Ross’s Landing

A man, his dog, and a crash landing. As our traditions and values continue to slither down the rungs of lore, stories have been passed down from years behind into generations that have not yet been. Ross’s Landing is one of those stories.

Ross “Rosco” Sovern awoke early to his trusty Australian Shepard companion, Khaleesi, smothering his face with slobbery smooches. He was a little rough around the edges, and he felt it as he rose to his feet. At first, he was a bit confused where he was, but quickly realized that he was standing on the small shore of Kingston's Pilot Point. The gentle waves of the rolling Puget Sound brought with it high waters and everything else that is magical in the tide. The night before had been a doozy, full of bon fires, cold beers, and possibly some whiskey. OK. Most likely whiskey.

As the 6-foot something, blue eyed rugged man rubbed awareness into his eyes, he realized that he was probably late for work. Just next to him was a smoldering campfire, a smokey wisp of its final breath zig-zagging up into the wind. Far off, a ferry boat grunted as it made its commute to Edmonds from Kingston. Ross stretched the creak out of his back, let out a weary yawn, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was pleased to see that if he hauled ass back up to Austin Iles' house, where is truck was parked, he could still make it to work on time.

This was long before Austin crafted the stairs you see today, so it was a long and demanding trek back up the hill. One had to battle thick bramble and steep inclines by way of rope. Ross’s pounding head was not stoked on the endeavor. Huffing and puffing, with Khaleesi nestled in the nook of his arm while his other free hand pulled the two unsung heroes up the rope, Ross battled the rough trek like a lonesome soldier. Atop the hill, Ross caught his breath and released Khaleesi from his arms. She hit the ground and started running circles around him. If only he could have her energy right now.

"Next time you can carry yourself," he said to Khaleesi. She ignored him and kept running around him, wanting to play. Ross took his shirt off, now drenched in sweat, and wiped his face dry. He looked down and was pleased to see that his skin was a pleasant bronze. And he was kind of jacked. The Summertime Construction-Worker Body was in full fledge.

Not far off, he could see his truck, a mint blue Toyota-Pickup that he had gotten for a screamin' deal. He loved that truck, and demonstrated his love with a lot of labor and work that went into the thing. Which reminded him that he really needed to put that starter in it. But times were busy and it was difficult to find the time to do the work. He was, however, super tired of jump starting it. Abruptly, Ross began to panic. He frantically shoved his hand into his right pocket but it was empty. His heart started to race. Thankfully, his hand found the truck keys in the left pocket. What a relief. As he glanced at his phone while opening the passenger door for Khaleesi, he was pleased to see that he was definitely going to make it to work on time. Hell, he was going to be early.

After Khaleesi hopped into the passenger seat, Ross slammed the door shut and walked around to the driver side. As he opened the door, his eyes found his feet. The right sandal was looking haggard from all the miles he had loaded into her. He really needed to buy new sandals. Ross hopped in the driver seat, threw his sweaty shirt onto the floor in front of Khaleesi, put the key in the ignition, turned it and put the car into 2nd gear. Then he got out and started pushing the truck, the mighty blue Sound glimmering beyond the faraway cliff edge in front of him. This little bump-start beginning was business as usual. Ross would be on the road in no time.

As Ross just got the truck to the right speed, his sandal snapped and swept him off his feet, bringing him flat on his face. After hitting the ground, Ross looked up in terror as he watched he blue Toyota gain speed like a rogue missile, straight for the cliff. He was up and running along the runaway truck in a flash, trailing along the passenger side. Khaleesi was still sitting in the truck, tongue wild in a smile. Khaleesi was having the time of her life. Just feet away from the cliff edge, Ross was able to yank Khaleesi from the truck's open window. He hit the ground, rolled, and heard the loud explosion of rock and timber as the truck plummeted through Pilot Point's lush cliffside.

Khaleesi rested on the ground beside Ross, her ears perked up and her wide eyes staring out into the beautiful scenery ahead of them. Ross got up and just stared in a out into the morning sky, dazed. Needless to say, Ross did not make it to work on time that morning.