Victim of Circumstance (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 3)

by Robert F Hays

  “Well, we survive, and we lived in one of the better countries. In places like Africa they...”

  “I don’t want to hear about it,” Tara said putting her fingers in her ears. “It’s just too disgusting.”

  “I guess it’s all in what you’re used to,” Michael said as he returned his attention to his plate. “The guys in the military seem to do just fine. They live in barracks.”

  “That’s temporary,” Kevin said. “They all know that when they complete their tour of duty, anyone’ll hire them for a real good job. They have that to look forward to. That’s what keeps them sane.”

  “Whatever,” Michael said as he scooped up the last of his baked beans.

  “Cowabunga is coming back again,” Kevin said after a long pause.

  “Say what?” Michael said, looking up.

  “The word Cowabunga. It used to be the fashion to say that a few years ago, then it went out, and now it’s back again.”

  “Oh hell,” Michael said.

  * * *

  Michael sat with the other teenagers watching three councilors spread out a tent on the ground. One looked up. “The next thing you do is hammer in tent pegs around the base. How many here have ever used a hammer?”

  The teenagers looked nervously at each other. Not one raised a hand.

  “Hell,” Michael said and slowly raised his.

  “Young again?” the counselor said. “Is there anyone else?”

  “I’ve seen it done on 3V,” one boy said.

  A young girl raised her hand. “Sir, couldn’t we just have the tents where you press a button on the side and they jump up by themselves?”

  “This is an adventure camp,” the councilor said. “Where’s the adventure in that?”

  The girl shrugged. “It is better than hitting your hand with a hammer. Those things are dangerous.”

  “All right, Young, would you give us a demonstration,” the councilor sighed.

  Michael reluctantly stood and walked over to the tent. He picked up a tent peg and the hammer, placing the peg in a loop at the tent’s base. With two strikes, the peg sank up to the knob at the top.

  The rest of the teenagers applauded.

  Chapter 7

  “You had better look where you’re going,” Farren said “I know this path quite well, so don’t rely on me looking for you.”

  Yuri shot a glance at Colin who nodded. He then turned to face the path ahead and gave an approximation of the standard grunting sound.

  The path widened as it reached level ground. Other paths, that proceeded up small gullies either side, joined it. A kilometer further, small market gardens set out in erratic patterns lay either side of them.

  “Ho Farren.” Farren called out to one the Rangers knew as a cool worker came into view.

  “Ho Farren, Malithon. I don’t recognize the sight of your companions.”

  “Visitors from across the dark, and they’re extremely good dark walkers. They seldom had to look where they were going on the way down.”

  “Welcome strangers,” Malithon said as he passed them. “I take it that there’ll be celebration at sun end.”

  “There will if I know Deckett,” Farren said. He turned back to the Rangers. “Deckett is our town director and he deems any excuse for a celebration. I hope you all indulge in wine.”

  “On occasion,” Ken said with a broad grin.

  Yuri bent down and picked up a knife laying by the side of the path. He looked it over. It was relatively new looking. Colin signaled him to put it in his backpack.

  “How big is your village?” Colin asked.

  “It’s not a village, it’s a town,” Farren said with pride. “We have close to three thousand people. There’re another seven thousand people in the farmlands surrounding it.”

  “And you’re mostly farmers with...”

  “Look where you’re going,” Farren said as he snapped his fingers in the direction of a large rock in the path. “We don’t want you to fall over here. That should happen at the celebration, due to the wine, not due to a rock.”

  “Oh,” Colin said before giving a grunt. “I’m so happy about being here that I forgot to watch where I’m going.”

  “To answer your question, yes, mostly farms with some light industry. I wish we could travel the dark with greater ease. Our pottery and leather goods would be excellent for trade.”

  “Do you have a name for your people?” Colin said.

  “Yes, we’re known as the Sangustins,” Farren said.

  “Do you have any place we can stay while here?” Colin asked after giving another periodic grunt.

  The others caught on and Ida grunted to the left as if she was taking a casual look in that direction.

  “Oh, yes, we have several vacant houses. As there are four of you, I’ll take you to the largest. The former owner moved to Brawley about twenty warms ago. The house’s still probably quite clean.”

  “More towns?” Colin said. “I’d like to see a ma...” Colin caught himself before saying something that may not be understood.

  “A map?” Farren inquired.

  “Ah... yes.”

  “I have a touch map at my house. It’s not that detailed but there’s a visual one at the sun left end of town. That’d give you a better idea.”

  They walked passed several houses surrounded by gardens of flowers. It was obvious that they had been chosen for their fragrance rather than their appearance. Some were downright ugly in the eyes of the Rangers.

  The houses were all a plain, natural color. The surface of each was an interesting array of textures which, in themselves, made up an intricate pattern. The houses had one significant difference to late nineteenth century country cottages. They had no windows. Shuttered air vents were conspicuous just under the eaves and at the wall’s base but doors were the only other opening.

  As they turned a corner the scattered houses became neat rows. Others greeted them and were also informed about the arrival. Each, in turn, scrutinized the newcomers with politely subdued grunts.

