Her of the Wood

by Veronica Watts

  The only person left is the other city center worker. She's propped herself up on her knees to watch the introduction. A few eyes turn to her, and while no one says anything to her, no one says anything to move the conversation in another direction either. Eventually, she sighs, says her name, and lies back again. "Vaness."

  Jenson claps his hands together and wraps things up, as if this had been some sort of meeting or training session. "Well, this has been very nice." He pauses for a minute. They all know this isn't nice, that is just something people say, and he said it before thinking. "I mean that it's been good to get basic introductions underway. I suppose that we can meet our last friend when she returns." Several eyes move towards the empty spot in the circle, where the woman who'd cried the length of the ride had finally found some quiet in sleep the night before. "I think we could all use a little time doing something. I'm going to hunt for something edible if anyone wants to join me."

  With that, Jenson stands up and starts walking away from the group. He moves pretty well for a man his age. Henley kisses Thackery goodbye and follows Jenson. Thackery and Rayne walk along the creek away from the group, and both Vaness and Morten lie down in their spots. Callie stands slowly, using her hands on the ground to balance herself as she gets her feet under her, and then walking her hands up the small tree next to her until she is standing. She starts into the woods, a similar direction to Jenson and Henley. Looking around and feeling alone, Euodia decides to follow her.

  She has almost caught up when the woman speaks without turning around. "I thought you might come along, Euodia."

  She freezes for a second, caught off guard. "How did you know it was me?"

  Callie turns and gives her that kind smile again. "My sweet girl, how could it not be?" There is more familiarity in this woman's eyes than in workers Euodia has spent years beside, than even the children she grew up with, and she has no idea how to respond to it.

  They walk in silence for a while. Occasionally Callie puts her hand out to stroke a leaf. Euodia guesses that she was pulled for her age, her 'inability to contribute', as they call it. That happens a lot. Those who survive to old age are almost always reassigned. If anything, she's surprised the old woman made it this long. She must have been clever to find a way to make it work.

  "This is beautiful." Euodia's been walking a few steps behind Callie. She speeds her step to catch up and see what the Callie has found. Callie's eyes are closed, and her head is tilted up. Euodia looks around again. She remembers the peace she felt this morning before they started talking survival. She closes her eyes as well and breathes. The air is the cleanest she's ever smelled, full of a thousand scents she can't name yet. The leaves rustle above the stillness that settles around her. She's lost in her breathing until a twig breaks nearby. It is scarcely a noise, but with only the background of the wind, there is no ignoring it.

  Euodia looks around for the source of the sound. She pictures one of the guards returned, their stark uniform standing out against the natural hues of greens and browns. She pictures some sort of great, wild animal, with huge jaws and claws she can barely imagine. She turns towards a rustling sound, and she sees a rabbit hopping through the bushes to her right. She smiles and shakes her head before looking back to Callie. The old woman looks directly at her. "You'll do fine." She doesn't explain her meaning, just smiles and turns to start walking back towards the camp.

  Euodia decides to focus on the matter at hand rather than what seems to be a personal judgement. She wants to be near the woman, and Callie's opinion matters to Euodia for a reason she can't name, but she doesn't have the experience to know how to say these things. She's lacking the vocabulary, and she doesn't know how to find it. "I thought we were going to find something for mats."

  "I found what we need a while back. I was just enjoying the walk." Callie is moving a little faster than before, with a little more purpose, and Euodia keeps pace beside her. Eventually, Callie strays from the path a little, towards a growth of tall grass. She leans over and plucks one of the stalks from the base. She rises back up so slowly that Euodia wonders if she should help her. She rubs the piece of grass between her hands and scrutinizes it as she bends it around one of her fingers. "Yes, this will do nicely."

  She begins leaning over to collect stalks. She gives no direction, so after a moment of stillness, Euodia does the same. They each make a substantial pile before Callie calls it quits. She stands with her hands on her lower back, leaning her head back over her shoulders, trying to reteach her spine what straight is.

