Eden's Root

by Rachel Fisher

  A loud crash and shouts from outside startled them and Fi jumped up and grabbed her gun from her pack. With her knife in her left hand and her gun in her right, Fi leapt down the stairs and then froze. A huge man lay on the ground, unmoving, with John and Sean standing over him. John gripped his walking staff like a weapon and his nose dripped blood. Sean was crouched in his fighting stance with a black eye and fat lip swelling up. Fi whirled and saw that Doc Ron, Aliyah, and Aldy stood huddled against the wall of the house.

  Though her heart did flip-flops seeing that they’d taken blows, she realized that they had won. The man on the ground remained motionless and the rest of the Skillmans huddled by the side of the house with Doc Ron. Everyone looked ok.

  “Mama!” Fi shouted, turning to find that Maggie was right behind her on the house stairs. “We need more cable-ties, quickly,” she urged.

  “I’m on it,” Maggie hurried back inside and then emerged quickly with ties in hand. Sean and Fi got to work cable-tying the giant’s hands and feet. He was unconscious so it was no struggle, but Fi wanted him contained before he woke up. Even with the relative levels of starvation this man was big. He had to be 6’6” and 200 pounds, minimum.

  “Good grief,” Fi exclaimed when she saw Sean’s face up close. “We need to get you both some ice packs. But first let’s drag this giant pig someplace where we can keep an eye on him. She motioned for Doc Ron to join them. “Think you guys can get him onto the porch with help from me and Sean?”

  “Yeah, I think all of us can do it without you Fi,” Sean said. Fi balked, but then the four men each grabbed limbs and started dragging the large man across the ground. They were able to lift him enough to work their way up the stairs, grunting and puffing all the way.

  “Nrrrrgggh!” All four groaned as they finally slid his unconscious form onto the floor of the front porch.

  “Whew!” John dropped into on a chair on the porch. “Holy Cow, that guy is a load! Sheesh.” His nose no longer dripped but his voice sounded oddly muffled.

  “Uncle John, you should go inside and get an icepack from Maggie,” Fi urged and Sean agreed.

  “Yeah Dad, we’ll be right in.” He looked back at Fi after John disappeared through the door. “I agree with him though,” he smiled ruefully at the giant man at their feet. “We should have left him to rot in the rain like he deserved.” He nudged him with his foot. Doc Ron sat on the steps holding his lower back and twisting.

  “Oof,” he sighed. “Wish I could have seen you guys take him down,” he nodded at the dark, wet heap on the porch. He and his family had been behind the house when they heard the noise and had come around just at the same moment when Fi had appeared.

  “Me too Doc,” Fi smiled. “I’m sorry guys,” Fi apologized, crouching on the stairs with them in the moonlight. “But I don’t want to draw any attention to us and I want him guarded, even while he’s tied up. We will put him with his little pink buddy,” she said with a sardonic smile. Sean’s eyebrows went up and then he winced, his black eye squeezing. Regardless of whether it was spoken, his question was clear. Fi nodded at the unconscious man.

  “We have one inside as well,” she said. Sean’s one good eye widened.

  “What happened, Fi?” She smiled.

  “It’s ok, Sean. He was a stupid drunk. It was an easy take-down.” He smiled wryly.

  “Yeah, you managed it without busting up your face.” He touched his bleeding lip with his tongue. “Ow,” he grimaced. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

  “Well mine wasn’t a freaking Mastodon Sean! Of course your guy put some hurt on you,” Fi glanced at the giant pile of man at their feet. “I’m very impressed actually. How did you take him down?”

  “He surprised us and lunged at Dad. I guess he saw him as the main threat out of the two of us,” he laughed at the irony. “He managed to sucker-punch Dad in the face so fast that Dad just went down.” It was Fi’s turn to wince as she thought of John’s sore face.

  “I didn’t think, I just rushed him,” Sean explained with regret. “All Sensei Bob’s good training down the drain,” he shook his head. “I paid for it, though. He caught me with a left hook that made me see stars.” He stopped. “You know,” he said with a look of amusement, “that saying is completely inaccurate. What you see is a single bright flash of light. Like lightning in your brain,” he said as he touched the tender side of his face with fingertips. Fi suddenly remembered that he needed care and interrupted.

