When the sun came out, the smoky haze wasn’t as bad and it warmed up quick so decided to take a walk over to the kid’s house to just say hi and see if he knows anything about fixing the antenna. Making decisions based on what you see out the window is nutz due to Meltdown because it can change on a dime, which it did. The small back road isn’t a road anymore but dirt and ash, but I don’t mind, seeing as though I’ve got no wheels.

  Amazed by the plants coming up among all the ash and dead stuff. That is something I’ll explain in an off time when I want to take a break. The fires are a regular feature, the big one almost reached us but luck I guess brought rain, too much though causing landslides which closed off roads and buried a few houses.

  I never liked walking but since Bobby disappeared its becoming my favorite thing, usually the other way toward the part of the forest that wasn’t burnt so much, so I can keep my head clear and on, like we used to laugh at but this morning I was love sick again so I sang Only Time to him while waking through burn out forest. He liked it so I learned the words and softly sang it to him when he was down. Doing that was intense! It was certainly close to an out of body thing, feeling him so much it hurt, not noticing the smoky haze getting worse.

  I banged on the door and walked around to the back, peaked into some windows but nothing. It looked like no one lived there with junk scattered around, doors unlocked and messy inside. I yelled thinking the kid was outside, but silence so turned around to home. Before when things was normal, I never went too far by myself because of the animals. It wasn’t our home but theirs and they acted like it. But now, they’ve all gone north, the news said, away from the heat to the wet places. So you lose something, you get something, although I rather have it all back!

  So, mystery number four or five, as I’ve come to trying to number the strange things adding up fast. This numbered one I’m calling, Invisible Children Laughing and Making Sounds in the Woods. I kept going past the farm to the good woods because I thought I heard something. When I got close to the edge to walk inside, everything went silent like with the peepers do when you get too close. I’d back away enough and it would start all over again. Besides it being weird, I had bare feet like a native and was as silent as I could be stepping carefully to the edge again but it stopped the same like a light just clicked off.

  Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice sound like muffled laughter but why not show themselves? Also, not quite up to an official mystery but where did all those laughers come from. Not many people around this rural area of the Smokies now that the last wave of bird flu went through. This I’ll add under the same category as thinking I saw the forest unburned and ask the kid next time he helps me with the garden.

  When I got back, the drop was on the lettuce patch, broken open a bit but nothing missing. It was always a guess on what would be in the sack but today the contents, I struggled a little with this a bit, was in another category as in none of the old same. So, since this is an off day, I’ll take you through it to show how that too went right onto the list.

  I opened the bag which is like burlap but isn’t and carefully take the stuff out that they, whoever they is, sent me. Today seems special, not normal or even a mistake like it went to the wrong place. First out was a large plastic tainer of Almond butter. It’s what Bobby and me used to call containers cause they were good not bad. Get it! Then, a huge bar of dark chocolate, Ovaltine, powdered eggs and milk, a large tin of freeze dried fruit, the protein powder with everything in it and a big plastic jar of turkey jerky. Then came the instant add water meals in a pouch, another bag of coffee, tho smaller, this time medium roast with a hint of mild Jackle, a psilocybin extract. That’s intense! For a while the world was on that shit, trying to escape reality which is why they’ve added a little, I suppose. Another thing, today the protein powder had new suggested use instructions. I knew it because the label was a different color. It said

  Suggested use: We suggest two tablespoons of the powder mixed with your coffee in the morning and one after your workout.’

  Now how in the hell am I going to put two scoops in a mug of coffee and not destroy my favorite drink! And how would they know if I worked out or not! Kind of creepy, you know like they been spying on me. So, after a small fit, I thought it through and decided to mix the stuff with a lot of the coffee and put it in the refrigerator and drink it cold. In the meantime, I saved a couple of cups without, just because messing with am coffee is a sin.. If the next drop says I shouldn’t do that, I’m shooting down the damn drone even if have to watch 24/7.

  And one more thing about the mix. I am grateful for it seeing as though I don’t get too much protein and also can workout a little knowing its working to keep me fit but I just hope it doesn’t have steroids because I don’t want that shit inside me! So, God, if you’re listening, if it is, take it out or send me back the old stuff!

  And seeds, thank god! The mouse got most of the ones saved so I love you whoever you are. There was carrots, lettuce’s, beets and squashes!

  Never a dull moment in my front row seat to Meltdown. The edit of yesterday had a note, a sticky, that said the BW had been closed due to no one left, Sad! All the good times we had there! Sometimes I get the feeling that it’s the kid and me and God sending food.

  Speaking of which, there was something about free something on the tv but couldn’t catch it and FUBAR which Bobby picked up in the unit he was serving with, meaning totally fucked up beyond all repair which was our shorthand for getting worse. But now its FUBAR on steroids! Couldn’t see much due to the bad reception but heard it repeated, in and out, so fixing the antennae is now on the top of the to do list. And the kid didn’t show up today.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.