April 9-13, 2002--Day 1-2: Rusty asks Mark if he will have time to go fishing with him. Mark suggests, "How about tomorrow?" Meanwhile a Bald Government Man tells two men in suits that they have an assassin in custody. The assassin killed a drug cartel boss. The government also has a witness who can put the assassin away for life. The problem will be keeping the witness alive until the trial. The assassin is suspected of being a member of a rival gang that is probably trying to eliminate the competition. Without the witness, the killer may go free. Many blocks away, Foreground Rock Dove listens attentively. The Bald Man adds, "We can use the witness protection program, but as you know, the drug cartels have the money to find just about anyone they want to!" The witness doesn't realize the danger. One of the men in suits agrees that keeping the witness alive is going to be a problem. Foreground Hawk appears in the same area where, moments ago, Foreground Rock Dove perched! (Most likely a Sharp-Shinned Hawk or a Cooper's Hawk.) One of the men may know someone who can make a person disappear. His name is Mark Trail. He may agree to hide the witness in a wilderness area. The Bald Man thinks that's a great idea. The next day (Day 2), Mark and Rusty return from their fishing. Rusty tells Mark, "That was a lot of fun, Mark...thanks for taking me!" Mark enjoys fishing as much as Rusty does. One of the Men in the Suits introduces himself to Mark as Bill Moore. Bill would like to interrupt Mark's fishing for a few minutes. Mark says, abruptly, "We're finished...what can I do for you?" At the stable, Bill says, "Mark, you may have seen in the news lately where a well-known drug dealer was shot and killed!" Mark replies, "Yes, don't you have the killer in jail?" Bill affirms this, adding that they also have a witness. That is what he wants to Mark about.
April 15-20--Day 2: Mark wonders what help he could be. Bill tells him that the killer is a member of organized crime. The government believes the cartel will try to prevent the witness from reaching the courtroom. Foreground Beavers suddenly look to Lost Forest as Bill adds, "Unfortunately, even under our protection, the witness is not completely safe! That's why we need your help!" Bill asks Mark to disappear into the wilderness with the witness. It would be a big service to the government, however, it could be dangerous. Mark would like to confer with his wife and friends. Bill replies, "That's fine, but please don't mention anything about what you will be doing and where you will be going! We already have everything you will need and a plane to take you wherever you choose!" Mark observes that Bill seems to know what Mark's answer will be. Bill admits that they have checked Mark out and are fairly sure he will help. In Mark's house, he hugs Cherry as she says, "I understand, honey, it's something you have to do...Just be careful!" Mark replies, "I will, don't worry!" With a final kiss, Mark tells Cherry that she has his cell phone number, but not to use it unless there is an emergency. Mark and Bill drive to a private airport in a 60's vintage automobile. Bill tells Mark to tell only the pilot where he would like to be dropped. At the airport, as the plane lands, Bill tells Mark that the witness is on the plane. Mark hopes he and the witness are compatible. Bill hates using cloak and dagger stuff, but he wants to keep the witness alive. As he begins to introduce the witness, the witness shouts, "Mark! MARK TRAIL!" Mark shouts back, "KELLY?" Throwing her arms around him, Kelly gives Mark a passionate kiss and shouts, "What a PLEASANT SURPRISE!" Kelly is, of course, a recurring character. She has always had the hots for Mark and invariably ends up in suggestive situations with him. What will Cherry make of this!!?
April 22-27--Day 2: Bill says, "You two know each other?" Mark carefully responds, "Yes, professionally only!" Kelly adds that Mark has come to her rescue on several occasions. Mark asks to speak to Bill Moore privately. He says, "I didn't know I was going to be hiding a woman--especially KELLY!" Bill says, "It's too late now, Mark...It looks like a good job to me!" (No commentary needed here!) Mark urges Kelly to get into something more comfortable. It's not going to be easy living where he and Kelly are going. Kelly smiles as she replies, "I was against the idea of disappearing into a wilderness area, but now I think I'm going to look forward to it!" In a rare "thought balloon," Mark thinks, "If I live through this, I'm going to have a hard time explaining it to Cherry!" (Mark almost always talks to himself out loud. The thought balloon has been employed on only one other occasion, to my knowledge.) Bill Moore tells Mark that the witness is in his hands. He wishes them luck and asks them to be careful. Mark will do his best. As the plane lifts off, Bill waves and smiles, saying, "I think Mark is going to have an interesting trip!" In the plane, Mark tells Jim, the pilot, "Head southeast, Jim...when we get to this spot on the map, I can direct you to a place to land!" Mark wonders how Kelly became involved. Kelly says she witnessed the shooting while going into a restaurant. The killer spotted her, but before he could shoot, Kelly ducked behind a car. The killer then decided to run. Kelly told the police she could identify the shooter, and since then her life has changed. Kelly continues her story, saying, "I picked the killer's picture out of a mug book...now I have to identify him at his trial!" Kelly smiles sweetly as she adds, "Now here I am being protected by YOU! How lucky can I get?..we can work together again...it's like old times!" Mark looks at Kelly with an expression that conveys caution, worry and a bit of fear. The pilot tells Mark that they are in the area he specified. Cherry looks out the window, saying, "Are you sure? There's nothing but a SWAMP down there!" Foreground Turtle, Foreground Egret and Foreground Duck sternly watch the plane bank as Mark replies, "I've been here before...there's a clearing ahead where an old sawmill used to be!" An unidentified voice emanates from the plane, saying, "I hope you brought a snakebite kit!"