  “Let’s go inside and get you some ice. You can tell us the rest in a warm, dry place at least,” she added. The group left the unconscious man on the porch and walked inside. Maggie was in the kitchen with John. A red flashlight glowed on the countertop while she helped John adjust the icepack he held to his face.

  “Is it broken?” Fi asked her. Maggie frowned.

  “I don’t think so, but I don’t know. Doc?” she called. Doc nodded and moved forward to examine John.

  “We will have to get the swelling down to know for sure,” he said, touching John gently, “but I also think it’s not broken.”

  “That is a relief,” Fi smiled. “You had such a beautiful nose.” John smiled and then grimaced.

  “My son was the hero really. Thank you Sean. You saved us all.”

  “C’mon Dad, it was a team effort.” He sucked air through his teeth as he applied the icepack to his own face.

  “Keep that on there, Sean,” Fi commanded him. “Ice is magic if you just stick through the pain.” He nodded. “So tell me the rest,” she encouraged him. “It will distract you until it’s numb. You said you rushed the guy.” Giving him a sideways glance she admitted, “Again, I’m impressed. You may not like your technique, but your bravery is without question.” Sean’s blush was visible beneath his wounds.

  “I couldn’t let him hurt my Family,” Sean said with pride. “I’m not much for offense, but I believe in defense.” He shifted his icepack. “It seems to be getting through the worst pain now,” he breathed, his expression softening.

  “Yeah, so I rushed the guy and caught the left hook that rung my bell. I’m pretty sure Dad and I both have a concussion from that guy’s fists,” he shook his head at his father. “I realized that I’d made a mistake obviously, but I was confused. I felt like I was underwater almost. I tried to break into fighting stance to get my bearings. The guy was hulking, practically growling at me and behind him I saw my Dad, sneaking up on him, so I decided to distract him. I taunted him. I said, ‘Tough guy, huh? Beating up the old men and the girls? You’re just a pussy!’” Aliyah covered Aldy’s ears out of instinct and Sean half-smiled an apology.

  “You did NOT!” Fi protested, punching his arm.

  “I DID!” he grinned. John nodded and Lucy and the girls huddled behind him did as well.

  Doc Ron chuckled, “Sorry I missed that.”

  “Wow Sean. That’s pretty crazy!” Fi sat on the kitchen table and put her hands on her knees, leaning in to listen. “What happened next?”

  “Well the guy was focused on me. He starting calling me,” he stopped and glanced at the kids. “Uh, the same thing,” he explained for the adults, “and other names too, but Dad was right behind him and he did the sweep thing with his walking staff, Fi.” Sean turned to her excitedly in the dim light. “Took the pig’s giant legs right out from under him. And right at the same time I spun around and caught his face square with my roundhouse. He passed out cold before he hit the ground.” Without warning, he started laughing, his shoulders shaking so hard that he had to remove the ice pack from his face. Fi smiled in confusion.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked. Sean was now completely shaking with laughter and Fi saw similar mirth in the eyes of Lucy and Rachel. Zoe was giggling, but Fi wasn’t sure if she really knew the joke. Sean gasped as he laughed.

  “You missed Dad’s Hollywood moment Fi. He stood over the guy once he hit the ground and poked him with his staff and said, ‘The bigger they are…” he started and then Lucy and Rachel chime
d in.

  “The harder they fall!” They all dissolved into waves of giggles, dispersing the nervous energy left over from the attack.

  “Oh my God, Uncle John, you didn’t?” Fi said, tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks. Though, she tried to picture it, she just couldn’t imagine John Skillman as an action hero. John nodded, holding his stomach and grimacing from the pain the laughter caused his nose.

  “I did Fi! I did. It was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself.” Fi and the Family continued in fits of laughter with cries of, “Oh oh oh, my face hurts! My stomach hurts!” all around her. They laughed freely, tears streaming down their already wet faces. They were safe. This was their first real “test” in the field and they passed. They won the fight. Now they could rest in safety. Fi and Sean worked out the plan to watch the two men. They carried the smaller man to the porch and laid him out there as well.

  “Hey, are you just going to leave us out here?” the smaller man asked as Fi was about to disappear inside the door. Fi turned back to him.

