Tippy, Chapter 15

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

Continued from last week.

I got to Lynchburg about dark on Saturday evening. The chicken found me a place to hide. During the night, it started to rain. {D We were out in the front yard of the home place again, Jim was reading from the Black Book.  He was reading Genesis Chapter 6, The Story of Noah and the Flood D}. It rained all night.

In the morning, it was still raining. The chicken said, “It might be miserable, but it gives us more cover. Tippy, you just stay put for now.”

I must have fallen back asleep. The next thing I know, the chicken is telling me it is time to move.  

The plan was that I would climb the tree she had selected and wait. She would go to the edge of town and watch for a boat and car that fit our needs. The car could really be anything but the boat must not have a cover on it so I could get in and be lower than the sides. About an hour after dark, here comes the chicken.  

“One is coming. Blue station wagon and the boat is white. It is going really slow. Perfect.”

My heart was beating very fast. The car and boat came up and stopped at the intersection. I jumped and landed perfectly in the boat.

The plan now was for the chicken to stay along the starboard side and watch any indication of a turn by the car.  

“It is turning left!” she said, “stay on board!”

This was good. This road led back down to U.S. Route 50. The car was weaving a little, which was really whipping the boat around. I called out to the chicken, “What is going on? The car is weaving a lot.”

“I think the driver is drunk. I think that is how he got into Lynchburg. He made a wrong turn.”

Great. The driver’s drunk, it is dark, and it is still raining cats and ….

The chicken said, “I’ll watch him and see which way he turns on Route 50.”

“You don’t think I should jump?”

“I don’t think we have any better offer right now.”

The rain was pooling in the boat. I was sliding around in the bottom of the boat and thought I was going to get sick. We made a turn.

The chicken was excited, “He turned on Route 50 toward Cincinnati!”

I asked, “So what is next?”

“I’ll stay here in the starboard position and we will see how far he goes.”

“Won’t your wings get tired?”

“Don’t you worry about it, if they get tired, I’ll jump aboard a bit for a rest.”

To be continued….   

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.