The Old Mill

”Well aren’t you just plum full of piss & vinegar tonight Jonathan?” then she rolled over, climbed on top of him and sternly said, “I know what you need. You need a good dose of therapy for that ill-disciplined mind of yours! Why Mr. Rivers, I ought to take a plump switch to your backside for all your impure thoughts! I’ll try to bear in mind how you’re ailing with lust; but I’m going to have to be harsh with you because your predicament is so far advanced. You’re in luck though; there’s a doctor in the house. I’m going to have rehabilitate you Jonathan!” she teased.

Jonathan lay on the floor underneath her smiling. God she was cute when she put on charades such as this! He reached up softly running his hands along the sides of her face, on down past her shoulders… to her arms, then resting his hands firmly on the sides of her hips. He watched her as she brought her hands down to meet his, their fingers fully entwined. He rolled over tenderly kissing her. A few moments later he stood up and led her to the bedroom where they made love for the first time under a canopy of snow on the cold wintry night.

When Jonathan woke the next morning, he could smell fresh coffee & something delicious cooking in the other room. He folded the covers back, used the bathroom then slipped into some sweat pants and followed his nose to the kitchen. When he rounded the corner into the kitchen, there she was wearing one of his t-shirts & a pair of white socks. When she saw him she said smiling “Good morning darling! Did you sleep well?”

“I did sleep well…thank you,” he said greeting her with a kiss. “And you?”

“Oh yes, I slept very peacefully wrapped in your arms. I haven’t felt that safe in years Jonathan,” she said affectionately.

“Breakfast is ready, let’s eat.” And they sat down to warm biscuits & sausage gravy, chatting as they watched the snow fall delicately out the dining room window. “You should see your hair Jonathan, it’s absolutely a wreck!” she said smiling…

He came back at her, laughing…. “Have you had a good look at yours?”

It snowed hard all day. They talked about her "gift". It had come to her
at the early age of thirteen, when she realized she could think about being
some place, and actually go there in her mind. Growing up in a rural part
of Nebraska, she often dreamed of visiting other countries. Once, in a
school history class, she was asked to describe how a small town on the
Spainish coast might appear to us here in the U.S. today. She began to
talk about the town by name and location, but then she became "locked-in"
and her wonderful and elaborate descriptions went on for fifteen minutes,
capturing her classmates' complete attention. For which she received an A.

Later on, the wrong people became interested in her. She was asked to
join an elite mix of individuals working for the government, all with the
same extra-sensory abilities that she possessed. Remote-viewing took on
a whole new meaning for her, as she realized that her "escape" mode was
no longer an enjoyable side-trip. It became a job, an exhausting, serious,
full-time, sneaky job. But the money was good, very good. And then
things went to hell in a handbasket !
At first, some of her fellow RV'ers began to have physical problems. They
suffered from endless headaches, blurred vision, and nightmares. Then it
progressed into paranoia. Viewing now scared the bejesus out of them.
Assignments were refused, eventually passed on to someone not afflicted.
Someone like Jen. She became the go-to guy. Busier than ever, and
accumulating a substanial savings account.
But then one day at work she bumped into an old friend and ex-RV'er and
heard a rumor that someone, somehow, had come up with a device that
detected snoopers in progress. No longer could RV'ers leave, snoop, and
return safely. Their mindwaves were now being disrupted somehow,
causing physical and mental imbalance. Jennifer continued to carry the
load, viewing twice as much as anyone else. And though it was terribly
exhausting, she seemed immune to the disrupting.
Weeks went by and she adapted. At home on one of her rare days off, she
was looking out of the kitchen window when she suddenly went into "lock".
She had been thinking about work, and just like that she was there, in her
mind. As she moved around her work area, she could hear bits and pieces
of a conversation taking place, a conversation about her. "Well, we've got
everyone else under control, but Jen doesn't appear to be affected one
iota. She's got something the others do not. Down the road she may pose
a serious problem. Better to take her out now than to worry about things
later !"
She couldn't believe they were talking about her like this ! Her mentors,
and bosses ! Taking her out ? What did that mean ? Bull# !
An alarm suddenly went off, shrieking throughout the office. "She's here !
It's got to be her. She's here dammit ! Hit the disrupter ! Hit it now !"
Instantly Jennifer was back in the kitchen. She turned away from the
window and slowly sat down.

