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19. REPAIRS
Freegirl grew continuously more still.
It was the third week of the river trek, warm in July, and the winds were in power, forcing the vessel quickly upstream.
Then, “Ka-wambo! KLUNK! Kreeeeech!” They heard the side of the boat experience an awful sound, tearing, as it came under the assault of a Giant—unseen log, floating heading downstream.
“Devastations!” roared Elfen. “Imaaagine it! Let’s get to shore! Quickly!” It was times like these the Rower of the Rivers was glad he never sailed far from the bank.
As the water seeped into the bottom of the boat, tilting the rig to one side, the sailors hurried to the water’s edge. The vessel arrived safely upon the shore, but Freegirl felt her soul screaming—bursting—for she could not imagine another Obstacle.
Then she remembered. Stay rooted and watch these things pass. The rooting force of the mighty trees enveloping, reminded the girl of a stronger presence—ages of repeated disasters the forest had experienced, and how calm the trees had remained.
Elfen was caught in the calamity that ensnared them. As he hopped out of the vessel with an urgency, he dragged the boat by its line—and to an overhead limb he tied his heavy rope.
Freegirl breathed in the protection of the forest, and inhaling a long dose of air, relaxed under a tree.
The skipper inspected the newly shredded hole. “Very nice,” he mumbled, with complete sarcasm, his lips hardly moving, and the tip of his nose sharper than ever. Then he exhaled loudly. “I have to repair this or we’re going nowhere…at least not on the river. Thanks to the great stars in the sky, my sister and her family live about five miles from here.”
Elfen continued surveying the injury. “I haven’t seen them in a year. I can get materials from her husband. He used to live on the river, and I believe he still owns a boat. He should have a supply of rubber; otherwise, it will take days and days to collect the amount needed to seal this hole. Imaaagine it! We almost sunk!”
Freegirl waded into the current splashing at the river’s edge, to look at the damage. Indeed, the hole could fit a man easily. Water slurped in and out of the wound, laughing at the sailors.
“Perfect timing, I guess,” responded Freegirl. “Your sister and her husband can make the repairs go faster. But what about walking five miles out of our way? Aren’t there rubber trees here?”
“Sure there are,” answered Elfen. “But we would be forced to camp here for at least a week, while we search for rubber trees to fill every container we have. We would have to comb the forest in all directions looking for the most productive trees. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law probably has a huge supply this moment, for he lives in the forest where collecting the adhesive is one of his chores.”
“How come you don’t carry rubber, Elfen?” asked his sailing passenger.
“I do carry rubber, Freegirl,” he answered with a smile. “But it’s not enough to patch a hole this size. Plus, we’ll need lumber. Another’s help is the remedy!” Elfen’s head nodded excitedly, and his smile bubbled across his face. “Our timing is perfect.” Then he twisted his mouth and nose into tragic humor, and with his eyes rolling, made a funny face.
Freegirl smirked but tried not to laugh—life just wasn’t that funny at the moment.
The girl from Mount Gold had been on the trail for over a month, and already she’d experienced three Obstacles. The first was the desertion of Black Raisin; the second was Tyber's trembler bite. And now the third: a sinking boat!
The Obstacles were unbelievable. But when she thought about life and its challenges, she had to admit there was no Obstacle bigger than her father’s limited reasoning.
A snack of dried nuts—roasted walnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pistachios—was eaten. The travelers rested and stretched, then headed into the forest for the five-mile walk to Elfen’s relations.
No direct trail, the trekkers were forced to meander on animal paths leading away from the river. The woods revealed a clutter of bramble, making footing and arm motion tricky. Walking to Elfen’s sister’s was slow. Whenever they veered off the twisted walkways, searching for a way to cut through the winding paths, they found the shortcuts were no shorter than simply following the many turns.
For the most part, the floor of Living Forest had plenty of clearings—and many trails between the trees were free of scratchy undergrowth, giving intermittent relief to the walkers.
Elfen and Freegirl avoided Rash Plants, for although the Children of the Glimpse were brilliant healers, they did not want to stop and take the time to dissolve the stinging welts, and itchy red spots, which occurred after contact with the poisonous greens.
