“I’ll let you get the vegetables while I plant some fresh moss. Take the jagged rock for digging the potatoes.”
“Meet you back here,” she said, grabbing the rock and heading to the lake.
Zaac did his planting and returned just as Ramira came back with the vegetables. She grabbed a couple of bottles of water and borrowed his knife to peel the carrots. Then she cut up a tomato and a head of cabbage. They ate in silence and, after a rest, started out on their second expedition.
Going to the tunnel under the falls and around to the other side, they had two passageways to choose from. They could see their own tracks from when they had gone to the other side. In the first tunnel, which branched off to the left, they could see other footprints, indicating that people had used the tunnel before.
They had finally found the tunnel used in years gone by! They set off, hoping for an exit. Before long, they encountered a steep incline that disappeared to the right. What looked like the top turned out to be only another turn to the right that kept on ascending. It took them forty minutes of arduous climbing to finally reach the top.
“Whoever used this tunnel definitely had good lungs,” Ramira said breathing heavily.
“Tell me about it. They must have been in excellent shape.” Zaac flopped down against the wall.
They sat until their breathing became more even and steady. Zaac got a couple of bottles of water and they chugged them. Finally they decided to continue.
Another hour of travel brought them to a dead end. The tunnel was completely blocked by a mass of boulders. It looked as though the mountain had collapsed, obliterating any passage.
“It would take major equipment to remove all of this,” Zaac said.
“I guess this isn’t our means of escape,” Ramira responded with a sigh.
“One of the tunnels off that cavern will get us out of here. We just have to find the right one.”
“There is one thing that’s positive.”
“What’s that?”
“The way back is downhill.”
The return journey took half the time, but they arrived home exhausted. They ate a quick bite, turned in for the night and before long, both were fast asleep.
14
The next morning Zaac and Ramira awoke still physically drained. Zaac lay there for a moment while Ramira went down to the lake to wash.
“What are the plans for today?” he asked when she returned.
“I don’t think I’ll do a lot. We need to make sure that we don’t run out of food.” Ramira gestured toward the vegetables growing by the lake. “Most of those plants have pods. I was thinking about gathering them and extracting the seeds. Then we can lay out some more rows and plant them.”
“Good idea. They all seem to be intermingled. Don’t they grow better grouped together, something about cross pollination?”
“Yes, they need to cross pollinate to reproduce. Were you not taught about the birds and the bees?” She grinned at him.
“Yes. I was taught about the birds and the bees.” He wished he could control his defensive tone of voice.
“Do you remember me telling you about the gourd plant that scared me one night?” Zaac nodded. “That type of gourd only flowers at night so it often isn’t pollinated. When it flowered, my dad would go out with a feather and do the bird and bee thing himself.”
Zaac laughed. “He was out in the dark with his little feather, brushing each flower? Well I guess a man has to do what a man has to do.”
“Do you want to help me with the gardening? I promise no feathers are involved.”
“I think I’ll gather whatever loose coal is in the tunnel. If we’re down here for any length of time, we’ll probably need a good supply.”
“Do you mind if I borrow your knife while you’re gone?”
He passed it to her.
Just as they were going their separate ways, they heard a squawk and turned to watch the megapetomeinon fly off of the ledge. The birds went about catching fish, the two younger ones landing on Zaac and Ramira’s side, as usual, to eat.
“I think it might be best to wait a few minutes until these two get done,” Zaac suggested.
“Yeah,” Ramira said. “I don’t want to be chased again by angry parents.”
They went into the cave and waited for the younger birds to eat and play their daily game of tag. While they were waiting, they talked about their friends and their school life.
“I have three friends that I mainly hang out with,” Ramira said. “Karlie is the one that I was with when we saw you at work. She is boy crazy. She usually comes when we have a sleepover but she had a date the night we were planning to get together, the night the earthquake hit.”
“Yes, I remember you mentioning that you were planning for a girl’s night that day.”
“My other two friends are Jessica and Sarah. They were coming over that night, too. I have Spanish class with Sarah. Jessica and I share Sociology class together. She’s planning on going to the local community college to become a Registered Nurse.”
“That’s a good field to go into. It seems there are always job openings for nurses.”
“Yes it is. There are also so many different areas that you can work if you want. She likes working with geriatric patients. I really hate what happened to her when she started her teenage years.”
“What happened?” Zaac asked.
“Her father was killed when she was thirteen.” Ramira tried to explain. “He was a plumper working underneath a house in the crawl space. A wire being exposed went unnoticed as he was working on a leaky pipe. The accident was a tragedy that devastated the whole family. Her mother was a housewife with no particular employment skills. She got a job as a waitress at Mildred’s Diner. She does the best she can, trying to make ends meet.”
“Wow! That would be pretty rough losing one of your parents at that age,” Zaac added, thinking about it. “Remember Matt? I mentioned he’s the friend I usually go mountain biking and climbing with? We’ve been friends since elementary school. I’m so glad that he wasn’t with me the day the earthquake hit.”
