I would like to thank Nyarlathotep32 for reading over the story, editing and letting me know what she thought. I thank you, and hope to work with you again.
For you the reader, Enjoy.
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What was he thinking?
Bob Gilbert had bought the land and house sight unseen, but he didn't realize that it would be in such bad shape. It was an old house that sat on about 20 acres of land in the mountains of North Carolina. One of the reasons that he had bought it was because it was built into the mountain, and it faced west. You would be able to sit on the front porch and watch the sun set. But the porch was rotting, sagging, and falling apart. The house itself was built in the early 1900's, and had been renovated a few times in the past, but it was basically an eye sore now that would have to be torn completely down and rebuilt from the foundation up. Bob was glad that he was a contractor and carpenter, because his skills would be able to rebuild it. He had won the Power Ball Lotto, and used the money to buy this so he could have a get away when he needed it. Well, he thought, I better get to it.
The first thing Bob had to do was get the underbrush cleared out. He got the long handle sickle that he had purchased out of his truck, along with racks, shovels and a few other yard tools. It took him all morning, and half the afternoon, but he had the area around the house cleared. Being a person who didn't like wasting the daylight hours, he started working on the house. He carefully started tearing down the front porch, and part of the house. Bob saved what he could to reuse, and what he couldn't, he put aside so that he could burn it. The one thing that did not deteriorate with the house was the chimney. It was built of stone and mud, and was so well put together, that it still stood tall.
Bob did what he could, and when it got too dark to do anything more, he stopped and set up his tent for the night. The land also had a small river flowing through it, so he went there to clean up and change into clean clothes. He got a fire going, fixed his dinner, and then relaxed for the night.
It took him three days of working from dusk to dawn, but he finally had everything torn down. Once Bob got to the inside, and really started to look at it, he found out that he wouldn't have to tear down as much as he first thought. The plumbing itself was still in real good condition. There were only a few small things that he had to do. The kitchen area was also in pretty good shape, and with some work, and priming, the hand pump at the sink brought up some clear, cold water.
On the fourth day, Bob had a long list of things that he was going to need, so he headed into town.
The town is a small one, and there was only one place, which is a combination hardware/lumber store, so that is where Bob stopped. The first thing he did when he got there was to drop off his list of lumber. The person who he met was a young lady, who he guessed was a few years younger than his 35.
"May I help you sir?"
"Yes. I have a list of supplies here, and if possible I need to get it delivered."
"This is quite a list, and may take some time. Where will you need it delivered too, and when will you need it?"
"I will need it as soon as possible, and delivered out to the old Jackson place on Mountain Road."
"Hmmmm, is this the old shack that is off the road."
"Yes it is. Is that going to be a problem?"
"Well, the road is no problem, but getting it up to the house will be. You will need ATV's, or 4-wheel drive vehicles."
"I will pay whatever it takes. Do you know of anyone who may have what it takes to get there, or any references?"
"With this being a small town, the only thing you may be able to do is get some of the individuals here to help. I will see what I can do for you."
"Thank you very much miss. I still need to get a few other things, so I will look around and be back in a little bit."
"Okay, and my name is Kathy, not miss."
"Okay Kathy, I am Bob."
Bob walked around the store and picked up hammers, nails, saws, and whatever else he thought he would need. There was no electricity where he was at, so everything was going to have to be done by hand. It was going to be quite a job, but he was determined to get the job done, and he had the time to do it.
When he won the money, Bob took an extended leave of absence from work, so he was going to use this time to relax and figure out what he was going to do with it.
After a few hours of walking around getting gear that he was going to need, Kathy found him.
"I have some good news, and some bad news." She told him.
"What's the good news?"
"Your whole list will be delivered tomorrow morning."
"That is good, what is the bad news though."
"I can find only one person who will be able to help."
"Well, that is better than nothing. Tell them to come out tomorrow with the supplies, and tell him that I will pay him good."
Bob paid for the supplies that he had, and then headed back out to the cabin.
****
The next morning, Bob had been awake for about 30 minutes when he heard a truck coming up the rough trail. A few moments later a 4-wheel drive pulled into the clearing, and Kathy stepped out.
"Supplies are here. Care to give me a hand here."
"I thought you told me yesterday that you had someone who would help?"
"Everyone who I called couldn't do it, and I had a few days I could take from work, so I figured why not. Your not upset are you?"
"No, it's not that. I am used to working with men in the construction business and you just caught me by surprise."