The Lightning Storm A Little House fanfic

 Almanzo gets caught in a very nasty summer storm complete with heavy wind, thunder and lightning, which sets a tree on fire.  Story complete in one chapter

  

The Lightning Storm

End of June, 1889

“Come on, Beth,” Almanzo said, looking up at the sky.  “I don’t want you out here too much longer.  That baby can come any minute and Doc Baker said…”

Laura smiled and kissed him lightly.  “That things should be smoother the second time around. “

Almanzo wrapped his arms around her.  “I know, Beth, I heard him.  I just don’t want anythin’ goin’ wrong.  That’s all.”

“Then stop worrying so much, Manly.”

He handed her the egg basket that he got from Rose earlier.  “Jenny and Rose are still huntin’ eggs .  By the time we’re done, we should have plenty for the rest of the day.”

Laura smiled. “Or at least enough for some nice hot egg toast served with butter and sugar. And you can make your fabulous scrambled eggs to go with them.”

The wind howled and moaned against the barn windowpanes.   It almost knocked the hat Almanzo was wearing off clean off his head.   Far off in the distance, Manly heard a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning lit the sky.    

“It was nice of you to come out here to tell me that you’re going to start breakfast, but I really think you should be getting’ back inside, Laura,” he said . “I don’t like how it sounds out here.”

“Alright,” Laura said smiling, kissing him lightly.  “I’m going to start breakfast and I want you inside all safe and sound.”

 “I’m gonna go into the barn and see how Jenny and Rose are doing.” He swayed her back and forth.  “Listen to me, please.   I don’t want to lose you or the baby.”

The wind was kicking up and getting stronger.   

“Looks like I might have to end up patchin’ that roof again.”

They stared at each other.  “Almanzo,  I….”

“Don’t worry, Beth.  I’ll be right in with Jenny and Rose.  Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Manly, if you can be worried about me, why can’t I worry about you?  And don’t tell me it’s different.”

He smiled and kissed her   “I can’t help it, Beth. I love you too much.”

“Oh, Manly,” she said, pulling him close and holding on to him tightly.  “I love you, too.”

And with one last look his way, she walked inside the house.

He watched her as she closed the door and he walked into the barn.

“Jenny, Rosey,”

“Uncle Manzo?”

She came running over to him.  She had the milk pail in her hand. Almanzo took it from her.  “Where’s Rose?”

“I left her with the chickens.  She wanted to feed them and get some eggs.  She wanted you to make some this morning.”

“Alright,” he smiled and kissed her cheek.  “I’ll go look for Rose.  When you get inside, you take this to the root cellar and do as I showed you.  Bring up one small milk pail and help out your Aunt Laura with breakfast, okay?  I’ll be in as soon as I get Rose.”

Another clap of thunder sounded.  Jenny looked up at him, her face worried.  “It sounds like the storm’s getting closer, Uncle Manzo.”

“Papa?”  A little voice called out, “Papa?  Jenny?”

“Go ahead,” Almanzo said.  “I’ll get her and bring her inside.”

Jenny smiled and nodded her head.  She took the milk pail out of his arms and hurried to the front door. 

Another thunder clap sounded and Almanzo could see streaks of lightning in the sky.   

“Papa?” Rose said, running over to him.  “Papa, I found some eggs.  Maybe you make some later?”

Almanzo smiled.  “I can’t carry you and the egg basket, Rosey Posey, not if I want to keep those eggs of yours from breaking.”    

The tree in front of them suddenly lit up.  A bolt of lightning had struck it not two seconds ago causing the trunk to split in two.

And it set the tree on fire.

 “I’ll be right back, Rosey Posey,” he told her.  “I’ve got to try to put out this fire.”

And he opened up the door a crack, but Rose wouldn’t budge.  “Not without you, Papa.”

The wind picked up again battering the windows of the barn. There was still thunder and lightning, but no rain, not yet.  Almanzo noticed that the flames were higher now and starting to spread outward.   

Fueled by the heavy wind, the door to the barn moved back and forth, as if a ghost was opening and closing it.  Almanzo wasn’t paying any attention to it as he moved closer to the barn.  He thought of one thing and one thing only, getting the fire out before it spread and put everyone in danger.

“Rose,” he said, turning back to face her. “You’ve got to tell Mama Beth that I might….”

The barn door hit him with such force that it knocked him to the hard ground.  

“Papa?” Rose called out by door, “Papa?”

 XXXXXXXXXXX

 Jenny was setting the table for breakfast when she heard Rose’s cries for her father and she ran to the door.  When Jenny asked her what was wrong, she pointed to Almanzo  who was still lying on the ground.    The barn door was still swinging back and forth in the wind.

“Aunt Laura?”

“What’s wrong, Jenny,” Laura asked, coming out of the kitchen area. 

“It’s Papa, Mama Beth,”

“Rose,” Laura said, bending down to take the egg basket from her hand. 

“Where’s Papa?”

“Papa is outside.  He fell. ”

Laura frowned and looked at Jenny who took the basket of eggs out of Laura’s hands and put it on the table.

“Mama?” Rose said, tugging at her sleeve.  “Come see.  There is a tree on fire.”

”Show me and Jenny,” Laura said, standing up and taking her hand.

