“You are right. I haven’t seen Kit in a while. Plus I would like to see the horse set up and training area.” She was being swayed.
“You two need to make up your mind because I am headed out,” Nancy yelled from the other room.
“All right, all right,” Erika yelled back, “just give us a minute.” She put down her martial arts training gear and loaded her holster with her pistol.
“I’m going to check on the kids and make sure they are getting ready for school,” Vince said with a wide smile. He was excited for the change of pace.
Erika headed out to go see her mom. Nancy was just finishing loading bags of compost she had been harvesting from the kitchen into a cart so they could take them out to the garden sites.
“Oh, now I see why you wanted us to go. You want us to drag all that stuff out there,” Erika said teasingly.
“No, I was looking forward to spending the day with you but since you’re coming… I might as well put all those muscles you two have been building to use,” she said, engaging in the game.
Erika helped her finish loading the bags and before long, Vince appeared with Dexter and Star. Erika gave them each a kiss and they trotted down the trail toward the school which had been built in the central area of the main camp. Erika noticed that some clouds were rolling in and she was glad she had chosen to go to the gardens. The training field would probably be a muddy mess by the afternoon. Ripper tagged along at her side watching the kids go. Sometimes he would follow them, but today, he knew they were doing something different so he decided to go along with Vince and Erika. They had asked Greg if he wanted to come but he was going over to help Penni at the kitchen. He said Penni would not want to go hiking if the sun was not shining. She would rather stay indoors and wait for a warmer day. The kitchen would be plenty warm and she was busy putting together table cloths and decorations for the eating area. She said that they should still have some class even in this screwed-up situation. Erika thought it was kind of silly but she had to admit that the little changes Penni was making did make the area seem fancy and more normal.
Erika, Vince, and Nancy headed through a side gate to the camp and down a trail that used to be a road that Erika had known well. She had traveled this road to get to her mom’s ranch at least twice a week. It was a long, winding road right next to the river but it was a mess now. The quakes had shifted it this way and that. Trees and rocks had shifted and fallen, making an even more treacherous path. There was a little bridge on the road not far in from where one can turn onto it and it had been completely destroyed. The little creek that moved under it was now swollen from the recent rains and it made the crossing interesting. Fallen trees had been moved and carved into a bridge. They carefully pulled the cart across the shifty structure. Nancy was so glad that they decided to come. She would have had to have some of the other garden hands pull the cart otherwise, and she had specific plans for this load of compost.
After the bridge crossing, the walk became easier. It was nice enjoying the peace and quiet with her family and not worrying about life threatening issues like attacks and defenses. They stayed to the right side of the trail along the river. Soon they came to where the summer crops had been planted and were being harvested. Erika and Vince were impressed. There were rows and rows of squashes, tomatoes, and pumpkins. They had been planted in close proximity to the river so that the water could be diverted to irrigation ditches with the push and pull of a board through a box system. The plants looked healthy and their bounteous vegetables were providing well for the Lotus camp. Erika and Vince saw Betsy out picking weeds and harvesting ripe vegetables. Nancy went off to talk with the head gardener. Vince and Erika did not know the gentleman well so they went over to talk with Betsy.
“Hello, you two, nice to see you out here today,” Betsy said in her sweet voice.
“Hey, how are you?” Erika asked.
“Doing fine; isn’t this something?” Betsy said as she looked over the garden site.
“It really is,” said Vince. “How did they pull this off ?” He was dumbfounded by the amount of plants and the system they had.
“Ricardo Manuella, that man your mom is talking to, he came up with the idea. I guess a lot of people out this way had little family gardens so the garden team from camp went around and found all the plants that they could salvage. Glen Wales, the man who fills the shower too; he has lived in this area for generations and he knew how to maximize the river so that they could save all the plants they could find. Instead of hauling water all the way out to the plants, they moved them all here and developed this irrigation system. Pretty cool, isn’t it?” she said rhetorically.
“Wow, this is awesome!” Vince was enthralled. He immediately wanted to know all about how the whole system functioned, where they had got plants from, and what they were using for fertilizer. He started wandering about talking with the various workers and eventually ended up over with Ricardo and Nancy.
Erika stayed behind with Betsy. Erika had liked planting and harvesting a garden in the past and she had to admit that this garden was certainly was doing its job to feed the camp. Deep down, though, she knew they would be leaving so it seemed kind of silly to focus on something that needed time in one place to be productive. She started to help Betsy with her harvesting and engage in some small talk.
“Where is Carol?” Erika wondered.
“Her arthritis was flaring up and she did not want to walk all the way out here today. She decided to stay home and take care of laundry.” It was a direct answer for a direct question.
“So, I know this is a touchy subject but how is Jen doing?” Erika never was one to beat around the bush with a topic. She just blurted it out.
“She is doing better,” Betsy said with a far-off look in her eyes. “She is still not the same girl I knew not so long ago but it’s getting better. She is talking more and she has taken an interest in going out to the horses with her sister, Kim. The animals bring her peace, she says.”
