The War on Wildlife is free for everyone, but donations are always welcome! The War on Wildlife is the third in the wildlife series with these characters. If you enjoy this novel, the prequels, Spirit of the Wolf and Thundering Hooves are available in paperback! Click here to see all the episodes plus background information and the introduction! If you’ve joined the novel late, please click here to start with Episode One!
Episode Fifteen - The Fashion Show
It was late afternoon by the time Caleb and Michelle pulled into the driveway in Franktown. Jessica’s car was there, so they knew the women were either hard at work or taking a break with a glass of wine. Upon entry they discovered it was the latter.
“I see you ladies are hard at work as usual,” Caleb joked.
“We’re just taking a little break,” protested Jessica.
Caleb asked, “How is the show coming, are you about ready to go?”
Angie replied, “I guess you already know, but we are ready to go for the weekend. We just need to round up a couple more models. Speaking of which, are you going to help us out Michelle?”
“Oh golly guys, you know I don’t like modeling.”
“I know,” replied Angie. “But you are a natural, and we need you”
“Oh okay, what do I have to do?”
“Nothing, just ride up with me and walk the catwalk with whatever we give you to wear. And how about you Caleb, can you shoot for us? I’m sure the mall will have someone filming, but I don’t want to have to hassle with usage rights.”
“Sure, I can help.”
“How was your trip by the way?”
“It went well, I got the pictures anyway.”
“So you just walked in and shot the pictures and nobody cared?”
Caleb laughed, “Not exactly, the ranchers eventually spotted me and ran me off.”
“And they just let you leave with the pictures?”
“Well they did take a few shots at me as I was escaping, but fortunately they can’t shoot for shit. Either that or they were just firing into the hillside to scare me. Sometime in the last couple of months they did manage to hit Shadow though. He’s limping on three legs, which probably explains why he’s having to resort to killing livestock to keep his family fed”
“Bastards,” exclaimed Jessica.
“I had the last laugh though, I circled back while they were sleeping and cut their horses loose. They had a really long walk home this morning.” laughed Caleb.
Angie laughed, “That sounds like something from your playbook.”
Jessica asked, “What are you going to do with the pictures?”
“I’m going to write up an article for the newspaper, and probably send a copy to work with Michelle. The question is whether anyone in charge is going to care. parks seems intent on kissing the rancher’s asses, so I doubt they will force this miscreant to clean up his death pit.”
Caleb spent Friday writing his story while the women wrapped up the final details for the show on Saturday, which was rapidly approaching. Finally on Friday preparations for the show were complete, Michelle was home from work, and Caleb was done with his story. The three women were already in the living room sipping a glass of wine when Caleb returned from a meeting with the newspaper editor.
“Looks like they are going to publish it on Sunday,” he said.
“That’s awesome Caleb!” exclaimed Michelle.
“Congratulations Caleb,” added Jessica.
“The question is whether anyone is going to read it, way down in the editorial section.”
Angie replied, “You know what you always say, “you only need one person to read it, the right one.””
“True enough!” he replied.
“Are you all ready for tomorrow?” Angie asked.
“Yup, I packed up my gear this morning and It’s all ready to load up. Are we all riding together, or should I drive myself?”
“I don’t think we are going to have room for all of our stuff and your gear too.”
“Okay, I’ll load up my truck.”
“I’m going to go with Caleb then,” added Michelle.
“That’s fine honey, we will see you there then.”
Jessica asked, “Can I just sleep on your couch tonight? My husband is out of town on business and I would rather not have to mess with getting up early to come down.”
“That’s fine Jessie,” replied Angie. “I’ll be glad to have your help first thing anyway.”
Caleb was the first to awaken the following morning and he started the coffee brewing. A bleary eyed Angie soon entered the kitchen, while Jessica was yawning and stretching on the couch.
Michelle walked into the room and said, “Well, this is it, go time!”
Angie replied nervously, “That it is.”
Each of them grabbed a cup of coffee, and Caleb made a few slices of toast.
“I don’t guess we have time for a big breakfast but maybe a little toast will soak up the coffee,” he commented.
“A piece of toast will be fine for me Caleb,” commented Jessica.
“Me too,” chimed in Michelle.
Donna was already waiting at the front door with the key when the little caravan arrived.
“Why don’t you all put your stuff right inside, and then we’ll lock the doors until opening time.”
“Cool, Caleb do you want to pull up onto the sidewalk so you don’t have to carry your gear so far?” asked Angie.
“Sure, it won’t take me long. I don’t have that much to carry.”
Soon all four of them were inside with their clothing and gear, and Donna locked the big glass doors behind them.”
She showed them the runway with curtains at the front and seating on both sides and said, “Well, here it is, this is where we’re going to run the show. The restrooms are right over there for the models to change, and we will have a couple of assistants on site to help the models with makeup and clothing.”