Rose took hold of her hand as she led the way.

The wooden door to the house was not closed properly and it blew back and forth, similar to the barn door.  Laura took no notice, all she saw was her husband, who, by this time, was sitting up and holding his head.

“Almanzo,” Laura exclaimed, her eyes widening.  She ran over to him, but was stopped by the fire, which had separated them and was now out of control. 

The flames were bigger now and spreading upwards and outwards.  If Laura didn’t do something about the fire soon, the flames would cover the grass, inch its way over to the barn and whatever stood in between, including her husband.  The fire would consume everything within its path.  She had to do something and quickly. 

 “Beth,” Manly said, looking toward his wife.  “You’ve got to get help.”

 “Uncle Manzo, I’ll go.  Something might happen to the baby.  You both stay here.  I can take Rose with me.”

Almanzo looked at Laura, then at the fire, which had grown and had spread to the prairie grass.

 “If you want to go Jenny, you’ve got to do it now.” Almanzo told her, “Beth will bring Rose and me inside.  Stop by the Carter’s first and get John to take you down to Doc Baker’s office and bring him here.“

But Rose wasn’t listening.  She was already halfway down the hill and moving toward the Carter place. She turned back and looked at Jenny.

Jenny took one last look at her aunt and uncle and ran down the hill to join Rose.  Almanzo and Laura watched as they disappeared and then turned to each other. 

“Isn’t there a bucket in the house?” Almanzo asked, as the flames that between them began to spread even wider.

Laura nodded and started to run.  She felt the pains in her stomach reminding her that she should be taking it easy, but it was too late for that now.

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “Manly, they’re coming, I see them. “

The fire wasn’t out yet, it had only gotten worse.  Every time Laura poured water on the flames, they sprouted up again, thanks to the wind.  There was still thunder and lightning in the skies above, but no   sign of rain, at least not yet.     

“There’s a bunch of wagons,” Laura said, standing up, but Almanzo told her to sit.  “You’ve got to take it easy, Beth.  That baby is due in a month and half. You’ve done enough.”

The first one to arrive was Isaiah Edwards who took charge of everything.  He took Jenny and Rose off his wagon and surveyed the situation.  The next one to arrive was the Carter family and behind them were Doc Baker and the Olesons, believe it or not, all of them.

“Get in the house, Half-Pint,” Mr. Edwards called out. “Take Jenny and Rose with you.  We’ve got this.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Another lesson in stone soup,” Almanzo sighed, putting his right arm around his wife.  His left one was in a sling. 

“It was a good breakfast though,” Jenny said, as she stood up to clean the table.  Their guests had just left.  “Uncle Manzo, those eggs of yours were delicious.”

“They’re Grandma Ingalls recipe,” Almanzo said, standing up, letting Laura help Jenny with the dishes.  “I just add a little something to them.”

He walked over to where the towel was hanging and waited patiently for Laura to hand him his first dish.

“Now, you know Doc Baker told you let that arm rest up for a few days,” Laura said, handing him a plate.  “I shouldn’t have even let you make those eggs; I don’t care if Doc Baker gave you permission.”

“Well he did tell me to take it easy, anyway,” Almanzo looked at her.  “It’s only bruised a bit, Beth.  It’s not like it’s a broken or anything.” He grabbed the plate with his right and dried it with his left. When it was done, he placed the dish in the cabinet behind him.  “It is a little hard to move around though, but I’m managing. Hey, maybe when the arm’s better, you’ll teach me how to make that great egg toast.”

Laura shook her head and handed him another.  She watched him to see how well he maneuvered with only one working arm.  “Sit down before you break something, Manly.  Let Jenny do it.”

“Laura, I’m perfectly fine, I can handle this with….”

But Manly couldn’t hold on to it and the plate almost dropped.  If Jenny hadn’t caught it at the last minute it would have broken.

He looked up and saw both women staring at him.  Almanzo smiled sheepishly and let Jenny take the dish towel. 

“Alright, I’ll see what little Rosey’s up to.”

“I’m okay, Papa,” Rose called out from Jenny’s room. 

 “Sit, Manly and let the women handle this,” Laura said, kissing him lightly.  “But you’ll get the job back in due time, don’t you worry.”

And Almanzo shook his head and sat down in the rocking chair.  Never argue with a woman, he thought, especially when they’re all in agreement.  He had learned that the hard way.  

Authors Note:

Egg toast or French toast as it is commonly known, was introduced in the United States in 1871.  French toast doesn’t come from France; it actually has many different names. It is also known as German toast, Spanish toast or egg toast.  There are several reasons why it’s referred to as French toast.  One of them comes from an Old Irish term “to French” which means “to slice.”  The recipe came with the Irish immigrants when they settled in the United States during the Great Famine.  The British referred to it as “lost bread” and the Romans dipped slices of bread into milk (and sometimes eggs) before frying them.  French toast also has its own holiday which occurs on November 28^th.   

 

The Afghan, the Shirt and the Hat A Little House fanfic

Laura and Jenny play a little joke on Almanzo for April Fool’s Day.  Story complete in one chapter.

 

The Afghan, the Shirt and the Hat

“He found the afghan, Aunt Laura,” Jenny said, walking through the front door of the little house with Rose by her side.

