by: Numb3rsfan

 

The bellowing of the siren caused Bo to look in the side mirror of the General.

“Never fails.” He commented to his cousin while Luke checked Rosco’s progress from the back.

“Bo,” He said, “If you don’t take the General out’a second gear Rosco’s gonna tear through em’ like tissue paper.”

Bo smiled and replied, “Cute.”

Turning his face to the window, Bo yelled, “Bye, bye Rosco!” before he floored the pedal, while at the same time yanking the gear shift out of second gear.

The General shot forward and increased the distance between itself and Rosco by three and a half car lengths.

Bo chuckled, but Luke was hardly impressed.

“Are ya even tryin ta lose em’?” Luke asked.

Bo sighed and rolled his eyes.  Sometimes Luke could be so bossy!

“I’m a jus’ tryin ta draw the chase out.” Bo replied.

“I think you have drawn it out enough, cuz’.” Luke replied as he settled in to the seat.

“Do you want to drive?” Bo asked, anger apparent in his voice.

“Look,  I was jus’ suggestin..'” Luke began, but he was inturrupted again.

“Do.You.Want.To.Drive?!” Bo roared, clearly inunciating every word he said.

Luke threw up his hands and replied, “Yes, I’d love to.”

Bo didn’t say anything, he just tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he brought the General around the sharp corner connecting the Briar Patch to the edge of the Duke property.

The Briar Patch was nothing more than a fairly big briar patch a half mile long.   Uncle Jesse never got rid of it because he claimed that a garden his great grandfather had planted, had turned in to the Patch, so it was still there for sentimental reasons.

The General’s left rear tire hit a small clump of wood and shot the car straight towards the Patch, but Bo’s excellent driving skills allowed him to bring the General to a stop, just inches from hitting the patch.

Luke gasped as he caught his breath.  Talk about a close call!

“Nice drivin’ cuz’. Let’s get out’a here.” Luke suggested.

From the driver’s seat, Bo was just sitting there, shaking in fright.

All of the color had left his face, and his hands seemed glued to the steering wheel.

His beautiful blue eyes, which were usually so full of life were now glazed over and staring straight ahead.

“Bo.” Luke prompted as he studied his cousin.

Not getting a response, Luke did something he had vowed that he would never do.  He slapped his cousin!

The stinging pain brought Bo back to the present.

He looked at his cousin with suprise as the realization of what Luke had just done sunk in.

“You hit me!” Bo said suprised.

“I’m sorry Bo, but it was the only thing that would get through ta you.” Luke said sinserely.

The skidding of some tires behind them made the Duke boys turn to see Rosco just stepping out of his car.  The blue uniform still a little damp.

“Let’s argue bout’ this later cuz’. Right now let’s get out’a here.” Bo said as he backed the General up just enough to get beyond the Patch before he gunned it and got back on the road, leaving Rosco in a shower of dust, rocks and small pieces of the Briar Patch.

Taking a shortcut through their own property, Bo and Luke arrived back home within five minutes, whereas if they had taken the main road, it would have been another fifteen minutes just to jump the downed bridge!

Outside Jesse and Daisy were doing there chores…..well Daisy was doing her chores, Uncle Jesse was sitting on the wooden bench drinking lemonade.

The boys pulled the General to a stop, scattering the chickens in their wake.

Bo chuckled as the chickens scattered, still afraid of the big ole’ General!

“Bout’ time you boys got here.” Jesse replied as he rose over and hugged Bo again, very pleased that the young man was still with them.

Daisy turned and watched the joyeous reunion with uncertainty for a second.

Bo, catching on to Daisy and the fact that she seemed to be uncomfortable.

Quickly he went over to her and stood right in front of her.

“Daisy?” He asked.

Daisy just looked at him, not knowing what to say.

“Well…I’m back.” Bo said, holding his arms out to his sides for a second.

The tears flowed down Daisy’s cheeks, but instead of running, she embraced Bo gladly.

While Daisy buried her face in Bo’s shoulder, crying her eyes out.

Bo turned, Daisy in tow, and looked at Luke and Uncle Jesse, who were watching the scene unfold sympathatically.

Bo rubbed small circles in Daisy’s back, trying to soothe her tears.

“It’s ok Daisy, I’m back now.” Bo assured her.

Raising her head, Daisy looked into Bo’s eyes and smiled.

“I know.” She replied as she wiped her tears away.

Just as the Duke family was going in to the farm, the all to familar sound of a police siren filled the air.

Looking ahead they saw not one but two police cars bearing down at them.

“What did you boys do ta Rosco?” Jesse asked his nephews, but Luke and Bo didn’t hear the question, they just ran for the General and slid in.

Within seconds the General’s powerful engine was going and the tires were shooting up dirt as the General sped away from the farm.

Both police cars turned and followed the orange stock car as it got on to the road and sped towards the Snake Nation Bridge, which was still out.

Bo fought the steering wheel when the General didn’t want to turn sharply onto Snake Nation road.

“Uh..little help here.” Bo said, while he gritted his teeth.

Luke looked over at his cousin and saw the predicament.

Reaching over, Luke grasped the steering wheel and added his own weight to it.  The added weight turned the car just enough so that it spun nearly out of control onto the road.

Luke immediatly let go of the wheel while Bo managed to get some semblance of control of the car as they neared the bridge, with both police cars following close behind.

“We’re gonna cut it a little close!” Luke said, gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes.

Bo, nearly losing his nerve, gulped and said, “I can’t watch this.”

He just sank into the seat and shut his eyes as the General soared into the air.

It was like they were floating, just for a second, but the General, as always, landed on the other side safely.

The jolt of landing, caused both boys to open their eyes.

Luke opened his eyes to gasp as a fallen tree trunk loomed up a head of them, and Bo opened his eyes to stomp on the break and turn the wheel to the right, so if the General were to hit, it would be on his side rather than Luke’s side of the car.

But, the General stopped safely, just inches from the trunk.

Looking over at the bridge, both boys saw the police cars fall into the small crevice of the creek, which had shrunk do to the dry spell.

Seeing both Enos and Rosco get out of their cars, Bo muttered, “They look alright.”

“Yeah, let’s get on home, I’m starved.” Luke replied.

Bo looked at Luke and raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Luke asked.

“Isn’t that my line?” Bo asked.

“Which part?”

“The one about….oh never mind.” Bo replied as he kicked the General into gear and sped forward a bit before he whipped the General around and headed back to the bridge.

“Bo, what are ya doin?” Luke asked.

“Cuz’ the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” Bo recited as the General hit the ramp and soared into the air for a second time.

This time, neither boy shut their eyes as the General soared from point A to point B, which was the other side.

“YEEEHAW!” Bo yelled as the General flew over to police cars and landed on the other side.

Enos looked white as a sheet, but Rosco was shaking his fist at the General while they sped back to the farm.

The sight of one or two police cars in a pond and the General roaring away was nothing new.

It just signaled to everyone present that things were returning to normal…..well, normal for Hazzard that is.

THE END