Town of Gold: Chapter 1

II. 1918

1918 was a terrible year for the small, dying town of Bodie, Washington. Years after the death of John I, the town struggled to find its way back out of the hole that John I dug...

April, 1918

"The town is falling apart. We barely have any gold left i don't know how much longer we can make this town last. The gold is the center of our economy, and our way to get help. We need to slow down the gold mining industry to help us. My father told me many times that we need to 'Make it last' and that's what we're going to do; because this town's motto is 'Make it last' in honor of my father and his father's efforts in this town. We need to build more industries so that we are not running just off of gold. No, how about coal, or wood, or furniture, or houses, or even food. We still have a chance to grow, citizens of Bodie, we still have a chance to last. We the people of Bodie, Washington, will make it last." John II announced as his closing to his speech of 1918. The town was gathered for the annual town conference when John II said this. The people were cheering for minutes after the final motto was said. Parties were thrown, sales were going on for nearby towns to visit Bodie. 

For months after, the town was in reconstruction mode, more houses were being built, more factories, more stores, more roads for cars to come through, even a new highway system was being built from the Canadian border through Bodie. But even in the height of something great, something small can affect the course of history forever...

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July, 1918

The mining business was slowing down, just as John I wanted. Instead of working six days a week, John II has reduced it to just three days a week. This has shown progress in the development of Bodie. 

Joe mined and mined away, as he was the hardest worker in the gold mine. he found a pocket of gold and he was mining away at it when all of a sudden, he collapsed; fell face first to the ground and blood started to come out of his nose and mouth. 

"Help! Joe is injured! He- He's passed out. Quick Jack!" Isaac yelled up out of the mine. Jack rushed inside and him and Isaac picked up Joe and dragged him out of the deep, hot mine. 

"It must've been heat stroke or something." Jack said to Isaac as they set Joe down.

"That's likely, but why this day and not every other day, it's always this hot when he goes to work." Isaac replied. 

"Weird..." Jack said under his breath. 

Jack and Isaac waited and waited for the nurses to arrive and take Joe back to the hospital. Days pass, even weeks, and the doctors don't know what to diagnose Joe with, they are lost and confused. Joe dies in the hospital bed without warning, and when no one was around late at night in July. This was only the beginning...

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October, 1918

Jennifer was a young girl in her early teen years. She often walked alone in the town in the evening. She loved to enjoy the sights of the town in progress of restoration. She liked to explore the nearby forest, even when the town told her that the forest was forbidden; but never said why. In fact the leaders of the city knew why, but never told the town the reason that Fisher Forest was forbidden. 

Jennifer walked to work on a Friday in October, she worked in the library. She started to cough uncontrollably, sometimes even spitting blood as she did so. When she coughed loudly, she moved to the back to hide herself, and clean up the blood. She picked out a book that had the title: "Fisher: A Family History" Jennifer thought that this would give a clue to the history of Fisher Forest. She opened up to the first page a saw an old, black and white picture of the Fisher family, and an even older picture that looked like a drawing, or painting of the earlier generations.