  Euodia continues to pull until Callie says that they should head back. "No reason to pull up more than we can carry." Euodia struggles to pick up the bundle of stalks. She finally gets one arm under and one arm over. She manages to pick up the bulk, only dropping a few of the shorter pieces of grass. She takes a few steps and realizes that this will be hard to carry all the way back. The pile shifts a little with each step. She's working on a solution in her head when she sees that Callie hasn't picked up anything yet.

  She doesn't want to be condescending, but she can't imagine how the woman will be able to manage when she, as a well-bodied younger person, is having so much trouble. She tries to speak as respectfully as she can over the armful. "Would you like some help with that?"

  Callie smiles, mischievously. "Would you?"

  Euodia is a little taken back, but she doesn't get defensive or argue. She just drops the pile and watches as Callie squats to the ground. She positioned herself like this while she was picking as well, bending her knees, tucking her tail bone, and leaning forward. She takes one of the longest strands of grass and with care loops it under the other strands. She ties the ends at the top. Then she slides each of her hands underneath this one strand, and when she's under the grass up to her elbows, she pulls her arms out to the side and stands, now holding a steady bundle of grass.

  Callie smiles at Euodia, who smiles back and works as quickly as she can to mimic the act. Her hands are slower, and there are stalks she missed left on the ground when she stands, but the grass is not shifting as she walks over to Callie.

  Vaness and Norten are the only ones by the fire when they return. They're talking quietly and make no effort to involve either of the women when they drop the grass nearby. Euodia goes to drink from the stream. She wonders for a moment about the safety of the water, about the diseases they've been told destroyed the old lands, but she doesn't have a better choice, so she drinks until her thirst is sated. She sits on a stone and looks back at Callie who has already started to weave the pieces of grass together. She looks around for anything cup-like to take a drink of water to the woman. When she finds nothing, she stands and returns. "Callie, do you want to come have some water? It would be good for you after such a long walk."

  Callie's fingers don't stop working as she looks up at the young woman standing near her. "Later."

  Euodia sits and watches her for several minutes before asking. "Will you teach me?" Callie doesn't say anything, but she smiles at the younger woman and sets aside the mat she's working on. She passes Euodia several stalks before arranging a set in her own hands and waits for the girl to copy. She makes a minor alteration to the reeds in Euodia's hand when she almost has it and then starts weaving her own. Her knuckles are large, her fingers stiff, but her hands move quickly. She watches Euodia's hands, which struggle to keep up. Occasionally, Callie sets down her own weaving to take hold of Euodia's hands, to show her a movement more thoroughly or a pressure that is more easily felt by the hands than seen by the eyes.

  Just as Euodia is beginning to pick up speed, Callie turns the weaving and starts back in the opposite direction along the line she's just finished. Euodia freezes. When Callie notices that her apprentice has stopped, she laughs. "Give me just a minute." She proceeds to speed weave the next row as Euodia's eyes follow the movements, quick as magic.

  When Callie reaches the next turn, she nudges Euodia to close her jaw and start paying attention to specifics again. Sh
e moves her hands slowly this time so Euodia can copy her, and when they come to the next turn, Callie stops and watches Euodia. The young woman stills for a moment, waiting for Callie to act as her guide, but the woman just looks at her. It's the first time she's made eye contact without a smile of some sort. There is only expectation. "Go on." Euodia moves slowly, and when she's completed the turn, she pulls everything tight and looks up for a smile.

  Callie smiles with her whole face. Her cheeks rise, and her eyes shine. She smiles as if she knows this girl she's teaching enough to have pride in her, as if they're sitting in a family home instead of in the old lands, as if there's not a hunger creeping in that they are all trying to ignore.

