by Pamela Davis
"Yes! A connection--that's what I feel so strongly with Merlin now. It seems like the connection is growing, linking us together more."
"Or maybe it was always there and it's a pathway that's just now opening up inside humans so they can feel it--at least that's what I've been thinking as I've talked to people like you two," Black replied.
Andy leaned against a crate of guns and asked, "You've met other people like us?"
"A few," came the response.
"Do you know what's going on?" Andy demanded.
"I only have pieces of it, I expect," said Black musingly. "I've had the dreams of what is coming for a while, and I've lately been trying to open my mind more to communicate with White here, but I still feel there is a lot I don't know."
Lisanne nodded thoughtfully, and then said, "So what's your plan? Are you heading to a–I don't know what to call it, a safe zone maybe?" Pausing, she shook her head and said, "That is, if any place will be safe."
Black crossed his muscular arms over his chest and looked carefully at both of them. "I've been thinking about where to go. You do realize that society will break down, right? That there will be some places in this country, around the world for that matter, that will turn into hell on earth before this is done. And it won't be directly due to the disasters. People will take the law into their own hands, some will grab power for themselves, others will indulge in their lowest instincts. It's not going to be pretty, folks."
Andy looked startled at first, but upon thinking over what Black was saying, realized he was probably right. "So, what does that mean for you? For us?" he asked.
"Well," said Black, "whatever is going on, I'd say it would be good to be somewhere safe from the disasters–but also in a place where you can live with, get along with, the folks who will be there." He paused and then said, "And that's what I've been trying to figure out – where do I go that will be safe for me as a black man. I sure as hell don't want to wind up in some white supremacist survival group, I'll tell you that much!"
"How can you know that, though?" asked Lisanne.
"That's what I've been trying to figure out. That's why I've been doing these mind exercises, trying to open up my mind to help me find out about the safe areas, about the people who will be there," said Black. He rubbed his hands over his bald head and sighed. "It's been frustrating, 'cause I don't have all the answers and I can't figure out how to get them."
Lisanne started smiling, lavender eyes sparkling as she announced, "Wait right here, Black. I think I can help you out."
She strode quickly out the door and took off running for her car. Black turned to Andy with raised eyebrows. Andy just shrugged his shoulders, saying, "She's got an idea--don't ask me. We only met a couple days ago and I haven't been able to figure her out yet."
St. Louis, Missouri
Nathan was pushing the large shopping cart through the wholesale discount center when he stopped dead. Alex, walking just behind him looking over a shopping list, ran right into him.
"Hey!" she said, irritated. "What's your problem?"
"Missouri! We're in Missouri, Alex! Do you know what that means?" Nathan asked excitedly.
"Not really, Nathan. I didn't think it meant anything in particular–and have you lost your mind? Why are you grinning like a fool and looking all dopey all of a sudden? Not that it takes much for you to look dopey I know, but still–"
"Alex," Nathan interrupted, "Missouri is where my sister lives! It's been ages since I've seen her. You don't think–no, it's impossible–she couldn't be living in–where are we heading for anyway? You keep talking about this safe zone, but you never said where it is."
Alex shook her head vigorously, saying, "No. Not Cape Fair, you're not going to tell me she lives in Cape Fair, are you? You're not going to tell me you've kept this from me, are you?"
Nathan started laughing somewhat hysterically. "No, I didn't keep it from you, at least not intentionally. We've kind of had a lot on our minds the past couple of weeks. And now that you ask me, I'm afraid it isn't Cape Fair at all. I mean that would just be too much of a coincidence! I can't believe she actually lives there. I think I saved her address. I can't believe I've gone so long without writing back to her--well, you know with email, who writes letters anymore? But even if they aren't in Cape Fair, we should try and warn them--" He started pulling scraps of paper out of his wallet. Finally, tucked behind a picture of his niece, he unfolded a small piece of paper torn from an envelope. And looked up from it with a stunned expression on his face.
Alex backed away from him. "No! No way! No way does she live in Cape Fair! That's--that's--"
"Serendipitous?" Nathan asked grinning. "Synchronous?"
