Chapter Nine
Hard Work and Rumors
Gogi stepped back to admire the sign.
On the top plank:
The Secret Waterfall
Three blank planks, for now.
Public Restrooms on the bottom.
We can schedule a health inspection for the restaurant in another month, probably. But might as well hold off on the inspection until the bakery and creamery are ready . . . Maybe six weeks?
And the west side, Art Gallery, Rock Shop, and Souvenirs should be finished a few weeks later.
He spun around as a car turned into the driveway.
“Bathrooms?” Man, wife, three kids in the back . . .
“Yep, the bathrooms are open, still working on the rest. Go past the construction and park on the left. And the trail to the waterfall’s open if you need to run the kids a little.”
He hiked back the five miles to the construction site, and found the happy family as they returned from the waterfall, grinning and a bit damp.
He snickered. “Better run them around in the sun a bit. It’s a bit misty and damp up there.”
“But a really nice waterfall.” The mother, keeping an eye on the kids. “I hadn’t heard of it before.”
“We found it a few months ago, and thought it would be a good spot for a, well, tourist trap.”
“Must have cost a bundle.”
“Standard claim price, for the land, and the guys were in that awkward spot of too young to retire and either sold businesses and were ready to start new ones, or lost their jobs in a corporate merger, or in my case, got handed a bunch of money by his family and told to go away and stop bothering them.” He shrugged.
“That’s, umm . . .”
“I started with a motel, way down the highway, much too far from skiing or good hiking. But nice for some peace and quiet away from the city. Some of the guys had stopped there before, came for a quiet weekend and started talking about a good halfway spot . . . and here we are.”
“That trail . . .” The father glanced back.
“Oh, a couple of us are strong Mentalists and could slice out that trail.” Gogi grinned. “I think when I’m a little older I won’t have any trouble getting a really good job.”
“You’re . . .”
“Seventeen.” He gave a showy bow. “Lord Gogi. 127 Vogel, at your service, sir.”
“Seventeen and you are . . . just out here . . . surely one of these men is your father?”
Gogi shook his head. “Dead. Grandfather is Vogel, now, and well, Vogel retired walked me out to Present, but no one else pays any attention. I pop Home and check in occasionally.” He let a grin sneak out again. “If they ever notice, they may be shocked at my business empire.”
“Good God!” He rounded up his kids, sent them off to the bathrooms again, then loaded them up and drove off.
Two other carloads stopped by . . . but Monday everyone was rushing past as word got out about the 300 being attacked and exposed to the Plague.
Twenty-six looked at Gogi. “Who is the Vogel representative?”
“Lord Alwin.”
The Cyborg winced. “Father.”
“Yeah. If he’s affected . . . I suppose he’ll retire, and Erwin will step up. Then Horst or Gottfried will be the Head of Family.”
Twenty-six nodded. “Because it’ll be three years before I’d even consider . . . going home.”