Schwan (1 A Death in the Family)

It has been a while, but The Fuzz has posted a few pages of fiction here in the past.

So-

Here we go again.

Nothing serious, just a bit of fun.

Hope this silliness is enjoyed.

Of course it will come in pieces as in the past.

So let's begin...

Schwan

© Littlebranch Pages

1 A Death in the Family

The moon cast angular patterns from the houses onto the narrow street.  A lone figure made it's way from shadow to shadow.  He was cloaked against the chill in the air.  Although summer was near, the alpine nights were still cold.  His hood was pulled close; he did not wish to be recognized by the watch.

It was after midnight and the windows over the street were dark.  The townsfolk were sleeping after the festivities of the day before.  It had been the Queen's Birthday.  Queen Adelehide was popular with the people of Midmont, and all had turned out to feast in her honor.

The figure followed the narrow street, to an even narrower ally, where another waited with a cart.

"Tell the Duke," he whispered softly;  "The deed is done."

With this, he hurried back into the darkness.

The other mounted the cart and turned toward the city gate.

The gate was not closed; but it seldom was in times of peace.  The two men at arms at the gate stopped the cart out of curiosity; for it was unusual for anyone to be leaving the city at this hour.

But the cart contained only some goods for market, and they were satisfied with the driver's explanation of "wanting an early start for a lengthily journey," and the cart disappeared into the night.

By morning the rumors had reached the town.  The King was gravely ill.  Messengers were sent to the Crown Prince Fredrik, who was with the Rangers, at the southern border.  He was to return to court at once.

As the day wore on, there was no improvement.  By midnight, the bell of the Castle Chapel, began to toll sadly.

In the King's chamber all was silent except for the sobs of the Queen.  She had thrown herself on the bed beside her dead husband.  Princess Lillian stood alone at the window, looking out over the lake glistening below in the the moonlight.  It surrounded the castle and town on three sides.

The King's Physician stepped from the room, leaving the bereaved wife and daughter alone.  He was joined by the Chaplain, who had administered Last Rites to the King.

"I  don't understand it," the doctor said to his friend.  "This was so sudden.  His Majesty's health has been excellent."  After a long pause he continued, "There was nothing I could do."

✠

At the sound of approaching hoofbeats, the watchmen at the gate stood in the opening, holding their spears at the ready.  Two riders rode up on the tough mountain ponies favored by the Rangers who patrolled the frontiers.  They could hear the bells of the chapel tolling slowly.

The watchmen challenged the riders.

The foremost rider threw back his hood, and the watchmen recognized Fredrik, the Crown Prince.  The watchmen snapped to attention, and presented arms.

"What news, Goodmen?"

"None good, your Highness; the King is dead."

Then the Watchman snapped to attention again, saying, "Long live the King!"

"Greet the Captain of the Guard for me," said the Prince returning their salute.

And then the two men rode on, slowly now, toward the castle gate.

Prince Fredrik entered the King's Chamber, nodded to his sister and then touched his mother, the Queen.  She sat up and clutched his hands.

"Why?" was all she said.

He had no answer.  As she turned back to her husband, Fredrik went to Lillian at the window and they embraced.

"You've been gone too long," she said.  It was almost an accusation.  Then her gaze turned to Rolf, standing at a respectful distance near the door.

"You too," she said.

Fredrik excused himself.

"I must speak with the physician."

He stepped out into the antechamber, where the Doctor was waiting.

"I don't understand it," the doctor told him.  "One moment he was fine.  The next, he was fighting for his life."

"No one else has been ill?"

"No one, Your Highness."

✠

It was some time later.  Prince Fredrik sat alone in the darkened chapel.  He had known this day would come.  But he had never expected it so soon.  In an instant the responsibility for the kingdom had fallen on him.

He was young.  He had been enjoying his freedom.  These last two years had been spent with the Rangers patrolling the borders, and guarding the mountain passes.

He had been nominally in command; but in reality, he was being trained by the Ranger Captain.  And he had learned well.  But there was still so much more to be learned.

And there had been his time at the great universities; Paris, and Köln.  There, he had developed a reputation as a poor student and a womanizer.  But that was mostly based on gossip, and the reputation didn't bother him.  Beneath it all was a serious side, that few, but his closest friends saw.  Friends like Rolf.

