by Alan Tucker
Jenni couldn’t imagine having to leave her mom like that. But then, Carrie and her mom don’t seem to get along very well either, she reasoned. Maybe it would be a good thing for her. But I wouldn’t want to be the gnome that broke the news to Mrs. Minch when she woke up!
“Bottom line is,” Ms. Pap continued, “we leave in the morning, with Crank as our guide. I need everyone to make sure all the water bottles we have are full and everything is packed and ready to go. After that, we get as much rest as possible.”
The class let out a collective sigh, then dispersed to ready themselves for the journey ahead.
8
Morning came too quickly for most of them, but they managed to freshen up, eat a bit of breakfast, and get started on their journey.
The small hills quickly turned to gently sloping plains after the group left the village. Green prairie grasses rolled and waved with the breeze as far as they could see. Birds swooped over the grass, snatching bugs as they went, and soared in the bright blue sky.
They kept the gorge close on their right and, as the day wore on, the steep walls diminished. By the time they decided to camp that evening, the gorge had disappeared, leaving a broad and fast flowing river. They found some Tolenton’naie bushes growing along its banks to replenish their supply of the fruit, and, after Crank’s assurance of the water’s safety, they went in shifts into the river for a much-needed bath.
Jenni, Sara, and Tori went with three other girls, Rachael, Bonnie, and Faith, when it was their turn to wash up. Rachael was a pretty blonde-haired girl who was active in the drama club. Bonnie and Faith were both tall and athletic, each playing on the basketball and volleyball teams. Bonnie had long dark hair she wore in a pony tail, and Faith had light brown hair that was curly and cut short. They were nice girls, but Jenni didn’t know them very well.
At least we didn’t get paired up with Alisha and her crew, Jenni thought in relief.
They moved behind some large green bushes that grew along side the river. The girls stripped down and ran the few feet to the water. The frigid cold stole Jenni’s breath, but it did feel good to wash away the days of sweat and grit she had accumulated. They quickly scrubbed, then ran back to the bushes, shivering in the setting sun, and dried off with some blankets the gnomes had provided.
“Ow!” Sara exclaimed as she dressed.
“What happened?”
Sara picked at her teeth and produced something shiny. “Part of my braces came off,” she said. “One of the wires was poking me.”
“Weird,” Jenni replied, relieved it wasn’t something more serious.
They finished dressing and hurried back to join the others for dinner.
Sara spent the rest of the evening pulling metallic bits and pieces out of her mouth.
“I don’t get it,” Sara said later, scraping pieces of cement off her teeth. “I’ve had wires and stuff break before, but all at once?”
Jenni shrugged. “I don’t know but your teeth look amazing. How much longer were you supposed to have the braces?”
“Another year, and then a retainer for another year after that,” Sara replied. “They really look good though?” She flashed a smile at Jenni and struck a pose.
“Unbelievable! Like a freakin’ super model!” Jenni laughed.
Later, Jenni decided to listen to some music before going to sleep and noticed her MP3 player hadn’t lost any charge, even though she’d used it often since they left home several days ago. She turned to ask Sara about it, but saw her friend was fast asleep already. Tori was listening to music with her eyes closed, so Jenni got up and walked quietly to where Ms. Pap and Mr. Kain were talking.
“… And it was the strangest thing,” Ms. Pap was saying, “even though Crank was there to translate for me, I could have sworn I understood some of the words — just here and there — that the Old Ones were saying.”
Mr. Kain gave her a look of surprise.
Ms. Pap shrugged. “I don’t know. This place is getting weirder by the minute.” She then noticed Jenni standing beside her. “Yes, Jenni, what is it?”
Jenni sat next to them and showed her MP3 player to Ms. Pap. “I was just realizing my player is still on full battery. Has anyone else noticed that?”
Ms. Pap frowned and looked at Mr. Kain. He reached in his pack, pulled out his PDA and checked it.
