by Pamela Davis
Janine spoke diffidently. "We could use the horses for transportation. They'd go along with it. And they don't need roads to go places."
Clay chuckled at the look on his son-in-law's face. "There you go, my boy, one solution already provided by the animals. They're something else!"
John grinned at him and then told Janine, "Thanks! That would be terrific."
Mrs. Philpott was scribbling notes on her clipboard, but looked up to say, "I think we're going to have to change the way we think about the animals. Look at them more as partners with us in a lot of cases."
There were nods of agreement around the room.
She continued, "One thing you haven't mentioned yet, Samantha, is whether or not we'll be safe here with the New Madrid causing an earthquake. I've read a few things about the New Madrid quake in the 1800s and it was pretty big. They say it rang church bells all the way to the East Coast in Boston. But the damage, then, did seem to be centralized around the fault line. Of course, now there are millions of people living in that area, unlike in the 1800s. Will we be okay here?"
Sam spoke slowly. "I know we'll know when it happens. We'll be able to feel the shaking. But I didn't see things breaking here. Maybe some stuff falling off the walls, but no buildings falling down. I think we're far enough away."
Mrs. Philpott observed, "In my reading about it, the book said it made the Mississippi flow backwards for a while."
Sam shuddered. "It's gonna do a lot worse than that this time. It's gonna make a big flood." She paused and then told them, "And of course, it will flood 'cause of the rain too."
"Rain?" John asked. "This region hasn't been having heavy rains--not like back in 1993 when the Mississippi flooded so badly."
"No, Dad, the rains that are coming today. You know, from the hurricane?"
Andy looked startled, and then said, "Wait a minute. You're talking about the hurricane in the Gulf? The one Lisanne and I ran from? It's moving inland?"
Sam nodded. "Yep. Hey! You're one of those weather guys, aren't you? You can predict the weather!"
He muttered, "Evidently not as well as you can, kid."
Lisanne grinned maliciously at him. He continued, "I should go look at the weather channel. The radar should be showing the path of the hurricane."
"Sounds like you don't need to, Andy," Lisanne said helpfully.
Sam giggled. "The hurricane is everywhere right now. Well not everywhere," she backtracked. "But it got so big that it's coming up here, and there's gonna be rain. Lots and lots and lots of rain. Probably we'll get some here too. But I don't know when."
Andy said, "Well, how about if I try and figure out when we'll get rain here, Sam. Okay?"
Sam spread her hands wide, palms up and said, "Sure! You're the weather guy!"
"Heavy rain plus the earthquake. I think that I'm going to put myself in charge of dealing with the power plant, if everyone agrees," John suggested. Everyone was nodding. "I'd already been reading up on this, and I used to know a couple of the rangers over there--Table Rock Lake Dam is run by the Army's Corps of Engineers. I've met some of the guys at the power station. Let me see what I can get set up before the quake even hits."
They all heard the computer clicking as Perceval typed out a message.
BETTER GO TODAY
QUAKE TOMORROW NIGHT RIGHT SAM?
Sam was bobbing her head up and down.
BETTER TAKE SOMEONE WITH YOU
PLAN TO ALWAYS HAVE A SECOND PERSON WITH YOU
DUPLICATE KNOWLEDGE SO ITS NOT LOST
John looked thoughtful. "I hadn't even thought of that, Perceval, but you're right. As we go about learning new things, we have to be careful that more than one person understands that knowledge or we run the risk of losing it."
"Well, that doesn't sound too optimistic!" Rachel told them. It felt like everything was changing too fast, too much, and with too great an impact on her own life. She felt someone's eyes on her and looked around the group. Samantha was looking at her steadily in a way that made Rachel quickly drop her own eyes. Much as she loved her niece, there was something about her since they'd arrived that made Rachel uncomfortable. She seemed older than her years at times, and Rachel suddenly realized she was feeling intimidated by a six-year-old. She looked up and focused on Sam with an almost defensive stare. Sam grinned at her, making a silly face and rolling her eyes. Maybe I'm just imagining it, Rachel thought as she giggled at the little girl.
