I said, "it does feel good don't it. I mean when you're in control there is nothing else like it, even if it's just a load mover."
Owsee, "Star lust! I know the signs. Control is the key, I've been out there a long time myself. And now you're here, with a family on the way. It must all seem a bit overwhelming. But don't worry, you'll find your groove, and I will not let you get too bored. Even if I have to kick you off the planet from time to time. As for now, we have two people inside that need our help. But as long as we are just sitting here, for the time being, how about another poem?"
I said, "that's at least one thing I can do that seems to matter here. I called this poem, "when I look."
"When I look upon my past, the things that I have done. The list of my regrets, not outweigh all the fun. And so upon the memory, of what I may have changed. I know it'll be da learning, only that I'd arrange. And so the life lessons, that made me what I am. Would cause me only wonder, to take some other stand. Content I must to be myself, at least for present time. Or else would still need to ask, how long before it's fine?"
Owsee, "yes, you see, when things get quiet you do what you do best, tell a poem; a good poem I may add. I think we should put this one up on the wall of the new bar. I've been thinking of hanging up sheets to write on with wood charcoal. We need to get these people interested in reading, somehow. But for now, we need to move some ear-wood."
I said, "I will tell Kitty." And we both went inside.
As soon as Kitty saw me, she asked me to look over the cost of the things she wanted for the shop. I asked Owsee to look at it.
Owsee said, "I have been gone a long time, I don't know what things should go for around here anymore."
Kitty said that the sales lady had given her a 20% discount because of the size of the order. I said that sounded good and told Kitty we were going to move the ear-wood as soon as we found Goo da wa. She said she was going to help the store bring her things over there.
Owsee and I went out back to find Goo da wa still talking to the owner. We told him we were going to take down the ear-wood, and he said he would be right there.
As we were leaving I asked Owsee if we needed anything from the store to help take down the wood. He said that in the days when that wood was put up they used tree sap to hold it in place; and that it would be very brittle by now. He said he had a flat bar in the transport if we need it, so we just headed over there.
When we got to the shop Owsee just hit the wall with his hand and a board came loose. We had more than half of it down by the time Goo da wa got there. So he started to load it on the transport.
The job was done in a very short time.
We then drove to the barn and got the generator. We towed it to one side of the cave entrance and unloaded the ear-wood planks. Goo da wa said he wanted to set them up himself. As he was waiting for something from the hardware store, and needed something to do while he waited. We said fine and went back to Kitty's new shop to see if she needed any help.
When we got there, two men were cutting a large hole in the front of the shop. They said they were putting in two new showcase windows and a glass door. Kitty was inside, putting the panels of the mirror on the wall and she asked for some help in doing the top ones. After the mirror wall was up she said all there was to do until the windows were in was to hang some clothes up, and that she didn't need any help in that.
Owsee said there was a few things he wanted to get done before dark, that we would all meet at the house for supper at sunset and that he was cooking.
After Owsee and I got in the transport, he said that the Mayor told him the best place to set up the clinic. So we moved the cargo containers to a spot in-between town and the farm.
They opened up, and went together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, and became twice the size of just the three containers. We put the medical equipment back inside but didn't know just how to set it up. We still needed a doctor anyway, and there was no power yet, so we went back to the house for a drink.
When we got there, we went down to the cellar to see what was still there. Owsee had a wall off racks full of different kinds of wine, and said he didn't know how much of it was still good. Then dusting off a bottle of what he called weed liquor, we took it upstairs.
Owsee, "we make it back fermenting the weed bud and adding a sweet powder. It sometimes has a pungent odor to it but one hell of a kick."
We sat on the back porch and drank small glasses of it while having a smoke. The drink had a funny aftertaste, but Owsee said it was still good.
We sat there for a good deal of time talking about all the things that Owsee wanted to see done. Like cutting down the weed and hanging it up to dry, the trees needed to be cut back, and the barn door had a loose hinge.
He said, "some of these things will not take long but it all adds up."
We sat in silence for a short time then I asked him to tell me about his brothers, and how they died.
Owsee, "all four of us were born just one year apart and I am the youngest. Each one of us went out into space to learn new stories. Father always wanted to have a storyteller in the family. Better to have a handful of credits than a handful of dirt, that's what my father would say. My oldest brother died in a mining accident, another one a small rock hit his ship, and the last, just a year older than me, died in a bar fight. My mother died shortly after I was born so I never knew her. And my father died five years after I got out of school. I thought I would live and work here for the rest of my life. But before my father died, of food poisoning, he told me, "go to the stars and listen for the call of opportunity." That was the last thing he told me, "go to the stars."
I said, "well, you have been there and back. With lots of stories to tell and credits to spend."
Owsee, "how about your family, are they still living?"
I said, "no, they were all dead before I went to the stars."
Owsee, "so you're just like me I think. But you have family now, Kitty and the children to come. You have friends here and this is not such a bad place to live, lots of fresh air and water."
