They Were Dominated by a Man from the Future! In 2022, when he was twenty-four years old, Seth's beloved aunt died and left him with a time machine. After her memorial service, Seth decided to test the time machine himself. His only pursuit was the hobby to which he had dedicated his life. Begin now this exceptional series, as Seth travels through time in search of young, submissive women he can tie-up and dominate. For Seth is time travel's first dominant. First it is off to not so innocent 1959s, where two women soon find themselves tied and bound in the fifties.
EXTRACT
Introduction
I'm sure that since you are a reader, you have no doubt been exposed
to many and varied stories. But I have a story, or more accurately a
collection of stories, to share that will stretch your imagination to
the limits of what you might find credible. But if you were willing to
do the research, you could confirm what I will tell you, by checking
newspaper archives or other historic sources. Every event chronicled
in the following pages can be documented from outside these works. In
some instances, that documentation might be simple rumor. In others,
it may be stories, which have been told within institutions, and in
others still, there is media that support the occurrences. While there
were people who were aware of extraordinary happenings at points in
time, I am perhaps one of the very few living persons with whom the
truth behind the scenes has been shared. And my source is
unimpeachable. You see, my source is the source himself.
So let it be known that even though these tales are as true as any
I've ever written, legal counsel for myself as well as for Seth Watson
have made it clear that the following disclaimer must be included. The
characters represented in these stories are not real people, living or
dead. And any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or not
yet living, is purely coincidental. That said, let's get to the facts
of the matter.
These are the stories of a young man, Seth Watson, who will spend all
of his earlier life either being ignored by everyone or teased for
being a bookworm. It is true that he is seriously into science and
computers and by the age of twenty-three, he will have managed to earn
bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees in physics with secondary
studies in information systems. At only twenty-four years old, he will
make a breakthrough that will somehow conquer time as we have
understood it until now. With his discovery, he can move at will
through any timeframe he desires as simply as if he were finding the
right movie scenes on a DVD.
Since at the time he told me his story, it was in his past even
though at my writing many of the things are yet to happen in my
timeframe, I will talk about some things in the past tense even though
the dates are in my future. By the time Seth shared them with me,
these things had already happened to him.
And so, to better understand this young man, you should know that in
2004, when Seth was only six years old, his parents died in a plane
crash. He received one hundred sixty thousand dollars for each parent
as settlement from the airlines. He also inherited the house with no
mortgage and all that was in it, as well as two nearly new cars.
Granted that isn't a particularly large sum, but there are other
things that will add to his good fortune.
His father's spinster sister came to live with him and raise him. She
was a college professor who taught nuclear physics for twenty-five
years and had made some good investments over that time. When she saw
the need, she immediately volunteered to take responsibility for the
child. It was because of my friendship with his aunt that Seth chose
to share his story with me.
You see, I had taught creative writing at the same university where
Victoria was on faculty. And one of the things Seth wanted was to
somehow reward his aunt for all the sacrifices she made for his good.
He wanted the stories of his successful travels to be made available
to anyone who would take the time to read about them. Seth feels that
he owes her a great debt. And I agree. She turned out to be the
perfect substitute mother for him. She fueled his interest in science
and encouraged him to think and experiment. She also taught him the
value of investing. Since his parents had both worked, his father was
a banker and his mother a sixth grade teacher, they both had
retirement. That contributed to the child's support while growing up.
And Uncle Sam added his few cents worth through the Social Security
survivor benefits, which were enough to provide for his basic needs
through college when added to his aunt's rather comfortable
retirement.
But most importantly, it was Seth's aunt who started him on the road
to time travel. Yes. You understood me correctly, time travel. She had
a keen interest in the topic herself and spent all her free time and
her considerable knowledge in that pursuit. They built a lab in the
barn behind the house and the inseparable pair spent untold hours
working there together. And they met with success after success.
In 2022, when he was twenty-four years old, Seth's beloved aunt died
and left him with the time machine they had created but not yet tested
along with all her worldly possessions. In addition to the money he
was left by his parents, he received more than fourteen million
dollars in investments from Aunt Victoria.
After her memorial service on Friday, he decided to test the time
machine himself. That first Saturday morning, he went back to 1960. He
only stayed long enough to pick-up a newspaper from the front lawn of
a house. The front page had an article about the coming televised
debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy.
