A Haven From the Storm
Chapter 4: A Fresh Start and Some First Impressions
Once again, the wise voiced woman spoke to me in my dreams, though I still could not see her. Much of what she said I did not remember on waking, but there was:
"You have chosen correctly, Jack. You shall be healed and you shall heal my village."
to puzzle me as I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows. A small army of roosters were crowing somewhere beyond the field - must be that chicken farm next door that Thomas showed me. It was six in the morning, I had to keep country hours now. "Early to bed and early to rise..." I remembered.
A fast wash from a bowl of cold water and another of those rough sea sponges woke me up. Wowser had apparently decided to adopt me, as he was scratching at the door again. I brought him in, hugged him once again to his squirming delight and we once again shared a meal of army surplus rice ball - this time I put the cheese aside as clearly unfit for consumption.
Then, I saw the television in the living room. Funny that I hadn't noticed it yesterday - and even more odd that grandpa would have one. Of course, it was an old black and white set with a cracked case and a clothes hanger for an antenna - a thrift store special. I was never much of a TV person, but I turned on the set curious to see what people watched here. There were four channels, Up, Down, Left and Right, and the set was on the Up channel.
A pleasant looking woman was standing by a weather map, predicting a fair and warm tomorrow. Clearly, this weather channel is what grandpa wanted. I clicked to the Right channel, to see a serious looking man reading the news:
"...the harsh words between the chief executive and legislative leaders followed the release of last month's employment figures, showing that unemployment had increased 3.4 percent to stand at 21.7 percent, the highest level in over seventy years."
In news off the earth, the Venture One crew enjoys their first full day of interplanetary flight on their three year voyage to the red planet. There are no reported spacecraft problems and the crew seems relaxed and happy. Earlier this morning, they beamed back these pictures from a distance of eight hundred thousand kilometers."
The screen showed the full Moon occluding the full Earth - this is probably one of those pictures the mission will always be known for.
"And those are the national headlines. This is TV Channel Right, all news all the time, serving Edgeport and the coast. Now, the local news."
The announcer went into a long list of events scheduled in the area for the next month. I noted that on the 8th, the village would have a "Goddess Festival." A beauty pageant? Have to ask about that.
I clicked to channel Down, and a shrill nasal voice assaulted my ears:
"Farmer Fran! Farmer Fran!"
There was an even more pleasant looking middle-aged blond woman wearing overalls and holding a puppet. She answered in an excessively sweet voice:
"Yes, Jimmy?"
OK, this I had to watch. Jimmy was asking basic questions about preparing the ground to plant seeds, and Fran was patiently giving him clear answers. This, I thought, is very useful and I started making notes. But when it got to the point of the best way to plant seeds, Fran said:
"I'll talk about that tomorrow."
Tune in again next time, eh? Well, I will. Clicking to the Left channel, there was a "Year's End Special" - people in some mountain village having a snowball fight that was turning vicious. Not interesting - I turned off the set.
Well, the day's tasks were obvious - clear some of the ground, buy seeds and plant them. I would have to study my ancestors' diaries carefully, but last night's skimming showed that turnip seeds would be a good start. The seeds were relatively cheap, they grew fast and sold for a fair price. "Who ate turnips?" I thought. I'd never eaten one - but I guess there's lots of people now who'd be glad to have them.
I saw a large tool chest near the front door. I opened it, and there were a good variety of hand farming implements. Taking out a hoe and an ax, I saw they were in pretty bad condition - rusted with nicked edges. These are what grandpa used? Thomas took me past the house of the village blacksmith yesterday, guess I'll have to see him soon to get these tools improved.
I fit the ax, hammer and sickle into my backpack, carrying the hoe. I went outside, Wowser following me.
"OK fella, go off and do doggie things. I'm working now."
I grimaced at the disordered fields. I wielded my hoe, shook it in the air and shouted loudly enough to draw startled glances from a couple of girls passing by the mountainside path:
"Field waste, prepare to meet thy master!"
Five hours later, I realized it wouldn't be that easy. I was lying on the ground about to pass out. Every muscle in my body ached, including a number I never knew I had. I had cleared five patches for cultivation in that time, and that's all I could do. I was well used to hard work, but not this kind of intense physical labor.
