few more students before him raised their hands and Trevor pointed to one.
"Good, go sit down." The history teacher said.
"Thank you, sir." Trevor said, he walked and sat down.
"Excuse me." A girl with red-orange hair sitting in the front row of desks, she said.
Trevor turns his head to the red-orange hair girl.
"Yeah." Trevor said.
"Have you been to many places around Chicago?" The red-orange hair girl asked.
"Yes, I have; I've been all around the city of Chicago to many of the major cities." Trevor said.
"Do you have any major interests or do any sports?" The red-orange hair girl asked, as the single girls in the class eyed Trevor in not so discreet ways.
"I'm on my school's wrestling team and I've won a few medals and trophies in various contests I've taken part in over the years. I previously was on my school's hurling team for about a year and a half, but I left that team just a few months back due to a few teammates who I felt were…disagreeable." Trevor said. A lot of the other students before him looked quite impressed, as Trevor brought his hands up to the sides of his mouth and mock-called "Next!"
"Do you have a girlfriend?" The red-orange hair girl sitting off to her left asked.
Trevor froze; he hadn't been expecting this question, as he saw most of what he presumed were, the single girls in the room lean forward expectantly, eagerly awaiting the answer from him. Although Trevor did have plenty of female friends back at his school back in Chicago, and many good ones at that, he'd never had a serious girlfriend before.
"Ah, no I don't have a girlfriend." Trevor said, much to the delight of the single females present.
Another hand went up "How many years of high school do you have in Chicago?" The red-orange hair girl asked.
"In Chicago, there's six years of high school, or secondary school as it's called back home, compared to four years over here. I'm nearing the end of Sixth Year, which means that when you all were starting on your first year, or Freshman Year, of high school over here, I was starting on my Third Year." Trevor said. And almost all the other students before Trevor murmured amongst each other in amazed awe; this Irish kid had more years of high school experience under his belt than they did.
"Hmm, yeah. You said." The red-orange hair girl said.
"Sure, my grandfather died. My mom says we're here to pick through the rubble of his life." Trevor said.
"The Dirt Farmer?" The red-orange hair girl asked.
"Hmm, that's weird." Trevor said.
"So you're here to uncover the mystery of his death?" The red-orange hair girl asked.
"No. It was natural causes." Trevor said.
"Are you sure it wasn't unnatural causes?" The red-orange hair girl asked.
"Yes. Pretty sure it was just a heart attack." Trevor said.
"Ah. The silent killer." The red-orange hair girl said.
"I'm Trevor." Trevor introduced himself.
"Yeah. I'm Sue Snell." The red-orange introduced himself as Sue Snell.
They shook hands.
"It's nice to meet you, Sue." Trevor said, with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you too, Trevor." Sue said, with a smile.
"Yeah." Trevor said.
"Why do you stay here?" Sue asked.
"Me, my mom and my sister arrived in Chamberlain here." Trevor said.
"Sorry to hear about your grandfather." Sue said.
"Nah, it's okay." Trevor said.
To Be Continued…