“It all happened so fast,” Ramira said. “I remember trying to grab a hold of anything that I could to try and stop my fall. But there wasn’t anything.” Ramira shuddered.
“You want me to tell you a funny story that happened at our school?” Zaac asked.
“Sure.”
Some students sneak into the woods behind the maintenance building to smoke. Not just cigarettes, either. Last year, one freshman was so preoccupied lighting up that he failed to see or hear a snake slithering toward him. A rattle snake, rattling. Maybe he thought it was all in his head. He ended up being bitten. I think that got through to him. He had to make an emergency trip to the hospital. He survived, luckily. The teachers and everyone asked what he was doing back there, and he said something about being able to absorb his teachers’ knowledge better when he was surrounded by nature. Hah!”
“I bet that will make him think twice about going back there to smoke.”
“Maybe! Maybe not! I’ve noticed that thinking isn’t at the top of a lot of these people’s agenda.”
Finishing their conversation, Zaac got his pack and plate and left the cave while Ramira collected the jagged rock and knelt down at the entrance.
She scooped out small circular holes about four inches in diameter next to the wall. They resembled little bowls in the ground. She planned to put individual seeds into each hole. She scooped out eight places and labeled them for the seeds she would be planting: C for carrots, O for onions, T for tomatoes, CC for cucumbers, R for radishes, TP for turnips, L for lettuce and CB for cabbages.
She would set some potatoes to the side and hope that they sprouted so she could use them for seed. If they didn’t, she would put them some in water. That always seemed to make them sprout.
Once the holes were dug and labelled, she got a couple of bowls and headed to the vegetables. First she gathered all the pods from the
carrots, then she found all the pods on the turnips and cut them off.
When Ramira turned to take them to the storage holes she had dug, she noticed that Zaac had already dropped off one load of coal and was starting back for his second. She smiled and waved. He squatted with his knees pointed outward, placed one hand on top of his head and the other under his arm, mimicking scratching like a monkey. She doubled over laughing while he continued on as though nothing had happened. Zaac made her smile. He was wonderful company.
Ramira planted her pods into their holes. Then she took the bowls and collected the lettuce seeds from the flower clusters that had started to die and dry up. She cut the pods off the onions and the radishes and planted them. That left only the cucumbers and tomatoes. For those, she would have to save some of the seeds from inside the vegetables.
She saw that Zaac had brought a second load of coal. She had one more gardening chore to do. She went to the rock pile and tried to find eight rocks that would cover the planting holes. This would seal off the seeds, making the holes airtight. It took several minutes to find ones that would work. She was placing them over the holes just as Zaac returned with his third load.
“Are you ready to take a break and eat?” she asked.
“I’ve definitely worked up an appetite.” He set his heavy pack down.
Ramira grabbed some vegetables, a couple of bottles of water and bowls. She took them out by the boulder where they sat and ate.
Afterward, Ramira said wistfully, “I would love to take a bath. It seems like forever since I’ve had one.”
Zaac sat for a minute, thinking. “I think we can arrange that,” he said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He chose several rocks from the rock pile and took them to the tunnel under the falls. It took three trips to carry all of them. Then he returned and grabbed the pack with the coal and his fire starter kit.
“Give me about ten minutes and you can come see.”
Ramira waited for what seemed like ten minutes—it was really only seven— and followed Zaac. When she rounded the turn in the tunnel under the falls, he was just stepping away from the fire he had just made. Against the wall was a circle of rocks, inside which the coal he had brought from the tunnel was burning brightly. As she stepped closer, she could feel the heat.
“Wow! This is nice.”
“You like it?”
“Yes. This is so cool.” She stepped closer holding out her hands.
“You can take a bath and come back here to dry off when you’re done. This tunnel ought to provide all the privacy you need. I’ll get another load of coal so you won’t have to worry about me invading your privacy. Would you like to wash your clothes while you’re taking a bath? I know we don’t have any soap but you can at least wash a little of the dirt off of them if you want.”
“That would be great but these are the only clothes that I have. How would I dry them and what would I wear until they’re dry?”
“I have an idea.” He started off toward the other side of the lake. He turned around before he left and added, “and don’t laugh.”
He went to the other side—as he passed the primitive cemetery he reminded himself to block that tunnel soon—and headed for the pile of bones.
There, he started sorting, tossing to the side anything unsuitable. Finally he selected three bones that might work and carried them back to Ramira. He chose the saw blade from his knife and notched the joint end of the bone on two of the pieces. He stuck the uncut end into the ground next to the fire. He then laid his third piece across the other two, fitting it into the notches, and stood back to admire his handiwork.
“A clothes rack!” Ramira laughed.
“My best shot under the circumstances,” Zaac said a little shyly.
“I don’t know whether I can hang my clothes over some dead animal’s bones to dry.” Zaac didn’t realize that she was teasing him.
“Well, if you insist, I’ll take it down. Maybe I can use the bones for something else.” He reached for the one laying on top.