In that moment she realized that her life would never be the same. And
she knew that the government was no longer her employer. They were
her hunters. And she was the hunted. She had to get out of there. Fast !

She'd been on the run ever since. And once, only once, . .had she broken
the law. A couple of years ago she "took advantage" of an interstate
lottery draw. The numbers had "come" to her and she had played them.
220 million was a tidy sum, one that, after taxes, provided her with the
means to continue to elude government tracers and still live comfortably.

Outside, the snow was accumulating at a rate of about an inch an hour.
Soon it would be very difficult to go anywhere. Their talking winded down,
and Jonathan decided it was time to do a walkabout before it got too dark.
Jennifer insisted on going with him and they bundled up together and took
the elevator down to the first floor, then walked out into the winter wonder-
land of snow. Jonathan led Jen down the back trail to the mill, his first and
only inspection of it during a snow storm. Everything looked secure as they
made their way inside. But before Jonathan could switch on the lights, a
huge swooshing noise echoed down through the trees, followed by a loud
explosion. They ran back outside, just in time to hear a second swoosh.
Looking up at the A-frame, Jennifer and Jonathan watched in horror as it
exploded into a thousand pieces, catching fire and burning brightly among
the snow-laden pines.
They both headed back into the mill, but this time they made no effort to
turn on the lights. Darkness was safety at the moment.
The snowflakes came down non-stop outside.

As they watched the house burning from the safety of the mill, wondering what the hell to do next now? Luckily for them, Jennifer always needing to be prepared for what might be dealt next had necessities stored inside her coat pocket. They would have to hike out to the nearest town for her other ‘alias’ credit cards to be of any use.

“Jonathan, when the coast is clear, we’ll need to assemble some primitive snowshoes of some type. Do you have any twine, a roll of small gage wire or perhaps some stout string on hand? We can’t hike out by way of the road, it’s too dangerous! We need the seclusion of the backcountry.”

As Jonathan fumbled around in the darkness looking for something that could be used to bind tree twigs together for their snowshoes, Jennifer kept a vigilant eye out the window for stalkers & hoping that the snow would quickly cover their boot tracks. It would be preferably in their favor if the offenders thought them already dead. She saw a warmly dressed man standing behind the fir tree off a ways in front, but to the left hand side of the Mill. He looked to have something in his hand that resembled a spotting scope. Yep, he was without doubt surveying the damages from the bombs he had set.

“Yes! I found some rope... there isn’t very much of it though.” Jonathan whispered excitedly.

“Can I see it?” Jennifer whispered back, “It’s three ply rope! Oh that’s such good news! Jonathan we can divide the pieces, then we’ll have enough! I could kiss your entire face. Everything is going to be ok… as soon as you shoot that bastard that’s hiding behind that big fir tree over to the left. Please tell me you brought a gun! He’s the only one I’ve see so far, be careful for others. Then we can get the twigs for our snowshoes.”

Jonathan spied out the window, plotting his move. Lucky for them, he knew his property like the back of his hand. He would have to carefully sneak up close enough to be in target rage of this intruder. “Jen” he whispered, remind me… if I ever buy another Mill, And… if I keep hanging out with you…. remind me to keep a loaded rifle with a good scope on it in various handy places.” then he crept out the door to take care of the assassin as Jennifer took on the task of separating the rope strands.

Jonathan returned snow covered about twenty minutes later. He shook the snow off of himself as said…

“I didn’t have to shoot him after all. When I was sneaking down to get in place behind him, I was close enough to hear him by that point when I heard him make a phone call. He told whoever was on the other end of the line that the job had been completed. He said yeah to the other guy a few times, then several yeah I’m sure they’re dead…It’s finished! Then the son of a bitch raised his hand in success and started walking back out to the road. I watched him until I couldn’t see him any longer.”

Jennifer looked at him in disbelief. Like it wasn’t possible for anything to have been so easy.

“Wow! I can’t believe it. Are you sure Jon?” Jen asked.