John frowned at his sister. "Perhaps it doesn't sound optimistic, but we have to be realistic. The coming days will probably be filled with danger. We're all going to have to be careful and stay aware of our surroundings."
ALWAYS HAVE AN ANIMAL WITH YOU
EARLY WARNING
"You're right, cat--er--Perceval, was it?" Black said. "And anyone leaving our immediate area should probably have me along. I thought I heard that Harmony girl saying last night that she was going out today to Branson to get more supplies. Where is she?"
"Yes, has anyone heard from her? I thought she knew we'd be meeting here this morning," Mrs. Philpott said worriedly.
Max told them, "She said she wanted to get an early start at that discount center, and then she was going on to the giant sporting goods store. You know that huge one that has tons of fishing gear?"
"Fishing! I knew I'd forgotten something," Mrs. Philpott said.
"That's right," John said. "Anyone like to fish? Because we'll probably all become fishermen--and women--before this is over. The lakes around here have all kinds of warm-water fish--bass, crappie, bream--and in Lake Taneycomo, which is cold-water, you can fish year round for trout. People come here to visit just for the fishing."
"That's great!" Andy said enthusiastically. "I've always loved to fish. What kinds of bass?"
"Large-mouth and spotted bass for sure," John replied. "Oh, and there's white bass out there too."
"Mark me down for fishing--anytime, anywhere," Andy offered. "I'll keep us stocked up on fish to eat whenever you want."
"Fishing?" Lisanne asked querulously. "You like to fish?" Then she muttered, "Could we be any more different?" Merlin just meowed at that.
Clay had a big smile on his face as he said, "I'll be happy to join you for some fishing, Andy. Haven't had as much chance as I would like to get in some time fishing lately."
John looked around the group. "Has anyone got any math ability? I think that would come in handy when it comes to the power plant. I guess we don't have any electrical engineers in the group," he said regretfully.
Headshakes went around the room, and then Lisanne spoke up a little cautiously, "I could help you with the math. Although I don't know anything about power plants. But I majored in Math and Astronomy in college. And then I had more math and physics when I went on for the doctorate. Didn't finish the Ph.D., but I could probably make some sense out of what you'll be dealing with."
John's eyebrows rose at this little speech. Lisanne had dark circles under her eyes this morning, and he couldn't tell if that was leftover makeup or what. She looked fragile and very pale, with big eyes that looked almost purple, which had to be a trick of the light, he thought. In a bright purple t-shirt and black jeans, she looked more like a teenager than someone who could have worked on a doctorate already. But still, giving her something important to do, to focus on, that could help her, give her some confidence and maybe help with the drinking problem.
He nodded decisively, saying, "Okay, Lisanne, you got a deal. And if Merlin will come with us to the power plant today, that would be great."
Lisanne stared into Merlin's eyes for a moment, and then said, "He'll come. He just wants to lay around and sleep today, but if I carry him, he'll be all right."
Sam giggled, and Perceval snorted, if a cat can be said to snort. Lisanne just glared at the two of them. "That's what he said! Pretty much--not in those exact words but--oh, forget it!"
"Where is Harmony?" Mrs. Philpott worried. "I know she said she'd be here."
"She'll turn
up," Jessica assured her.
"Like a bad penny," John mumbled.
Then they all went back to figuring out what they had to get done in the time left before the quake.
Downtown Cape Fair
Harmony wandered in and out of the little shops on Main Street. She'd already stocked up on crystals and candles, so now it was time to get back to her official list of supplies. It was very strange for her to buy so many things over such a short period of time. She'd never been very materialistic, never much into having lots of stuff, but she'd turned into a savvy shopper over the past week. After being good and adhering to her official list for four days, she'd started adding little items as she ran across them, things not on the list, but things she thought might come in handy or might just be a nice surprise when they were unearthed in a box after months of the same old thing. Specialty teas, in addition to cases and cases of regular tea. Band-Aids with cartoon characters in addition to gauze and bandages. Candy bars, not just baking chocolate. Bubble gum. And I don't want to forget where I put the balloons and birthday candles, she thought, stepping into the hardware store and running right into a man coming out the door.
