Appalachian Suite, the Beginning
by J Pardo libguy3@yahoo.com
In which Tina loses her memory and finds love.


Rated PG (V)

Don't you ever touch me again, Tina yelled. She ran to David her arms swinging
intending to get him back, but at 90 pounds, her blows were ineffective
against his 200 pound frame. "What's the matter little girl, can't hit any
harder than that?" he asked with a sneer. "I'll show you, Lemonetti", she
said, and kick up hitting him in his privates. He fell to his knees in pain,
and as she came in for round 2, he swung his massive arm up in an arc, and
connected with head. She fell down unconscious and her head struck a rock,
causing it to bleed perfusely.

David realized what he had done. She wasn't moving, and her head was pumping
blood. He ripped off her shirt and wrapped her head. He couldn't tell if she
was alive or not, but with his scholarship to Madison University on the line,
didn't want to confess to any crime.

He threw her in the trunk of his car, and drove out of Philadelphia. He didn't
have any direction in mind, but then, driving Northwest, he saw the great
Appalachian Mountains. He drove up and around the curvy mountain road until he
was far out of sight of the main highway. He opened the truck and carried her
apparently lifeless body far into the woods where he dumped her, then ran back
to his car and drove away. On the way back, he decided to have the car
detailed. He wanted to get rid of any evidence. He found a detailing shop in
Reading, PA and explained that he had found a dead deer and delivered it to
the police as a civic duty. The detailer noticed all the blood and accepted
his explanation. "I'll have it done in a few hours, you can walk down main
street for some grub, or wait here, it don't matter."

David didn't want to stick around, he was already sweating, and didn't want to
arouse suspicion, so he walked to where the man was pointing.

Fred Carson drove the car into his shop. "That animal was SOME bleeder," Fred
thought, getting some dry towels to soak up the blood. He reached in and felt
a sharp object poking his hand. He found a broken headband, like a schoolgirl
would wear, and immediately became concerned. He was about to call the police,
when his garage partner rushed in.

"Ginny's been in an accident!" Sam yelled. Ginny was Fred's youngest daughter,
so Fred ran out of the garage and threw the headband into trash as he left.

Sam didn't want Fred to get behind, so he proceeded to detail the car Fred was
working on. In a few hours, David came back.

"Is my car ready?" he asked.

"Just about!" Sam said poking his head out of the truck.

"Where's the other fellow?" David wondered. He had hoped that he wasn't off
calling the police.

"His daughter fell off her bike and hit her head, Fred's at the hospital with
her." Sam explained.

David was visibly relieved. "I just gotta wipe off the trim," Sam said.

"Don't worry about it!" David said. "I need to get back, how much do I owe
you?"

"$75" Sam said.

David pulled out a $100 bill from his wallet, and paid the man.

Sam gave him his change and David drove away. "That fella was anxious ta
leave," he thought, then went on to the next car.

The next day Fred returned. He didn't see the car, so figured Sam must have
finished with it. He looked around for the headband, then realized he didn't
even get the man's name on a bill as Sam came in.

"Did you work on that car I was with when I left?" Fred asked.

"Yep", Sam said. "that guy sure was in a hurry to leave.

"So where's his bill? Fred asked.

"He just paid me cash, but I thought you had the bill." Sam replied.

"Nope," Fred said, "didn't get a chance to before Ginny's accident. By the
way, the doctor's said she'll be okay, she cut her head when she fell, but no
internal damage."

"That's great!" Sam said, then went back to the car he was detailing.

"Yep!" Fred said, walking back into his office.

David got back to Philly by nightfall. His father ran out of the house to yell
at him. "Where you been?" he shouted angrily.

"I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, so I got your car detailed."
David said, without a hint of fear.

Jerry Lemonetti was shocked. Maybe his kid was getting more responsible,
before he went to college.

David opened the car with a flourish. "TADAA!" he yelled. The new car smell
made Jerry smile. "That's my boy!" he said happily. He and David went inside
to watch baseball.

