The Phenomenal Event
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 10
Saturday’s shooting showed Soaring Eagle dressed in western clothes following the intruders’ tracks, finding the burned remains of the braves, squaws, and children. He cried out in rage, and his voice echoed for miles. Soaring Eagle followed the invaders’ trail to the road to town.
Then the intruders split up. Ten to twelve horses went north, and the rest went to town. He went north, and the horse trail ended at the Double C ranch. Soaring Eagle decided to head to town and take care of the Double C ranch later. He rode towards the town of Crystal Creek and made camp a mile off the road. Soaring Eagle changed into Indian clothes, applied war paint, and waited until dark. Matt Clark, the director, called cut, and that’s a wrap for today.
Grif posed for pictures with Dad, Amber, and her mom in his Indian skins and war paint. Matt warned them not to show the pictures to anyone until the film was released. They agreed, and we returned to the staging site, and Grif cleaned up. Then they went to dinner in town, and they couldn’t believe how scary he looked with the war paint on. Then Amber said those Indian skins are obscene, and everyone laughed. Grif told her they would airbrush those parts to keep the rating at PG-13.
After dinner, they gave Grif a ride back to the staging site and said goodbye. They were returning home tomorrow morning. He got hugs and kisses goodbye. Then Grif told Grandma he hoped she brought earplugs because Mommy seemed excited, and they left laughing. When he arrived at his trailer, Grif swept it with an audio/video detector. It had been clean since he found the cameras, so they must have been from another movie set. He fell asleep, the tingling started, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
They had Sunday off, and he relaxed, watched football, and read e-books. The next week, Soaring Eagle freed the squaws and the boy. Then, he set the gallows on fire with the sheriff and the general store owner on hangman’s nooses. Several photos were taken of Soaring Eagle shooting flaming arrows at the gallows. Matt Clark, the director, said they would be used for the promotion. Grif asked if they could send him a few, and he agreed. They finished the week with Soaring Eagle leaving town, erasing the tracks of the squaw’s wagon and his tracks.
The next week, Soaring Eagle, dressed in western clothes, entered and exited town. There was a gunfight in the street between two hired guns working for Conrad Coleman, the owner of the Double C ranch. Griff’s acting coach, Ron Beck, coached him on the look, stance, and language to use. He’d been practicing his fast draw for weeks, and Ron told Grif he was better than anyone he had seen. Soaring Eagle faced the men and killed them before their guns cleared their holsters.
Matt explained to Grif that several scenes he wasn’t involved in would be shot later or at the same time he was performing. The following week was Soaring Eagles’ attack on the Double C ranch. First, he killed the two men guarding the gate and took them to where his tribe was dead and threw them in the gully. Then he killed two men guarding the cattle herd and caused a stampede toward the ranch house and barn.
In the confusion, Soaring Eagle kidnapped Conrad Coleman and staked him at the foot of an ant hill. Soaring Eagle could hear Conrad Coleman’s screams as he rode away, and Matt Clark, the director, called cut, and that’s a wrap. On the way back to the staging site, Matt told Grif there would be a week off, and they would start filming at Warner Bros Studio a week from Monday.
Early Saturday morning, Grif packed and went to the canteen for breakfast. He ordered a Lyft ride, and they were on their way to the airport after breakfast. Grif asked the driver to stop at the UPS depot, and he shipped his steamer trunk home. When he arrived at the airport, Grif called home. When Dad answered, Grif asked if he could get away from the ball and chain and pick him up at the airport. Dad laughed and said yes, and Grif gave him his flight number and arrival time.
They landed at DFW two and a half hours later, and Dad met Grif at baggage claim. Dad gave him a man hug and welcomed him home. On the way home, Joanne called and asked how her tall drink of water client was enjoying his vacation. Everyone laughed, and she said the producer sent her a promo photo, and you look HOT, causing more laughter.
Then Joanne said, “While you’re in LA, there are some things to do. First, you have a Saturday fitting for the Massacre at Antonio’s. So, while you’re there, I’ve scheduled a reading for Friday at 10 a.m. Both are at Warner Bros Studios.” She said, “Wasn’t she considerate?” And everyone laughed. Joanne said the reading is for a part about an illegitimate son of a US Senator. Your mother died, and he shows up at a family court hearing with his attorney, saying he’s your biological father.
He and your mother were lovers in college, and she left school without telling him she was pregnant. He found out years later and has been paying support for you. But your mother only accepted if he promised not to contact you, as she told you he was dead. Now the interesting part is he’s married and has a stepdaughter. You’re not going to be welcome, and they had plans to kill him as his wife signed a prenup. That’s the only way to get control of your father’s trust fund, and you discover their plans. The working title is “The Legitimate Heir.”
Grif said it sounds interesting, but will it interfere with the other movie? Joanne said no, and it’s scheduled for production sometime in June. Grif said, “Thanks for allowing me so much free time between shoots,” and everyone laughed. Joanne said your itinerary was emailed to you, and enjoy your time off, and laughed, saying goodbye. They stopped at the Whataburger drive-thru and went home.
While eating lunch, Dad asked if he was calling his Mom. Grif said, “Hell no, he’ll call Jerry and ask him not to say anything.” Dad said, “Good luck with that,” and they laughed. After lunch, Grif called Jerry and said the last film segment of Soaring Eagles Revenge was at Warner Bros Studio, starting next Monday. He asked Jerry not to say anything to Mom, and Jerry said it was too late. He knew about it weeks ago and told her.
He also knew you were arriving on Friday for an interview and a wardrobe fitting on Saturday. Grif said shit, and everyone laughed. Jerry said you’ll stay with us until the shooting starts, and don’t forget to bring your golf clubs, and he laughed, hanging up. Grif said too many people are enjoying his misery, and they laughed. They watched college football until dinner, and then Dad dropped the bombshell that Amber was bringing dinner.