“Yes, he’s gone. I made a quick inspection of the rest of the property- I can’t see any others,” affirmed Jon.

Let’s wait a little while just to be sure, then we’ll gather some twigs and start making our snowshoes. I think I know the perfect place for us to hide out for a few weeks while we get our game plan on & collect some necessary items. You’ll love it Jon! It’s lit up like a Christmas tree this time of year. Have you ever been to Leavenworth Washington? It’s especially stunning in the wintry months, secluded up in the snowy Cascade Mountains. It’s one of my favorite winter retreats. There are lots of rural cabins; so lodging won’t be an issue. I can hardly wait to get some sausage, cheese & wine from some of their specialty shops. The Bavarian chocolate is to die for!”

Jennifer was excited like a child just talking about the little town she loved so much. Together they watched out the window, wanting to make certain that all was clear before picking tree limbs...

Jonathan was amazed at her mysterious ability to shake off the bad stuff and move forward with the good.


[edit on 12/31/2008 by jensouth31]

At the same time he was amazed at her vivid descriptions of places she
had been. Now here was another place ! This lady has been everywhere !
He marvelled at her enthusiasm too.
Jonathan pulled Jennifer back into the dark and kissed her forcefully. He
broke off the kiss quickly and taking her by the hand he led her down
some stairs and into a darkened room. Closing the door, he flipped the
light switch and said, "We were never in any real trouble back there. I
want to show you something." He pressed a button on the wall and it began
to rotate in a circle. Behind the wall was a small weapons cache. On a rod
across the back of the closet hung numerous winter jackets, coats, gloves,
boots, etc.
Walking over to an ajoining wall he pressed another button. A roller door
rose up and into the overhead, exposing a small garage. Sitting side by
side were two snowmobiles, well maintained, gassed up, and ready for
action. Jennifer squealed with delight. "And just when I thought we'd have
to hump out of here on homemade snowshoes.!"
Jonathan laughed and kissed her softly. Her eyes were on fire. Whew !

As the snow continued to fall they locked up and drove away from the old
mill. Jennifer told Jon that she wished she had had an opportunity to visit
this place in the summer because it must be even more beautiful. He
agreed, and to himself he made a promise to come back as soon as it was
feasible.
He let her lead the way, and she was up to the task. With practiced hands
she revved the snowmobile and took off, snow flying around her. He set
himself for more adventure, brought to him by this senuous woman with
fire in her eyes. A runner with unique experience.

Jennifer knew they would never make it as far as Leavenworth on a single tank of gas, at some point the snowmobiles would have to be ditched for a car or preferably a truck. For the life of her she couldn’t recall any auto dealers close by, except for Vancouver. Quickly, they turn back - heading due south as it was their only option that was no doubt a for sure thing in obtaining a vehicle. Once they had a truck, there were no limitations as to where they could go.

One more perfectly secluded destination popped into her mind.
“Of Course!” She excitedly imagined. “Why didn’t I think of that old place sooner? Granite Oregon!”

In Leavenworth they would have to blend in with a festive crowd, but in Granite Oregon, there was no crowd at all to blend with. It was the safest place they could go, and Jonathan would love that little almost abandoned ghost town. They could stay there for months on end without a care in the world. Yes, they would be practically snowed in from the outside world all winter long, firewood would never be a problem as that area was lush with ponderosa pine trees, both fallen & upright. She remembered how her father used to take the family to Granite on elk hunting trips. Those ponderosa pine trees used to keep her and her sister busy for hours on end peeling away the bark. They called them puzzle trees. They looked just like puzzle pieces when you peeled the bark chunks off. It was an absolutely thrilling game for them when they were kids! Any kid[s] in today’s world, why they would think that very same game idiotic at best, however some years back, kids had to use their imagination to entertain themselves. What a different world it was back then.

On the plus side, there was also plenty of wild game such as deer, elk & fish in Granite. There were so many old gold claim shanties in the rural areas of Granite that were uninhabited in the winter; they could have their pick of places to stay. There was one place in particular that was standing out in her mind. Of course the summer gold miners booby-trapped their shanties & cabins in the fall to keep squatters out, but it didn’t take too much observation to see what they had rigged up. Another plus, Jennifer & Jonathan would have all winter & well into late spring together…. just the two of them! She motioned Jonathan with a hand signal to slow down & stop. Together they fine-tuned their course of action. Both pleased with the new agreement, they continued on.