Granda Gertie loved walking among the trees. In all her 65 years, she'd never
traveled more than 10 miles from her cabin on the Appalachian Mountains. Had
she want to she could have walked all the up to Maine, or down to Alabammy,
but her home was here, and here she'd stay. She didn't need that smelly air
from Philly. The fresh mountain air and water sustained her. The forest fed
her, and she was content. She'd talk to the squirrels and deer and any other
animal that passed by her cabin, and they weren't afraid of her. She walked to
her favorite tree, where her husband had carved their names, and bumped into
something. She looked down and saw a little girl with a large gash on her
head. Gertie scooped up the girl and ran to her cabin.

"Don't be dead girl!" she yelled. "I don't need another youngin' ta die"

In response, Tina made a whimpering sound.

"Don't fret none, child, Granny's got ya," she said compassionately. Gertie
laid the girl on her soft featherbed, not caring about the blood, then went to
make a potion. She heated a pot of water, then started throwing in herbs.

"Feverfew and ginger for the pain," she said, reciting a recipe, and a
poultice of fenugreek, flaxseed and slippery elm bark for the swelling"

"Here, child, drink this from Granny Gertie," Gertie said with a soothing
tone.

Tina absentmindedly obeyed. The potion was strong and bitter to the taste, but
the effects were immediate. She was no longer in pain, and she felt stronger.
Soon the calming effects of the brew took place and she drifted off to sleep.
Granny put the poultice on the child's head.

Gertie heard her quiet, steady, breathing, and examined her closer for any
other wounds. The gash in her forehead had stopped bleeding, so Gertie got a
washcloth and cleaned the wound, being careful not to open the scab. Because
the blood had gotten on the child's dress, Gertie looked around for some
suitable clothes, then she remembered Nellie's box. Her dear, sweet, Nellie,
Gertie thought, then tears rolled down her cheeks.

Nellie was 9 when she died. Playing near that old tree, she'd loved to climb
and chase the squirrels. She wasn't paying attention to the weather, or to her
Granny Gertie, when the storm hit. Gertie had insisted that she come inside,
and Nellie said she would. But because she waited too long and so was in the
tree when the lightning struck. The doc said she'd died instantly, the
blackened stump of the tree evidence of the lightning's power. A part of
Gertie died that day too, and she became a recluse. Only the animals, who
Nellie loved, could approach her, and all the other people in her life had
stopped trying.

Gertie took the dress and undergarments off the child. She stared at the
child's thin body with her puny arms, and was amazed at their size. "If you're
going to live, child, we gotta get you stronger," Gertie said to the sleeping
child, and went to make another potion.

When Tina woke up, she felt much better, then pain in her head had stopped,
but she couldn't remember how she got there, she couldn't even remember her
name.

"Where am I?" Tina asked, "and who are you?"

"Don't fret none, child, I'm Granny Gertie and you're in my cabin," Gertie
said calmly. "I done doctored you up, you been sleeping for 3 days, ya had me
worried, youngin'"

"Thank you, Granny. Although I don't know you... God! I don't even know who I
am. What's my name?" Tina said with a growing panic.

"I didn't find nothin' on ya, when I found ya," Granny said, "I don't know who
ya are, but it don't matter none cause you're welcomed ta stay here as long as
ya want."

Tina relaxed visibly, knowing she was safe, and with a good person.

"I'm very weak, Granny," Tina said.

"Of course ya are, you ain't had nothin' ta eat for 3 days. Just Granny's
potion." Granny said waving toward the pot on the stove. "I'll fix ya up a
mess of food, just lie still."

Tina obeyed quietly, waiting for Granny's dinner. Twenty minutes later, Granny
brought her some chicken soup. The soup had a rich, hearty, flavor and Tina
ate quickly.

"Slow down," Granny said, "it ain't goin' nowhere. Asides You don't want to
get sick eatin' too fast."

Tina slowed her pace, and was able to eat a bowl and a half, over a half-hour
period. She couldn't identify some of the ingredients, but whatever was in
there, made her sleepy, and so obligingly, she closed her eyes and drifted
off.

Several hours had past when Tina woke up. Granny had brought the rocking chair
over next to the bed so she could see when Tina awoke.

"Are ya comfortable, child?" Granny asked with concern.

"Yes, Granny, thank you." Tina said with a smile. "I am hungry, again,
though."

Granny jumped up to get more soup. Granny added puncture vine powder yohimbe,
and spinach to the soup, as she poured it into a bowl.