Grif asked if that means they can’t burp, lick their fingers, or fart at the table. Dad laughed and said, “Yes, it does.” Grif said he isn’t receiving adequate compensation for the sacrifices, causing Dad to laugh again. Grif asked Dad if Amber was wearing the yoga pants he got her. Dad said no, and she said they were too revealing. Grif said, “See, you should have bought the panties,” and they laughed.
When Amber arrived with dinner, Grif said, “Mommy brought food to bribe us,” and they laughed. During dinner, Amber asked Grif about his film, and he told her about finishing it at Warner Bros Studio next week. He wondered if any new rumors were going around about him at school. Amber said no, and Grif told her she could help his image by saying I’m vacationing on an heiress’ yacht in Greece. They laughed, and Amber asked what he was doing about school.
Grif said he would test out of his on-campus classes at TCU after the movie shoot ends. He still has online courses there, too. Then Grif asked if she was trying to get rid of him so she could do some remodeling, which caused more laughter. After dinner, they watched a late college football game, and Grif said goodnight when it ended. He warned Amber to behave herself, or he’d call her mom, and left them laughing, going to bed. He fell asleep immediately and then drifted into a deep sleep.
Early Sunday morning, Grif went for a walk, thinking about his movie shoot and the next project. Then there was the change at home with Dad and Amber. Having a woman in the house again would definitely take some adjustment. But it would be nice to have some home cooking more often. Returning home, Dad was cooking breakfast, so he sat at the table.
After breakfast, they went to the market and bought food for the week. Grif asked if Amber had a list, and Dad laughed and said no. When they arrived home, they put the groceries away and watched the pregame shows. It was their normal Sunday watching football. The first game started, and at halftime, they ate lunch. When the second game ended, they ate dinner. When the night game was decided, they said goodnight and went to bed.
On Monday morning, Grif went to the Library and read four more law books from the librarian’s list. When he finished, Grif checked out two more and went to Burger King for lunch. While he ate, he read the minds of people sitting nearby, which was easier than before. He could move from table to table and scan their minds. Then Grif focused on a man sitting in the corner and knew immediately he was trouble.
He was planning on kidnapping two girls in the restaurant. His partner was waiting in a van outside, and they would abduct them in the parking lot. Grif finished lunch and went outside looking for the van. He spotted it parked in a handicap spot with the engine running. Grif approached the driver’s door and knocked the man out through the open window. Then he got inside, beat him up, and took the van’s keys.
Grif sat on his e-bike by the van and watched the other man exit the restaurant behind the girls. When he didn’t see his partner in the van, he panicked and ran to it. When he opened the sliding door, Grif knocked him out, then beat him up too. He put in the back of the van with his partner, then broke his neck. After wiping down the surfaces he had touched, Grif rode his e-bike home laughing. They would be kidnapping any more girls and taking them to Mexico.
Upon arriving home, Grif changed into sweats, went to the garage, and practiced martial arts on the heavy bag. When he finished, Grif left his sweaty clothes in the laundry, showered, and turned on the computer. He signed in to the TCU website and did the lessons for his online courses. Once done, Grif emailed the administration and requested to test out of four classes. He asked for testing two weeks from today and signed out.
Sensing Dad was nearby, Grif dressed and went to the kitchen. Dad arrived with Mexican takeout, and they sat and ate. During dinner, they talked about his movie finish and when the new movie started. Grif told Dad he would have more information after his wardrobe fitting and movie finishing time next Monday. When they finished dinner, they watched Monday Night Football. At the end, they said goodnight, went to bed, and Grif fell asleep. Then he got a headache so bad it woke him, and he took some aspirin for the pain. When he finally fell back asleep, the tingling started, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Grif rode his e-bike to The Harbor Lakes Golf Club on Tuesday morning. He paid the course fee and warmed up on the practice range. He noticed his drives were drifting left, so he returned to the pro shop. Grif asked Ed Bailey, the golf pro, about his problem. They returned to the range, and he hit two balls. Ed asked Grif to reduce his swing speed, and he hit two drives straight. Ed said your swing speed is too high for your clubs, and you must upgrade to pro solid shafts.
Grif asked Ed about the cost and time it would take to get to the clubs because he was going to Los Angeles on Friday. Ed said your clubs are new, so with a trade-in, it would be under $1500. Then Ed said he would call his supplier and get a delivery time. He told Grif to play his round and check with him when he finished. Grif followed Ed’s advice and reduced his swing speed while playing the round. He also felt lighter on his feet and wondered if everything had to do with his headache last night.
When he finished the round, Grif returned to the pro shop. Ed said the clubs were in stock and would be included in our normal shipment tomorrow afternoon. Grif said it was great and would pick them up on Thursday morning. He left his clubs with Ed and went to lunch at Whataburger. The dining room wasn’t busy, and he was thankful not to have to read so many people’s minds.
Grif finished lunch, rode home, changed clothes, and shot hoops for an hour. When he finished, he left his sweaty clothes at the laundry, showered, and read the two law books he checked out. Joanne, his agent, called when he finished and said someone had leaked the promo photos of Soaring Eagles Revenge. She suspected Eric White, the movie producer, was generating hype for the film. Joanne recommended that he wear a ballcap and sunglasses to avoid attention.
She said the good part was that he wore a wig, war paint, and skins, so maybe people wouldn’t recognize his face. She laughed and hung up. Grif quickly searched Soaring Eagles Revenge online, saw the photo, and said, “Oh my god.” At least they airbrushed his cock, but it was noticeable. He sensed Dad was nearby, so he dressed and went to the kitchen.