Laura picked up Rose and placed her in the cradle.  That was Almanzo’s job, except he wasn’t home.  He was out in Sleepy Eye at this moment making another delivery. 

“Well, he didn’t find the hat yet, did he?” Laura asked,  

Jenny shook her head.  “There were two paper bags in the barn and they were in the same place. I was going to try to sell it, but when I put it on Uncle Manzo’s head, he looked so good in it that I thought I’d give it to him.”

“And it fits him well, doesn’t it?” Laura said, looking at her.  “What if he finds the scarf and mittens you knitted.”

“And the new blue shirt you made for him.”  Jenny looked at her. “The afghan; is that for the bed?”

“Well, we made together, Jenny, so I thought it would be for the chair, where we could all use it.  The new one I’m working on is for you. “

“Use it for the bed, Aunt Laura,” Jenny said.  “I’m working on one for my bed, but I’ll probably need you to sew it together.”

She looked up at her aunt.  “Why are we doing this anyway?”

Laura smiled.  “He surprised me with the wooden flowers and the flower garden and the vases.  I told you about that.  I wanted to do something for him.  And I didn’t want him to know about it.  The afghan is too big to hide and I thought we could keep it in the barn.  I should have known better.”

“When is he supposed come back from Sleepy Eye?”  Jenny asked her aunt.

“Should be in an hour from now, why?”

“Come on, I have an idea.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“You think this will work?  Laura said, looking at the gifts. 

“He already knows we got them for him,” Jenny said, “the least we can do is make them harder to get at.”

“How did you know about this?” Laura asked.

“Remember my brothers?” Jenny said.

Laura nodded.  “How could I forget?”

Jenny smiled.  “My father did it to me one year.  He started out with a paper bag, then a box, then there was a box inside a box and then there was wrapping around the box that held my mother’s locket.  That’s the one I lost.  He said he wanted to make it fun for me to find.”

Laura shook her head.  “Is that why the family name is Wilder?”

Jenny smiled. “Papa told me that Mama used to say that.  Every time she said it, he used to remind her that now it was her last name too.”

Laura smiled and looked up.  She heard what sounded like hoof beats and wagon wheels.

“He’s here.”

“How do you know?” Jenny asked.

“BETH?”

Laura looked at Jenny who was smiling.

“Well,” she said, “You warned me.”

She picked up Rose and pushed Laura inside the storage area.

“Come on, behind the curtain before he gets in.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“BETH?” Almanzo yelled out, as he walked through the door. “JENNY?”’

“Rosey?” he said, checking the extra bedroom.  Then he checked their room.

And then he saw the packages, all three of them.

He sat down in the rocking chair, smiled and went after the first one.

It was a paper bag, but there was something inside it. Almanzo pulled it out.  It was a box, a tall box; something like you would put a hat in.  Sure enough, that’s exactly what it was when he opened it up. 

It was his old one.

Almanzo frowned and shook his head.  He pushed it away and went for the second.  There was a box, which he opened. Inside was another box and inside that box was a smaller box.  All empty. 

The third was the afghan that he had found in the barn, but it turned out to be the old one with the holes in it.  Where was the one he saw in the…

Almanzo turned around and examined the one that covered the top of the chair.  

“Beth, Jenny, I know you ladies are behind that curtain.”

 “April Fool’s” Jenny and Laura called out, pulling back the curtain, Beth rushing into his arms. Jenny let Rose go and she toddled over to her Papa who picked her up.

“It’s today?” he said, innocently.

Laura shook her head.  “It was yesterday, Manly.  We’ve got the real presents hidden, well, all but one.  The afghan Jenny and I worked on is hanging on the back of the rocking chair.”

Almanzo smiled and looked at the three of them.  “Got the days wrong again, didn’t I?”

“The cinnamon chicken is waiting, Uncle Manzo,” Jenny said, staring at him.  “Let’s sit down before it gets cold.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“That was some trick you ladies pulled on me today,” Manly said, smiling.  He walked around to his side of the bed and climbed in next to her.  “Where’d you get all those boxes?”

“Jenny asked Mr. Oleson for some,” Laura told him, as she climbed in next to him.  “Jenny told me that he was going to get rid of them anyway.  They were seconds is what he called them.  Many of them weren’t made right.  So she took a few.  We might be able to use them for something?”

Almanzo smiled at her.  “You didn’t buy anything did you?”

Laura shook her head.  “All we bought was the yarn and the material to make it all, Manly.  I made the shirt, Jenny knitted the mittens and the scarf and we both worked on the afghan.”

“Everything but the hat,” Almanzo said, putting his arm around his wife.

Laura nodded.  “She wanted you to have it, Almanzo. She was afraid you wouldn’t take it. It looks good on you and it fits you well.”

Almanzo shook his head. “I think we’ll leave it hanging on the rack, Beth where I can look at it all the time to remind me of my older brother.”

He kissed her lightly on the lips and pulled back. “Anyway, how did you ladies like your gifts?”

“An empty box,” Laura said, smiling.  “You had the same idea.” She looked up at him and he was smiling at her.

“The look on Jenny’s face was priceless,” he said, looking at her.  He frowned.  “Whose idea was that anyway?”

“The boxes were Jenny’s idea.  She told me where they came from and how she got them.  It didn’t take all that long to put it together.  And anyway you did the same thing.”

