After four hours on the road, they weren't terribly tired but they were still very happy to arrive at the gate to the ranch. They turned onto a gravel road that led through a grassy meadow that was surrounded by rolling hills. At what may have been the other end of the property the land started rising where a fairly-dense forest started building up and it stretched all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.
"Holy cow, Boss. How big is this place," exclaimed Goldberg.
"We will get to the house pretty soon. It's up here behind the next hill. They like privacy and they bought this place when land was cheap."
Harrison didn't say any more as he knew there would be a whole host of questions once they stopped as the students hadn't seen anything yet. As they drove around the hill and the house came into view, he was happy to see his parents puttering around in the garden. They stood to greet them as the caravan arrived and waved at each vehicle.
The caravan stopped in front of the house and Harrison walked up to his parents, first to give his mother a hug and then pleased to feel the firmness of his father's handshake. The handshake didn't last long and then his father hugged him too. Harrison was most happy to see them looking healthy. Both of them were wrinkled from their years but not so much and they were tanned from the Kentucky sun. It was obvious they didn't get tanned like that by hanging about doing nothing at a beach.
"Please let me introduce everyone," said Harrison and then he continued, "may I present Steve Goldberg and Jane Margolis, Mark Campbell and Christine Sweeney and, my driving companion, Harold Gill. Everyone, may I present my parents, Roger and Susan."
There were many handshakes and hugs all around as they got through the introductions but most of all there were smiles. While Harrison's parents enjoyed their privacy, they weren't shy and they were pleased to meet their son's students.
"There is one more introduction, Daniel," said Roger. "Take a look over at the porch."
Harrison was immensely surprised to see a strikingly good-looking woman waving and walking down the steps to the porch. As she walked toward them she called out, hey, Tiger!"
"Boss, she calls you Tiger," said Goldberg, apparently impressed.
Harrison smiled and said, "Relax, son. She's my wife. I wasn't always an ageing professor."
Harrison gave her a huge hug and a kiss then told her quietly, "You got my letter. I have missed you terribly and I am so happy you are here."
Caroline said, also quietly, "I'm very happy to be here too but we can talk later. I'm not going to leave."
Harrison smiled at her and squeezed her hand. There was so much to say but she was right. They would have plenty of time for themselves later.
"Daniel, I read in your letter that you have some need for going underground. Would you like to show your gang how we do it," asked Roger Harrison.
"Sure, Dad. They don't know much of the setup here except that you two have been building it up from an old sixties nuclear war fallout shelter."
Harrison turned to his students and said, "Back to the vehicles everyone. Let's get them parked, unpacked and the dogs free to run about."
He went back to his camper and idled away from the house as the other vehicles fell in behind him. When he got to the separated garage, he pulled into the first parking space and then called out the window, "hold where you are for a few minutes. You will see why in just a minute."
After pulling the camper into place, Harrison turned to Gill and said, "we need to let the dogs out and unload the luggage here."
The dogs were obviously happy to be released and seemed to understand they had reached their destination. Archie ran up to Harrison and said, "home?"
"Yes," said Harrison. "We are home."
When the others saw the dogs were out of the vehicle, they let their own dogs out as well and the dogs started gambolling together with Archie leading the way and saying Home to each of them.
After unloading their luggage, Harrison said to Gill, "you may get a kick out of this next part. Please stand back a few yards."
Harrison then walked to a panel to a table by the wall and picked up what looked like a remote control. He got back into the camper and pressed the button marked Down. The elevator started descending and Harrison smiled a little as he thought of Gill's surprise at seeing this happening. After moving the camper into one of the underground parking spaces, he stepped back onto the platform and pushed the Up button.
Gill was actually smiling when Harrison came back to ground level and he said, "Boss, I suspect that's not the last surprise of this day."
"Harold, are you calling to start calling me Boss too," asked Harrison, laughing.
"It's either that or the Wizard of Oz, you choose," replied Gill who was smiling quite broadly now. He loved science fiction and he had started thinking he was about to see a lot of it.
Harrison walked over to Goldberg's van and passed the remote control to him. He then told him the procedure and, for once, Goldberg didn't say anything. Like Gill, he was already guessing this wasn't the first surprise this day would bring.
While the others were getting their vehicles stowed away, Harrison walked over to join his father as he had seen him backing up his tractor to a trailer to one side of the barn garage and Harrison thought he would see if he could help. When they were finished Harrison rode with his father in the tractor's cab as they drove back to meet everyone else.
Before getting out, Roger said, "ask your mother to ride on the trailer with the kids. I'm sure she will enjoy getting to know them better and I'd like you to ride up here with me so I can bring you up to date on what has been happening."
"Sure thing, Dad," said Harrison and we went back to tell everyone what they needed to do.
After his mother and the students were sitting on the trailer, he said to them, "it will take about fifteen minutes to get to The Refuge so make yourselves comfortable on the hay bales and Mother can tell you more about where we are going. I will ride with my Dad and we will regroup when we get there."
"I feel like there should be snow all around and we are about to start singing Christmas carols," called out Goldberg.
