You are Jiemba Kukatja . You take life at your own pace whenever possible.
The noise of modern life takes a toll not only on the body but also the mind and soul. You moved to Harper valley nearly two decades ago. Not much has changed way out here in the middle of nowhere.
You sit down on a bench to rest your feet.
Waru your dull brown Pegasus SBS microfluff, pops his little head out of your shirt pocket.
“Peep. Peep. PEEP!”
You smile.
“Alright little one.”
You take him out of your pocket and
Begin to recite a poem that your mother used to read to you as a child
“There’s a very funny insect that you do not often spy, And it isn’t quite a spider, and it isn’t quite a fly; It is something like a beetle, and a little like a bee, But nothing like a wooly grub that climbs upon a tree. Its name is quite a hard one, but you’ll learn it soon, I hope. So try: Tri- Tri-anti-wonti- Triantiwontigongolope.
It lives on weeds and wattle-gum, and has a funny face; Its appetite is hearty, and its manners a disgrace. When first you come upon it, it will give you quite a scare, But when you look for it again, you find it isn’t there. And unless you call it softly it will stay away and mope. So try: Tri- Tri-anti-wonti- Triantiwontigongolope.
It trembles if you tickle it or tread upon its toes; It is not an early riser, but it has a snubbish nose. If you snear at it, or scold it, it will scuttle off in shame, But it purrs and purrs quite proudly if you call it by its name, And offer it some sandwiches of sealing-wax and soap. So try: Tri- Tri-anti-wonti- Triantiwontigongolope .
But of course you haven’t seen it; and I truthfully confess That I haven’t seen it either, and I don’t know its address. For there isn’t such an insect, though there really might have been If the trees and grass were purple, and the sky was bottle green. It’s just a little joke of mine, which you’ll forgive, I hope. Oh, try! Tri- Tri-anti-wonti-Triantiwontigongalope.”
Waru begins to chirp .
Even though waru doesn’t understand the meaning of the words, it nevertheless makes him happy when you recite it.
You gently place him back in your shirt pocket and stand up from the bench . You head over to the farmers market buying 2 bushels of corn and 100lbs of sugar.
You load your purchase into the bed of your truck and head home.
Harper valley may be out in the middle of nowhere but you live about 45 miles outside of town. A place so forgotten by time that it’s not even searchable in a gps . An abandoned town called Argo.
it’s here that you turn your purchased material into moonshine.Moonshine that you then sell to buy food and other such necessities . Your “house” is a large shanty built on top of an old cellar which is used as your distillery.
You park your truck and move the purchased goods into the cellar.
A coy voice calls out to you from the bottom of the cellar.
“I was gettin worried you weren’t coming back. I was so scared all alone out here , it’s enough to make a girl paranoid.”
You smile.
“ Special Agent Minnie pearl Pepper . What a surprise….”
As you enter the cellar you find Special Agent Pepper sitting in your rocking chair , sipping moonshine from a mason jar.
“You know the drill Jiemba.”
You chuckle.
“You know just once it’d be nice to come home to an empty house. Also you really shouldn’t be drinking evidence.”
Pepper downs the entire jar of moonshine Like it’s a shot .
“JEEZASS ,that’s some good shit!”
You take a deep breath.
“Look I’ve got a lot of work to do so I would appreciate it if from now on when I’m not here , that you just take your crate and go.”
Pepper gets up from the rocking chair and takes a crate of mason jars to her car.
“Say high to the office for me!”
Pepper responds by rolling down her car window , sticking her arm out of it and flipping you off as she drives away.