Almanzo nodded.  “I guess that’s where our last name comes from.”

“The Wilder Bunch,” Laura said, looking up at him. “Sounds like a good name for a gang, doesn’t it?”

“I never thought of it that way.” Almanzo said, shaking his head.  “You act like you had nothing to do with this whole scheme?”

“Me?” Laura said, her eyes widening, trying not to smile.   She shook her head .  “How could you even think that, Manly.  I would never pull a crazy stunt like that in my life.”

“Really?” he said, putting his arms around her.  “This time you used real cinnamon on that chicken, didn’t you?”

“MANLY.”

Almanzo laughed and shook his head.  “You are somethin’ else, Beth, you know that?”

“So you keep telling me,” she said as his lips met hers.  

 

She's Gone A Little House fanfic

She's Gone

Almanzo sat up. He heard the clock downstairs strike two in the morning and knew that he hadn't slept one bit. He always wondered how Laura did it. She could fall asleep anytime or anywhere.

But this time it was different. For the first time, their daughter, Rose, wasn't home. It was the first night without her for both of them since she was born sixteen years ago. She had gone down to Crowley, Louisiana to finish her last year in high school. And she was going to live with Laura's mortal enemy, none other than her Aunt EJ, also known as Eliza Jane Wilder.

At first, Almanzo and Laura disagreed with each other. It was Eliza Jane who brought it up, especially after learning that the Mansfield high school stopped after the junior year. One night, Eliza brought up the idea that Rose should go down to Crowley with her to finish her studies there. She had plenty of room for Rose to stay with her. Manly was willing, after all, Rosey would only be gone temporarily and then she would return to Rocky Ridge. It was Laura who resisted. Like Almanzo, she wanted her to finish her schooling. It was where she was staying and who she was with that annoyed her.

Rose begged and pleaded to go. She wanted a change, something exciting. So when the day was done, Almanzo talked to Laura about it all.

And so she reluctantly said yes. The first reason that Laura objected was Eliza's lack of understanding regarding her feelings. Eliza Jane knew all along that the three of them made the long trip from Missouri to Walnut Grove to see Laura's parents. She also knew that her father had just passed away of a heart attack in June. It was no wonder that Beth felt the way she did about Eliza and it wasn't that long ago. He shook his head as he remembered.

It was now Sunday morning, June 14. Manly was sitting on the bed, holding Eliza Jane's letter in his hands.

"We're gonna have to go back, Beth," he said, holding up the letter. "My sister's comin' a month early."

Eliza said clearly in her letter that she was coming a month early, depriving Beth of comforting her family, especially her mother, at the time of her father's death. Eliza showed up in the middle of July, a month and a half early. He had planned to talk to her when she arrived, but that….

"Manly?"

Almanzo's eyes widened. She wasn't asleep at all.

"Beth, I thought that you were…"

"No," she said, turning to face him and it was then he noticed that she had been crying. He reached out and pulled her close, his eyes welling up with tears.

"I know, Beth, I know," he whispered in her ear. "I miss her too."

"I keep thinking about her," Laura said, clinging to him.

Almanzo smiled. "It's hard to let go, isn't it?"

"You still think we did the right thing?"

Manly nodded, still holding on to her. "She was so anxious to go, Beth," he said, stroking her hair. "There wasn't anything else to do. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I wish I had your confidence," she said,

"What confidence, Beth," he said, releasing her. "I've been frettin' up a storm for months about this. Rosey is the only child we have. She'll always be my little girl no matter how old she is." He brushed her tears away with his thumb. "She knows that we love her, Laura, she told me as much. Everyone comments on how well behaved she is."

"So I guess you agree with her that we spoiled Rose rotten," Laura said.

"Come on, Laura,"" Almanzo grinned. "I was never so proud of her that afternoon when she finally told Sis off."

Laura smiled, remembering. "Yep, how Ma had told her back in Walnut Grove what a well behaved grown up daughter she was and complimented us on bringing her up."

Almanzo shook his head. "She's got a mind of her own, Beth, but I wouldn't say that we spoiled her rotten. I believe that we treated her as much as any parent would treat their children. We might have been a little overprotective, being our only child and all, but I don't believe we've done anything wrong."

He sat up and stared at her, touching her cheek.

"You and Eliza Jane never got along and I've had my moments with her. Rose finds her fascinating, don't ask me why. She has taken to calling her EJ like all her old friends used to. She wants to know everything she can about her. She may not like everything she finds out, but she has to learn for herself. All we can do now is to wait and see what happens."

Laura shook her head. "I always let your sister get the better of me," she answered. "No matter what I do isn't good enough. I guess I don't take care of her little brother well enough."

Almanzo smiled. "I told you a long time ago to watch out for her," he said, never taking his eyes off her. "She always has to have her own way ever since we were kids. Besides, you take care of me just fine, Beth. I have no complaints." He kissed her, hard, and he pulled her down on the bed.

"I love you, Beth," he whispered, looking into her eyes.

Laura smiled. "I love you too, Manly." She brought her face up to his and there were no more words between them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Manly," Laura called, "Come over here quickly or you'll miss it."

