Kiwibutterfly
Contributing Member
Thank you
Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
Even the "easy going/background" prose is RIVETING. And we get to say, "We found him, recognized his talent and passion, and encouraged him, from the start." (Nothing less than a signed First Edition [albeit in paperback] will do. I'll pay good money for such.)
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Very good thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Doug, Heidi and Emilia carefully walked up the small ledge between the road and the stream leading out of the Thor’s Footprints valley. There was the SUV still sitting in the chokepoint. No one was around that they could see. Doug was in the lead, followed by Heidi and Emilia was in the back. This was after a series of conversations when they got close to where they would be forced to travel single file or walk on the road.
“Look, I know what she knows and she will recognize me. I can also read the ground around the vehicle and get a decent feel for what went on. If you guys go in first, you might screw up some tracks and signs.” Doug patiently explained, again. Heidi was still against it.
"They came looking for you specifically. If the assholes are here, you will be giving them just what they want.” Heidi reiterated, again.
“They seem to be killing everyone they can find, so anyone out here is at risk.”
In the end, Doug’s point made more sense.
The last things they did before breaking cover was a quick reshuffle of some gear. Heidi moved most of the small amount of food and water over to Emilia’s pack, while Heidi took the more bulky dirty clothes and such. This went with the instructions from Heidi to run back to where they had just spent the night and hide if anything went wrong. Doug handed Heidi the lever action.
“My head will be down, looking at the tracks and such. You can work this, right?”
Heidi looked at it and tried it to her shoulder a few times. The reach was a little long for her arms but she could manage. It was still shorter than the issue 12 gauge she had to qualify with at Tech School.
“I’ll make it work. Any more ammo other than this?”
“Nope, seven in it and seven on it. It makes it a bit heavy but it keeps what you might need together. This is standard issue here at the park for us. More issues with wildlife than people usually. It’s a big slow bullet and is more of a push than a sharp jab. It’s pretty spot on at one hundred yards. Past that, it starts needing some hold over. Not too heavy?” Doug had a bit of a questioning look. Heidi laughed.
“Do you know what a 240 Bravo is?” When Doug shook his head no, she continued. “It’s a belt fed machine gun. It’s about a foot longer than this and weighs over twenty pounds without ammo. That’s what I had to carry and operate at the schoolhouse when I got my initial training. Doesn’t seem right, does it? The smallest girl in the class with the biggest gun instead of some six foot five guy who could carry it like nothing? Well when I asked, they explained. They made the tiny people the machine gunners not because of moving it, but because of an advantage when fighting with it. A smaller gunner makes a smaller target, therefore harder to kill and put the gun out of action. This thing” she gestured with the rifle “is maybe eight pounds. Just know, however, you put me on the long gun and I say to move, don’t ask what, just move because rounds will be outgoing.”
“I can live with that.”
“Look, I know what she knows and she will recognize me. I can also read the ground around the vehicle and get a decent feel for what went on. If you guys go in first, you might screw up some tracks and signs.” Doug patiently explained, again. Heidi was still against it.
"They came looking for you specifically. If the assholes are here, you will be giving them just what they want.” Heidi reiterated, again.
“They seem to be killing everyone they can find, so anyone out here is at risk.”
In the end, Doug’s point made more sense.
The last things they did before breaking cover was a quick reshuffle of some gear. Heidi moved most of the small amount of food and water over to Emilia’s pack, while Heidi took the more bulky dirty clothes and such. This went with the instructions from Heidi to run back to where they had just spent the night and hide if anything went wrong. Doug handed Heidi the lever action.
“My head will be down, looking at the tracks and such. You can work this, right?”
Heidi looked at it and tried it to her shoulder a few times. The reach was a little long for her arms but she could manage. It was still shorter than the issue 12 gauge she had to qualify with at Tech School.
“I’ll make it work. Any more ammo other than this?”
“Nope, seven in it and seven on it. It makes it a bit heavy but it keeps what you might need together. This is standard issue here at the park for us. More issues with wildlife than people usually. It’s a big slow bullet and is more of a push than a sharp jab. It’s pretty spot on at one hundred yards. Past that, it starts needing some hold over. Not too heavy?” Doug had a bit of a questioning look. Heidi laughed.
