A sick mixture of fear and rage, stronger than Toby had ever experienced, rose up and stung the back of his throat.
Toby leapt to his feet and approached the man with the bow.
“You!” Toby stretched to his tallest height, level with the man’s waist. “You’re the evil one who hurt my friend!”
The man looked down at him. “Ocean mystery under investigation,” he said, solemnly.
“What?” Toby was unprepared for this absurdity. “You aren’t making any sense!”
Another man stepped forward. “Crowds were larger than expected.” He pointed to Mia. “Police were called. Shots were fired at the protestors.”
“I should say shots were fired!” Toby cried. “Why would you hurt us? We’re children!”
The first man replied, “A report shows that incidences of school bullying have increased dramatically in the past decade.”
“Bullies? You don’t even know who we are!” Toby knelt down beside Mia again. Her breath came in shallow gasps. He touched her hand; the skin was cold and slick with sweat. Her daisy crown had slid off her head and was now a pile of crushed petals.
The men stood around the two children, watching. No one moved forward to offer help.
Toby wanted to stamp his foot like a toddler. He understood the words spoken by the men but when strung together they made no sense.
In a moment, a woman appeared. Her short, meandering person distinctly contrasted with the group of men, who all stood at least a head taller, but they parted to let her through and some dipped their heads in respect. The woman’s face was flabby and white, as though formed from dough that was left to rise too long and had obtained some sort of a crust. Wrinkles surrounded the elements of her face responsible for creating smiles. Two luminous brown eyes, like those of a young child, twinkled under masses of white curls.
The woman saw Mia lying on the ground and her eyes flamed with disapproval. She marched up to the man who carried the bow and reached far above her own head to grab his shoulders. She pulled him down until his face was level with her own. “Japeth, you have committed an injury.”
“The president denies any knowledge of foul play.” The man bowed deeply. The other men grunted in agreement.
The old woman knelt beside Toby. “May I examine her?”
Toby nodded and stumbled back. Would Mia die? What would happen to her soul if she died? The two days spent with her gleamed like a precious jewel in his life.
With careful hands, the woman probed the skin around the arrow. “Not deep,” she murmured. “We must get her into town to remove it right away.” She gestured to two of the men. “Elroy, Jeepers! Go fetch the wagon.”
The two men ambled off towards the fortress.
“Medical supplies dwindle as health crisis deepens,” the man named Japeth objected.
“You should have considered the consequences before you hurt this poor child.” The woman reached into the pocket of her multi-colored apron and withdrew a small container. The faded label read ‘mouthwash’, but the liquid inside was thick and mud-colored. Not at all like the cool blue liquid Toby used to rinse his mouth back in the caverns.
“What’s that?” he asked, as the woman forced the bottle between Mia’s clenched teeth.
“A medicine I created from a plant that grows near here. It will dull the pain and make her more comfortable on the journey home.”
Home? Home was in the caverns with his grambles, where they should be right this moment, safe and warm and telling their adventures in the halo of artificial light.
Toby’s heart sank further when the men returned with a sturdy cart constructed from pallets and bicycle wheels. They lifted the girl with surprising tenderness and placed her in the wagon. Mia gasped in pain only once; the medicine was already doing its work.
The procession moved through the piles of garbage. The old woman led the way and pointed out pieces of debris for the men to move to make the trip smoother.
Toby followed a few feet behind the group, ears flat against his head and his tail dragging on the trashy ground.
7
A STRANGE VILLAGE
Machines littered the ground as though they had been torn apart by a giant and flung with no purpose to where they fell. Many parts had been used to create the barricade. The great wall loomed before the group, with no visible entrance.
The procession halted in front of what appeared to be a solid sheet of metal. Jeepers tugged on the bottom and two hinges built into it caused it to fold outward with the help of a metal track. The door protested with a loud screech and yawned open.
Two women approached. One had pale skin and light brown hair, while the other woman’s skin was the color of the richest soil in the swamp. Streaks of white ran through her dark, knotted tresses. Both of the women glared at Toby, then Mia.
The woman with brown hair pointed to Toby. “Fear rises among women as percentage of attacks double,” she said accusingly.
“No, Talitha.” The old woman took her hand and lowered it gently. “This deed was done by your own brother. Follow us in, and I will do my best to help the little girl.”
Through the gate lay a different world.
The grounds were patterned with lanes of brown gravel, lined on the sides with white stones. Trees, decked with brilliant blossoms, swept in graceful arcs through the paths. The fences bordering the roads, though constructed of random materials, were well made. Fruits and vegetables peeped like shy children through the slats. Several small buildings placed amongst the paths looked like they belonged in a country village. Toby had seen homes like these in history books. Constructed from mud and formed into whimsical shapes, they were called ‘cobb houses’. Why would this beautiful place be built inside a dump?
The men pulling the wagon headed towards the largest house. Two window boxes spilled flowers out into the day, and bits of colored glass formed a lovely mosaic in the clay wall beside the bright red door.
The old woman beckoned Toby inside. “Come along, little kitty,” she said tenderly. “I have a comfortable place for you to rest and wait. Your friend will be fine.”
