I woke up on a barge loaded with sheep being driven across some stretch of water. There was a man at the tiller that I could not clearly see in the early morning light.

I couldn’t remember how I ended up there and the polite farmer, who gave me a ride back to mainland, didn’t know either.

I sat completely in a daze while he unloaded his animals onto the land before getting back onto the barge and turning it around.

On the ride back he explained how he has loaded his sheep onto the barge in the darkness many a time before and never has he had a man turn up. I had to laugh at how casually he spoke of the situation.

I, on the other hand, was panicking inside as I was quickly realizing that I had no idea where I was. As the panic was beginning to turn into terror, I finally put together the question,  “so where are we” I asked?  

“Well this here is Little Village Lake, and that island is known as Baker’s Island. Although I don’t think it’s an official name, just on account of John Baker Senior, who died long before I came to this earth, cuz he was doing some kinda illegal activities there. . . but we are heading back to Parker’s landing, which is named after my family on account that we owns all the land around that spot.”

He rattled off the short description in such a way that I actually found myself enjoying his style of story telling. He had a comforting tone and pace about him that I was distracted long enough that I, for just a moment, forgot I had no clue where this was.  

“What is the closest city or town?” I tried to say matter of factually.  

“Well Woodruff is not far, maybe 40 minutes” he replied.  

“Woodruff?” I said. I had no clue where Woodruff was.  

“Yeah, Woodruff, do you not know where you are? “ He laughed and continued, “first I find a guy sleeping on my barge with a tattoo of a Chicken on his arm and now he has no clue where he is!”  

“Chicken on his arm?” I mumbled as I looked at my arm to see a fresh tattoo of a chicken with a scroll in its mouth.   

To be continued……