The Farm At Maple Hollow - 30. Chapter 30

I suppose it was kismet, but I had dug out my Classic Illustrated comic of the last days of Pompeii. I had brought an old National Geographic magazine, where the lead article was about the mummified bodies that archeologists had uncovered. It was eerie looking at plaster casts of people who died in the volcanic eruption. From the positions they were found in as they suffocated from the pyroclastic flow of ash and other debris. We had an interesting discussion after we finished story time.

Rather than focus on the somber aspect of what we had learned that night, Ethan turned the discussion towards the work of the archeologists. In discussing that subject, the National Geographic article was a godsend, here the boys could see and read, how the work in uncovering the mysteries of the lost city, was done. It made what was going on up on the ledge a bit more realistic. I guess if you could call it that, it was an object lesson that through hard work, you just may find vital clues towards what you were looking for.

Bobby and Eddy had retreated to the porch as Sam and Pietro headed for the bunkroom as I grabbed Ethan and melded my body to his. I needed to create as much surface contact with him as possible. A finger tucked thru one of my empty beltloops had me following him like the Pied Piper, as he directed me towards the bedroom. We were aflame with desire, a need to consummate or love, to renew the bond we shared. Something similar was happening outside the confines of the bedroom, the proof was in the faint, indistinct noises from other parts of the cabin. As I was lost in Ethan’s love, they soon became indistinguishable as they blended with the nocturnal world, just outside the walls of the cabin.

There was a tautness to our initial coupling, we both had been under a mountain of stress, it wasn’t that we had been on edge, it was the simple fact that there had been so many moving, interchangeable dynamics of the past few weeks. This morning, with the final steps we needed to take to purchase River View, it was as if we were decompressing as we enjoyed the evening here at the cabin. It had been hard work getting to this point, and the work would not be letting up, we still had to see our vision become a reality.

We were seeking and yearning for the comfort we found in each other that late summers night, complementing each other as we sought the solace, we needed in each other. I remember climbing to the mountain top with Ethan that night, looking over the farms below, a vision of our future warming me as sleep overtook me.

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Before we left to meet our guests, Mr., and Mrs. Janssen, we had walked up to the dig site to let Pam and gang that we would be bringing up some neighbors to look at the dig site. Pam asked if we had any extra chalkboard chalk, if we did, could she borrow a box, white if possible. I looked at her quizzically wondering what she was getting at. Laughing she told me that it would all make sense soon. Swinging back down to the cabin to let the guys know we were on the way; they were all asses and elbows finishing up the cleaning. We were handed a couple bags of trash to take with us.

After disposing of the trash and errands, we met Earl and the Janssen’s on the path to the dock, exchanging pleasantries we were on our way. We gave them the tour of the cabin, both Sam and Pietro were back up at the dig site. While we were at the cabin, Pietro came down and grabbed the chalk, telling us to come up in ten minutes.

What we saw when we got up to the ledge face simply stunned us. Momentarily at a loss of words, Pam took charge, letting us know that what we were looking at may possibly further proof of either Viking or Irish seafaring monk’s exploration of New England!

I now understood what she needed the chalk for, if the gouges we had previously seen in the ledge face several days ago were at best a curiosity was now more than a brainteaser. Much more of the horizontal ledge face had been uncovered revealing more of these gouges. Carefully, Pam had gently outlined all these gouges with the chalk. What we were looking at we were told, were inscriptions, most likely Viking runes or old Irish language.

We all sat there stunned as Mr. Janssen cleared his throat. Looking over at him, he had gone very pale for a moment before he regained his composure. He told us he had seen something similar as a boy out behind his farm. The hills on the backside of our pond are on his property he explained. Now hidden by second growth trees, is a vertical ledge face that gently slopes back into the hillside.

Well, that sort of lit a fire under all of us, before we could get carried away, Pam asked that we not discuss this outside of those present. She needed to put together a report, it would need to include what Mr. Janssen told us about before she would reach out to her faculty advisor. I requested we bring out Mr. Hopkins from the Library. He was as knowledgeable as anyone and more than likely could lay his hands on the resources we would need, to better understand what we had in front of us. Plans had to be made to find the ledge face Mr. Janssen told us about, we’d need a camera and brush cutting equipment.

It took the best part of a couple of days, fortune smiled on us, we were able to clear the old path up to the ledge face. Mr. Janssen, Mr. Hopkins, and Earl sat back and let us young’uns do the work of clearing and start opening the ledge face back up. I think by the old beer cans and garbage we found scattered randomly on the ground, that in years past, the top of the ledge must have been a party spot. Once on top of the hill you had a great view of the sunset and if the inclination tickled your fancy, you could reverse your position and watch the sunrise. The view in both directions was unobstructed.

It was abundantly clear we were in way over our heads. What we found in our short time up at the vertical ledge face mimicked what we had uncovered on the flat section of the ledge just up from the cabin. Obviously, what was uncovered up at River View farm was, as we would later find out, only a small portion of what would be uncovered. We had now seen enough that it was time for us to step back and await the results of the experts. The only thing we could all agree on, was the need to minimize the news of our discoveries. Ethan, and I supported him by agreeing, that by no means, were we going to open this up to the general public…ever. We would be fine with scholarly research, but that would be the extent of our cooperation.

What we saw was beyond our comprehension, the picture we took pales in comparison, what was there in front of us, was other worldly. Poor Sam, had he only known what the discovery of his stone meant, I’m sure he’d think differently. But as far as Ethan and I were concerned he deserved all the credit and it would be his name attached to the find.

Authors note:

I have included two photos in the Members Photo Gallery that shows what these carvings would look like. I am indebted and thankful for the work and research by others for the information on this chapter. In real life, these are actual discoveries. While I have taken some liberties and changed some information to better fit the premise, by no means is meant to diminish the scholarly work to which I have referred to. For more information, please use the link below or the footnotes includes to further expand your knowledge base. If the images fail to appear, please copy, and paste the link in your browser.

http://www.oodegr.com/english/brit_celt_orthodoxy/celts_america.htm