by Dan Glover
"It's amazing what a hundred years without human beings will do to a city, isn’t it, sweet Karen. Everything is going back to how it was before we were ever here."
Natalia stood beside her on the deck of the Nautilus with her red hair blown back by the breeze. She wore oversized bronzed sunglasses as protection against the glare of the sun shooting off the water and a large white floppy hat which partially concealed the features of her incredibly brown and beautiful face. She had on a pair of blazing white cut-off shorts with no top on. Karen envied her lack of modesty.
Looking at the ruins of New York, Karen remembered how she felt overwhelmed by the incredible vigor of the Big Apple her first time there. After she checked into her hotel she decided to take a trip to the university even though her first class wasn’t scheduled until the next day.
She had hailed a taxi cab for the ride but soon noticed how people were walking everywhere. After riding for several minutes she instructed the taxi driver to pull over. He told her that New York University was twenty blocks away. She didn’t care. She paid him and got out of the cab to walk.
The people of the city were hateful and rude to her. Most of them ignored her inquiries when she asked for directions to the University. The few who didn't completely overlook her and walk right by wanted money for their help. She ended up paying a man in a tattered business suit twenty dollars to be told to just keep walking and she'd run right into it.
Now, those old buildings were nearly gone. Those rude people were so many piles of bones collecting like driftwood at certain junctures where the streets intersected and where flash floods deposited them. Rubble clogged the avenues. The forests reclaimed their rightful places as towering trees pushed up where office buildings once flourished. Karen thought how much more beautiful this skyline was compared to the old one. Chinese ailanthus tree roots had dislodged sidewalks, roadways, and even the foundations of buildings. The old streets were chocked with craters.
The trip to old America took a fortnight after a brief layover in the Bahamas. Hanging off the rigging and gazing at the greenery as they sailed up the east coast, Karen marveled at how nature restored her former splendor so quickly. Over the last century, most all of the seaports had disappeared, no doubt due to hurricanes roaring up from the Caribbean and the salt water mist gradually eroding away any metal and wooden structures.
On the other hand, the fish were so plentiful they merely threw a net into the ocean to scoop out supper. In the Bahamas they refilled their fresh water tanks and loaded up on fruit growing thick and heavy in the great green forests and listened to the howls and chatter of the abundant wildlife that called those jungles home now.
"I sort of hoped we might spot signs of humanity here, my precious Lily. There's a lot of animal life but no sign of human beings."
It impressed Karen how quickly Nate regained his old sense of vigor; within a matter of days after leaving Orchardton Hall he seemed his old garrulous self, laughing as he gave out orders to his make-shift crew. Now, as he spoke to his wife, he sounded downhearted.
"Maybe there are survivors outside the cities, darling Nate. Isolated pockets of humanity might have fared better away from the heavily populated areas."
Karen suspected Lake Syndrome evolved into an airborne pathogen which killed every human being in the world but for them though she didn’t want to demolish Nate's hopes by giving voice to her concerns. The parasitic infection once confined to the shores of Lake Baikal must have quickly overwhelmed anyone not in close proximity with the Ladies of the Lake. She hated to admit it but the remnants of old bones they saw littering the streets bothered her not a jot.
Kirk was seasick for the whole trip. Despite herself Karen commiserated with him as she shared the same affliction until three days out of old Scotland she managed to get her sea legs under her. She discovered there was a trick to it. Rather than standing straight-legged, she learned how to roll with the ship thereby mitigating the sense of ever-present motion. By finding the horizon with her eyes, the roiling in her stomach gradually subsided.
Delilah and Kirk came to Nate when they anchored in the harbor in the Bahamas asking to be married. Once they were moored in shallow water Kirk managed to get over his bout of vomiting every five minutes. Nate laughed at their request until Kirk told him how the captain of a ship often performed marriages in the days before the Great Dying. Nate quickly apologized to the couple and graciously assented to marry them.
Karen was surprised when Delilah asked her to be the Maid of Honor and even more amazed when she heard her voice accepting the invitation. She was excited for the girl, glad something good was coming from what she once deemed irreparable.
After reviling him for so long, now it was hard for her to reconcile how Kirk wasn’t the same man he was all those years ago when he colluded with Marilyn in an attempt to kidnap and murder the Ladies and how it all ended in death unforeseen.
She missed Marilyn.
She considered a thousand ways she might have helped her old friend and lover avoid the path upon which she had chosen. She blamed herself more than anyone. She knew Marilyn was a troubled soul taking solace in an imaginary god. Rather than shunning her Karen might have mentored her; she could have been a better friend.
Amanda was distraught when Karen informed her that she was going to old America. At first she begged to go aboard the Nautilus too. Karen explained how there wasn’t enough room for any more than six people. There were supplies to bring with and too, they would need room for the equipment they hoped to scavenge. When Amanda kissed her goodbye Karen realized they were entering a gray area beyond friendship.
She missed Amanda too. Watching the two couples aboard cavort and prance around the ship made her realize how all alone she was in the world even though it seemed as if she was constantly surrounded by others.
