Okay, here's a retelling of the Rip Van Winkle story, set in the Appalachian town of Marlinton, West Virginia, with Rip as an out-of-work waiter, drawing on details from the sources and our conversation history:
The Ballad of "Lazy" Lloyd Lambert
Lloyd Lambert, or "Lazy Lloyd" as he was sometimes called, wasn't like the other folks in Marlinton. He wasn't cut out for the "stern round of drudgery" of farm life or the hard labor of the local lumber mills. Lloyd had a way with people, a folksy charm that served him well when he was waiting tables at "The Whistle Stop," a local cafe that had seen better days. But when the cafe closed down due to lack of business, Lloyd found himself with more time on his hands than he knew what to do with. He preferred the quiet of the woods and the murmur of the Greenbrier River to the hustle and bustle of the town [see conversation history].
Lloyd's wife, Martha, a woman with a practical mind and a sharp tongue, was not at all happy with Lloyd's lack of ambition. Much like the "shrew" in the original tale and Bess in our earlier retelling, Martha was a "hard-working woman" who kept their small cabin and patch of garden in order. She constantly reminded him of his need to find work and provide for the family. She was known for her "athletic arm and agile tongue," especially when she was "giving Lloyd what for" about his lazy ways [95, see conversation history]. Their home was a simple, single-room log cabin much like the ones described in Our Southern Highlanders, and she was forever on him to improve their situation.
A Hike in the Hills
One late afternoon, after a particularly stinging rebuke from Martha, Lloyd decided he needed to escape. He wandered up into the nearby hills, hoping to find some peace and quiet. He was familiar with the "dense forest and luxuriant undergrowth" of the mountains, a place he often went to escape the pressures of his life. As the sun began to set, he found himself in a secluded hollow near a spot called "Cranberry Glades," where a strange fog was rolling in, much like the mist that shrouded Rip Van Winkle’s mountain encounter. He had heard old stories of strange creatures said to live in these mountains, stories passed down from the old timers that reminded him of "the goblin-lore he lavishes upon a visitor". He wasn’t afraid, just curious.
Lloyd, tired from his long walk, decided to rest near a cluster of large, moss-covered rocks. The place felt different, timeless, as if he had stepped out of the ordinary flow of life. It was similar to the place where Rip Van Winkle had his fateful encounter.
The Long Slumber
As Lloyd drifted to sleep, he had a strange dream, filled with hazy figures that reminded him of old-time moonshiners and their "mountain still-house hidden in the laurel." They were drinking and carrying on around an open fire, and a thick haze seemed to surround them. When Lloyd awoke, the sun was high, but it was different, sharper, and the air felt odd. The mountains around him seemed altered, the trees somehow taller and the rocks more worn.
When he returned to Marlinton, it was a town he barely recognized. His old cabin was gone, replaced by a building with a sign that read "Greenbrier Internet Cafe," and people were staring at him as if he were a ghost. They were all carrying small glowing rectangles that reminded him of the "devil's looking-glass, a stone" from an old story he had heard, but somehow they were different, more technological. His clothes, the old jeans and flannel shirt he had been wearing, looked completely out of place.
A Man Out of Time
Lloyd was utterly confused. The "road" he had walked on so many times was now a paved highway, and the sounds of cars had replaced the familiar noises of the birds and the wind. He was much like Rip Van Winkle, a man who had been "left behind" [see conversation history]. The town had grown, and the pace of life had sped up drastically. It was clear that he had been asleep for many years.
- The old cafe where he worked was now a trendy coffee shop.
- The people he encountered spoke of things he didn't understand, using terms like "the cloud," "social media," and "streaming."
- His old neighbors were now old men and women, some of whom didn't even remember him.
Lloyd, now an oddity in his own town, felt much like the character of "Oldworth," a wealthy squire out of time. He was a curiosity to the locals, who gave him the nickname "Old Timer" and were amazed by his old-fashioned ways. He didn't understand their talk, their gadgets, or their frantic pace of life.
The Waiter Who Returned
Over time, Lloyd became a local legend. Much like Rip Van Winkle who returned to his familiar haunts, people began to seek him out, curious to hear his stories of the "old days," of what Marlinton used to be like.
- He shared stories of the old lumber camps, the "blood-feuds" that once plagued the area, and the time when the river was the main artery of life.
- He talked of the way people lived, the old-fashioned ways of working the land, and the importance of community.
- His stories, much like the ones told by "old Iagoo," became a way for the younger generation to connect with the past, a link to a world that was quickly fading away.
Lloyd "Lazy Lloyd" Lambert became a living testament to the changes that time brings, a man who had quite literally slept through a transformation of his world. And so, the out-of-work waiter found a new role, a keeper of memories and a storyteller from a bygone era, much like the "Peasant Poet of Northamptonshire", he was valued for his simple and authentic stories of the past. His story, like Rip Van Winkle's, became a beloved tale in the Appalachian Mountains, demonstrating that even the seemingly idle can have a lasting impact through the power of story.
