Manitou Springs

by Claudia Hall Christian

  For Jacob, the world seemed to stop moving. Jacob felt like he could see the universe inside the mountain lion’s eyes. After a few minutes, Jacob felt like he was going to pass out. He blinked and then blinked again.

  “Jake!” Blane screamed.

  Half dressed, Blane ran to where Jacob lay. Jacob felt Blane’s arms tight around his shoulders. Blane shook him.

  “Jake!” Blane screamed!

  Jacob couldn’t keep himself conscious. His eyes still on the mountain lion, Jacob lost consciousness.

  “What the hell?” Blane asked.

  Jacob was beginning to fade. Sam and Valerie ran over.

  “Jake!” Valerie and Sam yelled in unison.

  Blane shook Jacob again. At the second shake Blane’s arms were empty. Jacob and the blanket were gone.

  “We’ve lost him,” Sam whispered.

  “No!” Blane screamed.

  Blane hopped up and looked in the lake again. Shaking his head, Blane started to strip. He was about to dive in the Sea of Amber.

  “No!” Valerie yelled. She ran to stand in front of Blane. “He’s not there!”

  “I need to . . .” Blane started.

  “You already have!” Valerie said.

  “What?” Blane squinted at her.

  “They’re at home right now working to bring Jake’s soul back to his physical body,” Valerie said. “We saved him. You saved him with our help. Now it’s up to the shamans at home and Jake.”

  “She’s right,” Sam said. He nodded to Valerie and added, “You really are the crow.”

  “Thanks, I think,” Valerie said with a smile.

  “If Jake’s not in there, why are we still here?” Blane asked.

  Blane put back on the clothing he’d just taken off.

  “I have an idea,” Sam said.

  Valerie turned to him. Blane went to his other stack of clothes and dug for his underwear.

  “It’s kind of crazy,” Sam said.

  “Look around you,” Blane said. He pulled on his underwear. “Does it get crazier than all of this?”

  Sam smiled but didn’t say anything.

  “Dad?” Valerie asked.

  “Well . . .” Sam said. With his hands on his hips, he looked out to the Sea of Amber. “From what I gather, this stuff is collected here from people’s despair.”

  Sam raised his eyebrows to the others. Valerie shrugged, and Blane shook his head that he didn’t know.

  “I was told that this was a natural caldera where these feelings are pooled,” Sam said.

  “Isn’t it?” Valerie asked.

  “No,” Sam said. “Well, three sides. There’s a dam.”

  Sam nodded to Valerie and Blane. Completely dressed, Blane went to Sam and patted his back.

  “How ’bout if you just tell us what you’re thinking?” Blane asked. He went to get his shoes. “I have a question.”

  Valerie and Sam turned to look at him.

  “How did you get down here so easily?” Blane pointed to Valerie. “I fell in so many quick sand traps I felt like I was in a 1970s sitcom.”

  “I followed your footsteps,” Valerie said. “Didn’t already ask me this?”

  “If I did, I don’t remember,” Blane said with a shrug.

  As if there was amber sea inside, Blane turned his hand over and patted the other side. Valerie grinned at him. They turned to Sam.

  “Dad?” Valerie asked.

  “I think we should destroy the dam,” Sam said. “There, I said it.”

  Valerie looked at her father and blinked. Shrugging, Blane dropped down to put on his shoes.

  “Any ideas how to do that, Dad?” Valerie asked.

  “Sure,” Sam said.

  Sam nodded. He went to the edge of the Sea of Amber again and looked out.

  “No one should ever be stuck in this horrible place,” Sam said.

  “You remember that Heather and the girls destroyed the sea,” Blane said.

  “Then why is it back?” Sam asked. “It’s back because the dam is still here. I’m saying that we have to make it so human despair can’t be collected here.”

  Sam nodded. He turned back to them.

  “Kind of a radical thought,” Sam said with a nod. “What will all the dictators do?”

  “There aren’t so many of those now,” Blane said in a low voice.

  “There are enough,” Sam said. He turned to look at Blane and Valerie. “What if there was no longer a store of human despair? What if we made it impossible?”