I said, "yes, it's a very nice place to live. It's a wonderful house and a nice town. But somehow it’s still like being in a dream. Everything is so good it don't feel just right. I'm still waiting for someone to drop a mountain on me."
Owsee, "when you have lived a hard life, happiness can take some time to get used to."
I told Owsee that this weed liqueur was so strong that I could hardly keep my eyes open. He said let's go inside and do some fire powder to level off, and so we did.
Then we went to the market in town to get what Owsee was making for supper. As we passed by kitty’s shop we could see the workman just about done with the new window and door.
At the market we bought meat to cook in the backyard fire pit and two large birds, already dressed out. We got bread, cheese, milk and some vegetables as well. Before we were done we had two bags full.
We then stopped by kitty’s shop and she said she would be home soon. It was starting to get dark by the time we got home. Owsee said he was going to see if Goo da wa would be coming soon and that I should start a large fire in the back your pit. So I put the two bags in the kitchen and went outback to start a fire.
His pit was about 5 feet across with two grills on hinges that folded down from both sides. The rock was cut stone, a good foot high.
I had no problem finding small twigs and dry wood to start the fire with, and there was cut wood, both on the porch and in a nearby woodshed. Before long I had a mighty fire going.
Then Kitty walked up from around the house and said, "looks like we are cooking out tonight."
I said, "that's the idea, a barbecue."
She asked what a barbecue was. I told her it's just another way of saying cooking out, and that Owsee had gone to get Goo da wa. I then asked how the store was coming along.
She said it was getting there and the display case should be in tomorrow.
I said, "it sounds like
the place is getting together fast."
She replied, "yes, it's going much smoother than I thought it would. But I'll need to make some connections with the local suppliers in the big cities."
I said, "yes, you will need to carry what the locals ware. It's a good two hour drive to the nearest big town or city. So if you have what they need, you will be saving people time by coming to you. Oh, by the way, there is some milk on the counter in the kitchen, along with some other things we bought."
Kitty, "milk, that sounds good." And she went inside.
I threw another log on the fire and the sparks flew up into the sky. I could see two moons on the rise, as I noticed Owsee walking up with Goo da wa; saying he could see the fire a mile away.
I replied, "you said to make it big."
Owsee, "yes I did, and before long we will have some nice coals to cook on. Is kitty here yet?"
I said, "yes, she is in the house."
"No I'm not, I'm right here," she said as she walked out the back door and onto the porch, with a glass of milk in her hand. "How's the bar coming?" She asked.
Goo da wa, "it's coming along nicely. My chip reader should be here tomorrow."
Kitty, "mine too, and my display case as well."
Owsee, "wait till you see what he has done with the place. It's nothing like the hole in the wall on the station."
Goo da wa, "yeah, now I have a hole in the Mountain, ha ha."
Owsee, "he spent some money on the place, it looks good."
Goo da wa, "I got a 20% discount."
Owsee, "so did Kitty, goes to show you that if you spend a lot they’re willing to show their appreciation."
I said, "money is not everything, but let's not be confused, the things that money cannot buy are very seldom used."
Owsee, "another poem from my teacher. He never runs out of them, I hope."
I said, "I must admit I did not write that one, but I have always liked it."
Owsee, "oh, Goo da wa, tell him about the projector."
Goo da wa, "I found something very interesting at the lumber and hardware store. You place a sheet of transparent plastic on a lighted table, that projects what you wrote on it with a grease pen, onto the wall. The man said he took a few of them in on trade but no one wants them, so I got a good deal on three. You can put your poems on it to show them on the cave walls."
I said, "sounds a lot like something I had in school. Yes, that will come in handy."
Owsee, "and there is a hot spring in the back of the cave. We are going to tap into it to run a thermal generator, as soon as I can find the parts. Until then we will use the portable generator we parked outside the cave."
Goo da wa, "I’m planning a big party tomorrow night. We will invite the whole town. And the owner of the hardware store said he could get a band for me, with drums, horns and strings. But I still need to get some barrels of fresh brew."
Owsee, "I think 35 years has made the barrels I had go bad. But the wind and liqueur should be rather mellow by now."
I said, "Talking about mellow, bring that bottle of Bud liqueur out, that’s mellow."
"Yes," said Owsee, "I have it in the house, I'll bring it out."
Then Owsee went inside and brought the bud liqueur out, turning the porch light on as he did. He poured each of us a small glass. Kitty stayed to her milk.
We watched the fire as it burned down to a nice pile of coals, then Owsee started to cook. He brushed some sauce on the meat as he cooked, which made it smell wonderful. There was a small table on the porch and Owsee kept bringing plate after plate of cooked food to it, saying, "eat it before it gets cold, there is plenty more."
We ate both bird and beast, as well as some roasted vegetables. I don't know what they were, but it was all good.
We ate, drank, sat and talked, as the moons rose overhead and the stars twinkle in the clear night sky. It was a pleasant evening to say the least.
Then Kitty and I went to bed, leaving Owsee and Goo da wa talking on the back porch.