Almanzo smiled as he slid his robe over his nightshirt. He knew she was out on the back porch watching the sunrise, her favorite time of day. When they first got married and lived in Walnut Grove, they often greeted the dawn together before the morning chores, their arms around one another. So many years ago, he thought, shaking his head, when they were young and had their whole lives ahead of them with so much to look forward to.

There was nothing different now, was there? Almanzo still loved her, heck, he couldn't live without her. There was only one time in his life that he left Beth and he never attempted it again.

And he ran over to where she was.

He sneaked up behind her and put his arms around waist. She brought her hands up to meet his and they watched the sunrise together as they had done years earlier.

"Beth," he whispered in her ear, "My Beth."

He turned her around and the two of them smiled at each other.

"Manly," she whispered as she jumped into his arms.

This story is not in any episode. It is a sequel to my fanfic Remembering the Past. In real life, Rose did go to live with Eliza Jane when she moved to Crowley, LA to finish her schooling.

 

Memories of the Past, Dreams of the Future A Little House fanfic

It’s Manly and Beth’s first night at the Ingalls' townhouse apartment in Burr Oak after a long trip from Walnut Grove.   Being in a strange place, the two cannot get comfortable and so they spend part of the night reflecting on memories of the past and their dreams of the future. A one shot.  Story complete in one chapter.

Memories of the Past, Dreams of the Future

Fill in to the Last Farewell

1890

Burr Oak Iowa, right after Walnut Grove was razed

Almanzo stood at the window in their new room in the Ingalls' townhouse.  It was their first night there and as usual, he couldn’t sleep.  It was hard, especially when you’re uprooted from everything you love, forced off your land and separated from the place that you had called home for almost five years of life. 

All because of a greedy land baron by the name of Mr. Nathan Lassiter, who bought the town and wanted to make the residents his employees.  But the townspeople weren’t having any of it.  There was only one thing they could do to stop him and that was to destroy Walnut Grove so that he couldn’t have any of it.

But Almanzo still had the one thing in his life that he really cared about, his family.  There was his daughter Rose and his niece Jenny and the love of his life, his wife Laura. He wouldn’t be the same without his Beth beside him, especially now.  Her love and her faith in him gave him the strength to carry on.

“Couldn’t sleep?”  He heard her voice beside him.  He turned from the window and saw her beautiful face staring up at him.  He smiled, put his arm around her and pulled her close.

“Beth,” he whispered, as he rubbed his thumb against her cheek, “My Beth.”

She knows, he thought as he smiled down at her, she always knows.   

 “No,” he whispered, still looking into her eyes.  “It’s so hard being away from the place you love.”

“You still have me and Rose and Jenny.”

“And they’re all in the other room with your Ma and Pa.”

Laura smiled.  “It’s not like we left them in Walnut Grove, you know. They’re only in the other room, right next door as a matter of fact.”

Almanzo smiled and continued to stare at her.

“The only things that we left in Walnut Grove are our memories, Beth, our memories of the past.”

Laura smiled and patted the bed.  “Want to talk about it? We have all night, Manly.”

He smiled and shook his head.  “Can’t sleep?”

“No,” she answered, smiling up at him.  “I’m too wound up.”

“How far back do you want to go?  The first day we met when Sis introduced us?”

“I guess that would be the best place to start, I suppose. “

Almanzo smiled.  “Do you remember what you said?”

Laura nodded her head.  “Yeah, I remember,” she said, shyly.  “Pleasure to meet you, Manly.”

They both laughed.  “The cinnamon chicken incident,” Laura said, “you kissing me on the forehead, you pulling me out of the mud when I fought with Nellie, you making me hot chocolate, giving me your robe…..”

“The kissing incident; which was the reason why your father punched me in the mouth.”

“MANLY.”

“Your father making you wait until you were eighteen to marry me, your face when I left to go….”  His voice trailed off.

Laura stared at him.  “What about my face?  You mean when you took off for Sleepy Eye and no one knew when or if you were coming back?”

“Beth,” he whispered, staring at her.  “That was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life.  I shouldn’t have even gone.”  He shook his head.  “I don’t know what gets into me sometimes.”

Laura smiled and touched his face.  “It doesn’t matter; it’s all in the past.  And just think, if you hadn’t gone, Mary and Adam wouldn’t have had opened the Blind School, we wouldn’t have met Houston and we wouldn’t have gotten new contacts to deliver to.”

“And I wouldn’t have gotten pneumonia trying to deliver the money you owed to Mr. Pims.”    

“What about you and that saloon girl?”

“Beth?  I told you about that…”

“And you and Chad Brewster.”

“What about you and Brenda Sue?”

Laura and Almanzo looked at each other and started to laugh.

 “Did we have ever one day when we didn’t argue, Manly?”

Almanzo smiled wider and wrapped her up in his arms.

“I don’t know, but I know one thing for sure and that is that we didn’t argue on the happiest day of my life.”

Laura looked at him.  “And when was that?”

 “Oh Beth, the happiest day of my life was when you said yes.”

“And the only reason why we didn’t argue was that we weren’t talking to one another.”

“Well, you weren’t talking to me, even when I showed up in the middle of the prairie to ask you to marry me.  I couldn’t stay away any longer; I had to come for you.” 

“Don’t say that, Manly.  I did have a change of heart, you know.”

