Escape to Canamith

by Richard Friedman

  The first policeman on the scene grabbed his megaphone and spoke to the crowd. His girth stretched the fabric of his shirt to new limits. His head dripped with sweat. With one hand he wiped his brow, with the other he bellowed for all to hear.

  “This beach is closed. We need your cooperation. PLEASE! Gather your belongings and exit the beach at the North Gate. Let’s go people. Move it along!”

  The crowd of onlookers didn’t want to leave. Instead, they inched closer to the water, trying to get a better glimpse at what was happening in the warm waters of the ocean.

  This time the burly policeman spoke to the crowd in a tone that couldn’t be ignored.

  “People, I’m talking to ALL of YOU!!! Get your stuff together and get out of here! Now!”

  This time they moved. Within minutes the beachcombers were gone. An ever-growing force of police assumed their positions.

  “You too, sweetheart,” barked the cop at Lila.

  “Hey, don’t call me sweetheart. I’m a science professor at Sanderell University and I’m not leaving!” Lila declared.

  “I don’t think so, lady. Orders are everyone clears the area, and that means you too,” he said with conviction.

  “That’s okay, officer, she’s with me.” The new voice belonged to Lila’s boss, Dr. Carlin Massey, Director of the College of Science.

  The policeman shot Massey a nasty glare as Lila stepped closer to the older man.

  “I get it now. I wouldn’t have figured you two as a couple.” He left them standing there without saying another word. Massey detested the inaccurate insinuation. A middle-aged man with an average appearance at the beach with a trim woman who was half his age would raise suspicion. They were not together.

  Lila scanned the scene around her. The beach was awash with police. “Thanks, Dr. Massey, that was fortunate timing.” Turning to her husband, she said. “J.J., you better take Sophie home. The police are correct. She doesn’t belong here.”

  “I’m on it. I’ll meet you at home. See you later, Dr. Massey.” J.J. grabbed Sophie’s hand and headed for the exit.

  Dr. Massey turned to Lila.

  “Lila, what are you doing here? Central Command notified me ten minutes ago. How did you make it? I mean, how’d you—” Lila cut him off in mid-sentence. She couldn’t help notice that Massey was distracted by the cloth robe wrapped around her two-piece bathing suit.

  “I live two minutes away. We came to the beach to relax. I’d hardly call this relaxing. It seems nothing is ever relaxing in my life.”

  Massey looked around and asked, “Do you know what is going on?”

  “I don’t think anybody does. The whales’ migration pattern is in an entirely different part of the ocean. I’ve never seen pods this large. What did Central tell you?”

  Massey rubbed his reddish-brown-gray beard with his fingers. His head had gone bald years ago. Tufts of gray circled his temples. The sun caused his eyeglasses to tint, making it impossible to see his blue eyes. He kept adjusting the placement of his glasses on his nose, a nervous habit that Lila noticed when her boss was worried.

  “Well?” Lila asked again.

  “Well nothing, and I can’t talk here. Let’s meet back at the office later tonight.”

  “That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’,” Lila shot back.

  Massey turned away and mumbled, “I’ll see you later.”

  The pod of whales headed back out to sea as quickly and mysteriously as it had arrived.

  Several policemen remained at the beach for security. An eerie quiet fell over the area.

  Back at the house, Lila’s head began to hurt. She couldn’t exactly describe the sensation to anyone, not even to Dr. Bell, her primary physician. She didn’t want to take the barrage of tests he wanted to run. She downplayed the frequency of the headaches. If Dr. Bell knew they occurred daily, he would admit her to the clinic for the whole gamut. Lila had no time for examinations. She needed to be with Sophie.

  Her beautiful daughter was healing physically. Emotionally, she had become possessive of Lila and wanted to be near her mother at all times.

  CHAPTER 3

  Canamith Village was located high atop the mountain ranges of the West Coast. The people of Canamith knew of the blue whales at Sanderell Beach. They had televisions, radios, computers, and other modern conveniences. Stories of whales visiting close to the shore didn’t scare the people of Canamith.

