Abandoned Farmhouse

By Michael J Bryant

It was nearly 13 years after the great Depression hit America that Joshua Collins was able to return to try reclaiming the abandoned family farm. While WWII raged across the globe, times were still hard, and trouble quickly developed in Henderson County while Joshua struggled to peruse his dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781435765795

Book preview

Abandoned Farmhouse

By

Michael J Bryant 

  Copyright 2022 Lulu Author, Michael J Bryant

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN # 978-1-4357-6579-5

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

                  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All contents herein, ideas, fictional events, characters, story lines, and anything else pertaining to this story of Abandoned Farmhouse belong to the author Michael J Bryant, exclusively written and designed for this book alone.

    Written By: Michael J. Bryant

  Copyright By: Michael J. Bryant 

Copyright Feb. 23, 2022. All rights reserved.

  US Copyright Office Washington, DC 

Dedication:

Never give up on a dream or a prayer because they do come true and be careful of the road you choose in life.    Jeanne Marlene Bryant

Contents 

A Boys Wish

Ride to Henderson

Cabin River Yacht

Crop Dusting

Golden Nuggets

Old Faded Memory

        Gold Hunt

The Burton Farm

        An Older Woman’s Love

        Trouble at Kates Diner

        A Most Haunting Sighting

        Beach Front Boat Camping

Introduction

During the Great Depression the Collins farm as well as so many others had been abandoned. Many families went broke overnight and were forced to seek other means of surviving while others had lost everything because of bank repossessions. Thirteen years later and with WWII raging throughout the world, Joshua Collins returned to try claiming the abandoned family property and to rebuild the farm back up to operating conditions. Troubles soon develop in Henderson County while Joshua is trying to pursue his dream.

A Boys Wish                Chapter 1

It was an early spring morning in 1943 when an airplane was spotted circling over the old Collins farm near Henderson North Carolina. Even though most of the farm was somewhat hilly, there were plenty of fields to land in. The aircraft was a bi-plane with US military markings and a bi-plane did not need a lot of area in which to land. Who could this possibly be? Someone interested in buying the old forgotten property perhaps. Nope! It was Joshua Collins back to reclaim his family’s property. It had always been his dream since boyhood to someday take over the family farm.

                    He was now a recovering wounded Army Air Force pilot just released from active duty. World War II was still raging strongly around the world, but Joshua was given disability and an early honorable discharge. While on a bombing run over the Philippian Islands in his Grumman TBF-1 Avenger, Joshua’s aircraft was hit several times by anti-aircraft fire. Becoming wounded, he still managed to fly his burning aircraft back out to sea where he could be rescued by the Navy rather than being captured by Japanese soldiers on the islands.

                    The old, retired biplane came in low this time, touching down near the farmhouse. Once the plane had stopped, power was cut off to the engine and Joshua began climbing out of the cockpit. Still in uniform, he pulled off his goggles, flight cap and scarf. It was sure good to be home, he thought to himself. Joshua opened a small side compartment and took out his suitcase of belongings and walked up to the old front porch where his dad’s and Uncle Mitch’s old wooden rocking chairs were still located. He walked with a bit of a limp now but was still recovering from receiving several shrapnel wounds.

                    Glancing around the place, he said, The farm still looks the same. A little more run down maybe but it still looks and feels like home.

                    Looking out toward the old barn he could not help wondering what had become of his good childhood friend Adam? Being that he seemed to be the only one that ever saw Adam or played with him, most of the family believed that Adam was Joshua’s make-believe childhood friend. Thinking back, Joshua had to smile and shake his head in disbelief. Adam had been as real to him as Doris was. Doris? Oh yes! What ever happened to her, he now wondered, sitting down on the front porch steps?

                    Good grief, he told himself while the memories suddenly flooded back to mind, The last time I saw Doris I was almost fourteen years old, and I can remember being so busy last time I had seen her. I was trying to get my dad out of jail back then. Where did all the time go? If I remember correctly, Doris was already 16 years old, maybe even 17.