  Sam’s eyes glowed with fanatical passion.

  “Are you with me?” Sam asked.

  Blane and Valerie gawked at him. Seeing their faces, Sam laughed.

  “Did you really think that Celia was the only crazy one?” Sam asked. “It was me who saved Delphie from that disgusting Levi. Ask her when we get back. It was me who started the company. We couldn’t get jobs and . . .”

  “Okay, Dad,” Valerie said.

  She gave him a “You’ve lost it” look which caused Sam to laugh out loud.

  “Look at it,” Sam said with sudden rage. He pointed to the Sea of Amber. “No, really look at it.”

  Valerie and Blane turned to look at the Sea of Amber. From this angle, it looked like a high mountain lake.

  “In there — right there — lives Delphie’s pain from being raped and tortured and having her mind turned inside out by that horrible man,” Sam said. “Our sweet Delphie.”

  Valerie turned to look at it.

  “And all of your pain over Wes and whoever else,” Sam said. “Your desperate pain from losing your child and Mike and Mom in the same week. And it’s there for those horrible creatures’ amusement.”

  “Sam?” Blane started.

  “And you, Blane,” Sam said. He pointed to the Sea of Amber. His voice rose with passion. “Every time you were raped — every single time — it’s all right there. For these serpents to enjoy. Well I say ‘Fuck them’! Or Sandy! Imagine all that she’s been through — and she’s not the only one. That creature Otis sired had a thousand — no, many thousands — of children raped and tortured and . . . Children! And all of their pain and horror and . . . Gacy or Bundy or that horrible Koresh, who burned his own children alive, remember them? All of his victims and their pain just right there for those serpents to relish and. . .”

  Shaking with emotion, Sam was in such a fevered pitch that he had to stop to catch his breath.

  “But . . .?” Blane asked.

  “But what?” Sam asked. The very question set Sam off. “But nothing! I will not tolerate a place like this existing in the world. I simply won’t. If you lack the courage to get this done, then I’ll do it myself. I could use your help, but to hell with you! You might be able to live with little kids . . . and . . . pain . . .all stored up . . . and . . .”

  Sam scowled. Valerie shook her head and started to speak. Blane put his hand on her shoulder to hold her back. It was clear that Blane had seen Sam like this before.

  “You done?” Blane asked.

  “No, I’m not done,” Sam said. “How dare you?”

  “We want to know . . .?” Blane said the words in a slow, even tone. He raised his eyebrows.

  Sam scowled and put his hands on his hips. He nodded to Blane. Valerie started to speak again, but Blane shook his head. They waited. After a few minutes, Sam nodded.

  “Sorry,” Sam said. “I really lost it. I just get so . . . furious . . . that these things would . . .”

  He pointed to the Sea of Amber.

  “And then use it for their enjoyment,” Sam said. “Or to torture . . . even Gods . . .Well, that Zeus, he kind of deserved it.”

  Sam nodded.

  “It didn’t affect him at all,” Blane said.

  “Oh really?” Sam asked. “He’s probably a serpent inside.”

  Blane smiled.

  “Done?” Blane asked.

  “No, I’m not done,” Sam said. “Are you with me?”

  Valerie started to speak but
she looked at Blane. He gave her a slight nod.

  “We want to know ‘how,’ Dad,” Valerie said. “That’s all we were asking. How are we going to keep it from storing up here?”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” Sam said with a grin. “We’re going to destroy the dam.”

  Chapter Four Hundred and Fifteen

  Shifting wind

  Jacob had never felt more exhausted. He would have stayed asleep, but an unrelenting sunbeam shone in his eyes. He tried to turn over, but he was trapped by the blanket he was swaddled in.

  “Ahhh!” Jacob screamed in frustration.

  Sarah barked, and Jacob jerked to full attention. He was lying on the extremely comfortable bed in the cabin built by love. Sarah barked again. Her nose snuffled around the blanket with great interest.

  “Blane and Val and Dad,” Jacob said. “You’re a smeller, Sarah.”

