The fair had come to town again, like it did every September. Ned had found the only parking space that they had wanted him to pay $20 for so we were stuck in town several miles away and walked over.

A child clung to her father's shoulders with hands red from sunburn, then a mom with her young son holding his hand walked by and then a massive family all holding industrial strollers muttered among themselves all on the sidewalk. On top of the hill, we finished climbing as the Ferris wheel came into view. A long line of people waited outside next to the ticket booth and along the fencing where trash blew under both sides of the connected metal as the wind switched directions.

“Two tickets,” I told the man behind the booth.

“40 dollars” he said as I paid for us both. We walked in and were greeted by stuffed metal trash cans, painted with white and black spots like cows. Waiting was a sheriff guarding an entrance made of tractors for sale, and Hvac companies advertising.

“Smells good,” said Ned, running towards the first hotdog to hit his eyes.

I followed him into a line of customers two spots behind. I had to think by myself anyway, even though I had tried to ignore him my father had contacted me again to do his bidding. He wanted me to go see an old friend at the fortune teller's hut, and who this hag was or what she wanted I didn’t have a clue. My father did not know his inept schemes and lack of empathy has killed my longtime lover, but he should know to rot away alone in jail for the rest of his days full of shame all the same. Now this woman's best guess of who she would claim to be secretly related to me, my mother. But even if this scenario ever came true, Mindy Felt knew that her fantasy of the situation would always be better.

“That will be 9 dollars” said the hotdog man as money changed hands.

“Thank you” I said, joining Ned as we headed towards the big wheel standing over us in the sky. Whatever that old bitch has to say she had 20 years to tell me, I don't care, and I don't need anyone's money.

“Short line for the big wheel this year hey Mindy” said Ned breaking the silence as we came out by porta potties and the Ferris wheel. Looking down I noticed that Ned had gotten close, almost holding hands to me. I stepped away and he inched closer. Now the ride man was beckoning, and I was headed to the exit. A cold hand grabbed me from behind.

“Let’s go on the Ferris Wheel huh Mrs. Felt” said Ned, grabbing both my arms now, and turning them around.

“Ok, two tickets” said the operator.

“Yes’ said Ned as he dragged me, paralyzed onto the ride.

“Now Alice you're going to go to wonderland soon doesn’t that sound nice” said Ned as he handed off the tickets and the rusted circular swinging device began climbing. The wind blowing swinging squeaked faintly into the night. I was screwed.

“What's gotten into you Ned?” I cried.

“Ha ha ha I'm just joking” he said smiling sitting across from me in the rust bucket, as the color returned to his eyes.

“Hey baby I got you a little something to drink” his flannel jacket began being unbuttoned then he reached in and brought out liquor.

“No, I'm good.” I said looking at the floor.

“Oh, that’s ok I'll just take a swig for both of us to celebrate” he said before awkwardly taking a big gulp of the silver flask. The Ride stopped, we had reached the top. He was leaning in for a kiss and his breath smelled of alcohol.

“Oh Mindy I want you so” he whispered, grabbing over the top of one of my hands.

My other hand had already fished out the pepper spray and it came spraying out the bottle giving him reaper's kiss of pepper death to the eyes and face.

“Aaaah my eyes” he cried, falling off the ride backward and hitting the ground with a thud in the dark.

"Oh no!" screamed a voice below.

“And that's all you said happened” said the sheriff, his cop camera catching it all so he didn’t have to write it down.

“Yes I solemnly swear on my mothers” said Mindy innocently.

“Ok I think that's all you should have to deal with as far as we go, and I'm sorry you had to go through all this,” said the deputy who came to escort her out.

“With us, yes, but you should change your name girl because it's worse than worthless here now, that's probably why he attacked you” said the deputy, his badge shining to the camera.

“I already did that, you moron, and now people are going to be coming after me?” said Mindy Felt.

“I’m afraid so, dear, especially the Jeremiah family who that man was a part of. They really hate your whole lot now, and they are batshit crazy” said the Sheriff.

“Oh yes they might be nice sometimes but then a switch just flips in their heads and they go fucking mental” said the deputy waving his arms.

“Deputy watch that tongue around the lady” said Majar.

“Yes Sir” said the Deputy standing to attention.

"Honestly with all the bridges burnt between your brother and your father, I would get out of the state right now, name changed or not" said the sheriff as they all walked out of the fairgrounds.

Dozens of cool rides from all over the country stood dim waiting for tomorrow's car show on the grounds, besides them sat the junkers for the derby smash. Once we crossed back to the outside of the gate three cop cars from all over the county were waiting, their lights flashing blue.

"Alright with all that said, can I give you a ride somewhere?" said the sheriff, leaning on his car door. "You know the man who attacked you and fell off is still on the loose injured somewhere, probably thirsting for your blood like a rabid animal on the prowl" he finished slowly opening his car door.