Tina ate slowly this time, and noticed a new flavor. A little more peppery and
nutty, then the last time. With each swallow, Tina felt stronger, she could
feel her heart pumping fast as if it was working extra hard. She stared at her
arms and saw a definite swelling. She flexed her arm and a small bicep formed.
Not much, the size of a golf ball, but a great inprovement over what she had.
She sat up in bed and put her legs over the edge to stand up.

"Wait for me," Granny said excitedly, as she ran over to to steady her. Tina
stood up, unsteady at first, but then gained more confidence, and stepped
forward with Granny's hands under her armpits, just in case. Her heart pumped
more, and her leg muscles grew as the need arose. Granny stepped back, and
Tina kept going under her own power.

Granny smiled at Tina walked around her cabin. Tina investigated her new
surroundings, and thought how simple, yet elegant, Granny's place is. No
television, or radio was seen. She wondered how Granny kept up with the news,
but then realized that Granny wouldn't care.

"What do you do for fun, Granny?" Tina asked.

"Fun?" Granny replied, "I get my fun from bein' outside and visitin' with
nature. Nature has a lot ta say, iff'n you jus' listen."

"Granny, I'm so confused. I really don't remember who I am. There's probably
someone out there looking for me, wondering where I am." Tina said with tears
in her eyes.

"If you were meant to be found, the Good Lord will provide a way," Granny said
with assurance. "but until then, Granny's here for you."

Tina ran to Granny with a big hug. She tried to reach around her waist, but it
was very bulky, not fat, but with plenty of muscles.

"Granny! What big muscles you have" Tina yelled.

"The better to pick ya up, my dear" Granny said with a smile, remembering her
favorite nursery rhyme from her childhood.

Tina laughed at Granny's expression, then got serious. "How did you get so
strong, Granny?"

"Well, there twern't nobody here but me, when this needed fixin'" she
explained. "My mama passed down her recipes for potions ta me afore she died.
One of them was for strength, cause she needed it ta handle my pa. He was a
bear of a man, most of the time he was a good provider, but get some likker in
him, and he went wild. Mama needed something to stop him from hurting her, so
she, being wise in the way of plants, made a potion that made her strong. She
whupped up on pa, and he left her alone after that. I put some of that in your
soup, so you'd grow some."

"Well, it's starting to work. I feel stronger now, thanks," Tina said.

Granny Gertie was deep in thought, she wanted to help the child find her past,
but she didn't want to let her go. She had grown very fond of this little one.

"I'll do what I can to help you find your people, child, but I got ta confess,
I sure like your company," Granny said getting misty-eyed.

"I'll still love you, Granny, no matter what!" Tina said, hugging Granny
fiercely.

"Let me get Ol' Bessie, and head inta town," Granny said as she headed out the
door. "Fix us up a jar of soup ta take with us."

Tina looked around the kitchen and found a large pickle jar, which she filled
with hot soup. It was quite heavy, and she found she couldn't lift it. She
remembered its special properties, and ate a small bowlful. By the time she
was finished, she was strong enough to lift the jar. She put it down quickly
when it got too hot. Granny came back in and grabbed the jar. Her large,
calloused, hands not feeling the heat as she strapped it on the cart.

"Let head out. Close the door behind ya," Granny said looking back.

Tina grabbed ahold of the door handle and pulled hard. The door frame shook as
door connected.

"Landsakes, girl. You 'bout pulled the door clean out," Granny said with a
laugh.

Tina turned around and saw that the frame had pushed out about 2 inches. She
looked down at her arms and noticed how large they had grown. She flexed and a
baseball-sized bicep formed. "Wow, Granny! Your potion is potent!."

"Yep, soup's been brewin' awhile and musta made the herbs more powerful. Did
you have more?" Granny asked, knowing that she did.

"Yes, M'am. I couldn't lift the soup jar, so I ate another bowlful. I feel so
powerful!" Tina exclaimed, lifting a large branch and doing bicep curls with
it. With the exertion, her biceps grew even more, with large veins running
down her arm."

Granny saw the look in the child's eyes and knew she had to stop her before
musclelust set in. She had seen the effects of musclelust, with its
uncontrollable sexual effect, and decided to intervene. She ran over to the
child and threw her roughly to the ground. Tina was surprised and hurt that
Granny would treat her so roughly. Granny bent down and hugged her gently.

