Ross’s Landing

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

Ross “Rosco” Sovern awoke at sunrise to his face being slobbered by pooch smooches. It was his trusty Australian Shepard companion, Khaleesi, letting him know it was time to wake up. Ross was a little rough around the edges, and he felt it as he rose to his feet. At first, he was a bit confused as to where he even was. It didn't take him long to realize that he was standing on the small shore of Kingston's Pilot Point. The night before had been a doozy, full of bonfires, cold beers, and quite 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 up the strenuous hike back 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 one can find 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, Ross battled the rough march like a lonesome soldier. Atop the hill, Ross caught his breath and released Khaleesi from his arm. 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 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. Ross sighed at the thought of having to jump start it. He really wasn't in the mood this morning. His moment of irritation was abruptly interrupted by panic. Ross frantically shoved his hand into his right pocket but it was empty. His heart started quickly picking up the pace. With great relief, his hand found the truck keys in the other pocket. What a relief. Ross opened the passenger door for Khaleesi and pulled out his phone to see the time. Ross 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 especially haggard from all the miles he had loaded onto her. He really needed to buy a new pair of Chacos. Another thing to pile onto the never-ending to-do list. But nothing at this point took precedent over fixing that damned starter. He promised himself that he would do it after work that evening. No matter what.

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 Puget 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 knocked him off his feet, bringing him flat on his face. After hitting the ground, Ross looked up in terror as he watched the 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. She was having the time of her life. Just feet away from the cliff's 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 Toyota crashed its way down the sheer cliff face.

Khaleesi rested on the ground beside Ross, her ears perked up and her eyes wide, staring out into the beautiful scenery ahead of them. Ross got up and just stared out into the morning sky, his eyes frozen in a daze of disbelief. Ross was completely drenched in shock. Everything happened so fast that it wasn't possible to begin processing all that had just went down. The chaos of the situation was so thick that reality itself even felt smothered by uncertainty. One thing was certain, though. Rosco would not be making it to work on time that morning.