The Many Adventures of Johny Apple Weedseed

the long walk into town

One hour of Meditation. And then the long walk.

Singing one of his most favorite songs from the Lost Age of Man, which was taught to him by his Gandpappy the very fist summer that they lived together on The Last Green Hill, Johny walked the long walk down the hill from his farm, into Town and took in the grand view to the east, towards The Interior.

"The Wanderer"by Johnny Cash

"I went out walking
through the streets paved with goldLifted some stonesSaw the skin and bonesOf a city without a soulI went out walking under an atomic skyWhere the ground won't turnAnd the rain it burnsLike the tears when I said goodbyeYeah I went with nothingNothing but the thought of youI went wandering I went drifting through the capitals of tinWhere men can't walkOr freely talkAnd sons turn their fathers inI stopped outside a church houseWhere the citizens like to sitThey say they want the kingdomBut they don't want God in itYeah I went with nothingNothing but the thought of youI went wanderingI went drifting through the capitals of tinWhere men can't walkOr freely talkAnd sons turn their fathers inI went out with nothingNothing but the thought of youI went wanderingI went out walkingDown that winding roadWhere no one's trusting no oneAnd conscience...a too heavy loadI went out riding, down that ol'eight laneI passed by a thousand signsLooking for my own nameYeah I went with nothingNothing but the thought of youI went wanderingI went drifting through the capitals of tinWhere men can't walkOr freely talkAnd sons turn their fathers inI went with nothingBut the thought you'd be there, tooLooking for youI went out there in search of experienceTo taste and to touch and to feel's as muchAs a man can before he repentsI went out searching, looking for one good manA spirit who would not bend or breakWho could sit at his father's right handI went out walking with a bible and a gunThe word of God lay heavy on my heartI was sure I was the oneNow Jesus, don't you wait upJesus, I'll be home soonYea I went out for the papersTold her I'd be back by noonYeah I left with nothingBut the thought you'd be there tooLooking for you...Yeah I left with nothingNothing but the thought of you...I went wandering..."

The Township, which lay nestled in a sleepy glen between the three other big hills that abutted The Last Green Hill, was still sleeping. The bright edge of breaking-daylight was still working its way gradually down the face of the Dead Mountains behind Johny's homestead. The last lingering bits of pre-dawn mist shrouded the outline of the buildings. The Township looking like a Christmas Snow-globe, sparkling and shimmering with sparkling frost.

The Tavern being the only thing open in town at this hour, Johny stepped in out of the chill and was greeted by a rowdy chorus of "Hellos!" from townsfolk who had not quite finished the previous night's revelry yet. This was quite often the case on any random morning, but it was especially boisterous today, as it was every year on the first day of Spring.

The Frontier Folk took their seasonal celebrations seriously, to say the least. This year featured the added bonus of being the first in nearly 3 years that more people had moved into this particular township than left it for some other township a bit further away from The Edge. New people from The Interior, new people from other Edge Towns, new people from anywhere were always welcomed with a mix of elation and suspicion because... new people always means: new drama, new business, new crime, new love affairs and weddings, new families and new babies, new fights and conflicts, new loss of life.

Johnny was never in a rush to make acquaintances with newfolk in town... so he didn't notice the three strangers, sitting way back in the left rear corner of Tavern, that were paying keen attention to him as he made his way to his usual seat at the bar. These three strangers were all dressed like FrontierFolk that had never been to The Interior in their whole lives... but something about the look of them gave away the pretense. These three folks had never been outside of the Interior, out Beyond the Pale, and despite the accuracy of their appearance, their body language gave them away. Lucky for Johnny, someone had noticed these tell-take signs about the three strangers.

Key, the Bar Maid and Beer Wench and Sole Proprietor of the Township Tavern was keen lass, with firey red hair and a keen sense for noting details about people and things. She had kept her eye on the three strangers in the corner since they had all stopped drinking and making merry about an hour ago, and had been sitting quite stoically ever since.
Kay: Hey there Johny... Long time no see!!! What can I pour you?
Johnny: The usual, Kay. Large mug of my Gandpappy's home-grown java-joe, and a thick slab of that hemp-seed cornbread you make.
Kay: Same thing every Spring, Johnny! You should change it up every once in a while!
Johnny: [leaning in close] why should I do that, Kay darling? You know that these two things are what I look forward to all winter long!
Kay: As if you couldn't manage to drag your sorry ass all the way down that little old hill of yours for a visit any week of winter you wanted, you scruffy ol' nerferding schlemp!
Johnny: [leaning in even closer, almost whispering in her ear] As if you couldn't slog that fit rump of yours up my verdant Green Hill for a visit some middle of winter night, yourself my deary!
Kay: Fresh! Hush now! The day's hardly started and you can't be getting me all worked up and distracted before the morning rush starts filterin in!
She gave Johnny a slow lingering hug, and whispered a long complex message in his ear. Looking him deep in the eyes as she finished her messege, she paused. A tear fell down her cheek. She kissed him briefly, and then rushed out the back of the Tavern without looking back.