After they had successfully purchased the truck & trailer, they returned for the snowmobiles. They could have lots of fun on those snowmobiles in Granite this winter! About six and a half hours later, they had made it to Baker City where they spent the night in the Best Western right off interstate 84. It was late and they were both exhausted from lack of sleep! The next morning, they ate breakfast at the Sumpter Junction diner before buying an enormous amount of groceries, as well as additional supplies such as a generator, sleeping bags, pillows, clothing & other various things that would keep them until spring. Confident that they had bought everything on their long list, they pulled out in the direction of hwy 7; before long, they took the cut off en route to Sumpter. From the town of Sumpter to Granite, would be the worst piece of passage for Jennifer with the snaky, curvy road, she was sure to be carsick soon… even if it was only 15 miles in distance from Sumpter to Granite, once she was ill, she would be under the weather for hours before it past. In the end... it would all be worth it.

"I'm getting something again !"

What is it, tell us.

"Another town I think !"

Jesus, they're moving around like rats leaving a sinking ship.

"She's projecting, and I'm picking up everything. God she's strong !"

Where are they going ?

"A town. With ghosts. A frigging ghost town. A ghost town !"

Just a minute. Okay, there's thirteen supposed ghost towns in that part
of the state. What's the name of the town ?

"I don't know . .I'm losing her. I see . .rock. It's gone. She's clear. "

A couple of hours later, unpacked and ready for some peace, Jen snapped her finger as she motioned silently for Jon to come look out the window. Together they watched a small herd of elk head toward Granite creek.

“Wild elk are such stately animals, when you have a chance to watch them for a few moments with them unaware, it’s incredible!” Jennifer whispered, “They are so alluring to me.” They watched attentively, nestled up against one another until the herd had moved past them in the quiet of the day. Jennifer turned to face Jon, searching his eyes for answers before declaring…

“I’m worried Jonathan.”

“Why? He asked.

“I have to learn how to control my thoughts better. I slipped today on the way here and allowed myself to carelessly daydream of this place. I just know that someone, somewhere was reading me! I’m not sure we can stay here…all because of my negligence. I know better than that too…I know I can’t do that & I did it anyway. I’m so mad at myself right now.” She said stomping her foot like a child.

Jonathan just stood there not knowing what to say or do. He hadn’t fully assessed the control behind the situation. He pulled her close and told her everything would be all right, they’d figure it out together, then pushed back slightly looking into her apprehensive eyes. She almost felt like putty in his hands when he looked at her like that.

She deviously smacked him on the rear. ”Go put those mud boots on we bought…. I want to show you something.” She waited near the front door for him to put on the proper attire. When he returned, she grabbed his hand and led him outside; they walked hand in hand down the path all the way to the creek. When they got there, she said “Look at the water…what do you see?”

“I… see… rocks…. &… I see… water.” He said shaking his head in agreement with himself.

“Dang it Jonathan! Look again. What do you see?” She said with an irritated look on her face. He looked at the creek, and then back at her… vaguely baffled, completely missing the point of this exercise.

“Come on…don’t you see that? How could you not see that? She said with one hand on her hip.

“OK…I give up,” he said rolling his eyes. What am I supposed to be seeing?” as he gestured the hand sign to let her know he thought she was crazy in the head.

She started laughing like she was crazy, then pointed her finger at him and said… “Oh no you don’t!” then she pushed him in the creek, but not before he grabbed her hand and took her with him. Together they laughed all wet and cold.

Again she asked, “Now that you’re much closer…. Now can you see it?”

He looked, he looked hard, then he looked once more…. then his eyes got wide as saucers “Is that what I think it is?” Jonathan asked all wide-eyed.

“You know it baby! That’s gold! There’s gold in them their hills” smiling, now fully satisfied that he had finally noticed the loot, she gestured him to be crazy in the head too.

At that very moment everything felt like it would be all right...