April 29-May 4--Day 2: The pilot plans on picking up Mark and Kelly the day before the trial. He wishes them luck. They are going to need it. Foreground Bear watches the plane depart as the pilot tells himself, "I hope Mark knows what he's doing. Kelly notes that she and Mark are marooned ALONE in the swamp. She plants her hands on her hips and says, with a bold smile, "NOW WHAT?" Mark smiles and replies, "An old friend of mine lives in the swamp...I hope I can locate his cabin!" Foreground Alligator smiles as Kelly tells Mark, "This is not what I had in mind when I agreed to get lost until the trial!" Mark replies, evenly, "You're not exactly the witness I had in mind when I agreed to this job!" Meanwhile, Cherry, Rusty, Andy and Doc sit around the table as Doc reads the newspaper over coffee. Cherry says, "Mark couldn't tell me where he was going...I hope whatever he's doing, it's not dangerous." Doc tells her, "Don't worry, honey, he can take care of himself!" Rusty agrees that Mark can handle anything. Back in the steaming jungle, Kelly asks how far they are going into the swamp. Mark isn't sure; it's a long time since he's been in the swamp. With a gleam in his eye, Mark tells Kelly, "My friend has a little cabin about a mile into the swamp--if he still lives there!" Suddenly, Mark spots Foreground Alligator. He shouts a warning to Kelly and grabs her by her backpack. Kelly doesn't know whether it's worse to be shot by gangsters or eaten by alligators. Mark hopes neither of these things occur. He and Kelly will have to be on guard. Foreground Raccoon watches as Kelly says, "This place sure is eerie..couldn't you have chosen a better wilderness area for us to disappear in? Mark, do you have the feeling someone is following us?" Mark replies, "Yes, Kelly, just keep moving!" Foreground Mama Bear and Baby Bear watch the two pass. Kelly asks Mark if he isn't concerned about someone else being in the swamp. Mark says, "Not if it's who I think it is...don't get upset yet!" Kelly appears skeptical. Mark will duck behind the bushes and try to surprise the stalker. Moments later Mark is walking about three feet behind a long-haired man. He shouts, "GATOR, IS THAT YOU?"
May 6-11--Day 2: Mark shouts again, "GATOR! Is that you?" The long-haired man shouts, "MARK?" Mark tells Gator he's getting careless. Gator holds his hand over his heart and says that Mark is a sight for sore eyes. As the men embrace, Mark tells Gator, "You still need a haircut, old friend...how are you?" Gator says nothing. Behind the two, Kelly, feeling rejected, says, "H-M-M-P...I'm over here!" Gator says, "The last time you were here you were planning to get married, is this your woman?" Mark says tersely, "No, Gator, this is NOT my wife...this is Kelly, and we have a reason for being here!" Gator looks at Kelly and says, "Sounds interesting!" Foreground Waterfowl flies as Mark tells Gator he is helping the government by hiding Kelly. Gator says, "Well, for whatever reason you're here, it's good to have company for a while...you're welcome to share my camp!" Kelly says, "Thanks!" and thrusts her breasts in Gator's direction as she adjusts her backpack. Gator says, "My old shack is a bit rough and smelly, but it's home!" Foreground Alligator watches spookily as Mark says, "It's not likely that anyone would come this far to find Kelly, but we can't take any chances!" An unidentified voice says, "I think she'll be safe here!" Gator repeats that the two are welcome at his shack. Meanwhile a stern Bald Man with black eyebrows and a thin moustache asks a Henchman if he has found out where the Feds are hiding the witness. The Henchman says that the Feds keep moving her around, but he knows that one of the agents on the case visited a place called Lost Forest. It may have something to do with the girl. The Bald Man, who is wearing a suit and vest, sits in a large office chair and says nothing. Finally he stands and says, "Check out this place called Lost Forest...if this lady witness is being hidden there, maybe we can do something about it!" Meanwhile, at Lost Forest, Doc reads the newspaper as Rusty sits at the table smiling. Cherry holds the restaurant-style coffeepot and reaches for a cut. Doc finds a story about the mobster that was killed and learns there was a witness to the shooting. He says, "Mobsters don't like witnesses...I hope whoever it is stays hidden!" Doc holds his cup as Cherry says, "Dad, I just remembered, the man who was here to see Mark said he was a federal agent...Do you suppose it had anything to do with that mobster being killed and the witness who saw the shooting? Mark was so secretive about the meeting!" Foreground Deer and Foreground Porcupine investigate each other, face to face, as Cherry is speaking. Doc says, worriedly, "If Mark agreed to help hide the witness, that could be a very DANGEROUS job!"
