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He made coffee, poured some into a thermos, and dressed quickly. He’d brought the store truck home Thursday night, and now, he climbed into it and drove out to Mae’s place. Mae was standing by the front door, and she stepped out onto the porch as Frank drove up. She pointed to the greenhouses. Frank nodded his thanks as he turned the truck in their direction. The rain was pelting the roof and hood, and his wipers were having a hard time keeping up. Frank could feel the mud sliding under his tires. As he got close to the greenhouses, he could see a dark pickup parked between two of the structures. Four men were standing at the side of the truck, soaked in the pouring rain. Frank recognized Bobby and Beni Oligowma, standing face to face. Bobby had one hand raised, pointing to the driveway and road. Beni had his hands on his hips. As Frank stopped the truck and cut the engine, he could make out the baseball bat in one of the remaining two men’s hands. The other held an axe. All four turned toward the truck as he drove up.

  “This is none of your concern, Frank.” Beni turned as Frank walked up to the group.

  “Y’know, Beni, I’m not sure I agree with that. See, Bobby here, is my friend. And from what I hear, you are trying to tell him how to run his farm. And since that affects how I run my store, it seems this may be my business, after all.” Frank stood next to Bobby, and watched Beni.

  “Frank, you know that I’m the source for the food you sell in this area. Always have been. And I intend to see that I always am.”

  “What Bobby is doing here goes beyond just the food supply in town, Beni. This could help revive farming everywhere. It could...”

  “Make me a fortune,” Oligowma finished. “Well, another one.” He glanced at the two men with him. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but if the kid here doesn’t want to cooperate, we’re just going to have to be more persuasive.” He nodded to his companions. The axe rose and fell on the water line running into the greenhouse. It split and water began rushing out onto the already mud-slick ground. As the man raised the axe for another blow, Frank kicked at the side of his knees. The axe wielder collapsed to the ground with a thick, wet thud. Frank grabbed the axe he dropped to clutch at his knee. Bobby ran to the valve on the water pipe and began to turn it off. The second of Beni’s men followed him and raised the baseball bat. The bat cut through the pelting rain and landed with a muffled crack on the axe handle Frank used to deflect the blow. Beni’s man held the bat in both hands and took a swing at Frank who jumped back to avoid the blow, slipping on the muddy ground. He fell on his back, cold, dirty rainwater seeping under the collar of his coat and soaking his shirt. He lost his grip on the axe when he fell, and he groped in the mud beside him to find it again. The baseball bat rose above him. The face behind it grinned down at him. Frank raised his arms to cover his face, scrambling backward in the mud in an attempt to avoid the blow. He heard a loud, metallic clang and looked up to see the bat sliding to the ground. As the body of Beni’s thug followed it, Frank saw Mae standing there, holding a shovel in both hands. Frank sat up in the mud as Bobby came to offer him a hand up. All three turned at the sound of an engine starting. Beni’s men were helping each other limp to the truck. The climbed in and Beni gunned the truck toward the road, tires spinning and spitting mud as he drove. Frank took Bobby’s hand and stood up.

  “I got the water shut off. Shouldn’t be too hard to repair the pipe and we’ll be working again. Listen, thanks for helping out. Those guys could have done a lot of damage if you hadn’t shown up.”

  “No problem. Wasn’t going to let Beni Oligowma take over here and ruin what you’ve got going. Bad for business, you know.” Frank gave up trying to scrape the mud off his clothes. “And thank you, Mae. Didn’t know you were so good with a shovel!”

  “Benjamin Oligowma was not going to win this one, no matter what I had to do!” Mae declared, stabbing the blade of the shovel into the mud. Bobby looked at the greenhouse in front of them.

  “He may not give up so easily, Frank.”

  “I know. But now he knows we’re not going to let him roll in and just take over without a fight. You just keep doing what you’re doing. Figure this out, and once these farms of yours are springing up all over, the Beni Oligowma’s won’t be able to stop it. Farming may not be what is used to be, but it will be back. I think that’s something worth fighting for, don’t you?”

  Bobby looked at the greenhouses behind them. He smiled and turned back to Frank.

  “Want to load up those peppers I promised you?” Frank grinned and they walked to the side door.

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  About the Author

  M.A. Kropp is a writer and blogger. She writes science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy, and is fascinated by mythologies and folklore. She also blogs several times a week at makropp.com. When not writing she is often found serving as Chief Scorekeeper for International Chili Society chili competitions, where she still competes occasionally. She has also been accused of reading anything and everything that comes in front of her eyes: books, old newspapers, cereal boxes, and, yes, even the instruction manuals that come with things. Most of all she enjoys eating good food, drinking good wine and other spirits, and spending time with good people. She is married, has three grown daughters, four awesome grandchildren, one dog, and five cats. She lives in MA.

  Connect with M.A. Kropp

  Web: makropp.com

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  Twitter: @makropp

  Goodreads: M.A. Kropp

  Email: [email protected]

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  Books by This Author

  . Novel

  Circle Unbroken: Kaili is coming home after five years away to see her sister formally installed as head of the family mining business and planetary council. But old rivalries and new threats may jeopardize the ceremony. Circle Unbroken is a science fiction novel with a strong element of formal, ritual magic. It is available in E-book and paperback.

  Short Stories

  Six of One: A Collection of Short Fantasy: Six short stories set in varied worlds of mischief and mayhem. Meet elves, mermaids, imps, and more in this set of light fantasy tales. Available in E-book and paperback.

 

  Novelettes

  Survival of the Fittest: Set on a ruined Earth 100 years after the final environmental collapse, Sam is a genetically engineered chameleon being tested to see how his kind managed to adapt to the changing climate where humans couldn’t. But when a new threat endangers the developing resistant crops, Sam’s role may become even more vital to humanity’s survival.

  Five and Daemon: When demon hunters Johnny and Cerise learn of an outbreak of low order demons plaguing the small town of Carroll Fork, they head south to investigate, armed with Johnny’s dilapidated yellow sedan and silver yo-yo. Almost nothing in Carroll Fork is as it seems, including sweet old Miss Lucy. It’s a devil of a spot to be in, and Johnny needs every advantage he can muster, including help from a local waitress and some heavenly intervention, to set things right. A free E-book

  More information can be found at: www.makropp/books

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