They had grown up together, along with his sister, Lillian.  Rolf's father had served for years as Captain of the Castle Guard.  Rolf had been his companion in all his foreign adventures.  And Rolf was the moderating influence that had kept him out of a lot of trouble.  Now Fredrik hoped this would not change anything.

But still, he knew; it would change everything.

He heard someone enter the Chapel.  

"Are you ready?"

He recognized the voice of Friar John, a monk from the nearby abby.  

"Of course not."

"Good.  At least you realize it."

Friar John had in recent years become close to the Prince as his spiritual adviser.  It was another side of Fredrik that was hidden from most.

"They told me you would be here, Your Majesty."

"Cut that out, John.  I'm still only me.  The same me."

"You wish that were so… You want it to be so.  But you know it can't be.  This is your place now, and you alone must fill it."

"I can't do this!"

"The Lord has put you here, and he has prepared you.  Do you think that He didn't see this coming?

"The official coronation is in two days.  But as of this moment, you are King…  You might wish to pray."

With this, Friar John left Fredrik alone in the Chapel.    

✠

With Fredrik gone, Rolf walked slowly to the Princess.  She took his hands in her own.

"I've missed you."

Rolf said nothing.  She could see he was struggling with his emotions.  He turned his head to look out the window. 

"The lake is beautiful this morning," he said.  He wanted to add, "And so are you," but didn't dare.  Finally he asked the question that tore at his heart.

"Had your father found you a husband yet?"

Something went out of her at his words.

As much as she loved her father, the late King had believed in politicly advantageous marriages.  Although he and her mother had truly loved each other, still, the Queen was the daughter of the Duke of Solland, Midmont's neighbor beyond the southern pass.

In the passed year the King had been in contact with other ruling families; both in regards for herself, and her brother.  But Fredrik was King now.  He would be free to choose his own bride.  But her fate was in his hands now.  She longed to ask Rolf what he knew.  He seemed too distant.  Was he hiding something?

✠

The day before his coronation, Fredrik began meeting with the King's Ministers, trying to acquaint himself with the affairs of state.  For now, he would make no changes.  There was little point in changing what appeared to be working.

He also needed to chose his advisers.  He was beginning to realize that not everyone could be trusted.  And the circumstances of his father's death still bothered him.

He would keep Rolf near.  He was one man he knew he could trust.  And Friar John could be relied on as well.  As for the others... time would tell.

Word came of condolences from the Duke of Morlana, ruler of the country to the North of Midmont.  Fredrik was surprised at how quickly word of the king's death had traveled.

From the Foreign Minister, he found that the King had been in contact with the Duke, and there had been discussions regarding marriage between either Fredrik or the Princess, and one of the Duke's children.  For his part, Fredrik was not of the opinion that his duty to Midmont went quite that far.

From the Steward of the Treasury, he learned that although the treasury was not extensive, it should be adequate for the present.

And there were more reports.  Reports on the state of the roads; the condition of the town walls; the militia; and so on.  The list seemed endless.

Fredrik was surprised to find that there was even a network of spies, although he didn't care much for Slythain, the man in charge of it.

✠

The official celebrations surrounding the coronation were subdued.  The King had been popular, and Fredrik, while well liked, had a questionable reputation.  And the people, although loyal, were not sure what to expect now, with him, on the Throne.

Looking Back Some More

The Fuzz has already reviewed some of the projects of last year.

Let's just say it was an unusually busy year for The Fuzz and His Sweetie.

Besides the projects, there was a bit of travel-

Quite a bit!

In April The Fuzz figured it had warmed up enough to get the old Motorcycle out for a bit of touring.
He spent some time out on the coast and then rode up into 

Virginia to visit his sister

.
He did have to deal with a bit of rain, but all in all it was a pretty good trip.

Then it was time for The Fuzz and His Sweetie to hit the road to visit family in Oklahoma & Texas.
But since they were going that far, they decided on a round-a-bout route so they could take in some of the sights along the way.
The first stop was Cheaha State Park in Alabama.

That was pretty nice, although the facilities could have used a bit of 

maintenance

.
Next- still in Alabama- they headed for the Gulf Coast and Gulf State Park.