Lily and Nate seemed renewed as they scampered about the Nautilus like teenagers. They were made for traveling on a schooner. Their large feet and webbed toes lent them perfect balance on the wet decks constantly rising over the mountainous waves of the eternal ocean before ducking into the troughs again. Lily often teased Nate by opening her shirt to give him a peek and then running from his advances.
They spent two days in the Bahamas allowing Kirk and Delilah a short honeymoon in a private inland villa that was splendidly preserved. The home was somewhat akin to Orchardton Hall in that it was constructed all of stone with walls nearly a meter thick but not nearly as large as the castle. The island had turned back into a garden of Eden—a paradise on earth—trees laden with fruit, fresh clear springs, and miles of unsoiled beaches only added to the ambiance of the place.
Nate, Lily, Karen, and Natalia camped on a white sand beach watching an orange bloated moon wrench itself up out of the ocean to shower them with silver moonbeams sparkling off the surf like billions of diamonds floating in the sea.
"I think we just found our new vacation spot, my darling Lily."
The tone of Nate's voice seemed serenely happy tonight. If it wasn’t for Natalia, Karen would feel like a third wheel keeping Nate and Lily from allowing the moon to enable their love. She was not inordinately surprised when a few minutes later Lily announced she was off to bed even though the sun had only just set. Nate followed her to one of the tents set up farther down the beach leaving Karen and Natalia alone by the crackling fire.
"Lovely Lauren calls that a lover's moon."
Without saying a word, Natalia laid her head in Karen's lap. Though she was shocked by this familiarity, Karen found her fingers stroking Natalia's long silken hair as she watched the moon rise in her eyes.
"If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."
"Oh my darling Karen... what a lovely saying! I didn’t know you were such a romantic."
"It's an old song by some American singer whose name I can't remember. I do remember them playing it on the radio when I was a girl. I pretty much memorized it. I wasn’t a popular girl so I spent a lot of
time by myself reading and listening to music."
"I think we need more wine."
Karen wanted to tell Natalia not to move but before she worked up her nerve to do so the gorgeous Russian Lady had risen and jogged to the skiff where a case of Chardonnay was waiting. When she returned carrying two bottles Karen felt herself blush noticing Natalia had removed the rest of her scant her clothing. She looked as beautiful as a sea sprite dancing on the ocean waves and though she had seen Natalia in the nude many times she had never witnessed a more perfect beauty.
"It's still so warm tonight. Don't you think so too, lovely Karen?"
The popping of cork echoed down the beach as she refilled their glasses. Karen waited until both glasses were filled before touching hers to Natalia's.
"To loving the one you're with."
Chapter 34—Man and Woman
As he rose from bed throwing open the window shades to allow the new sun entry into their room, Ginger watched the way his body moved and wondered how she existed for so long without him.
She heard the rumors. She knew the Ladies had taken Nate away on an ocean cruise because of a sudden onset of dementia. One night before they left, Ginger came downstairs to get a midnight snack. She heard voices in the kitchen talking low almost in whispers as if the plotters did not wish to be overheard.
The Ladies were discussing plans to separate Nate from Kāne. Though they had yet to meet, hearing the mention of the stranger's name made her ears ring. Now she wondered what would become of Kāne if they discovered he really was the cause of Nate's infirmity.
"If you ever leave here do you promise to take me with you, my love?"
"That is the only way I will ever leave this place, my splendid Ginger. Why would I ever want to leave?"
She felt like a traitor for not telling him what she knew yet somehow she guessed he was well aware of the situation too. Though they've only been together for a couple weeks it seemed as if they've been joined forever. She changed the subject.
"Have you ever been married?"
"My species do not engage in such ceremonies, my sweetest Ginger. We have no concept of a god nor have we ever believed in staying with a single partner. Perhaps it is on account of our long life spans, or maybe we are but animals compared to human beings."
"How long will you live?"
"We never die of old age but we may at times fall prey to accidents, or to melancholia. We call it the diminishing."
Ginger was amazed how quickly Kāne grasped the English language though she suspected he was merely remembering something he had forgotten long ago. Some of the People made fun of him, of how he talked in monosyllables, of how he looked so wild and unrefined, and of how he hid like a wounded animal for centuries keeping to the high mountains and deep forests for fear humans may finish what the Lake monster once started.
"No, my love... we are the animals."
Ginger was ashamed. She felt the weight of responsibility for her entire race. She didn’t know how to go about apologizing, however. If she had the ability to redress all the myriad wrongs her species had been responsible for, she would be a goddess. She wasn't. She was just Ginger.
"I am hungry, lovely Ginger. Please feed me."
She loved his little eccentricities.
He was such a man and yet but a child in disguise. He could not cook. If someone did not feed him he went hungry. He refused to use silverware and ate everything with his fingers. Though he donned clothing to go outside, once they were settled in their cabin he removed every stitch. At first, she thought he wanted to initiate sex but as the days passed she understood that nudity was his natural state.
He was perfect. Though he was thousands of years old he had no scars. Though his face was lined with age he had no wrinkles. Though he must have had memories of centuries past he seemed content in the here and now.