“Wow,” he said. “She’s right. It’s still fully charged and I haven’t turned it off since we got here.”
Ms. Pap sighed. “Well, one more thing to add to the ‘weird’ list.” Then she smiled. “At least you kids will have things to keep you occupied on our trip.”
Jenni giggled. “Are we there yet?”
* * * *
The remaining adults divided up the night into thirds to keep watch, though they felt relatively secure with the river on one side and empty plain on the other. It would have been difficult for anything to sneak up on them. Crank had gone out earlier to scout around and pronounced the area clear.
Jenni slept fitfully. The prairie grasses were more forgiving than the lake shore had been, but she couldn’t seem to get comfortable. She was angry and grateful to see the first rays of the approaching dawn. Angry she hadn’t gotten much sleep, and grateful she didn’t have to fight it anymore. She got up and went to the river to splash water on her face.
Sara was waking up when Jenni returned. Sara blinked her eyes at the brightening sky, and reached for her glasses. She turned to Jenni and said, “Hey, I can see you.”
“Well, of course you can see me, silly.” Jenni laughed. “I’m standing right here.”
“No,” Sara insisted, holding her glasses out for Jenni. “I can see you. Clearly. No glasses.”
Jenni realized what Sara meant and stared. “First you lose the braces, now your eyes are fixed?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a smile, “but I like it.”
They joined the others for breakfast and discovered more accounts of strange things. Two others had their braces fall off, and four who had glasses or contacts no longer needed them. Excited, they ate quickly and set out at a brisk pace, following the river.
Later that morning, Crank was riding piggy back on Jenni’s shoulders when he let out a shrill whistle. Jenni stopped and clapped her hands over her ears.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Sorry,” Crank apologized and pointed at a bird overhead. “Saw Faerstrastenai scout and want to talk.”
“What?” Jenni asked in confusion. She looked up and saw a bird was circling around them, coming lower with each pass. Everyone else eventually stopped to see what the fuss was about.
The bird swooped in toward them. It was shaped and colored like some swallows she had seen but was at least twice the size. As it came closer, Crank held out his arm.
“What are you doing?” Jenni shied away.
“It okay, stand still,” Crank replied and Jenni fought the urge to run.
The bird braked and flapped to land on Crank’s outstretched arm. Jenni turned her head to look and couldn’t believe what she saw.
Smiling down at her, was a tiny man sitting on the back of the bird.
Four or five inches tall, with a shock of unruly brown hair, his chest was bare and his pants were roughly stitched together from rags and other small pieces of cloth. He had a ruddy complexion, but his teeth were bright as he smiled.
“Greetings!” the tiny man said.
“Um, hello,” Jenni replied.
Crank looked at Jenni in surprise. “You understand him?”
“Well, he just said ‘Greetings,’ — wait, why does he speak English?”
“He doesn’t,” Crank said. He turned back to the little man and spoke in his own language, but to Jenni’s surprise, she was able to understand many of the words.
By the looks on their faces, it appeared everyone else had discovered the same thing.
Crank asked a few questions about the land around them and what lay ahead. The bird rider told him the wa
y was clear and should offer them no trouble. Then, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the rider whispered something in the bird’s ear and they took off from Crank’s arm and flew away.
“Okay,” Jenni said after they’d started moving again. “What was that?”
“Faerstrastenai,” Crank said. “Many kinds, but they all take care of Mother.”
“They take care of your mother?” Jenni asked, confused again.
“Not my mother. Mother,” he corrected and spread his arms. “This all Mother,” he said with reverence in his voice.
Jenni thought for a moment, then whispered, “Mother Earth.” Then she said to Crank, “You mean Mother Earth.”
“Yes. Mother.”
9
They traveled for five more days, following the river as it wound its way through the grasslands.
Their inexplicable knowledge of the local language grew daily, until most of them needed little translation to understand anything Crank said.
