The Book Of Fred by Abbi Bardi

It’s not easy to be Mary Fred Anderson. A bible thumping, proverb spouting, naïve 15 year old who has been sheltered from the rest of the world by her parents who have fallen under the spell of a supposed prophet named Fred.

Mary Fred and her siblings have once again been removed from the family home, actually I should say compound, following the death of her younger brother, also named Fred. Her older brother met the same fate a short time before due to the fact that her parents do not believe in Doctor’s, it is against their religion.

Mary Fred is brought to live with the Cullison’s who are a real American family in every possible sense for better or worse. They are residents of a suburban neighborhood in Washington, D.C.

Mother Cullison - that would be Alice, her younger brother Roy and daughter Puffin, real name Heather, welcome Mary Fred into their home and find that they are met for the most part with cool indifference.

Mary Fred does keep her manners about her, she is almost always exceedingly polite and courteous. However, she does not feel that she can, nor should she, share any information with ‘Lackers’, her term for those who do not ascribe to her religion.

Instead, she chooses to spend her time preparing for the Big Cat, or Cataclysm, which she has been brainwashed into believing will be taking place at around the time the new millennium is ushered in.

After moping around for weeks on end, suspended in a state of perpetual anxiety over just how she will make it back to the compound in time, Alice pledges to take not only Mary Fred back, but the rest of the Cullison clan as well. Much to the dismay of both Roy and Puffin, at the crack of dawn on New Year’s Day, the four of them head out to Frederick County and to the Outpost.

Unfortunately, things at the Outpost are not quite as Mary Fred had envisioned. The place is deserted. It is a Ghost Town. The stark realization of the moment does not sink in until Mary Fred retreats within the chapel walls. Dust covered and musty smelling, the old chapel does not offer much in terms of comfort, to a heartbroken Mary Fred.

When they return from this excursion, Alice, Roy and Puffin try their best to lift Mary Fred’s spirits. With time, she seems to start rolling with the punches, until she is severely injured by the deranged love of Puffin’s life. Yes, the boy careens into her with his Toyota.

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