Alex punched him in the arm. "We've gotta find a phone now. Come on, you idiot." Beneath the sound of Nathan's laughter, she grumbled, "He knows someone–someone! A sister! In Cape Fair, and he doesn't have the brains to remember it! So much for psychic phenomena."
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
As Zack set up his camera equipment and satellite dish, Maria cuddled Cleo close to her chest, rubbing the soft fur gently. "How did you get here, cat? How did you survive the quake? And how did you know to come here? Oh, Cleo! I can't believe you're here," Maria said, tears in her eyes.
"Is that your cat?" Phoebe asked hesitantly from the corner of the couch.
"No, it's Mama's cat from L.A." Maria replied.
"But how did it get here?" Phoebe asked, brow furrowed in puzzlement.
Maria looked up at Margaret who was standing in the middle of the room. "Well? What about it, Margaret? What's the story here?"
Margaret smiled as she began talking, "Cleo is one of the good things that has happened in the middle of all this chaos. She was in contact with the consciousness of the planet. And she was led here. Where you would be. She lost your parents just as you did, Maria. She needs you, just like you need her."
Maria frowned as she said, "Yes, I do need her. But what you've said doesn't explain it, Margaret, not by a long shot."
"Can't you just accept that it happened? Does everything need an explanation? Isn't a small miracle here and there allowed these days?"
"Well, sure," Maria said grudgingly, "a miracle right about now, after all I've seen, I'll take it! But I don't understand this! I don't understand anything that's going on. You and Zack talk of dreams that can tell the future, and then you go off about how the planet is awake, or conscious, or some such nonsense. Are you surprised that I'm having difficulty just accepting it? My job requires me to get to the facts behind the events that happen, and what you have to offer doesn't sound factual at all–it sounds like a lot of new-age weirdness. What I'm getting at here is what is the point of it all? If something is causing the disasters to happen, then I want to know how we stop it, how we make the disasters stop.
Margaret sighed. "I'm not sure we can. And that's the truth. I honestly don't know if we can stop any of it from happening. I'm not even sure if we can save anyone at all."
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Merlin walked into the camper, followed by Lisanne carrying the laptop computer. Setting the laptop on a crate, she picked Merlin up and put him in front of the computer. Merlin glanced interestedly at the large owl as it fluttered its wings, but turned resolutely to the computer and typed out his message.
"There," Lisanne said, "if anyone can help you find a safe place, its Merlin."
Black's mouth fell open as he watched the cat and then a deep chuckle rose from his chest. "Now I have really seen it all. You folks can't seriously be saying a cat--"
He shut his mouth abruptly as White, the owl, pecked him gently on the cheek.
Andy made the introductions. "Merlin, meet Black--the man, and White--the owl. Black and White, meet Merlin--our leader."
The humans then looked at each other and burst out laughing. Lisanne realized she'd never heard quite such joyous laughter before, joy at something new and wonderful entering all their lives.
"Yep," she
said, barely getting the words out before choking up with giggles. "He's a cool cat, all right."
Andy groaned and Merlin growled. Black leaned forward to read the computer screen.
WHY NOT COME WITH US MR BLACK
"Just Black is fine--" he began, then stopped and said, "This is going to take some getting used to."
CAPE FAIR SAFE FOR YOU
SAFE FOR THAT BIRD TOO I GUESS
"Hmm, I can see that some of the animal relationships are going to have to change with all that's happening," Andy said. "But he gets along with Waldo, my dog, surprisingly well, so I guess a cat can get along with a bird too."
Black said, "He'd better get along with my owl! It's not like he's a parakeet. White is bigger than that cat–probably make a meal of him."
"Okay, okay, we can figure out cross-species dynamics later," Lisanne said. "So will you come to Cape Fair, Missouri, with us, Black? If Merlin says it'll be safe for you, then you can believe it. Somehow, and I don't pretend to understand how, Merlin is in touch with someone there, maybe another animal, who seems to know a lot about how things are in Cape Fair."
