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Tomorrow is What You Make It, part 4 Late in the afternoon, Cierra was nearing the last few sailboats. She heard Jonesy making an appreciative whistle and looked up. On the sleek yacht they were approaching were a group of women, all scantily clad. Cierra had to admit the women were lookers. The female captain sent Cierra wink and pulled off her bikini top, tossing it to the shaman. Cierra was almost too distracted from the sight of those lovely twin features to lower her guard and gather information from the tiny scrap of material. She gasped from the images she received and looked up at all the smiling women on board. They looked warm and friendly and more than willing to have a good time if asked. But their pretty faces were nothing more than masks. The women were dangerous. "Dinosaurs," Cierra managed to squeak out. "Huh?" Jonesy grunted, her eyes still taking in the eye candy. "Female pirates. They lure smaller boats to them, kill the passengers and steal whatever they can." "Sirens," JP whispered, remembering tales of women who lured men to their deaths. The honor guard prepared for the jump to Dino Bay. Cierra placed her hands on the boat hull and transported everyone to the dinosaur world. "Hey, where is everyone?" a female voice asked from above. Cierra heard shouting and spotted one woman leaning over the railing with an Uzi. Cierra jumped without thinking, returning to Mother Earth. JP said a few words that were unrepeatable but Cierra said nothing since their child was on shore with Ann. "Damn, Cierra. Where do we keep finding these people?" Cyd asked. "Beats me. But they had one hell of a racket going on. They sailed up here from the tropics. They've been getting away with it for years." "I wonder how they're going to deal with Dino Bay?" Cyd asked. On the pirate yacht, eight women looked around them. Not another boat was in sight. She must have left them all alone on this location. "Fuck, what in hell are we gonna do now?" one of them moaned. Their leader growled. "We're gonna--" The yacht lurched to one side then suddenly righted itself. The women began screaming at the unexpected motion. Christy, who was gripping a rail, began screaming louder, pointing out at the water. "What is it? A whale?" Several of them watched as a dark shadow circled around the yacht. "Tisha, go start the engines. We need to get out of here. Now!" The captain shouted. Tisha hurried to the cockpit and turned the key. It took a few tries before the engine turned over. "Which way?" Tisha asked as she put the boat in motion." "Head for land." Tisha glanced around and headed for the nearest shore, pulling the throttle back and increasing the speed. It took about three minutes before they got close to the marshy coastline. Hiding in the tall grasses were several lifeboats. "Someone else is here," the captain pointed. "Keep an eye out." Tisha slowed the yacht to a trolling speed as her friends kept their weapons at the ready. "Wait, what's that?" another yelled. The yacht was brought to a stop. Maureen handed her rifle to the woman next to her and jumped into the shallow water. She waded to the grasses and pushed her way closer to the still shape she had spotted. Using her arms, she parted the tall grasses and nearly screamed in surprise. Her eyes took in the facts then she hurried away and climbed the ladder back into the yacht. "What is it?" the captain asked. "A fucking dead dinosaur. It was shot with guns." "Have you been shooting up again?" Tisha asked. "Don't believe me? Go look for yourself. I need a drink." Maureen headed for the kitchen and disappeared from sight. A spooky roar echoed in the air. "I think we're fucked," Tisha whispered. ________ JP woke during the night. Opening her eyes in the darkness, she wondered what had jarred her awake. Then Cierra whimpered in her sleep, a pitiful sound that broke JP's heart. She slid closer to her wife and wrapped her arm around the shaman. "Shhh, it's okay. I've got you," JP whispered. She stroked Cierra's cheek and hair until she quietened and fell back into a deep sleep, her nightmare over. JP took hold of Cierra's smaller hand and held her close although her own sleep was slow to return. It seemed so unfair. Cierra was a gentle soul who had to assume the role of judge and executioner. How much more could she take before it overwhelmed her? Those people sent to Dino Bay no doubt were dangerous and deserved what they got but JP saw the anguish behind Cierra's pretended bravado. The shaman knew she was sending those people somewhere they would most likely be killed. In her role of queen of Mother Earth, her responsibility had become one of a merciless killer. To protect those in her charge, she had to be as harsh as those she judged. The friends closest to Cierra knew how hard on her it was but could do little to ease the guilt she felt. So the chaotic emotions inside emerged inside her dreams, often waking several times a night from the images that haunted her. JP just wished she could help more. All she could really do was be there and listen when Cierra wanted to talk. Cierra needed that stability and their home life. JP fully believed that Cierra's love of Kiona and JP was all that kept her from doing herself harm or disappearing and becoming a hermit. They gave her a reason to hope. _________ JP woke alone in the tent the next morning. Cierra and their daughter were gone. JP glanced outside and saw that the sun was positioned at mid-morning. It was the longest she