The Event Series (Book 2): The Gospel According to Matthew, Margo & Lance

by Thomas Larson

  I don’t know why, but the ceremony, the day, it just didn’t have the same feel that it did the day that Fred and Jan got married. I can’t put a finger on it, but it just seemed kind of bland. Maybe it was the idea that they were leaving us, or maybe it is just a case of being in a different place from back then.

  After the ceremony there was merrymaking, and dancing, and drinking.

  Later that night, as Tanya and I crawled into bed she asked me why I was so quiet.

  I tried to explain what I felt, “It seemed contrived, or just not quite right, maybe forced is a good way to say it.”

  “I think I know what you mean, it was different from Fred and Jan’s, and with them leaving, and all we have been through, but it was their day, and if they are good with it, then so are we,” she smiled.

  Jun 15th

  (Lance) Code, Del, Margo and I were approved to make a run into Hinsdale to find an appliance store. The plan was to grab some small fans for the cabins. Found three 120 volt air conditioners. It would be good to have one in my computer area, to protect the equipment and a couple for the kitchen/dining hall. It would be nice if we could get a small conditioner for everyone but the solar grid is just not going to be able to handle air conditioners. The fans don’t draw as much energy.

  The run went pretty smooth and in the end we were back just before lunch.

  It was hot again today so the fans were an instant hit. We also were able to get the AC units working by dinner time. It seems like there are a lot of people hanging out in the dining room tonight.

  (Matt) Off early to check on the fields and the veggie garden. As I arrived at the veggie part, I saw a red-tail hawk swoop in and grab a rabbit. Life, the balance of nature, it has always been in front of us, but I think we see it more now.

  The crops are doing well, even in the heat. After the visit to the fields Tanya and I took a run over to the horse farm to see how things were going over there. Tay and Mom have 8 horses in the barn now and said that they have been saddling and riding all of them except one who just came into the other day.

  There was a little illness among the more serious partiers from last night. It has been a long time since I have seen people with hangovers. I remember the feeling, there is not enough water in the world to put out the fire (thirst) or take the edge of that fuzzy headachy feeling. I don’t miss it.

  The Fire Pit was almost going to move inside tonight because of the air conditioning that Lance has gotten set up in the dining hall, but as the sun goes down, so does the solar output, so it would get really warm in the hall really quick. We sat out under the stars, and after the sun went down, it cooled off enough, we had a gentle breeze tonight.

  (Margo) Code and I went with Lance and Del to find some fans for the camp. He also took a couple of air conditioners for the big Hinsdale Hardware Depot. While we were in there we met a half dozen Zoms in orange aprons. Lance surprised us all when he drew his sword and handled them all, by himself. I had never really noticed that he had the thing, and then, the smoothness and efficiency of his movements and attack was just amazing. Code and I exchanged looks, like, wow, where did that come from.

  We loaded up the fans and started back to camp.

  “Lance, when, how….” Code started.

  “Master Nick, he taught me, after some of my fuck-ups on some of the scavenging runs, I asked him to help me,” answered Lance.

  “Wow, you were friggin’ awesome!” exclaimed Code.

  “He has learned well, even at Stanwix, he was ready and although he never used the sword, he has learned to move, to be a warrior.” Added Del

  “But Nick? I mean, I knew he was good with a kitchen knife, but …” I questioned.

  “There are things about some of us that have been kept quiet and only show up in a time of need,” said Lance. “Nick came to me after the fight that Del and I had and offered to help me. I was a little unsure at first, but he showed me a couple of moves and I was sold.”

  “Wow, Nick, Sword Master……” Code muttered, sounding a little confused by that statement.

  “Just don’t all go running to him looking for lessons, he knows stuff, ninja stuff, but he shares it at need. I would like it if you could keep this between us, Okay?” Asked Lance.

  We agreed. But WOW, Nick, like a ninja? Wow.

  The rest of the day was spent distributing the fans and getting the AC units we had found up and running. Del and I really watched more than anything else.