  THREE

  When Jenson and Henley make it back to the group, they're each carrying a makeshift pouch. It looks like Henley's, which is the bigger of the two, is a loose shirt or jacket, the edges all in her hand to turn it into a bag. Euodia seems to remember Jenson having another layer over the thin layer he is wearing now, though he certainly doesn't need it in today's heat. Jenson is carrying something cupped in both hands. As they come closer, Euodia takes a break from weaving to check them out. Henley puts the shirt by the fire, and Jenson places his handkerchief next to it before they both go over to the creek. They drink and rub the water onto their necks and arms and seem pretty upbeat for their situation.

  When they sit down to rest, Euodia brings her focus back to her mat. Her fingers are sore, but she keeps moving them, and only messes up occasionally. Callie has finished the mat she started as an example and has gone back to the one she was working on before helping Euodia. By the time Rayne and Thackery rejoin the group hours later, Euodia has almost finished her first mat, and Callie is on her third.

  The young men are quiet. Henley approaches them and Euodia watches as Thackery and Henley talk. She is obviously frustrated, but she hugs Thackery as he continues to talk. He looks shaken. Rayne walks over towards the fire pit and the rest of the group while they talk. He is carrying a string with several fish hanging from it. Euodia wonders where he got the string. Then she looks down to see that his shoe is missing a tie, which can't be comfortable to walk in. He kneels down and starts to build up the fire. Euodia hadn't noticed the small pile of wood by the clearing. She guesses that Rayne and Thackery brought it in earlier in the day, while she and Callie were out walking. As he cooks, Euodia comes to the end of her mat. She waits for Callie to finish her third and then follows her actions to finish up. "There, you did it."

  Euodia stands to hold her mat out in front of her to see the full length. She's excited. This may be just a mat, but it is probably the first thing that she has ever made with her hands. She holds it up expecting to see the smooth even surface of the mats lying on the ground next to her, the ones that Callie made. Instead she is faced with what can only loosely be called a mat. Some sections bulge, and some areas are too loose. Here the edge veers out to the right, and here it sinks in on the left. "Well, I did something."

  Callie laughs a little. It isn't loud or abrasive, but it still sounds out of place here.

  Euodia lays the mat flat, to see if it looks any better on the ground. It doesn't help. This mat will be hers. She would be too embarrassed for anyone else to use it. Thackery and Henley make their way back to the group, and Jenson sits up from where he's been resting to speak to Henley. They seem to have gotten pretty close today. "Is everything okay?"

  She looks to Thackery. "You want to tell them?"

  He and Rayne exchange looks, and then he sits down next to Henley and takes a deep breath. They're all waiting for him to speak. Even Vaness is paying attention. "You guys know the other woman who was on the truck with us last night, the one who was missing this morning?" Everyone nods. It's a small group. They all know who he's talking about. "We found her." She's not with them, so it's easy to assume what happened, but they're all quiet anyway, waiting for the details. "We were following the creek, which turns into a bit of a river if you keep going. We were looking for a good fishing hole and maybe somewhere to do a little swimming, so we stayed as close to it as we could." He's staring at the ground between his feet and twiddling with a stick he's picked up from where he's sitting. "We found a waterfall with a nice pool, and we were climbing down next to it." His voice leaves him. It's sudden, like it's jerked him back, like this part of the story doesn't want to be told.

  After a moment too long of silence, Rayne steps in. "We found her at the bottom. It could have been an accident, but with the noise of the waterfall, it's unlikely for anyone to not realize there's an edge."

  Vaness lies back, her back hitting the ground with a loud thump. She hasn't moved from this spot all day. Norten mumbles something to himself. Euodia only catches a bit. It sounds like, "the right idea." Thackery starts to stand and asks him to say that again. Rayne puts up his hand and meets Thackery's eyes.

  There's a silent debate, and after Rayne convinces his friend it's not worth it, Thackery sits down. Rayne hands him a fish. Thackery cuts it open and starts to gut it, throwing the inedible bits into the fire. Euodia watches them sizzle up and darken. They're on the edges so they don't turn black quickly, but they do grow smaller, losing their water. Soon all of the fish are gutted. There are enough for everyone to have their own tonight.