Black thought for a second then peered directly into the snowy white owl's eyes. Slowly he nodded his head, and then said, "All right, Cape Fair it is. If they're taking in people to keep them safe, then they probably need my experience with arms anyway. But I have things to pack up first. I guess if that flood is coming soon we'd better all get a move on. You folks don't have to bother packing up these guns since I'll be bringing them. But you should probably take a shotgun or two for your own protection."
Lisanne said, "You're right. That makes sense and leaves us more room in the car for supplies."
Merlin started typing again.
WE NEED TO GO NOW
DORENA-HICKMAN FERRY
JANINE NEEDS OUR HELP WITH THE HORSES
"Horses?" said all three humans at once.
Cape Fair, the Samuels' House
Sitting under the oak tree and watching the patterns the sun and shadows threw out onto the grass, Sam was happy. She had a new friend with a beautiful puppy. "So, how long have you been with her?" Samantha asked, petting the puppy's soft fur.
"I guess a couple weeks," Max replied as he sat cross-legged on the lawn. "She wandered into the place I was staying. I don't know what happened to her mother or her owners. I guess we aren't owners of pets anymore."
"Of course we aren't, silly! You can't own a dog!" declared Sam. Max grinned at her tone of voice. She was such a strange little girl. Nice, but kind of strange.
"She has a pretty name, too, just like she is a pretty color," Sam said.
"Well, she has red hair, so it makes sense her name is Ruby," Max replied.
"Dorothy had ruby shoes in Oz."
"Oz? Oh The Wizard of Oz. I saw that once on TV."
"So you talked to her some, today?" Sam asked.
"She's still just a puppy and doesn't know lots about the world yet, so it's a little hard," Max said. "I never knew this could happen."
"Well, I think everybody could talk to their dogs if they just thought about it."
"I don't know, Sam," Max said. "It's not a normal thing to do."
Samantha frowned at him. "Sure it is. If I can do it and you can do it, and a bunch of people can do it, and it's fun to do, then it has to be normal. And it is fun, you know it is."
"Yeah, but what about the dreams, Sam? Those aren't any fun at all. I hate the dreams!" he said fiercely.
Sam walked over to him and hugged him. Max held onto her tightly, this little strange girl.
"Maybe it will get better, Max," she said softly. "Maybe."
"Yeah," he replied sighing, "maybe."
Inside the house, Mrs. Philpott and Jessica sat silently, listening as the conversation floated into the room through the open windows.
Quietly, Mrs. Philpott said, "I'm not sure where would be the best place for him to live. I took him home with me the other night, but I think he has more of a connection to Samantha, maybe because she's younger and perhaps because she has Harry."
"Well," Jessica said, "we have plenty of room here. When we bought a house this big, we figured we'd either have more children or we'd find uses for all these extra rooms, so I don't see why he shouldn't stay here with us. If you really think he'd do better here. He seems like a nice enough kid–just a little lost and confused."
Mrs. Philpott chuckled. "I think we're all a little lost and confused right now. But, yes, he is, more than most. I don't know why he was on his own, what happened to his parents, what he might have gone through. I guess that's why I hesitated at suggesting it–I don't know his background!"
Jessica thought it over. From what she could tell, they'd soon be dealing with a lot of strangers and they wouldn't know much about anyone. Possibly, no, more like probably, there would be people who showed up who might not be okay, who might be made crazier by everything that was happening. Or maybe some not so nice people would show up. She'd hated having the talk with John about the need for weapons for protection, but she also knew they had to be careful. But how would they deal with it if someone came who was a criminal of some type? She wanted Samantha to be safe. But in the crazy world they lived in now, she wondered how safe any of them would be, or for how long.
"Look, I think we should ask him if he wants to stay with us," Jessica said slowly, "but I also think we need to have a meeting--you, me, John and Perceval--to decide how we are going to deal with the new people Sam says are coming. We have to know how to protect ourselves from the crazies, have a plan in place before they start arriving, in case of trouble."