May 13-18--Day 2 to Day 3: Gator tells Kelly, "This is where you will be living, Kelly...I do most of my cooking outside, it's more enjoyable!" Over coffee, round the campfire, Gator asks Mark what his wife thinks of him hiding "this beautiful lady" in a wilderness area. Mark says, "She doesn't know about it yet! Hopefully she won't hear about it until I get back home and can explain the situation!" Foreground Egret says nothing. As Mark and Kelly sit by the fire, Kelly asks, "Mark, if you had known I was the witness, would you still have volunteered to hide me?" Receiving no reply, Kelly presses the attack. "Well, what do you say, Mark?" Mark holds his cup of coffee protectively as he replies, "I...I...uh...uh..." Gator tactfully suggests it's time to eat. He is glad Mark and Kelly packed in some food. Eating swamp critters and cabbage gets tiresome. Meanwhile, the Drug Lord asks the Henchman what he's found out about Lost Forest. (We may reasonably assume that it has taken The Henchman a day to check out Lost Forest; therefore we are at Day 3. )The Henchman has discovered that famous outdoorsman Mark Trail lives in the preserve, and that the witness disappeared after one of the agents protecting Kelly visited Lost Forest. The Drug Lord instructs Henchman to find out if the witness is at Lost Forest. If she is, Henchman knows what has to be done. The Henchman knows a professional who can do the job. The Lord offers to double the shooter's price if he "does a good job!" In the swamp, Gator asks Mark if he believes anyone would actually come into the swamp to kill a witness. Mark knows the criminals are desperate. Foreground Mama Opossum, with babies on her back, watches grimly as Mark tells the little group that no one knows where they are except the pilot; even Mark's family don't know where he is or what he is up to. Mark puts another piece of wood on the fire, asking Gator if strangers come into the forest. This happens occasionally, says Gator, but he knows most of the swampers. Most of them are fishermen or poachers. Gator tells Mark, "...we sort of look after each other!" (Not unlike Matt and Sarah the Dog in an earlier adventure "sort of look after each other!") Suddenly Mark shouts, "Kelly!...WHERE'S Kelly?" Gator thinks she is close by.
May 20-25--Day 3: Mark immediately searches for Kelly, muttering, "WHERE did that woman go?...She's UNBELIEVABLE! She doesn't know the dangeres in the swamp...she could get in trouble!" Meanwhile, Kelly has spotted a black bear; she hopes to get closer and take pictures. Suddenly the bear spots her and runs towards her. Kelly screams, "MARK! MARK! HELP! MARK, HELP!" She rushes into Mark's arms and shouts, "A BEAR IS AFTER ME!" Gator says to the bear, "NO, Blackie, NO, they're my friends!" Gator explains that the bear is a pet. Gator and the bear, "sort of look after each other!" just as Gator and the swamp people do. When you live in the swamp you learn to be friends with many wild creatures. Mark tells Kelly it's best if she doesn't go far from camp; he can't be sure that no one followed them into the swamp. Kelly tells Mark he worries too much. She suggests they work on a story together...it would be fun! Back at Lost Forest, Doc pours the coffee for Cherry as there is a knock at the door. A man with a mustache and a ponytail tells Doc his name is Jones. He is looking for Mark Trail. Mr. Jones thinks Doc may be able to help him. Doc says Mr. Jones is welcome.