I remembered Thomas mentioning a hot springs up the mountain trail - "A good place to soak away your aches and fatigue." he said. That was me, so I slowly picked myself off the ground and dragged my way down the mountain trail, then up a long flight of stairs (why, when going to a place to recover from effort, did you have to climb stairs?)
At the top of the stairs was a fair sized plateau, containing the hot springs, surrounded by a rock fence with a wooden building, a changing room, on one side. Stands of bamboo were on either side of the springs. To the right, a waterfall from the mountain above filled a pool of clear water containing a number of small green fish. The overflow from the pool poured down the hill, forming the stream that passed through the farm.
The springs looked inviting, the water steaming and glittering. I went into the changing room, stripped down to my skivvies and jumped into the water.
Whoa! The water was hot, but was not painful. In fact, it was immediately relaxing. It tasted of mineral salts and smelled a little sweet. Just right for a little afternoon nap, so I fell asleep.
I woke up an hour later, and it was like I had slept a full night. All my aches were gone and I was full of energy - ready to start the day again. What a magical spring!
I went back to the changing room, dried and dressed. When I came out, there was an old bald and bearded man dressed in green talking to a little black haired girl by the pond.
"...but Grandpa, I don't like the hot springs. They're too hot!"
"But they're good for you, May. Oh, very well, you can just play here while I go in. But don't stray away from the pond. I'll just be...oh! Hello, there." he broke off as he saw me.
"Hello, I'm Jack. You are...Barley, right?"
"That's right. I run the livestock ranch a couple of lots down from yours. I'm really sorry about your grandpa. We've been good friends all our lives, he was a little older than me, but didn't matter much to either of us." He sighed, "Really get to feeling your age when lifelong friends pass away."
The little girl ran up to us.
"Hello there, I'm May. I'm five years old now. I like your hat! Why do you wear it backward? Do you want to see the old shoe I found?"
Barley chuckled and lifted May up.
"Isn't she a darling? Don't mind her asking questions, she's just a bit lonely, I think."
"I don't mind a bit. Hey May, you're a cutie."
She pouted. "I'm not a cutie! I'm a big girl!"
"Too big for me to carry for long" Barley said as he put her down.
"Where's your mother and father, May?"
"Yes, Grandpa, when is Ma coming back?"
Barley signaled me to be quiet. "She'll be back just as soon as she can." He looked at me with a disturbed expression. "Her mother is on the mainland...ah...taking care of some things. She left May with me for the time being. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'd like to go in the hot springs now. We're so lucky in this village to have them."
"Yes, they're great. Well, it's good to meet you...and you also May. Gotta do errands myself. Bye."
"Bye!" "Bye!"
Barley went into the changing room and May took a ragged tennis shoe out of a bag and tried to balance it on her head. I went down the stairs, back through the farm and down farm row, wondering all the while what was going on with May and her parents.
Cutting across Rose Square, I saw three middle-aged women standing and chatting. Thomas said I have to make friends, I remembered, so I removed my hat and went over to them.
"Good afternoon, ladies."
They responded in unison, "Why hello, Jack."
A black haired woman with a slightly prissy expression introduced herself.
"I'm Anna. Basil and my daughter Mary live up the way. We're all very sorry about your grandfather." The others nodded. "This..." pointing to the blonde lady "...is Sasha, who runs the General Store with Jeff and their lovely daughter Karen."
"Good to meet you, Sasha. I was just going to the store to buy some seeds."
She smiled. "Fine, Jeff is there all afternoon."
Anna continued, pointing to a shorter black haired woman "And this is Manna, who makes wine with Duke. The village women meet here at noon to swap stories. Basil can't come, because all he talks about is plants. Have you met Lillia, at the poultry farm? No? She rarely goes out because she has an illness that the doctor can't cure. Her husband has been in the desert searching for a rare flower that may heal her." She tossed her head. "I envy her for her husband having such devotion, but she's lonely. Mabye I shouldn't have told him about the flower."