Once they returned to the warmth of the cabin, changed out of their soaking clothes, Jonathan told Jennifer that he had an idea. He really didn’t have any big plans of leaving this blessed place any time soon, so he told his idea in great detail. He then told her to go lay down on the bed, and to visualized & project the places he would describe to her.

She sat up excitedly then kissed him on the cheek. “You’re positively wicked! I love it Jonathan!” Together they would lead her would be assassins around the globe from place to place tricking them...

"Ray's got something again !"

They waited for him to speak, as they always did.

"I see San Francisco. A small Learjet. She's projecting again. Damn, it's
like watching a movie, clear as a bell. She's the strongest I've ever read."

They asked Ray if he really thought she might be doubling back south.

"Sure looks that way guys. I mean come on, didn't I find her last time the
same way ? At the mill ? Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's heading to
California."

After California he gave her Arizona, and after Arizona he gave her Texas.

If this went as planned, Jennifer should've indirectly led them to Dallas.
By now, whoever had been reading her probably assumed that they were
leaving Oregon for Texas, and hopefully the surveillance would break off
and head that way too.

Jonathan went over to the bed and found her sleeping soundly. He covered
her with a blanket and went to make a fire in the fireplace. As the room
began to warm, he got up and went into the kitchen and started to make
some food for supper. A small, fresh green garden salad . .for two, that he
quickly put back in the fridge to keep cool. A pair of 1/4 lb. pork chops,
lightly breaded, slow-cooked in oil. Applesauce, for two . .with a sprinkle
of cinnamon. And two glasses of white wine, a good Chablis made locally.

Taking up his glass, he returned to the living room, sitting close to the
window and gazing out at the swiftly moving river. "Gold huh ?" This was
going to be quite an experience. And Jennifer had seen all of this with her
unique insight ! Wow ! She was quite a woman. And the wine was good.

He let her sleep for another 45 minutes until the cabin began to smell of
delicious pork chops, and then he went to wake her. He crawled up under
the blanket, working his way slowly up her body, rubbing and kissing as
he went, feeling her warmth and softness. A contented moan escaped her
lips as he arrived there to kiss them. "Chow-time, chow-time" he said,
"Come and get it !" She responded with a soft laugh, exclaiming that she
was starving. Together they got up and went to supper.

Over supper they talked about the mis-direction they had created. Maybe
now they would have some quality time together, some peace and quiet,
some welcomed feelings of safety and security. Jonathan knew that these
brief respites wouldn't last too long, and he intended to love this woman
sitting across from him while the chance was here.

They touched wine glasses and made wild toasts to each other, and
laughed loudly. When supper was over they retired to the living room and
slow danced to music on the radio, holding each other close in the dark of
the fading fireplace.

By dusk, she suggested they take a little moonlight walk in the crisp mountain air.
The feelings of contentment were mutual between them. The evening was surreal. It was as if they were enjoying a little bit of something they both longed for but never had the option to benefit from. They held hands; chatting as they went whilst randomly stealing a kiss from the other; both finding it enormously difficult to keep their hands off the other.

Only playing thus far, they had only been tempting & teasing the other all day until tensions were so pent up that spontaneously they gave into the moment with Jennifer backed up against the stump of a large pine tree. Greedily - she unbuckle his belt; quickly trying to gain access to what she wanted. Had she been strong enough, she would have torn the clothes from his body! The two of them came together lustfully pawing & groping each other as if sparks to gasoline had exploded. A tree limb cracked then snapped in the distance… startled, she clasped her hands over her mouth before fumbling with her clothes. Jonathan grabbed her hand and quickly they hurried back to the cabin. Once inside, she fell into his arms as they burst into laughter… both like teenagers caught with their pants down. “Oh my God! That was so frrrr-eaky Jonathan!!” she said as her body shuttered.