"Our pantry is empty, my love. Come and get dressed. We'll go to Orchardton Hall and I'll cook you a feast."
Since the Nautilus sailed to America the castle had seemed way too quiet. Lady Lauren spent the lonely days in her gardens. Kāne often went there to sit with his mother but Ginger felt out of place among such regal beauty though she didn’t tell either of them why. Kāne seemed to understand innately that she would rather give them their time alone.
Walking hand in hand and barefoot up the sandy path to the castle she saw enormous decks of clouds building over the western sea, portending an afternoon rain. Ginger preferred rainy days to sunshine. She wasn't sure if that was why they lived here in old Scotland rather than anywhere else in the world but she was sure if it was left up to her, she wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Losing her father wasn’t the blow most of the People seemed to think it was for her. Drummond never spent any time with her while she was growing up. She didn’t even realize he was her father until after he died in an ill-fated attempt at starting a colony in old England. Still, she often wondered if Kāne was a kind of faux father figure for her. Perhaps subconsciously she was seeking an older man to fill a hole in her heart.
She grew up a community child.
An absent mother who drank too much and a dead beat father who ignored her, her sisters and half sisters were many yet none of them cared to associate with her. It wasn’t until she was ten years old that she realized how different her life was compared to her peers. She had no permanent home. She slept where she found a soft bed. If she was hungry someone fed her. If she was in need of clothing, someone dressed her.
Now, she enjoyed being the person who took care of someone else. Though she knew Kāne was vastly older, he didn’t seem so. His demeanor was that of a child. He loved being teased. Instead of becoming angry, his musical laughter rang out like the chimes in one of the old church towers that had long ago ceased to sound.
It bothered her sometimes how when she asked him for advice he shrugged his massive shoulders. He rarely made decisions on his own. Instead, he relied on others to guide him. He had no favorite foods, eating anything she set in front of him with equal gusto. His short-term memory was fine but he rapidly forgot anything that happened more than an hour ago. It was almost as if he willed his reminisces away.
"I saw you dancing with Dr. Karen last month. Do you like her, my darling Kāne?"
"Who?"
"The doctor... you know... the short pretty woman with brown hair... she always wears a colorful ribbon in it. She was wearing a blue dress that night. I remember watching the two of you and how marvelously you danced. Didn’t you ask her for her name?"
"I'm sorry, darling Ginger, but I have no recollection of dancing with anyone."
At first, she thought he was lying. Perhaps he believed she would be jealous. But in time she realized that once someone or something was gone from his life, he simply forgot them altogether. She found herself envying that ability. Herself, she knew that she held onto others too dearly. After thirty years she still mourned an old stray cat that she befriended and kept for two dozen years before he finally passed away.
Ginger cracked a dozen eggs into a bowl, stirred them briskly with a fork, and poured the mixture into a frying pan. She added diced onions, green peppers, and crumbled bits of bacon she pre-cooked. Kāne made no effort to help her. He sat at the island counter watching her every move as she maneuvered around the kitchen.
She enjoyed his eyes feasting upon her body and purposely dressed provocatively. She liked showing off for a real man who appreciated her assets. Growing up for Ginger meant not having any boys around at all. She and Nate were born around the same time but he matured far faster than she did.
"I think I might be pregnant."
She uttered the words as she placed a plate full of omelet in front of him and poured them both cups of coffee. Kāne looked at her in an uncomprehending manner, as if he was hard of hearing, or perhaps simply misunderstood her words. He took a sip of coffee.
"You must be mistaken, my sweet Ginger. Our species are said to be incompatible."
"
Be that as it may, I missed my period this month. It was due three weeks ago and I am very regular. I want to go into a nearby town to see if I can find any pregnancy test kits. They may not work any longer but I want to try one anyway. Come with me after breakfast?"
Chapter 35—Gone
For the first time in memory the fragrance and frailty of Lauren's flowers failed to pacify the ragings of her mind or still the awful fluttering of her haunted hearts.
The Nautilus had been gone well over two fortnights now. When they sailed, Lauren contented herself with knowing the party was well-armed. She reckoned Lily would take no unnecessary risks in guiding the schooner to America. Yet the thought of unknown dangers weighed on Lauren's mind of late.
For the first two weeks they were able to stay in contact but now the short wave radio had gone silent. No one here knew the intricacies inside the metal box. They didn't know if the radio was simply not working or if the radio aboard the Nautilus had failed.
She knew how menacing the countryside around Orchardton Hall had become after a hundred years' absence of human activity. The fences around the estate kept out the larger predatory animals but the growls and shrieks echoed nightly in the darkness. Stepping onto a foreign continent after so long a lack of the presence of man seemed foolhardy at best and suicidal at worst.
"They should have gone to Lake Baikal."
The flowers were silent witnesses to her words. She had pleaded with her lovers not to go so far away but like talking to the flowers her beseechings were either not understood or simply ignored.
"Why must you go all the way to America, my sweet Lily? It is way too distant. If anything should happen we will not be able to help you. You are taking an unnecessary risk. Tell her, darling Natalia... tell her there is no need to go that far."