  Sarah gave him a strong nudge, and Jacob rolled over. He felt her snuffle around on his back, and then he felt a tug. Sarah had found an end to the blanket. He rolled over again as she unrolled the swaddling. When he was half free, he took the end from the dog and freed himself. Finally able to stand, he picked up the blanket to look at it. It was made out of what looked like rough, untreated wool. The tight, but uneven, weave, made it seem as if the blanket were hand woven.

  “This is a wonderful . . .” he started to say.

  The blanket disappeared, leaving only a puff of dust. He scowled.

  “Magic,” he said with a nod. “That’s a shame, because it was nice.”

  Shrugging, he made a note to ask Jill to get a blanket like that for home. The thought made him smile. He was ready to go home.

  “I was in the Sea of Amber!” Jacob said to Sarah as he rubbed her ears. “Dad, Val, and Blane saved me.”

  She licked his face in understanding.

  “I bet you went home,” Jacob said. He put his nose in the scruff of her neck. “You smell like . . . Jill. God, I can’t wait to see her again.”

  Sarah panted in such a way as to say that she couldn’t agree more. He went to use the bathroom. When he came out, he put on the clean pair of jeans that lay on the rocking chair. He dug around in the fireplace. There was nothing left of the fire. Shrugging, he used the small axe to cut some kindling from the logs. He went about setting up a fire.

  When the fire was ready, he realized he’d never seen a match in this cabin. He tested the stones in the fire mantle to see if they would spark. He dug around in the wood pile to see if he could find a light. Finding none, he went to the kitchen. He was about to open the drawers when he saw a matchbook sitting on top of the counter.

  “Tocabe,” Jacob said out loud.

  He grinned. Tocabe was a Native American-owned restaurant in Denver. He and Aden often went there in secret because the Fry Bread tacos were not necessarily healthy for his heart. When he got back, he was most definitely going to head there — in secret, with Aden, of course.

  Jacob stopped for a moment. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he actually felt at peace with himself and the world. Grinning, he took the matchbook to the fireplace. Two matches got the kindling lit. Another match got the kindling really burning. A few minutes later, the fire was raging. He set some logs on the fire and waited to see if they caught. When the fire was really going, he got up to get the kettle. He filled the kettle and hung it over the fire.

  His stomach grumbled.

  He’d spent what felt like a month in this cabin before and had never been hungry. He opened the cabinets and found a loaf of sourdough bread. Shrugging, he tore off a piece and ate the bread. He stood at the counter devouring the bread until the whistle of the kettle blew. He retrieved the kettle and set it on the counter. To his surprise, Tanesha’s tea was no longer waiting for him in the drawer. Instead, there were three Meyer’s lemons.

  “I love these!” Jacob said.

  He immediately peeled one and ate it. Cutting another, he put it in a cup and added hot water.

  “I wonder if there’s honey,” Jacob said.

  He opened the cupboard again and found another loaf of sourdough sitting next to a bear filled with honey. Jacob grinned. He loved these bears. Delphie refused to use them because she was sure the plastic was toxic. He still loved them. He squeezed honey in his hot water and lemon. For good measure, he poured honey over the end of the new loaf of sourdough.

  “Clearly someone wants to replenish my gut,” Jacob said. He laughed at the idea that he even knew what that was. As if it were a drink, Jacob raised the bread and honey. “God bless you, Delphie! I’m sure it’s exactly what I need!”

  Laughing to himself, he moved the rocking chair next to the fire. Sarah barked.

  “I know,” Jacob said. “It would be fun to head out into this world again. I just have this feeling that we’re better off staying safe and sound in this cabin.”

  Sarah sat down next to the rocking chair. Jacob finished the bread and the hot lemon water. He stared at the fire for a while and then at the ceiling. He was sure he was going to go mad when he saw a journal book and a pen sitting on a shelf in the fireplace. Curious, he got up to look at it.

  The journal was empty. He tested the pen. The pen had lots of ink. He brought the pen and journal back to the rocking chair.

  “What should I write about?” Jacob asked Sarah.

  Sarah barked, and Jacob nodded.

  “You’re right,” Jacob said. “I should write about everything. Where should I start?”