Some of the boys took to spending time after dinner each evening sparring with each other using their tree branch weapons. Brandon had taken some martial arts classes and led the sessions. Mr. Kain kept an eye on things to make sure no one got seriously injured. Sara and another girl, Kim, sat and watched the first couple of times, then had asked to join in the next night.
Kim was a big, strong girl with shoulder length brown hair. She played softball on a city league team in the summers and was a talented athlete. She beat most of the boys with sheer strength that first night, but Brandon was skilled enough to avoid getting hit and was a match for her physically.
Sara was simply amazing.
She had tried some sports like Jenni had: volleyball, soccer, basketball and such, but had never been anything special, much like Jenni. Sara was only a couple of inches taller than Jenni and no one would have ever called her physically intimidating.
Sara walked over and chose a weapon that was thinner than the rest and held it out in front of her like a sword as she faced her first opponent, Will.
The two were about the same height, but Will’s frame held much more muscle. He had been a wrestler since he was four or five years old, and he was quick. His blonde hair was cut short and his green eyes studied Sara intently as they circled each other. He was the only boy who had given Brandon a challenge.
Jenni had watched, worried for her friend. Her fears quickly changed to wonder as she watched Sara work.
Sara and Will circled exactly three times, then Sara struck. With a flick of her wrists, she batted Will’s club aside, then reversed direction and gave him a solid whack in the ribs. Sara bounced backward briefly, then stepped in low. Will tried to block her, but unbalanced himself. Sara’s branch swiftly zipped up and landed another solid hit, this time on Will’s shoulder near his neck.
Mr. Kain stepped in, preventing further damage.
Sara then proceeded to whip the rest of the boys in similar fashion. Jenni was stunned.
Sara and Brandon faced each other as the last match of the evening. Brandon was much bigger and stronger — and had training on his side as well — none of which seemed to bother Sara as they danced around each other. The two traded feints and parries for what seemed to Jenni like several minutes. Suddenly, Sara flashed inside Brandon’s guard and gave his right hand a sharp smack. He yelped and dropped his tree branch. Sara flicked her weapon higher and stood with the pointed end touching Brandon’s chest. He looked down at it, then gave Sara a cold stare that made Jenni shiver. She could have sworn she heard a low growl escape his throat.
For her part, Sara didn’t retreat and stared right back until Mr. Kain moved in seconds later to call a halt for the night.
Jenni and Sara had lain down to sleep when Jenni whispered to her, “How did you do it? That was incredible!”
Sara shrugged and whispered back, “I don’t really know. Everything just felt right. I don’t even remember half of it to be honest — like I was in some sort of trance or something.”
“I swear you seem taller to me too.”
“Must be my new teeth and eyes.” Sara giggled. “Gives me that super model confidence.”
Jenni snorted. “Yeah, that’s it. Better get your beauty sleep.”
Over the next two nights, Sara continued to dominate the sparring sessions. Her toughest opponent was always Brandon, but she bested him every time.
Jenni noticed changes in him as well. His fingernails were becoming darker, and thick. He also seemed bigger, and Jenni was pretty sure it wasn’t because of his sparkling personality. As Jenni watched them practice, she wondered what she had seen in him before that had excited her so. Every time Sara beat him, he became more irritable and cold. It gave her chills.
As the days passed, she saw the others were changing, too. Most were either getting larger or smaller, and many had lighter or darker skin tones. Ms. Pap looked older — her skin was more wrinkly. Even facial features were becoming different for some. She was sure Todd’s nose and ears were getting bigger, and Mr. Kain’s ears were developing a point on the top.
The only one she didn’t see any changes in was herself. And Crank.
Jenni decided to talk with him that night, their sixth since they’d left his village. She asked him to join her after dinner and the group had set up for the sparring matches. Everyone who wasn’t participating had taken to watching the bouts each night. Jenni led Crank away from them, but still within sight. They sat across from each other in the grass.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she began. “I’ve noticed a lot of changes going on and wanted to see if you had, too.”
