Another Harvest Begins
Bad Kitty: Chapter One
Artwork by Neutronboar.
Haley Starr: Bad Kitty: Chapter One. Chapter Two.
It was morning. The sun had been up for a couple of hours, and it was shaping up to be a beautiful October day. A few lines of scattered clouds drifted across the sky, but it was mostly clear with the direct light canceling out the chill nicely. The autumn foliage was on full display, and the occasional breeze would rustle loose a few more brightly colored leaves. The day before Halloween, StarrLight Farms had jack o'lanterns on bales of hay in a few spots of the front yard. A single-story house with a covered front porch, a barn, a few sheds and a field for potatoes, this little corner in the Town of Columbia was what Harry Starr and his daughter Haley called home.
It was Friday, and Haley usually would have been in school, but due to a strange earthquake the evening before, the district decided not to reopen until Monday, giving inspectors time to thoroughly check the building's structural integrity. While earthquakes are not unheard of in this area, they are very rare and mostly weak. The most recent, however, hit suddenly and hard yet was over as quickly as it started. The most unusual thing was that, despite its intensity, the quake was not felt anywhere beyond the town.
It was the day after Haley’s tenth birthday and having fallen behind on a couple of chores she wanted to have done before the weekend, the young farmer seized her opportunity shortly after breakfast. Harvest was over, but the work was not. Even though the bumper crops of potatoes had shipped, the barn was in serious disarray. So, Haley had tied her long, vibrant blond hair back into a couple of pigtails, her usual preferred look, threw on a jacket and got to it.
She had been down quite a bit lately due to the passing of her mother, but the farmgirl was in better spirits today. She was in the moment and listening to Garth Brooks while she worked. Haley knew all his songs. Stacking crates and moving things back where they belong, she worked up a sweat quickly. The young farmer took off her jacket, hung it on a barn wall hook and used her brown bandana to wipe her forehead. She was wearing an orange and yellow striped T-shirt that matched the seasonal foliage and a pair of very well-loved coveralls. Taking a break and drinking some water, Haley's good spirits increased even more when her cat Hayseed came trotting through the barn and hopped up on the shelf next to her.
Haley giggled a little as she petted him, adoring the green color in his eyes. Hayseed was a black shorthair with a tuft of white fur on his chest and a bad habit of lounging where everyone else was trying to walk. Haley scratched the cat's head once more and then, with a warm smile, said, "Sorry, Hay. But I've got a little more to do.”
It was just after ten when she was finished. Haley stood there with hands on her hips, inspecting her handiwork. She was quite pleased with the results of her efforts and even seemed to stand a little taller when she realized how quickly she had finished. With even more unplanned extra time, Haley began to wonder how she might like to spend it.
As if on cue, the two-way radio on the shelf where Hayseed sat earlier crackled to life with the sound of her father's voice. "Peeler to Bad Kitty, you still out in the barn?"
Haley slid the microphone off the side of the unit and pressed the key. "I'm here," she replied.
"How much longer do you think before you're done?” her dad asked.
Haley smirked and keyed the mic. "Two minutes ago," she responded proudly.
"Outstanding!" her dad exclaimed. "Why don't you go get the potato gun and meet me out in front of the work shed in a little bit. There's something I think you'd like to see.”
"Okay, Dad," she replied, with her good mood apparent in her voice.
There was a ladder going up to the loft, but Haley instead preferred to climb up and down a few wooden crates she had arranged below the entrance. The barn loft was set up like a living room, and that's where the young farmer would often spend bad weather days. There was an old couch that somehow hadn't yet fallen apart, a giant wooden cable spool for a coffee table and a tube TV with a VCR, a game console and a stereo. In the corner was a bookshelf that was packed full, with more books stacked on the top and a few more on the floor. Her enjoyment of books surpassing even her love of sci-fi flicks, Haley had read every one of them. Most of them twice and a few others even more. She loved to absorb the words and let her imagination fill in the gaps. When she saw the images in her mind, she felt like she was helping to create the story.