May 27-June 1--Day 3: Doc introduces Cherry to Mr. Jones. Cherry asks if Mr. Jones knows her husband. Mr. Jones does not, however he knows that Mark is a great outdoorsman. Mr. Jones's company would like to hire him to find one of their clients who has disappeared. He asks when Mark will return. Cherry informs him that she doesn't know where Mark is or when he will be back. Mr. Jones, sporting a small earring, grabs Cherry by the collar and says, "I didn't make myself clear, lady...I want to know where Trail is NOW! WHERE IS TRAIL AND THE WITNESS HE IS HIDING?" Doc, sitting in his armchair, roars, "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" Mr. Jones grabs Doc and shakes him, shouting, "SIT DOWN, OLD MAN, AND KEEP QUIET! We know Trail is hiding a witness...WHERE ARE THEY?" Cherry insists that they know nothing of Mark's whereabouts. Whipping out a revolver, Jones puts Cherry in a headlock and says, "One more chance...TELL ME WHERE TRAIL IS OR YOU AND THE OLD MAN DIE!" Cherry holds her small hands to her face and remembers, "WAIT...I just remembered I have Mark's cell phone number...But he said not to call him except in an emergency!" Mr. Jones advances menacingly on Doc and says, "DON'T YOU THINK THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, LADY?" Meanwhile, Gator and Mark have left camp to check out the area again, leaving Kelly alone with the coffeepot. Suddenly she hears Mark's cell phone ringing. The sound is coming from Mark's pack. She says, "That's Mark's cell phone...I'd better answer it...it might be important!" At Lost Forest, Cherry waits for Mark to answer the phone as Mr. Jones tells her to "Be careful what you say, lady!" Suddenly Cherry hears from the telephone, "HELLO! HELLO!" Cherry, her face distorted with fury, shouts loudly, "A GIRL'S VOICE!"
June 3-8--Day 3: Cherry says into the phone, "Excuse me, I must have dialed the wrong number!" On the other end of the line, Kelly says, "CHERRY...This is Kelly...how are you?" With disbelief, Cherry screams, "KELLY? WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING MARK'S PHONE?" Mr. Jones, the Hired Killer has gained a substantial amount of weight and is now middle-aged. Kelly tells a cynical Cherry, "Relax, Cherry, everything's fine...Mark and Gator will be back in camp shortly...there's a good reason for me being with Mark...he'll explain later...I'll tell him you...EEEEEE" A huge alligator is charging Kelly. She throws the cell phone into the air. Cherry shouts into the phone, "KELLY!?" Kelly watches the alligator and says, "The alligator caused me to drop Mark's phone in the water--WHAT am I going to do!" Meanwhile, the Hired Killer demands to know where Trail and the woman named Kelly are. Cherry doesn't know; Kelly was cut off, but she told Cherry that Mark and Gator were away from camp. Mr. Jones grabs Cherry by the shirt and makes a fist. He shouts, "WHO IS THIS GATOR?" Doc begs Mr. Jones to leave them alone. Foreground Beaver listens as Mr. Jones says, "WHO is this Gator that Trail and the girl are with, and WHERE does he live?" Meanwhile, Kelly is glad that Mark and Gator are back at camp. She tells Mark he had a call from Cherry. Mark says, "WHAT?..I asked her not to call me unless it was an emergency! I'd better call Cherry back and find out WHY she called...where's my phone?" Kelly says, "I dropped it in the water, Mark...I'm sorry...It was an ACCIDENT...An alligator attacked me and in the excitement it fell in the water! I dropped the phone before Cherry could tell me why she called!" Mark looks silently at Kelly with dismay and worry evident on his face. Finally he says, "Cherry wouldn't have called unless it was an emergency...WHAT did she say before you lost the phone?" Kelly says, "Nothing really...she just wanted to talk to you...I told her you and Gator were away from camp!" Mark is stern as he says, "You mentioned Gator's name...she knows where Gator lives...she may have been FORCED to call me!"
