Troubles in the Golden State

Sam Warren
10/29/14
Hamilton
3rd period
Prequel to OMAM

George woke up to the droning sound of the trains horn. The sky looked as if
someone had dyed it grey, filled with smoke. All of the bushes leaves had turned that
orange, fall color and were falling off the branches now. The normally gushing river
beside the camp had turned into a barely maintainable spout. Everyday, lost,
depressed souls who were down on their luck piled into the camp, hoping to make a
decent living. There were shacks and tents sprawled across the hard, dusty soil,
smelling of blood, sweat, and mud. Tired, hungry men covered in dirt and wearing
tattered clothing piled in to their sordid shacks after a strenuous workday.
Cmon Lennie, we dont wanna be late for our first day of work, George said
as he hopped out of the train.
But George, its four in the morning, his giant companion replied.
No its not, its almost five in the afternoon you dimwit, George countered as
he looked around the camp.
George sneered and the doughy-faced man reluctantly returned to him. He
saw all of the gloomy faces step off the train. Why is everybody so sad? This should be
exiting, he thought. A dark figure approached as the throng of new workers neared
the gates of the camp.
Welcome to our camp and the town of Weed, the tall, lanky man said as he
stepped out of the shadows. I am your camp foreman, Eddie Stackhouse, he
exclaimed.
After the men were shown to their shacks, it was soon dinnertime. Lennie
looked at his barf-colored paste and made a face as if he had just received news of
his parents dying.
George, do they have any ketchup, Lennie asked.

*= Quote from Of Mice and Men

Go check the counter if you really need it, George said as he looked for a
seat.
George sat down at an empty table and Lennie came back with a bottle full of
ketchup. Soon after dinnertime, George and Lennie crawled back into their shack.
George, Lennie said.
What, George replied.
Am I gonna like it here, he asked.
Of course you are, and well be out of here in no time, George answered.
And were gonna get that farm?
Yup.
And Im gonna get the rabbits and pet um all day long?
You betcha.
Oh golly George, thatd be swell.
You just focus on work and Ill find the money to get us there.
Alright George, Im gonna have some fun.
Except that wasnt what happened. Lennie and George got put through the
hardest work in their entire lives. Week after week, shoveling dirt, planting fruit
trees, then picking the fruit off those fruit trees, and repeating the perfunctory
process. George began to gel with the coworkers, but for Lennie, not so much. He
intimidated people because of his stature. Being a 67, 270 pound behemoth made
the world shake whenever he took a step. But the workers alienated him. Lennie
was reaching a breaking point.
Im not sure how much more of this I can take, George, Lennie whimpered.
Quit your blubberin. Ill tell you what, payday is tomorrow, well hit the
town then and have some fun, alright, George asked.
Alright, that sounds good, Lennie agreed.
After another long, tiring work day, George and Lennie were handed a stack
of soft, worn down, green paper and were off to the town. They had never seen
anything like it. There were buildings decked out in neon lights, fancy cars, and
people galore. This is magnificent, Lennie thought. Lennie soon found something that
caught his eye. A dark blue silk skirt that he just needed to touch.
*= Quote from Of Mice and Men

Excuse me miss, but do you mind if I feel your skirt, Lennie asked.
Sure, the affluent looking woman replied with a bewildered look on her
face.
It felt like heaven. The solace silk perfectly rubbed up against his fingers like
a cat and a scratching post. Lennie felt like he was going to purr. As he felt, the
woman squirmed and tried to leave but Lennie just tugged harder. The skirt
eventually ripped too much embarrassment of the woman.
RAPE, RAPE, POLICE COME SAVE ME, she screamed.
Lennie knew what to do. With bounding steps, he barreled towards the work
camp like a fullback to the end zone. After hearing the screams, George knew
immediately what had happened. I sure hope that dumb bastard knows what to do,
he thought. Lennie, hearing the police sirens blaring, was making his way to the
arranged place.
As soon as George stepped off the buss, he was looking. Behind the shacks,
mess hall, bathrooms, you name it.
Lennie, said George.
What, Lennie answered.
If you ever get in trouble, which you will, you meet me there, George said as
he gestured to a scarlet wooden barn.
At the stables, asked Lennie.
Yessir.
Lennie was in the stables now, looking for any sign of human life. He heard
footsteps and a familiar figure walked in.
What the hell do you think your doin, George angrily said.
George! Thank god youre here, Lennie said as he hugged his puny
companion.
The two set off away from the camp, looking for a new home. After a couple
days, they found a clearing beside the Salinas River.
Were gonna spend the night here Lennie, George exclaimed.
Why?
I have my reasons, I like it here.*
*= Quote from Of Mice and Men