  Rayne stands up to pass out the fish. He gives Thackery and Henley theirs first. They each put the stick where the guts were pulled out and hang their fishes over the fire. The others follow suit. Jenson and Callie each hang their fishes pretty easily. Norten doesn't reach out when Rayne holds a fish towards him. After a moment of eye contact, he lies back and rolls away from the fire and the group.

  Rayne turns and offers the fish to Euodia. She takes it happily and works to balance it above the edge of the fire. It wasn't as hard as she had thought it would be. He offers a fish to Vaness. She looks to Norten, the most disconnected of the group and takes a minute to make her decision. She's been callous towards their activity today, but hunger beats pride, and she takes the fish. She hangs her head as they cook in the quiet and dark begins to fall.

  They eat their fish without much talk and watch the fire die down. Callie begins to stand. Euodia assumes she is excusing herself for some privacy, but instead of leaving the circle, she picks up two of the mats she's made and walks around the fire. She hands one to Thackery and one to Rayne. They both start to protest but stop when she speaks. "For the food." It's a show of gratitude, a payment for the food, and they show understanding and respect by taking them.

  Callie walks back around the fire and picks up her last mat. She walks over to Norten. He's been still for a while. She lays the mat over him like a blanket. It won't be perfect, but it will be something. Then she walks quietly back over to her spot and lies down and closes her eyes.

  Rayne starts to stand, but Euodia puts her hand up. She holds up her own mat to show that she will cover the woman. He nods in appreciation before rolling out his mat and finding a comfortable position. Thackery and Henley curl up together on his mat, and Jenson and Vaness both lie back in the same position they slept the night before. Euodia scoots over closer to Callie and places the mat over her. Callie calmly, lovingly, shakes her head no, and Euodia knows the only thing she can say to persuade her is, "Please."

  FOUR

  By morning, Callie has transitioned from under the mat to on top of it. Rayne and Thackery roll up their mats and place them carefully under the low eaves of a nearby tree. Euodia tries to stretch out every muscle she can as she stands, and she can think of nothing better than a warm shower with soap. She settles for a drink of water from the stream. Jenson wakes up and unrolls the pouches he and Henley brought back the day before.

  The smaller sack contains some mushrooms. There are several that are short and dark and a few that are thin and tall. The bundled-up shirt holds berries and a few apples. Henley puts these in the middle and Jenson puts the mushrooms next to it. He picks up the taller ones. "I know these are safe." He points to the mushrooms l
eft on the ground. "We used to sell them to the markets all the time, though they're better cooked." Then he holds up the mushrooms in his hand. "These however, I'm not familiar with, and eating the wrong kind of mushroom can be a huge mistake, especially out here."

  Before anyone answers, Norten reaches forward, takes the strange, tall mushrooms from Jenson, and eats them. They all sit staring at him as he chews. No one intercedes. After a moment of chewing, the only sound in the group, he swallows. Jenson is the first to speak up. "Why would you do that?"

  "Well, now we'll know." He's casual, as if he's flipped a light switch in a new home to see what it will do.

  Henley is casual as well. "You should probably throw that up." The rest of them seem a little too stunned to respond.

  He leans back to what has become his resting place. "No." He doesn't seem angry or rebellious, just resigned. "If the guards come back, I'll beg in a way that a rat would be embarrassed by. If this mushroom does something awful, I'll avoid that, and you'll know not to eat it."

  They all know his actions aren't selfless, but they are still beneficial, so no one argues. The day moves on like the one before. After they eat the rest of the gathered food, they set out their separate ways. Jenson takes Rayne this time, and Henley goes with Thackery. Euodia thinks that it must be nice to have the one you love for comfort. She starts another mat before her mind can wander too far, and when she finishes it, she and Callie make the trek to get more stalks of grass. By the end of the day, they will have enough for the whole group, now one person smaller, and soon possibly two.