The Storm

information from a man that had literally taken me under his wing. “Good, Sir,” I responded. I was taken aback by his pleasant demeanor. I had expected fire from the dragon's mouth. I replied with a “I had an interesting time, and I found the compound, Sir.” “Well, tell me about it, Zach” Mr. Fessmyer responded. I began with a barrage of general facts that I hoped would come out as detailed as possible, but with trivial details, and with just enough info to sound impressive. “Well, Sir, the compound was there and for sure was flooded clear up to the second floor. I found an old man that had been living there for years, and the old fish guide that took me there discovered that he knew the old guy from years ago. We sat and visited as they walked down memory lane. I got a few stories on swamp living, if you're interested, but the compound was nothing more than the habitat of an old guy that basically wanted to be left alone and not bothered at all. Just watching those two old guys talk about swamp living was of interest. There might be a story on Bayou people, if you can get them to talk, that is.” “That’s good, Son, but not too spell -binding, is it?" “No Sir," I replied. Mr Fessmyer went on, “Well, put something together, Son, along with your previous visit and those flood pictures and we'll run it. Include a human-interest story about those “swamp people.” The weather report says there is another wave coming in, and I hope those poor souls ride it out safely.” “They are tough boss. As tough as nails,” I responded. “You’re not upset with my coming to a dead -end by not finding some intriguing story about that 'mysterious' compound, are you?” “ Naw, Son. I thought you might have

1 72