Moving all randomly this way and that, they saw deer bouncing into their vision then vanish; beavers scuttling within the small streams that lead to the Whisper Waters; rabbits, squirrels, rats and rodents in all shades of brown, gray and black.
There were birds flying high in the treetops, then, with apparent intent, swooping low near the people. Snakes stayed quietly in the undergrowth and occasionally got a foot pounded upon their backs. Either Elfen or Freegirl would react quickly, jumping into the air, off the serpents' tiny spines, so as not to hurt them.
People visiting this rich wildlife did so with complete reverence—alert, quiet and watchful.
Both travelers held long knives, cutting vines carefully when the greenery was a hindrance.
So abundant was this wild scenery, the travelers sometimes felt they were watching a living theatre. However, within the forest queendom’s show, they, too, were wild animals in nature’s performance.
Through the leaves, and the occasional sunny gaps in the trees, a blue, balloon sky—bloated with rain clouds and sunshine—seeped into the world of shade. Water from heaven may turn the skies into a shower at any moment. The forest, however, could keep most of the land dry—under its umbrella of infinite leaves.
Freegirl and Elfen walked carefully, with all senses awake. They were intent upon their connection with the wild.
They did not fear the cougars, the bears, and the canines—for Predators chose easier prey. As humans were highly intelligent, rarely were they challenged.
Enveloped in the busy forest—winding in and out of the trees, branches, stumps, and vines—the heaven-reaching leaves blocked the sky from view—making the air chilly, making the world shady.
The walkers, at last, came upon a clearing. In the center of this serene opening, where the trees parted momentarily, stood a solid, humble cabin.
This was the home of Willow—Elfen’s younger sister by three years. In her late eighties, but looking the same as she did when she was thirty, she lived with her husband, Wing. They had one teen-aged daughter named Kerenya, who dwelled in her own tipi in the woods, near her parents’ cabin. The peaceful family of three lived almost as hermits, and rarely had visitors.
“Oh! La!” called Elfen to Kerenya, who was sitting upon the porch of the cabin.
“Hey!” she answered in return. The lithe young girl jumped to see her uncle’s smiling face.
“Elfen!” she roared. “Uncle Elfen!” The young girl clapped her hands together and danced, as her parents—hearing the burst of noise—walked around the house from the back garden.
Seeing the excitement, they joined in the jumping and spinning circles, then flew forward gracefully, to give their relative a great hug.
Freegirl remained quietly watching, as she laughed in their joy.
“This is my new friend, Freegirl,” offered Elfen—for despite the short time he had known the girl, friendships on this planet were assumed immediately—such was the high extent of trust between humans.
Freegirl was greeted with care, and the bubbly Kerenya volunteered to show her tipi to the visitors.
Wing proudly smiled in his daughter’s wake, as he explained her private living quarters had been received when she’d turned sixteen, and had commanded her Space.
When children are twelve years old, around the time of puberty, they prove they have the courage to command their own presence, by spending three days alone, upon the land without human assistance. If they survive with nothing more than a knife in their hand, and a small back pack containing a sleeping roll, they take their Command.
When they are ready, they will eventually Command their Space.
At sixteen, Kerenya decided it was time for her Space. The family of three promptly constructed the tipi for her, and she moved into it—giving her parents and herself privacy.
The conversation became somewhat serious. Elfen told them why he was visiting. “The Beast needs repairs,” he said.
“Great timing,” Wing ironically answered, with a strained grimace on his features. “Two months ago, there was a freak storm—you know how bizarre the area by the Re-Legion is—and the Boulder Ray, my boat, was hitched over at Frankie’s dock. Not only did one Giant charging on the storm rapids hit her, but another one about sank her. Frankie, dear heart that he is, tried to repair her but ran out of rubber. His son rode here on horseback to tell me the news. I took what supplies I had, and dragged them back to my boat, and camped there a week to repair the holes. Needless to say, I’m low on rubber. I do not like to take too much from the trees at one time, so now I have about a gallon left.”
Wing sighed as he realized Elfen and Freegirl had walked five miles out of their way, roaming through a congested forest to obtain an ingredient they could have gathered where they were. In either case, it was going to take several days to collect enough adhesive for the fix.
