Out of the Mechanical Room

Google Maps blared, “The next turn is in 50 miles. Your destination will be on the right!”

The car rumbled as I coasted Highway 56 to visit my Uncle Chuck in the Fairview countryside. He had called a few days earlier and invited me to his newly constructed barn. I had not been to Fairview since I moved to the city at 18 and remained there after getting acquainted with the conveniences and securing a lucrative electrician role at a thriving electrical company. During the last fifty minutes of the drive, the sun's rays beamed from the sky and cast a blinding sunshine on the front window. I flipped the sun visor from the ceiling and looked at the massive farmland. Droves of cows, chickens, and pigs roamed about the area, nibbling at the tall, rich grass. Young men and their elders moved strenuously as they cultivated the land for crops and drove big red tractors across the fields. I could not help but smile from ear to ear as I reminisced on the memories of bonding with my elders while farming, building, and fixing objects. Eventually, I turned past the great Wilson Dam, built by my grandfathers, and drove to Uncle Chuck's blue farmhouse.

“Err.” The front door opened.

Uncle Chuck approached the car wearing a flannel t-shirt over his bulging belly, blue Levi jeans, and a bottle of coke in his hand.

Uncle Chuck exclaimed, “Is that my boy, Stan!”

“Yeah, it's me, Uncle Chuck!” I uttered out the window.

I emerged from the car, and Uncle Chuck sat down his Coke and ran towards me for a hug. He smelled like lumber and crops, just like he did when I lived on the farm. He took a step back and looked at me intently.

Uncle Chuck urged, “You look good, boy! How bout you come inside? Let's eat!”

I followed behind him and entered the dining room for a large feast. Uncle Chuck and I grubbed on fried chicken, green beans, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and other foods. I requested a glass of water with ice while Uncle Chuck grabbed his bottle of Coke. After we had eaten, I reached for a napkin to wipe my face when the dining room lights flickered.

Uncle chuck uttered, "All shit, let me call Hank and have him go to the mechanical room to check out the lights!"

Uncle Chuck called Hank, who lived by the mechanical room, and told him to check the lights. He hung up the phone and went down memory lane.

Uncle Chuck asked, "Do you remember when you and those rug rat friends played hide and seek in the mechanical room?"

"Yes, I do! It was the time of our lives until someone hid the door from us underneath the wall." I responded.

Uncle Chuck responded, "Yeah! It had to be done for your kids' safety, Boy! I can't remember how many darn times I gave you a wedgie when I dragged you by your suspenders for going in there."

"Ah ha!" We laughed at the same time.

“So how’s everything going in dat jungle boy?” Uncle Chuck asked.

I explained, “Everything is fine. I'm making a decent living at the electrician plant and keeping a roof over my head.”

Uncle Chuck expressed, “Ah! I'm glad to hear that, boy! I reckon my hours of teaching you how to be a handyman have stuck with ya!”

He continued, “Boy, when are you gonna find yourself a wife? You've been single since you left da old countryside.”

I replied, “Na, it hasn't been that long, Uncle Chuck. I had an interest in someone but…”

“Don't even continue, boy, she was a hoe, wasn't she?” he exclaimed.

“Ahh Eee!” Uncle Chuck let out a coarse laugh, taking his last swig of coke.

I laughed, “Uncle Chuck, you are crazy!”

“Bock, bock!” a chicken screamed outside, interrupting our conversation.

Uncle Chuck pounded the table, “Oh darn it!”

He scooted from the table and bolted to the outside where the chickens roamed. A chicken was head deep in a pile of mud. Uncle Chuck raised the chicken in the air, prompting a slime of mud to trickle from its legs. I emerged from the farmhouse and approached Uncle Chuck.

Uncle Chuck informed me, “It is wet and muddy around here, so be careful!”

I questioned, “Why is that?”

“We had a heavy rain here a couple of days ago. It done made the ground soggier den a wet biscuit!”

Uncle Chuck cleaned the chicken and returned it to the coop. He tossed some feed in the front of the feeding area and locked the door. Uncle Chuck suggested we tour the barn the following day as the sun faded into darkness. We returned to the farmhouse and fell asleep in the living room near a crackling fire in the fireplace.

