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It all started with those Boys. It started slowly but it was all those boys. The two, sometimes three of them started showing their faces in 2015, swanning around town, at the diner, general store, liquor store and post office, where they had rented a box according to Hazel, the postmistress in these parts. It was fine at first. They were a good piece of gossip material with their Hollywood looks and the older one’s charm. They hadn’t grown up around here so Lebanon didn’t know every moment of their life; great gossip material.
The older one, Dean, he called himself, was a scamp, flirting with any woman that moved. Not in a creepy way, leastwise, most of the girls and women blushed and simpered, even old Hazel got a light in her eyes talking about that boy. He flashed that smile and hearts melted. The town didn’t know the younger, taller one that well. Sam was a bit more of a closed book than Dean. Though Mazie defended him saying that he had the most soulful eyes. It was only because he sat with her and listened as she recounted her mother’s life in the small one room, red bricked, converted house that Lebanon called the Library. They also saw a dark-haired man who seemed to always wear a trench coat. It was less than the boys but they did see him as well.
Given that no one had moved into town for the last 2 years and it was only 3 people it was something to talk about. The 3 boys, that Herb could handle. He could handle all the gossip, in fact, he would deny this to his grave, but he enjoyed the gossip. He could even handle all the pheromones in the air given off by the women in the town and Elmer, who bent ‘that way’ when any one of the boys were in town. He even liked Mary their younger sister, and Eileen, the tall one’s girl, when they came to visit. Mary always bought two cases of beer, a pie, a jar of honey, and salad greens when she stopped by the Grocery. Eileen never stopped by the Grocers.
What he couldn’t handle was the influx of people coming to see the boys. At first it was only twice a year, usually the third week of January or the first week of May, sometimes, it would be around the Christmas holiday. Then in 2020, Lebanon found out where those three boys lived. It was the old power plant, that had been abandoned going on 70 years now. Did Lebanon find out through the gracious method of the boys telling Hazel? No. The usual way was that Hazel would then impart the new information to the rest of the town as was her duty in the role of postmaster (it was a claim that Hazel made loudly and often). No, Lebanon found out when the numerous trucks passed through town to the old factory, filled to the brim with building supplies and mysterious packages.
The Campbells had apparently bought 100 acres around the old power plant which, as rumor has it, they refurbished into 6 apartments. Hazel knew it was six apartments because five families then moved into Lebanon. She was able to question them when they came in to rent the post office boxes. Curiously enough, the Campbells were made guardians of all the children so now 10 more children were going to school ranging from elementary to high school and six more boxes were rented as no mail was ever brought to the power plant. Hazel also reported that Dean sometimes came by with kids that had keys to the boxes and picked up the mail instead of the Mothers and Fathers who rented them. It was like a commune!
Herb heard the latest rumor and was trying to think of a way to substantiate it. He heard from Gloria that Sam and Dean were starting a kinda survival camp. He had wandered towards the power plant last weekend, using hiking as his excuse and saw a couple of youngsters, both girls and boys running a trail along with Sam. He took the same trail but they had run so far ahead he no longer saw them. He was about to turn back when Dean, with a gaggle of kids that had moved into the apartment, walked into view on the path ahead. A couple of the older kids were running ahead and then Herb saw two of them stop and drop to start doing some push ups. As the younger kids caught up to them, they too dropped to do some push ups. Dean finally caught up to him, holding a 5 year old girl’s hand as she chattered at him. Dean smiled at him, “Nice day for a walk,” he said.
Herb grunted. He saw Dean give some hand signal to a girl who had finished her push-ups first and had jumped up ready to run. She stopped and put her hands on her head, bent over and gasped for breath. Dean then looked down at Sari, the little girl, “you ready for lunch kid?” Sari let go of Dean’s hand and skipped to the side of the trail to look at a flower saying, “yea De. Can we eat this?” and pointed to the flower she was examining. Dean let out a burst of a chuckle, “No. Besides, we have burgers at the bunkhouse.” He proceeded to yell, “Okay you hooligans, chow time! First one back gets to pick the movie tonight.” There were whoops and Lilly started running back the way they came.
Dean reached out to Sari, picked her up and plopped her on his shoulders, telling her to hold on. With her squeal and his nod to Herb, they took off running. Herb looked around bewildered. A young 10-year-old boy who was just finishing up his pushups, stood up, brushing off his pants and smiled at him. “Dean will beat them. He wants to watch Outlaw Josey Wales tonight or that’s what he promised we would watch tonight.” Herb looked the kid over. He was sweaty but smiling. Herb thought that the kid’s name was Bobby or something, “Bobby – right? Does Dean always keep his promises?”
Bobby John suddenly stilled and looked straight at Herb, “It’s Bobby John and yes. Dean will always keep his promise, even if it hurts him. We count on him for that.” He suddenly smiled and took off. Herb walked another hour and turned back. He heard feet pounding behind him and moved off the trail and saw the group of about 15 boys and girls running full out behind him; Sam a head or two taller than the group at the back. Sam smiled and waved and as the group past, slowed. “Hello Herb. Nice walk today?”
Herb nodded, “It’s good of you boys to have started this trailhead and let people use it. It’s nice in the middle of summer to have a place to walk that’s shaded.” Sam smiled, “It was Mary’s idea to have a place of wilderness. She thinks it’s important.”
Herb nodded, “That sister of yours is smart. I don’t hold with her new beau being so much older though. I hadn’t seen her around for ‘bout a year. She doin’ okay?” Sam’s face, reflecting a surprise when Herb had mentioned Mary as a sister then delight at the mention of the beau suddenly blanked.”
Sam cleared his throat, “She’s … gone away. She…got another assignment and had to leave. I don’t think we’ll be seeing her for some time. I better catch up to the group! Have a good walk.” With that, Sam started running to catch up to the group of youngsters.
He couldn't substantiate the survival camp claim though what that little Sari asked Dean did point to it. But young 'uns asked the weirdest questions. Well, Herb concluded, whatever they’re doing out here, at least they’re keeping the young kids active and not just in front of the dang computer screens, he told Hazel. Herb continued to grouse at her when Hazel teased him about actually liking the influx of people new to the town. “Well, those boys settled in and the people who came and have made this town their home, that’s good but what about all the other folk. They come here and then leave just as quickly - not even stopping to give a body the time of day. Face it Hazel, they’re just weird.”
“Herb, you got to be a bit more progressive. It’s a new world out there and we have to keep up with the times or you get old before you know it.” Herb thought this was funny coming from Hazel, 60 if she was a day and still wearing her bell bottoms style pants. She would get a knowing look on her face and insisting that bell bottoms would come back in style; having missed that they had come back in style and right back out again. Herb just snorted and then Hazel leaned in, “Did you hear? They’re gonna start building houses over there by the powerplant.”
Those dang boys!