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People of Stones, part 2 The women and crew were exhausted. They had spent the night raiding a feed store of everything useful they could find. Transporting the heavy loot was the hardest part but the lucky find of a truck parked outside the store made things easier. Carey had hot-wired the truck and they had used it to transport the heavy equipment to the coast. From there, they used the derrick to swing the freight to the WaveDancer. The holds were almost full but they still needed to hit a few more businesses. Tomorrow they would hit the two five and dime stores in the town. The survivors still needed the everyday basics in life such as soap, sewing supplies, candles, bedding, and basic drugs such as aspirin. Once these were gone the people would be hard pressed to replicate these items but Cierra had no plans on keeping them supplied. By then they learned to do without or make their own. ****** Earl spoke with his friends at the coffee shop. They kept their voices low so no one would overhear them. "I tell you, it's them!" Earl whispered. "Those people who jump world to world. That reporter said they were helping out survivors of their world after some damned disaster." He shivered, hoping the same thing didn't happen to their own planet. "He might have a point," Rick told the others. My store got hit last night and what they took matches that idea. They left all the hard drugs alone. If it was people looking to get high like the police suggested, all that would have been taken. All they took was stuff people would need to have to get by." Frankie leaned forward with a giggle, "And left you a bunch of gold in payment, too." "Yeah, that too. I'm not whining about that tidbit. At least they left all the equipment and such alone and didn't leave a mess. They even cleaned up the syrup they accidentally spilled." Frankie turned to Earl. "So, you think your store will be hit too?" "Yeah. It's just a matter of time." "And you made a bundle last time?" Earl shrugged, not willing to admit he made a lot. "Then why don't you be nice and set them up to make it easier on them? Put out a bunch of stuff on pallets and leave them empty boxes too." Earl looked thoughtful. "Yeah, good idea." ******* Cierra jumped her friends to the middle of the same aisle as the last time and looked around in surprise. All the lights were on in the grocery store. Had they arrived on a night they were doing inventory? She didn't hear people anywhere. "Wait!" a male voice told them. The female raiders all turned towards the voice. Cierra recognized the 'shopper' she had seen several days earlier. He must be the owner. He probably had thought she was a shoplifter and followed her around the other day. "I know who you all are and I want to help." JP eased her grip on her wife's shoulder. Cierra relaxed as well and listened while watching the man's face. "I had my employees work overtime today. I didn't tell them why. I have a bunch of stuff all packed and on pallets for you. Feel free to gather what you need. I have empty boxes for you too." Cierra saw his sincerity of his eyes. "Thank you, Mr...." "Earl Brommer, ma'am. And you must be Cierra, the shaman woman," he grinned. She grinned and held out her hand. "Cierra Foley-White." "A pleasure, ma'am. Do you need any help?" "We can always use a helping hand. We have a lot of people to feed," she told him gratefully. "Do you plan on shopping at my store often?" he asked out of curiosity. "No, this will probably be the last time. The survivors need to take care of themselves after this." "Oh, I see." Earl looked rather glum at the news. Cierra saw the same eagerness to be helpful as she had seen in Jim. "Well, I suppose we could drop by from time to time, we just won't need as much. Maybe a few items we might want." Earl's smile returned. "That would be fine, Ms. Foley-White." Several hours later JP handed Earl four heavy bags of gold. "Thanks for everything, Earl. We will probably drop by near the beginning of each month when we visit our sister village," she informed him. The man grinned and told them he looked forward to their visits. He even offered to find things for them if they gave him a list. Cierra gave him a hug and told him she'd leave any list of things on his desk. Her friends were placing their hands on her arms when she got an idea. "Want to come along for a bit and look around?" she offered. Earl didn't even hesitate. "Let me grab my coat." He returned a minute later, slipping on the jacket. He placed his hand delicately on her forearm and waited. A wave of dizziness hit him but it quickly passed. He looked around and saw that he was on the edge of a corn field. It was dark out but torches had been lit. He stepped over a ring of rocks on the ground, figuring they used it to mark where to jump. He followed Cierra and her friends downhill and in the darkness he saw the silhouette of buildings. Once near the buildings he saw a well lit path leading down to a pier and a huge white yacht at the end of it. People were loading the pallets onto it rather quietly. Cierra touched his arm then held a finger to her lips. She didn't want to wake the children inside. He stayed close behind her and followed her inside. The building seemed peaceful. He as led to a kitchen area and asked to