The Modern-Day Rip Van Winkle: Part 1
Some say it’s just folklore, but I tell you it’s true…
Monica awakes with a start. The room is spinning. She sits up gently and kicks off the blanket. The dream she just had was so real. She was in the future but it was an odd future. She shrugs off the dream and gets ready for school.
It is 2013. Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” and Pharell’s “Blurred Lines” rule the airwaves. Life is good and normal for 15-year-old Monica. She goes to high school, and is planning on going to college. Her life is mapped out already. She wants to be a veterinarian.
Then one day she gets into a big argument with her mom. She wants to go to the school dance but her mom doesn’t like the guy she wants to go with. Monica leashes up her dog Wolf, a German Shepherd mix, and heads for the local hiking park. Thatcher’s Park is pretty much a mountain, with a scenic overlook. Many years ago, adventurous sight-seers would climb ladders to go up and down the mountain.
Now there are paths and guardrails. A ranger patrols the area. Monica feels safe, armed with her pepper spray and dog named Wolf. She knows there is a parallel there to an old Dutch story her grandmother used to tell. She just doesn’t remember.
She waves to Chris, the park ranger, as she walks onto the path. The sun is shining but she knows a storm…