It was quite a change from the mountains-

And a bit interesting!

Then they headed west toward the Luisiana 

Bayous

.

That was a bit of a "Washout".
With all the rain, the whole world was flooded down there.  Their 

scheduled

 camp site was a tiny pad of paving, surrounded by water.
They decided to pass on that one and- with a hotel stop- started north toward 

Arkansas

 and their next campground-
Lake Ouachita State Park.

That was a nice enough place.
The Fuzz and His Sweetie got settled in okay.

There was more rain in the forecast, but they are relatively 

experienced

 campers and were quite cozy for the 1st night.

The rain itself wasn't an issue.

But the wind turned out to be!
The campground was on a high ridge, and their tent was about ready to blow away.
The Fuzz was inclined to try and stick it out, but His Sweetie had a better assessment of the situation-
The worst was still on the way!
 So they broke camp during a lull and started toward Oklahoma City.

We'll continue this tale soon.

Mystery Pix Revived

Remember the Mystery Pix?

Well here  we go again!

Good Luck!

Looking Back

Perhaps it would be good to take a quick look back at 2015.

It certainly was a busy one for The Fuzz and His Sweetie.

For one thing, it was a year of Projects.

1st there was some electrical upgrading at the old place.

That took The Fuzz a few days, but it was worth it.

Then came the Kitchen Project.

That was a big one.

But it came out pretty well in the end.

Once the weather had warmed up came the Pond Project.

That was a big one too-

And spread out over most of the summer.

That one was followed by the Bathroom Project!

That was pretty involved as well.  It kinda grew as it progressed, but came out pretty well too.

With those projects out of the way, The Fuzz finally went to work on the Firewood.

Well, lets just say it was a busy year.

Let's face it-

Retirement ain't easy!

And all this went on amidst a busy travel schedule.

But we'll get into that later!

A New Year Is Here

So...

Boy, the years a flying by.  But The Fuzz remembers reading somewhere that-

"When you're over the hill, you pick up speed."

Well that seems to be true.  And The Fuzz speaks from experience in this case.

But be that as it may, it has been quite a year.

As The Fuzz looks back at the beginning of last year, he finds that it had a wet start as well...

And then turned rather cold.

Well perhaps the cold is on the way, but for now it feels a bit like spring.

The Daffidills are already up...

And working up some blooms!

Perhaps this is not so strange since we have had rather warm weather lately.

At our Christmas gathering, everyone hung out in the yard in T-shirts.

But what got The Fuzz, was when he was out in the yard today, he found...

Violets!

Yikes

Violets blooming on

New Years Day!

But they are calling for some cooler weather.  It is supposed to make it down to freezing tonight.

But of course it is January.

The Fuzz says-

"Let it come."

A Christmas Surprise

Every year the family (those who can meets up for a "Family Christmas" gathering.

This year was no exception.

It was an overnighter for most as it was a bit of a drive for most-

And of course who wants to drive after a celebration.

There were presents exchanged, and eggnog & cookies that night.

And breakfast in the morning-

Pancakes and eggs.

And the guys made sure there was plenty of bacon and liver mush.

It was time to part ways once more.

Then came the surprise.

When a family member with the farthest to drive found herself with a vision issue*, The Fuzz and His Sweetie volunteered to drive her home.

So they took off for the Port City-

the opposite direction from their home in the woods!

That trip went OK but as evening came they found themselves a long way from home-

and no desire for the drive back.

But that is one of the perks of retirement- right?

And so they got a hotel for the night.

And why not take advantage of being at the beach?

So with a quick call to a much appreciated friend back home, they decided to add an extra day and just enjoy being there.

They drove up to Topsail Island where the family has been spending a little time in the summers now for several years.

It was pretty quiet out there this time of year-

Very few people out on the beach.

The Fuzz and His Sweetie went out there for a little bit.

It was quite windy so they didn't stay long.

The Fuzz did have to put his toes in just a little.

But there was time for a snack and a beer at the Quarter Moon before heading back down to the city.

And while they were there, The Fuzz and His Sweetie got one of those "Wild Hairs".

But That bit will have to wait for now.