  “Your gift of the day was life, remember pig? Or you could keep complaining and I’ll just duct tape your mouth shut…or maybe your nose and mouth.” He shook his head and bit his lips. “Good,” Fi shoved him with her foot. “I’m sick of you already.” She turned and walked inside to join her Family.

  It Was a Good Day

  ----------- Fi -----------

  After her slip-up in the rain a few weeks prior Fi had completely avoided any type of human habitation, at least when she was with the Family. No matter what the weather conditions, it was safest to stay in the forest. At least it was warm now, so even if it rained it was a warm rain. In fact it was pretty sticky by now, Fi thought, grateful to rest in just shorts and a t-shirt with bare feet. She sat propped against a log with her pack at her back with her father’s journal in her lap. Unconsciously, she flipped it open to the hardest part. The page was worn thin from the number of times that she’d read it.

  “I can no longer pretend that I have a lingering cold, I’m afraid. There is no denying the obvious. Thank God that Louis’ plans will get the girls to safety before I’m gone. Otherwise, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t know how I’ll tell Maggie. Her own burden is so great. If only Fi were older.”

  Fi held the journal to her chest and took a deep, shuddering breath. If only she were older. If only Maggie’s burden had not been so great. If only Louis had not abandoned them. If, if, if…. She sighed and put the journal away. It would help if she could somehow stop herself from dwelling on the ‘ifs’. The thing about ‘ifs’ was that they ran around and around your brain with no end. It was always best to shut them off…if you could.

  As she turned back again to rest against her pack, she tried to draw comfort from the beauty around her. This was such a wonderful spot, warm and peaceful. It wasn’t hard to guess why everyone was reticent to leave it. They were deep within the forest in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Or so she thought from her maps anyway. Regardless, the rock wall at the back of camp protected them from view and the clearing ahead of them was a bit of enchanted forest, with dappled shafts of sunlight and huge stands of fragrant, wild mint. Their smell is what made the breeze in this spot seem cool, even when it was actually warm. She chewed a mint leaf absentmindedly.

  The other side of camp was bordered by an apple orchard, which of course led to endless jokes with Doc about eating an apple a day. This orchard was bearing fruit and whether it was possibly Sickfood or not, it was fruit. They sun-dried lots of apple meat while they stayed.

  Hunting had been pretty good here as well. There hadn’t been many deer in a while, but rabbits and squirrels were abundant. Sean even said he thought he’d seen evidence of hogs. That would be a great thing, if they could get it. Any Truefood that they could get was like gold and they were low on canned supplies of Sickfoods from the raids anyway.

  Maggie came into the circle by the firepit where Fi was sitting with one hand held behind her back. Kiara, Zoe, and Aldy danced behind her and Rachel walked slowly in the rear. Fi laughed.

  “I always knew you were the Pied Piper Mama,” she said.

  “Hey!” Kiara protested. “That makes us rats!” Maggie and Fi both laughed.

  “Remember Kiara, the Piper led the children away when the villagers refused to pay him.” Fi reminded her.

  “Oh yeah,” she said. “I forgot that.” She smiled. They all came to sit near Fi in a small circle.

  Maggie pulled her hand from behind her back and said, “Taa-daa!” Who’s up for cards?”

  All the kids said, “Me, me!” Rachel and Fi exchanged glances and Fi sat up, crossing her legs.

  “Alright you little rats,” she said winking, “you’re on!”

  Maggie spoke in a funny “dealer” voice. “Alrighty then, what’ll it be kiddos?” She shuffled the cards in the classic ‘rainbow’ to show off her skills. The kids squealed. They loved it. Maggie was such a wonderful entertainer when she had the energy. “You want Texas Hold’Em or Five Card Stud?” she asked in her nasal drawl. The kids looked confused and she laughed. “Oh I see how you are,” she quipped, still shuffling. “You want Gin Rummy, Go Fish, War…”

  “Gin Rummy, Gin Rummy!” Kiara piped up. The others nodded.

  “Gin Rummy it is then for the little lady,” Maggie starting passing out the cards.

  “Wait!” they heard a voice approaching. It was Aliyah, who carried a load of their dry clothing in her arms. “Deal me in,” she hustled up the path. Everyone laughed and Maggie collected and re-dealt the cards. Maggie eyed the circle, her eyes narrowing.

