cutting any weeds on the row about to be planted. Next, along the
contraption, is a rake, one taken from the large raking farm implement
in the yard. The cut weeds are thus swept aside, and can be collected
later for hay if desired. Next along the long contraption, are dual
plow blades, also lowered by the lever on the control panel.
And last, just behind the seated men, is a seed dispenser, which is a
cup ending in a funnel that lifts up and down like a pecking hen,
releasing and placing a couple seeds every foot or so. When the seed
dispenser lifts, an old boot at the end of a pole is stamped down on
top of the spot, tamping the seed into the dirt. The seed dispenser and
tamping boot are attached and under the control of a wheel that turns
as the contraption moves along. Finegan is ready to demonstrate.
Lets go.
They begin peddling and the contraption moves through the tall grass
for a few feet. Finegan throws a lever at his side, disengaging his
side, and throws the lever at the control panel, lifting the mower, the
rake, the plow, and halting the seed dispenser. The goat-herder
continues pumping until the contraption has turned 180°. Finegan re-
engages the levers and the pair plow a second row alongside the first.
38
Zombies
Joey and Finegan are loading the last of the pumpkin exchange aboard,
distributing them along the sides of the house atop various boxes or in
niches. The goat-herder comes up with a couple packs of goat cheese,
walking up the plank and handing them to Finegan. He nods and smiles at
Finegan.
Been a pleasure.
As he is walking back down the plank he remembers something, raises a
finger and the air and turns.
Going up river past Millstown?
Finegan nods an affirmative.
Watch out for them zombies! Some never left.
They’re like the living dead.
______________________________
The houseboat is moving up the center of a broad, slowing flowing
river. The rise in sea level has swollen the river as well as the
coastline, so tree limbs are sticking out of the water on either side.
A river-edge town appears in the distance, the streets flooded and all
the buildings under water at least into the second floor. There are no
high rise buildings, but there are several multi-story brick buildings
that serve as the business district. The river front eateries and piers
are all under water, with only the top of a sign occasionally sticking
above the water. One says “Millstown”.
Some stick thin, very pale people begin to emerge from the rooftop
stairwells, shuffling toward the edges of the buildings. They stare
silently at the approaching houseboat, not waving or calling out.
Finegan sticks to the center of the river. Joey hops down from his
station atop the roof and sits down on the deck, putting his arm around
Barney as they silently glide past the scene.
______________________________
Finegan is mooring the houseboat for the night, tying it to a sturdy
tree trunk toward the center of the river. Given the scene at
Millstown, he does not want to be close to shore. He is ready for a
good supper and a solid night’s sleep not interrupted by bleating goats
being milked at dawn. He is setting up his camper stove and putting a
couple fresh coals in the firepit, not yet lit, when he jerks his head
39
up suddenly, hearing the sound of an oar dipping into the water,
splashing.
A single man is approaching in a canoe, swinging his paddle from one
side to the other to steer the canoe toward the side of the houseboat.
He wears a broad brimmed hat, a faded flannel shirt, and faded loose
cut jeans. He is balding and middle-aged.
Finegan motions for Joey to catch the end of the canoe and tie the line
the man is tossing to the houseboat, while Finegan stands back in case
there is trouble. Passing the city earlier, he has his pistol at his
back. The man in the canoe asks,
Did you pass a town awhile’s back? River front
town. Millstown.
The man heaves himself onto the deck and fishes a map out of his back
pocket. He opens it and places it against a pile of boxes, running his
finger up and down the river and poking at the riverfront town they
have just passed.
My mother’s there. Or I think she might be. . .
We talked just before the trouble started and
she said she wasn’t going to leave. . . Been
there all her life. . . Taken me all this time
to work my way across the country. I’ve got to
check.
Finegan’s eyes meet Joey’s, a wordless understanding between them that
Finegan is going to help this man. Simultaneously, they both speak.
Joey says,
I’m going with you!
While Finegan says,
You stay here.
They continue to stare at each other, wordlessly. Finegan sighs and
steps into the house and returns with a rifle, handing this and some
ammo to the man. He hands the sheathed hunting knife to Joey and squats
beside Joey with instructions.
Only if someone makes a move on you, OK? Keep
it in the leather or you’ll cut yourself.
______________________________
The canoe is moving downriver, both Finegan and the traveler manning an
oar, the traveler to the rear as he is more experienced with canoeing.
Joey is seated in the center, holding the rifle upright. They steer to
40
the shore upriver of the town, pulling the canoe on land and setting
off on foot through the woods toward the city.
______________________________
The threesome are walking along a deserted street not yet flooded. The
residences at Millstown run up into the hills, only the business
district along the waterfront flooded. Victorian houses, tumbled down
with some completely collapsed, are lining the street. All the yards
and flowers and bushes are overgrown, fences broken and any painted
surface looking very weathered. Most of the windows are broken, and
most doors are hanging open.
The traveler is peering at any address number still visible on the
houses, and finally, somewhat excited, finds his childhood home.
There it is.
He is running now, Finegan and Joey bringing up the rear while trying
to look around them as they do, sometimes running backwards to do so.
The traveler bursts through the front door, which has been ajar but not
hanging open.
______________________________
The threesome are standing in the living room of the Victorian style
home. The furniture is old fashioned, tassels hanging from lamp shades