*The Fuzz is happy to report that she is doing much better now and things are back to normal- for what that's worth!

Christmas Flicks

Christmas is one of those times filled with traditions-

Old & New.

Movies?

Well, yeah, sometimes movies.

It's the time of year to kick back and watch some of the old favorites.

Like The Muppet's Christmas Carrol!

The Fuzz's copy was an old VCR tape-

But alas- the VCR had died.  Finally, The Fuzz and His Sweetie drove into town in the hope of finding a DVD.

In desperation they drove over to Wally World.

The place was pretty busy for a Monday afternoon.

But of course it is the Christmas Season!

It brought back memories of those Last Minute Christmas Shopping Escapades.

That was a tradition that will not be missed.

Of course, as so often happens, although there were thousands of DVDs there, The Muppet one was not-

Nor was The Santa Clause- the other flick on their shortlist.

Well, maybe they need to try Amazon next!

Christmas On The Way

Times change.

The years go by, sometimes one hardly notices.

And then one day you turn around and things a very different.

The Fuzz and His Sweetie spent 40+ years with young'uns around the house.

Christmas was always a time of intense activity.

Lots of presents to procure and wrap up.

The house was decorated, and there was always a Christmas Tree-

And it had to be a "live*" one.

There is no way to replace that smell-

It means Christmas!

But now with the kids all gone and with their own homes, kids, and Christmas;

And living in a much smaller (if less crowded) space-

There is no Tree.

But something is missing with this.

But this year His Sweetie had an inspiration.

So on the way home from a visit they stopped and picked up a fresh Christmas Wreath.

They got out the ornaments and picked out a few favorites-

So here we are!

It may be small, but it's there-

And smells like Christmas again.

*Well maybe not "live" since it had been cut down!

Out of the Woods & and Split

It was about a week ago that The Fuzz finally got around to cutting that tree he had been putting off.

It may be remembered that he had left the wood down there at the time.

But it was not due to that P-Factor this time.

He did have some concern over the state of the "road" going in there.

The intention was to somehow get the wood transported to the vicinity of the Log Splitter.

Some of the smaller pieces had already been moved "old school" with a wheelbarrow, but this would not do for the big stuff.

But not having a nice 4x4 truck* available, the only option (other than that wheelbarrow) was to pull in there with his trailer.

And this had to be pulled with a Honda Accord-

Not exactly a stump jumper!

Actually, the road/trail was not all that bad;

But there was a wet spot that had him concerned.

And it would be uphill on the way out- loaded.

But the weather had promised to stay relatively dry for a few days, so he was hoping to give some time for it to dry out just a bit more.

But now, with rain on the way, this was the day.

He made it in OK.

As can be seen, it's not exactly the Freeway.

But there was plenty of room to turn around.

He got the first load on.

It will be noticed that there was still a bit of the trunk remaining uncut.  To be honest about it, The Absent Minded Fuzz had kinda forgotten about it.  But no problem, he'd just bring the saw back when he came for the next load-

Assuming he made it out with the first one!

But there were no problems with that load, or the next.

And all the wood made it safely up to the splitter.

It was a perfect opportunity to continue the job.  But that required a trip out of the woods for some gas, and a new spark plug.

After a "Wine & Cheese" break** with His Sweetie, The Fuzz went to work, and by the evening there was a nice pile of spit wood.

Now the rain has set back in.

There were still a few of the larger blocks he didn't have time to get to.

But he'll get to that soon enough.

Some of those guys are a bit bigger- 18" diameter.

So he'll probably tip the splitter into the vertical mode so as not to have to lift them suckers.

But all in all, the operation was a success, and The Fuzz and His Sweetie should be able to stay warm over the rest of the Holidays.

*Actually, The Fuzz does have a truck.  But the thing laid down on him once too many times.  It sits in the Driveway at the old place waiting for him to either fix the piece of crap- or junk it!

**The Fuzz realizes that operating power equipment after drinking wine is not recommended- Yeah.  Ok.

Finally- Finishing Up

Well, yeah.

It is another case of that "P-Factor".

The Fuzz and the P-Factor go way back-

all the way to grade school and homework and stuff like that.

But this is not the time to go into that.

Remember the Shower project?