“Zaac, I was only joking. Thank you for thinking of it. I’m proud of you for coming up with the idea. But there is one thing ...” She took the top bone off and went to the edge near the falls. Sticking it out under the water, she washed it off and replaced it on top.
“Now we can have a clean bone to hang our clothes.”
Zaac was glad she liked it. It gave him a good feeling to make her happy, even in the little things. “After you dry off you can wear my jacket until your clothes are ready. I’ll go get another load of coal while you take a bath.”
He was back in a jiffy with the jacket and then left her alone. She took off her clothes, leaving on her bra and panties. She laid the clothes across a rock and walked to the lake. When she got to the edge, she removed her underwear and laid the bra and panties on a plant for easy access. She placed one foot in the water hesitantly and then the other. It was pretty cold. Slowly she walked out as far as her knees and stopped, hoping to adjust to the temperature. She went a little further, until she was groin deep and stopped. It wasn’t getting any better. Taking a deep breath, she dove under.
Now that she had gotten past the worst part, the water began to feel pretty good. She swam, occasionally diving under. Finally, she went back to where she could stand. Dipping her head under the water, she began to rub her hands through her hair, washing it as best she could. She rubbed her body equally vigorously. She felt much better, rejuvenated.
Ramira retrieved her underwear and washed it. Then she got out, swiping off drops of water with her hand as she walked back toward the tunnel. At the fire, she hung her undergarments over the makeshift clothes rack. She stood by the fire and its heat slowly dried the last droplets on her skin.
Once she was dry, she donned the jacket, got her clothes and went back to the edge of the falls. She took her jeans first and held them out so the water could thoroughly soak them. Then she scrubbed them and hung them over the bone. She repeated the process with her sweater.
Her work done, she added more coal to the fire and squatted with her back to the wall to enjoy it. As she gazed into the flames, her mind strayed to Zaac. A smile lit up her face briefly, then suddenly disappeared. Her hair! She used her fingers to comb through it. Where is a brush and a little gel when you need them?
The heat from the fire dried her bra and panties first. She put those on along with the jacket and waited for her clothes to dry. She occasionally turned them to expose the other side to the heat. Just as the coals were about gone, her clothes were finally wearable. It was so refreshing to be clean, wearing newly washed clothes. She went back to the cave and waited for Zaac.
He had filled up his pack with a fourth load, taking the last of the loose coal in the tunnel. He decided to try his hand at mining. Picking up an old chisel and grasping the hammer rock, he started banging away at the wall. It took him a few minutes to get the hang of it, but soon he was able to knock out good size chunks of coal. The effort was nothing compared with the results. He was a little surprised how little strength was required. He had no idea how strong he had become.
After working for more than an hour, he headed back to check on Ramira. When he arrived at the cave, she was waiting for him. She looked beautiful. His heart seemed to skip a couple of beats.
“You look radiant. Did you have a nice bath?”
“Yes, thank you.” She blushed. “It looks like you could use one yourself. You have black smudges all over.”
“Oops. I must have rubbed my face while I was working.” He set down the pack by the fire pit. “I’ll go and wash.”
He headed down toward the lake while Ramira prepared a salad. She peeled a potato to go with it. She had them ready when he returned. Sitting down by the boulder, they enjoyed their evening meal.
They sat quietly, each caught up in private thoughts that were completely about the other. Ramira figured that now was the right time.
“Would you like to take a walk around the
cavern?” she asked.
Zaac stood and held out his hand to help her up. As she was standing, her leg supposedly gave way and she fell against his chest.
“My leg must have fallen asleep.” She looked into his eyes with her lips parted slightly. She stayed in that position, making no effort to walk away.
Zaac was mesmerized by her beauty, by having the girl of his dreams in his arms. They gazed into each other’s eyes as they drew closer together. Ramira’s lips looked so irresistible as her head tilted back. Zaac bent his head and their lips met in a lingering kiss. As their lips parted, they knew that they were meant for each other. She tilted her head up and they kissed again holding each other close. Then she laid her head against his chest.
Zaac knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Ramira realized that Zaac was the guy for her. In their brief time together, she had fallen deeply in love. He was a part of her and she could no longer imagine life without him.
Forgetting their walk, they decided to turn in for the night. They said their goodnights and went off to sleep dreaming of each other.
15
Zaac woke before Ramira the next morning. He stood watching Ramira sleep, a slight smile on her lips. She must be having a nice dream, he thought. He hoped it was about him.
Deciding to pick some vegetables, he got the platter and headed down. He collected cucumbers, tomatoes, a cabbage and some radishes. As he was coming out of the tunnel to this side, he saw Ramira step from the cave glancing around for him. He waved at her. While he finished gathering the supplies, she went down to the water to wash her face and join him.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Good morning.” She smiled. She glanced at the loaded platter. “You’ve been busy.”
“I thought I’d go ahead and gather what we might need for a couple of days. I was just getting ready to dig up some potatoes.”
They got what they would need and washed the vegetables. Returning to the cave they had their breakfast and discussed their plans for the day. Neither of them mentioned the closeness that they shared the night before, but both could tell their relationship had changed.
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