Haley entered the loft and saw the potato gun on the couch right where she last left it. She walked over and picked it up. The appreciation she had for this device was easily apparent. Her dad designed it specifically for her. A one-of-a-kind, this potato gun attached to a gauntlet that strapped securely to her right arm. On the side of the barrel, her mother’s badge number was engraved. When worn, the barrel mounted to the outside of her forearm, and it extended a bit past her knuckles. The triggering mechanism lined up with her hand, allowing Haley to easily rest her palm on top and squeeze.
The young farmer felt the giddiness in her sternum as she recalled assembling it with her father last year on her ninth birthday and the elation when the first potato was successfully launched. And the surprising kickback! She chuckled to herself a bit when she remembered falling over backward from firing that first potato.
Wondering what her dad had in mind, she leaped down from the loft and hurried through the barn. Haley slid the door open, looked left to the wall and smirked before exiting. There was an Indiana Jones poster she had hung there a couple of years ago. Looking at Indy holding the whip and the idea of exploring old ruins sparked her imagination. She had always wanted to go on an adventure.
It was warming up a bit more, and the shed doors were slid open. Inside stood Harry Starr looking down at his completed project on top of the workbench. The radio on the shelf was tuned to a classic rock station, and “Eye of the Tiger,” one of Harry’s favorite songs, was playing in the background. A smile of satisfaction made its way onto the man’s face, and his eyes lit up as he thought about what the look on his daughter's face would be when she finally saw this.
Harry was a transplant from the south. After retiring from the Marine Corps when Haley was only two, he decided to stay in the region. His wife Heather, who had been a detective in Willimantic for a few years at this point, was thrilled with her career, and Harry was just bursting with ideas for the property on which they lived. Ideas that quickly became StarrLight Farms.
The former marine was six feet tall and fit. In contrast to Haley's vibrant blond hair, his was dark brown, almost black. The color faded to salt and pepper along the sides but was barely noticeable due to his preference for keeping things high and tight. His drawl had muddled a bit but would come back strong whenever he heard the accent from someone else. This always made both Heather and Haley snicker because they understood that Harry never even knew he was doing it.
Haley came jogging in the doorway. "Hi, Dad!"
Harry turned around just in time to brace himself for the diving hug that Haley, when her mood was good, seemed to be so fond of lately. He grunted as he caught his daughter in mid-leap and prepared for the imminent squeeze. Haley wrapped her arms around him, laid her face on his shoulder and hugged him as tight as she could.
With a chuckle, Harry said, "Whoa, somebody's got a little extra energy today," relieved to see her more like her usual self. Yesterday, being Haley’s first birthday without her mom, was particularly rough.
Haley, face still buried in his shoulder, went limp and said, "Actually, I think I might take a nap here."
Her words were muffled but understood as Harry laughed and suddenly let go. Haley started to drop but didn't even worry as her dad immediately caught her. Haley lifted her head and looked lazily into her father's eyes. The exact same blue. "You know I'm never gonna fall for that prank again, don't you?" She asked with a playful smile and hopped down.
"That's quite alright, Honey. I've got plenty more tricks up my sleeve," he said cheerfully as he pointed to the workbench.
Haley looked to the table and saw what appeared to be a wood-carved backpack with a sturdy but flexible tubing attached to the right side. She noticed clips on that same side of the pack that was just like the ones on her gauntlet. She sometimes wondered why there were clip brackets on both sides of her gun barrel but now, seeing what was on the workbench. She realized that her dad had planned this from the beginning.
Haley's jaw dropped, yet the corners of her lips turned up to smile once it all clicked together, resulting in a giant open-mouthed grin and that giddy feeling in her sternum once more. Her expression was exactly the face that Harry had hoped for.
Harry picked up the pack and held it so his daughter, still sporting the big grin, could slide her arms through and pull the straps tight. He then attached the loose end of the flexible tube to the back of the potato gun. "Let's try out those clips first," he said to his daughter. "Might be a bit awkward but try to move your arm back and get the gun to attach to the side of the pack.”
Haley rolled her arm and shoulder back a bit and, without much effort at all, managed to connect the potato gun to the new accessory. The pack clips engaged while the gauntlet disengaged. "Wow, Dad! You're a genius!"