  Jacob tapped the pen against his lip for a moment before nodding.

  “I know,” Jacob said. “I’ll start with those leather boots and Trevor’s engagement party. No one who reads that story will ever believe it all happened.”

  He petted Sarah’s head.

  “Now, what came first?” Jacob asked. “That’s right. Jill and Megan fought over her going to the engagement party.”

  Smiling, he began to write.

  ~~~~~~~~

  “Are we sure there is a dam?” Valerie asked.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” Sam said. “But if you don’t believe me, ask them.”

  Sam pointed up and went back to what he was doing. Valerie stepped away to communicate with the crow and hawk.

  “How are we going to get to this dam?” Blane asked. He looked down the shore. “It looks like we can walk the shore, but it’s a very long way. From my experience, walking around here isn’t straightforward. It’s likely that we’ll fall into any number of traps. Even with our crow and hawk help!”

  Sam looked up from where he’d been working. Without saying a word, he pointed to the raft.

  “We can’t take the raft!” Blane said with a shake of his head. “If we manage to blow the dam, we’ll die!”

  “Who said anything about blowing the dam?” Sam asked with a grin.

  Used to Blane’s objections, Sam shook his head and kept working.

  “What do you have there?” Valerie asked.

  Sam looked up at Valerie and grinned. He held up a round tipped long handled shovel.

  “How . . .?” Valerie asked.

  “I heard Blane say that he was able to get spears,” Sam said. “So I figured that if I really wanted and needed a shovel, it would appear.”

  “And that worked?” Valerie asked.

  “No,” Sam said.

  “You had to feel love,” Blane said.

  “Exactly,” Sam said. “I remembered the first time your mom and I shoveled this job. We’d low balled the job just to get on the list of reliable people. We didn’t have the money for gas to run the backhoe so we dug it out by hand.”

  Sam stood up. He gave Valerie the shovel.

  “I got two shovels,” Sam said. “I haven’t been able to get any dynamite or C4 or whatever they say on the television.”

  Sam bent over and gave the other shovel to Blane. He picked up a pick axe.

  “Then, I realized if it was a simply matter of blowing the dam, someone would have done that a lo
ng, long time ago,” Sam said. He looked at Valerie and then Blane. “I think we have to use the tools of our trade.”

  Sam held up the pick axe and nodded.

  “Ready?” Sam asked.

  She looked up. The hawk and the crow were circling an area across the sea and at least five miles from where they stood. She pointed. Sam glanced to where she pointed and nodded. Blane put his hand on his brow and watched the hawk and crow.

  “That’s a long way,” Blane said.

  “What exactly are we going to do?” Valerie asked.

  “We’re going to drain this pond,” Sam said. “And try to do it fast enough that those horrible creatures don’t come after us.”

  “How are we going to do this?” Blane asked.

  Sam put his hand on Blane’s shoulder and nodded.

  “Seriously?” Blane shook his head. Imitating Sam almost exactly, Blane said, “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

  “We always do,” Sam said with a laugh. “Plus, she’s the crow.”

  He winked at Blane and walked toward the raft. Along the way, he picked up the beaver.

  “Can you get the rabbit?” Sam asked.

  Blane bent and picked up his spirit animal.

  “Dad?” Valerie asked.

  “Well, come on!” Sam said. “You don’t want to miss this.”

  Shocked by his rash behavior, Blane and Valerie stood staring at him. Sam laughed at the looks on their faces.

  “Sometimes, you’ve got to just do it,” Sam said. The mountain lion ran down the embankment and hopped onto the raft. “No thinking, no hand wringing, no worrying about tomorrow. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change the world forever. If you want to just stand there, I’ll understand. But I know you, Val, Blane. You’re not going to want to miss this.”

  Blane laughed and stepped onto the raft. He set the rabbit down and turned to Valerie. He held out his hand.

  “You really don’t want to miss this,” Blane said.

  Biting her lip with worry, Valerie gave him a vague nod. Sam laughed.

  “Come on, little Celia,” Sam said.

  Valerie laughed and got on the raft.