Then Manna jumped in. "It's fun to listen to the stories. I rarely have much free time, but...Have you heard about Saibara's grandson Gray who just came from out west? He..."
She launched into a long story about Saibara's treatment of Gray.
"Well, I..."
She went ahead over me. "And then, there is that scientist Louis, who is living with Gotz the woodcutter..." An even longer story about Louis trampling people's flower gardens, looking for rare bees.
"What about..."
Nothing stopped Manna. "Oh! That photographer Kano staying with the mayor. He says he's just doing nature photography, but..." An even longer story about her suspicions of Kano.
I stopped trying to get in a word edgewise and just listened. Manna was unstoppable! I must have been showing an amused expression at her performance, because she stopped in mid story.
"Oh! Why are you looking at me like that? You think I talk too much? Well, I have to do all the talking because you don't say anything!"
Just then, Sasha whispered to me.
"Once Manna gets going, she won't shut up!"
That did it. To avoid breaking out in laughter, I faked coughing and covered my mouth.
"Are you all right, Jack?"
"OK...Just must be all the fresh...air here...not used to it... nice to talk with you ladies...must be going...see you later."
Sasha winked at me as I ran toward the main street. Manna had already started another monologue and Anna was looking at her fingernails. I thought, what a hen session! But Manna, for all her chatter, seemed to know a lot about the village's people. Some of it might even be true. Might pay to talk to her...tapping my ear...once in awhile!
I got to where Rose Square met the main street, and saw the Clinic. I decided to say hello to the Doctor and went in. Sitting at the reception desk was a girl about my age, short-haired and a little plump. She was wearing a dress that looked more like a flower girl's than a nurse's uniform.
"Oh, hello Jack. My name is Elli and I'm the receptionist and nurse here at the clinic. I'm so sorry that we didn't get to your grandfather in time."
"Good to meet you Elli. Not your fault, I'm sure you and the Doctor did all you could do."
"If we had only gotten to him sooner, we could have saved him. Or stopped him from working in the snow with a bad cold. Prevention Jack, always remember prevention. Oh, you have a cut on your arm!"
I looked. So I did. "Must have gotten it from those thorn bushes I was clearing." I rubbed the cut and Elli asked:
"Does it hurt that much? Is that why you came here?"
She made a snippy expression. "Do you know why I asked that? A grown man like you shouldn't be bothered by such a little cut. Oh, but if you're working in the soil, it might get infected. Come here and I'll fix you up."
She got out a cotton ball and a bottle of peroxide and held my arm, swabbing the cut.
"Here, take this bandage and apply it when it dries." She sighed. "I've got all these bills to send out, so if there's nothing else..."
"OK, Elli, thanks for the treatment. What do I owe you?"
"For that? Nothing. Just take care of yourself, Jack. Bye!"
"Bye!"
I left the clinic, then stopped and remembered that I had gone to greet the Doctor and I hadn't seen him. I shrugged. Another day, got to go get those seeds. Elli seemed to be a competent nurse, if a little bossy.
A little up the street was the General Store. I went in the door and saw tables with various goods and foods on display. Behind a counter was a man wearing a white shirt, a pencil mustache and a very stressed out look.
"Hello Jeff, I'm Jack."
We shook hands. "Good to see you, Jack. Sorry about your grandfather. He was a good man. Always paid his bills on time. Can I do anything for you today? We have all the seeds for Spring planting on that table over there."
"Thanks, let me have a look for a minute, OK?"
He waved. "Sure, take your time."
Then a white-coated and somewhat grim-faced man came in, picked up a couple of loaves of bread and said: "Jeff, I forgot my wallet. Put these on my tab, OK?"
Jeff looked even more stressed. "Ah...your tab...sure Doc."
Ah, the doctor! But he was out the door before I could introduce myself. Jeff shook his head and mumbled to himself:
"I'm such a pushover! Why can't I just ask him to pay cash?"
Sasha came out of the back room and started scolding Jeff.
"Jeff! You let doctor buy on credit again! You know we need cash now, the wholesaler's bill is due on Friday! Don't let anyone else buy on credit this week!" She stormed back out of the store and Jeff gripped his stomach.