When he returned home, he spent most of the day considering what he
wanted to do with this ability to time travel. By dinnertime, he had
developed a very simple plan. The newspaper had given him the
understanding that his history had at some point been news. But more
importantly that same bit of information had been unheard of or even
unimaginable at an even earlier time. There were many things that fell
into that category.
On Monday morning, with a trip to his bank, he started a process that
would keep him busy for more than three months. During each visit to
the bank, he withdrew two thousand dollars from his account. Next he
would go to the mall to a collectors shop specializing in vintage
currencies. There he would purchased as much nineteen thirties to late
nineteen forties currency as he could with the money he had. As the
days passed, he repeated the process until over a period of time he
withdrew a total of two hundred twenty thousand dollars from his
accounts. His many purchases of vintage currency finally yielded
$198,040 in old bills. You see, in 2022, the federal and state revenue
services have gotten even more interested in large dollar transactions
and, even though the total amount he withdrew and converted was
relatively small in relation to his total deposits, he wanted to avoid
any flags and certainly any investigations.
But when he finally felt he had done an adequate job to meet his
plan, he prepared himself and packed for another trip back in time. So
as not to be so different that he would stand out in another time, he
wore a navy blazer, gray pants and a white shirt and navy striped tie.
When he was satisfied with his image, he traveled back to 1946, and at
the trust department of the bank that would through several mergers
become his contemporary bank, he established a trust for his heirs,
namely himself. He then used the trust account to invest money in the
stock market, buying airlines, communications and common stock of a
business machines company that was founded in 1911. He knew that after
WWII, and the arrival of technology that would bring about the
computer, this company, which had been mostly overlooked as a
potential investment, would become an industrial giant.
When he again returned to 2022, he found himself an extremely wealthy
man. In the ensuing seventy-six years, his trust had amassed an
incredible fifteen billion four hundred fifty two million dollars.
This was after the trust department of the bank had filed a tax return
in each of the tax years between 1946 and his present.
Then he began to use time travel to do things he could not do in his
own time. His after tax investment income is more than two hundred
million dollars each year. It is redundant to say that the simple
requirements of daily life like being present for work, managing
financial affairs or earning money was not of concern in Seth's life.
His only pursuit was his happiness and that had to do only with the
hobby to which he has dedicated his life. He used his time travelling
ability to go back in time and, as he called it, `experiment`. He does
things that the law and morals prevent us from doing but, since he can
go to a time when science and technology were not so developed, he can
commit anti-social acts and not be apprehended by the police. And he
has always wanted to try his hand at some sorts of con games and other
things as well. He has adopted one major rule. No matter what he may
consider doing, he will only travel back to a time before he was born,
so that there is no way he can be prosecuted for any crime of which he
might be guilty.
* * * *
So it is that these stories that follow are the accounts of Seth's
travels through time and his encounters and escapades. And while you
may not believe them to be true, you will still feel the thrill of
vicarious experience that comes with being `present` and involved as a
witness. Happy reading.
1959
CHAPTER 1
Time travel was not only possible, but also really quite simple. The
only difficulty was that the arrival or destination time was not
exactly predictable. It wasn't far off, but it could vary a couple of
days one way or the other. On his first `experiment`, Seth decided on
the late fifties. He and his aunt had decided they had to not only
know where they were going in time, but they had to know about the
physical conditions they would encounter when they arrived suddenly at
some other time. To have better control, they had purchased a tract of
undeveloped land that was near town. It was about half wooded with a
natural clearing near its center. They had built a block building in
this clearing to house the time machine. It was there that Seth went
when he was prepared to make his trip.
He had attempted to arrive in 1959 in late summer or early fall.
Within seconds, he noted that the indicator said that his present time
was October 28, 1959. He stood in the machine and grabbed a jacket
from the cargo area stepping out into the empty clearing where he was
now located. From an outside compartment, he pulled a large camouflage
tarp and covered the machine. He knew the general direction of the
center of town and started walking with that target in mind. He had
with him about five thousand dollars in cash and a faked driver's
license identifying him as Dale Thomas.
After walking about twenty minutes, he saw that the surrounding area
was increasingly more populated. Just two miles or so from his arrival
point, he realized that he had passed inside the town limits. He found
the Chevrolet dealers `OK Used Cars` sign and walked onto the lot.
Strolling around on the second row and the back of the lot he found
the ideal vehicle. It was a 1950 Ford panel delivery wagon. It looked
just like a station wagon except where the windows would have been in
the sides behind the front doors were solid panels and there was no
rear seat. And instead of floor covering, the surface was like the
floor of a pick-up truck.
