by Mary Griggs
"Sounds divine. I need a shower. I'm itchy from the blood."
"You want to bring the venison back before you get clean?"
"No. I'll take another one after we come back. I haven't gotten my fill of hot running water yet."
"No problem. You give a holler when you're ready." Jay went into the basement and came back up carrying two long poles. "We can use these to cart him home."
"Why not just one?"
"Displace the weight onto both shoulders."
"Oh." Doris watched as Jay buckled on the fanny pack. "You always take that with you?"
"Yeah. You were right last night when you worried about something happening when we're away from here. I always take this so I have a gun and a first aid kit if something bad happens."
"Has it? I mean have you needed it?"
"Not for anything major." Jay did a few stretches. "You want me to make you one?"
"No. I don't anticipate going anywhere where I'd need it."
"That's kind of the point. You've got the expect the unexpected."
Piper joined them, dressed in clean clothes. "Is that how you can keep from getting disappointed?"
"No, it's how you keep yourself alive." At Piper's odd look, she patted her fanny pack. "I was just speaking of the merits of being prepared."
"Okay." She shrugged. "Are we taking the dogs?"
"Sure. We won't go hunting again for a week and the dog smell should be gone."
The small group journeyed to the hanging carcass. Piper led and Jay walked at the back of the line. Sticking to the middle, Doris didn't bother to look where she was going. She walked into Piper when she stopped to pick up the second pack from the tree stand.
Doris looked from the stand to the trail. "Doesn't the deer see you in it?"
"No. Like most animals, deer don't look up," answered Jay.
"You should remember that," Piper added. "I don't know how many times my company was able to ambush others during war games because we got height over our enemy."
"I'll doubt I'll ever have need of that little tidbit." Doris followed them over to the carcass. She threw her hands up when both women started to speak. "I know, I know. You never know. You don't have to keep harping on it."
Jay lifted the deer's head by its horns. "Two shots?"
"One brought it down and the other ended its suffering."
"Hey, I'm not ragging on you." She walked around the carcass before doing a couple of stretches.
Doris watched her for a moment before asking, "What do we have to do now?"
"Untie it and lower it from the tree. We'll use the same lines to tie it to the poles. We can take turns lugging it up the hill." Jay nodded at Piper and they worked swiftly to make the transfer.
The trip up the hill took almost three times as long as it did to come down. Doris was only able to hike a hundred yards with the two poles on her shoulders. Neither of the other women were in a particularly good mood when they came within sight of the house.
"Now what?"
"We'll hang it there." Jay jerked her head toward the area behind the hot tub.
As they brought their burden near, Piper could see a frame built between the trees. "You've obviously done this before?"
"Yep."
All three women had to work to retie the deer by its hindquarters and pull it off the ground.
"I'm glad you bled it out before we carried him back."
"Don't you know it. That much more weight would have broken us."
"When do you want to eat?"
"A couple hours is fine."
"All right. What are you in the mood for?"
"Aren't we having this?" Doris asked.
"No way. We're going to let it hang here for a day or two before butchering it."
"You're just going to leave it out there? It's going to rot and waste all the food." Doris look appalled.
"No, it's not. The meat is aging. If we took it out now, it wouldn't be as good."
"That can't be right."
"When you bought meat from the grocery store, it wasn't fresh killed."
"I thought that was because it had to travel."
"No. The enzymes in it have to break down. Trust me it will taste a whole lot better once some time has passed."
"How are you going to keep the animals off it?"
Jay picked up a round of chicken wire and began to roll it out around the carcass. "Easy. The dogs can't get through this and they'll keep everything else off." She brushed her hands off. "So, what was the plan for dinner?"
"How about something with pasta?"
Thinking for a minute, Jay finally nodded. "I've got some spaghetti sauce in the freezer. Would that work?"
"We could make a salad to go with it."
"Sounds perfect." Doris stated as she headed back toward the house. "I'm going to take a shower now."
"I guess that's our cue to get cracking?"
"You know it." Jay laughed as they headed indoors.
The next couple of days passed in a blur as they worked to butcher the meat. Piper was successful in removing the hide in one piece. They let it soak for a while before staking it out to dry. They were both bloody and cranky by the time all of the meat was processed and packaged to go into the freezer. Doris, very cleverly, managed to make herself scarce until meal times.