                    With a laugh, he admitted, Back then, I had no idea that dad and Uncle Mitch had already made plans to run from the law once I paid their bonds. I still don’t understand why they even chose to move all of us to California, but that is exactly what happened next.

                    Thinking back at all the fun he once had as a boy, he had to say, Some of the best times of my life were made right here on this old farm. Things were mighty rough back in those days, but we were so poor anyway, we hardly noticed the depression. It must have been harder on the grownups I guess.

Staring at the old biplane he had just landed in; he was thinking that he could turn it into a crop duster for the family farm. That was the only reason he had purchased it from the military. The biplane was a pre-WWII era aircraft, and the US military was junking them all out anyway. He purchased the thing for only fifty dollars, and it still ran and flew well. The barn was large enough and he could eventually store the plane inside it with only some minor improvements on the barndoors, he thought to himself.

Glancing over at the mailbox, he noticed that it was overstuffed with letters and God knows what else? He got up and headed for the mailbox not knowing what he would find. After gathering up all the letters, he returned to the front steps and sat back down. There were bills of course but what surprised him the most were so many letters from Doris. His heart started aching for her as he started reading her letters first.

                    That girl must have come over here looking for me many, many times, he commented.

                    Some of her letters said that she was waiting for that next boat ride he had promised her. Other letters were a little sadder speaking of how lonely she was without him and that she would keep coming by in the hopes that he would show up again soon. But that was what, thirteen years ago?

                    Thumbing through all the papers, he came across a poem which Doris had written to him some time back. The poem read:

                  Where have you gone to, my love?

                    I come to visit time after time,

                    Even in the sprinkling winter snow

                    But you are never here.

                    Perhaps this is not of your own doing?

                    Still, there will always be an empty place in my heart.

                    Until I see you once again, Doris.

                    I wonder if it would be possible for Doris to still be living upriver, maybe with her mom? he wondered, I simply must find that girl if she’s still around these parts. I have missed her dearly as well. Hell, she was one of my best friends.

                      Flipping through the useless bills, he discovered one letter from the state farm bureau that read, A new law was passed in the senate forbidding farmland and farm equipment from being repossessed because of delinquent bills and taxes. Family farms must be protected during these hard times. The letter went on saying lots of things and it was dated December 31, 1931.

                    If we only would have stayed here a few more months we could all still be living here right now, he told himself, But this letter could still be ammunition in the fight to come trying to get my families property back. Maybe this land is still ours and we don’t even know it? I have got to get down to the courthouse in Henderson and present this letter as well.

Setting all the mail near his suitcase on the porch, he slowly stood back up and wanted to wander around the farm. Joshua was anxious to check out the entire place, the barn, the fields and even where he had tied up the old rowboat long ago. Could the old rowboat still be anchored around that old tree after all this time? Was there even anything left of it? It was in sad shape the last time he and Doris had used the thing. He had some money put away and his main mission now was to get the farm back and maybe find his girlfriend Doris too.

The entire farm appeared to be undisturbed, abandoned like no one had been there since his family had left. A lot of the fields were overgrown and needed tending, but he would need a tractor for that. After checking out everything he wanted to see, he headed on back toward the barn.

Grabbing a shovel from the barn, Joshua walked on a trail down to the river’s edge, a path he had traveled many times in the past. To his surprise, the old rowboat was still where he had left it many years ago, but it was of little use now. It appeared to be half buried in the sand and the wood was quite rotted. If he ever wanted to venture upriver again, he would have to get a different boat. Finding Doris would have to wait because her mom’s house was upriver a piece and on the other side of the river. The French Broad River went on as far as the eye could see from this point, but Joshua Collins was in no shape right now for a long swim.

Something else that had been on his mind for a very long time was the fact that he and Doris had buried some gold rocks near an old oak tree in this area. Could they still be there? Together they had found several golden rocks while exploring a