by M. J. Konkel
“You know Spanky probably hates my guts right now,” said Joe as they were heading back to their sleeping area.
“Is that necessarily a bad thing?” asked Karen.
“What do you mean?”
“It means that you stood up for something and maybe made an enemy, but others will see that you stood up for what is right, and they will respect and admire you for it. I certainly do, and I am very proud of you.”
“You are?”
“Very!”
“Did I ever show you the place where that ladder leads to the roof?”
The results of the voting were posted outside of the cafeteria in the morning. Joe and Karen looked at them and their jaws dropped.
“I wouldn’t mind losing this election to Burser or Roger, but to lose to Spanky …”
“It was close. He won by just three votes.”
“That just makes it all the worse. How could he have won?”
“Look at the numbers. You and the sheriff and Roger almost split up the votes. That left room for Mr. Span to get just enough votes.”
“No matter how you look at the numbers, that ass is still on top. It’s disgusting! Maybe, I should demand a recount.”
“Don’t be a sore loser.”
“I'm concerned about his ability to lead us.”
“Well, you can still lead by example, and you are a part of the council.”
“Speaking of the council, did you see who was fifth on the list?”
“Yes. I am really surprised to see my name there. I never asked anyone to vote for me. I didn’t campaign for this.”
“You helped a lot of people out, and everyone knows you.”
“I’m still surprised.”
“And everyone trusts and respects you.”
“I will try not to let them down.”
“Still, I can’t get over losing to Spanky . And look who came in sixth and seventh. Mary Tankyard and Mike Elkins. They will vote the way Spanky does.”
“You should give them more credit than that. They are not stupid.”
Down the hall came Mr. Span, followed closely behind by Mary Tankyard and Mike Elkins. Joe gave Karen the eye. “I guess you have already seen the results?” Joe asked.
“Yeah, there's another copy down by the library. We should gather Zanzi and Burser and figure out what our first order of business should be. Come on people. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Joe turned away from them and towards Karen, rolling his eyes.
After Zanzi and Burser were found, they all met in the cafeteria. Joe said he thought their first mission should be to solve the problem of assigning who got which camper. He suggested that three of them work it out, leaving the others to attend to other problems. Mr. Span initially nodded, but then he, along with Mary Tankyard and Mike Elkins, dissented unless one of them was an assigner. Joe figured that the others would agree with him if he decided to go against Mr. Span on the issue, but then he looked at Karen staring back at him. He decided it wouldn’t be wise to divide the council so early and come off looking bitter in the process. There would be times later to butt heads with Span. Instead, he proposed that Sheriff Burser, Mike Elkins and Jack Currents, who was not a council member, do the assigning. It would be subject to Jack agreeing to the assignment. They voted, and all agreed to the proposal.
Joe, Sheriff Burser and Mike Elkins then went and located Jack Currents, and Joe told Jack what they wanted from him. Jack had a wife and two teenage boys that could continue packing up and moving their stuff during the day, so he agreed to the responsibility. Joe informed all of them what he had already figured out the previous day, and then he went to move as many of his family's belongings as he could with the time left.
Joe had determined that there would be enough shelter for everyone at Ridgeback. There had to be some trading though. The committee went to the task of sorting it all out. Many families had small campers or RVs that they would have to give up to single men or women in exchange for the families getting larger campers. Three large RVs were left over after all the families with children were given one. Those went to singles that were willing to triple up. There were a few large families that would get a large RV and a small camper. There were the residents from the nursing home down on Lincoln Avenue that they had to plan for. There were enough mid-size campers or RVs for the nursing home residents to double up in. Other mid-size campers went to couples or singles willing to double up. Mike Elkins made sure that he, Mr. Span, Mary Tankyard and a few other friends of theirs got some of the biggest brand-new RVs brought over from Harvey's RV World. But by noon all the assigning was completed.
Many got a got a small camper to themselves. Ron Lasgaard was one of those since no one wanted to double with him and he preferred to be by himself anyway. He grumbled about the small camper to anyone within earshot though. He complained about how it wasn’t big enough to store all his stuff.
The third day started out overcast and it began to drizzle by mid-morning. The precipitation continued for much of the rest of the day, nonstop until late into the afternoon. Sometimes heavier and sometimes lighter, but pretty much continuous. It didn't matter as far as the river level was concerned since big rivers reacted relatively slowly to rainfall, but it made moving more difficult, and it dampened people's spirits as much as their belongings.
Joe had been so busy helping the community that he had not had time to move very much of his family’s belongings, and Karen had the bad foot and was busy tending to people's medical needs. He had just brought his first load of the day to his family's designated camper and was unloading it with the steady drizzle coming down when Johnny and Anne came inquiring.