had slept in months. The slim woman grabbed her clothes and a towel and headed for the channel. A cool dip in the water would wake her up. She tossed her belongings onto a rock and jumped nude into the water, gasping when the cold water hit her skin. In spite of the chill, JP gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain in the water for several minutes. The cold didn't seem as severe a short time later so she swam a bit more. "Hey, what are you doing in the water? At least you could let me tie a rope to you so you could be bait," Carey shouted from the bank. "Bait?" "Yeah. Have you seen the size of the fish in the channel? Some of them are over fifteen feet long." JP treaded water and looked around her. Was her friend kidding or telling the truth. Well, she wasn't going to leave the water in a panic. She would keep her dignity. JP swam slowly towards the shore and pulled herself up onto the bank. "Uh huh, sure they are." Carey's eyes twinkled. "You don't believe me, do you? Come over here," she told JP, who was drying off with her towel. Carey pointed at a heavy rope that was tied to tree trunk. The rope's end was in the water with a copper bell tied between the shore and the tree. "Keep an eye on this rope while you're here. If you hear the cowbell ring, come over here and watch." "I bet you have a lobster or crab trap out there, don't you?" JP grinned. "If you say so." Just then, the cowbell jumped and clattered as the rope tightened. The startled visitor no sooner jumped from the sound of the bell when the small tree shook from something yanking hard on the rope. "What the hell!" JP hollered. Carey laughed. "Just you wait, JP. You'll see later. Want some breakfast?" "What's at the other end of this rope?" JP asked, ignoring the offer of food. "What do you think it is? Dinner for tonight. We let them wear themselves out then haul it in. You'll see." The bell rang again as the rope snapped taut. JP sat outside while eating her breakfast, jumping each time the cowbell clanged. Carey grinned each time. "Wanna go fishing?" she asked, putting down her plate. "Yeah. I want to see what you caught." Carey whistled and waved everyone over. Once the others joined Carey at the water's edge they grabbed the rope. They dragged in about ten feet of rope before JP noticed a large knot. The knot was then pulled and draped over the notch carved out of the V of the tree trunk where it branched apart. JP knew enough to not say anything yet. She figured she'd see the logic behind the action soon enough. The women once more pulled the rope and another knot was seen and positioned inside the notch. Suddenly the rope snapped tight but the knot prevented the rope from being pulled back into the water. The reason of the knots then became apparent. Whatever was on the other end was large and probably more than the women could handle. This method allowed them to pull the fish in a little at a time while the fish wore itself out. The rope snapped tight then loosened and the women walked away. "Too much of a fight left," Carey explained. "We'll tug on it more later." "I can't wait to see it once it's pulled out," JP mentioned. _________ Cyd helped the two new families tie down their sailboats to the peer. Although they would be joining the Napa-Sonoma community they would continue to reside in their boats rather than sleep in the newly finished second barracks building. One family was a married couple with three children. The father was a family practitioner and his wife had been a stay at home mom. The other family was a retired couple from Portland. Hallie and a young married couple, the Coopers, would stay in the barracks. The Coopers had begged passage on one of the small yachts but didn't want to go to the newest alternative world to live. Jeannie was already several months along in her pregnancy. At sixteen, she was frightened and her new husband, nineteen year old Sean, wasn't much more experienced. It was apparently a case of marrying for the sake of the baby but at least the teenagers seemed determined to make it work. With three new men to help in the heavier chores, Joseph and Will could get more bricks fired during the winter. Cyd, Carey, and Maggie McDaniels would spend a few days gathering wild foods before the first frost hit to suppliment their food supplies. They weren't in fear of starving, not with the number of wildlife around them, but ducks and seafood could get old fast if eaten day after day. The women began pulling in the rope once more and JP eagerly joined the group. The three new children watched from nearby and were excited when they saw the shadow of the fish being pulled closer to shore. "It's a monster!" the girl cried. Carey chuckled then grunted as she pulled on the rope. "Nope, it's a really big fish. They're kinda ugly but taste good." "As good as salmon?" her brother asked. "Better. You'll see." The women gave one last hard pull on the rope and pulled the front end of the sturgeon onto the grass. The fish thrashed as it left the water, fighting to return to the channel. The little girl screamed and ran to her mother. JP whistled as she watched it twitch and squirm. It had to be at least twelve feet long. "Aren't these the fish you get caviar from?" "Yep, but not this time of year. Spring time is when they spawn." "I thought fish spawned in fall?" JP replied. "That's salmon, not sturgeon." Carey thumped the fish on the head with a hammer to kill it before grinning at everyone watching. "Who wants fish steaks for supper?" Next Chapter |