Well everything was done and in fine working order.

At least on the surface.

And while The Fuzz and His Sweetie have been enjoying those nice long hot showers-

There did remain one little detail still unfinished.

And with the cold weather moving in, it could no longer be put off.

It will be remembered that there was a considerable amount of plumbing done under the trailer.

And that is the sort of thing that can freeze if left uninsulated.

And due to that P-Factor, that was the situation.

So The Fuzz grabbed his trusty roll of Gorilla Tape, and crawled back under there.

It was a simple matter to pull the insulation back into place and tape the membrane back together.

Except for the feed lines!

With no place to put the cut-offs in the bathroom, The Fuzz had put them under the trailer.

It would have been easy enough to simply cover them up, but they needed to be accessible of course-

That's what they're for!

First he boxed the area in.

This is a shot looking up at the arrangement.

Then a bit of insulation was stuffed in-

It would be easy enough to remove if necessary.

And finally a door-

And latch.

This should be sufficient to handle these North Carolina Southern Winters.

And The Fuzz can scratch one more off of that

P-Factor List!

In Context

Exhibit "A"

So what are we looking at here?

No, it's not one of those "Mystery Pix" that turn up here at Kinda Fuzzy from time to time.

It's actually a shot of a tree stump next to the back porch of the trailer out here in the woods.

Here it is shown in a bit more context.

Ok...

So, The Fuzz admits that the pix "A" is really not so much about the stump itself, but the Fungus.

Or is that Fungi?

Whatever.

But one does have to admit that without said stump, there would be no Fungus!

(Or Fungi- if that's what it is)

And so it really is a pix of the stump.

It's just camouflaged!

On the Ground

Both of our loyal readers will remember how The Fuzz and His Sweetie rely on the old woodstove to stay toasty this time of year.

Well that "P-Factor" is a factor here as well.

One of the neighbors out here in the woods had given Our Fuzz a dead oak tree.

But the thing was, it was down in the woods-

and still standing.

And this is where that "P-Factor" came into play again.

There were a few smaller ones nearby, but The Fuzz had already gotten to them.  He would finally have to face the big one.

He still doesn't know why he had put this off like this.  Really, he has handled bigger ones before- some really big!

Maybe he's just getting old-

But then...

It's probably just Laziness- and that "P-Factor".

But not even The Fuzz wants to spend the winter freezing his tush off.

It was one of those trees where the saw won't quite reach all the way through.  But that doesn't have to be a problem for an experienced wood cutter like Our Fuzz.

It turned out that the tree fell right where it was planned.

There is a sort of a road down into these woods.

But there is one kinda wet spot.

These blocks are bigger than they look in these pix and will have to be split up of course.  And the best way to handle this is naturally with power tools*.  But there is no way The Fuzz wants to pull that heavy splitter down here with that little Accord.

At this point the plan is to wait a couple more days, and hope that the "road" dries out enough to get in-

and out-

with the trailer.

The splitting will be done at his own woodlot-

with Power Tools.

*The Fuzz actually took a shot at splitting this stuff Old School with a maul.  It wasn't going all that well.  And besides- that's why they make power tools anyway.

A Bit of Plumbing

It was previously mentioned that The Fuzz & His Sweetie were involved in a bit of Granddaughter Duty not long ago.

This involved some time spent away from their Home in the Woods, in town.

While there, They offered to replace a kitchen faucet that, while functional, was not, shall we say- in pristine condition.

Once it was ascertained that this would be agreeable to all concerned, (it's a guy thing) The Fuzz and their hostess slipped over to that Infamous Home Improvement Store;

(There seems to be one in every town!)

...And a replacement was procured.

The next step was to get under the kitchen sink-

which is never much fun.

But once everything was out of the way, things went surprisingly well.

The tools were gotten out-

And really, when it comes down to it, it's largely a matter of having the right tools.

You might notice that The Fuzz's shirt is just a wee bit damp in this picture.  But really that is nothing compared to what can happen if one is foolish enough to tear into these things.

And here is a look at the new faucet.

Of course it took a couple of days to realize that the reason the dishwasher wasn't working right was because The Fuzz had inadvertently turned off the valve to it!

But then-

All's well, that ends well.

Right?