“It looks like you could use some help,” said Johnny.
“Sure! If you are offering I could use a hand.”
“Do you want some more help? You haven't moved hardly a thing,” said Mark Purdowitz who was nearby and had heard Johnny and Anne volunteering. “Your smart thinkin' saved me and the others a lot of packin' time when you got them boys to have our trailers towed out here. Not to mention that we still have our homes so now maybe I can repay you a little.”
“Sure, thanks!”
“I want you to know I voted for you, not that turd Span. But you just hold on. I am going to go get some of ‘em guys from the trailers. We'll get all of your stuff moved, Mr. Spechright. Don't you worry none.”
“You can call me Joe. Thanks!”
“OK, Joe. Like I said. Don't you worry. We'll get all of your stuff moved for ya.”
*****
Some people thought right from the beginning that they could not possibly get everything moved. Some optimists thought that they could, and some people that didn't have much stuff got everything moved. Some large families with teenagers also got everything they wanted moved, except for their houses and garages. But many people realized by the beginning of the third day that they couldn't possibly move everything in time. They started to move the remainder of their belongings to a second story if they had one or to a neighbor's second story to keep it above the waters that would soon be rising. They figured that they might be able to go back by boat later and salvage what was left behind. By noon, all the trailers from the trailer park were on Ridgeback with the last one dragged in on bare rims, sparks flying as it crossed the concrete bridge. By late on the third day, a particularly low section of Highway 85 was flooded with eight inches of water and the water was still rising. The rising river was starting to inundate the lower parts of the town.
Also on the third day, Karen had Alfred Rundcutt moved to Ridgeback. He was laid on a cot in a small camper on the back of a pick-up truck that would be his to stay in if he ever recovered. Karen noticed for the first time that Alfred's eyelids were fluttering and occasionally blinking. She hoped that this was a sign that he might be finally starting to recover from whatever had affected him.
An evening meal was prepared on Ridgeback that night for everyone, but it was well after dark before it was
served. Everyone had expended a tremendous amount of energy to get as much as they could over to the island and the last loads of stuff were left in and on the vehicles for the night. For the first time, nearly everyone was sleeping on the island that night.
*****
After quickly conferring with the other council members, Joe stood up on a chair and banged two pans together until the chatter died down enough that it was quiet enough. He then let Mr. Span start. People were nodding off after five minutes, but Span’s speech went on for another fifteen minutes after that. Finally, he turned toward the council members and asked if anyone else wanted to add anything.
“I would like to add a few words,” Joe said as he got up and stood on a chair. “I will keep this brief as I know everyone is tired and hungry and, besides as everyone that I coached knows, I give lousy speeches.” Some of those he coached chuckled. “We have all suffered losses – our homes, businesses, our connections to family and loved ones. But we have a safe place now where we can sleep without fear of either the dinosaurs or the rising river. It is a place where our kids can play safely. I would like to especially thank Mary Jankins who first thought of this place and brought it to our attention.” Joe noticed Mary slide back into the shadows at the mention of her name, but she smiled. “From Mr. Span, me and the entire council, we want to say congratulations to all of you. Think about what we just accomplished together as a community. I know that some belongings got left back in Brown's Station, but we got most things, and what was left behind, we can retrieve by boat over the next couple of weeks. For the most part though, we picked up and moved our entire town in just three days. And we did it together. I am so very proud to be a part of this community. All of you stuck together and worked together to get it done. You worked for the good of your neighbors and for the good of our community. If we continue to work together like we have the last three days, we will survive on this world for however long it takes before we can go back home. We will have to be as tight-knit a community as there ever was.
But now it appears that the rain is over, and everyone is exhausted tonight so let's enjoy the food, build some fires, get some music going, let the kids roast marshmallows and play until they too are exhausted while the rest of us dance and enjoy our drinks and each other's company. In the morning, we can all sleep in, but right now, let's party!” Joe raised his arms into the air and jumped off the chair and cheers arose as Karen limped over and gave him a big hug. Joe again wondered how Spanky ever beat him in the election. What did he do wrong?