  They stopped in front of an open structure. Inside, several long tables with bench seats were set out on a dirt floor. Farren snapped his fingers as he turned right entering the building. “Care for a lemonade? I always stop at Rodan’s place on the way home from the fields.”

  “That’d suit us just fine,” Colin said as the Rangers followed.

  “Uh…. Suit?” Farren said. “You need cloths?”

  “We would like the lemonade,” Colin said.

  He led them to the nearest table and they took a seat.

  “Five lemonades Rodan,” Farren said as a dark man with a stubble growth of beard appeared from a door at the rear. “We have visitors from across the dark.”

  The man laughed then ‘looked’ and reached for a large pitcher on a table. “They’re the first we’ve had in at least sixty sun highs.”

  Farren produced a small metal disk from a pocket in his robe. He reached out and tapped it three times on the corner of the table closest to him then put it down on the spot where he’d tapped.

  Rodan placed the pitcher in the center of the table with a slight thump then retrieved the disk before walking in the direction of another table covered in pottery mugs. He retrieved five before returning and placing one in front of each person at the table.

  Ida caught Colin’s attention with her eyes and mouthed the words ‘Braille on the disk’.

  Colin nodded and mouthed the word ‘money’ in return.

  Farren filled the mugs, tapping each one on the table when full. Colin noticed that he curled his left thumb into the mug to judge the level. The Rangers lifted their drinks and inspected them.

  “So,” Farren said once all had a filled mug. “Was it difficult crossing the darkness? A number of people from this town have disappeared out there in the past few sun highs.”

  “It was an experience,” Colin said trying to be as vague as possible.

  Colin caught a grin from Yuri out of the cor
ner of his eye and turned to look at him. His grin continued as he bent down reaching for the dirt floor then sat up again displaying a disk in his hand similar to the one Farren used to pay for the drinks.

  “Well, you made it,” Farren said with a smile. “If I may ask, the purpose of your hazardous trip?”

  “Friendship, basically. We have a desire that your people and ours communicate more often. Since our peoples last talked, much progress has been made in communications that would possibly bridge the dark.”

  Colin leaned back and looked down at his feet. He saw several more disks embedded in the dirt.

  “Bridge the dark?” Farren said with a skeptical tone. “We can build a wooden structure that distance?”

  Colin smiled. “No, not a structure. That’s just an expression. We use it to indicate a device that you talk at one end and listen at the other. The two ends being some distance from each other.”

  Ida ducked below the table for a moment then reappeared with several disks in her hand.

  Farren paused for a moment then burst out laughing. “Not only has the language grown apart but the sense of humor has also. I thought you were serious there for a moment. You’re making a joke about the old tales of wizards and magical machines. The times before we were saved.”

  “Ah,” Colin said trying to figure out what to say next. “You don’t think that there’s any credence in the old tales?”

  “Credence?” Farren said. “What’s that?”

  “Another new word; we can talk about it later,” Colin said, shifting in his seat to try to cover the sound of rustling cloths as the others one at a time bent down to pick up a coin.

  Rodan reached across the table and lifted the pitcher to test the quantity left. “I take it that our visitors wish to sell new tales to the storytellers,” he said. “Ones that instruct the young on how to avoid evil.”

  “Could be,” Farren said with amusement. “I see that you have all finished your drink. Shall we have another, or do you wish to continue on to the house so that you may rest.”

  “I believe we need rest,” Colin said.

  They stood and exited, continuing down the street in the direction of what seemed to be the center of town.

  Farren stopped in front of a neat dwelling with an overgrown garden. “You can stay here.”

  “Ho Farren, Tanni,” said a young female neighbor as she walked down the path from her front door.

  “Ho Tanni, come and meet the people from across the dark.”

  “I was told,” she said after looking the group over. “And they’re tall ones, aren’t they?”

  Colin looked around at the small group of neighbors rapidly gathering. He instantly realized that the average height of the population was slightly shorter than they were.

  “Especially this one,” she continued as she walked straight up to Ken and slapped him on the chest. “Are you married or betrothed? I’m single.”

  “Tanni,” Farren said. “You know that other circles have different ideas as to what’s proper. Find out first, you may be offending him. He may think our way as being too forward for a woman.”

  Ken slowly turned to Yuri with a broad grin and raised an eyebrow. “No, I’m not offended. Be as forward as you like.”

  Yuri frowned and turned to scan the crowd for another unattached female.

  “Can I show you the town?” Tanni asked, again slapping Ken on the chest.

  “Nothing I’d like better than have a good looking woman show me around.”

  Tanni frowned. “How do you know I’m good looking? You haven’t taken a good look at me yet.”

  “Ah...” Ken said before hastily grunting in her direction. “It was your voice,” he said. “I... ah... knew you were good looking by your voice.”

  “Our main concern is rest,” Colin said. “We’ve traveled all nigh... ah... cool.”

  “Yes,” Ken said as he turned and walked a couple of paces toward the door of the designated house.

  “And talented too,” Tanni said in a sexy voice. “You walked straight toward the door without looking.”

  Her comment brought quiet chatter from the other neighbors present.

  Farren laughed. “They must have very good sight memory. After all, they did cross the dark. He probably saw the door as we walked up and remembered it.”