June 10-15--Day 3: As Kelly holds a cup of coffee in each hand, Mark tells her, "Cherry hasn't met Gator, but she's heard me talk about him, and she knows he lives here in the swamp!" Kelly responds, "Is that bad?" Gator holds out a hand, hoping for a cup of coffee. Foreground Least Bittern and Foreground Deer watch the trio. Mark continues his lecture as his silhouette takes the other cup of coffee. (While Cherry is often seen dispensing coffee to Mark and Doc, Kelly's waitressing abilities are a surprise to this scribe.) He says, "If someone looking for you somehow learned that I was hiding you, the first place he would check out is Lost Forest! Cherry and Doc could be in danger...I've got to find my cell phone!" Mark kneels at the water's edge and heedlessly plunges his hand into the ooze looking for the phone. Kelly tells him, "That's where the phone went into the water, Mark!" Meanwhile, at Lost Forest, Rusty arrives home from school, followed closely by Andy. Rusty says, "CHERRY, DOC, I'm home from school...where are you? CHERRY! DOC!..WHAT HAPPENED?" (We might surmise that Andy has ALSO just returned home from school; were he on the scene earlier, surely he would have attacked Mr. Jones) Rusty continues to shout, "WHAT HAPPENED...WHO TIED YOU UP, AND WHY?" Doc unhappily responds, "A man looking for Mark." Cherry tells Rusty, "Kelly must be the witness who can identify the person who shot the mobster, and Mark is hiding her until the trial!" (Rusty, having been at school when Cherry called Kelly, knows nothing of these matters. One might expect him to say, "What th'!? Kelly? WHAT mobster? WHAT trial?" Instead, Rusty looks stoicly at Cherry and says nothing.) Cherry knows that the gangsters know that Mark and Kelly are in the swamp with Gator. Cherry shouts, "I'VE GOT TO REACH MARK AND WARN HIM!" Meanwhile, Mark has found the dripping cell phone, but it may not do him any good. With evident irritation, Mark says, "It will be a MIRACLE if it is still working!" Foreground Raccoon leaps as Mark listens to the phone and reports, "The number at Lost Forest is ringing...it's working...hello, HELLO, IS THAT YOU, CHERRY?" (The shouting may indicate either a cheap cell phone plan or hearing loss on Cherry's part....) Cherry tells Mark that everyone is fine at Lost Forest, however, the man who was looking for Mark knows that he and Kelly are in the swamp with Gator. Mark thanks Cherry for the warning. He will be careful and will be home soon. Foreground Duck (It looks to be a cross between a Wood Duck and a Mallard) and Foreground Bear watch with concern as Mark shares the bad news. "It's bad news," says Mark. "The gangsters probably know where we are...they may come after us here or they may wait until we leave!" Mark, distracted with worry, plunges the coffeepot into the flames, which are perilously close to his arm. Gator asks Mark what he is going to do, pointing out prudently that, "You can't leave before the plane comes back to pick you up!" Mark says that they will just have to be on guard at all times. Foreground Turtles climb onto logs and bathe. Mark says, "We have the advantage, unless they send someone experienced in surviving in a swamp!"
June 17-22--Day 3: At a Boat Rental, a Happy Attendant asks Mr. Jones, "You interested in doing a little fishing in the swamp, mister?" Mr. Jones is not interested, but perhaps the attendant can help him. Foreground Pelican One (Stage Left) apparently says, "I'm looking for an old swamper named Gator!" Foreground Pelican Two(Stage Right) replies, "Why...what's he done?" The silhouettes of the Happy Attendant and Mr. Jones seem to stand quietly in the background. Mr. Jones says to the Attendant, "Nothing...I hear he's quite a character and I'm interested in doing a story on him for my magazine!" The Attendant happily replies, "Your information is right, old Gator is an interesting character and his life would make a good story..." The Attendant feeds a pelican from a bucket and adds, "But Gator's happy living in the swamp...I don't think he wants to be found!" Mr. Jones silently passes the Happy Attendant a wad of currency. The Attendant smiles and says, "A hundred dollars...maybe old Gator wouldn't mind having a visitor! Mr. Jones is sure he wouldn't. The killer calls his employer and confirms his assignment, saying, "I found out where the swamper named Gator lives...Trail and the girl are probably with him! A voice emanates from the telephone and asks Mr. Jones how he plans to handle the job since he knows nothing about surviving in a swamp. Mr. Jones does not intend to be in the swamp for long. He says, "Don't worry, I'll get the girl...Just have the balance of my money ready!" Meanwhile, Mark cooks supper over the fire. Gator appears to be sporting a new, shorter hairdo. Kelly asks, "Mark, do you think the gangsters will come here looking for me?" Mark replies, "They're desperate, Kelly...We've got to assume they will and be prepared!" Foreground Herons are silent. Kelly says, "This all didn't seem real until now...I'm really getting SCARED! If the alligators don't get me, the gangsters will!" Gator thinks that the swamp is the safest place for Kelly right now. Mark agrees. Mark and Gator have the advantage over anyone that comes into the swamp since they know the area. Foreground Alligator lies blissfully on a mangrove root. Suddenly Mark shouts, "WHAT'S THAT NOISE?" Both Kelly and Mark appear to be frightened. Mark spots a helicopter, and tells the others to stay out of sight. Gator thinks the chopper is a fire patrol; they fly over all the time. Foreground Heron points out that, "It could also be someone looking for us!" The closest place the chopper can set down is the old lumber camp where Mark and Kelly were dropped off.
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