Once all the edible parts were removed, Jay worked with Piper to dismember what was left. They collected the hooves to be boiled to make glue and the inedible tendons strung up to dry before they could be used as ties.
Finally, they collected all the bones and chopped them into manageable pieces. Jay pressure-cooked them until they were soft and then put them in a food mill. It was hard work to grind everything together but the resulting sludge was a high protein supplement to the dog's food.
"Damn, that was a lot of work," Piper said with a sigh as she leaned back in the hot tub.
"We got a lot of useful materials off of it."
"I know."
They sat quietly and stared up at the night sky. There was heaviness to the air and the stars were hidden behind clouds.
"You think it's going to rain soon?"
"In the next day or so." Jay's eyes closed.
"How many meals did we get off of it?"
Sighing, Jay rotated her stiff neck. "A lot. We've got a couple of roasts and enough steaks for several barbecues. Why?"
"I wondered when I should go again."
"Next week. Bring another like that and we can use the intestines we saved from this one and the new one to make some sausage. I've got some fat left over from a hog a neighbor butchered and we can grind a lot of the next one into hamburger."
"That's a good thing?"
"Yeah. Ground meat goes a lot further." She stretched a little bit.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I've just got a twinge in my upper back."
"You want me to massage it?"
Jay opened her eyes and looked across the bubbling water at the dark woman. She saw Piper looking guilelessly back at her. "If you don't mind?"
"No, I'll just expect a repayment at a future date to named later."
"I can handle that," Jay murmured as strong fingers sought out the knots of tension in her back and neck. "That feels good."
"I'm no expert."
"Maybe not but it's been a while since I've had anyone give me rub down."
Piper worked silently for a while. "How long have you and Harmony been together?"
"Ten years." Jay took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "She was my North, my South, my East and West. My working week and my Sunday rest."
"What's that?"
"It's part of a funeral poem from W.H. Auden."
"You think she's gone?"
"If she's still out there, she'll come back to me. I haven't given up hope yet."
"I don't think you should."
Jay turned slightly and looked over her shoulder. "Really?"
Nudging her back around, Piper nodded. "Really
. It took us a month to get here from Oakland and we had a general idea of where we were going. It would have taken her at least three times that just to make it to the Los Angeles area. I can't imagine what would be entailed in searching the city for single survivor."
Jay reached up and wiped away a couple of tears. "Thanks. It's good to hear someone else's voice saying things like that."
Patting her on the head, Piper leaned back and watched Jay return to her side of the hot tub. "I just said what I believe. Besides, she would have to work to find food and shelter and that will add even more time to it." Seeing Jay's hopeful smile let her know that she had said the right thing.
"I don't know about you but I'm ready to turn in."
"I'll come inside in a bit." Piper wanted to spend a little longer in the dark thinking about the strong back that her fingers had touched and wasn't sure if the dim lighting in the house could hide her flushed skin.
"All right." Jay stood up and stretched. She was unconscious of the affect that her unclad body was having on Piper. "I'll see you in the morning," she called as she pulled a towel around her shoulders.
Piper croaked a good night and sighed when the door closed. It was just her luck to be developing a crush on a woman still in love with her absent girlfriend. With gentle strokes, she began to touch herself. Letting her mind roam free, she fantasized about a dream lover, strong and capable, who bore a more than passing resemblance to her host.
~ In the Midst of Tribulation ~
by Mary Griggs
* * *
Classification: Original
Rating: For adults only because of sexual situations and violence.
Disclaimers: This is an original story and the copyright belongs to me. The hymns and spirituals quoted at the beginning of each chapter belong to the attributed authors. Definitions at the beginning of the story are courtesy of Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org). Bible verses are from the King James Version.
This tale takes place after a catastrophic war. There are scenes of violence, including one in which sexual violence is alluded. There are also graphic descriptions of two women loving one another. If any of this offends or distresses you, find something else to read.
Feedback: I appreciate your comments and feedback. Contact the author at [email protected]
Summary: A small group of survivors attempt to create a community in the post-war world.