"Thanks, Darlin', but you can shower me with praise after we make sure it loads the gun properly."
The farmgirl laughed, "If you made it, it probably works."
He dropped a hand on her shoulder, looked into his daughter's eyes and said, "I wanted to give this to you yesterday, but I was still working out a couple kinks. Happy birthday again, Darlin'."
Haley looked up at her dad and smiled while squeezing his hand. "Why don't we launch some potatoes?" Harry asked.
"Wicked awesome!" Haley exclaimed. She was having so much fun, she could burst! She couldn’t imagine how her dad did it, but the trigger was working with the pack. She'd squeeze it once to load a potato and again to launch. The pack was a bit heavy, but the young farmer was used to work and stronger than her four-foot ten-inch frame would suggest. She noticed that the air cartridge had run down quicker than usual, so she pulled a fresh one from her gauntlet and changed it out. Before taking her next shot, she turned to see if her dad was watching and found something else entirely. Harry was there, but a strange glow was appearing around him as she felt an odd sensation in the air.
Harry began looking around, confused as he was also noticing the light. The light brightened in a flash, causing Haley to squint, then it was gone just as quickly. Harry was standing there, looking straight ahead.
"Dad! Are you alright?" she asked. "What happened?"
The man looked down at Haley. With an unusually cold expression, he cocked his head as if he was surprised to see her there. "Go. Play."
"But Dad, you just…"
He cut her off, "Go. Play.” And with that, he walked to his pickup truck, started the engine and drove away.
Haley, utterly stunned and confused, made her way back to the barn. Her breathing became faster and sharper as an unsettling knot grew inside her stomach. "What just happened to Dad?" she wondered aloud through partially labored breath.
Her mind reeled as she tried to understand what had just occurred. This, now coupling with thoughts of her mother, swirled together faster and faster, leaving her momentarily lightheaded. She reached up and grabbed the handle of the barn door, intending to close it but hung on to it for stability instead. Finally steadying her breath, she looked up and began to slide the barn door shut as a car was pulling up the drive.
In no mood for any further surprises, she went and stood below the poster on the adjacent wall as she looked out the northern window. Four men stepped out of the vehicle. Three of them were identical to the one of the town plow drivers, and the fourth looked like Hank, who worked at the store. A sudden thump startled Haley from her focus, but to her credit, she did not make a sound. She slowly turned her head in the direction of the sound to see her cat. "Hayseed," she sighed in relief. Relief that was far too short-lived.
"You're in danger and must escape. Now!" said a woman’s voice from Hayseed’s mouth.
Haley's eyes went wide, and her pale skin seemed to become even paler still as she felt the blood drain from her face. She was visibly shaking as she chattered out the words, "My cat is talking to me!"
"I'm not your cat," the voice from Hayseed's mouth claimed. "And there's no time to explain. It's time to run!"
Haley looked back out the window to see the group of men walking with an air of determination and purpose. Straight for the barn.
She was petrified. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt strange vibes and hostile intent radiating off the approaching group.
"Run!" the voice from Hayseed shouted, snapping Haley from her stupor. Her mind kicked into gear as one of the men grasped the barn door handle. Haley pivoted and ran for the back door, hearing the front door slide open as she went. Hayseed leaped at the first attacker. The unexpected impact to the side of the knee caused the man to stumble, tripping up the second man behind him. The third man, without missing a beat, hopped over the first two and sprinted straight for Haley. The fourth man pulled one of the first two up as he came by.
As she neared the back door, she could hear the feet of the third man coming up behind her. In desperation, Haley spun around, leveled her arm and let a potato fly! The potato whizzed by the man's face, thudded against an eight-by-eight support column and landed on the floor. The man stopped and looked to see what almost hit him. Upon seeing the potato, he slightly smirked, betraying his otherwise stoic demeanor.
"This spud's for you!" the man heard Haley shout, causing him to look up in time to see another potato just before impacting the bridge of his nose.
"Arrrgh!" he blurted out as he staggered backward while grabbing his face. His nose was broken, and a yellow viscous fluid dribbled out from both nostrils. Despite this, he instantly regained his composure as the other three men came up alongside him to see an open back door. Haley was gone.