“Bock, bock!” the chicken cackled.

I stretched from the recliner to see an empty fireplace. The sun pierced through the flannel curtains on the living room window, casting an angle of light on Uncle Chuck in the kitchen. He emerged from the counter with a glass of orange juice, bacon, eggs, and sausage. I grabbed the plate and ate everything until Uncle Chuck called me to take the barn door. As we trekked the dirt road, the sun gleamed brighter the more we approached the barn. Uncle Chuck ran before me and slid the barn doors open with two hands. Immediately, the interior revealed a fresh distinct smell of hay and animals. The space was wide and vibrant, boasting ample room for horses, sheep, goats, cows, tools, and hay. In the third stall, I immediately noticed Kent, one of the horses from my childhood, and stroked his soft golden hair.

I turned to Uncle Chuck in shock, “I can't believe you still have Kent, Uncle Chuck!”

Uncle Chuck leaned on a haystack and uttered, “I would never sell Kent! He is my boy, next to you, of course!”

After the tour, I asked Uncle Chuck if I could take Kent for a stroll around the land. He told me I needed to watch out for the mud pools around the land. He prepared the horse for me and gave me jockey attire to wear. I suited up and rode the horse out of the barn and down the pathways about the farm. My first visit was to Oaklin Creek. I guided Kent through the creek to where I used to skip stones after school. As I hopped off the horse, I noticed a violent stream of water flooding through the creek, running underneath the ground. The rain that occurred earlier had compromised the creek and caused the land to become damp. Luckily, I managed to skip a few stones through the current before my hands tired. I jumped back on the horse and darted down the pathway to explore more sights. Just a few miles from the creek, Kent began to lose traction with the ground.

“Neigh, neigh!” the horse squealed.

I looked towards the ground to discover a landslide. As I yanked the reins, I flung off the saddle, rolled into a pile of mud, and bashed through a rusty hidden door. As I regained consciousness, I discovered grotesque lacerations underneath my clothing accompanied by recurring body aches. I moaned and rolled from the top of a blue machine and fell to the ground. Soon, the sound of humming machines revealed that I was in the farm's mechanical room. The machine I rolled from sparked a huge ball of electricity in the air, causing me to crawl under a table for cover. When the sparks cleared the room, I discovered that the exploded machine was the integral source that pumped water to the Wilson Dam. The farm's livestock and crops were now at risk of a drought. Suddenly, my thoughts jumped sporadically. I eventually came to a focus and crawled around the room until I found a ball of wire. I trembled as I pieced them into a circuit and installed it into the machine's electrical cabinet. After connecting the final wire, only one of the three lights appeared on the side of the machine instead of three. Immediately, a feeling of hopelessness flowed through my body as I scooted from the machine. I placed my hands over my head, shaking and weeping profusely at the thought of the farm's demise. As I cleared my eyes, I raised my head and discovered mud around the machine vents. I quickly snatched off the remnants of my shirt and cleaned the mud away, prompting a whiff of air into the machine.

“Rum!” The machine began to get louder, regaining its bustling energy.

Despite my agonizing labor, I was trapped in the mechanical room several feet below the rusty hidden door. My injuries hindered me from walking the stairs, so I grabbed a splintered board that came from the door to use as an improvised cane. I placed the board on the first step and hopped up each step until it started to wither under pressure. I quickened my pace, moaning as the aches tingled across my body until I reached the top of the steps.

“Snap." The board broke into half and fell to bits on the floor.

I limped out the hidden door to a muddy mess, struggling to collect my strength. My legs sank into the ground, forming bubbles in the mud as I trekked back to the farmland. I smiled and gasped as a clear current of fresh water trickled into the farmland, signifying the success of my repair. I strengthened and raised my head to see Uncle Chuck standing next to Kent, in tears.

Uncle Chuck yelled, “Oh my! What done happened to ya boy!”

He stomped in the mud, gasping at my disheveled appearance. His hand trembled as he placed it on my back, leading me to the farm to nurse my injuries. I was happy to finally be out of danger.