As he was looking it over, a salesman approached.
`Good mornin'.`
Seth only nodded and continued his examination of the truck. At least
he saw that it already had a trailer hitch with a ball installed. That
was something he had expected to have to have put on himself.
`If you need a good used delivery vehicle, this is the best one I've
got right now. It belonged to Hodges Market. It's got a flathead V-8
and overdrive. Radio and heater both work real good. We had to put a
clutch in it when it came in. But even with eighty thousand miles,
she's still gotta lotta life left in her.`
`What are you askin' for it?`
`Three ninety five. You got a trade?`
`No.`
`You payin' cash?`
`Yes.`
`We might be able to do a little better on the price then.
What kind of work you plannin' on doin' with it?`
`... Oh, I'm a veterinarian. I'll have to build a cage in the back
for smaller animals.`
`It'd be perfect for that. Want to take it for a drive?`
`Yes.`
The salesman hurried back to a little building sitting up on brick
stilts and with a large flat window overlooking the lot. In moments
the salesman came out the door with a license plate under his arm and
a key ring in hand. After opening the driver's door, he started the
engine and then went around to the rear of the car and clipped on the
plate.
`There, take 'er for a spin. And when you get back, just park right
in front of the office and c'mon in.`
He was a little surprised at the roughness and poor handling
characteristics of the old Ford, but then he considered that it had no
power steering or power brakes and it had pre-radial tires. Still, it
seemed to run okay. He was far more interested in reliability at this
point than anything else. He could only have a problem if he were
caught in the act. The gray/beige color was pretty non-descript. He
decided it would work perfectly.
The salesman was sitting at a metal desk, which looked from its green
drab color to be military surplus. He offered Seth a seat across from
his seat. Seth sat.
`Well, what'd you think?`
`It'll work just fine. I'll give you three fifty for it.`
`Well now, I'm pretty sure I could get the boss to go along with
three seventy-five...`
Seth took out a cash clip and pulled off three one hundred dollar
bills and a fifty before responding.
`But I won't. Three fifty or nothing. Tell the boss that.`
He placed the bills on the desktop and sat back. He watched the
peddler and waited. He knew that whoever blinked first was the loser.
The salesman pick-up the phone and dialed a five digit number and
waited. Seth could hear the flat buzzing as the phone rang. Then a
woman's voice and the salesman asked to speak with Don. After a brief
hesitation another voice was on the phone.
`Boss, I got a customer here whose ready to buy that '50 Ford panel
delivery we got. He's offered me three-fifty. I told him I thought I
could get you to go along with three seventy-five.`
He listened to the other voice for a second.
`Three ninety five ... okay, I'll let him know.`
Then he was addressing Seth while holding his hand over the
mouthpiece of the phone.
`He says he really needs the three seventy five.`
Seth didn't make any verbal reply but simply picked-up the bills he'd
placed on the desk and put them in his pocket and stood to leave. He
didn't even reach the door before the salesman had put the phone down
and called to him.
`Hey buddy, wait. Don't leave yet. Maybe I can get him down to three
fifty. Let me try one more time.`
Seth stopped at the door and turned back to face the salesman and
waited. Again the call was placed `across the street` and this time
the boss agreed to take the three fifty. Within a half-hour, Seth was
in his new car and on the road.
* * * *
The time machine was mounted on a trailer so that when he left the
dealer's lot, he went immediately to the clearing outside of town and
covered the machine with a canvas tarp and hooked up the trailer to
the Ford. His next priority was ... what did they call it during those
old western movies? He smiled as he remembered the name ... he needed
a hideout. That meant a realtor. He headed east and about forty miles
down a two-lane highway he ran into Hillsboro. It was a smaller town,
but not too small. A population of about forty thousand. He drove into
town and stopped at the first real estate office he saw. Inside the
front entrance of the surprisingly modern building, he found a
receptionist sitting at a desk behind a counter. She looked up and
squinted at him through pink plastic framed glasses and smiled.
`Hi there. Can we help you?`
`Yes. I'm looking for a small house to rent. Maybe with the option to
buy. I'd really like something with a barn and some acreage.`
She picked-up the phone and spoke briefly before putting it back into
it's cradle.
`Mizz Perkins will be right out to help you.`
Within just seconds a woman in her late thirties or early forties who
was slightly overweight, but neatly dressed in a navy suit and white
blouse came past the receptionist's desk and extended her hand.
