The Hollow - an original novel by free-reign

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Chapter One

_{It was hot, and Andy was really suffering from extreme thirst. He kept wondering when they would finally get to the swimming hole that his new friends were taking him to, to enjoy the nice, cool water, and the falls they had told him about. The place was actually called "The Falls" by locals. Getting to The Falls required about a three mile hike through rough terrain along an active rail line, and Andy found himself wishing he hadn't come on this trip. If he only had some water, he'd be fine, he thought. His new friends had some beer, but Andy had just recently turned 15 years old, and hadn't ever drank beer or any alcoholic beverage, and he didn't consider it, even though his friends suggested it several times. In this regard, Andy was going to have a hard time bonding with his new friends. Andy was an all-American, do the right thing kind of kid. Before his parents had moved to this little town, he'd spent 14 of his 15 years on the farm, where his dad worked, either doing plowing, or bailing hay, or driving on the milk route when one of the drivers was off. Andy still wished, at times, that he was back there, living on the farm where he'd grown up, and either be out in the fields with his dad, or on a milk route with him.}

_{From as far back as Andy could remember, he had loved his years growing up on the farm. It was a dairy farm, owned by an immigrant from the Ukraine and his wife. His three grown sons, who were all born in the United States, were running the whole operation now, and the "old man", as they called the patriarch, and the "old woman", his wife - seemed to be treated by all as just quaint, humorous characters, who weren't worth anything, and didn't really do anything except give "advice" and criticize whatever they saw anyone doing. Andy recalled how the old man would often say, "Oily up, he work better", which was his advice on fixing anything that wasn't working properly. Remembering these things always made Andy smile.}

_{Eventually, Andy could see that there was a railroad bridge coming up in the distance along the rail line they were following. He thought it probably wasn't a big deal, because at one of the other swimming holes he'd swam at before with his new friends, there was a small railroad bridge that kids would jump or dive from, into the water below. This swimming hole was called, simply, "Bridge". Andy had jumped and dove from that bridge also, and he had lots of fun there. Some of the older kids, like Stan Lucas and Carl Ernst, would sometimes play chicken there, diving in just seconds before the train sped past. Andy thought they were crazy, but he really thought that both Stan and Carl were the coolest guys he'd ever seen, even though both acted as though the younger kids were just pests. But this bridge coming up, was a completely new one to Andy, and it looked like it was about four times as long as the one he knew so well.}

_{When they arrived at the bridge, Andy could see that this bridge was about 100 feet high. Andy always feared really high places, and this was going to be difficult. Adding to this dilemma, Andy knew that a train could come along, and even though there were a couple of little wooden platforms where a person could stand, Andy sensed that standing on the little platform, while a long train went by, would be unbearable torture - if he could even make it to one of them. Also complicating things, was that, as soon as Andy started walking across the bridge, he saw that the space between the railroad ties was much bigger than they were at "Bridge", and even though he knew it was impossible that he'd fall through, Andy still walked very carefully, which also meant very slowly. Andy wouldn't have a chance if a train came, and he knew it. All the others had reached the other end of the trestle and were a considerable distance ahead at this point, but Andy just stayed on his pace until he, too, reached the end of the trestle. But he dreaded the return trip already.}

_{Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at The Falls. Andy was awestruck and a bit fearful of this place, with the waterfall over the rocks powerfully pouring into a pool of water, about 20 feet deep, with about a fifty foot circumference. This place made "Bridge" look like a kiddie pool. But after he hit the water, Andy knew that he would love this place the rest of his life. It was so worth it; the long hike, and even the agony of crossing the very high bridge. This is a good day, Andy thought. He was still thirsty though, and, being afraid to drink the water they swam in, Andy decided to just take a drink of beer to get some liquid in him. It was awful, and Andy didn't like it. He knew, though, that he'd have to learn to like it, to filt in with these new friends: Charley, Marty, the twins, Eddie and Freddie, Jorge, Rod, and others that hadn't come on this trip. On the farm, Andy had maybe a few friends and acquaintences, but not as many as he'd have to deal with now. And he knew that, here, he wasn't liked by everyone. But he was in with the kids that mattered, the ones that "ruled" his age bracket in the town. Especially Marty, who he'd known well from school, before moving to the town.}

_{To be continued...}