Crank smiled. “Changes in your friends you mean? Yes. I have to admit I’m unsure of what is happening, though I have my suspicions.” He stopped and looked thoughtfully at her classmates and teachers.
“Go on,” she encouraged. “I’d like to hear what you think.”
He turned back and said, “I think that Mother is … molding them somehow. There are no humans here, as you’ve seen, so She is changing them to … fit in, I guess.”
“But why would She do that?”
“I don’t know. Mother doesn’t see fit to enlighten me on Her decisions,” he chuckled.
Jenni smiled briefly, then sighed. “I haven’t talked to anyone about it, but I’m wondering: am I changing too and just not noticing it?”
Crank eyed her. “No. I have seen no change in you. Well, except for your ability to speak, but everyone has gained that.” He paused. “I believe my idea to be sound, but I cannot explain you.”
They sat quietly and listened to the weapons practice for a time. Shouts of encouragement for one contestant or another sounded between cracks of wood against wood. Ms. Pap had frowned on the activity at first. She didn’t like the gladiatorial aspect, but Mr. Kain had convinced her of its value — not only in practicing skills they may need, but it gave the group something to focus on besides homesickness.
Jenni turned her attention to Crank again. “Can I ask how old you are?”
“Of course,” he grinned. “This is my sixteenth summer.”
“Wow, so you’re only a couple of years older than me. I turned fourteen in November.”
“I do not know what it is ‘November’, but,” he said, “you would be ready for your final Naming this summer in my village.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, Nomenstrastenai go through several names during our childhood. Then, usually in our fifteenth summer, we receive our final Name. It is based on our function in the village.” He frowned. “Mine translates roughly as: ‘He who operates the water and defenses’. Crank.”
Jenni studied his face. “That must have been hard for you. I can’t imagine being boxed into something like that.”
Crank nodded slowly. “Yes. It was. After a year, I decided I couldn’t take being ‘Crank’ for the rest of my life, so I ran away to try to find some of the Elvorstrastenai. I hoped they might take me in and teach me their ways.” He smiled then
and said, “But then I found you instead.”
Jenni returned the smile. “And boy, are we glad you did!” She giggled. “We’d probably have ended up in someone’s cook pot by now if you hadn’t.”
He shared her laugh. “Quite likely.”
They stopped and listened to her classmates again. The match sounded intense. Jenni couldn’t see who was involved though through the crowd.
“I am getting very worried about some of you,” Crank said.
Jenni turned back, surprised. “Why?”
He stopped to collect his thoughts, then said, “I have always been fascinated by plants and animals. I’ve studied them on my own a lot as I’ve gotten older — including other peoples like the Gobinstratstorai.” He paused again then, as if unsure if Jenni would believe him. “I think that some of you are becoming Gobinstratstorai, or their close relatives.”
Jenni’s heart skipped a beat. “You think we’re changing into those things that tried to kill us at your village?”
“Some of you, yes. Todd, certainly. Will and Kim I think, too. Some others maybe.”
Jenni could see sadness and fear in his eyes. Now that he’d said it, she could see it herself — but she still didn’t want to believe it. “What about Brandon?” she asked him.
“His features don’t fit the pattern. I don’t know what he’s turning into, but from what I’ve seen, it won’t be good.”
Jenni sat in silence for a time. “What should we do?” she asked finally.
“Watch them. Beyond that, I don’t see anything else we can do. Hopefully the transformations won’t be complete. I just don’t know.” He nodded toward the group. “Looks like they are finishing up.”
Jenni saw that indeed, everyone was moving back to camp to get some sleep. She reached over and gave him a quick hug and said, “Thank you, Crank.”
Surprised, he asked, “For what?”
“For saving us. For everything. For being a good friend.”
“Thank you for that last as well, Jenni.” He smiled. “Go get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jenni smiled and walked back to camp.
10
Brandon woke the next morning to raindrops on his face.