  Canamithians were content to farm the land and sell their products in Sanderell. This income sustained them and allowed their leaders to purchase the supplies required to build and stock the tunnels. Each child was raised to study the ancient texts and learn the ways of the village from birth. The citizens of Canamith respected the planet and the creatures that inhabited it.

  They spent this night gathered by their spiritual leader, Rex Templeton.

  He stood five feet, nine inches tall. His striking handsome looks cut a dashing figure wherever he went. His hair refused to turn gray, helping him look younger than his real age of 58. Rex had raised two fine boys, and one girl.

  Rex stood at the podium and raised his right arm straight over his head, which indicated to the assembled throng of 453 people that he wished to speak.

  “I have had the honor of being the High Priest for the last 33 years. I have survived the death of my wife, and the shame of my daughter leaving the village. We will honor our ancestors by fulfilling our sacred vows, abiding to the words inscribed in the Holy Tablets. The work on the tunnels of the Saviors is almost complete. Tonight I stand before you and tell you that there is little time remaining to finish our preparations. I want all of you to double your efforts in the next few days. You have your assignments…the Elders will be around to check on your progress and assist you as needed. Goodnight.”

  The maximum number of people living in the village at any given time was 455 residents. This number was derived by the ancient writings that told the villagers precisely how many people could live in the tunnels.

  Rex’s eldest son Buck watched the proceedings carefully. His goal was that someday the people would be listening to him. Buck sensed a significant change in his father over the last six months. He couldn’t pinpoint the date of the change. Buck attributed the change to the pressure of completing the tunnels.

  Rex called his two boys into his private chambers as the mass of people dispersed.

  “Buck, Mathis, we need to have a serious discussion.”

  “I had a hunch you were up to something,” said Mathis.

  “I am sure that you and your brother have wondered who will replace me.”

  “We have lots of time to worry about that, father,” said the younger son, Mathis.

  “Not as much as you think. I’ve enacted the Emergency Protocols, which allow me to select my successor without the customary selection process. I will appoint one of you as the next Chief Elder. You won’t be assuming all of your duties right away. Continuity is important in this village. It’s vital to establish your authority immediately. We don’t want the Village sensing indecision on my part. Choosing is difficult. Each of you has characteristics that I’m proud of. I couldn’t let my emotions dictate this important decision.

  “Let’s take a walk in the garden. Perhaps in that idyllic setting I may find the wisdom to use the right words. I’ve already made my choice.”

  The men moved into the lavish gardens that filled the courtyard. Buck was twenty-nine years old and Mathis, age twenty-seven. Both were physically fit, of solid resolve, and of kind hearts. But neither had chosen a wife. Four years earlier Rex told the boys that they shouldn’t marry until after the tunnels were completed.

  Mathis struggled with that arrangement. Buck’s charm was more in his mannerisms and quick wit, rather than high cheekbones like his brother. Both boys were trim and tall. Mathis, without putting much effort into it, had a more muscular frame. His rugged features and genealogy made him the prized bachelor in the village.

  They sat down on a tan
bench that wrapped around the oldest tree in the village, the same spot where Rex’s own father told him many years ago of the responsibilities that he would face someday. Rex sat back on the bench, and closed his eyes. The minutes passed. Buck and Mathis knew their father wouldn’t be dissuaded from his decision.

  “Boys, please give me a minute or two alone.”

  The boys walked out of their father’s earshot and discussed the pending choice.

  “I’m the one who should be chosen,” insisted Mathis.

  “I disagree; I’m better suited for the job. I’m more like dad than you are,” said Buck.

  Mathis resented the comment. “That’s easy for you to say. If dad picks you, the entire village is going to treat you like a king for the next 40 years.”

  “That’s if I can handle it.”

  “You’ll handle it. You have many of dad’s traits and that sickens me.”

  “There’s a compliment. Dad sickens you. Is that what you mean?

  “What I was trying to say is… oh, just forget it,” Mathis said, trying to soften his harsh words.