“I can see that,” Erika agreed. “I always loved just spending time with my horse when I was little. I even had a hammock hung in the stall next to his. I used to read and even sleep out there. I am glad to hear she is doing better. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible.”
“I have to admit to you, Erika, that I was a little angry when everything first happened and I blamed you a little as well. But you know what, life just happened. You had no control over what those animals were doing and you came back. You would have given your life to save me and my children and that is a debt that can never be repaid. All I can say is thank you.” Betsy had tears in her eyes.
The two women hugged one another deeply. They had become sisters in life and felt an intense love for one another. They continued tending to the vegetables and discussed the daily goings on of life at the Lotus camp.
Finally, Vince and Nancy returned to collect Erika. It had not been very long and Vince still had the compost wagon in tow. Obviously, this was not the last stop of the day. They continued on past the garden site. Erika began to recognize the road they were on despite the devastation that had ravaged the area. Ripper knew where they were headed as well. He had always perked up in the car and gotten excited whenever they had headed down this way. He was dancing about, happy to be in an area he knew. They were headed out to her mom’s ranch.
When they neared the ranch, Erika couldn’t believe what had happened. Her mom had occupied a corner lot and a huge hole had opened up across the street to the left. Besides the home being in shambles, Nancy’s property still looked good. The pastures remained and even the fencing still stood intact fairly well. Her old neighbors, Bob and Cathy Meyer, had removed all their supplies and solar power equipment because there was no place to live here anymore, but their property was in decent shape as well. Erika immediately noticed they had built windmills to pump water from the wells. There were three of them scattered throughout the properties. It was sad to see the condition of the homes but ther
e was hope of utilizing what was left.
“Still working on the property, Mom?” Erika questioned sarcastically. Nancy had always been busy working this land. She loved it. It filled her days with a peaceful energy.
“You know me, gotta stay busy,” Nancy answered as if it was any old day.
“I can’t believe all this,” Erika said with a sigh. “All the memories in that house, Dad and Bob; do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Erika had not wanted to talk about her father, Roger, or her brother, Bob, before. It was too painful. They had been across the country in Michigan and in Canada when things went down. Both of them lived where they did because of their jobs. They loved to work and make money and it had taken them away from their families often.
“All we can do is pray, Erika,” Nancy replied, obviously shaken. She hadn’t said it out loud either. “Now look here”—she quickly changed the subject. She had one of her children here and life had to go on—“we are hauling all this compost out here so we can plant these fields next season. Remember, Bob and Cathy had those lamas, and I was always saying how we should sell the poop for money. Well, good thing we didn’t, because we are spreading it all out so that we can plant in good fertile soil.”
“What happened to the lamas?” Vince wondered.
“They are still over there at Bob and Cathy’s. We figured why move them. They are fed and supplying fertilizer. We are going to shave them for their wool next summer and, eventually, Cathy is going to try to turn them into pack lamas, but for now, they are fine,” Nancy replied. “Let’s dump all that compost we brought out over there. Ricardo said he would send out a crew tomorrow to spread it and check the windmills.”
Erika remained in deep thought while they emptied the wagon. She just couldn’t get her father and brother off her mind. She wondered what had become of them and if they still lived. She maintained small talk for her mom’s sake but she couldn’t let it go. Vince knew that Erika was not impressed by all this.
If anything, it had just brought up more issues that she would be preoccupied with. Being that they had no control over any of these issues, Vince found it all rather pointless to worry. He had his own family worries buried deep in his mind and didn’t want to think about any of it. Staring at Erika and reading her mind, Vince knew she wanted to leave this place and had no interest in what would be happening here next summer. Nancy still hoped that Erika would take an interest and want to stay, but she understood Erika’s feelings as well. Nothing felt safe anymore and seeing the old ranch again and again did just bring up memories of much better past times.
It did not take long to unload the compost and soon they were walking back. They had shaken the bad feelings and were enjoying the afternoon sun that had decided to cut through the clouds. Ripper plodded along, worn out from all the excitement of returning to a familiar stomping ground. When they were returning, the wind had shifted and Erika could smell the horses, strongly. The horse training grounds were actually close to the bridge they had crossed at the start of their day. This proximity kept the horses close but far enough away that their mess did not muck up the camp. The creek that ran under the shifty bridge supplied water to the horses. This ensured that water did not have to be bucketed in from far away. They had been so preoccupied with the crossing of the bridge Erika had hardly noticed the facility they had set up when they had headed out to the gardens.
Vince saw her interest and had promised her earlier that they would go see Kit. “Want to head over and see Kit now, baby.”
“Sure,” Erika replied. “I wonder if Kim and Jen are out there too.”
“Let’s go check it out,” Vince said positively. “Do you want to come with us, Nancy?”