It didn't take long for me to fall asleep, and dream of the children I was about to have; and how they would love this planet as I was beginning to.
“Kitty cooks”
Day 5
I woke to the sound of birds singing and the smell of breakfast. Kitty was up and cooking in the kitchen. After washing my face, I went to see what we were having.
Kitty said, "it's a good thing Owsee bought some food for the house, or you boys would be eating fruit from the trees for breakfast."
She was frying some kind of eggs, and there was toast with jam. She asked me to wake Owsee and Goo da wa, but neither were in their rooms.
I told Kitty, who said, "well they sure got a early start."
"We are back," I heard from the back door. It was Owsee and Goo da wa with a string of fish each.
"We caught more than we can eat, I think," said Owsee.
Kitty, "we can put the left over’s in the ice box."
But there was enough eggs and bread that we did not cook the fish. After breakfast Kitty asked, "how early do the stores open in town?"
Owsee, "at least another hour, they sleep in because they stay up telling stories."
Kitty, "well then I'm going berry picking."
Owsee, "they are all over the place. Take the ones near the house first as I'm planning to cut them back soon."
She then grabbed a basket and headed out back.
Owsee, "oh, I should not have gotten up so early, it's going to be a long day I think."
Goo da wa, "I feel the same way after that big breakfast."
I yawned and said, "well, there's always a fire powder."
"Fire powder," they both stood together, as if to agree it's just what they needed. So we all went to the small bar in the living room and broke it out. Before long we were wide awake and ready to do some work.
Goo da wa went to town to see if the hardware store was open. Owsee and I went to run a power line to the new clinic.
As we went to the transport Kitty yelled to Owsee, not to cut the berry bushes until she had a chance to pick them clean; or we would get no pie.
Owsee and I loaded a spool of wire from the barn onto the transport. The spot where we set up the clinic was close to the power relay station for the town. We ran the wire out, and Owsee had no trouble hooking it up to an unused breaker. However, we still could not power up the more advanced equipment; as the large memory chips would break down. Only small chips would work on this planet, due to the EMP activity.
I asked Owsee how the "World Bank" ran with the problem.
He said, "they built it under the water in the ocean. It was the only safe place. Everyone else must use many small chips that don't break down when hit by the pulses."
I said, "how about we use lots of small chips to make a computer with enough memory to download the information from the big chips we have in storage. It's just a matter of money for the chips. If you want this equipment to work that is."
He said, "you're right, it's only money. And I probably made enough, just in interest, while we were talking about it to buy the chips. All we need to do is find a place that has that many chips. We will need to fly to the big city, or drive for two hours."
I said, "let's fly."
So we drove to the ship and flue to the nearest city that had a port. We then went into the first electronics store we came to, and bought out most of their data chips, as well as a number of circuit boards. Then we flew back and went to work on putting it all together. The trip only took an hour, but putting things together took two more hours; of our best guess work. Then we went to the big ship, got the large chips out of storage and took them to the clinic for the download.
Before long, we had things up and running. We could only hope that it all held together for a long time. Then we took the large chips back to their storage for safe keeping. After that we decided to see the Mayor and tell him all we needed now was a doctor.
Owsee said, "it's near midday meal,
we will find the Mayor at the restaurant, he eats all his meals there."
As we passed by kitty’s we could see clothing in the window display and people in the shop.
I said, "looks as if she is open for business."
We pulled over by the restaurant and went in. The Mayor was at his usual table in the back.
We went over and Owsee said, "the clinic’s powered up, and all we need now is a doctor."
Mayor, "will you join me for midday meal?"
Owsee, "of course we will."
So we sat down as the Mayor said, "good news, the city medical registry has a young doctor for us. He is just out of residents and at its main medical facility. He is looking for a post, to do his four years of community service at. He will be here this afternoon to look things over. If he likes what he sees we have a doctor."
Owsee, "well he could not ask for better equipment. We ran the power line just a few hours ago. It still needs to be put under ground so the grass can be cut without damaging the line, but that should not take long."
Mayor, "I have two young boys that are doing community service for killing a Songbird with a slingshot. I'm sure they would be glad to put your line underground and cut the grass."
Owsee, "thank you Mayor, we appreciate the help."
Mayor, "I hear that Goo da wa is having a party tonight."
Owsee, yes I hear he is going to have a band."
Mayor, "sounds like a good time. It has been awhile since we had something to celebrate. I'm hoping most of the town will be there."
The waitress came over and asked if we would like anything.
Owsee said, "they make a great soup here, or least they did 35 years ago."
Waitress, "we still make a great soup, just asked the Mayor."
Mayor, "it's true, and she will not tell me her secret."
"That's how I get him to keep coming back," she said.
"Soup it is," I said.
"Me too," said Owsee.
Mayor, "while you are waiting for your soup, perhaps I can persuade you to share another one of your poems with us."
I said I would be delighted and that this one was called, "remnants of a visit."
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