  Vespers tonight were outdoors, and it was the usual suspects. It is funny, Code and I kept looking at Nick, it is still hard for me to imagine, Nick, Sword Master.

  June 16th

  (Margo) Thanks to the departure of Ron and Karen we are all going to be picking up a little more time with the sheep herding. Not a big deal and with the weather being so hot and sticky, finding a shaded spot out in the pasture was a pretty good way to spend the day. I brought my sketch pad and worked on just doodling, the mountain lion, or Lemon Drop, the horses were prime targets.

  It started to cloud up in the afternoon, around 4:00, so I decided that it would be a good idea to head back a little bit early to miss the afternoon thunderstorms. The sheep do not do so well with the lightening when out of the pen, and I was not crazy about sitting under the big maple tree during a storm.

  By the time I got back Ron and Karen were gone. But there was something going on, the mood in camp felt a little weird. Code filled me in over dinner. What was happening in the camp was splitting up a little. The Burlington Crew was going to head to Stanwix. They feel they may fit better there.

  (Lance) Another wicked hot day and I hid in my office. I justified it saying I was trying to get the air conditioners regulated, even thought it was already working.

  Ron and Karen left today, I am going to kind of miss them, I think that Ron has always had a little issue with us, but he is not a bad guy, he just didn’t quite fit.

  The surprise came when we found out that LJ and Langley and the rest of the Burlington Crowd announced that they also planned to move to Fort Stanwix. That did kind of throw the camp into an uproar. It was not really traitorous of them, they were only with us a little while, and like Ron, they never really seemed to fit. Besides, it is not like the two camps weren’t linked. If there was a problem, we can share or work together on things.

  Fire Pit tonight was interesting; Matt was supportive of the move by the Burlingtoners, actually, I think, I kind of am too. The warrior who is not committed to his home is unlikely to fight well for it. Oh, crap, that sounds like ninja stuff.

  (Matt) I made my good-byes with Ron and Karen today. We will see them again and I think that Ron will be good at spreading the Word of Goodness to the folks at Stanwix. He may not be all that much into the idea of the Sky Father / Earth Mother, but I think that he has tasked himself to seeing that those of us who have survived do not fall into evil. I suggested to them that they may want to visit Helen at the library and Linda Harris at Fort Plain. But I did warn them about Linda.

  Langley and Crew are going to head out to Stanwix. We are going back to pretty much the core group, the survivors of what were the Peru Crew, the Hinsdale Survivors and the remnants of the Biker Group. We have lost people, lots of people, but we have become stronger, and we can survive, even with the fewer numbers. It will make it easier to get through the winter.

  Weather was hot again today, and we had the afternoon Thunderstorm. It got very windy, but we suffered no damage, which is good.

  I spoke up for the Burlington Crew at Vespers. I think that there may be some that are resentful of their leaving, but it is okay, we can get through this, and it is not like five less people is going to be the end of our camp, or peace.

  June 17th

  (Lance) Del and I did a run this morning, while it was on the cool side. Things are going well between us.

  I spent some of the day helping out the Burlingtoners pack up their stuff and also gave them some ideas as to what they can do for different impro
vements to the fort, ideas like how to add to a solar power grid. I remembered that they had not gotten into the whole solar thing going like we had. I thought it kind of odd, but then I am not sure of what all the specialties are of the folks up there. But anyway, I have given LJ a couple of solar panels that are all set-up to just be plugged into so that they, he can get the project rolling up there. I am sure that there must be at least one or two people handy enough to figure out how to set-up more of them.

  (Margo) A day off from herding the sheep so Code and I took a bike ride out to the horse farm today. He is still a little skittish around horses, but he is trying.

  I had a chance to actually get up on Lemon Drop and do some riding. She is a good horse, gentle and easy to ride. Tay, Teckla and I headed out on the trails for about an hour. It was so peaceful with the clop, clop, clop of the hooves. We stopped at a stream for a little while and let the horses drink, the water was cool, and tasted good.