Explanation of Tribulation
Tribulation is the period of immense suffering and sacrifice, greater than anything before in history that is generally thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and the end of the world.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Mathew 24: 21-22
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Chapter Eleven - Come Ye Thankful People Come
Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
Words: Henry Alford, 1844. Music: George J. Elvey, 1858
Everyone was stuck indoors as the rains came down for the third straight day. It was no gentle, summer shower but a sky-opening deluge that had people thinking of looking for gopher wood. The small pond had flooded to almost twice its usual size and small tributaries were developing in the rest of the yard.
Piper paced around the living room, moving from window to window as she watched the spread of the water. Occasionally, she would fling herself down on one of the daybeds. Those periods of inactivity would never last long.
"Could you just rest a while?" Martha finally asked.
Susan agreed. "Yeah, you're making the floor dizzy." They and the kids had returned early the day before from fishing. They had tried to stick it out but, once the beach went underwater, they gave up and came back to the house.
"Sorry," Piper answered, not really meaning it. "I'm just a little stir crazy."
"Dude, I totally understand." Meeting Piper's eyes, Susan inclined her head to where Doris was sitting. At the glum nod, she shrugged her shoulders. "After all this time, I know how hard it is to be stuck inside."
"I'm glad we're back inside," said Carol.
"Me, too."
Cody fiddled with his tiles. "I am so glad to be dry and warm again."
"My fingers and toes are still a little pruney," added Eva, holding up her hands.
"I know if I had been out there, I would be happy for the forced rest. But I wasn't." Piper began pacing again. "Once the rains started, we couldn't work outside because the garden was simply too muddy."
"And chopping any more wood was out unless one of us wanted to risk losing our grip on an axe handle." Jay smiled at the glaring Piper. "You deserve a break what with the buck processed and one log chopped."
Sighing, the stocky woman went over to the fireplace and added another log. "I know I'm being a big baby but I'd really rather be doing something."
"How about reading a book?"
"Or joining our game?" Cody asked. "I'm getting killed on this one and would love to have the tiles reshuffled."
Cody, Carol and Eva were sitting in front of the fireplace, playing scrabble. Piper looked from them to Martha and Susan who were snuggled up on the couch. In the easy chair, Jay was reading in the low light.
The cozy scene was enough to bring a slight smile to her lips. A smile that dimmed when the next voice spoke.
"We are running out of things to wear." Doris complained as she tried to repair a split seam on Eva's pants.
Jay looked up from her book. "What kind of clothes do you need?"
"Everything. I don't think we have anything that doesn't have a tear or a rip in it." She held up a shirt and another pair of pants and put her fingers through the holes.
"I might be able to help with that."
"What do you mean?" Doris laughed. "In all the other stuff you've got in the basement, you've got a clothing store too?"
"No. Just the raw materials." Jay put a bookmark between the pages of her novel and stood up. Walking over to one of the day beds, Jay lifted the mattress to reveal several bolts of cloth stored in a cabinet underneath. She pulled them out, calling out the material. "I've got flannel, wool, denim, and several different bolts of cotton." She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "That's cotton twill for pants, broadcloth for shirts and jersey for underwear." She walked over to the other daybed and motioned for Piper to stand up. Under that mattress were several more bolts and a couple of boxes. "I've got stuff in each of the day beds. Upstairs are skeins of yarn to make sweaters and socks. In this box are buttons, zippers, elastic and Velcro. The other is filled with spools of thread and needles."
"This is freaking cool," enthused Piper. She ran her fingers through the colorful cloth.
"Thanks. I'm glad this stuff will find some use before the bugs get to it."
"I don't know how to make clothes." Doris shook her head. "I've never had to do this before."
"It's all right. The bottom shelf of that bookcase has pattern books." Jay pointed to bookcase near the front door.
Carol went over to the indicated shelf and pulled out several titles. "Neat, see all these different shirts." She handed one of the books to Eva. "And awesome, we can make dresses."
Jay shrugged at the look she was receiving from Susan. "That pattern book was Harmony's idea."
"I like the fit of these pants," Cody whined.
"You can also take apart things you like but aren't wearable anymore and use them as a template for a new set." Jay attempted to reassure him.
Susan was overwhelmed with emotion. She stood next to the Martha who filled her arms with different bolts. "Jay, this is fabulous."
&
nbsp; "I'm sure."
They all looked at Doris.
"What?" Jay asked, confused by the sarcastic tone.
"This is all well and good but why are you only showing it to us now."
"What do you mean?"