"You all right, Jeff?"
"Ah..just some indigestion, it's OK."
Then, a big, jolly gray haired man came in and grabbed an armload of rice balls.
"Hey Jeff, got an appetite that won't quit! Rice and fish tonight! Put it on my tab, OK?"
"Ah...sure Duke, no problem." Jeff looked as if he was going to have a stroke.
Enough was enough. I walked up to Duke and said: "Shouldn't you pay for what you take?"
Duke looked at me with a startled glance, then chuckled and said:
"Oh, you're the new guy at the Erewhon farm, Jack. Sorry about the old man, he was a good guy. You're new, so you don't know how things work here. Jeff knows I'm good for it, right? No sweat!"
"Look, Duke, Jeff's got bills to pay, so you should really pay cash. It's only right."
Duke looked annoyed and started to say something, when a long haired girl came storming out of the back and confronted Duke.
"Duke! You're running up your tab too high! I know you've got the money, I see you drinking at the inn every night and you always pay cash! Because Doug won't give you credit!"
"Now, Karen..."
She put her hands on her hips and leaned into Duke's face.
"You see how stressed out Dad is? You know why? You know?! Because deadbeats like you won't pay their bills!!!"
Then she started into some really scientific abuse. Duke looked embarrassed and said:
"OK, all right already. You, Karen, I can't refuse. Sorry, Jeff, here you go." He took out some coins and laid them on the counter. Then he shuffled out the door, mumbling:
"Kids these days...one day in the village and he's already trying to run things."
Well, I had taken one step backward in making friends here. Better try to get on Duke's good side real soon. But then, I saw I had also taken two steps forward. Jeff said:
"Hey, thanks Jack! I didn't think you'd have the guts to stand up to Duke like that."
Karen said to him: "Oh, Dad! You need to stand up to these people yourself, you just let everyone walk all over you."
She came up to me, smiling and said:
"Thanks, Jack, I was in the back and heard everything. Came out because I thought you needed a little backup." She laughed. "I know how to handle Duke - just like Manna does! You're a good guy." She took my hand and shook it. I noticed her more carefully now, very pretty with long brown hair with blond highlights.
"I'm Karen. You're the rocket scientist come to work the Erewhon farm, right? It's terrible about your grandpa, I loved the old guy. When I was a kid, he'd let me practice dancing in his fields. He'd clap and say 'Karen, you dance like a fairy princess'. I'll miss him.
"Yes, I'm what you might call the artistic type. I love dancing and singing."
She hummed a few bars of a French folk song while doing some graceful twirls.
"Wow! You are good."
She laughed. "You are a smart guy. You recognize talent when you see it! Come to the Goddess Festival on the 8th and see me really dance. If you're a good boy, I might even give you a dance."
"Don't know if I could keep up with you."
"Sure you could. I'd be leading anyways, I always do! Say, what's your birthday?"
"Fall 8"
"Hmmm, a Libra. I'm a Scorpio, Fall 15."
"Sun sign isn't everything, you need the moon signs too to determine compatibility."
She brightened. "You know astrology?"
"The prof in my History of Science class was an old hippie and he covered it more than others would have."
"Classes." She chuckled. "You should meet Mary, the librarian. She's the smart one of us girls! Don't let her shyness fool you, either. When she opens up, she's great fun to be with. Well, I've got to get back to helping mom. Thanks again for your help. Don't forget the 8th! Come dance with the goddesses!"
She danced on tiptoe to the backroom.
"Lively girl, your daughter."
Jeff chuckled. "She sure is! Well, you decided what you want yet?"
I slapped my forehead. In all the excitement, I had forgotten about the seeds.
"Ah, four packages of turnip seeds. Yes, I've got 'em here. What do I owe you?"
"450Gs"
"OK, here you go." I put the coins on the counter. "I always pay cash on the nail."
Jeff brightened even more. "Thanks, Jack. Come again real soon."
"Will do, Jeff." I put the seeds in my backpack and left.
I headed out the door and up the main street. Gee, it's past three. I rounded the corner double time and ran down the street. But I was stopped by the sound of crying.