`Hi. I'm Charlotte Perkins. Is there something we can help you
find?`
He grasped her hand and shook it firmly.
`I'm Doctor Dale Thomas. I'm a veterinarian. I'm lookin' for a place
between here and Cary. Maybe fifty or sixty acres a small farm house
and a barn. Private but fairly convenient.`
`Well, Doctor Thomas, c'mon back to my office. I have a couple of
listings that I think will fit that bill.`
Once in her office the woman went around the Danish modern walnut
desk and took a seat, sweeping her hand in the general direction of
the two side chairs across from her place. Seth took the one closest
to the door and crossed his right leg over his left knee. He watched
as the realtor was flipping through some files on her desk and put one
then another of them on the corner of the desk closest to him.
`The top one there is probably the best, but of course it'll cost you
a little more. There's 88 acres, plus or minus. There's a nice barn,
which has a concrete floor. It's a dairy barn, but all the equipment
is gone. It was sold at auction by the bank. It's a foreclosure. The
house is small. There's five rooms and a bath, but the second floor is
all open. It looks like they used it as a bunkroom. Has electricity
and an oil stove for heat and there's a water closet too. There's two
other out buildings and a garage. It's on a state hard surfaced road.
There's a large pond and three large streams on the property. The
sales price is $12,500. There's an option to rent it for $110 per
month with the option to purchase with $50 per month being applied to
the downpayment.`
`And an outright purchase?`
`$2500 down and about $75 per month plus taxes and insurance each
month.`
`No, I mean a cash purchase. What would the bank take for it?`
`Well, I don't know. But if you'd like to make an offer, I'll be glad
to present it to them.`
`Well, let's take a look at it first. What's the other one?`
`Well, it's not as good a match as the first one. For one thing, it's
more isolated. And the main house is only four rooms. There is a
tenant house on the property too with four rooms and a bath. The barn
and out buildings are older. It's on a gravel road but it's state
maintained. It has 112 acres, and more than half of it is wooded. The
old man who last owned it died without any heirs and the state ended
up with the property. I don't know for sure that they would rent it,
but you could probably buy it at a good price.`
`When could we see them?`
`Well, there's no reason why we couldn't go right now. I don't have
an appointment until five. That's plenty of time to see them both.`
* * * *
The smaller of the two farms with the nicer house and the concrete
floored dairy barn was his choice. As they headed back to the office,
he told her.
`I'd like to make an offer to buy the 88 acre farm. If you would draw
up the contract.`
`I'd be glad too. What do you have in mind?`
`I'll pay them ten thousand dollars in cash. Then I'll pay you five
hundred dollars in addition to that for your commission. I'd like to
close on Monday.`
`I don't know Doctor Thomas. That's a pretty low offer.`
`It's high enough to buy the property. But just so they'll know, this
is my first choice, but I already have another farm just the other
side of Cary and they have already counteroffered at a price I'm
willing to pay. So it's no loss one way or the other. If they want a
quick sale with no hassles, they can take it and if not, I'll just buy
the other one. Can I know by noon tomorrow?`
`Well, I guess I can call them when we get back to the office. I'll
tell you, a good earnest money deposit will help them know you mean
what you say.`
`I'm prepared to give you three thousand dollars with the contract,
then another three thousand when it's signed and accepted and then the
final four thousand at closing. Is that earnest enough?`
* * * *
The bank accepted the offer and agreed to the Monday closing while
they sat in the realtor's office. He paid the three thousand dollars
in one hundred dollar bills and had the contract drawn and signed it.
He agreed to be back at noon the next day, which was Wednesday, to pay
the additional three thousand dollars and to pick up his copy of the
signed contract. Then he went back to his new farm and parked the car
and time machine in the barn and transported himself back to his
present. He was only there long enough to get an additional $10,000.
On his return trip he was following an existing channel and was able
to arrive at the same time he had left. Since he knew that the farm
was isolated enough to give him all the privacy he needed, he went
into the house through a window which he had unlocked on his earlier
visit with the realtor.
He strolled through the little bungalow deciding how he would use it.
There was a porch across the front and a center entrance that came
into a small hallway. To the left of the hall was the living room that
was about fifteen or sixteen feet square with a small tiled fireplace.
Through an archway at the back of the living room was the dining room,
which had a hanging light fixture and three windows side-by-side along
the outside wall and a built-in china cabinet in the back left corner.