"I'll take my chances" I said defiantly.

With my can of pepper spray depleted I was gripping on my new pistol from my father's lawyer who was also working for me now. A Glock with 9 rounds.

"Fine, I'm out of here" he said, getting in his cruiser, and starting it.

I left all alone at the fairgrounds walking to town, as all the cars slowly drove up the dirt road I walked beside them on the brown grass, then beside a small highway, no cars going past. It was just me and the sounds of bugs in the moonlight.

Someone before had told me about a shortcut through the woods. It might have sounded crazy but avoiding the trail and making little noise through the brush was probably even safer than my chances besides this road. I knew my way through most of the woods due to biking, and if Ned still had strength he could be waiting for me by the road, knowing I had to walk back. I could never trust authority figures, so how could I have trusted that cop, I trusted myself more to walk, and shoot.

A dirt road off the highway, marked by a stack of 18 mailboxes, in the dead of night. What I had also not told the sheriff was that I was taking the shortcut, not to my car, but to a father's island estate. To break in myself and find evidence if there was any, if it was really him behind Jackie's death, and what if he is innocent and just guilty of being an asshole that's impossible to love. I suppose then I'll have to at least do him the courtesy of coming to see him once or twice in person if he's innocent.

"Oof" I grunted.

I had stepping on a very deep pothole and lurching forward where a set of train tracks running on either side had been covered with some crushed stone for a driveway.

My light was pointed up at an oak tree holding in its big branch hands, a wood sign carved "Bosswood's wood".

It was a quiet time for this librarian. I would have to get off the road and into the woods. Time for complaining thoughts to stop, and eyes to only focus on the present. Off the road the underbrush had all been cleaned away, only the desired choice trees remained. I could see the edge of several burn pits where brush had been burned away at some point in the winter. I crouched down moving between the trees. There wasn't as much cover, and as much wood here as I had remembered.

"Woof, Woof, Woof" a pack of dogs barking no doubt where the Bosswood's no doubt lived a little ways off.

Another sound cried off into the night. It was a chainsaw revving away loudly at something. I wonder why someone is cutting up something so late? My jeans were dragging along sharp snakeberry plants coating the ground. Every other tree was posted with "No trespassing", "No hunting without permission", “beware of dogs", and "beware the owners' guns". This might not have been as good a plan as I had thought.

Frogs announced themselves as I walked beside a big pond in the woods. Lily's lay covering the surface illuminated by moonlight while a loon floated on top, until I cracked a branch and it hid under water. The chainsaw had picked back up, sawing away, and I knew it was time to keep going. If I stuck to this path, of going to the mansion on Mayberry island tonight while I still had the opportunity, I had to keep going through the Bosswood's as this is where the old family skiff had always been kept undercover of logs hidden and never used. A canoe that is hopefully still hidden somewhere near the shore.

I followed the winding deer trail deeper into the woods. It came out to a section with small little fir trees massed into one matted forest all growing around a large rock in the middle covered in old stumps and thick moss on top and all over, and next to it all was a very old cemetery lot marked by four tombstones and covered with a giant mound of soil. I soon found out why the fresh ground was covering the grave as I stepped on the edge of the mound to cross through the area when sharp pains shot up my leg.

I jumped back and fell back on the ground, ripping back my pant legs with quickness. Going to scratch, wanting to do nothing more than to scratch, but I didn't want poison ivy on my hands until my phone dropped on the ground; It's light revealing red fire ants climbing, biting my leg flesh with small pincers. I attacked back by scraping and crushing them with my hands, finally taking off my pants.

"You little motherfuckers!" I cried in pain.

"Who goes there?" said a voice from somewhere nearby.

"Hello?" Called the woman's voice again coming from the trees as I sat still and the ants kept biting.

A squeaking door fully opened from behind the cover of the woods. I looked down a small hill to a covered porch with yellow light out of a little house. I could see the edge of the large woman calling as she walked out, followed by the shadows of two big dogs lurking across the lawn.

Smashing branches and a man ran out, and almost into me, shining a bright light all over me with a raised hand as he jogged forward.

"Hey Tina, it's a tramp" he called coming into the clearing.

"Well is she dead?" the women yelled back from down the bank as one of her dogs let off a bark.

"Tom?" she yelled again.

"No, she's still alive," said Tom.

"Stay you mutts, I'm heading up the hill” she answered.

"What's your name?" Tom pointed his light back at me.

The man who had called me a vagrant appeared dressed in soiled rags and smelled of rotton bait.

"Misty I'm looking for my boat, I need it to get out onto old Maybell Island" I said from behind bushes where I had run with my pants.

"Oh, interesting" said Tom stroking a strong chin as I stuck my head out from behind the big knot in a tree.

"Hey I'm changing"

"My bad," he said.

"What did we get here?" Tina yelled with a questioning face standing at his shoulder, their heads the same height.