“Do you know what a 240 Bravo is?” When Doug shook his head no, she continued. “It’s a belt fed machine gun. It’s about a foot longer than this and weighs over twenty pounds without ammo. That’s what I had to carry and operate at the schoolhouse when I got my initial training. Doesn’t seem right, does it? The smallest girl in the class with the biggest gun instead of some six foot five guy who could carry it like nothing? Well when I asked, they explained. They made the tiny people the machine gunners not because of moving it, but because of an advantage when fighting with it. A smaller gunner makes a smaller target, therefore harder to kill and put the gun out of action. This thing” she gestured with the rifle “is maybe eight pounds. Just know, however, you put me on the long gun and I say to move, don’t ask what, just move because rounds will be outgoing.”
“I can live with that.”
steamroller
Contributing Member
Very good, thank you.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
As Doug approached the SUV, he saw something that made him happy. He saw boot prints like his, but smaller. His boots were not that common and the other pair had to be Angelique. She had made it this far. This also worried him. An SUV abandoned just past where he comes upon her tracks didn’t settle his nerves.
“OK, Heidi, I don’t remember if you had any man-tracking on your resume. When she shook her head, he continued. “These prints here are Angelique’s. I know this because her boots are less than two weeks old and have a pattern identical to the ones I am wearing right now.” He took a deliberate step to the side of the road in undisturbed dirt. Leaning down, he begins to point elements out with a pencil from his shirt. “Here you can see the crispness of the pattern at the front and back. She was walking not running.” He laid the stick he acquired during their earlier walk down next to the track, the end of the stick at the back of the heel print. “We mark the length of her track on one end of the stick,” he cuts a small grove around the stick through the bark “and then we look for the next track.” He scans the road ahead until he finds it. Laying the end of the stick at the front of the first track, he then marks the spot the heel of the second track is further up the stick with a second groove. “Now, as we follow the tracks, we know where the next track should be. If we put the stick at the back, the next one should be within the radius of the stick. There are fancy t shaped rods made for this, but a stick works. Also, if you get a common type track, you can use the print measurement to discern which one should be theirs.”
Heidi was fascinated. Man-tracking was one of the things she wished she had gotten to attend. There were several courses for it, but it never lined up for her to attend. After watching his demo, she went back to sweeping the surrounding terrain for trouble.
As they closed in on the SUV, Doug could see many more tracks over hers as well as a set of vehicle tracks. This worried him some. He tried to keep his panic in check and not convey it to his two partners. There were a great deal of tracks surrounding the SUV. He used his stick several times to try and map out what went down, but it was too confusing. He looked at the terrain, trying to figure where she would go from here. There were no boot prints on the road more than ten feet in front of the vehicle that he could find. That meant she either went off to the side or back out the way she came in. Going back would make no sense and he didn’t see any tracks that way. If she went that way it would have been in the vehicle. He started sweeping the sides. They didn’t find any prints on the ledge nearer the water that were hers or any newer than about two weeks ago. That left the uphill side.
Heidi watched him scour back and forth all around the SUV, his movements getting a bit more frantic as he went. Finally, he seemed to relax and call them forward.
“Guys, see right here,” he pointed at a scuffed mark at the edge of the road. “She went up this way. That’s the good news. There was another person with her or following her. That’s probably bad news. Look sharp. Let’s go.” Doug led them up a winding path towards a couple clumps of pine trees at the edge of the tree line.
“OK, Heidi, I don’t remember if you had any man-tracking on your resume. When she shook her head, he continued. “These prints here are Angelique’s. I know this because her boots are less than two weeks old and have a pattern identical to the ones I am wearing right now.” He took a deliberate step to the side of the road in undisturbed dirt. Leaning down, he begins to point elements out with a pencil from his shirt. “Here you can see the crispness of the pattern at the front and back. She was walking not running.” He laid the stick he acquired during their earlier walk down next to the track, the end of the stick at the back of the heel print. “We mark the length of her track on one end of the stick,” he cuts a small grove around the stick through the bark “and then we look for the next track.” He scans the road ahead until he finds it. Laying the end of the stick at the front of the first track, he then marks the spot the heel of the second track is further up the stick with a second groove. “Now, as we follow the tracks, we know where the next track should be. If we put the stick at the back, the next one should be within the radius of the stick. There are fancy t shaped rods made for this, but a stick works. Also, if you get a common type track, you can use the print measurement to discern which one should be theirs.”