  “The village men say your personality is like mom’s. That’s not a bad thing.”

  “It’s not bad if you’re a woman. I barely remember her,” said Mathis.

  Buck put his arm around his younger brother and spoke from his heart. “She was a wonderful person and she loved you. I thought you were her favorite. She joked that it was because you were the baby of the family and you needed more attention than anyone else.”

  “I don’t know if I’ve been insulted by my dead mother. I’ll trust that you didn’t mean it that way,” said Mathis.

  “Brother, sometimes I want to pummel you into the ground.”

  “Try it and learn what it’s like to get pounded by your baby brother.”

  Buck laughed. “Sorry, after dad chooses me, I’m going home. Got a lot to do, you know, safeguarding the Village takes a lot of work.”

  “Don’t count your chickens, big brother.”

  Now they were forced to sit and wait. This singular choice by Rex would carve each young man’s future for decades to come.

  Rex lost his daughter years ago to the outside world. That event shook Canamith to the core. People didn’t leave Canamith. When the oldest child of the Chief Elder left it almost cost Rex his position. The Elders were the high priests of Canamith that led spiritual rituals and ranked a notch below Rex. They debated whether Rex should be replaced.

  Weeks of meetings and discussions ended with Rex keeping his role as Chief Elder. His reputation was buoyed by his zeal to finish the tunnels. His determination never wavered and his guidance helped the village through the lean years when the crops were devastated by drought conditions. He persevered over the problems in the air filtration system too.

  Now it was time to choose which of his children would lead their people when the tunnels were sealed. Rex waved his hands and motioned for the boys to return.

  “I have given this much thought. I’ve been thinking about this day for years. The journey to the lead this village will be difficult. I’ve chosen Buck. Mathis, there’s no point in second-guessing my decision. There is too much work to do. When I’m gone and laying next your mother in the ground you can sit and discuss my decision. Mathis, you will fulfill your duties and assist Buck. Goodnight. I love you.”

  The old man ran his hands over the thick brown hair of each child and let his fingers gently slide down the back side of their heads. Rex walked away. Neither son said a word while Rex was within earshot, but once he was gone, the debate continued long into the night.

  CHAPTER 4

  Two hours later Lila, J.J. and Sophie left home to buy groceries. Lila had a few hours to kill before she needed to return to the college for her meeting with Dr. Massey.

  When J.J. pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store, he couldn’t believe the size of the crowd. “You’d think it was a holiday with these big crowds.”

  “It’s not that. It’s the president. He was on the television while you were giving Sophie a bath. He is concerned that the contamination problem is driving up the price of wheat. He explained how the wheat traders started a buying panic yesterday. The price of a bushel of wheat doubled overnight. This triggered a bigger panic, and now people are acting as if we’re running out of food.”

  “I heard the contamination problem wasn’t considered severe.”

  “It’s not. Dr. Massey and I were invited to the Council of Domestic

  Food Processors meeting almost two weeks ago. Remember? I couldn’t go because of Sophie’s injury. Dr. Massey went and told me he spoke with executives from three major food suppliers and they couldn’t explain why the wheat was growing shorter and taking longer to develop. We’ve had the same amount of rain, more or less, anyway.”

  Lila watched the crowds gather outside the front doors of the supermarket.

  A robust lady in a blue dress and bad shoes was yelling at the boy placing her groceries in her car. Her deep baritone voice was uncommon for a woman. “You listen here, kid! I paid a lot of money for those potatoes and you dropped them all over the parking lot. I don’t have time to go back and get new ones, damn it.”

  The skinny kid smiled at the lady and said in a stern voice, much more mature than Lila expected, “Lady, I don’t give a shit about your potatoes! I hope you grasp this concept. I quit. I don’t need this stupid job.” He ripped the queer hat off his head and sent it sailing like a Frisbee.

  When “Ned’s Super Grocer” cap landed on the windshield of the Jenkins’ car, J.J. overreacted and turned the car too abruptly, and the front right tire hit the curb.

  “Dammit!” yelled J.J.

