Lesson 4 (exercise and assignment)

Original vignette:
Thinking to avoid the afternoon traffic, they finished chores early Friday morning, jumped in the car, and charged off to Walmart. It was 8:00 a.m., when they arrived. They were surprised to find the parking lot filled with cars. An upcoming forecasted storm had given lots of the local folks the same urge. They were going to finish weekend shopping and get tucked in at home before the bad weather arrived. In this instance, it must be group mind information to send so many people out shopping on a Friday morning. It stuck in my mind because people near us are use to unpredictable weather and don’t usually let it alter their habits. Shopping at Walmart is a great place to observe people and events that might later lead to inspiration for a story.

What if: There was no one at Walmart all day long? Not one customer. And, employees missing as well?

What if: Bea sent Megan to Walmart by herself?

What if: There was not any real storm on its way? Why are all the people getting ready for a storm?

What if: There were lots of people at Walmart and someone kidnapped a child? Or Lost a child? *

What if: While they were there the store experienced a holdup? Or a gunman opened fire on the customers.*

What if: They loaded their car down with supplies and the car broke down on the way home and they could not get a wrecker to pull it home? All busy because of the storm?

What if: someone drops a horse off without permission and it turns out to be a wild animal?

* I might use something like this for a subplot if Megan went for groceries alone.

1. What if: when the storm hit everything went wrong at the stable? Things that might go wrong:
If the electricity goes out how will they get water for the horses?
Do they have a plow or a way to maneuver between buildings to keep the stalls clean?
How many days and how much snow are we looking at?
In the story they should have a way to water livestock especially if the storm lasts a week or more.
Owners will want to be able to reach the stable to check on their horses.
Do they use cell phones? What if cell phone signals go out?


1. have been thinking of some of these problems. I decided the stable needs a way to run their own electricity. And, I could add a character, a handyman to run the tractors, plow etc. (Neil?)

2. Bea sent Megan to Walmart by herself? Megan is more flighty than Bea.
What if other people were insulting Megan because of her affiliation with the stable. Radical religious rights don’t approve of horse back riding.
Megan might not bring back all the groceries needed?
She might get side tracked not thinking the storm was that important and not get back before it hits.
How will Bea cope with all the cleaning and feeding by herself?
Are Megan and Bea the only ones at the stable?
Megan might come home with all kinds of news about the storm. What is happening in the town might impact supplies if the storm intercepts trucks who deliver supplies to the stores or stores close because of lack of electricity.

3. What if a lot of the owners get stranded at the stable and cannot leave.
How will Bea cope with the extra people who may have to stay a few days without leaving?
As the story goes she seems more a horse person and might not do as well with lots of people interfering.
Ideas about how to deal with the storm might make clashes between people? More high levels of snow could be dumped than people expect. Feeding unexpected people could impact their supplies. Different temperaments of people might need to be addressed. Someone at the stable might have children stuck at home alone. Children could get stuck at the stable without parents, no way to get home?

4. What if: They have to deal with a horse that is just in from the race track and does not like to be handled or stalled for long periods of time.
How do they deal with the exercise problem? Not a good time to be retraining an unmanageable creature.
What if one of them has an accident and they can’t reach medical (Doctor or Veterinarian ) help? One horse upset enough to constantly kick at a stall wall or scream in anger or fright can upset a whole stable and make for an agitated atmosphere.
What if the local police knew the stable was there and rerouted a trailer load of strange horses from the highway sending them in to Bea without authority? Bea would have to find a way to house them out of the trailer and into her barns. How many barns does she have. How would she manage. Are the horses sale horses, a special breed, what are they like? Of the two What if's listed for number 4 I think this one may fit the story well.

Comment: If I chose one of the other what if’s It would change the theme from a riding stable run by two women to a Walmart theme it could be a subplot for a longer story. Or, it could be a different story altogether.

Lesson 4: What if? (Assignment)

What if: a mare at the stable was almost ready to foal and was due to be shipped to a veterinary stable for the last days before foaling. Animals often drop foals, lambs, goat kids, dairy calves, etc. In a freak storm.

Bea stretched out her slippered feet onto a foot stool. She was engrossed by local coverage of the storm on the T.V. .

The back door to the mud room slammed, as the wind from the storm forced it closed behind someone.

“Megan, come look at this!” called Bea excitedly.
“Megan’s still at the barn, its Neil,” he informed her.
“Is she on her way in?” Bea stood up dumping the blanket on the floor.
“After she loads the mare. Looked like the rig was ready to roll when I walked by.”

“What rig?” shouted Bea. She flew passed Neil brushing him backward. Bea grabbed a jacket and scarf off the hook at the same time sliding feet into tall, insulated Muck boots. In 5 seconds she was out the door, shoving her arms into the coat while fighting the wind. The wind whipped the jacket and heavy flakes of whirling snow against her body.

A truck pulling a two horse trailer was driving up from the barn with lights blazing. Bea tore across the yard, into the drive blocking the path of the vehicle, waving her arms. The truck rolled to a sliding stop. Its windshield wipers were flashing away the icy driving snow.

The driver rolled down his window part way, not wanting to let the cold and snow enter. “What?” He exclaimed angrily.

“Unload, you can’t take the mare!”
“Excuse me?” I have papers from Mrs. Langdon.”
“No. Unload!” Yelled Bea. “The roads are closing. You won’t get through.”