“Sounds perfect,” replied Angie.
Caleb commented, “It looks like your hot lights should provide me with plenty of lighting for the video. I’ll set up a couple of strobes up along the runway if that’s okay, to put some fill light on the model’s faces for the still shots.”
“That’s fine Caleb,” commented Donna. “Why don’t we head over to the food court and grab some lunch before we get too busy.”
A small crowd was already gathering near the runway when the group returned from lunch. Half a dozen models were milling around the restrooms, while assistants helped them with final touch-up. Caleb took advantage of the pre-show chaos for a few test shots to balance his strobes with the hot lights lining the runway.
Soon Donna took over the microphone, and Caleb’s three friends joined the other models behind the curtains at the head of the runway.
“Here we go,” he thought to himself.
Angie was the first to emerge from behind the curtains, wearing a long dress with a plunging neckline accompanied by a beautiful faux fur jacket. Donna explained on the microphone that the outerwear used in the show was all faux fur, and no animals had been harmed in their creation. Camera flashes from the audience bathed the runway in bright light as Angie confidently strode down the catwalk. Jessica was next, wearing a sexy cocktail dress accentuated by a beautiful white faux fur wrap over her shoulders.
Caleb felt someone touch him on the shoulder, and he turned to find Michelle standing beside him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“They had plenty of models, so I decided to come and help you. Is there anything I can do?”
“Sure, you can run the video while I shoot the stills.”
He quickly showed her the button to start and stop the recording and said, “Don’t worry too much about stopping the video, I can cut the clips in post. Just follow the models on their way down the runway, and maybe sweep through the audience if there’s a break in the action. Zoom in a bit when the model leaves the curtains, and slowly back off as they get closer to the camera. Got it?”
“Got it!”
“Okay then, you know where I’ll be if you have any questions!”
“One by one the models strolled down the runway, and then circled back to the curtains to change into a new look. Eventually all the outfits had been shown, and the crowd clapped enthusiastically. Donna brought Angie and Jessica up front to give them credit for the show, and all the hard work required to produce it.. She also explained the fundraiser and it’s purpose.
“As you know, all the fur used in the show was synthetic and any additional donations over the ticket price will be used to lobby for the Denver fur ban on the ballot this November.”
She also explained where to drop donations, and who to write checks to if necessary.
The audience slowly began to rise and greet the models, including Angie and Jessica. Many filed past the accountant, leaving donations for the animals that would be saved by the ban, while Caleb and Michelle captured all the action for their film. Eventually all but a couple of the bigger donors had departed, and the maintenance crew began collecting chairs and taking down the curtains.
Caleb gazed into Angie’s face thinking, “I haven’t seen her this relaxed in months!”
Jessica was beaming with happiness as the models gathered around for any further instructions. Each was provided with an application to join Angie and Jessie’s burgeoning new agency, and told when to expect their pay.
“Make sure we have your correct contact information before you leave,” instructed Angie.
Each model checked the show’s roster for accurate contact information, and began to filter out of the room. Finally only Donna, Angie and her small entourage remained.
“I think it went really well,” commented Angie.
“You girls did great!:” replied Donna. “The people just loved you!”
“Oh I hope so!” exclaimed Jessica.
“I’ll go pull up my truck so we can load up,” commented Caleb.
“I’ll help you,” added Michelle.
“Let’s go celebrate in the bar after we get packed up,” suggested Jessica.
“I’m in,” commented Michelle.
“What do you think Caleb?” asked Angie.
“Sounds good to me!”
Soon the four friends were seated at a table waiting for a server.
Eventually a bubbly brunette arrived at their table and said, “Hi, I’m Nicole and I’ll be your server this afternoon. Can I take your order, or is there something you would like to taste first?”
“Can I try your pale ale?” asked Michelle.
“Sure honey, I’ll be right back. Would anyone else like to try it?”
All three voiced an affirmative in unison, as the server walked away to get four shot glasses.
“This is good!” exclaimed Jessica.
“Yes, I’ll have one of these,” added Caleb.
The others all nodded and Nicole went to fill their mugs.
“Did you get a lot of donations?” asked Caleb.
“I think so,” replied Angie. “I noticed a lot of checks being written, so I assume that would mean larger amounts than cash gifts.”
Michelle added, “I was watching a few of the amounts being written, and I know I was seeing lots of zeros!”
“That’s awesome guys,” said Caleb. “I’m proud of you!”
Michelle added, “I hope it will make a big difference for the animals.”
“I’m sure it will,” replied Angie.
“So what’s next on your agenda?” asked Caleb.
Jessica and Angie looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in unison.
“I don’t know, we haven’t had time to think about it!”
“I’m sure you’ll be on to your next big project before you know it.”
“Yeah, we always think of something once we put our minds to it,” replied Jessica.
Episode Fourteen «««< >»»»Episode Sixteen