  “That’s why they sent us,” Colin said as Ken nervously grunted around. “We were the most talented and experienced in our town.”

  “That explains it then,” Farren said. “Tanni can bring you food, and I’ll return at sun end to tell you of plans for the celebration.”

  “We’ll look forward to it,” Colin said.

  Colin took a quick look around the assembled crowd and made a simple observation. The women outnumbered the men by two to one. He then tuned and grunted in the direction of the door.

  As the Rangers entered the dwelling, general excited chatter broke out amongst the small gathering behind them.

  “Record what they’re saying,” Colin whispered in Ida’s ear.

  “Already doing just that,” Ida replied as she touched a control on her belt.

  “Oh shit,” Yuri said as the door shut and they stood in complete darkness.

  Seconds later, bright white light illuminated the room as Colin reached up and stuck a small glowing orb to the ceiling.

  “Opinions?” Colin said as he flashed a glance in Ken’s direction.

  “I thought this’d be difficult,” Ken said. “Not only will we get this job done quick, but we get to party at the same time. They seem to want to go out of their way to make us feel comfortable.”

  Ida pushed on her earpiece. “Conversation outside’s positive,” she said. “They seem to believe we’re quite talented.”

  “So, our errors were covered,” Colin said. “I’d like to keep our extra talents a secret until the right time. They obviously have no knowledge of visual sight; we don’t want to confuse them, just yet. We have to establish a solid friendship first.”

  Yuri laughed. “I’m sure Ken here’s pleased that our neighbor can’t see his ugly face. If she could, he wouldn’t have a chance.”

  Ken shoved Yuri’s shoulder hard. “Jealousy is a curse. You’re just shitty that she didn’t even give you half a grunt.”

  “Be careful on that,” Colin said. “Ida, did you record everything on the way here?”

  “Yes, both visual and audio.”

  “Time for a bit of analysis,” Colin said. “Their reference to ‘the dark’ is quite obvious. It’s the open plains to the north. No rocks, trees or creeks for blind people to orient themselves. They’d get lost quite easily.”

  “What was that thing with Farren about my height?” Yuri said. “He seemed a little nervous before he knew I was as tall as I am.”

  “Another mystery yet to solve,” Colin said. “He also mentioned something about a wall. Ida, would you look at that section of the recordings.”

  Ida raised her pad and made an entry.

  “It looks like our task for the next few hours is going to be grunt practice” Colin said. “For the time being, we have to appear to navigate the same way they do. The thing that really bothers me is that when Yuri talked about seeing with the eyes Farren said his people were moral.”

  “They think eyesight is immoral?” Ken said.

  “Here it is,” Ida said. “Farren said ‘Did you come from across the dark or from the other side of the wall?’ He seemed a little nervous about the possible answer.”

  Yuri nodded. “Then he saw how tall I was and decided I was from across the dark. That seemed to cheer him up.”

  “Opinions?” Colin said.

  “It’s possible they do have enemies,” Ken said. “People from ‘the other side of the wall’ whatever that is.”

  “Yes,” Yuri said, “and whoever it is, we’re taller than they are.”

  “The wall could mean those mountains to the west,” Ken said.

  “I agree,” Colin said. “Any more obs
ervations?”

  “Their hearing,” Yuri said. “It must be acute. I saw one cock his head to listen when you whispered to Ida.”

  “Probably evolution through survival,” Colin said, making an entry on a pad. “Only those with above normal senses survived. We had better switch to hand signals while in public.”

  Yuri raised a hand and signed in Ranger code, a variation of sign language - “My hands like women.”

  “One thing I noticed.” Colin said. “The workers are about half women. Here there are two thirds women. Do women outnumber the men here?”

  Yuri thought for a moment. “You’re right. The majority are women.”

  “Don’t ask them about it,” Colin said. “If they think we come from a similar society we should already know why.”

  Ken laughed. “I’ve always wanted to be in a place where women outnumber men.” He slapped his pocket which made a slight jingling sound. “It’s obvious they can’t see money when they drop it. We could go from store to store and pick up a local fortune.”

  “Hey,” Yuri said. “We’d probably get enough to take half the women in town out on a date.”

  “Keep it in your pockets for now,” Colin said. “We have no way of explaining how we got it.”

  “A rich uncle died?” Ken said.

  “Ida, anything else on audio or video?” Colin said.

  “A couple of them showed light fear, confusion reaction on audio recording analysis,” Ida said. “Same on infrared video. I’m getting a readout on it now. When Ken walked toward the door without looking one of them commented ‘How did he do that?’”

  “Anything more?” Colin said.

  “One minute.” Ida paused as she again pressed on the earpiece and watched as text and data appeared on a small computer monitor. “There it is, same person. She laughed when Farren gave his explanation. She seemed to be satisfied.”

  “All the more reason for practice. People always fear something or someone out of the ordinary. Ida, record our grunts and compare them with theirs. And, from now on, wear your sound amplifiers in your ears. I doubt that they’d notice them. We don’t want to appear to them as hearing impaired. And take your night vision glasses wherever you go. Remember, these people can see in the dark.”