sit down. Jenny poured them all some tea and they chatted around the table. Earl asked a lot of questions about their society and got an idea on how they lived. The shaman saw a look on the man's face, one she couldn't interpret. She asked him what was wrong but he didn't speak. She placed her palm over his and allowed his thoughts to come to her. She saw the man's prominent thoughts, those about his son. His middle son, Ben. Then she understood. Earl never confronted his son but suspected he was a homosexual. Ben never dated girls and hung around with his friend, Justin, all the time. The young men seemed the be best friends. Maybe too friendly. If Ben was one of those kind of guys, perhaps it would be best that he sought out others of his kind. Maybe Cierra would take him in. "Why don't you talk to Ben in the morning?" Earl looked stunned. "And what in hell, excuse my French, what in the world would I say to him? 'Excuse me son, but I think you're one of them homosexuals so let's talk?" JP snorted her tea out her nose and choked even as she laughed. Jenny smacked her arm and told her to hush, handing her a rag to clean up the tea. "Well, not exactly in those terms. Maybe you could sit down with him and tell him about us? If he thinks you're okay with us he might be willing to talk?" Jenny suggested. Earl thought it over. Yes, that might work. If he confronted Ben about it they'd never be honest with each other. "I could do that." "Would it help if I wrote a letter to Ben?" Cierra volunteered. Earl thanked her and waited while Cierra wrote a long letter on a sheet of paper. She then sealed it and handed it to Earl. "Come on, it's time I got you home." ****** Earl saw Ben as he came out of his bedroom. They ate the breakfast his wife fixed for them and he told Ben they needed to talk. His son looked confused but trailed after him into the back garden. The father looked at his son, trying to read his thoughts. The boy was seventeen, with longish brown hair and limpid green eyes. I have a story to tell you, Ben. Now this is just between the two of us. You can't be spreading this tale, all right?" "Okay, Dad." "You remember the newspaper story about those women jumping between worlds?" At Ben's nod, he continued. "Well, I met with them last night." "You did? Far out!" Earl grimaced at the slang. "Anyways, they're an interesting bunch. Most of the people in charge are lesbians. They started the whole thing, you know. The queen is this very nice woman named Cierra." The teen merely nodded and waited for him to keep speaking. A typical boy would have asked what she looked like. "She and her people are very tolerant. They want everyone to live peacefully and get along. They have Indians, homosexuals, and foreigners galore. Anyways, they came to my store to get supplies last night and I happen to be waiting for them. I figured my store would get hit eventually. I even went to their world for a little while last night!" Earl told Ben, tapping him with a fingertip on his shoulder. "Cool! What was it like?" "Different. They don't use electricity so they use candles and stuff. People looked pretty happy there." Ben looked thoughtful. Earl pulled out an envelope and handed it to his son. "Go ahead, read it." The young man tore open the letter addressed to him and read it. His heart pounded so hard he thought for sure his Dad could hear it. How did Cierra know all this about him? Ben looked up at his father. "You knew?" Earl shrugged. "I suspected, which is different." "I think Mom knows," Ben confessed. "Women are clever that way. So, will you think it over?" Ben still looked worried. At least his father wasn't screaming at him that he was a pervert and to get out of his house. "Do you want me to go?" Earl held out his arm and patted Ben's shoulder awkwardly. "No, but I think you'd be happier. That is what matters to your mother and I. We love you, Ben." That was all it took to bring the tears to the surface. Both men held back the tears, even in the privacy of their fenced yard, but soaking up the love they both shared. ****** The women from the Napa Clan waved good-bye to their friends as their canoes left the pier. They were finally going home. They took turns rowing upstream, steering the boats while the women near the front used the sails to propel them against the current. It took two days to travel the distance between villages but the last few miles went quickly as rowers, eager to reach home, dug in hard and paddled for all they were worth. The women reached the dock and within seconds heard the welcoming bell from their village. Everyone knew that they were home. People poured out of the village and from the Embassy settlement and greeted them, not even waiting for them to walk up the hill. People passed around the travelers to share hugs and greetings. Others grabbed all the baggage and carried it back to the village for them as they chatted excitedly on the way back. "Welcome back!" a voice shouted from up high. The women looked upward and saw the man from the Embassy. He had done as he said he would. He built his home over the stream so he could fish. He held a pole in his hand and waved from his wooden deck. Cierra laughed and waved back as she continued uphill. Soon they reached the village and people insisted that they come into the communal building