The Asquinn Twins Come To Forest Lake
Supplement reading for the book by Grace Brooks, The Asquinn Twins Come to Forest Lake. Published 2006 by Published by Parables. This story features more about how life was lived in the cold northern frontier.
For several miles signs had been put up along the roadside, telling travelers to be prepared to stop, road construction ahead. A man in brilliant orange vest on top of his other clothes appeared. Behind him two barricades blocked movement north. He walked up to the light blue Chrysler Town and Country station wagon, and Pastor Asquinn’s window. Pastor Asquinn rolled the window down. “Traffic must stop and wait here,” the road worker said. “We are getting ready to blast. Don’t get out of your vehicle.” “We don’t mind waiting,” Erma said. “augh,” the construction worker grunted. “hope you will be saying that five hours from now.” He quickly walked away and joined more workers huddled far away from the blast. Shortly a loud sharp noise split the air. The twins clung to their mother at the noise. Erma clung to her husband. In the back-seat Ricky let out a startled wail. Ken quickly picked him up and set the baby on his knees. There were red flames as the dynamite exploded. Rocks and black smoke lifted high into the air. The splintered rock fell back down to earth. The twins clung harder to their mother as rocks pounded to the ground close to the station wagon. Too close for their comfort. At last the noise and falling rocks subsided. Everyone sat up. Martha looked around. She saw the construction worker back at the barricade. “I wonder if we can get moving?” Pastor Asquinn said. He started the engine but at the worker held up his hand. Pastor Asquinn turned off the engine “You will have to wait now until the crushed rock is spread as a foundation for the road,” the construction worker said. “How long will that take?” Erma asked. “Can’t tell you exactly,” the worker answered. Erma heard the loud noise of heavy equipment starting up. She gathered Ricky in her arms. Martha opened the door, and Erma and the twins stepped out onto the uneven surface. Pastor Asquinn and Ken followed. Martin and Martha and the family stood together watching. Bulldozers lumbered their way on huge rubber tires to where the rock had been blasted away. Erma watched in awe as huge machinery with buckets moved tons of blasted rock, then graders smoothed out the rocks. Then came the sand. Large three-ton trucks hauled sand from a near by sand pit and dumped the sand on the rocks. Graders smoothed out sand on top of solid rock foundation. The road equipment was out of sight now. At last the barricade man walked towards the Asquinn family. “When will we get moving?” Pastor Asquinn asked. “South bound traffic is
For several miles signs had been put up along the roadside, telling travellers to be prepared to stop, road construction ahead. A man in brilliant orange vest on top of his other clothes appeared. Behind him two barricades blocked movement north. He walked up to the light blue Chrysler Town and Country station wagon, and Pastor Asquinn’s window. Pastor Asquinn rolled the window down. “Traffic must stop and wait here,” the road worker said. “We are getting ready to blast. Don’t get out of your vehicle.” “We don’t mind waiting,” Erma said. “uuugh,” the construction worker grunted. “hope you will be saying that five hours from now.” He quickly walked away and joined more workers huddled far away from the blast. Shortly a loud sharp noise split the air. The twins clung to their mother at the noise. Erma clung to her husband. In the back-seat Ricky let out a startled wail. Ken quickly picked him up and set the baby on his knees. There were red flames as the dynamite exploded. Rocks and black smoke lifted high into the air. The splintered rock fell back down to earth. The twins clung harder to their mother as rocks pounded to the ground close to the station wagon. Too close for their comfort. At last the noise and falling rocks subsided. Everyone sat up. Martha looked around. She saw the construction worker back at the barricade. “I wonder if we can get moving?” Pastor Asquinn said. He started the engine but at the worker held up his hand. Pastor Asquinn turned off the engine “You will have to wait now until the crushed rock is spread as a foundation for the road,” the construction worker said. “How long will that take?” Erma asked. “Can’t tell you exactly,” the worker answered. Erma heard the loud noise of heavy equipment starting up. She gathered Ricky in her arms. Martha opened the door, and Erma and the twins stepped out onto the uneven surface. Pastor Asquinn and Ken followed. The family stood together watching. Bulldozers lumbered their way on huge rubber tires to where the rock had been blasted away. Erma watched in awe as huge machinery with buckets moved tons of blasted rock, then graders smoothed out the rocks. Then came the sand. Large three-ton trucks hauled sand from a near by sand pit and dumped the sand on the rocks. Graders smoothed out sand on top of solid rock foundation. The road equipment was out of sight now. At last the barricade man walked towards the family station wagon. “When will we get moving?” Pastor Asquinn asked. “South bound traffic is moving, slowly,” replied the worker.
“So we can’t expect to move ahead anytime soon?” Erma asked. North bound traffic will not be able to travel until the south bound cars are clear of the single lane.”
The construction worker nodded. “I’m hungry,” Martha wailed. “I’m starving,” Martin said. “And I have to use the bathroom,” Ken said.
Erma looked around. She spied some children running to and from the thick brush and grass along the road's right-of-way. She pointed to a clump of brushes nearby. “Use those bushes over there,” Erma told him.
A catering outfit arrived. ERma and the family were supplied with dinners. She and the family ate the best they could seated on stumps and rocks. Those that were traveling sought shade after eating as the sun beat down from a cloudless sky.
