But the pendulum is swinging the other way now, and I suspect I’ll be writing a lot less for a while. Sarah and I have some catching up to do. There’s schoolwork. I’ll be driving soon. I have a strong feeling Sarah will want to make a stab at locating Henry, and I can’t let her do it alone.
But I know writing will be here when I need it, and this is a great comfort to me as I venture back out into the world full-time.
We’re hosting a barbecue on the porch tonight, which means I have to wrap this up and go help my mom. Pretty soon Daryl Bonner and Gladys Morgan will be here along with a whole bunch of other town folks. Sarah will be here with her parents and her new camera. My dad will man the grill. Later on, when the bugs start hatching and the sun tips behind the mountains, I’ll take Sarah to the creek so I can teach her how to cast a fly rod. Maybe we’ll walk out to the dredge and take a look around, or up to Longhorn’s Grange to retrieve her dad’s ladder out of the tall weeds.
I can’t help thinking about that blue rock we painted when we were kids and the simple question she asked me.
I want to paint the rock, don’t you want to paint the rock?
Without Sarah, I’m no different than the legend of Old Joe Bush. I’m like a ghost, alone in my room, making up stories and keeping to myself. It’s like Sarah has ahold of my hand, pulling me forward. She’s looking back at me with the same question in her eyes over and over again.
I want to live, don’t you want to live?
I do, Sarah.
I do.
GHOST IN THE MACHINE
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Patrick Carman
Novel/Screenplay
Jeffrey Townsend
Director/Editor/Visual & Audio Effects
Sarah Koenigsberg
Production Manager/Director of Photography
Squire Broel
Production Designer
Amy Vories
Joseph Ivan Long
Stunt Coordinator
Dave Emigh
Special Props
Amber Larsen
Alternate Camera Operator
Peter Means
Crew
Nick Brandenburg
Crew
Katherine Bairstow
Crew
Joshua Pease
Webmaster / Illustrator
LOCATION ASSISTANCE:
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Miranda Miller, Park Ranger
Rella Brown, Park Host
Walla Walla Elks Lodge - Russ Chandler
Sterling Savings Bank - Connie R. Webb, A.V.P.,
Branch Manager
Waitsburg Four Mill - Mayor Markeeta Little Wolf
Walla Walla Bible Center - Pastor Dave Reed
26brix - George Davis
Merchants Ltd. - Bob Austin
CAST:
Sarah Fincher - Amber Larsen
Ryan McCray - Tom Rowley
Daryl Bonner - Jim Michelson
Paul McCray - Brian Senter
Gladys Morgan - Pat Yenney
Pastor - Ron Davids
The Apostle - Eric Rohde
Dr. Watts - Mark Raddatz
GHOST PERFORMERS
Andrew Latta
Kevin Loomer
Ben Boehm
Sarah Koenigsberg
Jeffrey Townsend
MUSIC / SOUNDTRACK
Portfolio Days
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by Patrick Carman
Cover design by Christopher Stengel
Illustrations by Joshua Pease
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available
First edition, September 2009
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eISBN: 978-0-545-29552-9