Elfen looked at the unexpected impediment as a sign—it was time to visit with family!
But when Freegirl and Kerenya returned from the tipi, and Elfen relayed to his passenger the reason for the latest setback, he noticed the young girl’s eyes about blow out of their sockets. She immediately lowered her lids when everyone looked at her with puzzlement. Of course, only Elfen knew she was on an urgent mission— something about her mountain home sinking. No one knew of her feelings on obstacles, so the naïve family of three cheered Elfen and Freegirl for the company.
Inside Freegirl, where the truth of her feelings lived, she wanted to scream, run into the trees, and hide behind a shower of tears. Not another Obstacle!
But instead, she heard the grandmother tree— remembered its limb curling around her toes. Stay rooted and watch these things pass.
Elfen carefully, but subtly, watched her. She was a mysterious one, for sure, wanting to get to the Lore Halls as soon as possible. She said Mount Gold was sinking into the ocean?
Elfen had been pondering her presence since Tyber brought her to Save the Lake. She was a complete unknown, without family or connections, and more amazingly, without concrete plans.
Well, whoever she was, she was behind schedule, and Elfen knew they would never make their destination before snowfall. They would be forced to set camp below snow level and wait. She would be in his company a long while.
As the family carried on with their tasks and hosting their visitors, Elfen could not help but watch Freegirl. Catching his scrutinizing glance, she allowed a faint smile to slip over her lips, but her eyes were sad.
He reached out and put his hand on the back of her neck, and said, “Maybe you are being held back for a reason. This is not your first obstacle. Could it be you’re in too much of a hurry?”
She did not know how to respond. “I would believe that if I hadn’t started this journey against my will.”
As soon as she spoke, she held her breath. Not wanting anyone to know how she’d left the mountain—or what Tyber had seen when he first encountered her in the wild fuscias—she quickly added, “But you’re clear on that one. I’ve always been driven and impatient.”
How could she say what she was really thinking? Since she was not in the position to speak openly of her Vision—knowing how impossible it was to believe, and how it scared the others—she simply regurgitated a fake but pleasant laugh, strolled into a grove of trees, and sat on a log to Contemplate.
The others watched her go in complete bewilderment. Driven? Impatient? When they turned to see her sitting on the log, she reassured them with a smile and a wave.
As Life’s tests go, it took more than three weeks to collect enough rubber from the trees to repair the Mona Fidelity.
The people remained at the river for as long as it took to accumulate the adhesive from the ripest trees. By the time enough was gained, and the Mona Fidelity was secured, the five campers had enjoyed each others company, and a strong bond —including Freegirl, who had become very close with Kerenya.
When it was time to leave, Freegirl promised her new friend she would return to visit one day—but in reality, the traveler knew it would not happen sometime soon.
The group parted, and the sailors lifted their sails and sauntered upon the Whisper Waters heading north—destination the Lore Halls.
While sailing a gentle pace, Freegirl recalled a conversation she’d had with Kerenya. Elfen’s niece knew Rainbow of Shadow Meadow, as she had met the lithe and graceful man at Save the Lake when she was twelve years old.
She remembered the trip well, relaying the story to Freegirl. She and her parents had been taken across the meadow by Elfen, who had convinced them traveling and seeing the distant sights of Mother Nature was an inspiration.
Kerenya told Freegirl—who at eighteen was still quite naïve—that Rainbow was more special than most Children of the Glimpse, for he was a sideway. When Freegirl asked what that meant, Kerenya explained Rainbow would never have offspring, for he preferred the company of men. If he chose to marry, he would choose a man.
This put a pause of awe into Freegirl’s heart. He is like a woman in a man’s body, she had mentioned. Kerenya smiled and agreed.
The sideways are novelties as rare as twins. As twins can make childbirth and nursing difficult, sideways make childbirth and nursing impossible. Mother Nature allows only a few sideways or twins to be born, for if everyone was a sideway or a twin, the survival of the human population would be threatened.
The river was wide and beautiful. The trees were tall and encompassing, as Freegirl—on her back staring, at the narrow sky overhead—sailed peacefully on Elfen’s riverboat.
She contemplated everything, and smiled to herself. Stay rooted and watch these things pass.
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