He become quiet... his laughter ceased. She looked up at him; he had that distinctive look in his eyes, the same look that a man gives to a woman when he’s not fooling around any longer. There were no words that needed to be exchanged between them…. his look said it all. Instinctively she followed him into the bedroom…

Much later, they awoke in each others arms, happily exhausted. Jonathan
pulled her close, kissing her eyelids, her neck, and then her throat. He
laughed out loud, a hearty and contented laugh. "I don't believe it. I just
don't believe it!"
Awake now, Jennifer asked him,"What don't you believe babe ?" Still
laughing, he answered, "I can't believe how many uses this can of whip
has. And I think I've found another!" With that, he pulled the can from
under the covers and began to spray it all over her face. Screaming, she
wrestled the can away from him and began to spray him all over. From
there it went back and forth, until finally the can was empty. They both
were covered completely now with whipped cream, from head to foot.
They hugged each other close, slipping and smearing in the mess they had
created, laughing hysterically.
Another half an hour went by before they both got up, stripped the sheets
and blankets from the bed, and headed for a nice warm shower. They
soaped each other down and washed their hair twice before climbing out
to towel off.
"I can't remember having this much fun", he told her at last.
"That makes two of us", she answered coyly.
They walked out of the bathroom together in their white terrycloth robes,
holding hands.

[edit on 9-2-2009 by SIEGE]

Two weeks went by, but they were lost in their own little world and hardly
noticed. What had started as a dare now became a morning ritual for
them. Before breakfast, they would get up and go out into the backyard,
where they lined up together and then took off on a run and jump into the
fridgidly cold river rapids. The first one to find a gold nugget and make it
back to the riverbank first, won. So far, Jennifer led 9 to 5, but Jonathan
had won the last two in a row. Today he felt like he could beat her again
as they got to the starting line in a light snowfall. Off they went, running
like hell for the river . . . . when Jennifer suddenly grabbed her head and
fell to the ground. Jonathan saw her go down out of the corner of his eye,
but it was too late for him to stop and he skidded and slid on down into
the icy water, where he gasped for breathe and tried calling her name.
She didn't move, nor did she answer.

It started snowing very heavy.

After carrying Jennifer into the cabin and getting her comfortable on the
couch, Jonathan went to get a warm washcloth from the bathroom. She
had a small trickle of blood leaking from her nose which he dabbed away,
but then he noticed that she also had blood seeping from both ears, and
this scared him. He turned her on her side and began to briskly rub her
back and neck. He talked to her while he worked on her, asking her
questions, but she remained unresponsive.

The Disruptor shut down. It had broadcasted for 30 seconds, saturating
the entire northwestern part of the country.

"If that didn't kill her, she god damn well knows now we mean business!"

Unbeknown was the number of latent RV'ers affected by the short blast.
They'd panic if they knew the number was close to a hundred.

R & D had modified the Disruptor so that now it could be used as an
offensive weapon. To cause severe pain to any RV'er unaware of its
directional shoot, and caught within it.

"That was a "Four". If we had used a "Four" on Ray when we tested this
thing, he'd be dead now. He barely survived a "Two"."

"That'll teach her to send us on a joyride to Texas. I know she's still here.
I know it !"

When she woke, she didn’t feel so well. She knew her days were numbered, she sensed it when she was sleeping. After lunch, she took a shower and said she needed to run into Baker City and get a few things. Jonathan wasn’t going to let her go, but she promised him she was now feeling well enough to make the trip. Uneasily, he agreed to let her go, but if she wasn’t back before dark he was coming to look for her. She smiled & agreed that would probably be best.

She took out a pen and some paper, telling Jonathan she had to make a list so she wouldn’t forget anything, what she was really doing was writing a note to Jonathan in case she didn’t make it. She knew she wouldn’t make it. After she finished the note, she got in the truck heading for Baker City. It took her a full hour to get there because of the snowy road. She transferred all of her money into a special account that she had made Jonathan the benefactor of. After that task was completed, she sat in the truck with teary eyes and read the note one more time before heading back toward Granite.

Dear Jonathan,

If you are reading this note, then you already know that I’m no longer with you. We had a good run didn’t we Jonathan? Some of the best of times I’ve shared with you & also some of the worst of times. I left all of the money in your name. I’ll write the account number on a piece of paper, check my pockets when you find me, as I don’t yet have it. I love you! I’ll see you when you get to the other side.

Love Always,
Jen

After she read the note, she wiped her eyes and headed back toward Granite. She knew within the hour she would be dead...she could see it.