Lisa's Way

by Robert Collins

  Yet what Ray and Doug said was true for almost everyone, too. They wanted more for themselves than what they had. They wanted to be important. They wanted a better life. Why else would they be traveling with her? Why take the risks? Why would they want to get involved, in this or anything else? Because they cared. That was why they joined her. That was why they were agreeing to stay on this world. To do something. To be important. To make things better.

  Ellen suddenly spoke up. “Excuse me, but could I make a suggestion?”

  “Sure.”

  Ellen stood up and addressed the room. “As you all know, Dave and I are going to Springdale. He’d helping Wayne set up a trade store, and to keep the wagons rolling between worlds. I’m staying because I want to start a school. Of the three worlds I’ve been to, this one really needs another school.”

  Lisa couldn’t agree more. Richmond had a full-time teacher, Cookeville and Cave City had part-time teachers, and that was it. There was nothing at Southport. If Butler or Poplar Ridge had schools, they were minimal at best and only taught the most basic of basics. Who knew what was going on in Greenville off to the south?

  “I think having two groups keeping the peace is a great idea,” Ellen continued. “I wonder if that is just a short-term answer. Maybe we need to get the people in those towns together more.”

  “How do we do that?”

  “How about sending a bunch of kids from each town to Springdale for me to teach?”

  “You mean together, in the same classroom?”

  “Yeah. Maybe if they’re there for a year, the kids will make friends with the kids from the other town. Maybe that will keep the peace over time.”

  Lisa took a few moments to consider the idea. It makes plenty of sense. If the kids could make friends, they would be less likely to want to go after their friends hometown. In fact, if the kids would make strong enough friendships, they’d want to visit their friends. Maybe their parents would get dragged along to visit their kids’ friends. Or maybe the kids would push their parents into not hating folks from the other town so much. Of course, it would be even better if the parents made friends, and adults could settle down in the other town.

  An addition to Ellen’s idea popped into Lisa’s head. “What if you also taught a young woman from each town how to teach?” she asked. “They spend longer with you than the kids would. What if instead of going back home, they had to go to the other town to teach?”

  “What would that accomplish?”

  “They’d have a young woman from their town living in the other town. Her family and friends might stand up to any hothead that tries to cause trouble.” Lisa took an instant to articulate another possible benefit. “The teacher ought to settle down. She gets married, and maybe then the towns won’t be so isolated from each other.”

  “They have more ties to each other,” Ellen said.

  “That’s right.”

  “If the leaders will agree to it I will. I don’t know how well I can teach someone to teach.”

  “You’ll do fine.” Lisa glanced around the room. “Anything else? Anyone? No? Okay. I’ll get with Wayne and Ned tomorrow, after I’m done with those two Mayors.”

  Ned raised his hand. “I got a question. How are you gonna make them agree to all this?”

  Lisa smiled. “I’ll charm them, like I charm everyone.” She grinned wickedly to everyone. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll threaten to turn my powerful and clever band of warriors loose on them.”

  “I thought you didn’t want us to go hurting folks?”

  “They don’t know that, do they?”

  ***

  When Lisa presented her ideas to Jackson Ross the next morning, the Richmond mayor paid her a great compliment. “I didn’t know if you could keep your promise, Lisa,” he said. “Looks like you will, come Hell or high water.”

  “I haven’t just yet, Mister Ross,” she replied. She felt humbled by his words all the same.

  “Then let’s get to it.”

  Ross led her to a room in the city hall where the two rival mayors were waiting. Two guards had led each man to the room. The men sat at a small square table across from each other. Lisa and Ross sat down across from each other. Ross ordered the guards out of the room, but also told them to stand by the door.

  Lisa didn’t bother to waste time on formalities. “You both know who I am,” she said. “This man is Jackson Ross. He’s the mayor of Richmond. He asked me to try to put a stop to your fight. That’s just what I’m going to do.”

  “How?” the man from Butler asked sharply.

  “By getting both of you to make a simple choice. You can both be good guys, or one of you can be the bad guy and the other the good guy. Good guys get peace and prosperity. The bad guy suffers.”

  Lisa spent all of Sunday afternoon trying to come up with an approach to the negotiation. She knew she had to present her solution in the best possible light. She also had to make rejection seem to be a fate worse than death. It occurred to her that stating these in terms of “good guys” and “bad guys” would keep everything clear and simple.

  “You can both accept my plan,” she said. “That makes both of you good guys, and you both get happy endings. The alternative is that one of you turns it down. The first one to say no, to be specific. That man gets to be the bad guy, while the other gets to be the good guy. Ross and I side with the good guy, and together we crush the bad guy. And his town.”

  One way or another she would have to back them into a corner. She tried to find an alternative, but there didn’t seem to be any other option. After long and careful thought, she realized that she could pin rejection on the head of the first one to say no. That would allow her to side with the other man, even if he didn’t say anything positive or negative. Phrased in those terms, neither man would want to be the first to say no. They’d still be backed into a corner, but at least they could rationalize their acceptance with, “I didn’t want to turn her against us.”