  “I warn you all,” she said, her voice conspiratorial, “You’re swimming in the deep end of the waters now. Maggie peered at Fi who smirked. She knew what was coming. “If you’ve never played cards, and par-tic-u-lar-ly Gin Rummy,” she intoned, “with one Fi Kelly…” Fi pretended to straighten her clothes and dust them off. “Then you better be prepared to swim with the sharks, because she will get you!” Maggie poked Kiara when she said ‘get’ and Kiara dissolved into giggles. Maggie straightened up.

  “No seriously, the girl never loses. It’s ridiculous. I used to joke about taking her to the tables in Atlantic City so she could win her college fund.” This statement was directed to Aliyah, one mother to another. “She started beating me at Go Fish when she was five and I’ve barely won a hand of any card game with her since. She’s a stone-cold shark.” She winked at Fi, who grinned.

  The group played rounds of Gin Rummy and Go Fish until the rest of the Family came back from their chores and activities. It was a rare and relaxing day off for Fi and she relished it. The time with her mother and sister was wonderful, but she’d come to enjoy the time with all of her Family now and she joked and laughed with Aliyah and Aldy as much as her own family and the Skillman girls.

  “Hello, hello!” they heard voices and turned. It was Lucy and Sean, back from gathering. They were smiling.

  “We did so well!” Lucy crowed. Fi smiled, Lucy had really taken to gathering this summer. It was clear that was partially because she got to spend quality time with her teenaged son, but she also seemed to enjoy the slow, deliberate nature of it, just like Sean. At the same time, John and Doc Ron appeared as they made their way back through the rows of the orchard. Doc Ron carried a stick with three fish speared on it and waved as he spotted the Family. As they emerged from the trees, the group could see that John carried a squirrel gathered from the snares. Together they joined the Family just as Lucy and Sean’s take was being pulled from Sean’s pack.

  “Wow Luce,” John said, hugging his wife with affection. She blushed. “And you too Sean,” he added smiling. “You guys did great!” he smiled at the pile of seeds, wild herbs, roots, and mushrooms that they laid out and Fi chuckled. There was a time when John Skillman and his formerly sizable midsection would not have been pleased to see some mushrooms and a few seeds. John and Lucy were both at a normal weight after this summer. Most of the others had lost
some weight, but they’d done ok with their hunting and gathering, Fi thought. No one was truly starving yet…except Maggie, who seemed to be unable to eat like she should. Fi sighed. Thoughts of Maggie grew in her mind with each passing day.

  “Look at you John,” Lucy cooed, waving at the fish. “You really brought home the bacon tonight,” she joked and he laughed.

  “Let’s get these cleaned,” he handed her the catch. Lucy turned to take the catch to the food prep rock and John smacked her lightly on the bottom. She startled and blushed, shaking her head at him. Fi smiled up at Sean from her spot on the ground. Even though it grossed him out that his parents were more affectionate now, she knew that he understood why their bond was strengthened. For her part, Fi thought it was cute, and was encouraged to see their love blossom anew rather than crumple under the stress.

  “C’mon,” she would tease Sean. “Is it so wrong? What’s wrong with remembering how much you love another person when you’re both put through hell together?” Thought it was grudging, he had nodded. He could relate. Sean grinned down at her and her little circle of card players.

  “She’s cleaning up at the table as usual, I’m assuming?” he asked Maggie, nodding to indicate Fi. Maggie nodded.

  “Of course,” she sighed. “There’s no stopping her at cards,” she shook her head in mock annoyance.

  “Or much of anything else for that matter,” Sean said affectionately and Fi blushed. He held her gaze. His dark eyes were warm but intense and Fi’s heart fluttered. What was going on with Sean? With a slow smile at her expression, he turned away to help Lucy with cleaning the fish.

  That night they had enjoyed a mini-feast of sorts. The good thing about finding Truefood in the wilderness is that it often had to be consumed right away. It was perishable, and they didn’t usually have extra with such a large Family. It meant that whenever they got a lot to eat, they ate it. They were all seated around the fire. The Family still kept the cooking fire low and put it out at night so they did not draw visitors, human or otherwise. But for now, they had a regular cookout going.