Heidi was fascinated. Man-tracking was one of the things she wished she had gotten to attend. There were several courses for it, but it never lined up for her to attend. After watching his demo, she went back to sweeping the surrounding terrain for trouble.
As they closed in on the SUV, Doug could see many more tracks over hers as well as a set of vehicle tracks. This worried him some. He tried to keep his panic in check and not convey it to his two partners. There were a great deal of tracks surrounding the SUV. He used his stick several times to try and map out what went down, but it was too confusing. He looked at the terrain, trying to figure where she would go from here. There were no boot prints on the road more than ten feet in front of the vehicle that he could find. That meant she either went off to the side or back out the way she came in. Going back would make no sense and he didn’t see any tracks that way. If she went that way it would have been in the vehicle. He started sweeping the sides. They didn’t find any prints on the ledge nearer the water that were hers or any newer than about two weeks ago. That left the uphill side.
Heidi watched him scour back and forth all around the SUV, his movements getting a bit more frantic as he went. Finally, he seemed to relax and call them forward.
“Guys, see right here,” he pointed at a scuffed mark at the edge of the road. “She went up this way. That’s the good news. There was another person with her or following her. That’s probably bad news. Look sharp. Let’s go.” Doug led them up a winding path towards a couple clumps of pine trees at the edge of the tree line.
steamroller
Contributing Member
great story, thank you.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Heidi called the group to a halt at a flat spot halfway to the tree line.
“Ok, Doug. We have a trail to follow, but what happened behind us?” Doug gave her a confused look so she continued. “We have an SUV stopped at a choke point into the small valley you told your daughter to flee to. Do we know the who, why and how the thing got there?” Doug looked embarrassed. He didn’t have the answer. He had gotten task focused once he saw the tracks and, like a hound dog after a raccoon, ignored everything else.
“No. I guess I screwed up. We should have checked out the SUV more. We should go back down there I …” His voice trailed off as he looked down there and back up to the tree line. It was plain on his face that he didn’t want to take a single step back that way until and after her found his daughter. Heidi let him flip-flop a few moments before speaking.
“Doug, we need to move forward first and follow the tracks you found. I already checked the SUV for a few things while you were playing bloodhound. Some stuff has been stripped out of the thing after it was stopped, and stopped it was. Someone punched a big hole in the engine through the hood. It’s leaking two or three different fluids from under the hood and fuel from the tank in back. The glove box and center consoles are open and empty, the floor mats are gone, the underfloor storage is open and all the shoulder belts are also missing. Somebody killed that truck right there deliberately then either the people who did it, or someone else afterward went through looking for stuff. These are things we need to pick up on. I know what you are trying to do. If it was Emilia” she gestured over her shoulder “up there, I’d be tearing up the hill after her myself. We need to think. The guys after you were methodical. For some reason, we were some sort of loose end. I don’t know why, but we need to try and figure it out. Let’s get to the tree line. I don’t like being out here on the hillside. We stick out like a Bull Mastiff at a cat show.”
Doug looked both embarrassed and chastised. He turned and picked up the trail again. After a few more shifts of trajectory, they seemed to be headed towards a particularly thick clump of pine trees.
Heidi watched Doug’s back as he moved up the trail. She let him get a little distance between them. Turning to Emilia, she spoke softly.
“Emma, you see details better than I do. I need you to look at everything. Try to see patterns, things out of place, things moving wrong and such. The stuff you caught down at the SUV was important. I didn’t tell Doug it was stuff from both of us I was describing not because I wanted to steal your thunder but because I needed it to be clear and concise what we saw. Your artist’s eye for shape and form might just save us at some point. With us this close to the trees, you move up to where I was, about twenty feet behind him. I’ll stay at the rear so I can sweep the area behind us.” She ruffled Emilia’s hair as she walked past her.
Heidi looked out over the little valley stretching to her left and the SUV down at the road. She really hoped Doug’s daughter was here. If she was taken away on the other vehicle that made the tracks behind the dead one, she didn’t know how Doug would react. She thought she knew what she would do if it was Emilia, but it would involve finding them first. With no other movement in the valley that she could see, Heidi turned and followed Doug and Emilia into the tree line.
“Ok, Doug. We have a trail to follow, but what happened behind us?” Doug gave her a confused look so she continued. “We have an SUV stopped at a choke point into the small valley you told your daughter to flee to. Do we know the who, why and how the thing got there?” Doug looked embarrassed. He didn’t have the answer. He had gotten task focused once he saw the tracks and, like a hound dog after a raccoon, ignored everything else.
