The Pinecone of Secrets
Chapter I
Character Creation on Maple Street
The sun rose gently over the rows of what was presumably a normal, unassuming stretch of upper Midwest town. In particular, it seemed to cast a more radiant glow along the stretches of various middle to upper class homes with well maintained landscaping on Maple Street. It was a Spring day, the end of March, and the town of Sunnyside, which was tucked against a mountainside, was just kicking away the remnants of what would be their last snowfall of the year.
All was quiet, save for the casual but almost uniform sound of several car alarms being disarmed. And almost as if on que, the front doors of the various homes on Maple Street would open as a legion of fatherly figures meandered out of their homes. Coats, suits, brief cases and coffee cups. Waves of hands, caffeine fueled smiles and neighborly exchanges of
“Morning! Heck of a week! “
“How about those Jets!”
“Hump day am I right?”
Came from all of them at seemingly scheduled intervals, as their wives followed them out to the porches, giving parting kisses and waves, before one by one they climbed into their vehicles and systematically backed out of their driveways and screeched off in rather frantic speeds, belying their niceties.
The mothers all waved to one another with a mixed bag of genuine and feigned smiles, before dipping back inside their homes. A calm silence filled the neighborhood again, birds could be heard chirping and singing, darting about in-between trees. The skies looked mostly cloud free, and were showing to be a bright, clear, beautiful blue.
It was going to be a fantastic day.