"I agree, dear," Mrs. Philpott replied. "I've asked Harmony to go shopping at the mall tomorrow, but why don't we have her take Max and Sam with her and tell them all to go see a movie. No telling how much longer they'll be able to go watch a movie, and I think they all deserve some fun. Then we can meet."
Jessica got up and stood at the screen door, watching Sam and Max roll around on the grass playing with Ruby and Harry. Shrieks of laughter reached her ears. Smiling, she walked outside and called out, "Hey Max! How would you and Ruby like to live here with us? That way Ruby would have someone to play with." And, she thought, you would have someone to talk to who understands what you're going through--Sam.
He asked fearfully, "I didn't do anything wrong at Mrs. Philpott's, did I?"
Jessica wondered what caused that reaction. Why was he looking so scared? Something hard to deal with in his most recent history, she guessed. She smiled reassuringly at him. "Oh, no, nothing like that. We just thought you and Sam might like to be near each other with your dogs."
Sam grabbed Max's hand and began pulling him toward the path to Mrs. Philpott's house. "Come on, slowpoke! We gotta go get your stuff. You get to move in here! Woohoo!"
And Max, laughing hesitantly, followed her, calling out, "Okay! I'm coming."
St. Louis, Missouri
"What do you mean there's no answer?" Alex demanded.
Nathan just stared at her, saying finally, "What part of that don't you understand? There-is-no-answer. They must not be home. I think we should just finish the shopping and head on over there. We can be there later today or tonight."
Alex bit her lip, and then nodded. She wasn't sure why the idea of talking to Nathan's family had assumed such a feeling of significance–maybe it was because she knew her family was probably gone. She'd tried calling from New York and now here, but no calls were getting through to L.A. Not that her relationship with her family had been anything to brag about for quite a while now, but still, it was hard to think of them going through that L.A. earthquake. Hard to think she might be all alone in the world. Even if she'd pretty much been alone in the world while her family lived, this was the real thing. No chance of reconciliation, no second chances at all.
She hated feeling dependent on Nathan as things just got crazier, but hearing he had family in the place they were headed to, well, it just felt wonderful. A connection. To n
ot be adrift in the midst of the chaos and scary unknown they found themselves in now. I wonder, she thought, if I'm not just a teensy bit in shock, after all this travel and the dreams and the disasters.
"Okay," she said gruffly. "Let's fill up this shopping cart with tools from the hardware section, and then head over to the garden center. I'm going to fill up another shopping cart of feminine hygiene products. If the world is falling apart, I'm not going without some basic necessities."
Nathan looked puzzled. "Feminine hygiene?" Then he blushed. "Uh, yeah, right. Right. You do that."
Alex grinned wickedly at him. "Or maybe you could handle that for me while I hit the grocery store?"
"Um, no, that's okay. You probably know what you need to, um, buy."
"What's your deal? Nathan, why are you embarrassed by this?"
"Well, I just thought of something. Maybe you should--well, maybe you should see about buying a case of condoms--you know--" His voice trailing off, Nathan blushed again.
"Oh, my God!" Alex started to laugh, but then thought about it. She hadn't been with anyone in ages, but if things really were coming apart at the seams, the last thing she wanted was to get pregnant if she did find someone to have sex with! In fact, the more she thought about it, there were just tons of things she'd as soon not go without over the long haul. Funny how she could rough it in Africa, but being back in the States made her want every luxury item.
Nathan looked totally surprised that Alex didn't complain or even hit him in the arm as she marched off to get another shopping cart, calling over her shoulder, "Well, don't just stand there! We have condoms to buy and tampons to stock up on. And don't even get me started thinking about toilet paper!"
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Maria took the satellite phone from Phoebe. "Hello? Bob? You're still there, thank God!" She was amazed her executive producer had survived leaving Atlanta.
Phoebe listened as Maria negotiated putting Margaret on the air with her predictions. As Maria argued over why a psychic should be heard, Phoebe watched Margaret talking softly to Zack. What was with this woman? Why were they here listening to her? She couldn't be the real deal, could she?