“No. I guess I screwed up. We should have checked out the SUV more. We should go back down there I …” His voice trailed off as he looked down there and back up to the tree line. It was plain on his face that he didn’t want to take a single step back that way until and after her found his daughter. Heidi let him flip-flop a few moments before speaking.
“Doug, we need to move forward first and follow the tracks you found. I already checked the SUV for a few things while you were playing bloodhound. Some stuff has been stripped out of the thing after it was stopped, and stopped it was. Someone punched a big hole in the engine through the hood. It’s leaking two or three different fluids from under the hood and fuel from the tank in back. The glove box and center consoles are open and empty, the floor mats are gone, the underfloor storage is open and all the shoulder belts are also missing. Somebody killed that truck right there deliberately then either the people who did it, or someone else afterward went through looking for stuff. These are things we need to pick up on. I know what you are trying to do. If it was Emilia” she gestured over her shoulder “up there, I’d be tearing up the hill after her myself. We need to think. The guys after you were methodical. For some reason, we were some sort of loose end. I don’t know why, but we need to try and figure it out. Let’s get to the tree line. I don’t like being out here on the hillside. We stick out like a Bull Mastiff at a cat show.”
Doug looked both embarrassed and chastised. He turned and picked up the trail again. After a few more shifts of trajectory, they seemed to be headed towards a particularly thick clump of pine trees.
Heidi watched Doug’s back as he moved up the trail. She let him get a little distance between them. Turning to Emilia, she spoke softly.
“Emma, you see details better than I do. I need you to look at everything. Try to see patterns, things out of place, things moving wrong and such. The stuff you caught down at the SUV was important. I didn’t tell Doug it was stuff from both of us I was describing not because I wanted to steal your thunder but because I needed it to be clear and concise what we saw. Your artist’s eye for shape and form might just save us at some point. With us this close to the trees, you move up to where I was, about twenty feet behind him. I’ll stay at the rear so I can sweep the area behind us.” She ruffled Emilia’s hair as she walked past her.
Heidi looked out over the little valley stretching to her left and the SUV down at the road. She really hoped Doug’s daughter was here. If she was taken away on the other vehicle that made the tracks behind the dead one, she didn’t know how Doug would react. She thought she knew what she would do if it was Emilia, but it would involve finding them first. With no other movement in the valley that she could see, Heidi turned and followed Doug and Emilia into the tree line.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, taking a lunch break.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
With the careful movement, it took some time for them to find Angelique’s campsite. Some of it came down to tracks at the base of a tree and marks worn into the bark by some cord. Once the location was isolated, Doug began searching the position in earnest. He was looking for clues to where she went, how long ago, and if she was coming back.
It was hard for him to subdue his frustration at not finding her here. All the signs were pointing to her being healthy and doing well however. Emilia was the one to find the disturbed earth under the pine needles beneath the tree. Doug found what had to be her cache. There were several cans of fuel, food and improvised alcohol stove. When he pulled it out, he couldn’t suppress his grin.
“Guys, look here!” He was pointing at a series of holes poked into the improvised stove. Emilia was confused, so was Heidi. Doug continued.
“When she learned how to make these, she couldn’t get the air and burner holes down consistently. I spent a week making them and figuring out the right number of holes. I taught her how many by how many holes she needed to make the letter A with the holes!” He showed them the top of the can again. There it was, a crude but definite ‘A’ in the pattern of holes.
Emilia was still digging in the hole and found something else. She pulled out a water bottle like the ones she and her mother had. Wide mouth, screw on lid, they were all the rage in the camping world for years. You would see them in all sorts of colors. This one looked different to her. It was plain, and a solid color. It also wasn’t slick and hard. It was dull brown and a bit squishy. She held it up.
“Hey, Doug. This looks funny.”
Doug looked over at her and the bottle she was holding. Heidi was concerned. As soon as Doug looked at the water bottle Emilia was holding, he seemed to collapse and started to cry. She moved over to him.
“Doug, what’s wrong? What’s the issue with the water bottle.” It took a few moments for him to get himself under control enough to answer her. He was still crying, but he was smiling and kind of laughing as well. Heidi asked him again. “Doug, what does it mean?”
“It means my mom and dad sent the angels again.” He broke out crying again.
Heidi was starting to worry. Doug wasn’t making sense and was acting a bit hysterical.
