Previously on A Maddisun Tale…
10:30 PM
Charlie and Maddisun continue along the art walk behind the diner and stop at the log bench.
“So Charlie, about writing my story. I know you’re an accomplished author, and I know you can write about music, but what is it that makes you want to write my story?” -Maddisun, digging in her purse and pulling out a couple of composition book pages folded over. “I wrote down the first dream I had about Running Wolf, it was the day of a show in Kimberly. I..” Maddisun could see Charlie’s grin. “What?”
“The opening question for your story. At what moment did you decide to move to Ireland? Where were you? What happened that made you decide to leave? Maybe I’m not cultured enough and didn’t know Canadian country girls have a version of Rumspringa?” Charlie paused for a moment but Maddisun didn’t bite so he continued. “I’m gonna thieve a little lyric. When did you say “Fuck it, it’s fine.” I’ve seen you do it with Mexico and New York, but you weren’t necessarily coming back when you left for Ireland, right? That’s where I want to start. I want to open with that. In a way, that’s the first time you ran with the wolves.”
Charlie looked out towards the diner. “Don’t try to answer now, we have limited time.” -Charlie pointed to the back of the Diner where Mouse, Amanda, Penny, Jessie, Jenny, and Samantha were climbing into Charlie’s truck.
Maddisun handed Charlie the composition book pages and got up. “There’s a little story at the end for you to have a little fun with. Make me look cool.”
“You quoted Almost Famous. So you like my working title?” -Charlie
“On The Road With A Tiny Dancer is growing on me.” -Maddisun
They walked down the embankment and turned west as the truck backed out of the Diner lot. Charlie stopped and pointed to a chalk mark on the side of the road.
“This is the edge. The magic all around us ends right…” -Charlie, reaching his hand out, the fingers slowly disappearing.
“Woah.” -Maddisun
“How very Mouse of you.” -Charlie
That’s when they heard the stereo in Flo, Charlie’s 1965 Ford F-250.
It was blasting Bryan Adams. Maddisun started laughing.
“There’s your title, Mr. Big Shot Writer. Read the story.” -Maddisun.
The girls pulled up, and Samantha was driving. “Charlie, cover your ears when we pull away I’m pulling the lever.”
Charlie nodded. Mouse stuck her head out of the passenger window. “Mads, dahling, climb in back, we’re taking a little trip. Charlie, have the jet fuel ready.” Mouse smiled that Island smile. “I promise to have her back by Midnight.”
Maddisun climbed in the back with Jenny, Jessie, and Penny and sat with Jessie and Penny, who had their backs against the truck cab. Jenny slid open the rear window, and Amanda handed Penny her custom Finn flight helmet. Jessie’s was decorated like “Sweet Tooth” from Twisted Metal. Then Amanda handed a gold fleck stone helmet with “Rock Star” bedazzled across the front to Maddisun. Everyone donned their flight helmets.
“Coms check.” -Amanda.
“This is Mouse, copy.” -Mouse. Everyone followed Mouse’s lead. Then Mouse yelled “Soundtrack.”
“Driver chooses the music.” -Samantha.
“Damn you sexpot soul mom.” -Mouse
Charlie heard the guitar intro, but then Samantha pulled the lever and the side port exhaust spewed flames. Charlie’d been mixing a little jet fuel to the tank lately. It looked pretty fucking cool at night. Flo looked like a dragon carrying his warriors off to battle.
It was 10:45 PM
Samantha raced up the road and turned onto what’s now affectionately called “Iron Eagle Way”. When they pulled up onto the top of the ridge, Maddisun was looking west at the Rockies. It wasn’t until she hopped out that she understood why she had a flight helmet.
Everyone climbed in and Mouse explained the pre-flight ritual and song. Everyone was waiting for Amanda, but she was already going through the flight check, so the rock star took the lead.
“Just a little more time is all we're asking for” -Maddisun
“Just a little more time could open closing doors” -Mouse
That’s when Charlie came on the radio. “Hey, Ladies?”
Everyone said “Get Funky” back.
“We’re waiting for the bus. Cash and Lyra have…” -Charlie went silent.
“Leftenant Mouse to Ground Control, Charlie, what’s going on?” -Mouse
“Found them. I’ll explain when you get down here. Go ahead and take off and burn a little fuel, there’s enough to fill an empty tank.” -Charlie
“Go for launch, Captain.” -Leftenant Mouse
Back at the diner, Charlie walked with Lyra and Cash up to the picnic tables. He’d found them down the road a bit.
“Where did you two go?” -Frankie, Cash and Lyra’s mom.
“Well Lyra found this rabbit hole with a door and she fell in!” -Cash.
Frankie just looked at her son. Charlie stepped in. “Hi, I’m Charlie, this is my place. It’s a little different here, your kids discovered something special about it. They wouldn’t have seen it if they weren’t supposed to. Here’s my card. Give me a call when you get where you're going. I might have a summer job for these two.”
“Isabella Flannagan is a part of all this?” -Frankie
“Yes.” -Charlie
“Ok, I’ll call you in a couple of days, these two seem to have taken to it.” -Frankie. Monique walked up, the rest of the bus passengers had already boarded. “Ready to go you three?”.
“Frankie, Monique knows all of us well, you can ask her about the kids coming back.” -Charlie
“Thank you, Charlie. Say bye, you two.”
“Bye Charlie!” -Cash and Lyra, who looked at each other and shook their heads.
Charlie was pulling the fuel hose out for the Blackhawk when it came flying over the tree line behind the diner, buzzing the top of the barn, flying out into the valley, and then circling back and coming down dead center onto the painted helicopter circle in the refueling stations lot. Jessie and Penny had done that not too long ago.
Everyone hopped out with huge smiles. Riding in the Blackhawk with the bay doors open at night always brings you alive.
Maddisun walked up to Charlie. “Seriously, you guys have way too much fun around here!”
“It’s criminal.” -Charlie.
Mouse came around the front of the helicopter over to the pilot’s side.
“See you in Vancouver soon.” -Mouse, flipping Amanda’s visor up and kissing her.
They hugged and Mouse headed over to Maddisun, Samantha, Charlie, Penny, Jessie, and Jenny.
“So you’ll have her back by Midnight?” -Charlie, to Mouse.
“A little after…” -Mouse, with a smile that said what she said out loud next.
“Everything is gonna be perfectly fine, Charlie.”
Charlie watched the girls walk down the road towards the edge of the Veil as he finished refueling the Blackhawk. Amanda came over and stood next to Charlie and watched with him. “It’s hard not being part of the journey, but we must remember we have our own.” -Amanda.
Charlie looked down at the handwritten pages Maddisun had given him.
Charlie was sitting in his usual window booth at the end as the Blackhawk lifted off. He opened up the pages from Maddisun and began to read while his MacBook powered up.
Amanda could see the girls standing at the edge of the Veil as she flew west. She had a stop to make before Vancouver.
At the edge of the Veil, the girls held hands and stepped through. Maddisun could feel the groove, exactly like Penny had described it. When she opened her eyes, it took her a minute to adjust. It sure wasn’t Kansas. She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing… then looked over at the other girls.
Penny had the biggest fucking grin on her face. “100% Bad Girls.”
Everyone knew exactly where they were.
The place was Kimberly, British Columbia, they were standing outside of a saloon.
The year was 1923.
It was 11 PM.