Susan said, "if you're still here in a few months, maybe we will."
Goldberg looked at her quizzically but she just smiled and didn't say anything more as they got settled in for the ride.
"Holy cow, Boss. How big is this place," exclaimed Goldberg.
"We will get to the house pretty soon. It's up here behind the next hill. They like privacy and they bought this place when land was cheap."
Harrison didn't say any more as he knew there would be a whole host of questions once they stopped as the students hadn't seen anything yet. As they drove around the hill and the house came into view, he was happy to see his parents puttering around in the garden. They stood to greet them as the caravan arrived and waved at each vehicle.
The caravan stopped in front of the house and Harrison walked up to his parents, first to give his mother a hug and then pleased to feel the firmness of his father's handshake. The handshake didn't last long and then his father hugged him too. Harrison was most happy to see them looking healthy. Both of them were wrinkled from their years but not so much and they were tanned from the Kentucky sun. It was obvious they didn't get tanned like that by hanging about doing nothing at a beach.
"Please let me introduce everyone," said Harrison and then he continued, "may I present Steve Goldberg and Jane Margolis, Mark Campbell and Christine Sweeney and, my driving companion, Harold Gill. Everyone, may I present my parents, Roger and Susan."
There were many handshakes and hugs all around as they got through the introductions but most of all there were smiles. While Harrison's parents enjoyed their privacy, they weren't shy and they were pleased to meet their son's students.
"There is one more introduction, Daniel," said Roger. "Take a look over at the porch."
Harrison was immensely surprised to see a strikingly good-looking woman waving and walking down the steps to the porch. As she walked toward them she called out, hey, Tiger!"
"Boss, she calls you Tiger," said Goldberg, apparently impressed.
Harrison smiled and said, "Relax, son. She's my wife. I wasn't always an ageing professor."
Harrison gave her a huge hug and a kiss then told her quietly, "You got my letter. I have missed you terribly and I am so happy you are here."
Caroline said, also quietly, "I'm very happy to be here too but we can talk later. I'm not going to leave."
Harrison smiled at her and squeezed her hand. There was so much to say but she was right. They would have plenty of time for themselves later.
"Daniel, I read in your letter that you have some need for going underground. Would you like to show your gang how we do it," asked Roger Harrison.
"Sure, Dad. They don't know much of the setup here except that you two have been building it up from an old sixties nuclear war fallout shelter."
Harrison turned to his students and said, "Back to the vehicles everyone. Let's get them parked, unpacked and the dogs free to run about."
He went back to his camper and idled away from the house as the other vehicles fell in behind him. When he got to the separated garage, he pulled into the first parking space and then called out the window, "hold where you are for a few minutes. You will see why in just a minute."
After pulling the camper into place, Harrison turned to Gill and said, "we need to let the dogs out and unload the luggage here."
The dogs were obviously happy to be released and seemed to understand they had reached their destination. Archie ran up to Harrison and said, "home?"
"Yes," said Harrison. "We are home."
When the others saw the dogs were out of the vehicle, they let their own dogs out as well and the dogs started gambolling together with Archie leading the way and saying Home to each of them.
After unloading their luggage, Harrison said to Gill, "you may get a kick out of this next part. Please stand back a few yards."
Harrison then walked to a panel to a table by the wall and picked up what looked like a remote control. He got back into the camper and pressed the button marked Down. The elevator started descending and Harrison smiled a little as he thought of Gill's surprise at seeing this happening. After moving the camper into one of the underground parking spaces, he stepped back onto the platform and pushed the Up button.
Gill was actually smiling when Harrison came back to ground level and he said, "Boss, I suspect that's not the last surprise of this day."
"Harold, are you calling to start calling me Boss too," asked Harrison, laughing.
"It's either that or the Wizard of Oz, you choose," replied Gill who was smiling quite broadly now. He loved science fiction and he had started thinking he was about to see a lot of it.
Harrison walked over to Goldberg's van and passed the remote control to him. He then told him the procedure and, for once, Goldberg didn't say anything. Like Gill, he was already guessing this wasn't the first surprise this day would bring.
While the others were getting their vehicles stowed away, Harrison walked over to join his father as he had seen him backing up his tractor to a trailer to one side of the barn garage and Harrison thought he would see if he could help. When they were finished Harrison rode with his father in the tractor's cab as they drove back to meet everyone else.
Before getting out, Roger said, "ask your mother to ride on the trailer with the kids. I'm sure she will enjoy getting to know them better and I'd like you to ride up here with me so I can bring you up to date on what has been happening."
"Sure thing, Dad," said Harrison and we went back to tell everyone what they needed to do.
After his mother and the students were sitting on the trailer, he said to them, "it will take about fifteen minutes to get to The Refuge so make yourselves comfortable on the hay bales and Mother can tell you more about where we are going. I will ride with my Dad and we will regroup when we get there."
"I feel like there should be snow all around and we are about to start singing Christmas carols," called out Goldberg.
Susan said, "if you're still here in a few months, maybe we will."
Goldberg looked at her quizzically but she just smiled and didn't say anything more as they got settled in for the ride.
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