“Doug, you better start making sense, or do I have to slap you like in the movies?”
Doug got a hold of himself after a few more sobs. He took the bottle from Emilia’s hands and looked at the cap. There was what he was expecting, a stylized ‘G’ in sharpie. He looked at the two with him and knew he had to explain how, then what.
“OK Emilia, Heidi. The company that makes the water bottles like yours,” he gestured at the ones on their packs, “they started out making bottles for labs, medical, and chemical use. These were in just two colors; white and brown. Later when the outdoor people started using them more and more, they made more colors and changed the formula. They still are making the originals for their original uses though. Someone I know bought a bunch of surplus ones in amber, like all the medicine bottles, for use at his company. To keep them from getting mixed up, most either put their name on them or marked them somehow.” He pointed to the ‘G’. "Garen was here. He is the one I sent her towards. He and another friend were the ones that saved her at the store the other day, and now he was here in her hide site. His tracks must be the second set. My dad thought my mother sent him and Kara to save Angelique. He said they were guardian angels sent from heaven. Well angels, I don’t know about, but he was here and she is with him. She is safe now.” He seemed to collapse with the telling, tears still streaming unchecked down his face.
Heidi seemed a bit relieved at the news, but also uncomfortable and on edge with this talk of ‘angels’. Emilia saw this and thought she understood why, but wasn’t sure. They all sat there under the pine tree, letting the emotions play themselves out.
It was hard for him to subdue his frustration at not finding her here. All the signs were pointing to her being healthy and doing well however. Emilia was the one to find the disturbed earth under the pine needles beneath the tree. Doug found what had to be her cache. There were several cans of fuel, food and improvised alcohol stove. When he pulled it out, he couldn’t suppress his grin.
“Guys, look here!” He was pointing at a series of holes poked into the improvised stove. Emilia was confused, so was Heidi. Doug continued.
“When she learned how to make these, she couldn’t get the air and burner holes down consistently. I spent a week making them and figuring out the right number of holes. I taught her how many by how many holes she needed to make the letter A with the holes!” He showed them the top of the can again. There it was, a crude but definite ‘A’ in the pattern of holes.
Emilia was still digging in the hole and found something else. She pulled out a water bottle like the ones she and her mother had. Wide mouth, screw on lid, they were all the rage in the camping world for years. You would see them in all sorts of colors. This one looked different to her. It was plain, and a solid color. It also wasn’t slick and hard. It was dull brown and a bit squishy. She held it up.
“Hey, Doug. This looks funny.”
Doug looked over at her and the bottle she was holding. Heidi was concerned. As soon as Doug looked at the water bottle Emilia was holding, he seemed to collapse and started to cry. She moved over to him.
“Doug, what’s wrong? What’s the issue with the water bottle.” It took a few moments for him to get himself under control enough to answer her. He was still crying, but he was smiling and kind of laughing as well. Heidi asked him again. “Doug, what does it mean?”
“It means my mom and dad sent the angels again.” He broke out crying again.
Heidi was starting to worry. Doug wasn’t making sense and was acting a bit hysterical.
“Doug, you better start making sense, or do I have to slap you like in the movies?”
Doug got a hold of himself after a few more sobs. He took the bottle from Emilia’s hands and looked at the cap. There was what he was expecting, a stylized ‘G’ in sharpie. He looked at the two with him and knew he had to explain how, then what.
“OK Emilia, Heidi. The company that makes the water bottles like yours,” he gestured at the ones on their packs, “they started out making bottles for labs, medical, and chemical use. These were in just two colors; white and brown. Later when the outdoor people started using them more and more, they made more colors and changed the formula. They still are making the originals for their original uses though. Someone I know bought a bunch of surplus ones in amber, like all the medicine bottles, for use at his company. To keep them from getting mixed up, most either put their name on them or marked them somehow.” He pointed to the ‘G’. "Garen was here. He is the one I sent her towards. He and another friend were the ones that saved her at the store the other day, and now he was here in her hide site. His tracks must be the second set. My dad thought my mother sent him and Kara to save Angelique. He said they were guardian angels sent from heaven. Well angels, I don’t know about, but he was here and she is with him. She is safe now.” He seemed to collapse with the telling, tears still streaming unchecked down his face.
