04 Upon Return

Describing a bit of Jack's back story

04

Upon return

 

Jack and Luke returned to Black Hollow, it was 1830. The village looked dead, no warm glow from the windows, no flashing open sign in the window of the Black Hollow Bar, the tiny street lights stood like lifeless skinny silhouettes. The sun was just setting beyond the tree line and cast a spectrum of colors through the sky. Jack had gone back to his apartment, this time with a flashlight, to collect Rusty. Now, the two friends were sitting on Luke’s driveway with their dogs watching the sun sink into Little Hope. Jack had lived in Little Hope before he moved to Black Hollow. He had liked living in town, population forty thousand, 24-hour gas stations, fast food drive through; it was a bustling town, not a metropolis, but people had places to be. Little Hope was the Northern extension of Hope, a long and sprawling green valley coated with lakes, hills, towns, and villages. After Jack emigrated from London, UK, 10 years ago when he was 18, he spent his time working on the ambulance for 8 years.  Over those 8 years he had responded to a whole catalogue of injuries, he had seen things that would give others nightmares, but those things didn’t bother Jack. It wasn’t that Jack was insensitive or didn’t care; he was just comfortable being in those situations. Situations where he would have to make the right decision under pressure, situations where time mattered, minutes, seconds; life, death.

Jack moved from Little Hope to Black Hollow where he had met Luke 2 years ago to work as a medic and laborer for the tree loggers. There was only one road between Black Hollow and Little Hope, it wound its way around the mountain, had 5 switchbacks, and was lined with trees from top to bottom. From Luke’s driveway, the boys could see 2 of the 5 switchbacks, the town of Little Hope sparkling in the dying sunlight, and the cold lakes behind it which eventually ran into hilly nothingness as far as the eye could see.

It was a beautiful place to live, and Jack was happy here. He had abandoned his life in town, put his career in paramedicine on hold to live in a sustainable village where nothing really progressed. His family, who he loved dearly, resided in the UK still, though Jack had built somewhat of his own family here on this picturesque mountaintop. He had taken to this way of life, but knew in his heart that he wouldn’t live here forever. He didn’t want his life to revolve around Black Hollow, didn’t want to grow old and die here an old man like so many others did. Black Hole.

 

Simultaneously, the oven and microwave beeped, the deep growl of the fridge kicked in, the driveway light was suddenly doing its job. The boys cheered, clinked beers, and smoked a bowl.

Author's Note

subject to change, work in progress