Erma looked up at the sky. auagly black clouds were beginning to appear on the horizon above the tree tops.
The first of the south bound vehicles appeared. Barricades were removed and the cars started to pass through.
“How long will this take?” Martin asked. Then the last car passed, and the worker waved Pastor Asquinn and the rest forward. "Good luck up North," the worker called as the vehicle passed by him.The twins were in the front seat of the Hudson Station Wagon. Ken was in the back seat with Ricky. Ricky slept in his baby seat. The twins were closest to the door and watched in wonderment as their father followed the winding highway further north. They rode through forests of tall, green pines, the lighter spruce and silver-barked birch. The trees grew right to the edge of cliffs beside the highway; on the other side of the rock cut grew neat patches of green or brown farmlands.
Their progress was still slow. Loose, newly laid sand and gravel was not packed. The wheels of the cars ahead blew dust behind their wheels. Dust and sand blew all around the vehicle reducing the Pastor’s visibility. Martha clung to her mother as pebbles thudded to the ground all around them. Pebbles pinged, and bounced of the vehicle’s tin roof. After ten miles of dust, and pebbles they came to a stretch of road not yet worked on. The dust flying about lessened, but the road was still rutted and narrow. Driving north past a mining town named Lakeview, they came to a junction.
“Look,” Erma said. “A sign.”
"What does it say?" Pastor Asquinn asked. “Forest Lake, four miles.” Ken replied.
“Can we go in here, Da?” Martin said. Pastor Asquinn hesitated.
“I don’t think so. I wanted to get to a much bigger center,” Erma said. She picked up a road map Pastor Asquinn had ready to follow and pointed. “Right here; Timmins. It looks to be about as big a place as our hometown.”
“It might be a good idea to at least look the place over,” Ken said.
Pastor Asquinn slowed and finding a wide spot on the shoulder of the road, turned the car around, and then swung onto the gravel road. The car bounced over a single railroad crossing. There was no evidence of houses until they came to a large white house on the left side of the road, and another one on the same side, a few miles down the road. They passed a line of cars going in the opposite direction. Again, travel was slow as there was lots of traffic. Dust lay in heavy clouds along the road and lay in heavy light colored brown layers on the foliage along side the road..
“Forest Lake can’t be a very big place,” Erma said.
“It is on the map,” Pastor Asquinn said. “But I agree. It isn’t a very big place.”
After that, the twins didn’t see any more houses. view. The road ran alongside several steep rocky cliffs, with the deep blue sparkling waters of Lake Forest below and beyond. The station wagon rounded a curve, and the first cluster of houses of Forest Lake came into view.The twins let out a gasp of admiration at the gorgeous view.
The lake was deep blue.Sunlight glanced off it's surface in bright yellow beams. There was nothing to spoil the view of the scenery between the village and the lake. Only thick green grass and young trees grew there.
“I see a store,” Martha said.
All eyes turned to the left. A tall building stood there, the lumber bright and shiny. Their was a lot of windows on the top story, therefore living-quarters for the family or some kind of apartment. “Turehue’s General Store,” Pastor Asquinn read from a sign painted on the inside window.
“There’s someone inside,” Erma said. “It will be a good place to get out and stretch our legs and take a break from riding and driving.”
As the twins started to climb out, boy about Ken’s age appeared running along the gravel road. He didn’t stop when he noticed Martin taking a step towards the store steps. He kept on running and ran into him. Martin was knocked down, falling on his knees. Erma handed the baby to Pastor Asquinn and rushed to Martin. Martha followed. She pulled up his pant legs and examined his knees. “He’s okay.”
“Conrad Cameron watch what you are doing,” a male voice said. Erma looked in that direction. A man stood on the store platform. Just then a car turned into the gravel covered sidewalk from the main road. Traffic had picked up. Half a dozen cars were parked in the store’s parking lot. Others had stopped at the post office across from the store for their mail. Others made their way to one of the two hotels where they roomed. All looked tired and dirty to Erma. As if they’d just changed shifts. The driver shut off the engine, opened the door and stepped out. “Conrad, I know you children are overjoyed to start summer vacation, but that doesn’t give you any excuse to run people down; especially strangers.” “Why are you harassing my son?” the newcomer asked. “What has he done now?” “Good afternoon, Mr. Cameron,” the store owner greeted the newcomer. Mr. Cameron ignored him. His attention was focused on Pastor Asquinn. The expression on his face was like stone, his blue eyes snapped like ice.
“Sorry, Mr. Turehue,” the boy apologized.
“School’s out,” Mr. Turehue said, “where’s Matthew?’
The boy shrugged. “Don’t know. Mr. Turehue. The last we saw of him he was with Sherry in the school yard. He’s likely stopped at the school vegetable garden for one last look at the vegetables growing.” To Erma it sounded like he was mocking the other boy, for being interested in stuff that grew in the ground. “Dad, I’m going to Terry’s. He went home to fetch his swim trunks. The day’s turning into a scorcher.” Mr. Caneron waved him on. “Go swimming.” Conrad continued up the road and turned into a walkway at the end. Reassured Martin hadn’t received any injuries, Erma went to her husband. As she reached for the baby, she noticed Pastor Asquinn’s head was lowered, his eyes closed as if praying. All this after the store owner called that boy Conrad Cameron...
To be continued.