"A dumb little girl, who needs a hot meal, a warm bath, and a boat ride tomorrow" said Tom.

"Oh I know her, it's the Felt girl. Well I got my skiff if she's going close by" said Tina.

"Old Meybell," said Tom, spitting dip to the ground.

"Perfect, only 20 minutes away, I'll take her tomorrow, she can have leftovers and sleep on the guest air mattress in the hall tonight" she said as we started walking down towards the house.

"Sorry to be trespassing. I'm just desperate to look at a few things before it's all sold off, you see I haven't been there in 10 years" I said.

"That's dumb why don't you just wait for the reports, and the eventual trial" said Tom looking at the ground his flashlight focused on muddy wild brown grass.

"I need to know if I should love or leave this family instead of wasting away more years" I said, coming out fully clothed.

"With your family" he laughed as his light bounced down to aid Tina climbing down the bank.

"That's an easy one, if I were you, I would have run away long ago, an FBI report would have been something that occupied my mind for one night, I would have gone off to Timbuktu and changed my" said Tom his flashlight focused back on me just as I was rolling my eyes. "But I bet you're looking for treasure, like a pirate" he finished chuckling.

"Bark, bark" said one of the dogs with white whiskers as we approached.

"Oh don't mind Edward, and Susie they're harmless' ' Tina was pointing at the dogs as the quiet one whined, and we walked inside their home.

It was half custom plywood, half mobile, with a small wood stove in the added kitchen containing many top of the line appliances. I was to sleep in the small living room located in the middle of the trailer, after washing in a massive tub with massaging jets scrubbing away the days grime before dinner.

"Wait till you see his burgers" she said as I sat down at a square wooden table in the corner waiting for Tom to finish grilling outside in the dark.

"So I was wondering who was sawing up all that wood in the dead of night?" I asked as Tina put her hand in a hot mitt and removed a tray of home fries from the oven.

"Old man Willybob is up to something in his shop," she said, fixing plates with the steaming chunks of well seasoned potatoes.

"Oh I wonder what it is he's up to. Hey, do you need help with anything?" I asked as she brought over a large thing of ketchup.

"No. Let me set up dinner, I know how to do it" she said leaving the plates half full of vegetable she went into the other room and the TV powered on to at least three fourths full volume.

"Now we wait for dinner, and I'm sure you've got a big day waiting for tomorrow" she said, coming back out and sitting across from me.

"I suppose so, but this is just the last thing I decided to do at the last minute before I leave or the property is sold" I said.

"Well the Fed had seized the whole place up for the time being, whether they auction it off, or make it a national park is anyone's guess, but we are your neighbors so we will be first to find out" said Misty.

She was sipping on some kind of mixed drink. An orange can of soda, and coffee brandy.

"Have you seen anyone guarding it recently?"

"Yeah, Tom goes stern man, and he says they sometimes see government boats out on the beach," she said, flicking a lighter nervously from the table "Only in the later afternoon though, guess they like to sleep in, which is good for us because we're taking you early".

The plywood sheet door with a window cut into it, then filled with a screen and big staples, slammed open. Tom walked in carrying a feasting plate, every inch taken up by grilled burgers, hearty chunks of onion and toasted buns. The patties were covered in cheese and three times more meat than was normally found in a restaurant.

"Let's eat" said Tina, her chair protesting as she leaned it back and climbed out from the table.

Tom had already sat down the burgers on the counter next to the fries and was fixing himself a plate.

"You must be hungry running around the woods buck naked and doing whatever else you rich people get up to" said Tom spraying ketchup all over his plate.

"Tom, she's a nice girl," said Tina from my corner.

"Hey I'm just a bit of an old American teaser, don't pay me any mind" said Tom fishing out a large lager from the fridge. "Besides, what does she care about what we think, as long as she gets to her treasure chest" he finished walking around a half wall and plopping into what must have been an oversized reclining chair hiding behind it.

"What Treasure?" I asked while taking two burgers without buns, waiting for the condiments.

"Oh well, he and a lot of locals think you all are hiding gold buried out there somewhere on Meyberry island" she whispered, dumping on the vinegar and hot sauce.

"All I know is I'm not allowed to have ketchup in my diet anymore so I got to make do with what I can."

"Do you think that's what I'm up to as well, just a treasure hunting expedition?" I said moving in to get my plate.

"Well, I don't know, but I do know Tom's pretty excited to get you out on the island and see it for himself. Trust me whatever you bring back we will see it, one way or another" she giggled and started walking off into the other room "come on in we are playing this new video game, you can watch us".

The living room was smaller than the kitchen and in the middle of the trailer. A double wide coach pointed to a big TV hung on the wall, an occupied stained camouflage recliner sat bent with four feet now sticking out, and both dogs curled up on the rug in front of it. Two deer heads each with between 6 to 10 points on their horns hung on one wall, while a ceiling fan spun overhead made up of moose antlers.