Heidi seemed a bit relieved at the news, but also uncomfortable and on edge with this talk of ‘angels’. Emilia saw this and thought she understood why, but wasn’t sure. They all sat there under the pine tree, letting the emotions play themselves out.
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, now off to chores 
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
It was late in the day. Doug, Heidi and Emilia were going to stay the night in the same spot under the pine tree Angelique had sheltered in. The cupboard was starting to run a little empty. They pooled what was in their packs. With some skimping, they figured they had around four meals. There was also a hidden gem in the bottom of Angelique’s cache; a foreign combat ration. In this case it’s an Australian five man combat ration. This was good for the three of them for two days if they stretched it, plus their other stuff. This should be enough to get then to the cabin.
Doug used the bungees from his pack to put the ground cloth up in between the layers of the limbs overhead. Emilia went to under several other trees to gather more pine needles for their beds. They also cleared a small space to set up the improvised stove to heat their food. While all of this was going on, Heidi was the one to go down to the water. She had all their empty water containers and bladders to fill. She also was hoping to scrounge up something to add to the pot. Unfortunately, the only plants she could remember was cattail and dandelions, and it was far too late in the fall for dandelions.
Emilia looked over at Doug, who was sorting out stuff for this evening’s meal.
“Angels don’t work like that, Doug.”
Doug was confused. This was out of the blue.
“What are you talking about, Emilia? Angels don’t work like what?”
“Angels showing up isn’t usually a good thing. When they show up, bad things usually happen. You know, rain of toads, pillar of fire, death and destruction.”
“How do you know so much about angels?” Doug was puzzled. She was quite confident in what she was saying.
“I’ve read a ton of books on angels that mom has.”
“A ton? Your mom has a ton of books on angels? How many is a ton?” Doug asked quizzically.
“Oh, thirty or forty, if you don’t count the bibles. That’s how I learned German.” Emilia trailed off, starting to wonder if she should have brought it up at all.
Doug was now even more interested. Why would someone have 30 to forty books on angels? What was he missing?
“So, why does your mom have an encyclopedic library about angels?”
Emilia now knew she was regretting opening up this line of conversation, but she didn’t know how to bail out of it now. She knew she had to, before her mom came back.
“Most seem to be a collection from her childhood. I probably shouldn’t have brought it up. Let’s not talk to mom about this. Please?”
Doug could see Emilia was starting to get upset. Probably better to let it drop for now. He knew he would want more info later. Angels were a thing?
“Not a problem Emilia. Let’s get things situated so after dinner, we can all clean up and rack out. We need to cover ground tomorrow.”
He was also thinking about the earlier conversation where they laid out the plan to go to the cabin instead of on up to Garen’s. It was a struggle in his own head. He now knew Angelique was safe. He also didn’t want to bring trouble to Garen’s doorstep. He had never been there and didn’t want to wander around and stumble into Garen and Bekka’s place unannounced. Heidi agreed with him. Showing up with three more people in trouble is not a kindness. They were already protecting his daughter. He figured they could go to the cabin, or maybe over to Zed’s to keep Emilia safe while he and Heidi checked out the park. Shit. He had to get a grip on things.
Doug used the bungees from his pack to put the ground cloth up in between the layers of the limbs overhead. Emilia went to under several other trees to gather more pine needles for their beds. They also cleared a small space to set up the improvised stove to heat their food. While all of this was going on, Heidi was the one to go down to the water. She had all their empty water containers and bladders to fill. She also was hoping to scrounge up something to add to the pot. Unfortunately, the only plants she could remember was cattail and dandelions, and it was far too late in the fall for dandelions.
Emilia looked over at Doug, who was sorting out stuff for this evening’s meal.
“Angels don’t work like that, Doug.”
Doug was confused. This was out of the blue.
“What are you talking about, Emilia? Angels don’t work like what?”
“Angels showing up isn’t usually a good thing. When they show up, bad things usually happen. You know, rain of toads, pillar of fire, death and destruction.”
“How do you know so much about angels?” Doug was puzzled. She was quite confident in what she was saying.
“I’ve read a ton of books on angels that mom has.”
“A ton? Your mom has a ton of books on angels? How many is a ton?” Doug asked quizzically.
“Oh, thirty or forty, if you don’t count the bibles. That’s how I learned German.” Emilia trailed off, starting to wonder if she should have brought it up at all.
Doug was now even more interested. Why would someone have 30 to forty books on angels? What was he missing?
“So, why does your mom have an encyclopedic library about angels?”