Bright and cheerful as the house seemed, Toby hesitated to go through the door and be contained again. Can this woman be trusted? He gathered his courage and stepped inside. I must be brave for Mia.
The cottage was one big room, filled with light. The ceiling was vaulted with a loft constructed on the side. Clumps of dried plants and flowers hung from the rafters and filled the room with tangy, sweet aromas. Ancient furniture completed the décor, and a teakettle gave a cheerful whistle from a cast iron stove in the corner.
“Those are my herbs. I use them for cooking and medicine.” The old woman gestured to the loft.
Japeth carried Mia in. Her head lolled on his shoulder.
“Place the girl there.” The old woman pointed to a bed in the corner.
“Her name is Mia,” Toby clenched his hands behind his back. “And I’m Toby.”
“Very well.” The old woman smiled “Please put Mia on the bed, Japeth.”
Japeth carefully laid Mia down.
The two women came forward to arrange the bright quilts over her, while Japeth watched them from the foot of the bed.
Toby was shocked to see tears rolling down the bearded man’s cheeks.
“Now, there, Japeth.” The old woman patted his shoulder. “You didn’t know she was just a child. You were only protecting our home. We have all been on edge lately.”
“The ambassador expresses his regrets.” Japeth pulled a soiled cloth from his pocket and blew his nose.
“We know you are sorry.” The old woman handed him a clean cloth. “You need to leave now so I can fix her up. Can you keep watch outside for me?”
Japeth nodded and left the room.
The woman turned to Toby. “I must remove the arrow and dress the wound. It might hurt your heart if you watch. Perhaps you wish to go as well?”
Toby pulled a stool to the bed’s side.
“I will not leave her.”
“Dawn, please bring me some clean cloths and the kettle from the stove,” she instructed the woman with dark skin. “Talitha, please fetch the light.” Dawn hastened to obey, and Talitha placed a lamp on the stand closer to the bed. Clean cloths were laid under Mia’s shoulder and piled beside the light. The old woman brought over a pair of scissors.
The part of Mia’s sleeve covering the wound was matted with dried blood and stuck to her skin. The old woman used the scissors to cut away the loose pieces, and then carefully removed the rest, a bit at a time.
Mia jerked fitfully, but did not awaken.
The skin around the arrow was swollen and a sick, purplish color. Toby gagged when he looked at it, but he held himself firm. Mia would be strong for him. If only the arrow had hit him instead! He blinked back tears.
The woman grasped the wicked dart and pulled. Toby tried his best, but at last his resolve failed and he turned away, squeezing his eyes tight. The sounds, however, would be remembered the rest of his life. Water sloshed in the basin and the old woman hummed a tuneless melody, perhaps to lift their spirits. His own fearful heart thudded inside his chest.
“It’s all finished now.”
He opened his eyes.
The old woman wrapped the shoulder in clean bandages. “Dawn, bring the Antibots.”
Dawn opened a cabinet near the bed and brought out a small container.
The old woman took it and shook some of the contents into her hand. She showed the small, white pills to Toby. “These are very precious and rare and will kill any infections the arrow might have brought into the girl’s shoulder. Injuries much more terrible have been healed with this medicine.”
A vague memory pressed cold fingertips to Toby’s mind; small white pills, given to him by Gramble Edward when he had an ear infection. The pain was gone in a few hours and he was well within two days. He could only hope this was the same kind of medicine.
The woman pulled a small, silver hammer from a drawer under the lamp stand and wrapped the pills in a cloth. In a moment they were ground to a fine powder, which she poured into a small cup of water. “The girl will awaken soon, then I will give her this.”
“Thank you.” Toby slumped in his chair, relieved, but also very tired.
“Pull your stool over to the stove, Kitty Child.” The woman rose and washed her hands in the basin. “I have a feeling you are wild with curiosity. After we eat this good stew, I will tell you where we came from and the history of our settlement.”
“I would love to hear your story.” Toby was surprised by the offer. He scooted the stool where indicated and sat back down with a sigh. After the last hour’s trauma, he appreciated the warm, cozy place.
“I assume you will eat my prepared meal and would not prefer a mouse?” The old woman lifted the pot’s lid to stir the contents.
“I am not a cat. I eat human food,” Toby folded his arms and tucked his face in a scowl.
“Oh dear, I have hurt your feelings. I am sorry.” She ladled steaming liquid into two bowls. “I am accustomed to my children; they do not mind the bluntness of an old woman. My name is Valerie, though for years I have been called only Mother.”
Toby took the bowl she gave him with reverence: after two days with only dried foods to eat the stew looked delicious. His first spoonful contained a piece of carrot.
“From our gardens,” she replied to his questioning look. “I was raised on one of the last farms in our region, so I know about growing things. My family kept to the old ways, distanced from computers and technology. My grandfather was a retired country vet, and taught me ways to heal man and beast.”
She sat down with her own bowl. “He expected me to follow in his footsteps, but I chose to join the modern world and work in the city. Do you understand what I am saying, Kitty Child?”
Toby nodded. “My grambles taught me of the world’s history and I have read books and magazines on many subjects.”
“Good,” said Valerie. “This story will be much shorter without extra explanations to trip up the telling.”