“No, I am whooped. I am going to go back to camp to shower before everyone comes in for the day. I’ll meet the kids when they get home. You guys have fun, maybe go for a ride.” Nancy was tired from the long hike and exhausted from trying to convince her daughter of something that she knew wasn’t what Erika wanted.
“All right, Mom, I love you,” Erika replied, giving her a big hug and kiss. “Oh hey, will you take Ripper with you?” Ripper had always had a knack at spooking horses and Erika really didn’t want to worry about him getting kicked or causing trouble.
“Sure, no problem,” Nancy said reassuringly. “Now go have some fun!”
They headed down a wagon rutted trail. It looked like something straight out of the Old West. The property had been someone’s home at one time but the home was demolished and the property was all that remained. It had been cleared of most of the trees and, even though the ground had shifted dramatically, the horse activity was stomping it back down to some kind of flat area. There was an area where the horses slept at night by the creek so they had access to water, and adjacent to it was a circular ring used for training. When Vince and Erika arrived, no one was around except for some horses tethered to the area where they slept. It smelled richly of horse, not manure, but the smell of animal. The whole area was meticulously cared for. They had salvaged manure rakes and had put them to good use. The manure was hauled out biweekly to help boost the quality of the soil in the gardens and make teas to feed the existing plants.
Erika and Vince surveyed the setup, impressed with the cleanliness and innovative thinking. Before long, a tall, skinny man approached with about eight horses in tow. He introduced himself as Drew Goddard and explained that he had been a horse trainer and ranch hand before the quake so he was right at home here. He had a tent out here with the horses, explaining that he felt more at home with them than being in the midst of all those people. He came in once in a while to use the shower over at the garden camps where Erika and Vince lived. Erika thought she had seen him before, but there were so many strangers around, she couldn’t be sure. He was a very nice man but spoke as little as possible. He told Erika that Val would be back soon. She was out collecting horses as well. Erika asked him where Kim and Jen were and he said they were going to go out that afternoon and were getting ready to leave when he went to get the horses that had been in use in the main camp. The military horses would be brought back by the soldiers that utilized them for the day. Each soldier was training in basic care as well.
Erika explained to him that Kit was her horse, and he told her what a wonderful animal he was and that he was not being used for cart pulling. He was such an easy ride that he had been used mostly for scouting missions. He had rested today and Erika was more than welcome to take him out for a ride if she wanted. Erika was thrilled that he was receiving such wonderful care, and she also felt a little ashamed that she had not been out sooner to see him. She had just been so preoccupied with hunting and training. Drew told her that he knew lots of good fighting techniques he could teach her to do from horseback, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to get him more used to being around gunfire even though he was a very calm animal and handled it well already. Erika assured Drew she would be out much more often to work with Kit and help with the horses.
Erika got her bridle from the station where they were all hung and Drew gave Vince one for another horse that was tied up by Kit. She was a bay like Kit and had very much the same demeanor as him. Drew was happy they were going out. He informed Erika that Kim had taken out a young horse that they were trying to get more trail-friendly and he hadn’t liked the idea. Vince put a saddle on his horse, but Erika had always loved riding bareback so she chose not to saddle Kit.
They headed out down a trail that headed away from the main camp and the gardens. It wound through a mountain pass and the silence was eerie. Vince rode next to Erika and they chatted and enjoyed the peace of riding and taking in the quiet. The birds chirped tentatively and the squirrels ran and hid. It was so relaxing and quiet but there was some haunting feeling on the breeze. The horses began to get nervous which was very unusual for this set of horses. All of a sudden their ears perked as two horses came flying down the trail toward Erika and Vince. It spooked their horses, but given their calm demeanor, Vince and
Erika were able to keep them under control.
“Is that the girls’ horses?” Erika questioned Vince in a frenzied voice.
“I think so,” said Vince. He caught hold of the bridle of one of the animals as they were running by and the other slowed to a stop by its partner.
Then they heard a scream from around the bend of the trail. Erika kicked her heels into Kit and they galloped off around the corner. Vince was dumbfounded by the sudden sequence of events. He jumped off his horse and tied the other two to a tree nearby. He quickly remounted the nervous horse and galloped off after Erika.
Erika rounded the bend and saw Jen standing over her sister with a large stick in her hand. She quickly assessed the situation. A mountain lion paced around the girls. Erika flew off her galloping horse and pulled out her handgun in one motion. She was running at the girls and the lion but could not shoot for fear of hitting the girls. The mountain lion became spooked by this sudden divergence to his easy meal and began to charge at Erika. It covered the ground so quickly it was like lightning. Erika shot once, twice, three times, but the lion kept coming. It launched in the air with its paw extended straight at Erika’s head, when bang! A blast came from Vince’s rifle. His horse reared and yelled. The shot blew the lion back through the air away from Erika. It lay on the ground with its head blown open. Blood began to run and stain the ground as the four of them stood in awe at what had happened.
Vince jumped down off his horse and hugged Erika. “Oh my God, baby, are you okay?” He backed off and was frantically looking her up and down.
Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition Page 29