The door to the right hand side of the back wall was open and lead
into the pale yellow painted kitchen and it’s white range and
refrigerator. There was also a door into the front hall and another
door which when opened revealed the basement stairs. He walked out
into the hall and the first door outside the kitchen was to the stairs
that went up to the bunkroom upstairs. There was a door that was open
and showed the rear bedroom, then the middle door lead to the bath and
the front door, which went into the front bedroom. All the walls were
painted in flat wall paints and had obviously been done recently,
probably by the bank just to make the property saleable. Both bedrooms
were beige as was the hall and living room. The dining room was mint
green. All the woodwork and floors were stained a walnut brown. He
would just ignore it. All the windows had venetian blinds and they all
appeared to be in good working order. That was positive. Tomorrow,
after he went to the realtor's office, he'd buy some furniture.
* * * *
He had slept in a sleeping bag on the front bedroom floor and was up
with the sun. In the barn, he unhooked the trailer and backed the
truck out into the early morning. It took him thirty-three minutes to
drive to Cary. By the time he got there, it was almost eight o'clock.
He stopped at a diner that had been made of a converted railroad
dining car and was mostly shiny steel outside and Formica and
Naugahyde inside. He took a small booth and had a country breakfast.
After a couple of extra cups of coffee, he paid the incredible check
with two ones, leaving the remaining sixty cents as a tip. He found a
furniture store that was just opening and strolled through the
displays. There he found a bed and dresser for his bedroom, a sofa and
chair with three tables for the living room. A dinette table with two
chairs would work just fine for the kitchen. Two rugs, one beige nine
by twelve was for the bedroom and a gray twelve by twelve for the
living room. Then he found a painted iron bed in a double size and a
small dresser for the extra room. As he was considering any other
needs he might have, he saw two heavy oak rockers with cane seats. He
thought they would be perfect for the porch. He took the double
mattress for his own bed with him and asked the company to deliver the
rest on Tuesday morning. After giving them written directions to his
farm, he left and headed to the realtor's office to finish that
business. After the brief visit to the realtor, a brief stop at a
general goods store allowed him to buy sheets, pillows, two
bedspreads, towels, kitchen wares and a set of brightly colored
Fiestaware dishes, some flatware and set of pots and pans and four
lamps. The next stop was a grocery store where he got enough basics to
last for a week.
It was nearly three when he was able to get back to Cary to start his
search. He started in a nice middle class residential neighborhood on
the west side of town. He cruised several streets and finally at the
intersection of a main thoroughfare and one of the residential
streets, he found a corner drug store with a soda fountain. There were
at least a half dozen teenagers headed into the front door just as he
pulled to the curb. He got out of the car and strolled into the little
pharmacy. It was more crowded than he had expected. About half the
interior or the store was taken up with the soda fountain and the
three booths against the back wall. The fountain area was separated
from the rest of the store by a large dark wood magazine display.
There were kids reading magazines, sitting in booths and talking in
the corners. He strolled over to the magazine rack and began to
browse. He could overhear conversations about a dozen different
topics, but the one which really interested him was between two girls
who were both complaining about having to baby-sit on Friday night
because of the harvest ball at the country club. He could hear that
they were both going to be at their respective sitting jobs from six
until … on Friday. One of the girls was exactly what he was looking
for. She was maybe five five or six and nicely developed. He guessed
her figure at thirty-three or four `b`, twenty-two or three,
thirty-three or four. She had dark red hair and the brightest blue
eyes he could ever remember seeing in a redhead. She had an easy smile
and pretty white straight teeth. She appeared confident without being
conceited. She was dressed in a plaid shirtwaist dress that was mostly
lavender and bobby socks and black and white saddle oxfords. He
noticed that her fingernails were painted with a bublegum pink polish
and he couldn't help but wonder if her toes matched.
When she and her friend were finished with their drinks, they grabbed
bookbags and headed for the door, talking about everything from boys
to homework. He followed. On the sidewalk outside, they abruptly
stopped and he excused himself and slowly walked to his car. His pace
allowed them to finish their conversation before he opened the
driver’s door. He was able to catch the brunette saying goodbye to her
friend and using her name in the process. So now he knew she was
Amanda. He also heard Amanda say she was sitting for the Bishops
Friday night. He started the car and waited for several minutes before
easing around the corner and down the street where Amanda had walked.