"Mr. Johnson! Sorry, I didn't see you there. Are you okay?"
The bearded man looked startled, and then recognized Harmony's long, wavy, golden-blond hair with its many braids. "Oh--it's okay, Harmony--just leaving--I mean, just getting a big wrench for--well, it doesn't really matter what for, now does it?" He looked all around. Lowering his voice, he said, "Young lady, you need to get out of here."
"What?"
"Yes, the end is coming. There will be fire and floods and hailstones and probably brimstone."
"Mr. Johnson," she began. Only to have him interrupt.
"I know you won't believe me. But you can see some folks have already left town. It won't be safe anywhere, but I'm heading out to Wyoming. Got some land there with a cabin. It may be far enough away from the hooligans and criminals."
Harmony looked puzzled. "But, Mr. Johnson, you already have a cabin here, you know, the one on the lake? You have five cabins there as a matter of fact that you rent out to people. Why would you leave?"
He grabbed her arm. "Because it's not safe! The end is coming! I'm gonna be somewhere that I can protect myself. All these resort folks, these people that come from the cities to visit here. You think I want to deal with them and their evil ways?"
She looked at him carefully and noticed his eyes were wide and his face flushed. "Mr. Johnson, you need to calm down. Cape Fair will be safe! You should stay here. I know about the dreams and what's coming, but here--"
"You know?" he demanded. "What do you know? What part do you play in this?"
"Nothing, no part, I've just had some dreams lately, that's all. And I think it's safer to stay here," she said, pulling away from him a bit.
He relaxed his grip on her arm. "Young lady, you need to listen to me and get out of town."
Harmony was thinking rapidly as he talked. She realized he was determined to leave town. "Tell me, did all your guests check out already? Are you just leaving the place empty?"
Mr. Johnson frowned. "I told them to leave and got them out of there. I don't have any choice but to leave it empty. It won't matter anyway, what with the end coming and all."
Harmony gave him a dazzling smile. "Well, Mr. Johnson, how would you feel if I lived in your cabin while you're gone? I'd be willing to buy it from you...all of the cabins in fact."
"Are you crazy, girl? I'm telling you the end is coming--the end of the world. And it ain't gonna be pretty!"
"No, I'm not crazy, but I just feel like I have to stay here. Cape Fair is my home. So how about it, would you let me buy the place?"
"Money won't do me much good now, but I could use some cash to buy supplies on my way to Wyoming. You got any cash, young lady?"
Harmony reached into her multi-colored purse, the fabric one with the spangles and sequins on it. "How's five thousand dollars sound?"
"What are you doing with that kind of cash, girl?"
"Like you said, the end is coming. I figured the banks wouldn't last long. But I want the papers for the cabins, the deed or whatever it's called."
"Okay, okay. Come on out to the cabin with me and we'll get it all fixed up."
"Great!" Harmony replied. Just wait, she thought happily, wait until they hear how I got five cabins for five thousand dollars!
The Samuels' House
John sat at the rectangular-shaped old mahogany table that he used as a desk. He looked over his list from the meeting. Things were shaping up now that he had more people to work with. He scowled at the thought that kept coming back to him--no electrical engineers or plumbers in the bunch! Two cultural anthropologists, an astronomer, a meteorologist, a chemist, a computer analyst, a secretary--he'd never known before this that Abby had been a secretary for a number of years--an ad executive, a security specialist--now that was a godsend, having someone who could handle weapons--and of course a veterinarian, that was also a huge help. The good news, he thought, was they seemed to be a pretty smart, capable bunch of people. Capable of learning new things.