There was a building that had been used by the Ridgeback Park management for selling hot dogs, burgers and other fast food. Next to it was a large concrete patio deck with a covered roof. The deck had a bunch of picnic tables on it before and a great many more were added around it by the new residents so there was plenty of space for everyone. That area was converted into a central cafeteria area for the community. Joe, along with the rest of the council grabbed plates of food there and ate as did many other people. But others left to start bonfires or barbecue fires and cook for themselves. There were parties all over the island. After stuffing themselves, the council members strolled down the road, surveying what they had on the island. Mike Elkins and Roger Zanzi took turns pushing Judd who was in a wheelchair that had come over from the nursing home. Karen was using her crutches and leaned on Joe from time to time as they stopped to rest. The northern part of Ridgeback had the RV campgrounds and that was where most of the campsites were located. The campground area had a loop of a road that covered the flat area on top of the upper third of the island. Campsites were arranged on each side of the road all around that stretched-out narrow loop. A single road continued from the southern end of the loop down to the tip of the island where there was a boat launch. There was a parking area by the launch, but it was under several feet of water by the time they moved to Ridgeback. There were a few additional camper trailers spread out over the rest of the island on flat areas that people could find. Some people thought that the campground was a little too crowded for their tastes and, in fact, it was very crowded with nearly all the campsites doubled up with campers or RVs, along with countless vehicles.
The council did not travel down the single road in the dark, but followed the loop back north where there were plenty of bonfires that gave ample light to see. The island looked like the refugee camp which, in fact, it was. There were tarps, plastic sheets, garbage bags full of stuff and tents all up and down the road, covering up people's belongings. Plastic-covered couches, chairs and tables sat in front of many of the units – furniture without room. Many people also had small vinyl or tin sheds or vehicle-towed trailers that they put much of their stuff in. Cars and trucks were over-stuffed with unpacked things. People did not want to part with anything even though many of the items they brought would not have any use or value in the new world they found themselves in. For some, their belongings were their connection to their old world and they wanted to remember it while others brought everything because they weren't sure what they would want or what would be valuable later. For most, they wanted to have all their possessions with them when they returned to their home world.
After the council had circled back and had reached the northern end of the island, they came to some of the buildings that had belonged to the management of the Ridgeback Park Campgrounds. There were shower facilities where Roger Zanzi had hooked up a generator to it so that water was pumped up from the well, giving them fresh water for drinking and water for showers though the water was not yet heated. Roger said they could put some tanks on the roof and paint them black. That would give them warm water and enough pressure for showers. There were toilet facilities there also and a playground for the kids. A small building that had served as the headquarters now served as the library, housing all the books that used to be in the elementary and middle school, the high school and other places. Outside of the building were a bunch of freezers and a few generators to run them. Sheds to house them would be built over the next couple of days. Further up the road they could see a bonfire where a sentry post was set for guards to watch for any dinosaur intent on getting over the bridge. The fire was kept blazing there in hopes that what was seen with Karen's freddie was true for other dinosaurs too; they had a fear of fire. Three milk trucks, now full of gasoline, were also left on the far side of the bridge blocking the road to deter large threats like freddies and, of course, the guards had guns and spotlights to take down smaller threats, such as the raptors, that could easily get around the trucks. They even had a couple of sets of night vision goggles at the guard post. It was amazing all the many different odd items people had even in a small town like Brown's Station. There were also plans to put up a tall chain link fence and a gate at the bridge in the following days.
The council members sat down at a long picnic table under a shelter by the playground. They listened for a while to the festive sound of the activities going on around the island.
Judd broke their reverie, announcing, “Al Jackson reported they have turned around.” After he saw that he had everyone's attention, he continued. “He estimates that they are about 500 miles down-river. He said he thinks that they are close to the gulf by the smell of the air which he said seemed salty to him. If he is right about that, then the gulf is closer to us by five or six hundred miles than in the old world. He would like to have gone further, but did not dare for fear of not having enough fuel for the return trip. He said he is going to stick nearer the shoreline where there is less current so that they can save on fuel, but that means they will have to go slower to avoid hitting hidden rocks or logs.”
“How much longer will their return trip take?” asked Joe.
“A lot longer. Al thinks it will take it would take at least nine days.”
“And still no signs of civilization?” asked Roger.
“No signs at all of people anywhere along their journey.” Everyone was silent for a few seconds.
Karen then changed the subje
ct. “Alfred Rundcutt, the physicist, showed some signs of improvement today. His eyelids were fluttering and blinking several times today when we were watching, and Ellie said that his lips even moved a few times.”
“Yes, but is he going to wake up?” asked Mary.
“There is no way to know when or if he will come out this stupor or trance that he is in. And I don't know what his state of mind will be if he does,” admitted Karen.
The council continued to discuss the day’s events, and then they turned their attention to what preparations they should make in the event of being rescued in the upcoming months and in the event of them being permanent castaways. Permanency seemed the more likely outcome.
Chapter 19
Johnny and Anne made it to Brown's Station just as the whole town was picking up and moving. Dr. Spechright examined Johnny and told him he could help with the move, but not to overexert himself with anything too heavy or strenuous. And she wanted to check on him at least once a day for a couple of days. Anne had an aunt not too much older than herself who was single and renting an apartment in the town. Anne said her Aunt Alice agreed to double up with her, sharing a mid-size camper.