8
VALERIE’S STORY
Valerie finished her soup and pulled out a basket filled with balls of yarn and a crochet hook.
Toby smiled. Gramble Shana often made socks and other articles of clothing out of yarn from the storage rooms.
A white cat jumped into the old woman’s lap and settled in, melding in with the loops of yarn. Valerie stroked it absentmindedly and began her story.
“I was married to my work and chose not to have a family, like many people in those days. People sagged as they walked by, like the burdens of the world weighed them down. A dark anticipation filled the atmosphere. World leaders assured us, ‘Nothing is going to happen.’ Sanctuaries were built underground, enough for everyone to escape, but we would probably not need them, they said. Then whispers came faster, like trickles of acid rain. The end was coming. The end of everyone.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, Toby could tell her mind was far away from the cabin.
“My dog, Tansy, and I twisted our way through a mountain pass in my little car, on our way to visit family. Halfway up, the earth heaved under us, as if we were an insect it wished to remove. My car slid over a cliff. I was tossed, like a sock in a dryer, until I hit my head on something in the vehicle and blacked out.
“I woke to Tansy licking my hand. The world was so dark I thought night had fallen. In the few streaks of filtered daylight, I saw rock wall. My car had somehow slid into a cave. My head throbbed, and blood trickled down the side of my face from a small wound. My little dog rested her chin on my lap with a sigh and moved no more. Her body had been crushed.”
Toby’s heart ached for the dog. “How sad.”
“Yes, it was,” Valerie paused, crochet hook suspended in the air. “Tansy was the best dog I ever had. After she found out I was still alive, it was as though she knew her job was done and she could go in peace.
“My headache dulled after a time, and I knew I would have to get up and find food and water or simply die where I lay. When I finally made it to the entrance of the cave, I thought a forest fire must have occurred along with the earthquake. Bits of ash floated in the air, like burnt rose petals stirred into a glass of water.
“My cell phone, a device we used for communication in those days, was shattered. The road was destroyed. I never would have guessed the awful truth: even if I had told someone where I was headed, there was no one left to find me.
“Many hours of picking my way down the broken clumps of highway I discovered the first car. The small white sedan had slammed into a tree.
“One powerful earthquake,” I marveled and peered into the vehicle. Nothing could have prepared me. I saw three dead bodies, raw and burned. Hands stretched out, as though begging for mercy.”
Tears streamed down Toby’s cheeks. “How awful,” he whispered.
“I don’t know what killed them, perhaps a laser or even a death ray like you would see on a science fiction movie. Yet the vehicle was only affected by the impact. The seat cushions were scorched, but only where the bodies touched them. This was a very deliberate murder.
“The driver’s hand still clenched a cell phone and though repulsed, I pried it out. The phone was ruined. I’ve never found a functioning electronic device since.”
Talitha brought a basin of cool water and a stack of fresh cloths into the cottage. Valerie removed the cloths already on Mia’s forehead and placed a wrinkled hand on her smooth face. “The girl’s fever has broken.”
Toby sighed in relief. Everything would be all right. Mia would get well and the two of them would return to the Grambles. She would be his sister and they could build their little house right outside the cave.
He rose with his empty soup bowl. “How did you survive?”
She gestured to a basin of soapy water by the stove. “After all these years of wondering, I have finally settled on a theory. I don’t
believe the ray could penetrate rock. The evil beings who planned this attack wished to destroy all flesh and humanity while still leaving the earth and growing things intact. I am not a scientist but I think thick layers of rock weakened the killing device.
“For two days I stumbled along, gathering supplies from the few vehicles I passed. At first I was afraid to eat anything for fear of being poisoned, but my stomach soon convinced me to try and I had no ill effects. My desire to survive and spite the beings who wished for total destruction grew stronger. A hope grew inside me. If I had been spared, surely others lived as well.
“The first town greeted me with the overwhelming stench of death. None had been spared; bodies of every age littered the streets. I fought my flight instinct, I needed food and shelter and the town would have both. Every moment I feared a new danger; perhaps the enemy responsible for this destruction would swoop down from the sky to finish me off, but the world was silent.
No wonder the grambles never returned to the surface. If this is what they thought might be waiting for them, Toby thought.
“I chose to explore the local school. Because the destruction happened on a weekend, fewer dead would be there. Once inside, I found the teacher’s lounge with a couch and sank down, thankful for a comfortable place to rest.
“My sleep was intense, deep and velvety black. Then I had a dream.
“I was on my grandfather’s farm. A sound drifted through the barnyard, hollow and continual. My grandfather must be chopping wood. Thump, thump, thump. But something wasn’t right about the noise. Why was there no pause for him to move the freshly split wood from the log? I awoke with a start, back on the couch.
“The farm was gone but the sound remained, deep inside the wall. What could it be? A dull, throbbing rhythm, metallic and hollow…
“Pipes. Someone was banging on water pipes. I rushed through the halls and scanned posters and signs for a fire diagram. The school’s gym was located in a basement. I found steps and bounded down them, one, two, three flights. On the last stair I was met with a pile of rubble, blocking the gym door.
The Toby the Trilby Trilogy Boxed Set Page 4