He saw her at the far end of the block as he drove slowly by. In the
drivers door mirror, he watched her walk diagonally across the
intersection and into the front yard of the house on the corner. He
did a u-turn and headed back up the street and was just able to catch
her going into the front door of the Dutch colonial there. Now he knew
where Amanda lived. 1501 Woodland Drive.
Thursday morning found Seth at the public library. In just minutes,
he was able to find just what he needed. There were two Bishop houses
in the general residential area where Amanda lived. One house was only
two blocks down Woodland Drive at 1724 and on the other side of the
street. The second family of Bishops lived at 4223 Melody Circle. He
was able to get phone numbers and names of husbands and wives from the
directories as well. Now he only needed to do a little recon of the
area and he'd figure out some way to determine which was the correct
location of her babysitting job on Friday. One final item he got
before returning the directory to the librarian was a little info on
Amanda's family. Her last name was Mackenzie. Her mom, Ellen was a
homemaker and her dad, Paul was a doctor. Seth got a phone number and
then found the listing in the professional section of the directory
for Paul Mackenzie and found that he had a general family practice on
Broadway. What was most interesting in this find was that his partner
was doctor Bernard Bishop. Doctor Bishop lived at 4223 Melody Circle
with his wife Harriet.
* * * *
Seth found himself a telephone booth and first dialed the number for
the Mackenzie house. After the third ring, a woman's voice answered
pleasantly.
`Mackenzie residence.`
`Hi. Is Ellen Mackenzie in?`
`Yes sir. Just a minute.`
After a brief pause another feminine voice was on the line.
`Hello?`
`Mrs. Mackenzie? I'm George Baker with American Family magazine. I
talked with your husband at his office and he suggested that I give
you a call.`
`Well, we don't want to subscribe to any more magazines.`
`No ma'am. Doctor Mackenzie already gets the magazine at his office.
That's why we called him in the first place. I just need about three
minutes of your time for a brief survey. We're doing an article on the
growth of country clubs in America over the past two decades. If you
could answer just a few questions for me, it would really be
helpful.`
`Well ... I guess that would be okay.`
`Thank you. Now, does your family have a membership at a country
club?`
`Yes. We belong to Willow River Country Club.`
`And have you been members for at least ten years?`
`Yes. I think we joined the same year we moved here. That would be
eighteen years ago.`
`Do you actively participate in social functions at the club? Like
Christmas parties or New Years' balls?`
`We try to go to all the special functions.`
`When were you last at a social function?`
`It would have been the fourth of July dance and cookout.`
`And when would you guess the next time would be?`
`This Friday night. It's our annual harvest ball.`
`Would you recommend membership in your country club to a new family
moving into the neighborhood?`
`Yes I would.`
`And finally, do you think that country club membership is expensive
and is it worth the price?`
`I don't really think it's expensive when you consider what you get
for the money. We use the club as a family, you know, in the summer we
use the pool and my husband plays golf. Our daughter sees her friends
there. And then the adult activities like the harvest dance this
Friday night. We see our friends socially and we really enjoy having
it.`
`Well, thank you very much Mrs. Mackenzie. I appreciate your time.`
He hung up the phone and smiled. He had almost all the answers he
needed. And what he didn't have, he could get pretty easily. He drove
down Woodland Drive and turned left at the corner by the Mackenzie
house. Two blocks over, he found Melody Circle. He stopped at the
corner just long enough to check the house numbers on the four
corners. It was obvious the numbers were increasing from his left to
his right. And the odd numbers were on the far side, which was the
left after his right turn onto Melody. This first block was the
thirty-six hundreds. He quickly drove down the street, which began to
loop around to the right as he approached the four thousand numbers.
At the back outside of the circle, he found 4223. It was a fairly new
English Tudor two and a half story with a two-car garage connected by
a screened breezeway to the end of the house. The garage doors didn't
show from the street since they were not in either the front or the
side of the garage. The white concrete driveway curved around the side
of the garage and turned out of sight at the back.
He drove back to the same phone booth and dialed the Bishop number.
After two rings, a woman answered the call.
`Hello.`
`Harriet Bishop, please.`
`Speaking.`
`Mrs. Bishop, this is Ben Brewster. I'm a volunteer with the Cary
animal shelter. We're doing a survey of pet owners in the area. Do you
have a few minutes you could spare to answer some survey questions?`
`Yes I do. And I'd like to ask you a question too.`
`Okay. What's your question?`
`I'd like to volunteer to work at the shelter. I really love animals
and I have some free time. Can you tell me who to contact?`
`Well, yes. I'm the person you should talk with. We're always excited
to get volunteers. I have your name, address and telephone number.
