The “Old Stone Church,” Kenyon, Minnesota. Photo: Lars Walker.
[The book is coming out soon. I promise. We’re that close. ljw]
THE PRESENT
“What the—what kind of crap is this?” Shane demanded.
“ʽCrap’ is an interesting word,” said Robert Swallowtail. “Very marginal. I might have to use the soap on you, just to be prudent.”
“I’m talking about this story. You realize what this means, don’t you?”
“It’s a little early in your reading to have discovered a theme.”
“The old man was crazy. All that stuff people said about him, what a great man he was, and all the time he was a loon from the moon. No wonder I got problems. It’s genetic!”
“You may find this hard to comprehend,” said Robert Swallowtail, “but the book is not about you.”
CHAPTER II THE HAUGEANS
They established Anderson & Co., Inc. of Epsom, Minnesota that summer, manufacturers (then) of the Anderson Viking Separator and (eventually) of the Anderson Reaper and the Anderson Traction Engine, first steam then gasoline. The year was 1900, a good round number for our lives to pivot on. I celebrated my eighth birthday on Sunday, September 30.
It was a cool, fine morning. I remember the pinch of my knickerbockers below the knees, and the scraping of the hard brush Mother used on my hair. One of my most enduring impressions of childhood is how much everything hurt. Being young was like being an unhealed wound.
I’m going to take you to church with us now. I know that’s bad manners. But if you’ve come this far and want to know what our lives were like, you need to understand about our church. Continue reading Snippet Five, Troll Valley