  “What is your plan, then?” the Poplar Ridge man asked. His tone wasn’t quite so confrontational.

  “All your men, and any women you have armed, all have to give up their weapons. Knives, swords, spears, bows, sharp sticks, everything is scrapped. In exchange, I’ll put six of my armed friends in each town. They’ll keep the peace between you, and in your towns as well. If anything happens to them, you’ll not only have to deal with me, but with Mayor Ross and his people. And I’ve made friends on other worlds, so I might get even more help to punish those who hurt my friends.”

  Lisa was far from certain that she could carry out the last part of her threat. As long as the two leaders didn’t know that, it didn’t matter. Let them wonder about consequences. Their imagination and ignorance would keep them scared, and that would keep them in line.

  “You also have to agree to is to send an equal number of children to the school my friend is starting in Springdale. You’ll send them down in the fall, and they’ll stay until at least next spring. They’ll have the chance to make friends in the other town.”

  Lisa hadn’t wanted to tell Ellen that she found another reason to accept Ellen’s idea: these men might consider their children’s fate before trying anything against her friends, or against each other. Not a pleasant reason, no doubt about that. Lisa came to the conclusion long ago that the feud wouldn’t end unless both towns were afraid to continue it.

  That was the key. Lisa hadn’t heard anything up to that instant that suggested their fight terribly intense. It could go on for a long time. She doubted that it could go on for too long. She could see where their story was going. They had to stop this feud and start building ties to each other, or passions would become too hot.

  “Finally,” she concluded, “you’ll send your most intelligent unmarried young woman to Springdale to learn to be a teacher. The women will stay until my friend thinks they’re ready to teach. To further peace between you, they won’t go back home. They’ll teach in the other town. You will make sure they
have a place in your community outside of the school.”

  “That’s everything?” the Butler man asked. He sounded more uncertain and less angry. “Just those three conditions?”

  “That, and you agree not to fight each other any more,” Ross said.

  “What you do instead of fight is up to you,” Lisa told the two men. “I’ve been going from world to world trading goods. You can open stores, increase your fields, rebuild your homes, whatever you want. My friends would be willing to help. I’ll help, if I can. In time, maybe your towns will grow, thrive, even get rich.

  “If we let you keep fighting, sooner or later you’re going to get desperate. Desperate for food, or desperate to get things over with. Things are already pretty desperate in Southport. They’re only slightly better in Cave City. Richmond and Cookeville are doing okay, but they can’t help their neighbors because they’re afraid of getting dragged into your fight. Who knows how they’re doing in Greenville?”

  “But what about when they...?” the man from Butler started to ask.

  “I don’t care what happened last week, last season, or last year.” Lisa waved her hands. She let her expression darken. “I don’t care who started this feud. All I care about is ending it. One way or the other, it comes to a swift and final end. It’s all up to you. If you don’t like it, just be the first to say no.”

  Lisa folded her arms over her chest and waited.

  ***

  Someone knocked on Lisa’s door. She frowned; Wayne and Ned couldn’t have gotten away from their duties that fast. She rose from the rocking chair in her room, went to the door, and opened it.

  Little Wolf had knocked. He was standing as casually as he could. “You have done well,” he said.

  “Thanks. Come in.”

  “Thank you.” He took a seat on her bed, while she sat back down in the chair. “You have saved yet more lives, Lisa. The others might say that is becoming your second job.”

  “What do you say?”

  He hesitated before answering. “I say that you care.” His voice was soft, more so than usual. “You value life above all else. You saw that this fight would cost lives. You decided to end it. It seems to be over.”

  “Seems to be. It’ll take work to make certain it ends.”

  “You did not take their honor to end it. Their leaders can go to their people, tell them that they have gained something by ending their fight. I do not know if another would be so... generous, so forgiving.”

  “Thank you. Coming from you, that means a lot.”

  She suddenly realized that his compliment was also an accurate statement. She hadn’t wanted to punish either town. She didn’t care what they’d done to each other. She just wanted to put their fight to an end. Because she didn’t care about what had gone on before, she hadn’t felt a need to hand out punishment. That meant there were no losers, only winners.

  I suppose that was in the back of my mind, but I never really considered that effect of my plan. I better not tell anyone that I wasn’t thinking of that, or they’ll stop believing I know what I’m doing.

  “You didn’t come here to compliment me,” she said. “You came here to say something.”

  He smiled slightly. “You know me well.”

  “So talk to me.”

  “I want to be put in charge of the groups you send to the towns.”

  “I see.” Part of her was happy to hear him make his request. She wanted someone she could trust to take command. Someone with experience, skills, and character. He and Donna were her first choices, and here he was, volunteering instead of waiting to be asked.

  Another part of her wasn’t so happy. He had been by her side almost since she had started. She felt a little bit better knowing he was close by. She slept a little easier knowing he was on the night watch. True, she had been reaching out, making an effort to know and trust everyone else in her group. But it could never be the same with them as with him.

  Lisa let out a long breath. “I was going to ask you. I wouldn’t be honest if I said I was hoping you’d say yes.”