  “Easy, honey. It was a hat, not a bomb,” noted Lila.

  J.J. parked the car. He checked the tire for damage and found none. They went into the store and saw long lines stretching from the checkout counter past the frozen food aisle, a distance of fifty feet from the registers.

  “Should we even bother to try?” puzzled Lila.

  “I don’t know. Hold on, I’ll ask that guy over there,” said J.J.

  The Government announcement had started a run on the food supply. People were scooping up every bag of rice, wheat product, cereal, canned food and bottled water in the store.

  “Lila, it’s insane here,” said J.J.

  “Yeah, I’m getting a bad vibe. Let’s try Thompson’s.”

  They grabbed Sophie’s hand and scrambled back to the car and headed down the street to Willie Thompson’s Quik Mart. Old Man Thompson ran a small store specializing in organic food at reasonable prices.

  When they arrived at Thompson’s, tempers were flaring and people were yelling. Three men in their twenties ran out of the front door. Each of the men was carrying two large packages. The tallest of the men was muscular, with short black hair cut close to his head. He wore a thin black tee shirt that hung down to his hips. He held a semi-automatic rifle in his right hand. His lackeys were in close pursuit. One of the men laughed aloud and drew Lila’s attention. The two made direct eye contact as J.J. circled for a close parking spot.

  “Drive!” shouted Lila. “Drive!”

  J.J. accelerated. Lila shouted at Sophie in the back seat.

  “Sophie! Take off your seat belt and get on the floor! Hurry!”

  “What’s wrong, mommy? You tell me to wear my—”

  Lila screamed at her daughter. “Just get on the floor!” Sophie started sobbing as she took her position on the floor of the vehicle as ordered.

  As J.J. drove toward the street, Lila saw Willie foolishly attempted to stop the thieves from pilfering his goods. His whiskbroom was no match for the gun. Lila heard gunshots ring out. Willie crumbled to the ground, blood oozing out of multiple entry wounds.

  “J.J., they shot Willie! He’s down, oh J.J., get us out of here!” Lila squawked in near hysterics.

  J.J. hammered the gas pedal to the floor and made it to the main street. A single gunshot ricocheted off the �
��No Parking” sign next to them.

  “Lila! Call the police! Quick!”

  Lila used her mobile phone and pressed the button that immediately summoned the police. She heard the “click” of her call being answered.

  “Hello. I need to report a—”

  Lila stopped when she heard the dispatch officer.

  “Hurry! That man could be dead any minute,” J.J. prodded. “Lila?”

  Lila pressed the speaker button, so J.J. could hear what was going on. A female voice responded. “You’ve reached the Sanderell Police Department. Due to the large volume of calls, all operators are busy. Please be patient and we will be with you as soon as we can. Please do not disengage the call if you are experiencing an emergency.”

  When a live person responded to the call, the Jenkins were close to their driveway. Lila described what they’d witnessed as best she could and the dispatcher promised to send an ambulance and patrol cars to the scene.

  Sophie was bawling when they reached their driveway.

  “It’s okay. We’re home now,” J.J. said.

  Lila lifted Sophie and carried her into the house. “It’s okay, baby, mommy’s here. We’re okay now.” She rubbed Sophie’s back and gave her a small kiss on the side of her head.

  “I’ll take her to her room. Let’s get an inventory of our food supply. We may have to barter with our neighbors. You know Mr. Gordon is going to want all our beer.”

  “Trust me. You don’t want anything from his pantry,” stated J.J. “Let’s take it one step at a time. You get the shopping list. I’ll get Sophie to sleep.”

  CANAMITH COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

  Update #66

  Major theft reported

  Residents of the sleepy West coast town of Benhapel awoke today to reports of a substantial theft last night at the warehouse belonging to Meredith Food Supply, the town’s largest employer. Local authorities said that the building was “picked clean.” When police departments got to the store, a note was taped to the front door. It read: “Sorry …food crisis looming…gotta stock up.” Witnesses said dozens of large trucks were seen leaving the area heading north towards the highway.