  On the ride back we talked about the horses, and what we might be able to do with them. We talked about the chance to explore the area around the camp a little and get more familiar with it.

  The conversation shifted a little to the people from the PD, Tom’s friends and the idea that they were going to leave us. I never really felt they were that comfortable with us, but that might have been different if Tom was still here with us.

  After we got back from riding, and to camp I tried to track down LJ. I wanted to talk with him a little more about Tom and what he was like when they worked together, but they had left, on their way to Stanwix. I am kind of bummed out about that.

  (Matt) The Burlington Crew is on the road to Stanwix, I have mixed feelings about it. It was good to have the extra people, and in particular ones that had shown they were good in defending themselves and others. But, I think the best way to explain it was they were a tribe unto themselves. I hope that they will fit in better up at Stanwix. With Ron there I think that will be the case; he kind of connected with them from day one.

  Vespers tonight were quiet, not much going on, and really, there were no great topics for discussion or concern. We did a little story time in which I told them about how the early Native Americans felt that the earth was really on the back of a turtle and that the turtle swam through the heavens, and around the sun.

  June 17th

  (Matt) Tanya and I checked on the fields and crops today. We have another little bunny for dinner. It was a cloudy day and there was the promise of rain in the air, which would be a good and welcome thing. We have been fortunate in that the earth and sky have given us adequate moisture with the almost daily thunderstorms. It was not a lot of rain, but a good downpour for about15 minutes seems to help a lot. We have been blessed.

  One of the things that we never really talk about is lawn care. Yes, I know, in the age of the end of humanity, the question of taking care of the grass becomes silly but interesting.

  The camp has a lawn mower, it is one of those commercial riding type that runs on propane. I have been mowing the area around the flagpole and the cabins, actually for a couple of reasons. First it looks better and makes it easier to get around. But more important it is for tick control, keeping the grass short and manicured makes it less likely that we will have ticks in the yard and tick borne illnesses as a result. I realize the idea of sharing food, like with the bunnies is needed, but somehow the ticks take, but they don’t exchange with us. It is the issue of symbiotic versus parasitic.

  The group at Vespers tonight was a little smaller, with the departure of the Burlington folks and Ron and Karen. But it was a nice peaceful gathering. Michelle was asked to play a little for us on her guitar, but then it began to mist a little so she had to quit playing to keep the guitar dry. But it was not so bad that we left the Fire Pit. We just enjoyed the gentle feeling of the water in the air.

  (Lance) Del and I are doing the sheep thing today, take them out to the field and then spend the day watching over them. We went together because neither of us had any other plans or projects for the day.

  While we were there we did a little sword work, I showed her a couple of the things that Nick had taught me. The basic stance, with weight over the center of balance, feet below the shoulders, katana held loosely. She had a little trouble with some of it at first, but as time went on she picked it up.

  It was a cloudy day and that was kind of good because it was not as hot as it had been the last week or so. I think we may see some rain later today.

  One of the things that I was initially concerned about was the impact of clouds on the solar panels. I didn’t think that it would be a problem, but was not sure. I had no complaints of power shortages when we got back from playing “Little Bo-Peep”, so I guess it was not an issue. Although with the temperature being down there was not as much draw as usual.

  Since we were out all day and had lots of fresh air we decided that we would skip Fire Pit tonight. Not much else to report.

  (Margo) After the morning run Code and I headed out to the horse farm. We took the bicycles out there. We carried some food supplies for Tay and Teckla. All is going well out there.

  I was able to get Code to come near one of the horses. It is a big pinto which we call Chuckles. I think we gave him that name because of a kind of funny exhale he does sometimes where it sounds like he is giving a horsey laugh.

  Code was actually sort of petting the horse’s neck and Chuckles seemed to like it. As Code tried to turn away, it was like Chuckles kept leaning in to get more.

  I did about 45 minutes riding Lemon Drop while Teckla and Tay rode on Strawberry and Prancer. Don’t ask me, I didn’t name them.