Megan trotted up from behind the van. Bea, turned to her, “Unload that mare. Put her back in the barn.”

Megan obeyed the command in Bea’s voice. She ran to the back of the Trailer and started pulling open the clasps for the ramp.

The driver yelled, “ Nope, I’m out of here.” He reached to close the window.
Bea grabbed the door open and threw herself between his body and the steering wheel, pinning his arms and body against the seat. She grabbed the key and turned off the engine all in one motion. “Hey, you can’t do that.”

Bea shoved herself quickly back out onto the driveway. She had the keys clutched in one hand. “When the mare is unloaded you get your keys back. My advice, stay with us tonight, we don’t mind putting you up.”

Thumping sounds revealed the mare leaving the van. Megan walked the bay mare toward the barn. Bea walked back, threw up the ramp, and fastened the catches in place. She returned to the front of the truck. Bea handed the keys through the window, she repeated, “Stay here with us.”

“Not me. I’m going to call Eva Langdon. She’ll call the cops. You are in a whole lot of trouble.” He slammed his door. The truck roared toward the road. The rig slipped sideways as it hit the end of the drive and made the turn onto the road. Within minutes, the tracks on the drive were filled in with drifting snow driven by the wind.

Lesson 4: What if? Scenario (Assignment) ( Rewrite) January 20

What if: a mare at the stable was almost ready to foal and was due to be shipped to a veterinary stable for the last days before foaling. Animals often drop foals, lambs, goat kids, dairy calves, etc. In a freak storm.

Bea had slippered feet stretched out on an foot stool. Local T.V. coverage of the storm on the news held her attention.

“Whump!” Wind from the storm forced the mud room door closed behind someone.

“Megan, come look at this!” spoke Bea excitedly.

“Megan’s still at the barn, its Neil,”
“Is she on her way in?” Bea stood up dumping the blanket on the floor.
“After she loads the mare. Looked like the rig was ready to roll when I walked by.”

“What rig?” shouted Bea. She flew passed Neil brushing him backward. Bea grabbed a jacket and scarf off the hook at the same time sliding feet into tall insulated Muck Boots. In 5 seconds she was out the door, shoving her arms into the coat, while fighting the wind. Gusting Wind whipped the jacket and whirling snow against her body.

A truck, lights blazing, pulling a two horse trailer pushed clumsily, through the drifting snow. Bea bolted across the yard blocking the path of the cumbersome vehicle waving her arms. It slipped sideways as the driver pumped the brakes to avoid her. Windshield wipers, heavy with ice flashed away the wind driven, white flakes.

Bea was holding her breath as the rolling truck stopped with its hood up against her outstretched palms. She felt the cold fill her sinuses and reach into her lungs when she began to breathe, she felt the solid cold of the metal against her bare hands. Bea, grabbed the scarf she had wound around her neck and tried to use it to cover her head and ears against the brass of the wind. As she walked toward the truck door she screamed, “What’s going on here?”

The driver rolled down his window part way, not wanting to let the cold and snow enter. “What?” He exclaimed angrily.

“Unload, you are not taking this mare anywhere tonight!”

“Were loaded.” he howled selfishly. The driver fumbled inside on the seat and waved a sheaf of paper work in Bea’s direction. “ I have papers from Mrs. Langdon.” Wind grabbed hold of the papers and bent it away from the window.

Bea grabbed for the papers. Just as the driver pulled them back inside, dropped them and rubbed his cold hands together while blowing on them. “No. Unload!” Yelled Bea. “The roads are closing. You won’t get through.”

Megan trotted toward her from behind the van. Bea, turned to her, “Unload that mare. Put her back in the barn.”
Megan obeyed the command in Bea’s voice. She ran to the back of the Trailer and started pulling open the clasps for the ramp.

The driver yelled, “ Nope, I’m out of here.” He reached to close the window. The quick jerky movement caused him to touch the gas pedal with his foot. The vehicle lurched forward.. The trailer slipped sideways and the ramp fell to the ground with a crash.

Bea grabbed the door open and threw herself between his body and the steering wheel, pinning his arms and body against the seat. She grabbed the key and turned off the engine all in one motion.

“Hey, you can’t do that.” He struggled to push her off him.

The struggle shoved Bea back out onto the driveway. She landed in the snow with a yell. Covered in snow she dangled the keys clutched in one hand. “When the mare is unloaded you get your keys back. My advice! Don’t be stupid, stay with us tonight, we don’t mind putting you up.” She spouted angrily as she pulled the gloves from her pockets onto her hands and brushed snow away from her legs and backside.

Bea turned at the sound of thumping hoofs on the ramp. A lull in the wind showed Megan turning the mare; trotting with her toward the barn. Bea walked back, struggled to close the ramp, and fastened the catches in place. She returned to the front of the truck. As Bea handed the keys through the window, she tried to sound sincere, “I saw the local report on the news, all the roads are closing. The state police report says stay off the roads. Stay in doors. Stay here with us.”

“Not me. I’m going to call Eva Langdon. She’ll call the cops. You are in a whole lot of trouble.” His face was red. He clenched a fist in her direction as He slammed the door. She saw him press a cell phone to his ear as the truck roared toward the road. The rig was slipping sideways as he hit the end of the drive. Snow flew as it turned onto the road. Within minutes, the tracks on the drive were all ready filling in with drifting snow driven by the wind.