Almanzo shook his head.  He was still looking at her.  “Oh?  And when was that?”

“It was when you showed up in the middle of the prairie and asked me to marry you for the second time.”

“Beth,” he whispered smiling.  “You mean that?”

“Of course I do, Manly. I love you.”

And they kissed and he pulled her down with him on the bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“So you never liked the boardinghouse?” 

They were in bed in their robes, Almanzo propped up on his elbow listening to her.  He shook his head.

 “That little house was my surprise gift to you, Beth.”  He sat up.  “Here’s something I never told you.  There were wild geraniums growing on the property when Sis and I moved in.  I found one after I got the wheelchair.  I took a cutting from it, placed some soil in a small pot that was lying around in the barn and wanted to see if I could get it to grow.  It was the only farming that I could do for a while, Beth.”

Laura frowned.  “You gave it up, didn’t you?”

Almanzo smiled and nodded.  “It kept trying to die on me.  I wanted so badly to be successful at growing some kind of crop that I babied it.  I just kept paying attention to it every chance I could.  And I was so upset with it that one day I just decided it wasn’t worth my time anymore and I let it go.”

When Laura hadn’t said anything, Almanzo continued.

“After you broke your Ma’s glass plate, I did some thinking.  I told your Pa that I needed to be alone and that I needed to see the ruins one more time. I had no idea how long I sat there until your father showed up and told me that he came to bring me back, that I had been gone for a few hours and was worried about me.   As he turned me around toward the little house, I noticed something that I never expected to see again.”

“It was the geranium, wasn’t it?  Pa mentioned that you saw it growing wild.”

Almanzo nodded.   

 “You see, Laura, like I told your Pa, I over tended it.  It needed some time to be alone.  I guess I did too.   It was then that I realized that I had responsibilities, that I felt so sorry for myself, I neglected everything I cared for.  I had a wife and a baby daughter and that they needed my help.  I made a promise to your Ma that I’d always be there for the two of you and I wanted to keep that promise. So I built you that house and learned to walk again. Your Pa made sure of it. It’s what you always tell me, with confidence and determination, you can lick anything.  It pulled me through and made me stronger.  When you first told me that Mrs. Flannery left you her mansion, I wasn’t sure if I’d be happy there, wasn’t sure I wanted to give up our new little house in the first place. It meant everything to me.  But when you said that it was too big and you wanted to turn it into a boardinghouse, I thought it might be a good idea at that.”

He smiled, shook his head and took hold of her hand.  Manly picked it up and kissed the back of it.  “I did what was best for both of us, Beth.  I thought that it might be a better way of making a living.  And I found that I could do anything as long as you and Rose were there with me.  I love you, Beth.  I will always love you.”

She opened her arms and he came into them.   

‘’You’re afraid of the city, aren’t you?” Laura said as they parted.

 Almanzo looked at her and nodded his head.  “Yes, Laura, I am. I got used to Walnut Grove and after Sleepy Eye, I promised myself I would never move back to the city.  I didn’t want to hurt you again.”

“I’m afraid of it too, Almanzo.  I grew up on the prairie.  I’m just going to have to get used to it. It’s this house, the surroundings, the people.  It’s just all new to me.”

Almanzo smiled.   “We’ll get it done, Beth.  I know we will. We’ll just have to make the best of it as long as we’re here.”

Laura caressed his cheek.  “Someday you’ll have that farm you’ve always wanted, Manly.  Someday soon, I’m sure of it.”

“So what would you call what we just talked about?  I guess they’d be memories of the past and dreams of the future?”

Laura smiled and placed her arms around his neck.  “Sounds like a good title for an entry in a Remembrance Book.”

Almanzo smiled and nodded. “You know, Beth, I have to agree.  Sounds like a great title.” He took her in his arms and wrapped them around her.

And they stayed that way until the sun came up over the city streets. It was a challenge, Almanzo thought, as he watched her sleep.  And at that instant, he knew that they would make it, as long as they were together.     

Author’s Note:

I use 1890 as the date when the town of Walnut Grove is blown up.  In the tv show it’s 1901 when Mr. Lassiter shows up to take over the town.  Also, it’s 1894 when the Wilders first move to Mansfield, Missouri from DeSmet, SD. 

South Dakota did not become a state until November 2, 1889.  

 

 

 

The Houses at Rocky Ridge Farm A Little House fanfic

Almanzo remembers his days in Walnut Grove when he wakes up in his bedroom at the Rock House in Mansfield. Takes place in 1936 when Laura and Almanzo are older. Story is in celebration of the anniversary on August 25, 1885. Story complete in one chapter.

 

The Houses at Rocky Ridge Farm

A Story in Celebration of Laura and Almanzo's Anniversary 8/25/1885

1936

Rock House, Mansfield, MO

Almanzo was a bundle of nerves. This was the third night in a row that he was having trouble sleeping. He sat up and looked around his bedroom. He rubbed his leg. Yep, it was getting worse just as Doc Baker told him it would all those years ago when they lived in Walnut Grove. Almanzo had a stroke which left him partially paralyzed on his left side. He managed to get back full use of his arm through exercise, but gave up on his legs. He refused to do the exercises that Doc Baker gave him and instead opted for a wheelchair. During all this, the Wilder farm was hit by a tornado and was heavily damaged leaving nothing but ruin in its wake. Laura saved Rose and was knocked unconscious for her trouble. But the storm had taken a toll on Laura, leaving her just as depressed as he had become.

