Chapter 4

My name is Mick O’Dell the Fourth. I was born here on our family farm, located on the land granted to us by the US government. I was raised and educated by my father, Mick O’Dell the Third, and my mother, Angel O’Dell. I have four younger brothers who have moved back East to attend college and to establish their careers, and who now are living there with their wives and families. I am the only sibling that remained on the farm. Actually, one day my mother asked me to remain, telling me it was crucial to the future of our entire family, and so I did.

My mother and father were both killed in some sort of wagon accident on the North Platte River. Their bodies and that of one of our horses were never recovered. It left the running of the farm to me, which I had been doing, unofficially, for a few years, so nothing in my life really changed, other than not having the guidance of my mother and father.

The world around me had changed, though. When I was younger, I remember seeing hunting parties of Shoshone stop at our house and speak with my father and mother. I found that they traded the meat from deer and buffalo, as well as various skins and hides, for the ability to live and hunt on the land unencumbered by anyone.

They called my father Mick, but they called my mother ‘Kasadayvoq’. It was Shoshone for ‘Sky Spirit’ or Angel. They always spoke to my father with respect, man to man, but they spoke to my mother with reverence. I never understood that, but I saw that their behavior was important to the Shoshone, so I never said anything about it. After my parents passed, I told the Shoshone that they were still welcome to use the land, but they chose to move away. They seemed to be remorseful of the loss of Kasadayvoq.

We were growing and shipping more wheat than ever, but I had a feeling that we were going to be squeezed for our land as the town north of us began to grow south. It used to take us a full day to ride to town by horse or wagon and now we could reach houses and shops after only a ride of three or four hours.

It occurred to me that since our land had been granted us by the government, that it could be taken back just as easily. I was sitting in my office one night looking at the map of our property and I realized how close to us the town had grown. I was trying to figure out a way to preserve the land and it occurred to me that a town could not be taken away by another town, so I took steps to create a town, or more properly a village, out of my farm property.

I began to make a plan to divide a portion of the land into lots for houses. I measured out 50 one-half acre, square plots of land along my northern property line. I would build a village along the northern border of our property and name the village “Wheat Field”.

We were so close to the town now, that people could easily live in “Wheat Field” and travel to town for work or business. I decided to offer the houses I was going to build to the men and women who worked for me already. When I went to my employees and asked them if they would like to own their own home on my property, all of them said yes.

That took care of the first 18 plots. I was sure that as soon as people from town heard about “Wheat Field” that they would want to live there because living in the country was always better than living in a town or city.

I wrote to an architect in Salt Lake and explained my idea and asked if he would design the houses for me. A few weeks later he was out on a train to see the land and talk to me face to face to see if he would accept my offer. I was there when he stepped off the train, but before I could greet him, he walked straight towards me.

“Mr. O’Dell? I’m Robert Walker. You contacted my firm about designing houses for you.”

“Yes indeed. Hello Mr. Walker. Welcome. Let’s get your baggage and go to my home. You can show me your designs and I can show you the land.”

We walked the land and he asked me about the crops and the business, and I asked about his business and his family. That was when he came forward with his own plan.

“Mr. O’Dell, these are fairly straightforward designs, so I would like to ask you a favor. My son has just joined my company and needs experience designing houses. I would like to have him do the designs for you and in return I will cut my companies fee by three-quarters.”

“I don’t know. What if he makes an error and these houses begin to fall down?” I nervously chuckled.

“I will have him do the designs and then I will OK each one and check it to be sure that he hasn’t put the roofs on upside down or put the outhouse in the kitchen,” he returned my chuckle, like it had already happened. “My son will get the experience of designing houses and I will get a better architect afterwards. You will get a great deal on the cost of the designs even though I will be checking the plans.”

I looked at the man who was trying to set his son up for success, just as my mother and father had for me. I had a really good feeling.

“It sounds like a great idea to me. If he needs to stay here for a part of the time, I have an old cabin on the property. It was the home that my parents lived in when they moved here from the East. As a matter of fact, I was born there. He can stay there and use it as an office if need be.”

“Wonderful idea. Living a simple life will be good for him. I’ll have the contracts drawn up and sent to you for your signature,” Robert Walker looked at my strange expression.

“Contracts? I guess so. Robert, I’ve been used to doing business on a handshake basis since I’ve been running this place when my parents were still alive. I guess the times have changed enough that contracts are getting to be the way to go. Very well, send me the contracts.”

Robert Walker looked at me and smiled as he offered his hand.

“Mick, my lawyers will shoot me if I don’t have contracts, but in the meantime, I would be proud to shake your hand and seal the deal between you and I before the lawyers get their filthy hands on it.”

We shook hands and became friends for the rest of our lives.

A few days later I was sitting in front of my fireplace enjoying a glass of whiskey and reading a book I had acquired. I was so engrossed in this story about a time traveler. The tale was not a new one. It was by one of my favorite authors, H.G. Wells. I loved his work, ‘The War of the Worlds’, and the towns librarian had spoken to me of this earlier work. It was called, ‘The Time Machine’. It seemed so outlandish that I didn’t see how anyone could make me believe that time travel could happen.

Then again, the earlier stories by Jules Verne about ships sailing underwater or sailing in the sky were so well written that they made perfect sense. In my mind, who knows what the future may bring? I enjoyed stretching out my imagination and these books did that. My evening readings, with a glass of my favorite whiskey, were my sole source of pleasure, that did not include the business.

I had just settled down to finally read ‘The Time Machine’ and enjoy my glass of fine whiskey, when I heard the wind pick up outside. I only had to listen for a few minutes to realize that one of our dreaded spring thunderstorms was brewing outside. It was another dark and stormy night as I read my book and the story’s intensity was increasing at the same time as the intensity of the storm.

I had just gotten to a very suspenseful portion of the story when there was a brilliant flash of light followed immediately by a tremendous clap of deafening thunder. The shock wave of the thunderclap rattled all of the windows in the house and startled me so that it threw me out of my chair and caused me to spill my whiskey.

I checked all of the windows on that side of the house for breakage and was passing the large window in the front of the house when there was another bolt of lightning and I saw something outside on the ground in front of the house.

Pressing my face closer to the glass, I was shocked when it seemed to be a body. I grabbed a rain slicker and hat, before opening the door and fighting against the wind and rain to get to the body lying in the small depression in my front yard. The figure was that of a woman and she was naked! What was a naked woman doing out in this weather and what act of fate caused her to be struck by lightning?