Let me put you on our mailing list and we'll invite you to our next
meeting.`
`That would be great. Now what is your survey for?`
`We are trying to raise awareness about an over population of
domestic animals. We of course encourage owners to have their pets
fixed to avoid any unwanted litters. We're trying to determine some
statistics about pets in the community.`
`Okay. I'll try to answer them.`
`First of all, do you have a pet in the house?`
`Yes. We have two cats. Big Persians.`
`Males? Females?`
`They're both females.`
`Have they been fixed?`
`Yes.`
`Do they stay inside?`
`Most of the time.`
`Any dogs?`
`No.`
`I'm assuming there are children in the house?`
`Yes two.`
`Are they at an age that might cause you to add pets in the not too
distant future?`
`We have two girls. They're seven and eight. The cats are their's. So
I don't think we'll add any later.`
`Did you have pets when you were growing up?`
`Oh yes. My brothers had dogs and I always had a cat.`
His tone quickly switched to a casual conversation style, which
showed his interest.
`Oh? How many brothers do you have?`
`Two. One older and one younger.`
`Do they live here in town?`
`Oh no. One's in Chicago and my baby brother is in San Diego.`
`I guess you don't get to see them very often then.`
`Not Mark, the one in California. He's only been here once in the
fifteen years we've lived here.`
`Well, Harriet, I've taken enough of your time. The other questions
have to do with dogs, so you won't have replies for them. I really
appreciate your taking the time to chat with me. And I really look
forward to meeting you at our next meeting.`
`Thank you for calling, I enjoyed talking with you. And I'll
certainly be expecting a call later.`
* * * *
All the necessities were falling into place. Now he only needed to do
some simple shopping for some specialty equipment. Just as he entered
town, he saw the Hillsboro Hardware sign and pulled into the gravel
parking lot and stopped at the front of the store. Inside, he found a
number of items he needed. He made several trips to the back counter
and placed his selections in a pile there until he had completed his
shopping. The booty included eight medium padlocks, fifty feet of
smooth one-inch link chain, six splicing links, two 100-foot bundles
of soft cotton sash rope, four dozen threaded eye bolts which were
three-eights inches in diameter and with one and a half and two inch
diameter eyes, six big-dog leather collars each about sixteen inches
long and one and a half inches wide, six medium-dog leather collars
each about twelve inches long and one inch wide, six smaller-dog
leather collars which were twelve inches long and three-quarters of an
inch wide, four extra-small dog leather collars which were eight
inches long and half an inch wide. All were black and soft leather
with roller buckles. He got four braided leather leashes, two six foot
and two eight foot. He also bought a sheet of soft leather that was
about an eighth of an inch thick and about three by two feet and a
twenty-five foot roll of 1/4-inch rawhide lacing and a curved leather
knife. His total was less than fifty dollars.
* * * *
Once back at his farm He set to work on his guestroom. He decided to
use the upper bunkroom and went there. The furniture had been
delivered earlier in the day and he had left the painted iron bed
unassembled. He moved the pieces upstairs and put it together there
against the only blank wall space that would accommodate it. He then
put a plain white sheet over the mattress. Above the bed, he installed
four of the eyebolts just above the corners of the bed and a row of
three equally spaced in the center of the bed with one over the
headboard, one over the footboard and one in the center of the bed.
Then he installed two rows of seven eyehooks in the floor. The two
rows were about four feet apart and each of the seven in a row was
about a foot apart. These preparations done for the moment, he turned
to other tasks.
Back down in the kitchen, he worked at the kitchen counter, cutting a
kidney shaped piece of leather from the large sheet. The piece he cut
was about eight inches long and three inches wide at the widest point.
One of the long sides was straight while the other long side narrowed
to about an inch just in the middle. He then selected one of the
big-dog collars and cut it into two pieces each of which were eight
inches long. The ends he cut were then aligned with the ends of the
leather piece and attached there with a rivet gun leaving the buckle
on one exposed end and the tapered end with holes on the other. It was
a perfect blindfold with a strap to attach it. Finally, he went to his
truck and installed six eyebolts in the floor at evenly spaced points
along the sides of the rear floor.