Almanzo didn't like what he was seeing. This wasn't the woman he courted and married. She needed his help now and if he had to make a change to do it, he would. And so he learned to walk all over again and he did surprising everyone. He also did one better by building a house to replace the one that fell.

Every time the leg bothered him, Almanzo's thoughts turned back to that time in his life. He couldn't shake it either, no matter how hard he tried. Almanzo knew if the leg really bothered him like it did now, he would have to exercise it a bit and grabbed his cane for support. He stood up, leaning on his right side for balance.

He decided to walk down the hallway and see his beautiful Beth. He wanted to be with her from sunup to sundown. They were hardly ever apart and when they were he missed her terribly. It was always that way, even before they married.

But Beth was still asleep and he really didn't want to disturb her. Not yet anyway. More importantly, he needed to walk. So he washed up, dressed and slipped outside. He took the path from the Rock House to the farmhouse. It was a short walk and it was good exercise for his leg.

Almanzo stopped and looked and stared at it. It took them a long time to build this house, nearly twenty years until it was completed. He built everything to Beth's specifications, taking in her likes and dislikes. He built the kitchen to correspond to her height. The windows had to be large and spacious so she could look out of them every morning and admire their farm and the land surrounding it.

When Rose built Rock House for them, in 1928, she made two separate rooms for both of them. She was being a good daughter, she told them as she handed them the keys as a Christmas present. It had all modern conveniences of the day, but the two of them were just not used to them. They preferred the big farmhouse. After all, Almanzo and Laura built that house together. They cleared the land together, worked the fields together and took care of the farm animals together. They even slept together and once in a while he missed not waking up next to his beautiful Beth, his wife of fifty one years. Yes, Rose built it for them to retire to, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get used to it. THEY couldn't get used to it.

Almanzo sighed. Rose had moved out. Although he was grateful to Rose for all she had done, Almanzo was kind of glad that she was gone. He missed this house. He missed living there. He was seventy eight and Beth was sixty eight. It was time for them to move back in.

He turned and walked back to the Rock House eager to tell Beth about his decision.

Almanzo opened the door and headed down the hallway, but she surprised him. She was sitting in the front room, writing.

"Manly?" she said, turning from her desk to face him. "How's your leg?" She patted the chair next to her.

Almanzo smiled. Beth, he thought, my Beth. She always looked lovely in the morning, actually, it didn't matter what time of day it was. He sat down, leaning the cane against the chair. "It's feeling much better now, that I exercised it a bit." He turned in his chair and took both her hands in his.

"Beth," he continued, "How would you like to move back into the farmhouse? I miss it and I know you do. I know Rose built this place for us, but we're getting older now and I think that I would like to…"

Laura smiled, leaned in and kissed him. It wasn't very long, but it was enough for him.

"Yes, Manly," she said, "I would love to."

He smiled his same old crooked smile. "You haven't changed a bit since we met, Laura. You'll always be my Beth. I will never stop loving you. You are an amazing woman."

"You're not so bad yourself, Almanzo Wilder." she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "And I will love you always."

Almanzo smiled and kept looking into her eyes.

"When do you think we can move back in?" she asked, breaking the silence. She already knew the answer.

"How about today, Mrs. Wilder?" he said.

Laura smiled. "You've got a deal, Mr. Wilder."

Fact vs. Fiction

In 1928, Rose Wilder Lane returned to Rocky Ridge Farm to care for her parents. Deciding that maybe the farm might be too large for them, Rose built them a smaller house for them to retire to. She had it custom built especially for them. Instead of using wood shingles, Rose used local rocks instead of bricks to build it, which is how the house got its name. At Christmastime the same year, Rose presented the keys to her parents and Laura and Almanzo moved into the five room house. It had all the modern conveniences of the day, central heating, everything electric, including a refrigerator. The house was on one level, no stairs; Rose wanted them to enjoy life as a retired couple and to make it as comfortable for her parents as possible. She built a tenant house and retained a hired man to care for the farm. Meanwhile, Rose rented out Rocky Ridge and continued to live there until 1935 when she left to do research for an upcoming book. The Wilders moved back to the farm in 1936 because they were homesick.

Laura and Almanzo left DeSmet, South Dakota on July 17 and arrived in Mansfield, Missouri on August 30. They bought the land and named it Rocky Ridge Farm after the land it was built on. They lived in Mansfield for a while before moving to the one room cabin that came with the property. Little by little, they built the farmhouse until it was finished nearly twenty years later, in 1913.

Almanzo's memories of Walnut Grove are taken from Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow, Episodes 1 and 2, airing on the 15th and 22nd of February, 1982.

 

TheGhost of Ellis Island

 

Our assignment for the writing group this month is to describe a favorite possession or object by using your five senses, sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. Well, I tried to come up with something, but I really have too many things to focus on not just one. So I decided to go with another option and that is to recollect a favorite memory from a time in your life.

 

I wrote this back when Rob and I first got married, in 1980.

 

It was one of several trips to a place I truly loved and obsessed about, an old immigration station called Ellis Island.