  We were back to camp for dinner, and enjoyed the meal that Nick and Grace put together. The lettuces and greens have really come in and we have tomatoes to go with it. There is still some old salad dressing available that had not expired, or expired too long ago.

  Nick also made a cold strawberry soup with whipped sheep milk or cream. I am not missing the deer stew for sure.

  We hung out at Vespers tonight, Michelle did a couple of songs.

  It was kind of nice sleeping and snuggle time weather. We are being careful though.

  June 18th

  (Lance) I was talking with Stephen today; he is really getting excited about the baby. I guess that’s what fathers do. I remember mine, a little, and he didn’t seem all that happy to have me around and it always seemed like he was working. His job was one that made him travel a lot. He made out very well and we had a big house. But it was kind of empty, no, not empty there were lots of things in it. It was cold, kind of barren and sterile. But then most of my memories were from my teen years and I was more than just a little bit of a jerk, playing Goth kid and all. I wonder, was it the Goth Kid that drove him away, or was that what created the Goth Kid. It really doesn’t matter I guess.

  I am curious to see how the baby thing goes. I hope that it is all okay; I mean we’re all concerned about what might happen, what might come out. I talked to Doc Barkley, he seems to think that everything was fine with the baby, but it isn’t like the old days….ha, the old days? I guess actually, the days before the meteor with ultra sound and all the hi-tech medical stuff.

  (Margo) It was another nice day, Lucy and I did a run this morning. It was odd, I felt that I was being watched again, haven’t had that feeling in a while. I wasn’t in the area of where the sheep were pastured so I doubt it was the mountain lion. Lucy seemed okay so I’m guessing it is just something I imagined or talked myself into.

  Code and I biked out to the horse farm again today and I spent some time on Lemon Drop. She is getting pretty good with me and we are riding well as a team.

  Poor Code, Chuckles is okay with him, but Code is intimidated by the animal and is just not comfortable around him yet. I had to badger the stuffing out of him to get him to finally saddle him up (I helped with that) and then to actually get up into the saddle. They walked around the area by the barn a little, but it was clear, Code had never want
ed to be a cowboy.

  I kind of messed up a little when we got back. I was walking by the kitchen as Nick was standing at the door. I kind of gave him a sort of Japanese bow. He gave me a funny look. I hope I didn’t mess up Lance and his lessons.

  Vespers tonight, Grace was at it again with the singing rounds. Teckla and Tay had ridden over on the horses, which was kind of cool. They actually tied them off and stayed at camp for the night. That was different.

  (Matt) Fred and Jan stopped by to visit with Tanya today, I am not sure why and Tanya was a little evasive about what they talked about. I wonder if there may not be another baby on the way. But that would make no sense; they would go see Charlene or the Major. Odd, they seem to be getting along fine, so I doubt it was a marriage counseling session.

  It was a really quiet day, mostly doing the usual stuff. The weather was decent, not overly hot. We didn’t even get the afternoon thunderstorm today.

  Grace ran the Fire Pit activities tonight, a songfest of rounds.

  June 19th

  (Matt) Mark came with me to the fields today to check on things. We really don’t get away together all that much, even though we’re in camp together. It was nice to catch up on things. As we walked along we talked about things, just life in general.

  “Matt,” he asked, “How do you think things are going with Mom?”

  “She took losing Frank pretty hard, but she seems to be okay, I think the horses have helped her. Why do you ask?”

  “It is that whole horse thing. I mean, she seems to spend more time with Tay and the horses than she does here at camp.” He replied.

  “And?”

  “Well, I am just wondering if it is healthy for her. I mean, is she losing touch with us? I guess I’m playing amateur psychologist here and wondering if she’s kind of leaving us behind.” He went on.

  “But for what purpose? Why would she do that?” I asked him.

  “Maybe so she doesn’t get burned again?” He offered.

  I thought about it for a moment, “No, no, I don’t think so. I think the horse business is time consuming, and really, that is it. I mean she did come in for Vespers last night.”