Read the Zapfic serial #GHAWG on LeoThreads to follow the transformation of a courier into a Harley-riding tool of God.
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Cover image is a screen capture of LeoThreads edited with MS Paint
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TL;DR
What is GHAWG?
Zapfic Entries 134-140
1️⃣3️⃣4️⃣ 2023-July-20 00:06:06
1️⃣3️⃣5️⃣ 2023-July-21 00:02:21
1️⃣3️⃣6️⃣ 2023-July-22 00:02:57
1️⃣3️⃣7️⃣ 2023-July-23 00:11:03
1️⃣3️⃣8️⃣ 2023-July-24 00:16:15
1️⃣3️⃣9️⃣ 2023-July-25 00:09:51
1️⃣4️⃣0️⃣ 2023-July-26 00:04:57
Story Arc So Far
Next Week
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What Is GHAWG?
#GHAWG is short for "God's Hog: A Watchful Guardian." This fictional story tells how David Guardia, a courier and business owner from Bayonne, New Jersey, US moved into the next phase of his life after spending the final ten years of his ailing father's life helping him.
More details can be found in the first post of this weekly recap.
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Zapfic Entries 134-140
1️⃣3️⃣4️⃣ 2023-July-20 00:06:06
"Portland's been a wreck for a while," Harry said.
"You're sure you want to go there?"
"You were ready to kill me earlier," I reminded Harry.
"Now you're concerned for my safety?"
"It's the least I can do for Gromit," he said.
🏍️ In last week's summary post, we saw that Harry Hoqualogue was ready to kill David Guardia without hesitation. We also discovered what That Message was which David had been carrying with him since he met Manny Rey back at Sandusky, Ohio, US. One moment, David was hanging on for dear life. The next moment, David saw that Harry was genuinely repentant for what he was going to do. If Manny Rey was willing to forgive Harry, then redemption was still possible in this world.
🏍️ In recent years, Portland (along with many other cities in the United States) has fallen victim to a number of societal ills. Among them are homelessness, open air drug use, and a permissive law enforcement regime. It had become so bad by the time #GHAWG takes place that a leader of The Mongols was warning David Guardia about the place. Who would have expected that? I didn't, and I'm writing this story.
1️⃣3️⃣5️⃣ 2023-July-21 00:02:21
Over the next few days we made fellowship with riders from all over the Americas. When possible, we brought The Lord into their lives. We even grew our crew. On the last day, I informed the crew as it was about the ride to PDX.
🏍️ PDX is the abbreviation for the international airport which serves Portland, Oregon, US. Shipping and freight companies also use airport codes as shorthand for destinations. In recent years, when National Basketball Association teams are allowed to don alternate jerseys, the Portland Trailblazers wear a 3rd jersey which says "PDX" rather than the city name.
1️⃣3️⃣6️⃣ 2023-July-22 00:02:57
I told the crew about the letter Harry delivered to me. "The ride to Portland is something I need to do," I told the crew. "You're all free agents. No one else is obligated to join me. If we part company, God Bless you."
🏍️ The original story-- David Guardia finally taking his long-deferred ride to STURGIS-- ended a few zapfic entries prior, but this zapfic entry virtually closes that story so that the new one can begin.
1️⃣3️⃣7️⃣ 2023-July-23 00:11:03
"We're from San Diego," said Harry, "so we can ride with you." Hank & Frank gave me thumbs up. Lionel and Sanjay nodded at me. Rhonda squeezed my hand. I had no idea what to expect in Portland, but I had good people with me.
🏍️ As noted in an earlier post, The Mongols are an outlaw motorcycle club formed in California. I chose San Diego as the home base for Harry's guys since it's close to the border with Mexico. That detail allows me to maximize Harry's role in this part of #GHAWG.
🏍️ Everyone named in this zapfic entry has a place in the new story, which-- so far-- is focused on The Mongols' ride back to their home base in Southern California. Harry Hoqualogue and Rhonda Bella play major roles in the new story. Hank & Frank (the Brothers Marchenko), plus foreign university students Lionel Odunsi of Nigeria and Sanjay Rampersad of India have roles to play also, although their stories are still being fleshed out.
🏍️ There are 9 people David Guardia needs to meet before the next stage of #GHAWG can take place. So far, he's met 6. Even by the time we reach the real-time zapfic entry for mid-September, he will have only met 1 additional person. It will be a while before he meets persons 8 and 9, and most likely it will happen after leaving San Diego to start the return trip to Bayonne.
1️⃣3️⃣8️⃣ 2023-July-24 00:16:15
"It's your first time in South Dakota, right?" Harry asked me. I nodded. "We'll take a detour to Mt. Rushmore," continued Harry. "It's about 60 to 75 minutes south west of Sturgis. This may be your only chance to play tourist."
🏍️ This zapfic entry shifts the tone from tense and dramatic to mellow and carefree. It's also an opportunity to show another side of Harry Hoqualogue, convicted killer and redeemed soul.
1️⃣3️⃣9️⃣ 2023-July-25 00:09:51
Harry's guys and mine reached the combined I-90 & SD-79 South. We reached US-16 West and took it until we reached SD-244W, which took us to the monument. One thing bikers love to do is ride, and South Dakota is great for riding.
🏍️ STURGIS is in the southwestern part of South Dakota, a short distance from both Wyoming and Montana. Also found in this part of South Dakota is the more famous Mount Rushmore monument. Wide open spaces and a large palette of natural colors make enhance the motorcycle rising experience.
1️⃣4️⃣0️⃣ 2023-July-26 00:04:57
We found a great location where we could have Mount Rushmore in the background as we took photos. Photos ranged from artsy to serious to just plain silly. Perhaps on some day I can return to visit Mount Rushmore like a tourist.
🏍️ If Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is like (for example) the Empire State Building in New York, then more visitors to it are from out of town. Even battle-hardened and life-scarred riders such as The Mongols get excited when they visit STURGIS, and that's partly for what they see as they ride into South Dakota.
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Story Arc So Far
Having delivered Manny Rey's message to Harry Hoqualogue-- and living to tell the tale-- Harry and David make peace and establish a relationship based on mutual respect. (Friendship? It may be too soon to use that word with these two men, but it's possible.)
David Guardia, Rhonda Bella, and the riders with them agree to accompany The Mongols back to their home base in San Diego. Along the way The Mongols escort David to Portland for his new mission: to ride through that town during the night.
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Next Week
The sight-seeing tour continues in Zapfic Entries 141-147 as The Mongols and David Guardia's crew pass through Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming before ending up in Bozeman, Montana, US.
The serial rolls on at LeoThreads where David Guardia's crew and the Mongols finally reach Portland only to encounter resistance just before leaving that city.
NOW AVAILABLE! -- GHAWG, Uninterrupted for those who want to binge-read the daily zapfic serial one Act (or Interlude) at a time.
Catch the latest zapfic entries for GHAWG at LeoThreads. Get caught up with GHAWG with these weekly summaries at LeoFinance and at the Scholar and Scribe community.
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GHAWG Navigation
To find other weekly summary posts such as this one-- or to read the serial without annotated commentary-- use the GHAWG Navigation threadstorm at LeoThreads. Within LeoThreads, hashtag #GHAWGnav brings up the navigation.