He leaned back in his big leather chair and looked out the French doors that opened onto a view of the apple orchard. Blossoms were on the trees now. Well, they'd have apples to eat later this year. That was for sure. He smiled thinking about Sam bobbing for apples last Halloween. Bobbing for apples in a big round metal tub filled with clean water. Clean, abundant water. Such a simple and vital thing. Thank goodness Andy and Nathan seemed to be looking forward to figuring out the water situation, since John knew only the basics, and besides, he didn't have time!
Lisanne would work with him on keeping the power flowing. Mrs. Philpott would talk to Dr. Shapiro about the medical aspect and hopefully convince him to join the group. Clay would be in charge of caring for the animals, with Janine handling the horses. And Clay would also fish, John thought with a smile. Abby still seemed shell-shocked by all she'd heard, but her husband seemed excited by new possibilities. Jessica and Abby were going to take on the cooking duties, to keep them all fed for the immediate future, and also start cataloging what food supplies they had on hand. Max would continue helping Harmony buy supplies for now. Rachel had taken on making appointments for everyone to be immunized and was working on the optometry problem.
Alex had surprised him by coming up with an idea he'd not thought of...to check out the local library, and then work with Black on making sure it didn't get damaged in any way as things got more chaotic. She'd been quite passionate about the need to preserve knowledge--something they all realized was important, but she'd been the only one to think of an action to take to insure survival of knowledge. Even Perceval seemed impressed by her. And Sam had already gotten Alex to promise to show her how she did the fancy French braid in her hair.
John sighed. Sam. She knows more than she's saying, he mused, and I don't know whether to push her for more information or just hope she gives us what we need in time. He'd noticed that Samantha cornered Black and was having an intense conversation with him as the meeting ended. Black kept looking surprised and Sam kept nodding her head and they both ended up staring quite a bit at Rachel. Now what the heck did that mean? Fortunately, Rachel hadn't seemed to notice as she chatted with Janine, since John was sure she wouldn't have taken the scrutiny well.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Gracie leaning over the table to look at his list. Tapping a manicured and polished nail on the paper, she pointed to a blank space under the words Farming/Agriculture and asked, "So you don't have a farmer to organize this for you, son?"
"No," he said, chagrined. "I figure we're all going to end up helping with planting and harvesting, dealing with weeds and pests, but we don't have anyone with experience. None of us grew up on farms! I'm hoping when more people come here we'll get someone with that knowledge."
Gracie cleared her throat and suggested, "Perhaps you should turn over the agricultural side of th
ings to me for now."
John started to laugh, and then stopped when he saw the nervous look on her face. "Gracie--Mom--what is it?"
She took a deep breath and then blurted out, "I grew up on a farm. I know all about growing food. I know how to butcher a hog. I know how to make soap. I can wring the neck of a chicken and pluck it clean. I've put up more jars of vegetables than Jessica ever thought of doing. I've picked bugs off the leaves of lettuce growing in the field. And it's been a while, but I could still probably drive a tractor."
Her son just stared at her for a minute. "Gracie, what the heck are you talking about? You've never said anything about growing up on a farm! My whole life I've never heard you say anything like that!"
Gently, Gracie spoke, appealing to John. "I'm sorry for never telling you about that part of my life. But once I married your father, well, it was like a fairytale to a girl who grew up dirt-poor on a little farm in Indiana. I was perfectly content to never have dirt under my fingernails again." She paused. John was still just staring at her, his mouth open.
She continued. "I don't think you ever really forget those things you learned growing up. Since yesterday when we heard what was happening, I've been thinking about it. Remembering. There's still quite a bit of knowledge up here," she said, knocking a few times on her head.
John opened and closed his mouth a few times, then said, "But, but, you're--Gracie, you can't be serious!"
"I'm not saying I wouldn't be happier planning to have tea with my friends in a fancy restaurant," she replied tartly. "But the truth is that I love my family, and I can be happy here too. I want to see my little grandchild grow up healthy."
"But, but, look at you! You're always so--so--"
"Yes? I'm so what, John?" she replied a bit dangerously.
"You're telling me you're not only willing to take this on, but that you would actually know what you're doing?"