"Child, I'm sorry I had to do that, but I could see you were becoming crazy
with musclelust," Granny said sympathically. "Once you get started, tain't
nothin' short of a miracle can help you. You gets crazy with desire, and will
stop at nothin' to be satified, even if you kill somebody. I know, my mama had
to stop me once." Granny looked away in shame.

"Aw, Granny, I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't mean it. How did your mama help
make it go away." Tina asked compassionately.

"First she took a two by four and whacked it on my head, ta get my attention,"
Granny rubbed her head from the memory, "then she gave me a dull axe and made
me chop firewood. I had to chop until my arms felt like fallin' off. By that
time, the musclelust had passed. Since I ain't got an axe on me, I need you to
run ahead for 10 miles and clear a path for me and Bessie."

Tina gladly obeyed. She'd pick up large and small branches and threw them out
of the way. She did this for 5 miles until she came to a large blackened tree
standing directly in the path of the cart. The old mule, Bessie, wouldn't be
able to get around this, so Tina decided to remove it. Wrapping her arms
around the tree she pulled, but the tree wouldn't budge. She exerted more
pressure, making her arms pump with blood. The engorged arms caused the tree
to creak, but still it held fast. Finally she dug in with her small legs,
pulling and grunting, until her legs responded to the exertion and expanded.
Tina could see the roots start shaking, and with a final grunt, the roots
pulled completely out of the ground. Stepping back, she saw she was a changed
woman. She had grown in size and stature, with softball-size biceps, pulsing
with veins, to her muscular neck and delts, to her respectable breasts, hard
and full.

By the time Granny arrived, Tina had cleared out the burnt stump and smoothed
down the area. She then realized that her clothes had ripped to shreds and
that she was naked. She ran behind a bush.

"WHERE IS IT?" Granny shouted. "WHERE'S THE KILLING TREE?" Granny started
shaking uncontrollably until Tina ran over and gave her a bear hug. Tina
finally got Granny to calm down enough to explain that she had ripped it out
of the ground.

"You ripped it out? That tree has been a constant reminder of my little
granddughter, Nellie, killed by lightnin' while playin' in it." Granny said,
starting to cry again.

"My sweet Granny, had I but known, I would have left it alone," Tina said
remorsefully.

Granny stopped crying and stood firmly. "Child, you did what's best. I can't
keep clingin' ta the past. I gotta get on with my life, and you gotta get
something to wear." Granny searched the cart until she found an old blanket,
and some pins. She had Tina put the blanket on, then pinned it up, so that she
was almost decent.

As Bessie pulled them along the path, one of Granny's longtime acquantences
came running out of his cabin. "Gertie, Jake is mighty sick, can ya help?"
Elmer pleaded.

Granny jumped off the cart and yelled to Tina. "Bring the soup, it's the only
thing we got."

Tina easily lifted the pickle jar and ran inside the house with Granny. Jake
couldn't even lift his head to greet them. His skin was pale, and his labored
breathing sounded deadly.

Granny lifted his head gently while Tina spooned some soup into his mouth.
Granny moved his jaw up and down encouraging him to chew, then ran her finger
down his neck to get him to swallow. After the first swallow, Jake's eyes went
wide. His breathing improved and he opened his mouth for more food. Slowly, so
he wouldn't choke, Tina fed him. Granny lifted his body into a sitting
position, so the food would go down easier. When he had eaten the whole bowl,
he could sit up under his own power. He shoved his legs around until they
dangled off the bed, then with a small grunt, he stood up. Granny was right
behind him as he began to walk. With Tina in front he made a lurch and fell
into her waiting arms. It was too bad he struck her hard breasts first, the
blow knocked him out cold.

Granny looked shocked as Jake went limp, she ran over to him and saw him only
sleeping. She carried him over to the bed, and coaxed more soup into him. He
woke up instantly, and jumped out of bed. "Was I dreaming?" he asked Granny.
"I dreamed I was about dead, and then I ate some soup and woke up and climbed
off the bed when I stumbled into the most beautiful..." Jake looked out to see
Tina. "woman I've ever seen in my life. God! it's no dream."

Tina blushed at the compliment. She walked over to Jake.

"Hi, I'm Jake Newman, and I think I love you." Jake said passionately. He took
her hand and kissed it.

To be continued...