  He nodded to her. “I was not easy for me to think about not traveling with you.”

  “It’s Allie, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  She knew that would be the reason. Since the night he had danced with Allie back on Lone Star, he’d grown fond of her. Allie had found him attractive before that, but now she had strong feelings for him. Lisa knew they hadn’t gone beyond holding hands and the occasionally passionate kiss. She was a bit too young, and he was too modest to make demands. He was also still bothered by his exile and the reason behind it. Even if she was older, he’d probably wouldn’t go too far. Lisa could tell that if he and Allie stayed together for the next year or two, they would get married.

  Lisa knew she once had feelings for him. She had dreamed about kissing him, being held in his arms. She could never be sure if he felt the same way or if he was happy just being a friend. She was also bothered by the fact that she had saved his life. Would pursuing him be taking advantage of him? Would he think that he was being taken advantage of? She never had the time to consider trying to get past those obstacles, and when she started to have the time, he met Allie.

  She wondered if it Allie had said something. She asked him, “Have you talked with her?”

  “Not about this. She said she did not want to leave Wayne and the others behind. She asked him to speak for her to join of one of the groups. I do not know what he will say to you about her.”

  “You’ve decided to volunteer.”

  “Yes.”

  “I wasn’t sure if she should be included. I gave the groups some thought. With her, the numbers aren’t even.”

  He frowned for an instant, then nodded. “One side could think the extra person is a slight. A sign that they are not as trusted.”

  “That’s right.”

  He took a few moments to think about the problem. “What if Allie moves between towns?”

  “Why should she?”

  “She can drive a wagon. What if she is one to deliver supplies to both towns?”

  “Yes, that makes sense. You wouldn’t want her out alone, though.”

  “No.”

  “What if her escorts were from each town? One man from each town riding with her.”

  “You said we would not let them keep their weapons.”

  “Oh, right. Make it one of our group from each town. Five in each town should be able to handle things.”

  “If no one in each village has weapons, yes.”

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll talk to Ned and Wayne about it, and if they agree, then that’ll be her job.”

  He smiled to her. “Thank you.” He got off her bed and turned towards the door.

  “Little Wolf?”

  He looked back at her. “Yes?”

  She stood up and walked to him. “I don’t know how busy I’ll be, the next few days. If I don’t get the chance, well, I’m glad I met you. You’ve been a real friend.” She swallowed, glanced at the floor, then sniffled. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I will miss you, too.” He embraced her.

  She eased him away a moment later. “Better get going before we both start crying.” He smiled, nodded once, and left.

  CHAPTER 16

  Lisa had to endure more goodbyes over the next few days. She couldn’t escape the task of supervising the weapons destruction in Butler and Poplar Ridge. She also had to help her friends establish themselves in both towns. They needed buildings in each town to work from; a schedule of patrols; a simple legal system; and ways of keeping in touch. While it was work, it was also the last time Lisa spent with them. When the work was done she made sure to say goodbye to everyone. She had to struggle many times not to cry.

  There was more work ahead of her to occupy her. Southwest of Richmond and Springdale was the town of Greenville. Little had been heard from the town in recent years. Lisa led a small group, including Dave and Ned, to find out what was going on and w
hat might be needed.

  She found that the town wasn’t too badly off. The area around the town wasn’t as hilly or forested as the other parts of Big Springs. It was ideal crop and pasture land. The people had enough grain, and an modest excess of beef cattle and milk cows. They had wanted to share their good fortune, but like Richmond was deterred by the feud to the north.

  Lisa had word sent to Little Wolf and Allie of the situation. She asked Little Wolf to send Allie to Greenville. Helped by men from Richmond, she was to drive a few head of cattle to the former rivals. Lisa was sure that this gesture would further the effort towards peace, and build stronger ties between all the towns of this world.

  With that trip completed, Lisa had nothing more to do on Big Springs. It was time to return to White Rocks and Lone Star. Lisa traveled to Springdale to say her final goodbyes.

  Wayne, Dave, and their families hadn’t been idle while Lisa was wrapping things up. They had lumber brought in from Cave City. Combining that with material scrounged from the ruins of the portal city, they’d built three small cabins and stubby one-story building. Inside the building was a room of shelves; a room with a kitchen, tables, and chairs; and two rooms with cots and blankets. Someone had painted a sign over the doorway of the building that read Springdale Trade Store & Inn. On one of the doorknobs a small sign hung that said Now Open.

  Lisa and Ned arrived at lunchtime. Since there was some business to conduct, Wayne decided to let Dave, Sherrie, Kathy, and the children eat at home. He and Ellen took Lisa and Ned into the store. He told them that he planned to fill the shelves with trade goods. He then had Lisa and Ned take a table in the dining area. While Lisa told them what she’d been doing over the past few days, Ellen cooked lunch.

  When she was done talking Wayne shook his head. “Lisa,” he said, “you could settle down right now, and you’d still be able to say you had quite a life.”

  “I guess.”

  “I think as long as there’s something you want to get done,” Ned said, “you won’t settle down.”