for a meal. Sharon spotted them coming in and insisted on hugs all around before she urged them to sit down. Her helpers brought out plates and cups and filled them full. The returning women sat happily and ate Sharon's cooking, glad to know this was home. People asked questions and the women took turns answering so their food wouldn't get cold. Pam held out her hands and took Kiona from JP's lap. Kiona barely remembered Pam but her warm smile put her at ease. She snuggled happily on her lap and smiled shyly at Mel who sat on Eva's lap. Cierra finally got in a few questions of her own, asking the council to update her on everything since they left. Pam glanced at Sharon who answered for them all. "Well, not much to tell. We have all the crops planted and got a lot of new tree houses built for people. We have a group at each of the survivor camps helping them along this summer. Laura sent word that you can begin sending the Archivist Clan books any time after next week. Their library is nearly done." JP spoke up. "So they decided on that name, eh?" "Yes, and the survivor camp decided on the 'Northern Valley Clan' since they can't go much further north and be in the same valley," she chuckled. "How is Tocha and Paut doing?" Cyd asked. Sharon tried to hide her amusement, keeping a bland expression on her face. "Well, you know how things are around here. She's young, not bad looking...she and Phillip hit it off and got married a month ago," she blurted out. "Married? Phillip?" Robbie asked with her eyes wide. She remembered when Phillip's interest in women wasn't always so innocent. Sharon knew Robbie and her niece never truly forgot the incident when Phillip attempted to molest Katie. Only Robbie's interference stopped his attack. They forgave him but never forgot. "Robbie, he has changed, believe me. Tocha has him firmly wrapped around her little finger and he adores her daughter. They're very happy together." Robbie sighed. The council had agreed to his new position within their community knowing his past. The tall blonde accepted the older woman's reassurances and returned to her meal. "So," Cyd asked, "what was her story? All of us wondered why she was all alone out there." Sharon told them what they had learned. Tocha had been exiled because her tribe believed her to be a bad-luck woman. Both of her husbands had died and no man wanted to risk being her third mate. With no man to hunt for her, she was driven out of her community. She had taken her child and left, saddened by the fact her daughter would probably perish as well. "There was quite a debate over their marriage," Pam mentioned. "After all, Tocha is only fifteen." "What?" Cyd shouted. Sharon grabbed her wrist and told her to calm down. "You have to remember, these people have a much shorter lifespan. Most of their girls marry the moment they hit puberty. Tocha married the first time when she was eleven then took her second mate at thirteen. Most men, by the time they hit Phillip's age (twenty-three) are old enough to become grandfathers. Tocha settled for an older man," she grinned. Cyd chuckled. She would call Phillip 'old man' at her first opportunity. It was much later when the weary travelers headed for their homes. They were tired and wanted to crawl into bed and get some sleep. Cierra and JP entered their house and discovered that someone had put fresh bedding on their featherbed then gave the place a good dusting and sweep. They were grateful that they didn't have to do anything more than get into bed. Kiona was placed in her padded crib where she fussed but a minute before closing her eyes. ****** Tate Redhorse, the leader of the Whitefeather Clan, listened to the group of hunters as they explained what happened. "It was so weird," Tobias said, shivering. "All I could think of was that we were watching history repeat itself. Our ancestors were just like these people once." Several men nodded, agreeing. The hunters had run across a small band of migrating people. The strangers had been wary but allowed the hunters to approach them. Of course no one understood the others but they managed to exchange a few words before going their own ways. "I couldn't make up my mind if they looked Asian or not," one of the men commented. "Well, our scientists said genetically, they were a mixture of different people. Some were even Japanese," another told his friends. "My only concern is are they friendly? We all came to Mother Earth to avoid the problems of Earth and go back to living simply. I don't want to end up bringing war back into existence," Tate told his men. One of the older men shrugged. "Who knows? I guess its up to all of us to keep the peace. It's not like we're dealing with overcrowding on Mother Earth yet. There's plenty for everyone. As long as we stay out of each other's affairs we should do all right." Tobias still looked uncertain. "And what if things get ugly anyway? Do we let things get violent or let them push us around?" Tate stopped the men from beginning a debate over that issue. "Nothing has happened yet other than our running into one another. Don't go making a mountain out of a molehill until something actually happens. Just be civil if you meet up again and don't do anything foolish. Okay?" "If you say so, Tate." Tobias just hoped nothing bad came of it. ****** Next Chapter |