Emilia now knew she was regretting opening up this line of conversation, but she didn’t know how to bail out of it now. She knew she had to, before her mom came back.
“Most seem to be a collection from her childhood. I probably shouldn’t have brought it up. Let’s not talk to mom about this. Please?”
Doug could see Emilia was starting to get upset. Probably better to let it drop for now. He knew he would want more info later. Angels were a thing?
“Not a problem Emilia. Let’s get things situated so after dinner, we can all clean up and rack out. We need to cover ground tomorrow.”
He was also thinking about the earlier conversation where they laid out the plan to go to the cabin instead of on up to Garen’s. It was a struggle in his own head. He now knew Angelique was safe. He also didn’t want to bring trouble to Garen’s doorstep. He had never been there and didn’t want to wander around and stumble into Garen and Bekka’s place unannounced. Heidi agreed with him. Showing up with three more people in trouble is not a kindness. They were already protecting his daughter. He figured they could go to the cabin, or maybe over to Zed’s to keep Emilia safe while he and Heidi checked out the park. Shit. He had to get a grip on things.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Heidi was down at the water. She was using the filter pump so they didn’t have to boil purify, which would waste a great deal of fuel they didn’t have and didn’t have time to gather. Several water bladders and water bottles took some time. While she did this, two other things were happening with Heidi. The first was a great deal of focus on her senses. She was listening for danger and watching for any movement. While the ‘gazelle on the veld’ part of her brain was hyper-alert, another part of her brain was digging in the old recesses of her head, and it was kind of ugly in those corners. That was why she had walled them off.
Angels. Why was it always the angels sweeping in to save them? They just did God’s work, and most of the time, that work was unpleasant. She knew all about angels. Between her very religious father and all her studies, she knew a whole host of things that most did not about ‘angels’.
Most are described as having between four and six wings, two to four faces (most of which are not human). Some depictions have flaming swords, some translations have some also described as dragons. Enoch also describes some as having twelve wings that burst into song at sunrise. All of these are elements the common person does not associate with angels.
Her father was a well-read man as far as the Jewish and Christian faiths, sects and writings. He made it his life’s work after surviving the war that drove him from his home. He made a promise to God if he survived the conflict, he would dedicate his life to God and his faith. He fulfilled that promise. Heidi was immersed in such from day one. Not in an oppressive manner, but more an immersive manner. She could still remember her father’s favorite writing about angels from the Corpus Areopagiticum:
The name seraphim clearly indicates their ceaseless and eternal revolution about Divine Principles, their heat and keenness, the exuberance of their intense, perpetual, tireless activity, and their elevative and energetic assimilation of those below, kindling them and firing them to their own heat, and wholly purifying them by a burning and all-consuming flame; and by the unhidden, unquenchable, changeless, radiant and enlightening power, dispelling and destroying the shadows of darkness
Whenever she would act out, get boisterous, be bouncing off the walls, he would calm his temper by reciting this passage. He never struck her, beat her, or abused her in any way, but growing up in such an environment felt stifling to a young and energetic girl, setting the stage for later events. The values he instilled stuck though, and persevered, even when following them seemed to be destined to destroy her.
Guardian Angels. Nobody ever seems to wonder what effect being the instrument of God has on the Angel.
All the water containers were full. Heidi found a couple cattails to bring back with her to augment whatever dinner Doug had engineered. She was still brimming with energy. She was used to working out hours on end lately and she knew she would have a hard time quieting her mind and body for sleep again tonight.
Angels. Why was it always the angels sweeping in to save them? They just did God’s work, and most of the time, that work was unpleasant. She knew all about angels. Between her very religious father and all her studies, she knew a whole host of things that most did not about ‘angels’.
Most are described as having between four and six wings, two to four faces (most of which are not human). Some depictions have flaming swords, some translations have some also described as dragons. Enoch also describes some as having twelve wings that burst into song at sunrise. All of these are elements the common person does not associate with angels.