 

From the first time I saw the island, from the deck of the Staten Island ferry in 1972, I was in awe of it. The island was a mess and in complete ruin, but that didn’t seem to matter; not to me anyway. Something was pulling me there; I didn’t know what and that it was important for me to find out.

 

Sadly, I never did.

 

It’s been a long time since we’ve been there. The last time was right after Ellis opened, beautifully redone and completely restored to its original splendor. The contagious disease hospital on the other side of the island, as I understand it, has not. I know that they cleaned it up some from when we first took our three hour tour in 1980. Much of the rubble that I describe in the piece is gone, but some still does exist.

 

But there is something that still draws there, even if it is in printed story form. A book by Susan Meissner titled, "'A Fall of Marigolds'', is one such item. The story takes place in NYC in two different time periods: 2001 and 1911 and covers two different tragedies, the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11 and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25, 1911. Connecting these two time periods is a lovely scarf with a beautiful design of flowers in what is described as a “fall of marigolds”. What really attracted me to the book was that some of it takes place in Ellis Island where a nurse, Clara Wood by name, lives and works in the NYC of 1911. 

 

And so that is my introduction to a piece I wrote for a writing class I was taking at the time. I guess you can say that it is one of the favorite memories. And so here it is, enjoy.

 

The Ghost of Ellis Island

 

I was standing on the deck of the Staten Island ferry when I first saw Ellis Island in 1972. Immigrants from many countries had come through here. During the peak years of immigration, 1898 to 1924, the island was at its busiest. In later years, mass immigration had dropped and there was no need for a processing station. Ellis Island closed down in 1954 and was abandoned.

By 1972, it was starting to show its age. Time had turned the shiny brown copper trim on the main building to green. Weeds, fallen branches, and debris covered the lawn. A sign standing amid the ruins said that Ellis Island had become a part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument on May 11, 1965. It was to open sometime in the future. As we passed, I could not take my eyes off it. I felt as if someone or something was calling me there. 

 

I found myself wondering how it felt to be an immigrant, to walk the halls of that majestic brick building on my way to a strange new land. In May 1976, when the island opened officially, I heard that voice again. Since then, I have been back seven times, five times before the renovation and reconstruction and twice after it reopened in 1990. 

 

The trip we made in 1980 was my favorite. My husband secured a reservation with the National Park Service for what was known as a three-hour photographer's tour. My husband, his friend and I put on hard hats and set off to see what we could see. We had the entire island to ourselves and we had access to places that we could not visit on the usual one hour guided tour. 

 

Our first stop was the main building. We found some suitcases, an old baggage cart, and an old hat and used them as props. The photographs we took look as though someone we knew had just landed there and we were helping him with his bags.

 

The Great Hall or Registry Room, where millions of immigrants passed through medical and legal examinations, lay in ruins. Although scaffolding had gone up, paint was peeling everywhere. Staring down at me from the balcony wall was a large gaping hole. 

 

The stairs on the far side of the hall led up to the balcony where the medical examination rooms were. One room was set up with lab equipment, medical cabinets, and crutches. A lab coat hung from the side of an old wheelchair and looked as if the doctor had gone on break and would return any moment to find his patient waiting for him.

 

We passed many more ruined rooms. One of the rooms held a wooden bench with only one arm. It stood all alone amid piles of plaster and paint peelings. A yellowed newspaper lay atop its seat as if someone had just finished reading it and had left it there to be discarded.

 

In the hallway, I caught sight of a ruined stairway, plaster and paint crumbling on each step where immigrants once walked. An old chair with a coat draped over the top stood at the foot of the stairs. It looked as though its wearer had laid it there and would soon return to pick it up. 

 

Our trip took us to the Railroad Ticket Office where immigrants waited anxious hours for a train to bring them to the United States. Nearby, the table in the cafeteria was set for a meal. The sign on the wall read in five different languages "Deposit trays and dishes here." Inside a crumbling stairwell was a window sill carved with many immigrant names and words, each of them written in a different language. 

 

The most frightening part of our tour was the main and contagious disease hospitals on the other side of the island. Thousands of immigrants were held here while waiting for a more thorough medical examination. When I first entered, an eerie feeling came over me. It did not look or feel like a hospital at all. Doors stood open to empty medical wards. Rusty bedpans and washbowls lay among more crumbled heaps of paint and plaster. There were broken windows everywhere. 

 

When it was time to leave, no one wanted to go. On the ferry ride back, we sat in silence as we watched the island get smaller and smaller in the distance. 

 

Today, a partially restored Ellis Island stands as a monument to all immigrants who entered the United States. The Great Hall looks as it did during peak immigration and it is absolutely breathtaking. The exhibits are educational and informative and are worth a trip. 

 

Although the walls are intact and the paint is no longer peeling, something is missing. There is no longer access to the ruins, although they still exist. Most of the objects we photographed in 1980 are now behind a large glass wall in an exhibit called "Silent Voices." A food court and souvenir shop stand in places where immigrants once walked and talked of a future in the New Land. 

 

However, something still calls me there. I do not know what or who it is. Now when we visit the island, we try to find some part that has not yet been restored. We always manage to discover something. Maybe one day, I will find the ghost who calls me there.