Her father was a well-read man as far as the Jewish and Christian faiths, sects and writings. He made it his life’s work after surviving the war that drove him from his home. He made a promise to God if he survived the conflict, he would dedicate his life to God and his faith. He fulfilled that promise. Heidi was immersed in such from day one. Not in an oppressive manner, but more an immersive manner. She could still remember her father’s favorite writing about angels from the Corpus Areopagiticum:
The name seraphim clearly indicates their ceaseless and eternal revolution about Divine Principles, their heat and keenness, the exuberance of their intense, perpetual, tireless activity, and their elevative and energetic assimilation of those below, kindling them and firing them to their own heat, and wholly purifying them by a burning and all-consuming flame; and by the unhidden, unquenchable, changeless, radiant and enlightening power, dispelling and destroying the shadows of darkness
Whenever she would act out, get boisterous, be bouncing off the walls, he would calm his temper by reciting this passage. He never struck her, beat her, or abused her in any way, but growing up in such an environment felt stifling to a young and energetic girl, setting the stage for later events. The values he instilled stuck though, and persevered, even when following them seemed to be destined to destroy her.
Guardian Angels. Nobody ever seems to wonder what effect being the instrument of God has on the Angel.
All the water containers were full. Heidi found a couple cattails to bring back with her to augment whatever dinner Doug had engineered. She was still brimming with energy. She was used to working out hours on end lately and she knew she would have a hard time quieting her mind and body for sleep again tonight.
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank u
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Dinner was some form of noodle stew combining ramen noodles, a beef stew packet, chili packet and the cattails. It was warm, filling and not too bad as far as flavor goes. Emilia, normally a talker, was quieter than the night before. Doug was describing the cabin he worked out of to them to prepare them somewhat. He loved the place but felt they might find it a bit Spartan. He was still having a hard time reading them both. Emilia seemed to be somewhat out of her element but trying to put on a false front and fit in. Heidi on the other hand, seemed to be adapting quickly. Perhaps too quickly for Emilia to keep up. He was still unsure how to read their mother/daughter dynamic as well. At times Emilia seems to be almost in charge, at least superficially. This mainly exerts itself in mundane elements with little major impact. When bigger issues crop up, Heidi imposes her will and Emilia backs down somewhat awkwardly, almost like she isn’t used to Heidi being authoritative towards her. This was a parenting dynamic he hadn’t worked through yet himself with Angelique, and he knew it would be different father to daughter than mother to daughter. He still had so much to learn before Angelique came back.
Heidi was still all amped up. She had plenty of energy and could have set out that night towards the cabin. She knew Doug could not. The burns took a lot out of him. Taking that plus all the stress and worry about his daughter, and he was well and truly wiped for the day. Emilia was somewhere in the middle. Heidi would have to talk with her, maybe tomorrow, about what had her so quiet during dinner. She seemed unusually subdued. Not like when she was drawing something and task focused, more like she would have been happier if no one talked at all. Doug had said it was a two bedroom cabin currently. That meant she would be sharing a room with Emilia. They needed to get shit straight between the two of them by then. She couldn’t have a repeat of some of their recent fights the last six months. More than once, she has lit a candle late in the night and apologized to her father’s spirit for all the grief she gave him growing up. She also told him he got his revenge on her; Heidi’s daughter was too much like her. The old curse of ‘may your children be just like you’ seemed to be playing out with Heidi and Emilia. She could hear the old man’s peculiar, musical laugh.
“Father, you are an ornery man. I hope I can live up to what you thought I could be as a parent, if I don’t strangle her in her sleep first.”
Heidi was still all amped up. She had plenty of energy and could have set out that night towards the cabin. She knew Doug could not. The burns took a lot out of him. Taking that plus all the stress and worry about his daughter, and he was well and truly wiped for the day. Emilia was somewhere in the middle. Heidi would have to talk with her, maybe tomorrow, about what had her so quiet during dinner. She seemed unusually subdued. Not like when she was drawing something and task focused, more like she would have been happier if no one talked at all. Doug had said it was a two bedroom cabin currently. That meant she would be sharing a room with Emilia. They needed to get shit straight between the two of them by then. She couldn’t have a repeat of some of their recent fights the last six months. More than once, she has lit a candle late in the night and apologized to her father’s spirit for all the grief she gave him growing up. She also told him he got his revenge on her; Heidi’s daughter was too much like her. The old curse of ‘may your children be just like you’ seemed to be playing out with Heidi and Emilia. She could hear the old man’s peculiar, musical laugh.
“Father, you are an ornery man. I hope I can live up to what you thought I could be as a parent, if I don’t strangle her in her sleep first.”
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steamroller
Contributing Member
Very good, thank you.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, was in the hospital earlier today awaiting hubby's surgery to be done. Home to do chores and etc. now.